Catching Up

We said a teary farewell to our son, daughter, son-in-law and their friend and are turning the coach toward California and home. We enjoyed talking, touring, laughing, playing cards, overeating, and, even, a bit of disputing. Our opportunities to be with our children are too rare and, therefore, quite precious. We drove through a gold rain of maple trees as we drove out of Vermont. To catch up on our activities of the past busy few days scroll down today’s entry and read your way up.


The Berkshires lived up to expectation with more of the color we were seeking. Jeff needed to return to Troy and work. Anna Lee’s Denver cousins JoAnn and Rich were visiting their children (whom we visited for the Yom Kippur). We put everyone together along with Cheryl and met at Plum Blossom, a really good Chinese restaurant, for lunch. Then everyone but Jeff went apple picking. Throughout New England are family farms either selling produce from their front yard or open for customers to harvest and pick. The variety of apples here is far different from the Apple Hill area of northern California.














We have northern spice and Cortland for apple sauce (it would be Jerry’s pies if we were home). Returning to the Mohawk Trail we met Dave and Jeff (friend) after their bike ride. We enjoyed really good coffee in Williamstown, a village we would like to have spent more time in.







Quechee Gorge














The hike down Quechee Gorge was lovely but the colors are not as vivid as we want so we plan to return to Massachusetts and the Berkshires.

Friends and Family

Jeff, Cheryl, Dave and C and D’s friend Jeff Taback joined us for the Columbus Day weekend in Quechee State Park where we had a lovely campsite under the trees. We spent a day joining the line of tourists enjoying the last three day weekend before it really gets cold. Our first stop was at Simon Pierce Glass. Using their own hydroelectric power, they produce beautiful glass, pottery and lamps. Their store was filled with items seen in William Glen in Sacramento or Fortunato’s in NYC.

The next stop was predictable, Sugarloaf Maple and Cheese Farm, where each group had a personal table set up to taste over a dozen cheeses and four different grades (not by rank but by when it’s tapped) of syrup. Yummy. Then all six of us headed to the store to stock up on wonderful taste treats.



Lunch was in Woodstock, a town overflowing with great shops and too many people. So off we went to find covered bridges or ale or both depending on individual tastes.