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Monday-Wednesday,
May 2nd - 4th:
The last time I wrote, we were still in Gatlinburg. We're now in Vermont, so I need to catch you up on the time in between. We took off for parts unknown, somewhere in the vicinity of "North," and managed to find wild and imagination-stirring places with odd and mystical sounding names. I was snapping pictures with our new digital camera as we sailed down the highways and biways and, not being very good at photography, I managed to snap pictures of the Welcome to <state> signs JUST as the border around the right side of the windshield got in the way. Look below for the signs proudly announcing "Welcome to Vir!" and "Welcome to West Vir!" Later, you'll see absolutely perfect pictures of "Welcome to Vermont!" (Originally, the pic showed the sign as "Welcome to Ver," but Wade backed a mile down the shoulder on I-91 and stopped so I could redeem myself.) Other states, not to be outdone by the half-displayed welcome signs, decided they didn't want to be photographed at all. Those states would include Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. I only missed a few... <ding dang fricken frack!> (So now you know which states we visited, even if only briefly, and in what order. The pics below will show you some of the beauty of each state.) We were only in West Vir and Maryland for a few miles, so there's not a lot to tell or show in those two states. We stopped the night of the 5th between Staunton and Harrisonburg Virginia and, Wadey being the good sport he is, took me up on my suggestion for the two of us to sleep in the van, right there in a truck stop. He's never done that before (quite possibly because he's never been a lot lizard), so it was a new experience for him. After a whole three hours of sleep, we took off again, and landed in Waterbury Connecticut on the night of the 6th. (PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: We should take the time to warn travellers in the Waterbury Connecticut area that there are NO karaoke bars within a 100 mile radius. Anyone telling you otherwise is deluded. In the entire phone book, there was ONE nightclub listed and, when we called that number, it had been disconnected. You should stop in Waterbury ONLY if you plan to crash early.) ~Bet~ OK, we were driving down the highway in Pennsylvania (Tuesday, May 3rd, minding our own bidness.. when.... what's that smell? CHOCOLATE! (to be honest, we really couldn't smell it, but we saw signs to Hershey, PA). So we took a little detour in search of free samples. We saw the marquee for the main entrance, and felt as if we could be greeted by Willy Wonka. This place was made for Mary, Pam, and Naomi! Finally, we reach our cabin on Wednesday. (See shots below) On our day trip around the cabin area yesterday, we stumbled upon a brewery for Harpoon beer. NOW, we're talkin' SAMPLES! The pictures of the covered bridge are from Taftsville, VT. The bridge was constructed in 1836, and cars still cross it. We found out by being inside the bridge and being surprised by a vehicle! ~Wade~ When we arrived at the cottage, we found the door unlocked and the key on the inside table, just as we'd been promised. The cottage is really... ummmm... "cozy." Yeah -- It's small, but it's all we need. The door enters into the bedroom and immediately to the right is a breakfast nook. On the far side of the bed are French doors leading into a bathroom with an enormous stand-up shower and a large jacuzzi tub and two separate sinks with vanities. It's well stocked with shampoos, conditioners, Vermont soaps, Q-tips, cotton balls, medicines, first aid kits, tons of towels... Everything we could possibly want. Down a slender hallway is a washer and dryer with all supplies offered. Off to the side of the b'fast nook is the kitchen. Now this kitchen is a monument to space-conservation and minimalism. Two people can't fit in there at the same time, the only counter space in the kitchen can hold only the coffee pot. I was putting things down in the sink, on the stove, on the refrigerator... But then again, I'm not there to be Betty Crocker. I'm there to enjoy what's OUTSIDE the cottage! I can see nothing but trees in all directions. Tall, slender, bare-branched trees standing on a carpet of leaves... I can hear no vehicles or planes. The chipmunks come up to the deck and play (until they see me). I feel like Snow White during that part of the movie when the animals just surround her. *sigh* We were there not more than 10 minutes when the owner of the cottage, David, drove up and introduced himself. He asked if we needed anything, if anything needed to be explained, if we wanted directions... and then told us about the black bear that liked to play with the chipmunks on the deck... ACK!! Black bear?? "Ah... I just yell at him and he leaves. All you have to do is shoo him away." Hmmmm... I learned a long time ago that you can discern between venomous and non-venomous snakes by the shapes of their pupils. Thank you, Yule Gibbons. Now, Mr. Naturalist, would you PLEASE explain just how stupid I have to be to get close enough to an unknown snake to study its pupils? "Shoo" the bear... Not in my wildest dreams. However, the screams will be heard back in Dallas. David and his wife, Robbie are in their element, there. They respect all that God has to offer in its natural form, and they take care of it. All our supplies: shampoo, conditioner, laundry detergent, bleach, fabric softener -- are environmentally friendly. As I sit outside on the bear-free deck, I understand why. By the way, the kitchen is the only part of the cottage that seems a bit cramped. The rest is roomy and comfortable and absolutely adorable. There are dozens and dozens of "homey" touches, real flowering plants, doileys, sewing kits, hand painted art, etc. I could easily live there, enjoying life at its most earthy level -- 'cept for that Vermont-thing about 6 months of winter per year... ~~Bet~~ P.S., if you don't see anymore updates here, it means the bear mistook Bet for Goldilocks and won this time, and decided I would make a nice dessert! *gulp* ~~Wade~~ (HOME) © 2005
Bet'n'Man
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Second & third rows: shots of our cottage
Third & fourth rows: Harpoon Brewery and Taftsville Covered Bridge
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