~Trips~

Greetings to everyone.....this morning I got up early and took a hike on the VAST trail to the top of the mountain/hillside. I let Vandy enjoy running 'free' while we were up there....he loved every minute of it!!!! He came back with a blackened nose from all the hunting..... :) 

Playgrounds: School playgrounds are all accessible to the public....that is such a neat thing compared to Tennessee. In addition, every ballpark is accommodated with a playground....a mother had to design this up here.....good ideas. Anyway, I've been meaning to put that in my blog and just haven't ....it was irrelevant to this posting.....lol

Okay, well, Friday night we went to Rutland to visit Jim (Gary's coworker who retired today) and his wife. He and his wife were very enjoyable to talk with on a very beautiful summer Vermont evening.  We had wine (some like grape juice) :)- Jim knew he had some I would like (lol)  and discussed stories.....afterward we had dinner out at a local little spot there. Brock had babysitting duties -2nd time so far!!!! He bargains for a New York Style Cheesecake every time I leave to go to the grocery store! Also tonight we heard one of Gary 's football players had sustained a very bad four wheeler accident and was in critical condition at Dartmouth. (New Hampshire). We plan on visiting him on Saturday.

Saturday morning Cooper had baseball practice. Afterward, we traveled to New Hampshire to Dartmouth. (Comparison here might be like Vanderbilt).
Did I forget to mention....we got lost a little getting there....by about 4 hours! Oh, me!!!! Long unexpected road trip!

Mama will come in tomorrow......and Coop continues with his All Star games........Hope I can find where to pick her up tomorrow at the airport....is she departing or arriving....lol.......

Vandy .....never gives up on squirrels.....

Brock made this in horticulture class.

See the one at the top....Brock snapped this of a random man to put in the camp week book :) lol

At Jim's trying some Grade C (VERY DARK) maple syrup that Jim made.

Street side...Keen, New Hampshire

Fluff here, not marshmallow cream! huh.....

~Late Spring Days~

The peonies are in full bloom here and the rhododendron is fading......into summer. Brock is finishing up his last day today at camp. So far he has visited horticulture, made crepes (yes, he cooked :), and also has met a couple of good friends. He met a boy named Henry he is in a group with that do a lot of stuff together at the camp. Joe and Morgan picked Brock up from camp on Wednesday (it rained all day) and brought him over at supper. Yes, I tried my best at cooking up a country dinner....NOT. I made some chicken enchiladas. I did make some sweet tea, though- and a homemade cheesecake (not that good, lol). So, Wednesday evening was a fun time!

Today it is about 70 and on the drive in this morning the clouds were setting atop of the mountains....very pretty.

Cooper went to the chiropractor for the first time......she is also an acupuncturist, and among other things....very homeopathy kind of doctor. Her office was decorated with Southwest décor....horses, Native American, etc. We really liked her....she sure seemed to help Cooper.....he complains with his back at age 10......not normal. So, she aligned him. Very educational, indeed.

Last night Cooper had a game for his All-Star season.....at Cavendish Ball Park. When Irene hit here in 2011, it flooded the little ball field completely, so the Red Sox came up here and rebuilt it. Very nice! Coop played well that night, too!

Last night we had dinner after the game at American Pie....very unique little spot in Ludlow.

I snapped this photo just for this blog....good example of how Vermonters create change. Taking time out of her schedule to promote an awareness about crime.

Grammy, what?

Blurry pic, but this was at American Pie- it has ski lift seats.

We liked the Black River we could hear out back while at American Pie.

Now, this will be our new location in Springfield as of August 1, 2014. So, we will move one more time....to get closer to the school system where the kids will go. They've met a lot of friends from there through the summer.

~First Swim Day of Season~

Vermont is a combination of Sound of Music and Little House on the Prairie all rolled into to one....at least that's my opinion. It has the hard, intelligence of the people of endurance...survival of a sometimes harsh climate....beautiful, postcard summers (well, other seasons too)....and it has the 'green' and mountains like the Sound of Music.

The days are mid-70's and on Monday we had the day get up to 80 something....so we went swimming. I met some interesting ladies there...very friendly. We had a picnic (Hillary, Coop, and I) on the village green in Chester. It is such a cute town!

Brock is at camp at Tech Camp at SHS. So I travel 20 minutes to take him there in the mornings and then back.....then back in the evening again for Cooper and his baseball practice. Monday Cooper had a pizza party with his team to celebrate the season ending. It was a pretty evening, and Hillary enjoyed playing on the playground.

Brock seems to be enjoying Tech Camp....he made a bolt from aluminum today....I think he has an appreciation for a single bolt..lol. It took almost an hour to make on a machine and then the thought of mass production to make a profit started entering his mind.....anyway......He seems to know quite a few guys there at the camp due to football and baseball....so that is a good thing!

Here are some pictures as of lately:

Wooded area....still have not found the name...

Always pretty, Luna Moth......

Did I mention....the water was freezing!!!!!

Hillary did not care!

Blooming all around the wooded area....wild raspberries, I think.

Went to the library today with Hillary...Crafty Tuesdays...today's menu was homemade silly puddy.

Here's a community thought.....have a community band for people who still want to connect no matter the age to play music......pretty neat.......they do live concerts every so often for the community.....tonight was one of the nights.

Hillary's use of the silly puddy

~Tunbridge Vermont History Expo~

Well, it was another beautiful day in Vermont.....late spring here, temperature around 70. The boys and Gary went to play golf today while Hillary and I hit the road to another cultural adventure. Below are some great pictures from the day. I have to say two really neat things happened today.....I met Senator Patrick Leahy (senior senate seat in United States) and met the people who helped produce that movie....called The Vermont Movie (I also bought a copy :)

These were from the other night at Okemo Summer Concert....our families rode the Timber Coaster!

Brock and Giles

Coop!

Explaining dressage of Morgan Horse and role in war.

Encampment and showing how to use a real stove using the ground....like a chimney.

\Hillary writing with a real quill~

 

 

Sen. Leahy, Hillary and I

This link for info. about him.....and his policies....
http://www.leahy.senate.gov/biography/