Category: Vermont

The Rock Man (and his little friend)

A few weeks ago the town redug the ditches culverts alongside our dirt road, and they put the leftover dirt and stone at the end of the road. I helped Tom move a few of the larger stones, where they found their way to his front stairs. Last week we noticed that someone had made a Rock Man out of some of the smaller stones, a sculpture about a foot tall. I went down there today to take some photos, and the Rock Man had been joined by a smaller friend.

There are also a few small cairns along the road now, perhaps the work of the same person that made Rock Man, or someone inspired by their work.

See this photo and more at the Fall Gallery page.

Wade & Jen's Wedding

This was a perfect early fall day for these two lovebirds to get married. The ceremony was very sweet, out on a grassy hill under a clear blue Vermont sky. Seconds after Jen started reading her vows there wasn’t a dry eye among us. Very touching, very heartfelt, very beautiful.

Rane was there, of course, and it was great seeing the boys and their girlfriends (who we hardly ever get to see). All in all, an incredible day with some wonderful people.

Happy wedding day, Wade and Jen! We love you and wish you much joy and happiness.

Wedding Day


Today was a beautiful day for Kate and Matt to get married. The sun came out just as Kate and I walked out the front door, and as the ceremony began a barn swallow flew past, along with a couple dragonflies and a small orange butterfly. Tom James did a wonderful job as Justice of the Peace, and Matt and Kate exchanged the vows they’d written.

It was a small gathering, just immediate family and a couple friends, short and sweet. Afterwards we toasted the newlyweds, and ate grilled chicken and kielbasa. Later on we had smoked ribs and the bride and groom fed each other chocolate sonic cake.

Best of luck to the happy couple, we love you both and wish you many years of joy and love.

Vermont Summer

Summer has arrived in full force and all at once. Temperatures are now typically in the eighties, and the humidity is high. The pool feels great when it’s this hot, and a challenge now is keeping the pool cool with the sun beating down on it all day.

Hobee is walking around all nappy and shorn, and both he and Carley spend a lot of time in the pond getting cool and muddy. And the mud comes into the house with them, where it dries and falls off and covers the floor with a fine layer of dirt which needs to then be swept once or twice a day. Since Carley loves to come up on the bed in the morning, bringing the joy of grit with her. (sigh)

Summer means lots of grilling, swimming, and being out in the sun. It’s a great time to be in Vermont, and I usually resist various pulls to get me out of state, and try instead to get people to come visit us here and share this experience. And it’s also an excuse to grill/smoke more food, not that I need an excuse of course.

My challenge is to stay on top of keeping the outside in shape, which mainly means keeping the pool clean (and chemically balanced), and the lawn mowed. At the moment both are in great shape, and I can relax and enjoy them.

And relaxing is what summer is all about.