Saturday in Montpelier

I figured I would write a post with some photos of our new town so everyone can see some of the sites I've been enjoying. Yesterday was my first Saturday here and I had a really nice day. It was in the 70s and super sunny. I slept in a little then wandered all over the place. There is a great farmers' market in Montpelier on Saturdays (see above). I love going to farmers' markets but am often intimidated by the wide range of produce and I always forget to consult my cookbooks before I go. The Vermont farmers' markets do not have much produce yet as the harvesting season hasn't really started. There are lots of plants available, though, and pretty flower bundles. I bought some really pretty notecards a local artist had made from pressed flowers. I realize this is kind of a lame market purchase, but I have some letters I want to write.


Next I took a walk down State street past the capitol building. It has a shiny, shiny gold top that is so gold it is beyond gold. That little figure atop the capitol building is Ceres, the goddess of agriculture. Montpelier is the smallest state capital in the nation, yet there seems to be a hearty amount of people bustling with political activity throughout the town. There's definitely a liberal vibrancy here, reminiscent to me of Berkeley, which makes me feel at home. Additionally, Montpelier is a bit hilly, and right behind the state house is a tall knoll that is home to Hubbard Park, which I look forward to exploring with Tom. This reminds me even more of walking up my favorite street (Russell) in Berkeley and into Claremont Canyon.

There always seems to be some sort of event happening on the lawn of the capitol building, and this Saturday there were a lot of people out for some sort of fundraising walk. It would be a really nice place to have a picnic and for some reason it reminds me of the lawn area in front of the Conservatory of Flowers in SF. As I said earlier, the tulips and lilacs are out in full force right now.


I made my way down State Street where one can find all kinds of pretty historical buildings that now house things like the Vermont Land Trust office and the Vermont Arts Council. I found a little path off a side street and took a nice little hike on top of the hill with a babbling brook, some mud, and an overall sense of complete tranquility and calm. Vermont soothes my nerves and I love that this is our new home. (I tried to take a picture of how happy I am but I just look like a weirdo--see below)








(Why do I always wear my Crocs then wind up walking up hills and mud? These ladies have served me well for over a year now...)

On the way back to our apt. I visited a bunch of Montpelier's little shops then got my library card, which is always one of my most prized possessions (I still have my library card from high school!). The Monpelier Hubbard Library is beautiful. I decided to rent some books on cd for my commute and as I was perusing the shelves a blast of lilac came through the open window. Smell is one of my stronger senses and it really brought my feeling of contentment to an even higher level than earlier at the brook...here is a picture of the church near the library with an apple tree (I think) in full bloom:


This post is getting long, but I want to keep going because Judson and Sarah came to visit me later in the day and we went to the Morse Farm, 2 miles outside of Montpelier. Natalya told me about this place. It is awesome! We got maple/chocolate swirl creamies (which seems to be the Vermont word for "soft serve") and visited the goat, sheep, and cows. There is a beautiful vista and lots of great chairs to sit in to enjoy the view. There's also a great VT Country gift shop and a museum that we didn't have a chance to check out (I'll definitely be heading back soon) In the winter the place serves as a snowshoeing and cross country ski center. Awesome!






There was a miniature model of the capitol building out front and Judson desperately wanted to get inside. Maybe some day he will follow in his dad's footsteps! I'm so happy Sarah and Judson came to visit me. I feel so lucky that Tom's family is SO amazing, and I think of Sarah as my own sister. Having lived away from our families for over six years (Tom for over ten!) it's so great to have them nearby. Tom's parents came up on Tuesday night and took me out to dinner. We all are just waiting for Tom's arrival and then this new life will be complete...