January 21st — After a very early morning that began with a 3:30 a.m. wake-up call, and a long day of flying from Los Angeles to Philadelphia to Burlington, we finally arrived at our destination in northern Vermont. As we approached the airport in our little regional jet, we were treated with views of the quiet serenity of Lake Champlain and the snowy beauty of the Green Mountains on a clear, crisp Thursday evening. Our dear friends Pam and Stan met us at the airport with big smiles and even bigger hugs and so now we begin several days of wintertime fun with them.
Sweet Pammy pulled out all the stops, and the champagne cork, too, and while the boys drove in the front seat, we girls began our catch-up over a bottle of champagne. The last time we saw them was back in November in Santa Fe [see So Long, Santa Fe post] when they flew out to New Mexico and joined us for a week of exploring the Southwest. We’re now all in the Northeast together awaiting the snowstorms that are heading this way!
As if the champagne welcome wasn’t enough, we took the scenic route down one of Vermont’s Scenic Byways, Hwy 100, though fabulous little towns as night fell upon us — it was enchanting. In the most idyllic hamlet of Waitsfield, Vermont, houses and barns and trees and other structures were decorated with white lighted stars — it was simply magical in the moonlight. They chose a restaurant for us on a classic old farm property, The Lareau Farm, that operates an inn and a fabulous pizza restaurant, American Flatbread. It features all natural pizzas baked in a primitive earthen oven. Over a couple of glasses of wine we enjoyed the casual elegance of dining on our rustic pizzas straight out of the wood-burning oven that warms the entire restaurant.
Friendships renewed, hearts warmed, and bellies full, we drove the rest of the way home to their quiet mountaintop home outside of Barnard. Let the snowstorm begin….
