Vermont III

These are some shots from my visit to Vermont when a few of us went apple picking. There was an assortment of apple varieties, and some of the trees have been around for decades. It's nice when you can pick an apple from each tree, taste it, and marvel at how very different each tastes. This is obvious, to those who make apple pies regularly. Some apples are best for eating, while others stand up well in pies. Either way, this is one of those moments in the year you wish you could press the pause button for weeks.

Vermont II

When you visit Vermont in the summer, there is one thing you must do a lot. Walk. And when you do walk, around every corner waits a small surprise, a little gift. Apple trees punctuate the roadside, weathered barns with rusted hinges can be found on any dirt road, and dandelions are making their last proclamations before the maple leaves turn gold and red. This is summer's last sigh for you to witness. But it's not just in Vermont. It's everywhere, so go, listen to it sigh.

Vermont I

I am fortunate to have grown up in a beautiful place. The rolling hills, the abundance of food fresh from the garden, dew that covers everything in the morning, the way people move to the rhythms of the seasons ... it's all rather bucolic and somewhat removed from ordinary life as I know it. I think people, urban and rural, are beginning to appreciate these things more and more. While urban tastes and lifestyles are taking root in unlikely places, so are rural values. Stop. Breathe. Look.

 

Stay tuned for more from a visit to my childhood home.