Beautiful Vermont

We left NYC for Vermont on Tuesday. It took us 3 1/2 hours to get there, but the drive was gorgeous, lush, and green... Well, I missed some of it sleeping (I tend to fall asleep in a car when I'm in the back seat and not driving), yet what I saw on the way there reminded me of Bulgaria in a way.

Soon we came to some cute towns in a beautiful residential area... One of those towns was Dorset, set next to Manchester, VT. Namely Dorset was the place where Cynthia and Donald have their lovely home (see below). Before we went up to the house, we drove around town so that I could get a feel for the neighborhood. After New York, everything seemed so small and short there, yet there was an air of peace, tranquility, and beauty that you can't really 'breathe' in NYC. All around us was green and bright, fresh and natural; there were valleys, hollows, and mountains. That was certainly a great area to do some hiking around. We concluded our brief tour of the town only to continue with a complete tour of Cynthia and Don's house.

I slept in the main house where we also had most of our meals. It was spacious and very nicely decorated, of course. Every room had its own character and story behind it. Aside from the main house, there was a barn (a.k.a. the Party Barn where Donald had his own bar, pool table, fire place, TV and other cool little things that ensured that the only mood that could possibly persist in the barn was happiness and amusement); a guest house, smaller than the main house; and a pool house, smaller than the guest house... Naturally, the pool house came complete with a pool. All of that was surrounded by a grassy lawn with trees, and amidst a lush forest. If there was one place where a person could forget the busy city life and get some peace and quiet, that was definitely it.

(The main house)

The last thing we went to see was Cynthia's blooming flower garden which was right next to the guest house. As we were admiring the blossoming day lilies, the door to the guest house was opened and out popped two little girls, Sarah (6) and Ava (3) and their parents Nancy and Paul. Nancy's Don's stepdaughter and she had come up to Vermont with her family a few days ago. We spent the next couple of days having fun together. That same day, we had a tasty dinner together after which I went to bed with the intention of watching Night at the Museum... However, I fell asleep 10 minutes into the movie...

(Everyone in the barn; Left to right: Don, Cynthia, Nancy, Ava, Paul, and Sarah (yeah and me))

We had brave plans for the next day: how we would wake up, have a quick breakfast, and then go for a hike somewhere, or for a run, or something along those lines. Unfortunately, the weather had other plans... It rained all day. We didn't get to leave the house much, but we had fun inside. I was sitting with the girls, drawing tons of doggies and horseys and what not... :) I got to know Nancy and Paul a bit better since we had a lot of time to sit and chat. I was also busy with my new toy which had arrived the evening before... My new camera... :) Hehe. Even though it was raining, I still took a ton of photos, inside and outside the house, and basically of anything that crossed my path. I was testing out my Digital SLR walking around like a paparazzi. It seemed to me that we had a long day, but it was enjoyable. I was happy to be spending time Cynthia, Don, and the rest of the gang at Vermont. Another dinner; another early night. I didn't even attempt to watch a movie that night.

(The view from Cynthia's front porch - very mystical in the clouds and rain)

The next morning was brighter than the day before, so we used the opportunity to drive down to town where we had to do some shopping. Before we did that, though, Cynthia and Don were very understanding of my obsession with horses, so they took me down to a big horse show that was happening in Manchester. Was I excited! I had my camera ready and everything, and did not stop taking pictures from the moment we walked in the show area to the moment we left (which was just about the time when the rain started pouring in again).

After I had my fix of horses, we decided to go for lunch at a local restaurant which had a rooster as its 'mascot'. We had a good meal, then hurried back to our through the rain, did a quick scoop of some nearby shops, and then went back to the house. It was raining again and the best thing we could all do was rest. I went up to my cozy room and snuggled in bed. I watched a movie for a while then took a little nap. When I woke up, it was just about the right time for us all to go meet at the barn. We were planning on having a fun evening starting with some cocktails in the barn and moving on to supper at a famous restaurant in town. This time our plan worked out perfectly, resulting in a pleasant evening which also happened to be my last night together with Cynthia and Don... I was about to leave Dorset early on the next morning to go to NYC and JFK (and possibly some other abbreviations). This was a special last night that also left a pleasant memory in my mind. The evening ended with sparklers outside in the yard.

(The barn in the sun)

Yes, the sun did finally come out.. on the day I was leaving :S Of course :) I woke up early in the morning since I had to be ready for the car that was picking me up from the house at 9 a.m. Even though there were bits of sunlight here and there, this morning wasn't the happiest one I've had... I didn't want to leave yet! But sadly, the tickets were booked, the car was coming on schedule, and my parents were anxiously waiting for me to go back home and tell them all my wonderful stories.

It was time to say goodbye to my friends... But you see, it's not that hard when you know you're going to meet up with them again someday somewhere... :) So instead of goodbye, this was merely a see you later. :) When I left Vermont at 9 a.m., I was the happiest person on Earth, and oh so grateful that this happened to me!!!

(Flowers in Cynthia's garden)

Of course the long car drive, and the long flight, and the lack of sleep, and seeing the dirty-ish Sofia streets were not really part of the 'great side' of my trip, but it was easy to ignore those things just by thinking of the magical week that just passed...

Thanks again, Cynthia and Don!