Visiting Friends

My guess is many of you have friends here in Vermont who move farther into the country or woods the longer you are all here in Vermont - isn't that part of the reason we live or move here? While we love to see our friends transition into the next phases of their lives and get away from the ick of crappy apartment living to the space and outdoor elements of having a house, the cruel fact is that we just don't get to see these friends as much as we like anymore!


So - take a Vibe adventure en route to visit such friends! Winter is a perfect time to vibe through Vermont villages and towns with the destination of making a good meal, drinking wine, and spending the night at a friend's house you just don't get to see as much anymore. No need to wait for an invitation! This is the Northeast - we say it as it is and speak our minds. Most likely your friend has gotten so used to people turning down such invitations because we're all too caught up in our own lives, they've just given up asking. I guarantee - with the Vermont Vibes stamp of approval - they'll be stoked if you bring it up!


If you are the person with the house in the woods - get creative to get peeps to your abode! Find someone who does massage, reiki, spa treatments, etc. and host a "party" of sorts. There are so many independent consultant types who center around healthy lifestyles, you're sure to find one through a connection (if you don't already have one) and together you can create a fun time for friends to get away and play in your playground!

My favorite such event actually took place a few years ago. My friend had a place up at Bolton Valley and in the fall, a group of gals gathered our sleeping bags, nail supplies, face masks, girly and scary movies, and wine and had an adult sleepover. It was one of the funnest "girls nights out" I have ever had.

And, come January, Mitch and I look very much forward to visiting our friends Melissa and Chris at their house in Swanton for a night of healthy food, mead made from honey, massages, and possible fire on the lake! Melissa runs Bee Well Massage, and is a beautifully artistic and caring massage therapist with a heart full of honey from the bees she loves so much. She's also a great contact to help get you started if you'd like to bring in a massage therapist for a group of your friends.


And in the meantime, call a friend who lives several towns, or counties, away from you and make some plans to kick back, talk of the old days, plan for the new, get a little tipsy (because you'll safely be spending the night), light a fire, and just enjoy the moments in life that are simply too far and in between.

Share your Love and Light and Feel it from your Friends!

Some of my Faves for Eats

My friend Taraleigh, also known throughout as the Healthy Hippie, has got me thinking about yummy and local food since she writes a weekly newsletter that always has great healthy food tips, among other fun stuff. Check out her website at www.healthyhippie.net to sign up and learn about her new magazine that hits the streets this winter! I will also be writing a Vermont Vibes article in the new magazine!

So, I thought I'd share some yummy vibes with readers with some of my favorite places to grab a bite in the Green Mountain State!

I'll start right here in Burlington where there is a new "fast food" restaurant in town. As many hopefully know by now, the golden arches have left downtown and around the same time a healthy quick fix stop opened. The New Moon Cafe, on Cherry Street, is my new all time favorite place to grab a bite or have a relaxing and affordable lunch meeting. They have all sorts of yummy specials - quiches, soups, pastries - but what I love is the make your own salad and sandwich bars. The selections are so fresh, healthy, and local, I get myself in trouble by ordering more than I need because it all looks and tastes so good! What I love the most is the friendly staff make the salads and sandwiches for you. I am a big fan of this concept because I can easily look and pick my ingredients, but am terrible at putting them together. I can't get enough of this place and the ambiance is perfect! Looking to try a new lunch spot? New Moon Cafe is it!

A place I discovered not soon after it opened several years back, before I called "vibing" Vibing, is Edelweiss Bakery & Cafe Coffee Shop in Johnson. I love this place so much, I specifically decorated my living room to look like their upstairs dining area. The food is fantastic - scrumptious baked goods, super soups, great tea (I don't drink coffee), but it's the ambiance that has me finding reasons to go to Johnson, just so I can step into Edelweiss.

Heading further East will bring you out to where I spent my summers growing up - Caspian Lake in Greensboro. I used to canoe across the lake to have breakfast on the porch of the Highland Lodge (they used to give 10% off your meal if you canoed over). This was our summer hang out, so I never actually have gone in the winter, but the lodge is one of the most renowned ski touring centers around - maybe they give 10% off a meal if you ski over? Regardless, this place is Northeast Kingdom class, not to mention that Greensboro is also a magical place. Make it a point to enjoy a meal at the Highland Lodge sometime in the near future.

