Archive for the 'Addison County' Category

Vermont is no different than any other New England state when it comes to Thanksgiving: turkey is on the menu; dinner is in the formal dining room. To honor this terrific holiday we thought we’d take a look at the great bird itself and the lovely room in which it is consumed.

The Eastern Wild Turkey, the one we see so often in Vermont, is the most abundant of all species of wild turkey. In the 1800s, extensive forest clearing and the spread of agriculture pushed Vermont’s wild turkeys to extinction. They were first reintroduced in 1969 and fortunately have made a prodigious come back. They are now widespread in our state’s deciduous forests.

According to Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, the best turkey habitat in Vermont is in the Champlain Valley and in the southeastern and southwestern parts of the state. A turkey needs several types of habitat within its range:

• Forests which include trees that produce nuts for food, large trees for roosting, and evergreens for winter cover. Southern slopes are preferred because they are warmer in the winter and have less snow accumulation.
• Open fields provide nesting sites and insects during the summer
• Croplands provide forage for food
• Tall grass and shrubs provide both feeding habitat as well as areas for hiding nests

According to American history, Benjamin Franklin preferred the turkey over the eagle as our nation’s emblem. In a 1784 letter to his daughter he wrote:

For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him.

With all this Injustice, he is never in good Case but like those among Men who live by Sharping & Robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. He is therefore by no means a proper Emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our Country…(source: wikipedia.org)

According to the Vermont MLS, Addison County has some wonderful homes with formal dining rooms. Among Vermont real estate currently on the market, my favorite dining room is this one in this home on Mountain Road in Addison, Vermont. The kitchen here is spectacular, sunny and spacious. The kitchen island is perfect for cooking and entertaining (all the action at a celebration takes place in the kitchen anyway). I’d love to cook a Thanksgiving meal here with friends and family. Click either image below for full listing details.

The exposed beams over the table lend a wonderful sense of history to this wonderful formal dining room.	Sunny and beautiful, this Addison County gourmet kitchen is fully equipped and perfectly appointed.

Have a great Thanksgiving.

turkey image credit: www.nwtf.org

Small towns in Vermont and even smaller towns in Addison County are not usually governed by mayors, we keep that kind of governance for the big cities. But in the case of Starksboro, one man stands alone as the undisputed mayor, Stoney Mason. He adjudicates from a bench in the shade near his garden where this afternoon he’d just dug 6 five-gallons buckets of Kennebec potatoes.

From his bench, he is visible to passersby on Route 116 (a prominent north-south thoroughfare in Addison County) who wave enthusiastically and honk their horns. Stoney Mason knows them all by name. He is not a lawyer or a clergyman, he is a stone mason. He is a legendary stone mason. His hands are as big as frying pans.

I asked him how he got started and he pointed to the stone wall next to his seat: “I needed to get to the garage.” The garage was once a horse barn; he needed a sloping drive better suited to cars than quadrupeds. The stone wall created a foundation upon which he could build the driveway. This is the first stone wall he ever made. It is wonderful – and perfectly intact several decades later. The stone wall on the far side of the drive, built a year after the first, is even better. “I got better,” Stoney brags.

When asked how many stone walls he’s built, he curses “Jeeger Crigger,” and lists locations and names rather than numbers: “Montkton, Ferrisburgh, Long Point [in Charlotte], Colchester, Huntington, Camel’s Hump, Art Clifford’s Pond, Jack and Jane Handy, Paul Casey’s Elk Farm, the library, the elementary school…”

Stoney does dry stone wall construction, and usually uses rocks found on the property. “I don’t like mortar,” he says, “I’m not good with it. It looks pretty, but I just like it natural.” He often worked with others “I liked to pick on someone who is doin’ walls and get him goin’.'” His son ‘Ricky’ is a stone mason, there are some stone mason nephews as well. He rambles off a list of names of young stone masons he admires “David Newton, the Place Boys, Mike and Glen, the Russell boy near Lantman’s, …I like to see other walls…that kid can do it. He can pick a rock, boy.”

The walls Stoney makes are perfectly balanced and last for generations. I asked him how he picks his rocks. He shrugs: “You just see it and just do it. Sometimes split stone along the vein…that’s fun.” He did not mention a family heritage of stone masonry (the name Mason must come from somewhere), he did not mention an eye for balance and symmetry, he did not even mention his work at the White House, but he did talk about his great love of Vermont.

And then he started telling stories about his grandmother, born in Williston, daughter to a Civil War veteran. One story involved 21 grandchildren and their chamber pots. Ask him sometime, it is quite a cute story, really.

image credit: www.vmls.org

Vermont Bridges are falling down, falling down, falling down…Between the ravages of Hurricane Irene and the insult of Tropical Storm Lee, Vermont roadways have taken a beating.There were 166 road and bridge closures due to flooding; 450 miles of state highway were closed. Several covered bridges were damaged, one was almost washed away.

