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Fall Vacation: Part Two in Vermont

Part Two began with heading into town (Saranac Lake) 
and stopping in for some italian food. 
Oh my gosh, does New York know how to make garlic knots and pizza or what?
 Even Audrey, who isn't a fan of pizza loved it! 
Here is the charming and rustic restaurant. 
Looks the same as when Clay and I first came here years ago!

We crossed Lake Champlain via ferry. The kids were intrigued by it all.
 Seems like a very romantic way to commute :)







Roadside stop in Vermont to find a restroom...

found a graveyard instead :)

The sky was channeling our joyful mood arriving at the Hill Farm Inn,
 located in Sunderland, Vermont :)

Chester stretching out after winding through Vermont for 4 hours.
 Not a state for freeway drivers, haha. 
There is no straight way to get anywhere there.

Me. Happy as a clam.
 I booked this Inn on the recommendation by a blogger I follow ( i follow 2!)
 I emailed her and told her who and where we were going. After looking at Air BnB's for days and reading countless reviews, I opted for a traditional inn. She confirmed it by sending me this way. I am so grateful she responded so kindly! We joined the rest of the guests for breakfast 2 mornings in a row. 
A total luxury. The food was soooo good :)   

Henry exhausted, fell asleep on this small sofa the first night
We woke up to a bright and crisp fall day. We took a walk through the grounds. Chester played football as much as he could. 
We just enjoyed one another's company :)



Morning conversations


old barn ladder leaned up against the farmhouse

after breakfast nap by Lucy

The view of our farmhouse from the road :)
hydrangeas!!!



And a church/graveyard across the road 



The towns of Sunderland, Dorset and Manchester are photogenic 
to say the least. 
Audrey brought her polaroid from home to document her trip:)

We drove into town to the Dorset Union Store for lunch at the deli :)
Did not disappoint!
The sign says since 1816.
We love these old towns.


The sidewalks are cut marble stone. It is incredible! 
There is a quarry in town..or was at one time.
 It's pretty high brow now.

Eating our lunch roadside :)

The Three Pears Art gallery next door to the store. 
Lovely gallery with some art I really liked!




Headed into East Dorset for a picture perfect fall day picking apples. The owners were so warm and friendly and told us all about their retirement phase in life. How he had served in the military. How she said to me how we have heart homes. And asked, do you have one?
So it was just so much more than apple picking. I felt like we got to know the town. They even told us about how they got a new city manager a few years ago, a young guy, and how he has really taken care of the town.
 Sigh. Swoon.
Made me like it there even more!



One of the abilities I admire about my children is how they can vacilate between being an almost adult to still being a kid...by squishing into wagons.
 We had a wagon when they were little. 
They dubbed it the "Dragon Wagon".








The original Mad Tom Farmhouse. It is not winterproof. 
But how cute? 
She told me she made 800 cider donuts the prior weekend. Yikes. 

Crooked picture but the wood cutouts on the shutters are apples :)
We headed back to the inn to enjoy the rest of the day with some cheeses, dried trout, bread and fruit :)

This is Milo.
 He is the inn greeter. Friendly when he wants a hello.
 Nonchalant if not in the mood :)

I always wanted a barn cat back at our Milkbarn.
 But family allergies killed that dream.
We loved Milo!

Later in the evening it was apple everything :)


The gourd puzzle we could not finish!



But we finished two of these.
 We brought a half into the kitchen and inn keeper for breakfast the next day. 
Clay made a butter crust. 
Delicious. 
I like this pie making hobby of his :)

The older two snuggling. 


Before the pie part of the evening,  we enjoyed the Hill Farm Inn property! 
It was so good to be nowhere with nothing to do :)

Feeding the resident llamas our extra apples!

these eyes look familiar...

Awe, yes Henry 
hahaha

Audrey's teen mood in front of barn doors

America's Next Top Barn Models

The kids wanted us to be in their photo taking


I always tell Clay he could be a rugged male model for Carhaart or LL Bean!




Hydrangeas always make me feel at home and 
then I want to live where they are. 
My favorite :)


Good Night Vermont!

Good Morning Vermont!



Our last morning :)

inside pics of the house we rented





The main Inn had a game room. I came in to find the boys playing pool. One with a pool cue, the other with the pool cue aid...haha


Our breakfast table:) We had sugar crusted biscuits, fresh jams and local fresh yogurts, ricotta pancakes, french toast...I mean, it was heaven to have that 2 mornings in a row!


After leaving the Inn we drove into Manchester. Lots of shops, terrible donuts but a great book store with the stone work below as you walk in....

We headed out to Schuylerville, New York.
Our first stop was the Saratoga Monument. 
Built in the late 1800's in honor of the Revolutionary War.

After walking around, we found a corn maze for all of us to do.
 The kids loved it and noone was there! I tried to convince them we could have done the haunted maze in the evening but Audrey and Chester were not having any of that:)










Our last stop for the day was at the Schuyler Residence. The kids are big fans of the musical Hamilton. And, you know, the Schulyer sisters are featured in it. So here we are, in their village, the house they summered in, Audrey just happens to be a reading a historical fiction book about one of the sisters. 
This vacation couldn't have written itself better :)




The next day, we all got on our flight home. 
Here are my handsome seatmates :)
Rested and together. 
Already missing it all :)
I don't think we could have had a better time!









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