Sunday Vibing

I took my own advice from my last post and did indeed make my way to Cafe Provence in Brandon for Easter brunch. What a cool place! I first noticed was how much light there was and how amicably decorated it was to take advantage of all the light. And the brunch was just as I envisioned. No eggs benedict - my favorite - but no complaining because I tried new items to tantalize my tastebuds - shrimp puffs, seafood salad, and delicate ham and salmon bits. I enjoyed old friends as well such as scalloped potatoes and pate!!! Mitch was quite grossed out by my liking pate, but even more distressed by the seafood salad - there were octopus bits in it! For fun, I rested one on the side of my plate to stare at him most of the meal. I think the waitress thought we were strange, but she was super nice anyway!

After brunch we decided to take a walk in downtown Brandon and enjoy some of the third installment of Art in the Snow, a creative way to get folks to enjoy this artsy town when cabin fever strikes. A little too artsy for us hippies, but we enjoyed getting cultured in a small Vermont town. We browsed in 4 Conant Interiors - talk about uberly swanky!!! Great interior art/furniture pieces for you Vermont second home owners. Great ideas for us Gen Xers to recreate while second hand shopping. Then we headed into the Brandon Artists Guild and greatly enjoyed the varied paintings and wall art by Vermont artists. I was psyched to see pal Kimberlee Forney's work being highlighted and got really interested in Mike Mayone's paintings - I think I need some!

While the sun was glorious this Easter Sunday, it was windy and cold, so we parted ways with Brandon and vibed back north on backroads of course through the Green Mountain National Forest. We couldn't see any signs of spring yet, but for some reason our skiing vibes are diminishing and our spring life vibes are clawing to get out from under our itchy skin (well, Mitch's skin is itchier than mine because he doesn't lavish in spa time as much as I). This is due to the big surprise that I said I would unveil, and I lied! No, I didn't lie, I just wanted to get this post in first. But, stay tuned - next one is a biggie!!!!!!

And in the meantime, go do some maple surgarin' while the sap flows - you want to go when it gets below freezing the night before, but up in the 40's when you vibe around. Check out www.vtmaple.org for more info. (Tip: You can still go vibing without a Vibe, it's all about the energy!)

Vermont Vibing, Carter Roots

My awesomely fantastic cousin, Rebecca, came to visit last weekend for a 24 hour stint in Vermont Vibing. Arriving at the Burlington International Airport in the early evening hours last Friday, I vibed over to get her and her lack of airport lost luggage - figures. An art professor down in the gas guzzling nation of Texas, my definitely heady-yet-more-indy cuz is in Vermont doing an artist residency at Johnson State College. We snatched up The Mitch at my place and headed where you take out-of-towners for Vermont goodness (but I never eat at otherwise), American Flatbread, followed by a lack-of-live-music Radio Bean (har-humph). But none of this mattered, because this was a night of conversation and yummy beer!

The next morning I made Rebecca Eggs-A-Vibe (see recipe in earlier post please) and we made our way out on a most authentic of Vermont Vibes adventures. Our first stop is top-secret and while Rebecca was the very first to visit, this secret will not be unveiled until the next post! From the top-secret Vibes locale, we cruised through Waterbury and stopped for a brief visit at the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Waterbury Station - a little pit stop I have never been to before and highly recommend for those traversing through the Waterbury area. From there we viberized (ooo, a new one!) into Montpelier for a water bottle and outdoor gear drooling at Onion River Sports.

We then joined our waspism forces of the Carter variety and vibed towards a place so dear to our hearts. Unfortunately we did not take any pictures, but this one of Caspian Lake pretty much sums it up.


We took Route 12 to get there and enjoyed views of Lake Elmore where people are still hanging out on the ice (this scares the crap out of me). We took some time to hang out in Hardwick and poke around the Buffalo Mountain Co-op followed by a yummy localvore meal at The Village Restaurant across from the co-op (couldn't find a good weblink for them, but it was good - and open in the mid-afternoon!).

Then we got to visit my aunt and uncle's cottage in Greensboro for Rebecca to gear up on cross country skis and yoga mats for her late winter jaunt in Vermont. And the marvelous day ended with me getting to pretend to be an art student at Rebecca's orientation meal at Johnson State - even in my hippie/VT flannel get-up, they thought I belonged.

What a truly remarkable day to reconnect with family, bond over many similarities, and chuckle at the simple things in life. Rebecca - I look forward to more positive vibes and here is a picture to maybe use in your artwork!!!

Where to Go for Easter Brunch

I think going to a Vermont restaurant for an Easter brunch buffet is one of the best ways to spend Easter Sunday. Of course, it's nicer when Easter is in April and the Sunday drive can actually include seeing a few buds popping out of the Earth, but regardless, the glorious arrays of Easter brunch displays around Vermont are worth an excursion in their own right. And who cares if you don't celebrate Easter or not - to me it's a feast to encourage spring and the delight that comes with the rebirth of the Earth.