Still poking around in the north country more West in Jay Peak territory, is the Snowshoe Pub in Montgomery Center. All I am going to say here is GO. It is pure Vermont and I have yet to find a more varied menu in all of my travels. Oh, and I once drove through a snow storm without snow tires for an hour and a half to eat at this place.

Oh, skiing. Ah... Skiing makes me think of my ski place, Sugarbush, and my favorite restaurant in the Mad River Valley - The Purple Moon Pub. Coziest apres ski around and I will never tire of fish tacos. The menu is small, live music always filled with sweet surprises, and the ambiance is cozy, rosy, and you must goesy.

And finally, on occasion, I like to step it up a notch. In the case of the Woodstock Inn, a few notches. I know all about the Woodstock Inn because I used to handle their public relations when I worked in the agency world, but regardless of that, to this day, I have yet to eat a better Sunday brunch. There will definitely be an Easter brunch Vibe trip to Woodstock and brunch in the inn's dining room. They even have patte!

Happy dining my friends! Love, Light, and Positive VIBES!!!

Vermont Bed and Breakfasts

Yay Winter!!!! The skiing has started! While there are only a few runs right now, I've been to Sugarbush twice and as I await this storm that is supposed to dump, I can't wait to blog about some of these winter expeditions! However, not everyone is as amped about the winter outdoors as I so I want to make some suggestions for other fun Vibing activities!!

Stay at Vermont bed and breakfasts!! Bed and breakfasts are such an untapped getaway for going away without going far. Pick an area of Vermont you've always wanted to visit. Perhaps somewhere there's a great museum! Or just a town you've always heard about or have always wanted to visit. And then find a B&B!

While bed and breakfasts do make good romantic getaways, they are certainly not only for such jaunts! A B&B can be a great night away for any person by themselves to clear their heads and take that "moment to yourself" everyone and everything money can or cannot buy always tells you to do. Start or finish that book, get caught up on goal planning, write letters or holiday cards, or just breathe and take some moments in your own world. Lots of B&B's also have rooms with two twin beds or a bed and a pull-out, making a stay fun and affordable for catching up with an old friend or going on the every-growing-in-popularity "girlfriend getaways."

Bed and breakfasts certainly vary. Some have their own bathrooms, some are shared. Some make a private breakfast in the morning, some serve you in a dining room of sorts with other guests, and others you eat right with the owners. I personally love bed and breakfasts. I find something extremely endearing about hanging out in someone else's home, eating with them, and learning about perspectives and ideas on life, whether that be from talking with them or exploring their decorative interpretations. I also love staying in older homes and making the getaway into a local history excursion.

A great way to find one to fit for you is by going to either www.bbonline.com/vt/ or www.bedandbreakfast.com/vermont.html. One of my personal favorites is Couture's Maple B&B. I enjoy going there during maple sugaring season, another favorite Vermont Vibing adventure. And of course, one of my most favorite all time clients, The Inn at the Round Barn Farm, truly idealizes the whole bed and breakfast experience. Anyone have any favorite bed and breakfast's they'd like to share?

When Daylight Hours Are Short...

...And You Still Want To Play Outside...You Can Still Go Vibing!!!

The late fall and early winter allow for such short amounts of sunlight, it's even more important to get out and get your vibe on! But, planning day long adventures can be difficult unless you get up at the crack of dawn (never mind the horrible gas prices)! The solution? Backyard Vibing!A few weeks ago (yes, I have been slacking due to slacking), Mitch, Caitlin, and new Viber Pat, along with two pooches, all piled in the Vibe for some backroads excursions in Essex, Westford, and Cambridge. Using the trusty Vermont road atlas, we checked out some of the waning views of fall and stopped along the road for walks on various country roads - keeping us safe from hunters, and allowing some fresh air and exercise when we only had a few hours of daylight to enjoy.We meant to go to the soup dinner in Jericho once darkness came, but we used the wrong edition of the Burlington Free Press weekend supplement. Yet another reason www.vermontvacation.com is the place to look for town dinners! So, Mitch and I parted ways and had delicious warming-the-soul Italian at Hoagie's in Essex - delicious!!! Just what we needed for the cabin party we rocked out at in Underhill that night - completed by sleeping in the Vibe!The following morning, we took to slow route back to Burlington, enjoying a few country stores along the way. For some great country stores, check out the Vermont Alliance of General Stores!

Time to make some pies while the Vibe and Vibers lay low in Massachusetts! Happy Thanksgiving, Love and Light, and Peace!

Lovin' the Brown in VT

November in Vermont is brown. And, I love brown and I love November.

