Cobb's Corner

Westford, VT - I stopped along the road in Westford, VT to take a photo of this wooden statue; I thought it was real cool looking. I did not have a clue what Cobb's Corner, Inc. was. I just looked it up and it is one of those Vermont Home businesses; except this one seems to have grown. It is a company started by Rebecca Samanci and her husband, Yavuz. They make burritos, salsa and hummus to be sold around the state. Read the article: HERE

The Burlington Earth Clock

Burlington, VT - These stones are the Burlington Earth Clock, it is a 43 foot circle of 14 stones located along the Burlington Bikeway. The stones align to where the Sun sets at different times of the year such as Solstices and Equinoxes. In the center of the circle two people are doing their yoga exercises. The Earth Clock is created by Circles for Peace. This is a quote from their website, "Circles for Peace is a Vermont grassroots non-profit organization that is based on the philosophy that by witnessing of the rhythms and cycles of nature we can restore inner peace and inner strength".



This sign explains how to use the clock. The second phase is building a sundial.



Information from: Circles for Peace website

Burlington Vermont Bikeway

Burlington, Vermont - When I went up to Vermont I brought my
bicycle. Now I must preface this by saying that I have not ridden a bicycle in ten years; I guess this is trial by fire. I decided to try riding on a paved bike trail and the Burlington Bikeway fit the bill nicely. It was almost all flat or very minor hills. I did find just a couple of narrow sections and a few road crossings downtown(I still have pedals with straps to hold your feet in) that I was a bit nervous on, but once I got my "bike legs" again they were not a problem.



The views of Lake Champlain from the bikeway were spectacular.



This is a bridge over the Winooski River as it feeds into Lake Champlain.



Another bridge, this one over a swampy area.



South of downtown Burlington is an area that has these marble blocks that are carved; this one is a mermaid. I am wondering if these are finished works or did the artist run into a problem? They seem to be almost finished but not quite.



North of Burlington is a park, sorry did not catch the name, at that park is the start of the trail to the causeway. This trail is not paved, it is made of packed gravel. I was a bit nervous here because the dirt trail went down a hill. Let me remind you again, this is the almost the first time I had been on a bike, on a dirt trail, with 20 year old, 25mm tires. I made it down the hill without a problem but took the paved road back up the hill, just in case.



View on the causeway. At this point I was about six miles from where I started and was hoping that the air would stay in those OLD tubes, especially riding on gravel. By the next day my tires were flat(the bike is now at the shop getting tuned up and getting new tires).



This is Local Motion, "Local Motion is a greater Burlington non-profit promoting bicycling, walking, running, in-line skating and the facilities that make such travel safe, easy, and fun!" Where you can rent a bicyle to take the trail. Here is a link to their website that explains what they do LOCAL MOTION




Another one of those sculptures on the trail. I will be posting more photos of sights along the trail shortly.

Sandisfield Historical Society Fair

Sandisfield, MA - I went out for a ride with my boys, my two dogs, and ran across this fair. The Sandisfield Historical Society Fair is held every year they last weekend in September. It is one of the smaller fairs but a fair none the less.


Inside the historical society building are items from a church that burned a hundred years ago. Only a few items were able to be salvaged before it all went up in flames.



Below is the quilt being raffled off to benefit the Congregational Church in town. I bought some tickets so wish me luck.



A farmstand across from the Historical Society.

Maple Syrup Bottles

Ferrisburgh, VT - A display of Maple Syrup bottles in Dakin Farms, Route 7. It is a retailer of cheese, hams, maple products, etc.

I currently have this photo as my screen saver.

Granville Harvest Fair and Car Show

Granville, MA - It that time of year again, time for the Granville Harvest Fair or sometimes known as Granville Harvest Festival. Below is a photo of one of the signs along the road in Granville. Don't forget the Granville-Tolland Lion's Club Car Show.



The sign above is pretty boring so here is a photo of the sign in front of Nestrovich's Orchard for a bit of autumn.

Kayaking on the Winooski River

Richmond, VT - I took my kayak out on the Winooski River for a little paddle. The river was shallow and in some spots it was only a few inches deep; the kayak is sitting on the bottom in the photo.



There is a sign for you, "Stop Rock Snot". There is an invasive weed in the river called Didymo. You have to take measures so you do not spread it to other waterways.

Grandpa's Homemade Apple Sauce

Waterbury, VT - I was driving through Waterbury Vermont looking for interesting things to take a photo of and I saw a red sign that said, "Applesauce" with an arrow. The sign was just past Ben and Jerry's factory, everyone and his brother that has been in Waterbury has stopped there, but I thought, not many people have gone to wherever, "Applesauce" was.


I followed the red Applesauce signs and came to this sign,Owl's Head Orchard.

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I went up the driveway and came to this "Stand". A tub with a honor jar to put your money. I grabbed a jar and put my money in the money jar and went back down the drive taking a few photos on the way down(it was raining so you may see a few spots on the lens.

A short time later I sample some of the sauce and found it very good. I was a little surprised with the flavor, without preservatives the color was dark so I expected spices. The ingredients:Apples, and as my Uncle would say, "Nobody else in there". So if you are in Waterbury, VT, take a slight detour to the Owl's Head Orchard and buy a jar of Real Vermont Applesauce to take home..I did. I do have one question, is this Grandpa's recipe or a photo of Grandpa when he was young?

