Lincoln's Hildene

In Manchester, we stopped at Hildene, which was the Vermont summer home of Abraham Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln.  We arrived too late in the afternoon to tour the estate.  There also seemed to be some tempting walking trails on the grounds, so we intend to return someday when we have time for a bit of hiking.

Mr. Hunter and Hildene.

About Lincoln's "Hildene"

Hildene

Manchester, Vermont

September 2012

Official site for Hildene - http://www.hildene.org/

The Enchanting Belgian Draft Horses

At Taylor Farm, we sampled some gouda cheese, said hello to cats and chickens, and then spent a few wondrous minutes in the presence of some beautiful Belgian draft horses.  I especially marveled at their sturdy legs.

Taylor Farm

Londonderry, Vermont

September 2012

Official site for the Belgian Draft Horse Corporation of America - 

http://www.belgiancorp.com/

Creatures at Taylor Farm

At Taylor Farm, we were greeted by a friendly calico cat on the farm store's front stoop.  The cat even wanted to meet Mr. Hunter.

A bunch of chickens scooted about near the woodpile, including these notable roly-poly hens.

Two necks.

And we also made the acquaintance of a group of sturdy Belgian draft horses.  More on the draft horses in the next post...

Taylor Farm

Londonderry, Vermont

September 2012

Welcome to Taylor Farm

You know the proverbial needle in a haystack?  

Maybe you'd like to try to find Mr. Hunter in this woodpile...

"Here I am!"

Mr. Hunter and family found this woodpile as they wandered the grounds of Taylor Farm, a dairy farm located on Route 11 in Londonderry, Vermont.

Maple Meadow cage free eggs and Bob White quail eggs.

Mr. Hunter and some grade A gold maple syrup at Taylor Farm.

Taylor Farm

Londonderry, Vermont

September 2012

Official site for Taylor Farm - http://www.taylorfarmvermont.com/

Ocarina at the Village Green Gallery

The Village Green Gallery is just a few steps north of the Vermont Country Store.  The last time Mr. Hunter's family stopped in Weston, we found some lovely and memorable Christmas ornaments there.  

The ornaments, made by an artist named Mary Stone, are clay whistles sculpted in the shapes of different birds like snowy owls and wrens.  We had to visit Village Green again to see if there were any more bird ornaments to tempt us.  

Of course there were!  And not only bird ornaments, but also some charming ocarina sculptures of elephants, rhinos, bears, penguins, and foxes.  We headed on our way after adopting a fox ocarina, a penguin ornament, and a kingfisher ornament.

I didn't dare to put the real Mr. Hunter into the display, so Flat Mr. Hunter had to make a quick (and shadowy) appearance.

Here's Flat Mr. Hunter with a bowlful of bird ornaments by Mary Stone.
Here's a profile of Stone from the Village Green Gallery.

The story of the Village Green Gallery, which was founded
by Japanese photographer Nobushi Fuji'i.

The Village Green Gallery

Weston, Vermont

September 2012

Official site for the The Village Green Gallery - http://thevillagegreengallery.com/

Official site for Mary Stone Clay Whistles - http://www.marystonewhistles.com/

The Vermont Cheese Trail

Mr. Hunter and family spent a day driving around southern Vermont, and we realized that there might be some good cheeses to be found along the way.  Turns out there's even a Vermont Cheese Trail, although many of the dairy farms and cheesemakers were located further north in the state.  

But in addition to sampling cheese at the Vermont Country Store, we managed to visit two dairy farms: Taylor Farm in Londonderry, makers of Gouda cheese and home to some wondrous Beglian draft horses, and Hildene Farm, which is located on the grounds of Hildene, the Vermont summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln.

Mr. Hunter appreciated the name of this brand of cheese: Hunter.

You can sample a big variety of cheese at the Vermont Country Store.

We spotted some Hildene Farm cheese among the many cheeses
at the Vermont Country Store.

Vermont Cheesemakers map.
You can find this map online, too.

On the porch of the Vermont Country Store,
Mr. Hunter climbed onto a tall stack
 of wheels of Cabot cheddar cheese.

Mr. Hunter considers the selection of goat cheeses at Hildene Farm.

A sign across the road from Taylor Farm.

The Vermont Country Store

Taylor Farm

Hildene Farm

Weston, Londonderry, and Manchester, Vermont

September 2012

Vermont Cheese Trail Map from the Vermont Cheese Council - 

http://www.vtcheese.com/cheesetrail.htm

Doc Brown's Kit-Cat Clock

Remember the opening scene of Back to the Future, where the camera pans across Doc Brown's notable collection of clocks?  Mr. Hunter considered starting his own clock collection when he found the Kit-Cat Clock for sale at The Vermont Country Store.

Classic!

The Vermont Country Store

Weston, Vermont

September 2012

Coke Glasses

Mr. Hunter's family used to have a few of this Coca-Cola themed juice glasses.  We remember them so fondly and were even tempted to buy a few of them.  Plus, the small and medium sizes of the Coke glasses made Mr. Hunter feel positively tall.