I don't think it's a buffet, but Mary's Restaurant at the Inn at Baldwin Creek in the sweet village of Bristol, offers an Easter Brunch with all the classic delicious dishes that make Easter Brunch so decadent - Crab Cakes and Eggs, Maple Glazed Ham, Stuffed French Toast - mmmm. Brunch is from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm and ranges from $16-$30.

If you really want to step it up a notch and don your best Easter attire (which in Vermont doesn't mean a floral dress and sandles), head over to Stoweflake for a whopping $45 brunch buffet in the glamor capital of Vermont - Stowe. But, seriously, when the display includes Smoked Fish Display with Appropriate Garniture and Fresh Sliced Fruit Presentation with Fruit Salad Watermelon Ship, can you really complain about the price? I think not, especially when the display also includes Grilled Chicken Tournedo with Sweet Pea Puree and Caramelized Vidalia Onions and Crab-Stuffed Sole with a Fire-Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. If there was ever a time to eat like a tourist, Easter is it! The Stoweflake Brunch is served from 11:30 am - 2:30 pm.

In the unspoiled village of Brandon, Cafe Provence is calling my name to switch Easter brunch traditions this year - and I just might. The menu selection for the brunch buffet is uberly extensive and has all the items I love for my Easter pallet - there's a Cold Salad Buffet (with pate!!), a Carving Station, an Omelet Station, a Hot Buffet, and a Dessert Station. The price is $26.95 and there are three sittings - at 10:00 am, 12:00 noon, and 2:00 pm.

For those looking to head into the historic town of Middlebury, the Waybury Inn offers perhaps the most traditional brunch buffet of the bunch. For $26.75, the Waybury Inn's Easter Brunch Buffet features various Tea Sandwiches, Oysters in a Half Shell, Atlantic Salmon, and one of the desserts is even a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup with Cadbury Eggs! Easter Brunch is served from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm.

Of course, the brunch I would really like to go to is the farthest away. The Arlington Inn, down in Southeastern Vermont near Bennington and Manchester, offers a vast display for Easter Brunch featuring pate and smoked meat plates, rainbow trout, crepes. While the brunch certainly seems as delicious as the others, it is the stately Greek Revival mansion that is home to the Arlington Inn on historic Route 7A that really calls my name. Brunch at the Arlington Inn is $23.95 and is served from 10:30 am - 2:30 pm.

Enjoy the brunch you choose and don't forget to check other other cool Vermont Vibes in the area - a great way to search can be found at www.vermontvacation.com.

Vermont Cats

I am feeling kooky today. Maybe it is because I leave in one day to see two nights of my favorite band, moe. Perhaps it's because my big, bad birthday is in less than a week. Perhaps it's because my usually hanging out office cats are being upstairs non-hanging out cats which is not good for a crazy cat lady since cats are what makes us sane. I think it's really because I wanted to post a few pictures of my sweet little loves - Fee and Tela - the source of purrsitive vibes all the time (even when they're upstairs).

And since my cats are really not of interest to Vermont Vibes readers, I thought I would force you to look at them followed by some cat related news and links in Vermont.
Ok, thanks. So, besides, UVM sports teams being the Catamounts, UVM is also home to two A Capella singing groups, which are really good! The Cat's Meow is the women's group and the Top Cats is the men's. Check out their sites and catch a performance!

Affectionately Cats is from what I hear to be the best all cat animal hospital. Mine like to flirt with little pooches so we go to a co-breed vet.

Vermont Fancy Felines are the group who holds the Vermont Cat Show in January every year. Fee has been in that and has three first place ribbons in the household cat category!

Snowcats are uberliciosly heady snow vehicles that all Vermont Vibers should be familiar with and attempt to ride on one day.

And last, but probably of most interest, is the semi-famous My Himalayan Cat Goma Blog. It is imperative that you check this out. The Stuck In Vermont videoblog has a fantastic interview to give you a flavor of Vermont's best feline fun. When I finally hold a cat play group, I am so inviting Goma and Sachie!

Cure Cabin Fever with Vermont Vibes!

Don't ski? Sick of watching movies? Vermont Vibes can be created at home and in your backyard (or a nearby backyard).

Spend an afternoon in your sunny kitchen, followed by a stroll in the woods, and completed with a spa night at the movies!

This past Sunday, myself and the elusive Mitch skipped skiing, slept late, and proceeded to make an affair out of breakfast. We combined a variety of tasty teas to be one gigantic herbal infusion, turned on some global tunes to keep us feeling warm, lit some lavender and lilac candles, and made one colorful and zesty breakfast!

Viber-Tots:

~ small cut potatoes (microwave on high for 3 minutes first - cuts down on boiling time and is more energy efficient than cooking on the stove)
~ finely chopped peppers of all colors!
~ finely chopped onions of all colors!
~ lots of spices - onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper powder, paprika, salt, pepper, etc.
Add ingredients in this order to frying pan with some olive oil in it and saute 'em up! While they're cookin' on low heat (with occasional stirrin') make the following...

