Friday, February 13, 2015

Friday the 13th

Mom, poodle and I went on a little road trip today.  The sun was shining and the skies were blue and it seemed a shame to waste it sitting inside, although it was too darn cold to really be outside.  So technically we still spent the day sitting inside -- inside a car.  First we zipped in to take a picture of the Fisher Bridge and according to the sign it is the "last railroad covered bridge still in regular use in Vermont."  Of course, I don't know how old that sign is so I don't know if the bridge is still in use.  I shall go back when the snow melts, if it ever does, and take better pictures.




Cool.  Then we went to Craftsbury.


Here is some information about Craftsbury that everyone should know.  First, quoting from wikipedia:

Alfred Hitchcock shot the scenery for his 1955 movie The Trouble with Harry in Craftsbury. Ostensibly, the movie takes place entirely in town. Exteriors of the parsonage beside the East Craftsbury Presbyterian Church are used as well as exterior shots of Craftsbury Common. Assuming that the town would be in full foliage, the company showed up for outdoor shots on September 27, 1954. To the filmmakers' shock, there was hardly any foliage left; to achieve a full effect, leaves were glued to the trees.

Heh heh. That's pretty funny. Next, Craftsbury Common is home to Sterling College, which is one of the smallest accredited four year liberal arts schools in the country. (Again, wikipedia.)  The campus is 130 acres; they've got 393 acres of forested lands, and 1.5 acres called The Sterling Gardens. According to their website, "we work towards becoming a self-sufficient institution largely feeding itself." As they say, "Many colleges have a farm - Sterling College is a farm." They are all about sustainability and environmental stewardship.

Last but not least, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center is a wee bit off the beaten path but it's a real gem. It has been in operation since 1976 and has been run as a non-profit since late 2008 under the ownership of Dick Dreissigacker and Judy Geer. Dick is one of the founders of Concept2; his daughter Hannah competed in the 2014 Olympics on the US Women's Biathlon team.  The Outdoor Center was the first rowing camp in North America.  They have something like 100k of trails for nordic skiing and running.  Here is their mission statement:

  1. to support and promote participation and excellence in lifelong sports with a special focus on rowing, nordic skiing, biathlon and running;
  2. to use and teach sustainable practices; and
  3. to protect and manage the surrounding land, lake and trails.

In conclusion, even tiny specks on the map have interesting bits and pieces.

Now that our geography and history lesson is over, I finished a painting I started about six months ago.



I think I like it better in these pictures than I do in real life.  Hmmmm.

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