A little while ago, The Man and I unexpectedly found ourselves without children. The dog was taken care of as well, so we put our bikes on his car and a few odds and ends in the trunk, and off we went. Luckily we forgot a lot of things, so we traveled lightly.
As we were getting close to the Inn in southern Vermont, we heard music on a village green, so we pulled over, sat on the grass a while and watched the sun set beautifully to the sound of Irish and New England dance tunes.
The next morning we woke early and set out for a walk before breakfast. It was one of those magical times when the light is just right, the air feels refreshing and your sleepy head wonders how on a sunny summer morning, the smallest things can take your breath away with their beauty.
Later that morning we rented a kayak and explored the shores of a nearby lakes. With the drought, the water levels in the lakes are so low that the shallows are just covered in beautiful lily pads and blossoms. I learned that if you accidentally kayak over one of these beauties, they will just pop right back up, unharmed. What a relief!
On our second day, we hiked a small portion of the Appalachian Trail. If you are hiking in New England, your chances of seeing lakes and water birds are excellent. We followed the northern section of the trail for about an hour before thunder and relentless mosquitos drove us back to the car. Our shortened hike allowed us to stop at a brewery for lunch which made The Man very happy (I no longer drink beer because of its gluten content).
Vermont is so beautiful with its dense forests, pretty lakes and lovely green mountains. But we also came across reminders of last year's Hurricane Irene, which devastated so many people's livelihoods. The amount of debris that flooded out of the now dry creeks and rivers is astonishing to see among all this lovely green. It made me so glad we chose to spend our money here, where it is so much needed to help with ongoing recovery efforts.
We never did take our bikes of the car as it rained the second afternoon. Instead we explored antique and
furniture stores, ate really good food, napped and discovered that even without the distraction of family and home (and car shopping), we still enjoy each other's company a whole lot.
