I am in Montpelier, Vermont for one month, working remotely, to beat the Texas heat. Living in an Air B&B. We drove up here - 2000 miles. Smoke from Canada covered everything from Ohio to here. Bummer. Last night I went to the July 4 parade downtown, and Bernie was there!! A Bernie sighting! People here really like him.
After a month here I am going to Maine for three weeks. Then driving back to Texas in late August. It will still be hot, but I will have missed the worst - hopefully.
Cool! Too bad about that smoke.
Well done on 8,000 posts too!!!
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on July 04, 2023, 01:03:14 PMI am in Montpelier, Vermont for one month, working remotely, to beat the Texas heat. Living in an Air B&B. We drove up here - 2000 miles. Smoke from Canada covered everything from Ohio to here. Bummer. Last night I went to the July 4 parade downtown, and Bernie was there!! A Bernie sighting! People here really like him.
After a month here I am going to Maine for three weeks. Then driving back to Texas in late August. It will still be hot, but I will have missed the worst - hopefully.
Nice, words look at all those words.
Eager to hear more about the adventure, EN.
Stop being an insufferable meanie, TMP.
what a wonderful time to be in new england.
the weather i s perfect, there's megafauna to gawk at, and the potatoes are almost in bloom.
Quote from: billy rubin on July 04, 2023, 08:14:54 PMwhat a wonderful time to be in new england.
the weather i s perfect, there's megafauna to gawk at, and the potatoes are almost in bloom.
Beasties and potatoes!
Speaking of beasties, there are deer ticks here, which carry Lyme disease and other nasty things. After a walk you have to check your "warm places".
they have potato festivals up north with parades and everything
Keep those ticks at bay and enjoy the relatively cooler green of New England! 8)
Does Vermont have Vermouth?
Well, Montpelier flooded two days ago. Unprecedented rains, and the city is in a valley at the confluence of the Winooski River and the North Branch, which runs right through downtown. The center of town was under about 3 feet of water. Today the water is gone, but there is mud. If it rains again, everything is saturated and the reservoir above town is full, so there may be more flooding. But right now it is sunny. I feel sorry for the businesses downtown, though.
We have made several long drives out in the country, and went to Woodstock, VT, last Saturday. Beautiful state when it is not flooding. It is a very agrarian state, and that bleeds over into the city. Across the street there are sheep in one house's back yard, and two houses down has chickens in the front. Many homes have vegetable gardens. We visited a maple farm the first weekend we were here. They tap the trees, connect them all with tubes, and the maple sap runs down into a small facility where they cook it down and make delicious maple syrup. They use it in ice cream, candy, and, of course, for pancakes and waffles. Yum! We walk a lot - town is small and 15 minutes on foot gets me downtown. Our rent house is on a hill, so it did not flood.
This Saturday we are going to Stowe, which is only 23 miles from here. The next day we are going to nearby Waterbury to tour the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory. Can't wait.
Then, the Saturday after that, we have booked a dinner cruise on Lake Champlain in Burlington. Burlington is the largest town in the state, but only has 44,000 people. It's where Bernie Sanders is from.
this is fantastic
how long will you stay up thrre? only the montb?
can you go moose sighting?
We are in Montpelier for the month of July, then going to Camden, Maine, for 3 weeks. Then driving back to Texas, taking a different route. I plan to see Gettysburg and a couple of other places I have not seen. We get back home at the end of August. It will still be hot, but we will have missed the worst, I hope. Last evening at 6:30 it was 76 in Stowe and 105 in Belton, Texas (at 5:30, CST), where I live.
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on July 13, 2023, 10:46:06 AMWe are in Montpelier
And yet we have seen nay a pic of Montplier
I will attempt to amend my ways. Sorry.
(https://imageshack.com/i/powCwbg1j)
Vermont state capitol building in Montpelier.
(https://imageshack.com/i/poIMtA7Qj)
Partying with Miss Vermont at the July 4 parade. Happier times before the flood.
(https://imageshack.com/i/pn68juH4j)
A Bernie Sighting!! He showed up at the parade.
(https://imageshack.com/i/pmR56mr5j)
The flood. The businesses in downtown Montpelier were heavily damaged and probably won't be up and running again for a long time. Now there is dirt and trash everywhere. Sad.
Vermont is beautiful.......well not right now. Damned shame that one can kayak down Main Street.
Lonng time go, I was riding my motorcycle through Vermont, on my way to Canada. Along the way there was one of the many roadside campsites. I will pitch my little tent at this one, it is a pretty place in the north woods. The campsite had a trashcan near the back of the place, about 15 yards away. That night I was sleeping when I was awakened by a noise. I got up to see what was up. Two big bears were checking out the trash can. I figured the next thing they might do is check out my little tent. I left immediately so that the bears would not be bothered by a dumbass with a motorcycle. I wont be camping out in Vermont again. The bears can have the woods, my tiny tent, and the pretty little campsites all to themselves.
To Vermont vamoosed Ecurb Noselrub.
You can make a veritable montage of Vermont.
(https://imageshack.com/i/pnq8mkWij)
Boardwalk near Stowe.
(https://imageshack.com/i/pn6sXYcOj)
View of mountains and forest near Stowe.
Vermont means "green mountain", and it is easy to understand why this is called "The Green Mountain State". It is the greenest place I've ever been, literally and environmentally. They are quite conscious of keeping it clean. That is not helping downtown Montpelier right now, as it is still filled with giant trash piles. But some places are beginning to open up again and volunteers are trying to get rid of the trash.
Yesterday evening we drove up through the Mad River Valley. It was a perfect day, high of 77F, low humidity, sunny skies, very gentle breeze. When we got back from our drive we listened to the community band play a few tunes on the college green, right down the street from us. Days like this do not exist in Texas in the summer. Today would be the closest thing I can imagine to a perfect day temperature-wise.
(https://imageshack.com/i/poVZFG4Xj)
Sunday we visited the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory in Waterbury. I could not resist.
mmm ice cream.
Vermont seems very American.
Marcus, Vermont is an American state but its citizens, in general, do not stubbornly adhere to customs and attitudes of much of the rest of America. Vermont people are mostly of the laissez-faire sort who do not feel an obligation to question another persons taste in fashion, politics, or religion. At least that was the condition when I last visited the state.
Also, Vermont is a sparsely populated state.
yet in our elitist system of government, they have as many senators as california.
Quote from: billy rubin on July 28, 2023, 12:40:16 AMyet in our elitist system of government, they have as many senators as california.
And we have 52 Representatives here in California, Vs Vermont's ONE.
Does everything in America boil down to politics?
Quote from: MarcusA on July 28, 2023, 01:21:45 AMDoes everything in America boil down to politics?
Politics, Religion and Capitalism?
Quote from: Tom62 on July 28, 2023, 05:34:22 AMQuote from: MarcusA on July 28, 2023, 01:21:45 AMDoes everything in America boil down to politics?
Politics, Religion and Capitalism?
And don't forget the ground breaking science like Apollo, Hubble, JWST and the A/H bomb. Did I say that?
no.
theres also motorcycles.
Is Vermont nice like Disneyland?
Quote from: MarcusA on July 28, 2023, 01:21:45 AMDoes everything in America boil down to politics?
Not yet, although there is always someone somewhere who will try to
make it political - whatever "it" is. That's not limited to the United States though - they are just more polarised than many other Western nations. That makes it easier to see - and, I suppose, easier to make any issue into an "us vs. them" situation.