Winter in Ludlow

 

Hello world! 

We have been traveling in the frozen North since December 29^th. After spending a week in the Ohio Amish country we arrived in Ludlow, Vermont to visit Liz’s brother, Roger and his wife, Lynne on Saturday, January 13^th. It took the ol’ four-wheel drive to go the three mile drive up the mountain to get to their house. It was easy, just turn at the only traffic light in town.         

James and his girlfriend, Ellie, arrived late that night. It was a full house with all 7 of us here until Tuesday night. 

Outdoor activities included hiking on the snowy, icy roads and in the woods; sledding down the hill in their front yard; gathering and splitting wood; taking video and digital-stills; and barbecuing on the frozen front porch. We had left a bottle of wine on the porch which popped its cork (lesson: don’t use wine for antifreeze in your car)!         

Indoor activities included relaxing by the non-stop blazing fire in the new stone fireplace while playing an assortment of games such as Phase 10, Uno, Scrabble, Rummikub, Solitaire and Dominoes; playing “World of Warcraft” and doing other assorted computer activities.         

WE ALSO ATE A LOT OF FOOD!!            

But most of all, we had a great time visiting!         

We have enjoyed the fabulous weather that arrived the same night that we did. We had it all – snow flurries, snow showers, rain, sleet, frozen rain; sunny days, cloudy days and windy days too. Temperatures ranged from highs in the 30’s to lows of -10, with temps. averaging in the teens and 20’s.           

Highlights of ‘day-trips’ included Weston, Vermont where we had lunch at the Bryant House, then shopped at the Vermont Country Store where Liz made her usual impression.

         We drove two hours for dinner at Silo’s Steakhouse and two hours back in sub-freezing weather, to meet Ellen and her husband, Doug for dinner in Merrimack, NH. A total of 9 people enjoyed fellowship and great food. After dinner James and Ellie had to drive back to Conn. late that night for a family emergency (Ellie’s dad).           The week was capped by an elegant meal with the four of us (Paul, Liz, Roger and Lynne) at ‘The Castle’ for a fabulous, unforgettable dining experience. Our waitress, Mindy will be opening up her own restaurant, ‘Urban Café’ in
Quechee, VT.          We will be on our way to visit friends in Connecticut. We hope to see James and Ellie too. From there we will track back southward through Georgia where we hope to meet more family and friends.We should arrive back soon after, in hopes that there is something left of our old homestead.                   

 

It was another overall wonderful traveling adventure.