But there is some good news on the transportation horizon: the new Champlain Bridge is up! An historic and critical link between New York and Vermont at Crown Point, the bridge was initially opened in August of 1929. The opening ceremony was attended by the governors of New York and Vermont, 40,000 people, and a huge parade.

The Grand Reopening Celebration is slated for Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20, 2012. Event specifics will be announced in the spring by the Lake Champlain Bridge Community.

Construction of the new bridge is nearing completion. The aesthetic and structural focal point of the bridge, the arch span, was built off-site and towed by tugboats to the bridge location where it was lifted into place, 82 years to the day after the bridge’s original grand opening. The 900-ton, 402 foot long arch span was hoisted into place 75 feet over the water using stand jacks, a cable lifting system that uses hydraulic rams (cyclic water pumps) to slowly lift heavy loads. The lift took several hours and was attended by enthusiastic history buffs and picnickers from both sides of the Lake.

image credit: www.nysdot.gov

Today Julia Child is honored on her birthday. In gourmet kitchen across Vermont, the US and the world, we have learned to julienne, brunoise, flambé, gratiné, braise, carmalize, sauté and make Mirepoix thanks to her.

Celebrated across continents, satirized across television channels, immortalized in movies, Julia Child inspired us all to love life and take chances (especially in the kitchen). She has influenced the way we eat and the way we think about food.

According to Julia, “Some people like to paint pictures, or do gardening, or build a boat in the basement. Other people get a tremendous pleasure out of the kitchen, because cooking is just as creative and imaginative an activity as drawing, or wood carving, or music.”

Many of us in Vermont take her words to heart. Here are a couple terrific quotes in particular that inspire in the kitchen and in life:

“I think every woman should have a blowtorch.”

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a ‘What the hell?’ attitude.”

“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook — try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!”

“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”

“If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.”

“Cooking is like love; it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”

“The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appétit.”

From My Life in France, regarding her first French meal (sole meunière) shared with her husband Paul Child:

“It arrived whole:a large, flat Dover sole that was perfectly browned in a sputtering butter sauce with a sprinkling of chopped parsley on top. The waiter carefully placed the platter in front of us,stepped back,and said:“Bon appètit!” I closed my eyes and inhaled the rising perfume. Then I lifted a forkful of fish to my mouth, took a bite, and chewed slowly. The flesh of the sole was delicate, with a light but distinct taste of the ocean that blended marvelously with the browned butter. I chewed slowly and swallowed. It was a morsel of perfection.”

This is the way we recommend savoring the summer in Addison County. Thank you, Julia.

At a recent event at Greensboro‘s Lake View Inn, my friends Bronwyn Dunne (In the Kitchen with Bronwyn) and her step-mother Judith Jones (Julia Child’s editor at Knopf) organized a Bastille Day weekend called Julia Child and the Art of Mastering French Cooking. It was a huge success (80 plus paying people). Their next event will be at the same wonderful place, in October.

credits: alextrenoweth.com, goodreads.com, journalnow.net, thephoenix.com

Stop thinking about beautiful hills! Think about early childhood literacy and free books for Addison County’s preschool-aged kids.

Addison County Readers, in association with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, is bringing books and kids together. The free program mails new books each month to kids all over Addison County.

Age-appropriate books are selected each year by a national committee  of representatives from the Parents as Teachers National Center, the International Reading Association, the University of Tennessee, Rutgers University, and the teaching profession.

The first book in the series is “The Little Engine that Could.” After that, participating children receive a new book each month. New titles are introduced each year so younger kids will not receive the same books as their older siblings.

The most important rule parents must follow to participate in the program is that they must read to their child.

Many children’s literacy advocates claim that Reading children’s stories aloud in the home is THE single most important activity for future success. Some of the greatest benefits of reading to young children are:

• Strong relationships
• Academic Excellence
• Basic Speech Skills
• Better Communication Skills

Started in her home county in Tennessee, the Imagination Library has been fostering a love of reading in preschoolers since 1996. In 2000, in front of the National Press Club, in Washington D.C., Dolly Parton announced the launch of her program nationwide. Soon after that, the program was made available in the UK.

Learn more about the organization or become a contributor. Click here to enroll a child or bring the Imagination Library to your community.

For local information contact:

Addison County Readers, Inc.
75 Main Street , Middlebury VT 05753
802-388-4097

Country music fans take note: Dolly Parton is really a rock star!

