Getaway, Part One

Take a lazy summer weekend, thunderstorms predicted. Take one mother and one adult daughter, looking for some fun. Take one Canadian son-in-law willing to mind the munchkins for a night. Take a much needed mini-vacation before the mother starts working full-time this week.



Find a Saturday-night vacancy at a charming inn in Vermont. Find a credit card that can still absorb some new charges. Find a map. Find an overnight bag. Find car keys. Pick up daughter. Get outta town!





Jenn and I managed an impromptu overnighter this past weekend to a secluded bed-and-breakfast where we dined on grilled tuna steak for dinner and blueberry pancakes with Vermont maple syrup for breakfast, compliments of the hosts. Alex and Anne pampered us and we enjoyed every decadent minute.



Besides eating, we hiked a trail, took plenty of photos, laughed till our stomachs hurt, drank a bottle of wine, played Scrabble late into the night, shared a ghostly experience (a given when traveling with Jenn), talked about old boyfriends, happy marriages, cosmic connections, and marveled at the fascinating little people Hannah and Sophie are becoming. We also challenged each other on the hike and while sitting on the front porch. At Jenn’s nudge, I actually wrote a birthday card to that high-school boyfriend whom I still dream about. Just ‘cause.



On the way back, we took a longer scenic route, stopping to walk through an old cemetery where I read the gravestone of a “Minuteman who served with George Washington in New Jersey and also at Bunker Hill”. Awesome.
It was a very hot Sunday but the weekend thunderstorms never arrived. So we browsed a town’s bookstore, art gallery and ended up in an antique shop which turned into an ice-cream parlor. We sat on its shady porch, eating gourmet ice-cream while the heat rippled on the sidewalk. I turned up the car air-conditioner as we drove along country roads and lakefronts. Jenn and I had talked and teased so much already that we were quite comfortable with our own thoughts as we admired the green beauty of Vermont out the car windows.

I’m going to share some of the nature pics I took on our hike. There are other stories to tell and other photos to show but Jenn may have a few tales of her own to spin first. So, for now, I’ll be good and do the landscape portion.











Have to wrap this up tonight as I'm starting my full-time hours very early in the morning. Join me later for Part Two!