Vermont -- Waterbury / Burlington
/ Shelburne:
I know it’s not Blue Bell or Brenham, but when in Vermont,
it’s a must to go on the Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour in Waterbury. I got to taste one of the newer flavors,
“Phish Food”, and loved it! We thought a cold and wet Monday would be a quiet day to go on the Factory Tour. Except that we went on October 8th -- yes, that’s Columbus Day and apparently
EVERYONE had the day off and wanted ice cream.
A friend asked me recently how we found some of the places
we have visited. One source that has
been fun to use and helpful for ideas is the History Channel’s phone app “HISTORY Here”. We learned that in Burlington, not far from
where we were staying, is the World’s Tallest File Cabinet:
Probably the gem of Burlington is the Shelburne Museum. We spent an entire day here exploring
American history, art and design. Here
are a few of the exhibits that I especially enjoyed:
 |
| Steamboat Ticonderoga |
 |
| Hat Boxes and Bandboxes |
 |
| World's largest collection of Glass Canes |
Lake Champlain:
Lake Champlain is a beautiful lake with lots of islands. We drove north through the islands as far as
the Canadian border and over to New York for lunch! Here are just a few photos from our island-hopping:
On the island of South Hero, we drove around a bend and saw
hundreds of these colorful bird houses on trees in a meadow. Upon closer investigation, we saw dinosaur
sculptures among the trees. Some of our
finds are just serendipitous!
Connecticut – Hartford / New Haven:
The Mark Twain House and Museum are a real treasure. We had a terrific tour of the house, but
sadly we were not able to take photos inside.
So here is a photo of the outside of his house and a LEGO sculpture of Mark
Twain:
Thank goodness the Wadsworth Athenaeum is not owned
privately! We thoroughly enjoyed looking
at the art collection here. Our
favorites were the sculptures in front of the building – what a wonderful way
to entice people inside:
 |
“30” by Sean Scully
“Amaryllis” by Tony Smith
|
This quote I saw at the Athenaeum really spoke to me:
The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page ~ Saint Augustine
Once again, music plays a part in our journey. We learned that Yale University had a
Collection of Musical Instruments. What
a treat to view this collection, for free!
Plus, it gave me an opportunity to see some of the campus, something I
have wanted to do for years.
 |
| Chamber Organ, 18th Century |
 |
| Couenophone |
We head to New York City next, to visit family … and maybe a
couple of museums!