Fall Temperatures and Sights

It is very hard to believe that just over a year ago, the foundation was just being poured on the garage, and the walls were just starting to be put up. We have come pretty far since then, and this should be the first winter of real use. We came up over the Columbus Day weekend for the first time in a month. We initially were going to do some leaf peeping, and maybe a little work. Mother Nature decided to flip our schedule a bit. A wee bit of rain Friday night made for a slow trip up, and it lingered into the morning. Since the weather wasn't cooperating, we decided to finally finish up the walls in the lower garage level. We had just one side left, and fortunately, it was fairly straight forward. Before-
And after- We are glad to finally finish this off because it needed to be done, but with all the work we have done, this was kind of pushed to the back burner, so we could go up and have a little fun. Once this was knocked off the list of things to do, the weather cleared up enough for us to get outside, and do some walking and eventually some peeping. We first went out back, and noticed the brush cutter had been out clearing what will become the snowmobile trail in less than 65 days! Looking off to the northwest, it was apparent color was in full bloom. It almost had passed in some places it appeared, as the color seemed a little dusky, but the contrast were still sharp. We decided to take a drive, and see how things were progressing in and around Danville. First stop was down by the town green. The green is very small, typical of old New England towns, and it truly is one of those "don't blink or you will miss it" spots. It was very nicely adorned for the fall season, but sadly, we missed the Autumn on the Green festival by a week. I will have to add to my calendar next year. We have been trying to get up for some of the different activities, but life always seems to happen. Venturing onward, we traveled some off the lesser roads, at one point ending up on a single wide, pot hole riddled trail, which I eventually recognized as one of the snowmobile trails we frequent during the winter. After a quick U-turn, we ended up out in the countryside, which takes all of about 2 minutes up this way. Past farms, scattered houses, and many open fields, the colors were fantastic. Corn was fading fast, getting ready to be cut into silage, to feed the animals over the winter. There were several areas within a short drive where the views are just amazing. Pictures really don't justify the simple beauty out there as well as you would expect, because being there standing in the crisp fall air adds a dimension that can't be captured on film. But sharing the pictures gives you an idea of what it looks like at least. And the trip included a couple animal sightings as well.


Always see the strangest things in Vermont.
That about wraps it up for now, the clock is ticking, and soon winter will be upon us. Time to get the sleds ready, clean up the gear, and check everything. Then come December we should be riding. Based on this picture, taken October 13, at around 7:30 AM, winter is on its way. You know what they say at New England weather, just wait a few minutes, it'll change....

Late Summer Update

Greetings all, its been a while since the last update. Summer has passed by too quickly, and just so much going on, haven't gotten around to updating. A couple trips up were for pleasure, and the most recent started as a pleasure trip, but the weather caused a change of plans. We went up for Labor day weekend, and early on finally got down into some of the shops in downtown St. Johnsbury. Typical of a small downtown, replete with the old metal style thermometer. Venturing into one of the stores, there were many items you would expect to find, such as a Moose head, old furniture, and the like. One thing that caught our eye was the canoeing squirrel.

We had other company, as my sister and her family came up with their camper and set up for the weekend. While we were there we made a few tourist stops. We went to the local museum and planetarium, the Fairbanks museum. The museum was founded by Franklin Fairbanks, a philanthropist whose family ran the Fairbanks Scale company.
Fairbanks was also a big naturalist, so when he donated the museum to the town, his collection of natural science specimens were included. Indeed is was an awesome collection, from small to large animals, an amazing number of birds, including an immense collection of hummingbirds. We also stopped by the local Maple Sugar Museum. The tours were not running but the gift shop was still open and of course a photo opportunity was there as well.

After a bit of sight seeing we went back and had a cookout and campfire. The evening was crisp, and the fire was welcome.
The following day we went for a walk out in the "back forty" to show everyone the back part of the property. The woods were thick, and the grass was very high, so travel was slow, but it still offered a unique perspective, with the kids shorter than the vegetation. But as usual, the weekend just disappeared too quickly, and it was time to head back to home and work. So we wave goodbye to summer, and look forward to fall, and ultimately winter.