Saturday, August 14, 2004

Vacation in Vermont (cont.)

Warning! This blog entry is a sequel. If you have not yet viewed Vacation at Long Last, you must do so NOW before continuing under penalty of extreme bodily harm!! Or at the very least, you may be confused. :)

While on vacation, I discovered a great new summer hobby, kayaking. The Boy and I rented a kayak and tooled around on Mallet's Bay, the inlet of Lake Champlaign where we were staying. Dave and I kept referring to it as Mullet's Bay. We packed a lunch and cruised all over the place, stopping on a dock to eat and take in the sights. I had a ball chasing down seagulls with my boat, although they wouldn't let me get close enough to run them down completely. I have to say, it's a great way to spend an afternoon. It's just so peaceful out there. You also don't need much water to launch the boat, so it was easy for us to go here and there. This winter I'm going to save up my money and get me one of them. That will finally give me an opportunity to get good use out of that great beach by my house. It seems that I'll be snowboarding all winter and kayaking all summer. Not too bad of a life. ;)

Speaking of snowboarding... Obviously, Northern Vermont is really big on their snow sports. Actually, the headquarters of Burton Snowboards is located in Burlington. The Boy and I took a ride to their headquarters and flagship store to check out the goods. We found out to our immense pleasure that Burton was holding it's annual tent sale the very next morning! I can't even begin to describe to you how excited we were at this prospect. We got up bright and early the next morning and headed out. Let me tell you, people from all over descended upon Burlington for the event. There was so much stuff!! Boards, bindings, jackets, tshirts, sneakers... pretty much any 2004 product that Burton manufactures. I got fancy new bindings for my board. The boy and I loaded up! We had a huge bag full of stuff by the time we were done, but this was nothing compared to the volume that so many of the people there had. I guess if you're a parent up there and have multiple kids who ride, this is the cheap way to go. Dave and I already have big plans to go up again next year. Look out!!!!!

Mike was a great host, giving us our own room to crash in and opening his home up to us, even though he had to work all week. He entertained us at night with fabulous banjo playing (he actually built an incredible banjo himself!!) He allowed us to have a great time on a small budget, as well as free reign to torture his kitty, Roscoe. :) Thanks, Mike!!

Friday, August 13, 2004

Vacation at Long Last!

For the first time in a LONG time, I was able to take an entire week off from work and actually go away on vacation. The Boy and I jumped in my car and headed up to Colchester, Vermont, which is just outside of Burlington, to spend a week with our friend Mike, who live on lake Champlaign. What a week! The five hour ride up there was sunny and hot, so the first thing we did upon arrival was to jump in the lake and go for a swim. It was great. The plants and things in the water brushing against our legs was reminiscent of a horror movie and the tentacles of a scary sea monster, but all in all it was really nice to swim in clean fresh water. We're just kind of a bunch of babies.

The next day was a rainy, so we trekked out and headed to the Ben and Jerry's factory in Waterbury, Vermont, where we dropped a whole $3 and splurged for their factory tour. There was a bit of a wait for the tour, so we killed time by... well, what do you think? Eating ice cream. It was pretty cool to watch them make and package the ice cream. The bonus at the end of the tour was the free samples of new flavors that they give out. Man, Ben and Jerry's can sure make some good ice cream! After the tour the rain had let up, so we wandered up to the flavor graveyard, where B&J lay their departed flavors to rest. I was given the opportunity to mourn my favorite ice cream, Dastardly Mash, which passed all the way back in 1991. Part of me wonders if there are actually pints of ice cream buried in that thar cemetry.

On the ride back from B&J, we just couldn't get enough of factory tours, so we made a stop at the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory in Shelburne, Vermont. The tour was great, and I even managed to make an ass out of myself in front of the whole tour. I don't know what it is, but I attract being singled out. The tour guide called me up onto the little stage he was standing. He was holding this bear and asked me if anything seemed out of the ordinary with it. My reply to this was, "What are you going to do to me with that bear?" Now folks, this is a family tour, so how bad could it be, right? I got mocked for being from Connecticut and how we are mistrustful. Finally he has me pull the face (yes face!!) off of the bear to reveal the coolest thing I've ever seen in the stuffed animal world. That bear was no bear after all... it was an ALIEN!!! Those crafty aliens know just the way to integrate into our society. This is what the bear/alien looks like:

More vacation fun to come! Can't overload you all at once now, can I?

Saturday, August 14, 2004

Vacation in Vermont (cont.)

Friday, August 13, 2004

Vacation at Long Last!

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