Part 4. Vermont

And then we went to Vermont.    It is very very green up there.     Jon and Mary Beth's  condo is perfect for skiing.    Just open the door and ski down the hill.     And in the summer, the trails make for great hiking.     We opted for the lazy route and rode the large 'bubble' chair lift to the top of Okemo Mtn....about 3100' at the top.   Also a place to get warm and eat and get ice cream in the summer (unfortunately, we skipped that part).   The chair has an orange plexiglass bubble that comes down when you start moving to protect you from the winds and snow and cold in the

 winter.    For our ride, it stayed up.    

  

But the best part was a chance meeting with an old friend.     Judy and I were in a quilt group, beginning over 25 years ago.     It was traditional quilting but gradually evolved into art quilting.    Judy is a brilliant whimsical artist who renders fabric into "paintings of the natural beauty and spirit of life".    She moved to Brandon VT and lives in a charming colonial on Main Street and has a thriving gallery all while giving back to her community.    I happened to pick up a brochure at the Vermont Visitors/Welcome Center and as I was paging through this catalog of Open Studios, I came upon one of her works.   I recognized it immediately and  was thrilled that this was the weekend of the event.    We drove over the next day and it was just wonderful to briefly catch up once again.    But, she was very busy with visitors so our time was brief . We will stay in touch and hope to meet up fairly soon.      Please check out her website at www.JudithReilly, com

And then we came home.     Although home is always welcoming, we have so many great memories of those growing grand boys, that delightful Murphy, the beauty of 'the Vineyard' and nostalgic memories of other graduations at Newtown HS.    And for our first trip more protected from the virus, it was the best we could have picked.    

Out here the mountains are still lightly patched with snow, the flowers are magnificent, the sky is magical blue and life is good.   ( and there is no humidity to make my hair grown exponentially with the dew point).     

 

Meet Murphy

 This 'lab-mix' was a rescue at about 6 months.    The vet said no, he is 100% American Pit Bull.   But if you asked him, he was  Murphy and no one cared what the paper said.      As Andy described him....He is the wallflower of dogs.    It is an apt description at times.   He is so mellow and so quiet.... until the UPS guy shows up !      Murphy went to the Vineyard with us.    He seemed non-plussed by the ferry.   He liked the backyard and the catbirds and the long walks.    But his very favorite thing of all was the beach and his Frisbee and rolling in the sand and running into the water and having a friend to run with.  

Maybe he would like to visit Colorado next.....

(The pics were downloaded from Jon's flicker acct and came with added parts of the alphabet )

Martha's Vineyard. Part two

And then we took a large ferry to Martha's Vineyard.     It's a nice 45 min trip from Wood's Hole and the 

weather was perfect.   

Jon found a home to rent on VRBO.   Above the door, you can see 1776, the year part of it was built.   It's a shotgun house with several additions in the back.   It has been in the same family since 1900.    It is a bit quirky but comfortable and nothing matches. But it was very well equipped for anything you'd want to cook or do and we spent many hours on the back deck  in the lovely landscaped yard.    Murphy especially liked the fenced in yard and did his best to protect us from passerby's.     The location was exceptional.... a 2 block walk from Edgartown shops and restaurants and a few minutes farther to the beach.   And the same for the Chappaquidick ferry.    Upscale Edgartown is a favorite area of the rich and famous and the Obama's home is nearby.   The streets are lined with immaculate period houses with fences overflowing with roses.    The church a block away, chimed every hour and played a soothing portion of a hymn.   

We drove to Gay Head and the lighthouse and ate ice cream.    

Enjoying the view from the back of the ferry.
Oak Bluffs has magnificent Victorian homes, many all covered in gingerbread and pastel colors.

 

We took a lovely guided boat ride around part of the island one evening.  This guy was saving money moving his boat across the bay the hard way.   After our tour, our guide went back to help him.   

   So that's enough for Part two as the picture issue is still an issue !    My patience has expired so stay tuned for the next installment.   
 

The best of times.....Part One

The heat is on everywhere and that means the wildfire threat heightens.   We hope for monsoon season to start soon.

Meanwhile, Mother Nature paints pictures....

And so, this happened !!    Just a few short years ago, he was 4 and now he is off to college.!   We are so proud of this talented young man.    Andy is the 5th in our family to graduate from Newtown CT  high school and each and every one had the best possible start to their futures.   

We flew into LGA (new terminal....wow !!  ) and after so long in isolation, it was the most special of trips.

Aside from masks and United handing out sanitizing wipes, nothing felt different.    Of course, this white-knuckle flyer got to experience a jolting roller coaster ride out of Montrose to Denver....and without charging a 2nd fee, it was repeated on our return trip...  

This Blogger app is giving me fits..... I can't download pictures easily and if I get them on the page, they disappear without warning.     So I will share our trip in segments to keep the frustration level manageable.