Archive for February, 2012

Vermont is made up of 251 small and not-so small towns. The 251 Club celebrates each of them. The 251 Club is an organization of Vermont enthusiasts whose objective is to visit the state’s 251 towns and cities.

New Haven is my current darling. Nestled between Middlebury and Bristol, New Haven is the quintessential Vermont village. Not long ago, a Google search revealed no famous people from New Haven. This can be a liberating thing not unlike having very few keys on your key chain or knowing exactly what you are going to cook for dinner.

Today New Haven has one famous resident singer-song writer Julie Frost, a Golden Globe winner who composes for famous pop groups like Madonna and the Black Eyed Peas. Before Frost, New Haven had Josiah Bushnell Grinnell (1821 – 1891), founder of Grinnell, Iowa; Royal T. Sprague (1814 – 1872), 11th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California; and Homer Hulbert (1863–1949), missionary and activist. Josiah, Royal and Homer are not ringing any bells for me, but I do like the sound Julie’s voice.

This near absence of celebrity appeals to second-home owners moving to Vermont just as much as it does to local Vermonters. The scarcity of people, New Haven’s population is only 1,826 spread out over 41.5 square miles, often makes for stronger relationships with neighbors. It has to do with supply and demand.

New Haven’s bucolic allure is readily present in the recently sold Clifford House on Sherman Lane in New Haven (a rainbow over that property is pictured above). You can also get a taste of it in this architecturally designed contemporary in New Haven. Click on an image for full property details:

“Architect designed contemporary plus 2-BR guest house on 30 acres overlooking fields, Otter Creek, Snake Mt. and Adirondacks. Extremely energy efficient (all Marvin Integrity windows), the interior features large open rooms with natural woodwork and multiple levels of living space. Kitchen is open to dining/family room for wonderful entertaining space. Bedrooms have high ceilings and loft space. Lower level has large room for playroom or exercise room and very large, dry storage area. Land borders Otter Creek (think kayaking/canoeing). Great biking roads in all directions.”

What the MLS description does not tell you is that the high ceilings in this house just make you feel regal. The countryside has the same effect.

Think of New Haven Vermont and your likely to conjure images of a quiet farming community in the Champlain Valley. Until last week, the Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce and Madonna would not have entered  into your bucolic picture of New Haven. But now that New Haven born singer-song writer Julie Frost stepped into the limelight, New Haven is the new Nashville.

Julie Frost has composed hits for pop groups such as the Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce, and Mary J. Blige. And she just won a Golden Globe for her song Masterpiece, from the Madonna movie W.E. The movie is about the legendary and controversial romance of Wallis Simpson, an American socialite and divorcee, and King Edward VIII, an English king. Edward abdicated the throne in order to marry her.  Frost’s Masterpiece is as moving as the story of Wallis and Edward, who later became the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

In honor of New Haven Vermont’s recent celebrity here are a few masterpiece homes. You wont have to abdicate to live here…but you’ll probably do it for love. Click on the images for complete MLS details.

Passive Solar Home on Dog Team Road, New Haven VT

One of my favorites is this New Haven home on Dog Team Road. The MLS description lists these features: Bar, Cable, Cable Internet, Family Room, DSL, Sunroom, Walk-in Closet, Walk-in Pantry, Wet Bar, Whirlpool Tub, Library, Living/Dining, Loft, Fireplace-Wood, Great Room, Hot Tub, Island, Laundry Hook-ups, Master BR with BA, Mudroom, Natural Woodwork, Sauna, Skylight, Smoke Det-B Dog Fence, Porch-Covered, Satellite, Underground Utilities, Window Screens, Other.

The Feature that really speaks to me is “Other”. This wonderful passive solar home has a unique quality that is simultaneously other worldly and as comfortable as your favorite childhood story. There is something about this house that makes you feel like you’re finally home.

Another view of the Masterpiece in New Haven

An 81-acre equestrian property minutes from Middlebury and less than half an hour from Burlington, this New Haven property is indeed a masterpiece (see right and top left of this post). The property features a 300-250 polo field and the horse barn was remodeled in 2005. While most of the property has been conserved through the Vermont Land Trust, there is a 6.5 acre development site, where a two- acre building site could be made.

