Second Helpings
Vermont gets snow—that’s just a fact of life. The storms are far less intense and disruptive than many I experienced in Delaware, but measurable snow on May 9? I definitely don’t… Read More …
Tag: Vermont
Couldn’t agree more!
Though I’ve always lived in a neighboring town or village, everything here is spot on. There’s something special about most every town, village, or city in Vermont, but Montpelier compiles much of that character and charm into one small place. Yet one more reason I… Read More …
Vermont, With a Side of Vermont
Vermont has been extra Vermonty this winter. The snow started in October, with the first measurable snow in November. We’ve been under snow pretty much ever since, and we’re at least two feet… Read More …
Hustle and Bustle of the City
Yes, Waterbury can be a bit busier than this, especially during/after events or when the state employees leave the state complex. But for the most part, this is the hustle and bustle that I see on a daily basis. Add a little snow, and there’s something soothing about the slow heartbeat of traffic signals, spiriting folks here and there with … Read More …
Four Years On
Sometimes, it takes the eye of an outsider to appreciate your surroundings.
This past August, I had just such a chance when some old friends from Delaware came for a visit. Although we definitely wanted to hang out and catch up, I knew they’d also want to see what makes Vermont great and planned a few jam-packed days, including the usual “three-town tour” I give everyone: Montpelier, Waterbury, and Burlington. But with decent weather and my own wish to see a few new things myself, we all became tourists on that long weekend.
In Montpelier, we all tried… Read More …
Enormity in Small Things
Four years ago, when I was first considering a move to Vermont for a career change, there were naturally reservations. I knew that Waterbury was smaller than most any town I had spent the night in, much less lived in, and nearby towns weren’t much larger. I considered commuting from Burlington, a bit of a mixture of Wilmington and Newark, Delaware—only with more spunk and vigor—but the distance and inadequate transit made it impractical.
So, I gathered all the … Read More …
Happy Discoveries
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, life is pretty short. I try to spend mine discovering anything and everything, big and small, bizarre and mundane.
No matter where I go—to and from work, out for a stroll behind my building, or walking through my neighborhood—I am constantly taking inventory. My eyes scan everything around me, detecting the least little speck of something out of place. (Ask Susanne—she’s witnessed me spotting the tiniest of things in the forest floor on many of our hikes together.)
So it was nothing new to… Read More …
Getting Jazzy
For all its quaint, laid-back charm, Vermont likes a good time!
Having a few errands in the Burlington area, I decided to check out a few of the free outdoor performances of the Discover Jazz Festival—and to see how much Vermonters enjoy the outdoor performances. I was not disappointed.
On the center block ofof the Marketplace, Burlington’s own The High Breaks were performing their not-quite-jazz but very enjoyable surf rock. I believe I heard… Read More …
Oh, Alaska… I mean, Vermont!
Back in the day, I loved that silly network show Northern Exposure. The humor and the quirky characters were a great escape from the dullitries¹ of college chores and work, and the storylines often played out like Alaska was some foreign land, long before Sarah Palin came along.
The kicker for me was always the wandering moose, which acted as the unofficial mascot of the show. At the time, a moose seemed about as American as a camel. (Isn’t a moose just a … Read More …
Vermont Being Vermont
So this winter seems a bit closer to how I always imagined Vermont. Snow started before Thanksgiving and has been on the ground ever since. It’s always been a little here, a little there, without any big snowstorms to speak of, though we came close this past week.
Thursday night through Friday we finally got a pretty big one, totaling about 14 to 15 inches here in Waterbury. Sure, we occasionally got bigger snowstorms in Delaware—I recall one storm that dropped 23 inches in two days. But here in Vermont, the snow lingers and becomes… Read More …