The Vermont Country Store

Weston, Vermont

September 2012

Taking a Cedar Bath

Mr. Hunter discovered his own kind of ball pit to play in at the Vermont Country Store.  And after he'd taken a quick bath in this box of cedar balls, Mr. Hunter also felt protected from any fabric-eating pests he might encounter.

Use cedar balls in your closets and drawers...
for aromatic insect protection.

The Vermont Country Store

Weston, Vermont

September 2012

Old-Time Toys at the Vermont Country Store

After meeting Mr. Bill, Mr. Hunter found himself in the clutches of one of those wind-up monkey toys. He has a smile on his face, so I guess he's okay.  But that monkey looks a bit too gleeful at the proceedings.

It seemed appropriate yet somehow creepy
to pose Mr. Hunter with this Martian Popping Thing.

And here's Lambchop.
Lambchop welcomed Mr. Hunter with open arms.

Vermont Country Store

Weston, Vermont

September 2012

Blast from the Past: Fisher Price Music Box Record Player

One of Mr. Hunter's favorite items at the Vermont Country Store was the classic Fisher Price Music Box Record Player.  I used to love playing with this record player!

The songs on these records were Jack and Jill, Edelweiss, Au Claire de la Lune, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Humpty Dumpty, Oh Where Has My Dog Gone, London Bridge, Hickory Dickory Dock, Children's Marching Song, and... as you can see, Camptown Races.

Of course, I've just read some reviews of this new version of the classic toy, and it turns out that this newer record "player" is missing some of the most charming features of the original, particularly the grooved records that the record player's arm would actually read to play the songs. 

Oh, well...!

Vermont Country Store

Weston, Vermont

September 2012

Mr. Hunter Lives His Life with Moxie

Hey, you!  Don't forget to... Live your life with Moxie!

Moxie began not as a soft drink but as a patent medicine called Moxie Nerve Food.  Learn more at the Moxie web site.

Vermont Country Store

Weston, Vermont

September 2012

Drink Moxie official site - http://www.drinkmoxie.com/

Wikipedia article about Moxie soft drink - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moxie

White Shoulders and Tangee

In the cosmetics section of the Vermont Country Store, Mr. Hunter noticed a perfume that reminded him of one of his favorite Judy Blume books.  Well, wait, I think I was the one who read the Judy Blume books.  Anyway, as soon as I saw the boxes of White Shoulders perfume, I thought of Starry Sally J. Friedman As Herself.   Mr. Hunter wanted to record the moment.

Somebody with wooden shoulders contemplates White Shoulders.

I should have tried a little Tangee on Mr. Hunter's lips.
But imagine if it didn't wipe off!

A couple of weeks before we encountered this display of Tangee, an early brand of lipstick that apparently goes on orange and eventually changes color, we'd encountered a reference to Tangee in a Vogue article called "The Looking Glass," by Francine du Plessix Gray:  

"Remember Tangee?  It was a hideous orange-hued lip tint that turned pink and was then the rage among teenagers.  Having no compacts, we smeared it on haphazardly, and we must have looked ghoulish as we settled on our bar stools at Schrafft's to indulge in another ritual of our youth--the consumption of ice-cream sodas."

If you're interested in recreating the Tangee experience, you need only visit the Vermont Country Store online or in person.

Vermont Country Store

Weston, Vermont

September 2012

Official site for Tangee - http://www.tangee.com/

And a White Shoulders reference from Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself, by Judy Blume:

     Sally sat on the Murphy bed and watched as Mom put some more rouge on her cheeks, went over her lips a second time and dabbed a drop of perfume behind each ear.  "You smell good," Sally said.  "Like Lillies of the Valley."

     "It's called White Shoulders," Mom said.  "It's my favorite... here, I'll put some behind your ears too."

     "Ummm... I like that," Sally said, wondering if Latin lovers would be attracted to it.  Maybe she'd try it out on Peter Hornstein.

Oh, nooo! Mr. Bill! And Mr. Hunter!

Remember Mr. Bill?

Mr. Hunter made his acquaintance on the shelves of the Vermont Country Store.  Luckily, both Mr. H and Mr. B avoided any misadventures during this encounter.  Although Mr. Bill does look a bit concerned; he's probably warning Mr. Hunter about all the things that could go wrong...

The Vermont Country Store

Weston, Vermont

September 2012

Shopping at the Vermont Country Store

From the store's front on Main Street, the Vermont Country Store doesn't look like it would contain too much.  But when you step inside, you'll find a series of rooms stretching pretty far back, with sections dedicated to cheese, snacks, household items, Christmas decorations, clothes, kitchen tools, candy, toys, and even one area showcasing a variety of old-fashioned scales.   It's a fun place to browse.  And shop. ... And, of course, a great place to take pictures of Mr. Hunter.

Vermont Country Store

Weston, Vermont

September 2012

Official site for the Vermont Country Store - http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/store