Recap so far. I flew to Vermont with my nephew Brandon on Wednesday and I stayed in Burlington. Thursday morning I had breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express, drove south and visited the golf courses at Neshobe and Middlebury College where I ate a Greek Burger with my brother Tom. Traveled to Charlotte to check in to the Old Lantern Inn and stayed around to watch the wedding rehearsal at the Old Lantern Barn. After rehearsal...
The bride's family was having a picnic at Mount Philo State Park which is located on top of Mt Philo, almost 1000 feet in elevation. I rode over with Izzy & Kayla. We found out that we had to pay $4 a person. There is an access rode to the top and I read that it is the oldest State Park in Vermont, created in 1924. The views are beautiful and being a sunny day....I realized I miss elevation changes in Florida.
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| View to the South from Mt Philo |
Kayla's family, the Thibaults, were already there setting out food at a picnic table. My brother John had hitched a ride with Kathi and was also there.
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| My brother John with the family Thibault and Izzy |
Of course, Kayla's father Brian offered me a beer which I grudgingly accepted. It was called "Sip of Sunshine" and is brewed in Vermont. An IPA made by Lawson's Finest Liquids. It was very good.
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| My beer "Sip of Sunshine" |
My brother John said the view was even better if I hiked a ways down the path toward the West. So I grabbed my beer and headed out. The next picture is looking toward the Southwest. The water is Lake Champlain and the mountains to the right are the Adirondacks of New York. The green on this side is the Champlain Valley of Vermont. The Old Lantern is not in this picture, but is located North of where we are looking.
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| Champlain Valley from Mt Philo |
Below us was a field with horses behind a beautiful large farmhouse. The problem with technology is that pictures are high resolution and after zooming, I see that it is just a field with cows. Oh well, still beautiful.
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| Cows grazing behind a large house |
Looking to the Southeast, you could see the Green Mountains of Vermont. The highest peak is Mt Abraham. Izzy and Jared both graduated from Mt Abraham High School in Bristol. The family reunions I went to as a kid are at the base of that mountain in Lincoln Vermont.
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| Mt Abraham of the Green Mountains of Vermont |
Of course, Kayla's dog Echo was also at the party. Although he is not staying at the Inn with us, he was glad he could join the picnic.
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| Echo |
I enjoyed my conversation with Grandma Thibault. She told me she had just turned 91 years young. We talked about Florida, food, and the upcoming wedding. She asked me more than once where I was from, and I was very tempted to tell her a different city each time. But being a gentleman, I answered "Melboune, Florida" every time. I enjoyed my chat with her. I wish the picture was better.
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| Grandma Thibault |
There were kids from the younger generation there too. I think the little guy was named Nathaniel (Kayla's nephew) and older boy is Ty (Kayla's cousin). I like the picture I caught even if it was not in focus.
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| Nathaniel and Ty |
Another Vermont hill you can see from Mt Philo is Snake Mountain, located in Addison County. It is another mountain that is a day's hike with panoramic views of the Lake and beyond. We did have a discussion on the origin of the name, but no one knew the factual answer.
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| Snake Mountain as seen from Mt Philo |
As we descended the mountain and headed back to the Inn, Izzy took a back road that I had never been on. Of course, Kayla, Izzy and I were having a great conversation and he missed the turn back to our place. Kayla and Izzy, not yet married, were able to calmly figure out where to turn and get back on track. As we pulled into the Inn, the moon was shining brightly in the sky.
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| Almost Full Moon |
As the sun was setting in the west, Roland said that there was a great view of the lake from behind the house. I climbed up to see and I liked the photo I took of the house. My room, room 6, is located at the double window in the middle of the house on the second floor. Lisa and Roland live on the first floor.
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| Old Lantern Inn from the South |
The back deck to the left is where the rehearsal dinner on Friday is going to be held. My brother John will be cooking the food for that party. But Thursday night ended with us going into the Inn. Other than Kayla and Izzy, I was the only other person staying at the house. Roland and Lisa invited us into their home to watch the NBA basketball finals. I made it though the first half but then went to bed. Kayla was able to pull the photo Lisa wanted off my camera memory stick before her lap top ejected the stick across the room. As you have seen, I did not loose any photos.
This ends Part III. Part IV will be about Friday, the day before the wedding. New record for me, three blog posts in one day! I hope people have enjoyed what I have written so far....it gets even better!
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