Sunday, April 27, 2014

Spring Get-a-Way





     
    The other day we made our annual pilgrimage to Manchester, Vermont.

     Last year we discovered a delightful inn that is kind enough to offer specials when the spring touring lull hits. On our first visit there it felt like home when we discovered that the both the owner, Frank, and his children – who grew up in North Carolina – had been students at the day school of my husband’s best friend from childhood, John. And in spite of having owned the inn for ten years, Frank, his wife Julie, their daughter, and their dog Chai, all greet their visitors with strong North Carolinian accents.

        
   
          In the winter the area is knee-deep in both snow and skiers, thanks to neighboring mountains like Bromley and Stratton, but in April, not so much.

        

  The oldest marble quarry in the country (1785) is in nearby Dorset, and in fact 
marble is everywhere.
 It’s used as sidewalks, and even as lawn seating.

          The day we arrived it was in the fifties, with a stiff wind, but we still managed to fill our day with lunch, shopping  (there are extensive outlets in Manchester!!) and touring.
         
         

 We drove up to the skiing complex on
Stratton Mountain, a ghost town in April.






After drinks at our inn, and a round of an old Sailor’s dice game called Shut the Box, 




we headed out for dinner at the landmark Equinox Inn. 



          

    The next day we had to tear ourselves away, but not until we said goodbye to Chai.



  
         
          

11 comments:

  1. I've stayed in Manchester in June and in October, and once in July, come to think of it. Manchester is where I met my first round-a-bout. Never a dog as cute as Chai, however.

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    1. Funny, Joanne. I hear your British accent with the use of the term 'round-a-bout'. (That always made more sense to me than the boring American 'traffic circle.')

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  2. Did Chai really have a southern accent? ;-)
    You do get out and about!

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  3. This sounds like a great place for a spring get away.

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    1. It's Mecca if you love to shop. I'm hoping to get back there when it's not off-season and the attractions like local theater and some of the tourists sites are open.

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  4. Chai is so cute! Always good to hear something about North Carolina.

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    1. Some of my favorite people are from North Carolina.
      And Chai is adorable - one of the other guests gave her a dog biscuit ( I think the biscuit was allowed, but there are signs on the breakfast tables asking us NOT to give her treats, describing her as a 'not so miniature' poodle) and I followed Chai to another room where she hid it in the sofa cushions!

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  5. Wow, that looks lovely. I haven't been to Vermont since the early 1980s, but from the looks of these pictures, it is well past time for a return visit.

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  6. Charming! I've never been to Vermont, not sure why.

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  7. We've definitely become converts!

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Thanks for stopping by and I'd love to hear what you think.