Yesterday was a day we devoted to food in Vermont.
One of the many fun things to do on a road trip is to sample the local fare.
Of course, my mother and I are happy to participate in this.
We had heard that Al’s Famous French Fries had the world’s best fries, so we decided to try them for ourselves…
They sell them by the quart, but we decided to settle for 1 cup of fries each. This was our lunch.
We then headed up the road to our next destination.
Guess where this path leads to?
In our pursuit to taste the local fare, we felt it was our responsibility to visit Ben & Jerry’s factory.
Have you ever wondered what the most popular flavors are?
We both decided to try ‘Bonnaroo Buzz’ which is coffee and malt ice cream mixed with whiskey caramel and chocolate toffee pieces that were huge.
Our verdict?
Delicious!!!
Now, it was time for our next destination…
We learned how apple cider was made and then we sampled some for ourselves.
Then we noticed the apple cider donuts…
They even ship their donuts straight to your address.
Believe it or not, we didn’t buy any.
We were too full after eating french fries, ice cream and apple cider.
Just in case you thought all we did was eat yesterday, we did squeeze some other activities in…
We visited the village of Waitsfield and found some great shopping.
We crossed the covered bridge that was built in 1833.
Then we stopped by a shop, owned by a very wonderful, unique and eccentric woman.
As we entered the store, we saw her painting some of the items that she sold.
She took us around the shop personally and showed us the hand-painted Christmas ornaments.
She had all kinds of ornaments, but her favorite were those of the local birds that she made.
I must admit that when I first saw them, I wasn’t crazy about them. But after spending some time with her and hearing her passion, I couldn’t wait to buy one.
She signed the back and boxed it so nicely. I will always remember her wonderful smile and my visit to her store whenever I hang it from our Christmas tree.
While visiting with her, we noticed the shop cat…
I think that ‘shop cats’ give a store more personality.
We learned that this cat’s name was “Maude” and she had an interesting story…
She was found at the doorstep of the store a few years ago on December 26th on a morning when it was -13 degrees.
The cat was not doing well and the owner posted notices around town about the cat to see if the owner could be found.
However, no one came forward and after $256 in vet bills, she decided the cat belonged to the store.
“Maude” made herself at home, sitting on top of the painted bird ornaments.
She was really a very beautiful and friendly cat.
As we left the store, the owner sat outside on the porch and bade us “goodbye”.
We spent our evening walking up and down Burlington’s Church Avenue and all it’s restaurants and shops.
We had a fabulous day!
Come back for our last stop and see what special friends we made.
