Archive for October, 2008

Crash Call

Do I need to say anything. Really.

So here is that something I am a bit embarrassed to admit that in the almost 14 years I have lived in Vermont, I have never taken the Gondola to the top of Mount Mansfield in the fall. Nor have I ever driven the car up the toll road, as thousands of people do every year.

I mean, people come from all over the world to leave peep in Vermont. And I would guess that 90% of them either drive up the toll road or take the gondola in Stowe. Not me though. Love the foliage. Have been known to suddenly stop the car on the side of the road and take pictures of a particularly beautifully colored leave … but never made the pilgrimage to the top of Vermont’s most famous mountain.

Until today that is. Harvest Fest at Smilie School this morning … and after that, we decided to take a drive to Stowe and make it up the mountain. I have to admit, I only thought of it because I had three free gondola ride tickets from a specially sponsored Vermont Lake Monster game we went to this summer. Otherwise I think I would still be a ‘gondola virgin’.

It was beautiful, as expected. Some Vermonters may get used to the beauty that is fall foliage, but I doubt I ever will. Probably got that from my mom, who, 7 years after coming to Vermont for foliage season in the days after 09/11, still talks about it almost every time we are on the phone… and that is almost weekly.

Kids loved it too, of course.

Funny though, we took the Notch road to the Smuggs side of the mountain to go home, and you can clearly tell that the ‘other side’ is the locals side. No fancy shops, hotels, or vacation mansions. Part of that is probably that once the snow falls, Smuggler’s Notch Road is closed and one has to take a 45 minute detour to get to Smuggs from the South. Which is probably just as well, while I understand that tourists bring alot of money to the Vermont economy, I am still not a big fan of Stowe turning into little St. Moritz. So I am happy that ’the other side’ remains the locals side. I don’t even ski, but I am still oddly possessive of the Smuggs side …

Anyways, winter is coming, let me tell you that. Could feel it on top of that mountain …. and THAT is not something I wax poetic about. … Argh.

Benji helped me today with the usual fall decorating. Pumpkins, cornstalks, scare crow … and the obligatory photo ….. mom is never without a camera. Though since my little Powershot broke (two weeks after the one year warranty expired …) I am back to using my Canon … which is a tad bigger … much bigger actually. But I have to say I really missed the great pix it takes, so it is worth carrying around a camera that doubles the weight of my purse. And that means something ….women will understand. Moms will understand even better. A regular mom purse weighs at least 10 lbs. Wallet, checkbook, aspirin, wet wipes, tissues, chapstick, snacks, … husband’s wallet ….But that is a different post.

So, after the usual “Smile nice for mommy” photos, they insisted on some ‘funny’ pix .. so here you go. Enjoy. Happy Fall!

  And one that Benji took of mommy and the scare crow and one of mommy ‘as’ the scare crow. I am the one in the red vest …. just to avoid any embarrassing mixups ….