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.