Saturday, October 14, 2006

A Brief Vacation - Part 2

At this time of year the foliage in Vermont should be near its peak, just our luck it wasn't. Temperatures during our stay were warmer than normal, in fact on October 9th the high was 79 degrees (about 15 degrees above normal). The warm temperatures affect leaf coloration; shorter periods of sun light result in lowered chlorophyll production, cold nights cause the leaves to turn red.

Sig was on his own on from Sunday afternoon until Tuesday afternoon while Roberta attended a conference on Legal Issues in Higher Education sponsored by the University of Vermont (UVM). Sig undertook some individual sightseeing, but saved the best to share with Roberta.

Monday evening found us taking a conference hosted sunset cruise on Lake Champlain.



Tuesday afternoon found us at the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory (we returned the next day to buy a couple of bears) and at Dakin Farms sampling local cheeses and jams (and buying maple syrup).

We ended our trip on Wednesday with a visit to the Shelburne Museum. It's a collection of buildings from the Vermont in the 1800's with interpretive displays and guides. The most unusual feature is the land-locked paddle wheel ferry boat Ticonderoga that was moved inland in the 1950's after being retired from service.

A Brief Vacation - Part 1

Roberta and I just finished a brief vacation to New York City and Burlington, Vermont. The trip was partly work related for Roberta (she attended a conference in Burlington) and it it 100% vacation for me.

The weather (by fall standards) was excellent; warm and no rain. On October 6th Roberta and I took a several hour stroll through Central Park before meeting up with Ethan for some clothes shopping. Here are a few pictures from the stroll.










We found one store where their special sale was 3 suits, 3 shirts, and 3 ties for $250 - I got two suit sets and Ethan got the other.

That evening we took Ethan and several of his college friends on a pub crawl to celebrate his 21st birthday. Everyone involved was over 21 (some where way over 21), we stopped at 3 Irish pubs near Grand Central Station, and had a round of beers at each spot. Sig was the "designated walker" making sure no one fell off the sidewalk. Everyone had a great time without getting slammed. Here's a picture from the evening.








The next day we were off to Vermont. I'll post some comments and pictures at another time.