Vermont

It seems like years ago, but the week after Thanksgiving, we decided to visit Vermont. We were thrilled to have Grandma and Papa joined us.

First we celebrated Turkey Day by putting our guests to work painting. At this point, we knew there was a possible move on the horizon, so all hands were on deck. There was a reward at the end of the day in the form of a sunset stroll on the beach followed by dinner of lobster and clams. We can have turkey any day.




Once our bellies were full, we packed our bags and hit the road for Stowe, VT. Our home away for home for a week, Trapp Family Lodge. And yes, that's THE Von Trapp Family from "The Sound of Music."



Can I just tell you that Vermont is absolutely beautiful? We couldn't get enough of it. The resort was amazing too. It wasn't fancy by any means, but it had everything you could want and more, and it all started with the views of the Green Mountains.

When we planned this trip in February of last year, we thought surely there would be snow on the ground the week after Thanksgiving. Trapp Family Lodge is renowned for their cross country skiing, and it's something I always wanted to try. The joke was on us though. There was no snow on the ground, and we had only one day of snowfall, so we had to to find other ways to entertain ourselves.

We hiked, explored Stowe, swam in the indoor pool, put together puzzles, took a wagon ride through the property, got massages, and all out enjoyed a relaxing vacation.


One night B and I left the girls in our chalet to head to the main lodge to listen to John Cassel play the piano while we enjoyed drinks at the bar. It just so happened that we were down there when Maria Von Trapp was having dinner. She is the daughter of Captain Von Trapp and his first wife. She was portrayed by the character Louisa in "The Sound of Music." After she was finished, she joined Mr. Cassel at the piano. It was quite special to be in her presence and a highlight of our evening.

One of the days we were there, the weather was less than hospitable, so we hit the road for a taste of Vermont.


We started at Cold Hollow Cider Mill where we learned about the process of making cider and tasted (and tasted more) cider hot of the press.
*We didn't learn this at Cold Hollow, but a nice drink we learned to make while at the lodge was warm apple cider with a shot of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum and a Cinnamon stick. Umm Umm Good!!!! I highly recommend.


Now it was time for Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory. You can only look from above down onto the manufacturing floor there, and since all the excitement happens inside the metal pipes and cauldrons, it wasn't too exciting for the kids. The treat came at the end though, so everyone was satisfied.
This was an actual customer who was visiting the factory.



After the ice cream, we headed to Cabot Cheese Factory. This was the best tour of the day. We actually got to walk down on the floor of the factory to see the process. It was Lise' favorite. At the end you had a table full of samples. For those of you looking for an alternative for your Spinach Madeline, I recommend the Habanero Cabot cheese. It's spicy, so beware. A little goes a long way.

We rounded out the day with a trip to a farm where they harvest maple syrup. The syrup process actually occurs in Feb/March, so we didn't get to see the actual process. We did watch a video about it and tasted the 4 different grades. I will never eat fake syrup again. So long Aunt Jemima!


All in all it was a GREAT trip. I highly recommend Vermont and the Trapp Family Lodge. You won't regret it. For more pictures of our trip, click here.