November is the month of the Scorpio - my best overall match in all (I am a Pisces). Mitch is a Scorpio. My bestest friend from college is a Scorpio. Vibe fanatic Caitlin is a Scorpio. Scorpios and Pisces swim around and around with a special bond and unique intuitive conversation. And, while, when agitated, Scorpios sting, their Pisces buddies have a protective gel around them that doesn't just repel the sting, but bounces back making for honest and friendly feedback.I also love brown. I have brown hair, brown eyes, and mostly brown clothes. According to About.com:

Brown is a natural, down-to-earth neutral color. It is found in earth, wood, and stone. Brown is a warm neutral color that can stimulate the appetite. It is found extensively in nature in both living and non-living materials. Brown represents wholesomeness and earthiness. While it might be considered a little on the dull side, it also represents steadfastness, simplicity, friendliness, dependability, and health.

I think one of the reasons I love brown so much is my close affinity with nature and my vibrant personality likes to be toned down, and brown helps keep it real.

I also love brown because it signifies one of life's hardest lessons - The Grass Is Not Always Greener!!! And in Vermont, in November, the grass turns brown! Yay! That means life is living, snow is coming, and warmth becomes a treat, not something to be taken for granted.

This past weekend I took a break from Vibing and Mitch and I headed to Boston to visit with family and friends and to fill our heads and souls with history. Vermont is grand, but sometimes I need a more worldly view, not only to appreciate Vermont, but to keep thinking out of the box and sharing that energy with others. And, to keep reminding myself that the grass is not greener!

Would I make more money in Boston so I would not have to stress so much about finances? Of course! But my business, life, energy, and hard work is in Vermont. The subway air, litter, racing around, wasted time, and lack of brown (never mind green) would give me a heart attack before I was 40! But, catching up with loved ones, walking the Freedom Trail, and exploring the Boston Museum of Fine Arts renewed my spirit, giving me copious amounts of energy for my next Vermont Vibes adventure!

Hint - November is a fabulous time to explore various small Vermont communities, make new friends and connections, and eat delicious food at local town dinners. A great place to look is www.vermontvacation.com and search for suppers, or just google search "Vermont town supper" or "Vermont community dinner" and see what you come up with! And keep an eye out for the Vibe - we've got a Vibin' crew this weekend!!!

Mazin' -n- Dazin' While Vibin'

I love Vermont Vibin'! And it's starting to pick up steam. Instead of people now asking me what I'm doing for the weekend, they say, "You vibin' this weekend?" How cool is that! You can see I have a new blog pic up - that would be me and the Vibe. This is a picture from my latest Vermont Vibes expedition (since I don't have a digital of the one they took when I leased from Shearer in South Burlington.)

The latest adventure consisted of the rock-n-roll team of myself - Public Relations Mama, Mitch - The Luvah Drumah, and Caitlin - Higher Ground Mamacita. And off we went...


We jetted down I-89 and charged through the glorious foliage weather like musicians on their way to a gig (managing to get some shots through the Vibe windows)! Route 2 beckoned us through the outskirts of the Groton State Forest to which I will surely be visiting once skiing is over. On our way to apple pie galore in Cabot, we got happily sidetracked by a sign that read something like, "Don't Be Silly, Stop." Silly wasn't the actual word, but it made us laugh and we pulled a U-ey and vibed on in. The place was called Riverside Treasures and it was a terrific antique place with actual deals and a fun and chatty owner we liked right off the bat. We each bought some stuff and headed on our way, absolutely starving for pie by this point (except The Drumah Luvah who somehow doesn't like apple pie).

Then off for pie at the Cabot Apple Pie Festival. Caitlin and I are both from smaller Massachusetts towns in the Western parts of the state, so small town events are part of our history - rows of tables showcasing fun local crafts in the town elementary school gym/cafeteria/auditorium and the concession stand featuring mom and pop ham and cheese sandwiches, soupy corn chowder, and the specialty of this wonderful small town event - apple pie - hmmmm. There were so many pies competing in the day's signature event - the pie contest - I mean anyone who's anyone in the Cabot, Marshfield, and East Calais vicinity must have made a pie! And only one actually looked like the kind I make (yes, from scratch and no recipe sharing with this family secret). Caitlin and I ebbed through the crafts to the pie while Mitch did some mystery shopping (as a Bostonian, I think his lack of small town America at an early age tainted the taste of yummy small town apple pie, for which I plan to cure him at Thanksgiving - insert evil laugh here).