Eggs-a-Vibe:

~ eggs (preferably cage free!)
~ Vermont milk (I prefer Booth Brothers)
~ some of the same veggies as above, but add in mushrooms and tomatoes as well
~ shredded Cabot sharp cheddar cheese
~ same spices, maybe toned down a tad
Beat eggs and spices, then add milk (enough to make it a lighter yellow, but keep the thick consistency), saute onions, peppers, and mushrooms in some olive oil based cooking spray in frying pan, then pour in eggs and scramble baby - don't stop - that's how they come out best! When they are one consistency, but still soupy, sprinkle on some cheese and add the tomatoes, stir until cheese and eggs become one, and don't worry about the tomatoes.

After such yumminess, take a winter walk. We weren't in the mood for a full snowshoe, but wanted some fresh air. Bike paths are great winter places for walks because for the most part, they are clear enough to walk along without need for snowshoes. We headed over to the South Burlington Bike Path in the neighborhood we really want to find an apartment in and walked along the path, took some detours for tree love and energy stretches in the woods, and definitely felt re-vibed afterwards!
Then we headed back for the typical Sunday night movie night - with a citrus twist! We used some fun citrus scented foot products and soaked our feet in bath salts and foot spa bath gel during more herbal tea infusions while watching a movie (Across the Universe - soooooooo good!). We scrubbed with some foot scrub using loofahs, soaked some more, and followed up with several doses of cooling citrus foot spray and then finally some moisturizer. Finding foot spa stuff or making your own is an entirely different post, but starting a collection is a must do on any Vermont Viber's list!

Happy Mid-Winter Vibes Everyone!!!

Love at The Village Porch

Valentine's Day is stupid for two reasons:

1.) When you are single.
2.) Because there is too much crap at stores for too long.

But, the fact that there is a day to celebrate love is good. Holidays, even if simple, are good. They shake things up a bit and help people at least think out of the box, which is always good.

I have had some depressing Valentine's Days in my time and some pretty cool ones. This year is certainly the best yet since I spent it with my sweetie Mitch who's the guy I'm actually planning a future with (before him it was hard to even plan a camping trip with dudes!) It started of with a wake up love text and later an e-card, then a dozen red roses (I got him a drum key) and a long drive listening to romantic tunes down to Rochester, Vermont for Valentine's dinner at The Village Porch.

The Village Porch has become one of my absolute favorites and Valentine's dinner confirmed it! I love the little hippie village of Rochester, I love driving on Route 100, I love the Victorian home turned bistro, I love the cozy feeling of intimate dining outside of the attitude of Burlington, and I love the lower prices that come with it!

The drive is long, but I am a Viber so I love driving and my fuel efficient Vibe makes Vibing an activity I can still afford. The drive is also beautiful and I love dark country roads because that's how I roll. The Village Porch is right in the center of Rochester and of course has a porch wrapped around it. Owners Dean and Connie Mendell have done a terrific job creating a picturesque Vermont atmosphere with elegantly prepared dishes at proportions that don't yell "supersize me!" The Valentine's Dinner featured a five course meal for $38! Soup, salad, appetizer, main course, and dessert - Mitch and I each picked opposite items (there were two selections for each and three for the meal) and savored each one. Well, Mitch didn't like his appetizer, but that's because he has issues with certain consistencies, not because it wasn't good. I was especially happy with my entree because it was a decedent seafood dish and I LOVE seafood!

There are two dining rooms, one with a little bar and the other with the window into the kitchen. The waitstaff are so great and I am probably fussiest about waitstaff of everything when I visit restaurants. We dined next to folks from the North Shore Ski Club who were thoroughly enjoying themselves and making Mitch and I look forward to when we can live in a small Vermont town and have our group of local couple friends to go have dinner with at places like The Village Porch.

While The Village Porch may be a little far for some as a destination (even though it's worth it and half the fun can be found in getting somewhere), I do suggest making it a point to stop there when traversing along Route 100 at some point. They don't have a website but can be found on the Vermont Travel Planner and reached at 802-767-3126.
Enjoy!!

Vibe Depletion!!!

Help! My Vibes are depleted! The mid-winter blues have set in. I haven't skiied enough and while I thought I could sneak away mid-week for some good skiing, running a PR business is too damn demanding to allow any such luxury. Living in Vermont is too expensive - period, and it greatly disturbs me that Vermonters are taken advantage of so easily because the demand of the Vermont lifestyle is too high and we pay it. That's a big part of why I started my own business in the first place. People in Vermont get paid crap and instead of complaining about it any longer, I needed to take matters into my own hands. It still doesn't change the fact that employers can pay the crap because people will take it because we want to live in Vermont. In some ways it feels our positive Vermont vibrations are used against us! So, people who visit Vermont that complain about the high costs - please understand that the cost of living is not equal up here and you really are paying for Vermonters to stay warm in the winter.

Hey, I'm all about the Vermont Vibes, but even I get the blues and since I'm about as real as they come, I will share this plight with my loyal readers. Please share yours - it's ok to vent! Then we'll all vibe merrily along when the cosmic forces lighten up a bit.

Love and Light to Everyone Always!!!!