Tuesday, May 30: Outdoor Recreation for Seniors launched about 10 kayaks and one paddleboard (which went to his dock and traded the paddleboard for a sailboat) on a beautiful sunny day with very light winds. This is a big lake, and when the wind kicks up it can be an adventure out there!
With so little wind, it was an ideal day to go out around the lighthouse closest to the harbor:
This is a huge lake, and I’ve never seen a beaver lodge anywhere I’ve paddled – but this is clearly a chewed-by-beaver downed tree.
Mt. Sunapee ski areaYoung oak leaves
The maker of the boat below is East Coast Flightcraft – so are those speakers, or jet engines, or something else???
I liked how the roof of this house penetrates the chimney!
One of the things I so enjoy about kayaking is that the pace allows for looking closely, and noticing the interesting and the odd.
Kayaking at Kezar Lake was only the beginning. On my way home, I had errands to run – stop to discuss Roadtrek repairs with the camper repair place, pick up one of my sewing machines where I’d lent it out, go to the library for internet so I could post the kayaking trip (see previous post), get an appointment to get the car inspected. Then go home, unload the kayak, wash up and change clothes, and pick up my neighbor to head down to Bennington College for the Senior art exhibit, because one of the young women we’ve watched grow up was showing in it. Getting to Bennington, we were arriving early, and hungry, so we headed for The Avocado Pit, which had been recommended to me as we drove around Bennington a week and some ago. My yellow car had no problem finding it.
It turned out to be really good Mexican style food; my burrito was large, stuffed with every available vegetable as well as rice and beans and avocado and sauce. My neighbor was also happy with her tacos. Then it was over to the college for the show:
I wish I’d noted the names of the works, and the artists, so I could credit them here. Oh, well – sorry! I also enjoyed the clothing/costumes of the students walking – or jumping, or dancing around. Then as we were walking out, a storage area of what is probably the theater department caught my eye:
What do they use all those windows for?? Do they always have dozens of windows in storage? And I like the zebra/hippo-ish mask? puppet head?
The young woman we know told both of us how much she appreciated us coming down to the show, and that in itself made the several hours on the road well worth our time. Having an excellent burrito was a bonus. I’m glad we didn’t count on eating munchies at the opening reception for the show – ravening hoards of college students had pretty much wiped out what was available!
Tuesday, May 23: Outdoor Recreation for Seniors had their first official kayaking of the season, at Kezar Lake in North Sutton. We went (mostly) around the perimeter of the lake, went up the inlet as far as the beaver dam, stopping at Wadleigh State Park for lunch. Some people walked around, as well; not everyone kayaks! It was a beautiful day, perfect except for the ticks, black flies and mosquitoes!! I generally consider kayaking to be a tick safe activity, but there was one crawling on the edge of my kayak when I launched to return after lunch. Sigh. Well, I guess I don’t really care if it wants to chew on the plastic of the kayak…
Today being a perfect late spring day, I chose to drive down Route 100, a scenic road down the center of Vermont. And this sculpture honoring both the rail line and the architecture of Waterbury was enough to get me to stop and admire it. I’ve taken the train through here several times, but you can’t see the sculpture when the train goes over the bridge!
So many activities, so little time! Wednesday I walked down to get my car (with new brakes, a bad tire swapped, and a new gas cap, so maybe it will pass inspection!), drove it to knitting at Six Loose Ladies, and in the evening two of us went out to Belmont to learn about Vermont aquatic plants, with a focus on those with floating leaves. Then Thursday I drove a friend to the train station, went to a new-to-me knit group at the Senior Center, then to Six Loose Ladies for the Thursday evening knit group. It’s slow, but I am making progress on the fourth cousin sweater. Friday I spent time beating back the small trees encroaching on the yard – when one doesn’t choose to mow, the forest wants to move in! And again on Saturday morning, before heading up to visit with family in northern Vermont. Up there, the last of the daffodils were blooming, and the lilacs were well on their way.
This lilac – Sensation – has blossoms about an inch across, and looks spectacular. It’s one of three varieties currently blooming here. It doesn’t have as much scent as some of the older ones, but makes up for it with show.
Tuesday, May 16: Today was a day to be tourists – my Bennington friend is an architect, and I am interested in architecture, so it wasn’t hard to decide to go down to New Lebanon, New York to visit part of the Shaker Museum there. The drive itself is beautiful, through rural countryside. The most impressive building is the old stone barn – and I’m sure it was more impressive before arson took the roof and interior in the 1970s. Sigh. The area open for wandering is the North Family section; there were originally four (or maybe five?) “families”, each of about 200 people living in self-sustaining communities along that road; the next area is now the Darrow School; then it looks like private ownership before coming to the Abode of the Message, a Sufi retreat center (and coincidentally, one of my Knitting Goddess friends will be Director there in the near future). Many of the old buildings are gone, now, but what remains is impressive.
Granary
It was a perfect day – warm and sunny, but not too warm, and we wandered. When we’d had enough, we went in to town and ate at a really good sandwich shop, then returned to Bennington with plenty of time for me to pack up and drive the couple of hours home before dark.
Our outing of the day was to the Bennington Museum, where my friend had errands to run. It was a brief visit, and I didn’t think to ask if photography was permitted indoors, so only took a couple of photos outside. The exhibit where I spent the most time, as a retired art teacher, was the annual showing of art from the local schools. I also spent time wandering through the Bennington Pottery rooms, and Grandma Moses. I’d seen photos of her embroidered pieces, but not seen them in the flesh, so to speak. There was also the example of the only car made in Vermont, the Martin Wasp, a luxury touring car – it looked at least as long as my Roadtrek!! If you like old cars, there’s a lot about it if you ask the Google. And then there is Trayvon Martin:
To end on a humorous note – this enchanting mouse hangs over the head of the guest bed, where I’m sleeping.
Yesterday was a very full day! I had planned to drive the car – but it’s not back from getting brakes done, so the Roadtrek is on the road again. My first stop was to visit a friend in south central Vermont; he’s retired from construction, and now makes banjos and drums and repairs verious other instruments. His studio apartment in the top of his barn is full of them!
And a mutual friend made him this moosehide covered thunder drum:
After a couple of hours of visiting and catching up, I headed on up the road, stopping at Gale Meadows where I have kayaked before. I thought I’d put the kayak on the water, but it was very windy even down in the cove where the launch is; I decided to use my time to eat lunch, and get a little knitting done. Then it was on to the excuse for this whole trip – my sister was playing again with the Me2/ Orchestra at the Southern Vermont Arts Center. While the orchestra was rehearsing and sharing food, by brother-in-law and I shared a picnic supper between our vehicles, sheltered from significant wind, in the parking lot. Another time I’d wander around photographing some of the many sculptures that litter the grounds and fields! But conversing and eating were more important. And our cheese and good bread and marinated roasted homegrown asparagus and carrots and deviled eggs were definitely better then the hours old pizza the orchestra was fed!
The performance was Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, and they chose it for the pastoral theme – and on a perfect sunny blue sky day.
Then it was on to Bennington, where I will visit friends for a couple of days.
A Year of Kayaking 