Celebrating One Year - A Vermont Getaway

Alternate Title: Or How I Almost Had a Nervous Breakdown Trying to Post from Windows Live Writer With This Many !$%#@?$* Pictures in a Post...hence it took several weeks to get this thing live on the interwebs.

We had plans, baby. Lots of 'em. But just enough not to make the whole anniversary trip a mass of rushing around mixed with a touch of anxiety. It. Was. Perfect.

As for our honeymoon last year, Dave and I went to our favorite fall getaway - Middlebury, Vermont. This time, since we wanted just a brief overnight trip, we didn't travel north to Burlington, but instead spent a good day in Middlebury before traveling south on Route 7 (aka Antiques Galore) to the Bennington area. The weather was perfect foliage was incredibly gorgeous...it just makes me want to save up for a better camera to play around with and learn how to take pictures that will actually do it justice. And all the other inane stuff I want to photograph. (Y'know - branches, cats, future babies, furniture.) 

To save you from many unnecessary paragraphs, here are some of the highlights of the trip:

And imagine if I had time to edit this photo! My favorite from the trip.
Methinks it deserves a frame.
 

Let’s just say we stopped at the Middlebury Co-Op before checking in at the Inn.

‘Tis awesome that I have a partner-in-crime who will not only put up with me taking pictures of bulk foods in a very busy store, but encourages it. (It was busy, don’t let the picture mislead you.)

Aaaaand here is said partner, studying “local” coffees (kinda). He ended up grinding his own the next day. So proud!

Must I explain why I get excited over dairy in glass containers? Didn’t think so.
(And organic, nonetheless!)

These products are made about 15 minutes from where I live…and are sold in Vermont. Sweet!

Made about an hour from where I live, you know I HEART CHOBANI, right?

Isn’t this the neatest non-waste to-go container? Just wish I could figure out how to heat up soup in a microwave using that thing.

The gorgeous falls…

And Dave playing around with the fly fisherman.


I LOVED this shop! Everything was either “awww, cute!” or gorgeously-styled.
And we left empty-handed. Bummer.



Dave enjoyed these lil’ guys.

 

The meaning of life, or what?! We both particularly enjoyed this one – and I’m thinking up a way to make one for our digs...or at least using the sentiment.

Our song. It was meant to be. Maybe I should’ve bought this little box, after all.

Twisting his imaginary moustache. How did we NOT purchase these? Oh, right. They were expensive.

Okay. THESE were cheap. Why didn’t we buy them?!

Oh, right. They’re terrifying.
“Yellow Submarine” flashback.

These were pretty cool, but not practical…for us.
You can provide people with a “check” either providing a person extra karma points for awesome behavior, or withdrawing points for crappy behavior. Hmm. Maybe I could use these at school…

 This was in a different store, but it’d be awesome to fill this thing. (With a baby.)

Another perspective on the falls, and, as Dave puts it, “an old building used to be there!”

 Perfect little Vermont town.


So do we, Knitting Club Lady. So do we.
(Sew do we?)

The Middlebury Inn:


And my ever-present, goes-with-practically-everything, gaudy purse. Enjoy.

No, he’s not really peeing. We like to mess around. You should see the pictures I DON’T publish for all the world to see. (See: How To Make a Marriage Last Only One Year – Post Peeing Pics)
 
Love this display of mirrors in the hall of the Middlebury Inn!

He looks pissed, but he’s not – we were truly excited about “tea time” at the inn.

Treats with tea!
 

Love me a branchy tree picture.
(Let’s just say I have several very similar, yet slightly different versions of this one.)

There was a wedding and reception at the inn the day that we were there.
Why didn’t we think of that? Oh, right. We hadn’t been there yet.

The incredible tavern at the inn, where we ate dinner.
Also my nieces name. Giddy.


We found some checkers in the hallway.
Dave insisted that he forgot how to play.

Faker. He won.
Pay no attention to the stomach rolls. It was the angle…yeah, that’s it.

The inn’s lobby (one of its areas).

 Ready for some antiquing? Hard not to be with an interesting

oval lamp like this. (Although I’d prefer it in something other than brass. ;-))

And a sweet chair in ebony. That “M” must be for Megan. ;-)

I loved that the curtain fabric was slightly modern/punchy, but
complemented the room’s traditionalism. 

Antiquing highlights:

 Dave found me some great vintage Christmas cards. Got some ideas for ‘em.

 Old seed packets. This ran around $60. Seriously?!
 

More? Good thing we found some at Camelot Village later in the day. Project time!

Ewe. You’re creepin’ me out. And makin’ me sad.
(On a side note, this is our FA-VO-RITE antiques shop in Vermont.
It’s where we got our sideboard last year. :-D)

This place also has a barn full of stuff. This is the creepy upstairs o’ furniture. 

Vintage Remington typewriter. We just happen to perform our shows in Remington’s old stable.

 

Ya don’t see this in NY much…

And in the midst of a heavy afternoon of antiquing, Rachel’s provided us an on-the-go,
locally-made, all-natural option. Thanks, Rachel!


Such as their “Vermonter” sandwich, sweet potato chips and “adult soda”…

…and Dave’s thirst-quenching lemonade.

Which gave us enough energy to enjoy our Bennington stop, and meet up with an old friend.

  And relive our well-known photo op.

Goofing off at Camelot Village (but not in the antique section; that wasn’t allowed. Wop wop.)

                                              Hitting traffic on our way out of Vermont.


What we didn't get pictures of:
- The best dang anniversary gift ever. After 12 months, we still hadn't sifted through the plethora of wedding pictures to create a photo album (be it traditional or the online-make-your-own kind). So, when Navigator Meg told Driver Dave that we finally had a stretch of time on the horizon (he'd asked me several times "Okay, after that turn, do we have a long stretch yet?"), he pulled out a present from the backseat and threw in a CD. The gift: a gorgeous album that he'd made online of a selection of our professional photos (which, incidentally, he'd worked on here and there since December, mostly by lying to me that he had to stay late at work 20 minutes...and here I thought it was another girl ;-D Juuuuust kidding). The CD: Most of the music that helped make the day special. For example, here's the first song (which we and our wedding party entered the reception to; how can you not giggle with giddiness at that intro?!) --

- The inside of our favorite antiques shop EVER. (Possibly tied with Camelot Village...possibly.)
- The fun we had inside Camelot Village's antiques shop. We visited this store a few years ago (during our first Vermont trip together, while there for a friend's wedding) and took some wacky pictures. We got to the "village" too late last year. THIS year, I noticed that there was a sign discouraging the use of cameras and camcorders...to which my naughty husband said, "Good thing I have my cell phone." We got a FEW pictures, but not nearly as many as the first time we went. ;-)

- The Middlebury Co-Op. Millions more pictures should've been taken, but it was a hoppin' joint the first time we went, and I'd forgotten my camera for the second visit. Two visits in a 24-hour span. Consider us hooked. Heck, Dave's still talking about the soap. (Ah, yes, the soap. I should've snapped pictures of the soap.)

So, that was our awesome Vermont getaway! Hope it wasn’t too boring to relive with us. It was one of the best weekends I remember having in awhile, so it’s nice to jot down a little journal-like blogging to remember it in the long-term.