I know I have a few excursions I have yet to post, but I'm skipping ahead to today. This day off was an adventurous day, to say the least. It all started when I woke up to A hollering, "Emily, the cow is loose!"
The said cow is Belle, our farmyard pet. It's a running joke that she was bought for meat, but being such peace-loving folks, the farm owners have yet to send her off to become sunday dinner. Her main job is to amuse children that stop by.
Belle is currently sharing a house with two llamas and got her freedom when the back door to her fenced in pen was left open (responsible person has yet to come forward). She bucked and swung her head as we tried to get her back into her shared dwelling, and away from our cucumber and pumpkin seedlings (which have already been reseeded twice due to chipmunks this year). Belle was also so enthralled by grass, that when I tried to walk up and pull her into her pen, she didn't notice me. Needless to say, my foot was stepped on by a 500 pound cow and I ran into the house as R and W took over the task of reigning her in. Belle is no longer on my list of loved animals, but I still refuse to eat meat (that's to all of you out there wondering :) )
Other than that fiasco, the day went on to be become quite nice.
The said cow is Belle, our farmyard pet. It's a running joke that she was bought for meat, but being such peace-loving folks, the farm owners have yet to send her off to become sunday dinner. Her main job is to amuse children that stop by.
Belle is currently sharing a house with two llamas and got her freedom when the back door to her fenced in pen was left open (responsible person has yet to come forward). She bucked and swung her head as we tried to get her back into her shared dwelling, and away from our cucumber and pumpkin seedlings (which have already been reseeded twice due to chipmunks this year). Belle was also so enthralled by grass, that when I tried to walk up and pull her into her pen, she didn't notice me. Needless to say, my foot was stepped on by a 500 pound cow and I ran into the house as R and W took over the task of reigning her in. Belle is no longer on my list of loved animals, but I still refuse to eat meat (that's to all of you out there wondering :) )
Other than that fiasco, the day went on to be become quite nice.
A and I drove to Jeffersonville for breakfast at one of my favorite spots, 158 Main. It's actually the first place we ever ate out at together, but I loved their food long before it had it's charming appeal for other reasons.
A always gets the farmer's breakfast (mostly because of the name, :) ), without any meat, which is the main component of the breakfast, but gets french toast and pancakes as part of the deal. I opted for something new and got the medditteranean omelette (spinach and feta inside) with fresh in-house baked maple wheat toast and homefries. A even gave me some of his french toast because it's amazing and I couldn't resist the pure Vermont maple syrup they serve with it. It was a winning breakfast and I finished everything. This was quite a feat, and even the waitress gave me an "I'm impressed" comment. 158 Main also serves mimosas for a reasonable price, but we had three glasses of water each to fuel our hike. I guess I was also a little dehydrated from working out in the heat these past few days.
A always gets the farmer's breakfast (mostly because of the name, :) ), without any meat, which is the main component of the breakfast, but gets french toast and pancakes as part of the deal. I opted for something new and got the medditteranean omelette (spinach and feta inside) with fresh in-house baked maple wheat toast and homefries. A even gave me some of his french toast because it's amazing and I couldn't resist the pure Vermont maple syrup they serve with it. It was a winning breakfast and I finished everything. This was quite a feat, and even the waitress gave me an "I'm impressed" comment. 158 Main also serves mimosas for a reasonable price, but we had three glasses of water each to fuel our hike. I guess I was also a little dehydrated from working out in the heat these past few days.
After breakfast, we stopped at Bingham Falls in Mt. Mansfield Park and I somehow mustered the courage to jump in the freezing water. It was so invigorating (after I got over the shock of being cold), that I was ready for a hike. The sun was shining, my car windows were down, sunglasses on, and NPR was playing on the radio. Good times.
A little farther away in Waterbury, we found Little River Park. It's a campsite and place for swimming boating and hiking. After paying the $3 per person, we headed out barefoot on the Little River History trail. What was a sunny hike, quickly turned into an all out thunderstorm. We could tell the dark clouds above were going to send water down on us, and fast. Everything in the woods seemed to turn gray and ominous in an instant, but we made the most of it by appreciating the cool water that made us feel as though we were swimming while walking. Dancing in the rain was also something I'll remember for a long time: nothing can make you feel connected to nature quite like dancing in the elements.
Lastly, A and I opted for a movie in Burlington at Merrill's Roxy to complete our rainy day quest. We saw Kon Tiki, which was an excellent movie.
I hope all of you have adventurous days off as well!!
Peace, love, and harmony
I hope all of you have adventurous days off as well!!
Peace, love, and harmony