scout verb | \'skau̇t\ – to explore an area to obtain information; noun – one sent to obtain information Saturday morning came early, bitterly cold and windy, but clear; we'd practically forgotten how the sun looked. We stood squinting and shivering in a nondescript outlet mall parking lot with many other hopeful families, waiting, waiting, waiting for … Continue reading Stranger in a Strange Land: A Brief Doggish Essay
Photography
Photo Essay: Grey Day on the Battenkill
Ain’t no sunshine in Vermont (cue the Bill Withers). And thus far today seems a carbon copy of yesterday—solid grey as far as the eye can see, the distinct chill in the air nudging you to put something warm on your back. Makes me whiney. Autumn in New England is spectacular at the height of leaf … Continue reading Photo Essay: Grey Day on the Battenkill
U.S.S. North Carolina: Jewel of Wilmington
Nothing like wandering around in the bowels of a lovingly restored battleship to open your eyes to the daunting threat America faced on the eve of the Second World War. Destined to be sold for scrap after her decommissioning, the U.S.S. North Carolina now floats proudly in her moorings on the Cape Fear River opposite … Continue reading U.S.S. North Carolina: Jewel of Wilmington
Wilmington in Black and White
We pulled the Subaru into our Vermont driveway late yesterday afternoon with another 2,200 miles on it, a couple of road-weary travelers we, still a little sugar-frosted from the beach and lightly crisped around the edges. I made it all the way to the Pennsylvania state line on Saturday before I fought back tears thinking … Continue reading Wilmington in Black and White
Wilmington Lifts Her Skirts, Just a Little
Yesterday I had the 23-y-o all to myself for several indulgent hours while Handsome Chef Boyfriend played golf, something he does exceedingly well but has far too little time to do. And wouldn't you know the instant my son and I pulled out of the golf course we met a jeep in traffic whose driver spotted our … Continue reading Wilmington Lifts Her Skirts, Just a Little
Charleston Reunions, Enough Sun in Wrightsville Beach
This morning I lamented to anybody listening it feels like we've been in the car for three days. We have, kinda. Sunday afternoon we arrived road-weary at my ex-sister-in-law's-but-still-my-sister's Mt. Pleasant home (we just call it Charleston, it's close enough) for a long overdue visit, first one in the flesh in too many years. One … Continue reading Charleston Reunions, Enough Sun in Wrightsville Beach
Way Down South Trip: Travel Days Are Difficult
Really I have so little to complain about: Handsome Chef Boyfriend did the lion's share of driving today, from the moment we pulled off our mountain all the way to somewhere-or-other just past Fredericksburg, VA, where we missed our intended exit. A few truths from the day: Three in the morning is a difficult time … Continue reading Way Down South Trip: Travel Days Are Difficult
Farm Stand and General Store: Evolved New England Institutions
The concept of the general store revealed itself to me the instant I had boots on the ground in my new home state of Vermont. Most small farming communities here have one (and so that would be most of Vermont, which is largely made of small farming communities). But their store offerings vary widely, to say … Continue reading Farm Stand and General Store: Evolved New England Institutions
Sunday Photo Essay: New Skete Monastery, Spiritual Connections
There has been a German Shepherd-shaped hole in my heart since I lost my beloved Clarence-the-Canine to Degenerative Myelopathy in January of 2014; the intervening years have marked the longest dogless period in my adult life. Yesterday Handsome Chef Boyrfriend and I attended the annual pilgrimage at the New Skete monastery in nearby Cambridge, NY. The monks … Continue reading Sunday Photo Essay: New Skete Monastery, Spiritual Connections
Robert Frost House: Rainy Vermont Summer Saturday
Yesterday perfectly illustrated what people must mean when they say there’s a “damp chill” in the air—July in Vermont can feel distinctly like October elsewhere, when rain has elbowed its way in and made itself at home right on top of you for a few days. (Shorts? What was I thinking—hand me my sweater.) It … Continue reading Robert Frost House: Rainy Vermont Summer Saturday
Sycamore Stories 