So, filled with apple pie and Mitch with pretzels from the homemade dip tables I think, we cruised over to Danville for, you got it - The Great Vermont Corn Maze. We took so many pictures, I think I will simply post them and you can fill in the words to the friend-filled end to another Vermont Vibes adventure...

Vermont's Energy Future

Positive energy is spread throughout Vermont and from my Vermont Vibing experiences (which have been going on much longer than I have been blogging about them), I have learned that energy vibrations certainly vary from place to place and from one group of people to the next. This really isn't about - like hippie vibes man - it's about science. When people are in an environment where they can be themselves and naturally soak up the sunshine, gentle breeze, smell of grass/leaves/snow/flowers, or whatever bit of nature that causes them to relax and think larger picture and for once put out-of-mind the daunting tasks of the everyday grind, then they are experiencing positive energy (what I often refer to as Vermont Vibes). And when one person is feeling this connection to nature and the natural force of things (energy), there are usually other people feeling the same thing. It's like when I'm vibing at a Vermont watering hole, I usually have more energy, better connections and conversations with other people, and a more genuine smile than if I'm (Gawd forbid, this is extreme) shopping at Walmart which I am anti, but wanted to give an extreme example.

Unfortunately, this same energy cannot fuel the massive amounts of it we need to supply the high quantities of energy we humans currently use (and no, I am not here to bash the human race, just deal with facts and science). Last night I Vibed over to Tuttle Middle School in South Burlington for the combined state agency, non-profit, and Vermont utility company public forums that are going on throughout the state to get feedback on Vermont's Energy Future and how to move forward. This indeed was the name of the event and also of the website which I am urging people to go to once finished with my blog - www.vermontsenergyfuture.info (gotta be amused by the dot info folks).

In short, for those who have not been paying attention, besides the fact that everyone has decided the world is ending, the two major contracts which supply 80% of Vermont's energy (do the names Hydro Quebec and Vermont Yankee ring a bell?), are ending, expiring, stopping in 2015. So, um, yeah, decisions need to be made and the State of Vermont was smart enough to start public discussions now (wise PR move guys and gals).

The evening was comprised of almost 200 Chittenden County area residents and all sorts of official folks. It started with a rather healthy light dinner (kudos off the bat which were then overshadowed by the fact that there was no recycling in place for the plastic bottles) and moved into dozens of well-organized, group moderated discussions. My group had four women, five men, and a male group moderator with the group ranging in ages from about 21 to about 60. Three of us even happened to be in our 20s and 30s which was not the norm and always ticks me off at events of such direct impact and importance. Where are all the Gen Xers? Let me guess, sitting on their butts, bitching about the world and not doing a damn thing about it. (yes, I am a Gen Xer and YES, this is a HUGE pet peeve of mine on my generation!)

Ok, back on track here...after some insightful, well facilitated, and heated at times discussions, groups voted on one question per group to ask a panel of experts - another gripe - no women on the panel. But, the panel still did a good job offering pretty honest answers considering that most people in attendance were aware of the underlying political push for extending the Vermont Yankee contract which polls and reactions throughout the evening showed gigantic objections to. Once again for those who do not know, Vermont Yankee is nuclear energy - yes it is clean and the cheapest, but it is what makes bombs, and one mistake wipes out a lot more than AquaNet does to the ozone - hey, isn't that crap banned from hair nowadays anyway? And to clarify, the reason for such public forums as this is for the state to hopefully incorporate public feedback into the decisions the politicians make, no decisions have been made yet.

There were some overall brief presentations and public comments at the end, but one of the neatest things about the evening was the real time polling provided by hand held wireless devices every attendee got to use to vote on a wide variety of issues and opinions, giving some of the best focus group feedback I've ever been involved in as part of public opinion measurement. Ad execs should use these instead of spending hours of valuable time squabbling over logo colors. And the devices were from a Vermont company - KUDOS - especially considering the amount of pro-Vermont employment people and groups use outside-the-state agencies and resources. But that is a post from my PR blog for another time. The wireless device keypads are made by or from The Orton Family Foundation in Manchester Village and are on the web at www.keypadpolling.org - check it out!!!

This post has gotten quite long and while it strays from my usual quirky treks around the Green Mountain State, energy is energy and I've got stake in this here state and urge you to pay attention - because whether the world is ending or not, the next few years are going to bring about unprecedented changes - may they cause younger generations to step it up and may they lead us to not fail Mother Earth.