Contact me about these terrific New Haven properties. You too can fall in love with a masterpiece.

"Too hot in the hot tub!"

Any Vermonter of home-buying age will remember Eddie Murphy’s Hot Tub spoof of James Brown on Saturday Night Live. The skit was hilarious in part because we all know how sexy hot tubs can be.

This Valentine’s Day, think about getting steamy with your beloved in a hot tub. Hot tubs soothe away tension – the greatest inhibitor to romance.

The benefits of a good soak are myriad.

• Soaking provides relief from arthritis.
• Buoyancy relaxes muscles and reduces muscle tension.
• A good, hot soak just before retiring improves your ability to fall asleep and can reduce insomnia.
• Steam opens your nasal and bronchial passages and can clear your thoughts.
• Immersion in hot water raises the body temperature and causes the blood vessels to dilate, resulting in increased circulation.

Most hot tub connoisseurs prefer a tub with a view, others prefer a hot tub with easy access to the Master Bedroom. Listed below are some favorite Vermont homes with hot tubs, three with great views. Click on the image for full property listing details. Maybe it’s time to take the plunge.

	The Millhouse in Starksboro has two amazing tubs: one hot tub, one jacuzzi. The hot tub is on a deck above the river. Soaking here, next to the babbling brook is exquisite. The beautiful jacuzzi is made of wood.
	This Bridport home on Way Lane also has a terrific hot tub location: the deck. From here you can look west to Lake Champlain. An Adirdondack-style home with cathedral ceilings and a central wood stove in the living room, this lakefront property features open living spaces – all overlooking the Lake.
	The listing for this fantastic Bridport home does not include an image of the hot tub, but here is the view…269′ of frontage on Lake Champlain! A main floor master suite with private bath and walk-in closet and sliding glass door to the deck. There’s power at the shore and direct access to the lake for boat launching.
	This New Haven home on Dog Team Road is five minutes from Middlebury. You’ll be home from work and soaking in the tub in no time. This property features wide, open lawns, pasture land and wooded areas, a pond, a play house, and fireflies in summer. You can see them from the tub.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Contact me for a viewing of these terrific Vermont properties – and bring your towel.
image credit: ew.com

Vermonters are no strangers to the powerful connection between love, sex and food. Vermont cuisine is known for its luscious wholeness: think heady craft brews, mouth-watering gourmet truffles, succulent ice wines, fragrant farmstead cheeses and chewy artisan breads. Just take a look at the Middlebury Farmers Market, even in winter it is a hedonistic journey of sensual delight.

History and Psychology Today tell us that there is a very close relationship between love, sex and food. “The human need for food and sex are basic, part of the foundation of our nature, which makes it sensible that they are so closely knit together.”

This is why the kitchen is the heart of the home. Think about the exciting scenes in Tom Jones, Like Water for Chocolate and 9 1/2 Weeks…all the passion starts in the kitchen.

Let me suggest a few sexy kitchens in Charlotte and Addison that might fuel such fires this Valentine’s Day (click on each image for full property details):

	The gourmet kitchen in this magnificent Adirondack Style home in Charlotte features granite counters, custom tile & top-end appliances, and a fireplace, not visible from this view. Wait until you see the dining room. From here, you’ll have spectacular unobstructed views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks.
	This cook’s kitchen in Charlotte is the ultimate room for entertaining a large party – or just one. 68 private acres, expansive Adirondack views, 400+ feet frontage on Lake Champlain abutting conservation land, and a 4-bedroom guesthouse complete this picture of paradise.
	This absolutely beautiful home on Mountain Road in Addison is on 132 acres. It features panoramic views overlooking fields and woodlands stretching over the Champlain Valley to the Adirondacks…and a fabulous dream kitchen. This historic home, built in 1800, was restored to perfection in 1993.

Perhaps oysters are on the menu? Followed by Foie Gras, famous for its aphrodisiac qualities. And fresh figs (ala DH Lawrence) for desert?

Every fruit has its secret. Ooh la la!

image credit: http://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com