When it’s 85 degrees in Vermont, the beautiful rolling hills of Addison County can feel like the Sahara Dessert. But our sweaty little county is dotted with oases: secret, and not-so-secret swimming holes. To find these bastions of bathing bliss, you’ve got to think like a local, a local quadruped that is.

The guide books will tell you all about the more popular swimming holes like Bolton’s Pot Holes and  Bristol Falls (pictured above), but you’ll have to follow your instincts to find the secluded spots where you can enjoy Vermont’s time-honored tradition of skinny dipping. Please note: Patrick Leahy is a known advocate of skinny dipping; John Quincy Adams and Calvin Coolidge are rumored to have also bathed unclad.

Here’s how to find a good swimming hole: use your sense of adventure and the topography of the land. Many of the  highways and roads in Vermont, especially the East/West routes, follow the river valleys. For example, River Road in Lincoln follows the New Haven River, State’s Prison Hollow Road in Starksboro follows Lewis Creek. Use a map and follow these river roads up hill. As you drive along, you’ll see unmarked pull-offs and paths. Jack pot! In my experience, the best, coldest and most private swimming holes are near the head waters.

As far as swimming goes, use your best swim safety skills:

• NEVER dive into unknown waters.  Don’t even jump unless you have checked the depth in the immediate place you are jumping.
• DON’T ever swim alone.
• DON’T drink and swim.
• NEVER try to fight swiftly moving water that is above your knees. Go with the flow; relax and float on your back, point your feet downstream and float them on the surface (your butt may take some bumps, but your feet won’t get caught). When the current slackens, make your way to shore.

Here is the skinny on nude bathing from the 1971 Attorney General (Patrick Leahy). As far as we know, these guidelines are still valid:

1. In public areas (e.g. North Beach in Burlington) and semi-public areas: Nude bathing is not acceptable. In such instances, the officer receiving the complaint should order the person to dress. Failure to stay clothed should result in a summons to Court.

2. On private land out of view of the public: The State has no legitimate interest and swimmers should be left alone.

3. In secluded areas sometimes publicly used (e.g. rivers, swimming holes, etc.): If no member of the public present is offended, no disorderly conduct has taken place. If members of the public (e.g. families wishing to use the swimming area) complain, then proceed as in No.1 above.

Here are some riverfront properties in Bristol.

This Starksboro property, The Mill House on State’s Prison Hollow Road, has waterfalls and three swimming holes on the property! Wear whatever you like!

Here is a great book on New England waterfalls (this site also has a great list of waterfalls by state):

image credit: www.greenopia.com

Vermont summer is all about the birds and the bees. Now that the sun is out, the kids have graduated, fathers have been feted and the state is rich with vibrant color, it is appropriate that we stop to take a look at the little ones that make it all possible. Not those little ones…

Of course I’m referring to the pollinators of the luscious gardens of Addison County, the messengers from the stamen to the pistil: bees, butterflies, flies, moths, humming birds, even bats.

When animals pollinate plants, it’s pure chance. Pollination is not their goal, they are looking for treats like pollen and nectar. As they dine, they often bump against the stamen and get pollen all over themselves. As they move from meal to meal, they bring that pollen with them – et voila, pollination occurs! To attract more visitors, flowers that rely on animals for pollination are beautiful and smell wonderful.

TED recently featured an amazing video capturing pollinators on the job: Pollination: it’s vital to life on Earth, but largely unseen by the human eye. Filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg shows us the intricate world of pollen and pollinators with gorgeous high-speed images from his film “Wings of Life,” inspired by the vanishing of one of nature’s primary pollinators, the honeybee. (www.ted.com)

Here are some examples of Addison County’s beautiful gardens.The images below don’t do too much for the senses, you’ll have to visit these gardens in person. But do click on each image for complete property details.

This secret garden in Vergennes is one of my favorites. It is right in the middle of town and yet it’s worlds away…	This Panton home on Lake Road, features breathtaking gardens and views. 10+ acres and 217 ft of lakefront.	Rolling hills, pond, gardens and pastures on 115 acres in Lincoln. Guthrie Road

Recommended Reading:
The Vermont Garden Journal
The Vermont Gardener

image credit: riffle.blogspot.com

The Lake Champlain Basin is rich in history. From the Paleoindian hunter-gathers 11,300 years ago to the Revolutionary War to the Champlain Canal connecting the lake to the Hudson River system, Lake Champlain has been an essential transportation route. It is still a popular route for pleasure boaters, fishermen and eco-tourists.

The Champlain Bridge was one of the first continuous truss road bridges built in the U.S. It was opened to vehicular traffic in 1929. Also known as the Crown Point Bridge, the Champlain Bridge was blown to bits in November of 2009. Engineers had deemed it unsafe because of severe erosion to its concrete piers. A replacement bridge is scheduled to open on October of this year.

