I have been thinking that one way to highlight things to do in this area would be to tell you what we get up to on our days off. And then I thought, hmm, I’m not sure that provides enough material for an ongoing series, unless you are interested in going to the bank, the grocery store and picking up cheese. Well, you might be interested in the cheese part, so we’ll leave that for another post.

But, this week we had a doozy of a day out and I thought I’d share the details. First of all, please note that it was 94 degrees yesterday. May 25. Vermont. Yes, I said 94 degrees. Currently I am awaiting the promised thunderstorm, but see nothing on the horizon. And it’s still 94 degrees today. Back to yesterday. First we ran errands, because people who are innkeepers AND live in a rural setting rarely go anywhere without cramming in a few things from their to-do list. Then we found ourselves in Rutland, VT and on the advice of a friend, went to Gill’s Deli. There we ordered  a ‘Hot Italian with the works’ as instructed. They do four sizes of sandwich: mini, small, large and giant. I will advise you that everyone who was ordering just for themselves was ordering a mini. The minis were more than I could eat. We got a large to share. This came in handy after our next activity.

We left the deli and drove to Killington to do the Pico Peak Trail hike. This is about a 6 mile round trip, up to the top of Pico Peak. It was gorgeous and cooler that you’d imagine, being shaded and in the mountains. (Though, remember, it was still 94 degrees outside) We saw no one except one pretty little snake and a frog. It was hard work – it’s a moderate hike, with some pretty steep areas to it. But the views were so worth it. It’s funny to be hiking across a ski area and picturing all the snow and swooshing skiers only a couple of months ago. At the top we sat on the deck of the ski hut and had our well deserved large sandwich, and had no trouble finishing it.

And then to cap the day, we stopped in Brandon, VT on the way home and got an ice cream cone (I had been angling for a creemee since about halfway down the hike, that large sandwich quickly forgotten) at The Inside Scoop, which may be the best ice cream/old-fashioned candy store/soda fountain on the planet. I resisted all the penny candy and had a sugar cone (when was the last time you had a sugar cone?) of Wilcox’s mint chocolate chip, which was completely satisfying.

We may not get many of these kind of days, but we love them when we do. And I’ve got lots more ideas so if you come to visit, I just might share them.

I thought I’d write a little post about some things to do in our neck of the woods. We are now entering the time of year when people naturally think of visiting our piece of Vermont. Which also means that we are entering the time of year when we innkeepers don’t get out and do any of the things the visitors come and see, we’re too busy tending the home fires, making beds and preparing food for their return. But, in stolen moments and certainly vicariously through their stories and experiences, we do see all the wonder that is Vermont in the summer.

One of our favorite things to do when we have a few hours off and want to get away from home is to get in the car and explore side roads, usually in search of lakes or ponds to dip into. Some of the lakes we’ve found, I’m not sure I could find again, or maybe I don’t really want to share all my secrets… But it is no secret that one of the most spectacular lakes near Shoreham isn’t actually in Vermont, it is Lake George in New York. Well, the secret may be how easy and close Lake George actually is to Shoreham. Using the Fort Ticonderoga Ferry, located 5 miles from the Inn here in Shoreham, it’s a seven minute cable ferry ride over to the town of Ticonderoga. And the very northern tip of Lake George is in Ticonderoga. It’s a long, gorgeous lake and the drive alongside it is wonderful. Last time we did it, I realized it’s the tall, tall green trees that make it feel like a different world from Vermont with it’s rolling, low green. You feel enclosed by green and it smells earthy and piney and wonderful. Yes, I realize that the town of Lake George itself (way down on the other end of the lake, 30 miles from the Ticonderoga end) has a reputation for lots of honky tonky arcades and masses of people, but you don’t have to go there unless you want to. Bolton Landing has some smaller shops and restaurants right on the lake, and there are public access points and camping locations at various points along the shore. I haven’t even mentioned Fort Ticonderoga itself, but maybe I’ll save that for another post about historic sites to explore.

One of the best parts of being a restaurant owner is all the food; the delicious, exciting, local food. We make it a priority to get as much as we can as local as we can. Maybe we are extra special lucky here in Vermont since there is so much food growing, making and creating going on around us. Even in our long winters there are storage vegetables and a greenhouse down the road that operates year round. People up here obsess about their seed catalogs. I had a long discussion last night over the bar about the virtues and mysteries of hanging tomato plants.

As the year begins to warm up it’s difficult not to get excited about the foods that become available, even if only very briefly. Fiddleheads and rhubarb are this week’s excitement. We’ve even had some early local asparagus. We went to pick up cheese from Twig Farm yesterday and were given two gorgeous, enormous duck eggs. (And the cheese, oh my, this was the first time we’d had their Mixed Drum – so delicious) If you really pay attention to what’s fresh and local it hard not to become some sort of ‘foodie’, because things you might never dream of trying taste so good when they are fresh out of the ground. Let me tell you, I had an epic battle over brussels sprouts for many, many years and in the blink of an eye a fresh brussels sprout from Golden Russet Farm changed everything. I was never a big goat cheese fan and Twig Farm and Blue Ledge Farm completely changed that prejudice. Come to Vermont and try something new, we’re just entering the growing season and we’ll make no promises about what you’ll be able to get, but that’s the fun, you have to wait and see and try what’s in front of you.