Green Mountains and Flowers: Wordless Wednesday

Path to Vermont

Isn’t it amazing how everything is greener in Vermont?  No wonder they call it the Green Mountain State!  Although it’s beautiful in winter, I can’t wait for spring to get here!

If you ever get a chance to vacation in Vermont and drive north up Interstate 91, make sure you stop at the Vermont Visitor’s Center – there are beautiful displays of all the artisan crafts – Bennington Pottery, woodworking, handwoven yarns and more!  You can walk the dog, or picnic on the lawn or tables that are provided.

This photo is from one of Vermont’s lovely rest area stops along Interstate 89.

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Vermont Snow Covered Walkway Bridge and Stream-Wordless Wednesday

New England Treasures

Everywhere I go in Vermont, no matter what season – there’s always a photo opportunity waiting for me!

The state recently received over 30 inches of snow from the monstrous blizzard last week that affected the East Coast.

My BFF from kindergarten lives in Enfield, New Hampshire. She owns Bearly Used Books, a really cute used book store, complete with pellet stoves, and recently sent me a book on how to shoot scenic photography.

This scenic picture was taken on the way to Northfield, Vermont – home to Norwich University.

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Vermont Snow Covered Mountains: Wordless Wednesday

Green Mountains

Before I met my son-in-law, I think I’d only been up to Vermont once to go skiing when I was in high school.  My husband and I would travel up Interstate 91 to go to New Hampshire for vacations, but we never really left the highway to see this beautiful state.

My oldest daughter’s husband is a Vermonter.  I’m so excited that I can now experience the beauty of the Green Mountain state’s four seasons through the eyes of locals, and not as a tourist!  My daughter’s in-laws know all the back roads with magnificent views!

This photo was taken on our way to a birthday party outside Montpelier, Vermont’s capitol.  My charming son-in-law’s cousins live atop this spectacular mountain!  The view will take your breath away!

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Floating Bridge – Brookfield Vermont – Wordless Wednesday

Fall Finale

Located in Central Vermont, Floating Bridge in the Town of Brookfield is famous for it’s winter ice harvest festival.

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Columbus Day Weekend – Mt. Mansfield Stowe Vermont – Wordless Wednesday

Stowehof Inn

My daughter recently celebrated her wedding anniversary.  They got married in Stowe, Vermont over a Columbus Day Weekend, and the reception was held at the Stowehof Inn.  The view from our balcony of Mt. Mansfield and the fall foliage was breathtaking, as was the day!

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Last Shot At Summer Before Leaf-Peeping Season – Maine Vacationland

Ogunquit Maine

Down By The Sea

When my kids were little before they started school, we always took a vacation in September after Labor Day.  The tourist crowds were usually thinner, and the hotel and motel rates rates were lower.  We’d usually go to The Cape (Cape Cod), or down to the Virginia shore.

We haven’t done that in many years.

This year, we went to Olgunquit, Maine for a long weekend with our oldest daughter, charming son-in-law,  his parents, sister and her family, and our grandkids.  The inlaws all came from Vermont, and we came from Connecticut and met in Maine.

It’s been many years since we’ve been to Maine, but have never visited Ogunquit.  It was wonderful! Although it rained on Saturday, we still found a lot to do.

We drove up to Kennebunkport in the morning, and stopped and saw the Bush summer residence.  Of course there was the obligatory shopping at all the quaint stores in town – and then on to lunch at one of the many seafood restaurants.  All specialize in Lobster Roll sandwiches and the famous chowder!

Sunday we spent the morning at the expansive 3-1/2 mile long Ogunquit beach, and then on to breakfast.  Later in the morning we walked the 1.10 mile famous Marginal Way which abuts the ocean and ends up in Perkins Cove.

Picturesque Perkins Cove with it’s adorable drawbridge was so much fun with the lobster boats in the harbor, little boutique shops, and plenty of places to eat -  seafood again – clams and more lobster and chowder.

We had parked our car in one of the many parking lots, and took the famous Trollies that run throughout town back to the lot.  The grandkids really enjoyed that!  More shopping for soveniers before we left for home.

