Blind and Visually Impaired Visit the Shelburne Museum

The Lions Club sponsored a day at the Shelburne Museum for the Blind and Visually Impaired. It was a described, hands-on tour of two of the exhibits: The Ticonderoga Steamboat and the Lighthouse.


The "Ti" is very impressive, now "docked" in a grassy basin on the museum grounds.


Museum guides provided replicas (or near-replicas) for everyone to get a feel for the boat.

Then we boarded the Ti to hear an excellent visual description. The Ti was restored to appear as it may have looked in 1923. The  cherry wood paneling and adornments are truly beautiful. As a sighted person, I appreciated this even more as we were invited to feel the detailing.

           
            To the left is a banister of the main staircase leading to the next level.

         
Our group, however, remained on the lower level. We even got a feel for what it may have been like to take the controls.

                                                                                    

        

Back to the area just in front of the dining room, we learned more about this magnificent vessel. 


The floor here looks like a puzzle. The guides had a sample piece of what the flooring is really like.

Our guide also pointed out that the carpeting in the dining room
looks like it is made up of tiny anchors ~ very appropriate! Can you see them?

The museum now has two magnifiers for visually impaired people to check out while on tour. This was the first day they were used.
Here Geo is looking at the ceiling while also seeing it up close in the magnifier. 

We walked back for a tour of the lighthouse before taking the shuttle back to the main entrance.

A wonderful experience. Thank you to the Lions Club for making this possible, and to the Shelburne Museum for hosting this group.

Mother-Daughter Hike, Mount Philo

With the promise of sunshine after several days of rain, Addie and I decided this was the day for our hike up Mt Philo.

The trail was slippery in spots. The tree roots in the pathway made the walk up easier, like steps.

Half-way up we passed by some huge rocks, mostly covered with moss.

I like this photo of Addie.

I kept stopping to look at leaves and wildflowers along the way.

We finally made it to the top. The view is incredible. We are facing Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks to the west.

Just taking in the view...

Thank you, Addie, for a fun (and cardio!) adventure.

Evening Dinner at Basin Harbor

Geo was one of 25 winners of a gourmet 9 course dinner at Basin Harbor, Vergennes, Vermont. I went as his guest.

We anticipated cocktails on the lawn overlooking the bay. Alas, with the rain, that was not to happen.

We relaxed in the sitting room before dinner with horderves and beverages, watching the rain.






I enjoyed a Brandy Old Fashioned, not so popular in New England as in Wisconsin. The bartender had to search for the ingredients!

We entered the dining room to see a lovely table setting. We were in for an extraordinary meal!

On the menu:
Quail egg with lobster medallion in a champagne emulsion. (Geo was a little unsure of the quail egg, so he shared his with me.)

Next was an appetizer of Bison carpaccio with parmesan Regiano,
a great combination,

followed by Roasted golden beet soup with chervil dumplings. Delicious! I could have eaten a huge bowlful as an entree.

Then came an appetizer of Tagliatelle with wood and oyster mushrooms in a roasted garlic regiano cream sauce. Yum!

Next course (who's counting?) was a salad of organic greens with pickled celeriac, burrata, and moroccan olive with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. 

Then came the "Intermezzo" which was a grapefruit and compari granita.

By now the candlelight was overtaking the natural lighting...


Okay, the next course was seafood ~ the one I was really looking forward to ~ and it did not disappoint. Seared scallop with parsnip smear, roasted rice vinegar, grape must, local greens and vegetable cruda.

The star of the evening, an entree of beef with a cabernet peppercorn demi glace, mashed potato, and crisped beet greens.

Hey, Geo, are you ready for seconds yet?

Always room for dessert (but barely)! A dark chocolate tart, a chocolate sugar crust with mint and a scoop of ice cream. (I detected a hint of pepper in that ice cream!) Mmmmmm. I savored every bite!

Yes, there was more! The finale was a basket of crackers with a plate of artisan cheeses, fruit, carmelized honey and nuts.

At our table we enjoyed the company of a consierge from a Stowe resort, a sales/marketing person from a hotel in Middlebury, and an organic dairy farmer from Essex.


Great cuisine, outstanding service, a memorable event of a lifetime.

Winooski Riverwalk

We've driven by, but never stopped to explore the Winooski Riverwalk in Winooski, Vermont. So we took a picnic lunch and our dog Lucy there late in the afternoon.

There's a bridge that leads into the wooded area.

Just over the bridge there's a view of the Woolen Mill that we don't usually see.

I left Lucy and Geo at the picnic table while I ventured into the woods along the river.

The further I went, the more interesting were the tree formations that I saw, including one that looked a lot like a canoe.

Even an obstacle along the way...

So many possibilities for interesting photos!


















Geo was waiting for me when I returned.

We spotted a dog fetching a ball in the water. We later learned that this was Jackson.

Lucy kept her fur dry, but was glad to meet Jackson.

Lucy and we will return to the Riverwalk again, great place for a picnic and a short hike.

                                                 "Woof!"