Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

On Monday of our trip to Vermont, my brother had to return to work. He had to keep some vacation days set aside for the new baby and for the winter holidays.

I assured him that we understood and wouldn't have expected anything else.

My brother's wife had to take my nephew to the doctor for a check-up and shots, so The Gryphon and I took the opportunity to walk to the nearby Rock of Ages visitor center and take their tour.

The walk was pleasant, because the rain had cleared up and the day actually had turned a little warmer than it had been the entire rest of the trip.

Of course, by the time we'd made our way to where I thought the visitor's center was, I remembered that my brother had told us it had moved. Sure enough, there was a sign on the door directing us to the new visitor's center, a mile further down the road.

Since we'd already come this far, we decided to finish the trip. When we arrived, we paid for a tour and then browsed the gift shop. I bought a hematite necklace and earring set. Then, since we still had time before the tour started, we walked through the Rock of Ages factory, where we got to see people at work making memorials.

Then we took a seat on the benches next to the school bus which we would be taking for the tour. A family came up with their little poodle, and we thought for a second it was going to be taking the tour with us, but then they took him back to the car. It was a cool enough day that I'm sure the dog was OK.

The tour was much the same as when I'd taken it on a previous trip to Vermont. They told us all about the process of mining the granite and the history of granite mining practices in that area.

The Gryphon listened attentively, seemingly enjoying it.

Before we got back on the bus to drive back down, I had him take a picture of me.

We took an alternate route back, taking a bike path that cut off a big corner. Along the side of the bike path was a tan colored cat that seemed to be guarding the path. After glaring at my camera, though, he allowed us to pass.

We stopped at the general store to buy a bottle of diet caffeine-free soda for my brother, since he'd mentioned wanting some the night before. We also each bought a sandwich. I had a turkey wrap and some fruit salad.

Looking around for a place to eat, we decided on a small wall outside the store. Then we walked back, taking the snowmobile path for part of the way, to get off the road.

The Gryphon was supposed to call into the office so he could participate, via speaker phone, with their weekly meeting. But as it turned out the meeting was canceled, so we could just relax.

We took naps and then, once my brother returned, I helped The Gryphon cook dinner. He made an eggplant ratatouille which went over really well. For dessert, my brother and I went to the general store for vanilla ice cream, and The Gryphon made a blueberry sauce using some maple syrup and fresh blueberries we'd bought at the farmer's market.

After my nephew went to bed, we all watched "Wife Swap" on ABC. The Gryphon and I had never seen this show, and we agreed that it's one we'll have to follow from now on. It's fun to see what happens when people switch places and also what they can learn from each other.

More from our trip to Vermont:

August 30, 2006 - Along the Tracks

August 31, 2006 - By in a Blur

September 1, 2006 - Food and Family

September 5, 2006 - Soggy Shopping

September 7, 2006 - Bye!

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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