Vermont 2023 {Monson, Mass with the McClungs}

While Gregg was busy in Stowe for a few days putting on Inntopia's user group conference, Insight, the kids and I migrated south to Massachusetts to visit our friends Christine, Deon, Zachary and Timothy McClung. Yes, these are the same friends that came to Vermont with us in 2021, and then they moved back east to Mass in Spring 2022. It's been a long time since we've seen them, so it was extra wonderful to be able to spend a few days at their home and explore their stomping grounds around Monson (pronounced Munson).

12 September 2023 - We left Jay early Tuesday morning, and drove (about an hour and a half) to the airport in Burlington to drop Gregg off to get his rental car for the week. We made a quick stop in Waterbury to get donuts and cider to take to our hosts, then drove, drove, drove (about three hours further) to the Springfield Museums where we met up with Christine and the boys. This is a spot with five museums under one pass (which Christine covered for us with her Old Sturbridge Membership - score!). We started in the science museum, moved next door to the Dr. Seuss museum, then continued on around the loop at the fine art museum. Our last stop was at the History of Springfield museum across the street from the parking lot. So many fun things to see!

While we drove, we struggled to get
our libby to work consistently. But, we were
able to finish our current book.

Cal loved this bark hut in the science museum.

She snatched my phone to snap a few
pics of her favorite things in this display.

Ha! This just makes me laugh.

This is so cute. I love that Cal captured this
from the doorway of the hut.

Here's the building where the Dr. Seuss museum is housed.

This one was just too fun!

Timmy, Zachary, Sam and Cal all on one bike!

Did you ever ride a seven-hump wump?

There were quite a few Winslow Homer paintings
in the art museum, which was fun for me because we had
just read a picture book bio about him, so I actually knew
who he was!

I really liked this one of two boys on a branch.

I liked this one of Mount Mansfield, just because I know
where it is: it's the tallest peak in Vermont!

Claude Monet!

Paul Gauguin's Seascape in Brittany

I knew this was Degas because of the dancers!

Why do I know The Gleaners? This is
so familiar to me and I can't place why.

We made a quick pass through the art museum
since the kids were all a little squirrelly.

Outside in the courtyard are a whole bunch
of  cute Dr. Seuss character statues.

Sam wouldn't pose with Sam-I-Am, and
I was bummed.

Thing 1 and Thing 2!

In the History of Springfield museum has all kinds of
old Milton Bradley things since he was from here!

And then there was a whole room of
games and puzzles to play based on MB
games. Yay for hands on stuff!

After the museums, we followed the McClungs back to their house about 40 minutes away. We met their dog, Watson, who was very excitable and excited to meet us, but then mostly just ignored everyone after that. Sam and Cal did great with a pet for a few days. It was definitely an adjustment, but they survived! We ate dinner and the kids all watched a movie and Christine and I talked and talked and talked (we didn't stop talking for three days!).

13 September 2023 - On Wednesday morning we woke up waaaay before everyone else (shoulda closed those blackout curtains after all!) so after a while of trying to stay quiet in our room, we snuck (or tried to sneak - I actually missed the bottom stair and made a loud crash on the floor) downstairs and made ourselves cozy in the reading nook till everyone else came down.

It was a going to be a rainy day, so we switched up our plans and opted to stay close to home. We walked down on the path behind their house and got soaked in the rain. We visited their library and checked out some books . . . and a french bread pan! We came back home and played games and made bread and ate cake for Sam's "birthday party". It was a lovely, chill, cozy day!

What happens when a ten-year-old gets ahold
of your phone.

Also taken by Cal.

It wasn't quite raining so we all went on a walk.
This is their cute house where we're waiting outside
for everyone to get ready to go.

Shifted just a bit so you can see the garage and backyard.

They have a rock wall!

The trail was SO green and SO wet, but we had a great time!

I think this is such a brilliant idea: you can
check out cake pans (and candy molds, and bread
pans) from the library!

LEGO book section!

Snapped a pic of this because I want to check
it out when we get home. I flipped through and 
it looks great!

Outside the front door of the library they have
a little free plant library! I love this!

Happy birthday cake #2 with friends!

They all love books! A fresh haul from the
library and they all just snuggled in and read
for a good long while.

Christine checked this one out for us
so we could read it at bedtime. It fits right
in with the story of Sophie Blackall
finding an old farmhouse that she then made
her own book about.

14 September 2023 - Wednesday morning beamed bright and beautiful. The heat and humidity were gone, but the sun was out. And the kids were running around like crazy in the morning sunshine. Poor Watson had to stay inside, but he really wanted to be out "playing" (aka chasing the kids around), too.