It was our final hurrah and a beautiful ending to summer before leaf-peeping season starts in New England.

We all enjoyed our time together and hope to make it a yearly occurance!

For More Information Visit: Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce

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Random Tuesday Thoughts – Boston Harbor – Connecticut Daytrip and Whoopie Pies

Sunglasses and Whoopie Pies

I have the hardest time hanging on to my sunglasses. I used to have a clip-on pair that was magnetized that came with my prescription glasses. When I changed prescriptions, the sunglasses no longer fit on my new pair.

When I was up in Penn Yan, New York in the Finger Lakes Wine Region, I bought several clip-on pairs at the Windmill that were reasonably priced. The Windmill Farm and Craft Market is really cool. There are over 100 vendors of farm produce and handcrafted items produced by local artisans. The region has a high population of Amish, and I was able to also find not only some beautiful crafts, but also baked goods! I tasted my first Whoopie Pie there!

Wordless Wednesday Moments

When I was up in Vermont visiting charming son-in-law’s parents, I opened my email one day and found out through Bargain Briana about a digital camera special going on at Walgreens. Well, I was outside of Montpelier and no Walgreens was to be found. Through emails and phone calls, I was able to have my daughter get one for me back home in Connecticut. The special was only going on for one day, I think. After rebate, the camera came to about $10.

I really enjoy taking scenery photographs, so now I keep the digital camera in my car for when I happen upon a photo shoot that I think might be worthy of being featured in a Wordless Wednesday moment.

Contest Rules

I’ve been running quite a few Giveaways and Contests over on my Review blog and WAHM blog lately.

What I don’t understand is what’s so hard about following contest rules? They’re pretty simple usually – just visit the sponsor’s site and leave a comment about what you like about the site and why you’d like to win the prize. If the rules aren’t followed, the entry doesn’t count.

I’ve been finding comments such as “I’d love to win this prize.” End of Comment. Sorry, but you’re automatically disqualified if you leave a comment like that. Learn to read and follow instructions.

I always allow for extra entries too.

Hope you all enjoyed the long Memorial Day Weekend! Check out my photos from our daytrip to Boston for a wedding on the harbor and then our daytrip to the Connecticut Shoreline!

For more Random Tuesday Thoughts, visit The Un-Mom!

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Planning a Ski Trip In New England – Be Sure The B & B Has A Wood Stove

Having been a New England native all of my life one would think that I’d be used to our extreme winter weather.  Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Unless the temperature goes over 60 degrees, I wear my North Face all year long.

As I mature I find my body becoming less tolerant of the dampness and cold.  When the autumn winds come around and the leaves start turning, it isn’t unusual to see tweens and teenagers walking to school without jackets or sweaters.  Many are even wearing shorts or cutoffs!

When my children were younger, I sounded like a broken record (for those of us who still remember what vinyl records are!) reminding them to bundle up, wear a sweater, jacket, or take their raincoat to school.  My kids would turn a deaf ear, as kids so often do.

Fast forward as the situation changed and my children became teenagers and college students.  High school, college campuses and the associated peer pressure on teenagers influence their clothing choices. All of a sudden their birthday and Christmas lists started to include the latest in outerwear in every choice of color.

My charming son-in-law is originally from Vermont, and that means frequent trips up north visiting his family, taking in the scenery and checking out Vermont country stores.  My son-in-law’s niece was born on Saint Patrick’s Day and I went up for the birthday party.  His parent’s house had snow all the way up to the top of their clothesline!  I make sure the Bed and Breakfast Inn has a Vermont Castings wood stove!

While I luv the in-laws dearly, I wish they lived in a more tropical climate!

Thought I’d share some winter photos of New England for my readers who live in warmer climates!  Enjoy!

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Why You Feel You Need More Sleep in Winter

Health


I hope everyone enjoyed the Holidays surrounded by family and friends. We’re not quite through the Holiday Season yet ~ at least in my family! Although we enjoyed Christmas Eve with family, Christmas Day was celebrated leisurely and quietly with just my husband and youngest daughter.