The design of the new bridge is reminiscent of the original, and the location will be the same, but an organization in New York State wants to rename the bridge after two fallen state troopers: New York Trooper Lawrence “Larry” Gleason and Vermont State Trooper Gary Gaboury.

Like many Vermonters, I do believe we should honor these fallen heroes, but the Gleason Gaboury Bridge just doesn’t have the same historic cachet as the Champlain. We could call it the “GG” for short, but that name is better suited for English Setters and great grandchildren.

Forts at Ticonderoga and Crown Point controlled passage (and therefore commerce) on the Lake before the country was established. Lake Champlain was the site of the first naval battle of the American Revolutionary War. In the 19th Century, the Champlain Canal connected Lake Champlain and the Hudson River System – opening up commerce between Montreal and New York City. Given the significance of our once-and-future Great Lake (give a date here) in the history of our country, we should probably continue to honor the past with an auspicious name such as Champlain.

One of my properties has a spectacular view of the lake and the bridge. It’s an historic home on Route 125 in Bridport. Lake views, mountain views, 14 acres. Take a look (click on the image to view complete listing details):

Recommended reading/viewing for bridge, demolition and history buffs:

Lake Champlain Bridge: Elegant, Historic, Destroyed
Lake Champlain Bridge Cam
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum
Lake Champlain Bridge Explosion on YouTube

image credits: 27regimentra.com, www.addisoncounty.com

There are few things as old-timey wonderful as a small town Vermont parade. Of course there are Memorial Day parades across the country, but none as charming as those here in Vermont. There is something about the combination of nervous heifers, fire trucks, girl scouts, tossed candy, antique cars, bagpipes, garish floats and aging Veterans that makes my heart well up with pride for my home state.

This Memorial Day, Addison County has five parades that I could confirm with town clerks, and many other remembrance-related activities. Here are a few highlights:

Orwell – Memorial Day Parade: 1:00 pm – Sunday
Middlebury Memorial Day Parade: 9:00 am – Monday
Vergennes Memorial Day Parade: 11:00 am – Monday
Bristol Memorial Day Parade: Noon – Monday
Hancock Memorial Day Parade: 10:00 am – Monday
Brandon Town Birthday Party (250th) – 1:00 pm Party, 2:00pm Cake – Monday

Of all of these Memorial Day events, the parade in Vergennes is my favorite. It is truly a classic. It even features a fly-over. This parade captures it all in its two-miles of glory. From awkward boy scouts in uniform to over-exuberant Shriners in mini monster trucks to gun-shooting Revolutionary War reenactors, this parade is the best. It starts at Vergennes Union High School, loops through side streets, and culminates at Vergennes City Park. Come early. This parade is very popular, so parking can be tricky.

This historic Vermont property is right along the parade route in downtown Vergennes.

It is my duty as an Addison County resident and Vermont Realtor to tell you, that if you lived here, you would not have to worry about parking.

And of course, as we celebrate Vermont, the prospects of summer, and a day off from work, let us not forget the meaning of the day. Monday afternoon at 3:00 pm, is the “National Moment of Remembrance,” when people all over the country stop to reflect upon and honor those who died while defending the country.

parade image credit: www.findandgoseek.net

This April has seen record rainfall amounts all over Vermont. Streams have jumped their banks, culverts have given way, driveways have vanished. Just this week the governor announced that the floods have caused more than $3 Million dollars in damage, which makes our state eligible for federal disaster relief from FEMA. I’m sure the flood images in the Burlington Free Press will convince FEMA to do the right thing.

But Vermonters are nothing if not resilient. Those of us who are not wondering about the depth of our insurance coverage or where we left our hip waders last spring, remain optimistic about the promise of May flowers. This is the gift of April showers, right? I thought I’d take a look at where these gifts are starting to appear.

The banana belt of Chittenden County has already seen tulips and daffodils. But here in some parts of Addison County, especially in the mountains of Lincoln, even the trillium were a bit reluctant this year. The spring bulbs are as dependable as usual, daffodils and tulips are up by and large, but the slow appearance of the next round of blooms is creating some suspense. Where are the dianthus, salvia, yarrow and primrose?

Of all my properties, the one in the little city of Vergennes has the oldest and most spectacular perennial gardens. While there are no trillium in the city, there are some wonderful flower gardens. Here are some views of the gardens at 125 Main Street in Vergennes. The house was built in 1796; it feels like the gardens were planted shortly thereafter.

This historic Vergennes features the ultimate secret garden…	Trellised, hidden and magical, the garden is in the middle of town…	The prefect location for a garden party in Vergennes...

The gardens on this property attract birds and generate wonderful smells. The separate-entrance rental apartment on the property generates income: $15,900/year.