Archive for the 'Vermont' Category
Doug’s View on Vermont
September 9, 2007 | Animals, Douglas Says, Travel, Vermont
Douglas is developing quite a photographic eye. Some of his pictures, I wonder, but others, I think wow, only 7 years old.
He loves his HP digital camera. It is easy to use and brand new when he got it — not a hand-me-down from mum or dad. That makes a difference, and I urge parents to consider that when getting their kids started with photography. I think it is better to get your child his or her own really simple, inexpensive camera, versus giving them one of your old ones which may have more options and buttons than they are ready for. Plus, all kids like it when they get it new, not hand-me-down.
The camera he has, courtesy of my client HP, the HP Photosmart M537, retails for about $130, and uses AA batteries. No need to even fuss about charging, just make sure you have a spare pair of batteries in your pocket or purse for when your kid says “my camera is out of juice.” Happened to us and I had to let him use mine for a few shots of poisonous frogs.
Here are some of the pictures he took during our stay in Vermont last month:
At Shelburne Museum
The boiler of the Ticonderoga
Statuary
At the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller mansion and gardens. He has quite an eye for flowers.
And finally a video of some fish at VINS
Home again, home again, jiggity jig
September 5, 2007 | Photo Contests, Travel, Vermont
So, we are back from two weeks in Vermont, school has started and there is a decidedly fall-ish nip in the air in the evenings. I ended up working a wee bit more than I wanted, but at least I wasn’t paying some outrageous hotel bill for the privilege.
Before I forget, I want to once again thank the great folks at Photojojo for their prize donations for A Little Perspective. We wanted a little something extra for our second prizes and Photojojo donated mailable photo frames. So, if you haven’t already checked out Photojojo, do it today. They have neat photo accessories and a great newsletter.
I won’t bore you with every single detail of our vacation. You can see all 200 or so photos I took on Flickr if you are so inclined.
But here are some of the highlights.
The Annual Scottish Festival in Quechee.
You can’t be Scottish and not tear up a bit when you hear the pipes. Especially Scotland the Brave.
Shelburne Museum, just outside Burlington. Be sure to check out the new green exhibit.
VINS, the Vermont Institute for Natural Science. Don’t miss the live raptor shows. Here, Doug is experiencing how hard it is to fly.
Billings Farm, one of Doug’s favorites, but I suspect it is for the picnic lunch of cheese, crackers and apples that you can buy as much as for the exhibits. Here, he is helping build a split rail fence.
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. Especially the tour of the house and the walk to the Pogue from Prosper Road.
The “house”
The Pogue
Cheese and maple syrup tasting at Sugarbush Farm in Woodstock.
The views from Mount Peg and Mount Tom. Here the view from the top of Mount Peg, a short hike that Dave and I did with two of our scotties, Reva and Sabrina.
The Alpine Slide at Pico, but don’t feel bad if you don’t feel like going down the slide. I didn’t and neither did my mom. Instead we rode the chairlift back down and got a most interesting perspective on the view.
Tags: A Little Perspective, Vermont, Billings Farm, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, Pico, VINS, Sugarbush, Scotland, Scottish Festival, bagpipes,
If this is Tuesday, it must be….
August 20, 2007 | Photo Contests, Travel, Vermont
In the last week, I have been in Massachusetts, Vermont, and California, with two one-hour layovers in Cleveland Ohio and multiple drive-throughs of New Hampshire. How does the joke go? “I just flew in from the Coast, and boy, are my arms tired.”
We are back in Vermont until Labor Day. Douglas is enrolled in day camp at the Vermont Institute for Natural Science this week, and next week my mom joins us and I will be taking some time off.
Some good opportunities for photos though. Check out my Flickr sets to see Douglas swimming at Silver Lake in Barnard VT near our house, some views of San Francisco, Sausalito and Petaluma California that I took on last week’s business trip and the Billings Farm Antique Tractor Parade last Sunday, my perspective and Doug’s.
The winners of A Little Perspective, the photo contest I am doing with Tracey Clark and Sheri Reed, will be announced on the 24th. Stay tuned to hear who has won the neat PhotoJojo camera cases, HP ballcaps, pens and notebooks, Fruity Cheerios and ClubMom water bottles.
Patio
June 4, 2007 | Vermont
I promised pictures of the Vermont patio in progress, so here they are.
Ta Dah!
For all the pics, check out Flickr.
Tags: Vermont
Down on the Farm
May 29, 2007 | Travel, Vermont
Well not exactly a farm. We own a house and some land in Barnard VT, just outside Woodstock. David has been remodeling the house for the past year, and we’ve started going up on weekends as a family. It’s great because we can bring the dogs. In fact, Dave spent a large part of this past weekend working on a brick patio which we are going to fence in as a dog yard. I on the other hand was tasked mostly with keeping Douglas out of his way. A 7-year old’s “help” is problematic shall we say when you are trying to get a big project done :-).
Saturday, Douglas and I ventured to Rutland to buy a (cheap) gas grill. On the way to Rutland, we had lunch in Pittsfield. On the way back, we popped into the Norman Rockwell Museum and got ice cream at the Mountain Creamery in Woodstock.
On Sunday, we spent most of the day at Billings Farm and Museum. It was sheep shearing weekend, and they had plenty of activities for the kids. Ice cream making, weaving, carding wool, crafts, plus meeting the baby chicks and the oxen, and watching them shear the sheep for the summer. The farm house is quite impressive, if not typical of Vermont life in 1890. Entire picture set.
We also wandered a bit in the village Sunday afternoon. Much as Chicago did cows and NYC did german shepherd dogs, Woodstock and vicinity are doing sheep. We saw quite a few over the weekend and took a few pics. More over the summer, I’m certain. We’re planning to stay at the house for most of August, assuming we can get the Internet access sorted. One of the only drawbacks of the house is that we are in a cell dead zone. No cell phone, no Blackberry email or web access. Right now, only dial-up (snooze). We can get satellite, just need to order it. On the to-do list.
Now for the $25K question: do you know what this animal is? We think it is a weasel that had set up a den under our porch. Needless to say, the dogs took a dim view of it. Dave sealed up all the little gaps in the foundation, and afterward we never saw it again. Although the dogs did remain hopeful!
