Vermont - and a little Canada and New York

The "witch window" in my bedroom at Neal's house. Cool way to let a little light and air into a room that is built under the attic eaves and over the roof of the rest of the house. Why did the mother-in-law get the room with the witch window?

Deanna and I flew overnight to Vermont. Neal and Danny have bought a house out in the country and fixed it up beautifully. It was built around 1830. Lots of wide plank floors, walls made with lumber from an old barn, but also new weatherproof windows, like the ones you can see here. They've done lots of indoor painting, too. Neal has lots of back yard to garden in, and the dogs even have a kiddie-pool. At night, you can actually see the Milky Way! I haven't seen the Milky Way in years because of light pollution.

Of course, we drove over all the covered bridges we could find!

My itinerary was based on Deanna's birthday in California, and Neal's birthday in Vermont. Neal, Deanna and I drove up to Montreal on his actual birthday, the 21st of August. (They had just opened the border.) One highlight was this wedding at Notre Dame. The heat was fierce, and the whole wedding party was walking from one place to another, with fast-food drinks in hand. The photographer stopped traffic in order to pose the bride and groom in the street in front of the cathedral. Big hearts out to them!

Another highlight was seeing where Neal used to row, when he lived in Vermont the first time. You can see one of the rowing shells like his team would have used.

Our next adventure was tent camping on Taylor Pond. How's this for the best campsite ever? They had canoes to rent, which we did, and the water was perfect for swimming. The dogs were pretty good!

In order to wear out the dogs before the long drive home, Neal and I took them up the Silver Lake Mountain Trail. I had to ask what the altitude was, since I was struggling with the uphill. It was about 2300 feet (700 moh), so it's not just my being out of shape! 

Here's something unexpected: a collection of old 18-wheelers! Also, there was live music, food, and general good times. Neal, Danny and I ran across this. We also found an electric vehicle group, showing their cars off. My favorite had to be the home-built one, of course, with my makerspace background!

In order to fly back to Norway, I got a COVID test. My flight was on Sunday, so I got the test on Friday. Coulda woulda shoulda got it on Thursday! Neal had gotten one with me, and his results were ready in time for my flight, but my results were still pending. Rejected at the gate! We ran around in circles for a while, finally rebooked my flights for the next day, booked me a hotel near the airport, and drove over to visit Neal's friend Mandy. She has a couple of dogs and a river with floaties. I didn't try to find my swimsuit in my suitcase, but instead got to throw rocks for one silly dog to chase.

The next morning, my results were in, and I got to enjoy the rocking chairs in the Burlington, VT airport. Vermont is a beautiful state, and I'm glad I got to enjoy it with "the kids".

Of course, my suitcase didn't come to Bergen until the day after I did. I ran around in circles again in the Bergen airport, looking for someone to tell about my missing luggage. The good news is that I didn't have to wash clothes as soon as I got home. I could just sleep!