A closer look at their backyard. It's mostly woody
hillside.

Woolly bear sighting!

Such a cozy spot on the front porch.
I love this so much.

It was the perfect day to go to Old Sturbridge Village, about a half hour from their house. So we did. We loved walking around the sample New England Village of the 1830s, going inside the buildings and meeting costumed people telling us all about the place. The kids loved playing the old fashioned games, and eating the old fashioned cookies and riding on the old fashioned wagon. It's such a cute place and we could have stayed there all day, but we didn't have all day, so we stayed a few hours. 

The day was just so pretty! Every picture was just
perfect!

Learning a bit about the Meetinghouse of 
the Society of Friends,
aka Quakers.

Trying out the hoop tossing game.

Here are the rules.

They got pretty good!

Another church just down the road.
This one is called the Center Meetinghouse.

The preacher asked Zachary to help demonstrate
how to add candles to the one chandelier in the church.

He went "fishing" with a rod, which hooked
onto the chandelier and pulled it down.
There was a counterweight hidden up 
in the attic that keeps it up at its normal place.

Now he's showing them the wooden
pipes that hide behind the decorative pipes on 
the front of the organ.

There's a wooden lever on the left in the back
that someone would pump to get the air through
the pipes while someone else played
the keys.

I love the old wavy glass in old buildings like
this.

Cute little books on a cute little shelf
in a cute little house.

She's actually baking bread in the kitchen of
one of the houses with a reflector oven!
Coolest thing ever!
(Cool note: the cookies they sell in the store
are actually made on site just like this!)

Cute things for sale in the mercantile.

I don't know if the book is any good, but
those pottery pieces are made here
in the village and sold here in the store.
They also have tin lanterny things that they make
and sell, too.

Sam at the front door of the store.

Inside the tavern, we saw this map of the US. Pretty
cool.

I just loved this hearth and painting in
the tavern.

Checkers time in the tavern.

For the big siblings, too.

I want to learn how to play this game.

We hopped on the wagon for a ride around the
village and our guide was great. He actually raised
these draft horses, then sold them to the village and
works there so he can take care of them and know
they're having a good life. He had the best Boston
accent, too. Loved it!

This was the pound - any stray animals caught loose
in town would be put here and then you'd have to pay
to get them out.

The kiln that they actually fire.

In there is the potter working on his pots.

We really loved watching the blacksmith
making a spatula.

Real Vermont Covered Bridge brought to this site!
Ha!

The tin shop.

I just loved this doorway of the minister's house.

Center Meetinghouse looking so pretty
and so New Englandy.

Stilts! These were way harder to get the hang of
than the flying hoops.

Sheep in a manger. Ha!

Then it was (past) time for lunch, so we headed back to their home to eat some yummy leftovers. One more fun thing: a trip to Westview Creamery for some tasty ice cream!

Sam got cookies and cream.

Cal got orange sherbet.

There are goats!

He had ice cream from forehead to chin!

It's not called Westview for nothin'!

One last pic of the gang. Such a fun group!

We left from the creamery and made our way back north. I wanted to stop by Emily Dickinson's house in Amherst on our way. I'd love to go on a tour, but I was just content to stop by and walk around the house and the gardens and be on our way. Unfortunately the after-school traffic combined with road closures due to construction made us go sooooo slooooow for the last couple of blocks through town to the home. By the time we finally got there through the Amherst rush hour traffic, I turned at the open sign and realized that the teeny weeny parking lot we ended up in was only for disabled parking! I couldn't see another parking lot in the whole place, so I turned around and made up my mind that I'd just be happy with seeing it from the window. I snapped a couple of pics on our way out the narrow, steep driveway, and then I saw the sign that said all other parking was on the street. The super busy, full-of-cars street that we had just sat on forever. No thanks. We were off again.

We were passing Brattleboro right at dinner time (yes, that was totally intentional!) so we stopped at Vermont Country Deli for yummy pot stickers, a maple bbq pulled pork sandwich, and a pound of the most delicious mac and cheese for miles around. That is a dinner of champs!

Back on the road again. Heading north to Gregg, who was dropping his rental car back at the Burlington airport. We made a quick potty stop at a rest stop near Sharon, which happened to also be a Vietnam War Memorial and a water treatment facility! Who knew? We also enjoyed a gorgeous sunset from the rest area and along the freeway once we got back on. What a fitting end to a fun few days.

There was this walk around the greenhouse / treatment
tank room (?) with signs describing the process. But I just
liked this one about how the plants grow in there.
Super interesting!