Gaysville, VT………Oct. 1
When I woke this morning and opened the blind next to my bed….it was the most fascinating sight. The rain and a gusty wind were blowing the golden leaves at my window so fast it looked like the windshield when you are driving in a snow storm!
We’ve discovered that no matter what the weather looks like here…..it seldom looks that way around the next bend in the road. Rick went to the little post office and picked up the mail Beth sent from home. There were several letters…one from our Bette and one from my cousin Jeanette….I do so love to get mail! Then I watched the rain…and listened to it patter on the roof (such a cozy feeling ) while I paid the bills that were due back in ……what was that place? Oh yes…Hemet. Then we decided to explore…We drove up into the Northeast corner of the state. John Kleinman ( photography instructor ) used to say the best time to shoot is when everyone else is sitting in front of the fireplace….And is he ever right! The storm clouds were wonderful…with sun peaking out and casting beautiful sweeps of light across the darkness. It would rain and then clear and the sky would get deep blue with puffy clouds and then the wind would pick up and the sky would get dark again. I joked that I wondered where the rainbows were since much of the time the sun was shining while the rain was pouring. I decided that God thought that, what with the foliage and all, rainbows would be over kill! With that comment no more then out of my mouth there was a rainbow the likes of which I have never seen! It was HUGE and right in front of us…we could see the bottom a hundred feet or so from us. The colors were so vivid it looked unreal and it shimmered. I couldn’t believe it. By the time we could find a place to pull the car over it had faded a good deal….but I’ll NEVER jest with God again. (smile) There were a couple more rainbows after that…but nothing like that first one!
We found the cutest cow and calf. They were shaggy….looked like pictures I’ve seen of Scottish cattle. I walked up to the fence and mama just ignored me but baby would take one step and sniff and another step and sniff, until he got really close and then he got scared and just fell all over himself getting back to mama. Funniest little critter. This weather is soooo changeable. It was blue skies when we got up and by the time I got to where I wanted to shoot the clouds were back. Course, that could be…. because I stop so many times before we get there! I was shooting a white church with the fall leaves and a tour bus went by….every head in the bus turned to watch me. I’m so glad we’re not with a tour….I’d be big time frustrated!
Gaysville, VT……..Oct. 2
On our wanderings today we stopped at an antique barn sale and I hopped out…told Rick to shut my window (power windows) One way or another, while I was closing the door, my ring finger got in the way of that power window. Well!…you never heard such caterwauling in your life! Rick is still pushing the button….and I’m screaming” OW” at the top of my lungs (mainly because at the moment, ” If you don’t put this window down this instant I’ll shoot you dead!” didn’t come instantly to mind! ( grin ) When he realized what was happening he ‘released ‘ me…sat me down and went running to the owner’s house and got a bowl of ice and water. My nail was already turning black and I was just waking from a “maidenly swoon”. I kept that finger in ice a long loooong time. And low and behold….I may not lose that nail. He felt terrible…on the other hand we both know that she who says ” Shut the window” has no business exercising ” Finger Linger”
I’ve searched everywhere for a little white steepled church with no power lines…and today we found it in Grafton VT. I’ve lots of shots from a distance…but this is the close up I’ve wanted.
It is nippy tonight….the paper talks about possible ‘snow flurries’ in the mountains. It”s close to time to move on…..and oh, I don’t want to.
Gaysville, VT…..Oct. 3
A clean up and maintenance day. Called Beth…Becky ( a friend of hers ) is going to stay in our house until Oct 15. It is unsettling to leave the house unattended for long periods of time. Either we have to sell and go on the road full time or make up our minds that the price for this kind of freedom is ‘letting go’ of worry.
Gaysville, VT……Oct. 4
Our ( gulp ) last day here. We found a beautiful little lake in Crittenden and took a walk around part of it. There were toadstools as big as pie plates!
And wonderful reflections of the trees in the water. The town has a tiny little square…just big enough for a ring of posies around the statue of a civil war soldier. Our new fleece jackets got their first work out today. It was clear and cold this morning. That was an “in the nick of time” buy!
Rick bought some more Vermont Courtland apples….big, red, crisp and the juice just runs! The meat is so white….best apples I’ve ever eaten. We stopped at the side of the road and bought some juice from a couple of youngsters with a” juice stand”. Cutest kids….worked all day…and at 50 cents a drink they had made $3.00…and they were thrilled! Since they had about 20 more glasses lined up and dusk was approaching fast….I believe they may not be clear on the theory of cost versus profit! (grin)
We went to the “New England Maple Museum” and that was very interesting. Rick”s family used to tap trees and make syrup and it brought back a lot of memories for him. He recalled that when he was nine or so…he pitched his dirty (we’re talking reallll dirty here) socks in the direction of the laundry pile…unfortunately, unnoticed by him, one of them landed in the cauldron where the syrup was boiling down. It ruined the entire batch….not a happy mama!!
Saw several flocks of geese flying south today….guess it”s time to join them.