Almost Fall!

The Peddlers Village Scarecrow Festival is becoming an annual tradition...

And, importantly, we found out that M loves carrot cake with cream cheese frosting!

Fall-ly,

K, J, M, T & T

First Day of School 2015

M is a Cardinal at AFS...and she's very excited about it! (Poses are all her own!)

Last Day at the Pool!

This will forever be the summer that M learned to swim...and she loved every minute of it!

Happy Labor Day!

End of Summer in VT - Last Day

It is always bittersweet to enjoy our last day in VT. Today was a gorgeous one, though!

We started by clearing about 5 big trees and 30 saplings from the property. Have to keep the lake view clear!

After that, we headed to Okemo in the hopes that M would want to ride the mountain coaster. "I'm really sorry Dad, but I think I will ride it next time." Someone was disappointed. 

But, we soldiered on. M even panned for gold. No dice. 

After, we made our regular pilgrimage to the VT Country Store for the state's most celebrated fare: cheese, syrup and bacon. (This is why we love VT!) 

They also have a great kids toy section - case in point...ant glasses!

Of course, nearby is also one of M's favorite playgrounds:

We ended the day with some back to school shopping and a bookstore visit in Manchester and capped it off with a scenic drive back to the cabin. 

Once cuddled up at home, we enjoyed one more campfire to roast marshmallows and gazed up at the stars. 

Home tomorrow...

End of Summer in VT - Day Six

Lake Ninevah....ahhhhhhh!

End of Summer in VT - Day Five

Ben & Jerry's = heaven! 

(Note how these two are trying to actually eat the ice cream in this photo!!)

Of course, we did many other amazing things today, too, but the tour and ice cream tasting was "delish" according to M (that's one step better than delicious, she says).

To start the day off, we went to the Red Hen Bakery, which is rumored to have the best croissants in VT. M (an aficionado) inhaled hers and ordered a second. When asked how it tasted and if it was VT's best, she answered (in very VT taciturn fashion), "yup."

Then it was off to ice cream heaven. After, we rolled ourselves into the car and went to Cabot Cheese (yummmmm!) and Cold Hollow Cider Mill (double yummmm!)

We then went to the Waterbury Farmers Market, where M continued her track record of making best friends with the farmer's daughter (literally!) and playing for an hour or two. She's so shy...  ;-)

Another great thing about Ben and Jerry's is that the drive there and back is beautiful! 60 miles along the Route 100 Scenic Byway and all along the Green Mountain National Forest. This trip, we tried to find some new favorite places. We were NOT disappointed. 

Warren Falls and the cascade swimming holes (J's new favorite place in VT):

Moss Glen Falls:

Texas Falls:

The national forest at Kent Pond:

Whew! That's a lotta falls! We loved it, though...every falls was a hike, too, and M was awesome. (She must be the trail leader for all hikes!). 

Tired, but happy...

End of Summer in VT - Days 3 & 4

So, yesterday was an exploring day. We headed to Brattleboro, where K & J had not been in 6-7 years. It was just as gorgeous (but maybe a little busier!) than we remembered. We moseyed through town, hit up the local food co-op, checked out an awesome independent book store, tasted cheese at Grafton Village Cheese Co. and stopped at the Retreat farm and petting zoo. 

We were having so much fun that we all but forgot to take pics! But we did get a few of our gorgeous lunchtime view at the Whetstone Grille. 

Now, for Day 4 today...we started off the morning with a family canoe on the lake. Very calm and relaxing. Then, after stacking some firewood (thanks, J!), we hiked the Echo Vista Trail at Camp Plymouth. 

Someone was tired at the top...

...but the view definitely made up for it!

After a bit of post-hiking rest, we headed to Woodstock for the farmers market and music on the town green. 

We capped off the evening with a visit to one of M's favorite libraries and a walk around town...we also made sure to drive over one of the covered bridges on our way back to the cabin. 

Ahhh...another day of VT bliss!