My oldest daughter, charming son-in-law and the grandkiddos were up visiting his family in Vermont. They’ll be over for another full-course dinner and to open gifts tomorrow night. We’ve been taking care of the Grand Dog “Muttley” while they were away, so I’ll be a little sad to see her go home. Although my 11-year old Fat House Cat will be able to reclaim his territory!

Needless to say, with all the various parties I’ve been happily attending, this Baby Boomer is a tad exhausted. If you follow me on Twitter, you know I’m usually a night-owl and up until the wee hours of the morning!

On a good day, I don’t want to rise with the chickens. My feet just don’t hit the ground running like they used to. In the winter months, it gets even trickier. Sleeping all morning can become a habit really fast. But, it’s not because we’re lazy.

Do you want to know why we want to sleep more when the weather turns cold?

This has less to do with being tired and more to do with our bodily rhythms and inner workings. It sounds ominous, but it’s actually quite simple. Our bodies know what’s good for it most of the time. There are automatic “cues” it follows to perform certain functions.

Here’s an example: When the sun streams through the window in the morning, it wakes us up. Even if we decide to cover our heads and go back to sleep, the initial reaction to the sun was to wake. Our circadian rhythms tell us that we wake with the light of the sun.

In the evening, as the sun goes down, we begin to prepare for a time of rest. Well, our bodies do. When darkness falls, everything shuts down for the night so the cells can recharge. We think it is our conscious self that is tired so we go to sleep. But, in fact, our internal clock says that the city called “us” is closing its borders for the night.

There is a set pattern to these things. Now, factor in the location in which we live. I live in New England, and it can get pretty dreary here, especially when snowed in. In winter, the days are shorter and the nights are longer. We see less sunlight. When the sky is darkening, the body prepares for rest. In the morning, the sun rises a little later and we want to also.

The body continues to sleep because it sees no light streaming through the window. Unfortunately we still have to rise at six o’clock in the morning for work. So, something has to get us up and out.

The science behind all of this involves serotonin and melatonin, two neurotransmitters in the brain. Melatonin is produced when we sleep. Sleeping too much produces abnormal levels of melatonin. The more we sleep, the more we want to sleep because of the increase in this neurotransmitter.

During the summer, we experience higher serotonin levels. Serotonin is responsible for our mood. One thing that increases serotonin levels is vitamin D. Vitamin D is produced by skin cells due to sunlight.

When sunlight is in short supply, our serotonin levels fall and we don’t have so much energy or so many good feelings. Some people use devices called dawn simulators to get moving in the morning. They go off on a timed schedule and increase the intensity of their light until it is time for you to wake. The light triggers the body to wake up even though it is still dark outside.

As you see being extra tired during the winter months is actually quite normal. We desire to sleep more in winter because we get less light and serotonin and more melatonin.

I’ve been doing quite a bit of reading up on the benefits of taking serotonin. If you or someone you know takes it ~ let me know what your experience has been. Of course, always consult your physician with any questions you may have.

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Summer Camping in your RV! Visit Your State Campgrounds!

Charming Son-in-Law is originally from Vermont, and my daughter and ‘Lil Moomette travel to visit his family up there frequently. His family is very big into camping.

Our family enjoys camping too, and when the kids were little, we always used to vacation up in Cape Cod, many times staying for a week or so. We’ve also done local mini “family reunions” camping trips with extended family at various Connecticut State Campgrounds.

Darling Daughter and her husband are expecting my new grandson in August. They’re looking to get out of the tent business and are scouting around for Motorhomes to give ‘Lil Moomette and her new brother more room to run around in. Oh, and also to add some creature comforts for themselves, such as a personal bathroom. I had an ex sister-in-law once say about camping in a tent, “if it’s not nicer than my own home, it’s not a vacation.”

With gas prices going up every day, don’t forfeit family vacation time together. With a RV, you can still vacation close to home in comfort! Check out your local state campgrounds!

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