Vermont
9th Anniversary
October 24, 2003
State of Vermont
Town of Bennington
Old First Church
We celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary in Vermont. Jackson stayed home in Seattle with his Nana (Julie's mom from California). It was a perfect mix of relaxation, romance, and sightseeing. Here's what we did . . . complete with links to more information, should you find yourself curious.
Day One
We flew from Seattle to Burlington, Vermont and drove south to East Middlebury where we stayed at the Waybury Inn. The Waybury Inn has offered lodging and dining since 1810. This inn was used as the exterior for the Stratford Inn on the television show Newhart. Poet Robert Frost spent much time dining at the Waybury Inn because for 23 years he had a cabin in nearby Ripton where he wrote during the summer months. We stayed in Room #9, the Robert Frost room which has a secret. We enjoyed a lovely dinner in the Pub at the Waybury and then relaxed in the Jacuzzi in our room.
We just missed the peak of fall color in the leaves, but there were some pretty remnants. There had been a light dusting of snow the night before we arrived . . . a beautiful combination.
Day Two
After a huge Vermont country breakfast, we drove up to Ripton where we walked along the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail which had select poems posted along the way. We then drove to the southwestern tip of Vermont, Bennington, where we followed Frost to his family grave in the cemetery at the Old First Church. This Congregational church was first gathered in 1763 by Separatists from the Massachusetts Colony. The building dates from 1805 and was built in the classical colonial style complete with boxes instead of single pews. Families would purchase a bench-lined box which, in turn, helped fund the building of the church. This is where we chose to remarry.
Pastor Scott Barton led us in the renewal of our wedding vows and shared scripture from Joshua 24 and 1 Corinthians 13. It was a lovely covenant renewal service that refreshed us once again in our marriage.
Pastor Barton also gave us some terrific history and information about Vermont. We went to the Bennington Museum which has the largest collection of paintings by Grandma Moses. We stopped by the Bennington Battle Monument celebrating the Battle of Bennington from the Revolutionary War and drove through a classic New England covered bridge before driving north to Stowe, a popular Vermont ski destination. The drive was beautiful, including a few stretches of heavy snow.
The next two nights were spent enjoying the Trapp Family Lodge which grew out of the home of Maria and Captain Von Trapp after they escaped the Nazis in Austria - yes, The Sound of Music. We enjoyed an elegant five-course meal in the dinning room before retiring to the charming European style room. There were Von Trapp family pictures all over the lodge, and their youngest son (#10) is still President of the lodge.
Day Three
After a lovely European breakfast buffet and a film documentary of Maria Von Trapp, we set out adventuring again. We drove to Barre, Vermont, home of the largest granite quarrying company in the world, Rock of Ages. We learned the history of granite quarrying and also learned about the amazing artisans (many third and fourth generation stone carvers from countries like Italy) that transform the slabs of granite into delicate and intricate gravestones and sculptures and monuments. It was quite impressive to learn about this major industry in Vermont.
We then stopped at the Bragg Farm Sugar House where we learned how maple syrup is made and tasted the four varieties of syrup. Fancy syrup is usually made from the first sap run of the season. The color is light amber and the maple flavor is mild and delicate. Medium Amber is slightly darker than Fancy and the maple flavor is more evident. Dark Amber has a much more robust maple flavor and sweetness that makes it a favorite of many. Grade B syrup is a dark syrup with a very hearty maple flavor and is used by many for cooking purposes. Maple is big business in Vermont both for the products made and for the stunning fall colors of the maple trees that draw visitors from all over the world every year.
Then we toured the Ben & Jerry's factory, which was great fun, complete with free ice cream. We even visited the ice cream graveyard where they put to rest old flavors.
Vermont is also known for its cheddar cheese production. Eric, not a big cheese lover, went crazy for the Habanero cheddar from Cabot Creamery - way too hot for Julie. Julie's pretty cheesy, so she liked many other varieties.
We returned to the lodge and each got a relaxing massage and took our limp selves to another delicious five course dinner at the lodge. We could not stop eating the amazing food prepared by the lodge's Austrian chef until we left the dining room feeling uncomfortably full.
Day Four
After another delicious breakfast, we took a horse-drawn wagon ride throughout the grounds of the Trapp Family Lodge. The hills were beautiful and the air was crisp and cold. We loaded up for home and stopped by the Cold Hollow Cider Mill for a peek at how apple cider is made. We watched the apples being crushed and squeezed, then we tasted some of the freshly pressed, unfiltered, unsweetened cider, another staple of Vermont. We couldn't leave without one last tour, this one of the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory just outside Burlington. We saw bear arms and legs everywhere and even had a bear made especially for us.
One of Julie's friends from playgroup had recently moved to Burlington, so we stopped by to visit Jennifer, Michaela and AJ Cassarino. Jackson would have loved to have played again with AJ, but he was home playing with his Nana.
We hopped a plane home to a wonderful reunion with Jackson who had a blast without us. We had a great anniversary celebration and know we are blessed to have each other!
