Vermont Travel Notes

There is a fun, new YouTube video about Dog Mountain's 2010 fall festival in Saint Johnsbury VT. Stephan Huneck, artist and founder of Dog Mountain and its famous Dog chapel, passed away earlier this year so all the events from now on are in part memorials to his life and work.

Coincidentally, Frog Hollow gallery in Burlington is currently staging a Stephan Huneck exhibit through the end of this month. It features Huneck's prints, sculptures and books including a posthumously printed book entitles "Even Bad Dogs Go To Heaven" and even a replica of Dog Chapel.

Frog Hollow is the Vermont State Craft Center and features works from 250 Vermont artisans. It's located at 85 Church Street in Burlington. Their summer hours are still listed on the website but it should be open most days during winter. You can call (802) 863-6458 for details.

Both Dog Mountain and Frog Hollow also have Facebook pages.

All dog lovers should plan a visit to Dog Mountain located just outside Saint Johnsbury Vermont. It's open seven days a week year around and has festivals each year. For your GPS, plug in the address: 143 Parks Road, Saint Johnsbury, VT, 05819

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

Shelburne Vineyard's Autumn Wine and Food Festival will be held tomorrow, Saturday, November 13 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.

There will be free wine tastings, live jazz performances, and local food products from VT Smoke and Cure, Cavendish Game Birds, Olivia’s Croutons, VT Creamery, Shelburne Farms, Fat Toad Farms, Red Hen Bakery, Bread & Butter Farm, Daily Chocolate and Shelburne Kitchen.

Wine tasting includes Shelburne Vineyard, Eden Ice Cider, Artesano Mead and East Shore Vineyards.

This event is a benefit for the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf. Visitors are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food donation and enter a raffle to win food and wine prizes.

Shelburne Vineyards is located south of Burlington VT on Shelburne Road between Shelburne Museum and the VT Teddy Bear factory.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

Fall Show
30th Annual Essex Fall Craft & Fine Art Show
October 29, 30 & 31, 2010
Champlain Valley Exposition
Essex Junction, VT

Named one of the top shows in the country by Sunshine Artist Magazine, the Essex Fall Craft and Fine Art Show has become one of the largest. The merchandise is good quality and many of the craft makers and artists are in attendance. It's great indoor entertainment on a blustery day. "The show not to miss."

Tip: there is a discount coupon on the show's website.

Also, please bring non-perishable food item for The Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf.

Free parking. Admission: $7 / $6 with discount coupon. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult.

On Sunday, a local radio station is sponsoring a garage sale at the same Champlain Valley Expo grounds. It's $3 to get in.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

Glenn Ziemke

On September 18 and 19, Waterbury's Ziemke Glassblowing
Studio will be part of an Open Studio Weekend at five
glassblowing studios up and down scenic Route 100 from
Granville to Hyde Park, Vermont. The event will feature
glassblowing demonstrations, prize drawings, sale
pricing, and a chance to win a glassblowing lesson
if you visit all five studios.

More information and a printable map are available
at the Vermont Glassblowers website.

The five participating studios are:

Ziemke Glassblowing Studio, Waterbury Center, VT
Artist: Glenn Ziemke, 802-244-4126
www.zglassblowing.com
Map

Green Mountain Glassworks, Granville, VT
Artist: Michael Egan, 802-767-4547
www.eganglass.com
Map

Mad River Glass, Waitsfield, VT
Artists: David & Melanie Leppla, 802-496-9388
www.madriverglassgallery.com
Map

Little River Hotglass Studio, Moscow (Stowe) VT
Artist: Michael Trimpol, 802-253-0889
www.littleriverhotglass.com
(1/2 mile off Route 100)
Map

Seasholtz Glass, Hyde Park, VT
Artist: Matt Seasholtz, 802-635-2731
www.windsedgestudio.com
Map


Vase by Little River Hotglass Studio


Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

"How to Survive the Recession - A Vermont Perspective" by Bob Stannard:

A fun read by Manchester Vermont resident Bob Stannard made up from some newspaper columns he wrote in recent years plus new material especially for this book. Bob figured he could help his country in this time of trial and tribulation by explaining how Vermonters get up every morning (well, most mornings), pull on their boots, and go about the task of wrestling with the bear (i.e., living).

Bob sketches the characters (and I mean characters in every sense of the word) he has met and events he has witnessed or instigated, and uses these vignettes to show how Vermonters deal with the challenges and rewards of life.

The book in written in a conversational voice thankfully lacking in pretense. If you stopped by Bob's house, sat down with him in front of his fireplace and asked him what it's like to live in Vermont, this book would be his response. It's a very easy and quick read.

For the most part he does not stray too far into being preachy. He often just presents people and events and then lets you draw the conclusion. For instance, he enthusiastically veers into talking about playing serious blues harmonica ("harp") with the likes of B.B. King. He relates the stories King tells of losing a profitable gig to another blues performer and how his early manager cheated him. Yet King remains non bitter, even grateful for the experience and cherishes what these men did for him rather than what they did to him. That's how to live a full and happy life.

The book available directly from the author: Bob Stannard

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

Starting a positive review with a criticism is probably the wrong way to go about it, but I'll do it anyway because I won't be able to continue writing unless I get it off my chest.

A recent Slate magazine headline, "The Only Luggage You'll Ever Need" is wrong. The article is about the Patagonia Maximum Legal Carry-on (MLC), which looks like a great travel product and has many positive user reviews on Patagonia's website. It's sized to fit in airline overhead bins or under the seat in front of you.

How that qualifies as the only luggage you will ever need, I don't know. There may be times when you need to travel with a suit or dress for instance. They won't fit in this bag and even if you managed to fold them up enough to get in, they wouldn't look too good at the other end of your journey.

I will admit this bag would probably be my go-to bag most of the time. I'm a big fan of Patagonia products and have owned a few including a great fly-fishing rain jacket I'm still using after more than a decade of use. I don't own this travel bag but if I still flew on business I most likely would. These days, I only fly once or twice a year (thankfully) and I'm in no rush. If I have to wait a few minutes at a baggage carousel, I don't mind.

I look back and chuckle about years of hustling through airports, choosing the best seat assignments, closest car rental lots, etc. But I was in the consulting bidness so we were always conscious of our hours. Either we were billing the time or we were losing revenue. There was no neutral time. If that's the way you fly, and you prefer carry-on luggage, this is probably what you want. It looks like it would be a good one for car trips as well.

I remember looking for a bag like this years ago. I tried several somewhat like it over the years but nothing ever really served well. This one looks like it would have been a home run. It also converts into a back pack and is made of water proof 1200 denier polyester - as tough as polyester gets.

I'm a big fan of Slate too so if they like it, I'm sure it's top notch.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus