Brattleboro, Vermont 14-20 Aug 2014

 Vermont was our northernmost stop for 2014.  It is a beautiful state with many lovely, forested lanes,

covered bridges, 

 and lovely, clear, rocky streams.

Ted, the plant pathologist, couldn't resist this photo.  This is chicken-of-the-woods.  It was a summer food staple of early settlers.  Harvested at this stage and sautéed, it is said to taste like a cross between crab and lobster.

 Not far from the campground, that we called home for the week, was Plymouth Notch.  Calvin Coolidge, thirtieth president of the United States, was born in the small house attached to the back of  this store.

 Coolidge succeeded to the presidency upon the death of Warren Harding.  He was sworn into office in his parent's home down the street by his father, who was a Justice of the Peace.  Someone asked him what gave him the right to administer the oath of office.  He said no one told him he couldn't.  During his time in office, this hall, above the store, served as his office during his summer vacations to escape the heat and pestilence of Washington D.C.

 In addition to the strong maple syrup industry, Vermont is also a strong dairy state.  We found one of the best goat cheeses we've ever eaten there along with a very nice blueberry Windsordale. 

 If you ever come to Brattleboro, bring your appetite.  It's an excellent foodie town.  One of the places we patronized was the Top of the Hill Grill seen here.  This well patronized place had, of all things, excellent jambalaya along with several other southern influenced offerings.

 Not much further up the road was The Marina.  It turned out to be, one of our favorite places of the trip.  They served an excellent crab and lobster pastry, which we shared.  We're getting hungry just thinking about it.

 This was one of two whimsical floating sculpture in the slough just off The Marina's patio.