October 24, 2003
State of Vermont
Town of Bennington
Old First Church
We celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary in Vermont. Jackson stayed home in Seattle with his Nana (Julie's mom from California). It was a perfect mix of relaxation, romance, and sightseeing. Here's what we did . . . complete with links to more information, should you find yourself curious.
Day One
We flew from Seattle to Burlington, Vermont and drove south to East Middlebury where we stayed at the Waybury Inn. The Waybury Inn has offered lodging and dining since 1810. This inn was used as the exterior for the Stratford Inn on the television show Newhart. Poet Robert Frost spent much time dining at the Waybury Inn because for 23 years he had a cabin in nearby Ripton where he wrote during the summer months. We stayed in Room #9, the Robert Frost room which has a secret. We enjoyed a lovely dinner in the Pub at the Waybury and then relaxed in the Jacuzzi in our room.
We just missed the peak of fall color in the leaves, but there were some pretty remnants. There had been a light dusting of snow the night before we arrived . . . a beautiful combination.
Day Two
After a huge Vermont country breakfast, we drove up to Ripton where we walked along the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail which had select poems posted along the way. We then drove to the southwestern tip of Vermont, Bennington, where we followed Frost to his family grave in the cemetery at the Old First Church. This Congregational church was first gathered in 1763 by Separatists from the Massachusetts Colony. The building dates from 1805 and was built in the classical colonial style complete with boxes instead of single pews. Families would purchase a bench-lined box which, in turn, helped fund the building of the church. This is where we chose to remarry.
Pastor Scott Barton led us in the renewal of our wedding vows and shared scripture from Joshua 24 and 1 Corinthians 13. It was a lovely covenant renewal service that refreshed us once again in our marriage.
Pastor Barton also gave us some terrific history and information about Vermont. We went to the Bennington Museum which has the largest collection of paintings by Grandma Moses. We stopped by the Bennington Battle Monument celebrating the Battle of Bennington from the Revolutionary War and drove through a classic New England covered bridge before driving north to Stowe, a popular Vermont ski destination. The drive was beautiful, including a few stretches of heavy snow.
The next two nights were spent enjoying the Trapp Family Lodge which grew out of the home of Maria and Captain Von Trapp after they escaped the Nazis in Austria - yes, The Sound of Music. We enjoyed an elegant five-course meal in the dinning room before retiring to the charming European style room. There were Von Trapp family pictures all over the lodge, and their youngest son (#10) is still President of the lodge.
Day Three
After a lovely European breakfast buffet and a film documentary of Maria Von Trapp, we set out adventuring again. We drove to Barre, Vermont, home of the largest granite quarrying company in the world, Rock of Ages. We learned the history of granite quarrying and also learned about the amazing artisans (many third and fourth generation stone carvers from countries like Italy) that transform the slabs of granite into delicate and intricate gravestones and sculptures and monuments. It was quite impressive to learn about this major industry in Vermont.
We then stopped at the Bragg Farm Sugar House where we learned how maple syrup is made and tasted the four varieties of syrup. Fancy syrup is usually made from the first sap run of the season. The color is light amber and the maple flavor is mild and delicate. Medium Amber is slightly darker than Fancy and the maple flavor is more evident. Dark Amber has a much more robust maple flavor and sweetness that makes it a favorite of many. Grade B syrup is a dark syrup with a very hearty maple flavor and is used by many for cooking purposes. Maple is big business in Vermont both for the products made and for the stunning fall colors of the maple trees that draw visitors from all over the world every year.
Then we toured the Ben & Jerry's factory, which was great fun, complete with free ice cream. We even visited the ice cream graveyard where they put to rest old flavors.
Vermont is also known for its cheddar cheese production. Eric, not a big cheese lover, went crazy for the Habanero cheddar from Cabot Creamery - way too hot for Julie. Julie's pretty cheesy, so she liked many other varieties.
We returned to the lodge and each got a relaxing massage and took our limp selves to another delicious five course dinner at the lodge. We could not stop eating the amazing food prepared by the lodge's Austrian chef until we left the dining room feeling uncomfortably full.
Day Four
After another delicious breakfast, we took a horse-drawn wagon ride throughout the grounds of the Trapp Family Lodge. The hills were beautiful and the air was crisp and cold. We loaded up for home and stopped by the Cold Hollow Cider Mill for a peek at how apple cider is made. We watched the apples being crushed and squeezed, then we tasted some of the freshly pressed, unfiltered, unsweetened cider, another staple of Vermont. We couldn't leave without one last tour, this one of the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory just outside Burlington. We saw bear arms and legs everywhere and even had a bear made especially for us.
One of Julie's friends from playgroup had recently moved to Burlington, so we stopped by to visit Jennifer, Michaela and AJ Cassarino. Jackson would have loved to have played again with AJ, but he was home playing with his Nana.
We hopped a plane home to a wonderful reunion with Jackson who had a blast without us. We had a great anniversary celebration and know we are blessed to have each other!