Owl's Head Orchard 2848 Perry Hill Road Waterbury, VT

Child's Garden Sturbridge Village

Sturbidge Village, Sturbridge, MA - Today my wife and I took a trip to the village. As a change of pace from my Vermont photos I am posting on of the photos I took today.



I will continue with my Vermont photos tomorrow.

Fisher Covered Railroad Bridge

Wolcott, VT - This is the Fisher Covered Railroad Bridge. It was the last covered RR bridge left in Vermont; it is no longer in service. It crosses the Lamoille River on the St. Johnsbury Lamoille County RR. It was built in 1908 and is the only one existing with a full length cupola to let smoke escape.



A view from the end.


Information from sign posted at the bridge.

Round Bales in Vermont

A scenic view off of Rte. 30 in Vermont

Crawford Family Farm's - Vermont Ayr Farmstead Cheese

Whiting, VT - Sherry Crawford was nice enough to let me come to the farm and take some photos. Here is the "cave" where the cheese is aged. These wheels of cheese are Vermont Ayr, an alpine style farmstead cheese made from raw milk. Their website explains the process much better than I can.


This is the cheese room where the milk is turned into cheese. This is done in small batches and the process is started within an hour of milking, can't get fresher then that.


To keep bad things out of the cheese area, I had to put on a hairnet(not that I have that much) and special boots before I could go near the cheese. Is this a Glamor don't?


Here were some of those Ayrshire cows out in the field soaking up the rays and that clean Vermont air.


These two must be buddies, two future cheese makers.


"You Knocked"?

For more information: Crawford Family Farm

Board Game Social

Richmond, VT - While waiting for the Duck Race to begin I notice that there was going to be a "Board Game Social" at the library; it sounded interesting so I dropped in.


These are all the people that were there. The game de jour was Scrabble. I sat down at the table closest to the camera. I held my own but did not win...again. But it was fun and I met some very nice people. If you live in the area or are visiting, stop by next time they have another Board Game Social.


This is the library when the games were held, it looks like a converted church.

Rubber Duck Race

Richmond, VT - I heard on the radio that there was going to be a rubber duck race in Richmond so I went to check it out. When I go there, I saw this tent where they were selling tickets for the event; money going to Richmond Area Teen Center. I wanted in on this so I bought a few tickets.




In the bucket are the ducks, ready to be set free.


Unfortunately, this section of the Winooski River runs very slowly so the ducks don't get spread out, most of them were in clumps like this. I did not win anything, oh well, at least it is for a good cause.

Willow Hill Farm Cheese

Milton, VT - Today I visited Willow Hill Farm where they make cheese from Sheep and Cows milk. It was raining so the photos might be a bit dark


This is the sign at the entrance of the property. It is not easy to find but thanks to Mapquest I was able to find my way. The sign is on the road but the cheese house is 0.4 miles from the road.


Two cheeses that I bought to sample. The one on the left is made from Sheep milk, the dark things on the outside are herbs. On the right is a Blue Cheese made from Sheep's and Cows milk; and it is aged in a cave.


Your cheese selection de jour.


Sheep out to pasture. I noticed that they have a Llama in the field with them to gaurd against dogs or coyotes.


Some of the cows.


In addition, they also sell lamb and pork; some of the pigs in the field.

For more information go to their website: Willow Hill Farm

Blogger Friends

Today I had the pleasure of meeting two of my blogger friends in Vermont. It is not often that you get to meet other bloggers in the flesh.


This is Helen with yours truly, she has a few blogs, one being "Box of Rain"


This is Helen with her boyfriend Tom. He is also a blogger with a few blogs, one being, "Snap, Crackle and Blog"

I want to thank them for a nice visit; I really enjoyed their company.

Great Blue Heron

Otis, MA - I took the kayak out a few days ago on the Otis Reservoir and took this photo of a Great Blue Heron fishing on the side of the river.

Farmington Valley Greenway - Bike and Jogging Path

Suffield to Farmington, CT - I decided to dust off my bike(literally) and try to ride. I haven't ridden my bike in at least 10 years and my bike has been sitting in the garage collecting dust. I put air in the tires and believe it or not, they held air. The reason I haven't ridden is I have arthritis in my ankle and the last time I tried to ride it really hurt; So, I decide to try again. If you have seen photos of me, such as in the corn maze, I am a little on the "doughy" side. I decide I have to do something about my weight before I stroke out or something. Anyway, I decided the best place to start out is on one of these rail to trails, the ride is flat and no cars. I have a habit of overdoing it, true to form, I did seven miles the first day and twenty the second. The good part is the ankle and any other parts are doing well so I will have to continue hopefully losing some of the blubber.


These are some of the photos I took on the trail. It is very scenic passing farmland and forests; you also take a tour of the Imperial Nurseries. On my twenty mile trip I went from Suffield to the Simsbury Flower Bridge, that is where I somehow lost the trial, which was OK because twenty miles for the second time riding was enough. Next time, I will have to find the trial that leads to Farmington, CT. I believe that this trial, connecting with others will go from Suffield, CT to New Haven, CT.