DAY 11 - SQUIRRELS, MUSEUMS AND GLASS BLOWING

SQUIRRELL IN THE HOUSE! 

July 10, 2012

It is never more evident that Dave doesn’t say a lot … unless he’s talking to a border guard that is …. as when he is banging on the dashboard of the MH, making all kinds of noise, but doesn’t tell you what the problem is!  

It’s a beautiful, 59 degree morning, around 9AM, the coffee beans are grinding and Billy and Dave have just come in from Billy’s early morning surveillance of the grounds...making sure all new dogs, cats, squirrels, chipmunks, bears know he’s up and out!  Each time he walks out of the campsite he stops at the tree at the end of the drive to bark … letting the rodents that may have, at one time, scrambled up the tree, know that he’s up!

I digress.  Dave, sitting in his chair which is the driver’s chair swung around, with his IPAD in his lap starts banging on the dashboard.  Then he bangs on the engine cover and back to the dashboard.  I’m asking what’s going on and he isn’t answering, just banging. 

The next thing I know, as I’m flipping the bacon, Billy is glued to his back legs trying to get through and Dave has cornered something down by the door.  Then a tiny squirrel leaps up from the floor onto the top of our TV, the little squirrel continues to leap around the motorhome, on top of the curtains, hanging from my hat on the visor, across the dashboard….Dave is trying to direct it outside and Billy is trying to “help” and barking like crazy.  I’m just trying to stay out of the way of Dave, Billy and THE SQUIRREL!  Dave was trying to get a handle on where the squirrel was going to land next while keeping Billy back.

  

I grabbed Billy’s collar and took him to the back of the MH and blocked off the back with the open bathroom door.  

Now it gets interesting because I can’t see what is going on, only hear all the commotion in the front of the MH.  When the commotion died down, I walked out of the back of the MH.  

Tables were overturned but the TV was still upright.  Dave looked completely frazzled and started banging on the engine cover and dashboard again. 

Apparently the squirrel’s final  leap off the top of the TV was onto Dave’s chest at which point Dave jumped backwards knocking the table over and then the squirrel took off to the front of the MH disappearing under the dashboard again!

As we sat and ate our breakfast, we could hear him running up and down the roof of the MH.    God help us if he comes into the MH while Billy is here alone!   

I love it when days start like this!

GREEN MOUNTAIN SMOKEHOUSE

On our way home yesterday we stopped at the Green Mountain Smokehouse to check out their products.  Dave had their brats at Harpoon Brewery made with Harpoon Beer.  We picked up some brats, bacon (maple cured of course) and ham.  Had the bacon this morning and it was superb!  Looking forward to the rest of it.

Today Simon Pearce Studios in our sights.  They have a glass blowing factory here and invite visitors to observe.

AMERICAN PRECISION MUSEUM

We headed into town and stopped at the American Precision Museum.  We had been passing this museum going to and from the campground and this is right up Dave’s alley.  He’s the machine guy.  The only thing about machines I know is to stay away from them!  Being the good sport that I am, I didn’t even sigh! 

THIS BENIGN LITTLE STREAM DID SOME DAMAGE WITH FLOODING FROM TS IRENE!

Well, it was an absolute treat of a museum!  Along with their exhibits of machinery through the century they were hosting an exhibit by Howard Coffin “ Arming The Union & Full Duty”.

MIKE W....THIS ONE IS FOR YOU!!!!

What I didn’t realize is that this factory manufactured the armament used by the Union soldiers.  Robbins and Lawrence armory not only made the rifles for the Union Army but also machinery for other gun makers such as Colt, Remington, Sharps and Providence Tool Company.

There was a telegram exchange between Lincoln and Erastus Fairbanks, Vermont’s governor at the beginning of the war.  When requested to help with the “rebellion”, Fairbanks replied, “Vermont will do its full duty”. 

Throughout the Museum were photos, artifacts, letters and biographies of men in the Vermont Regiments and their families.  Howard Coffin is an historian  specializing in the roles of Vermonters in the Civil War. The story is of Vermont’s participation in the Civil War and as you walk around the Museum you can feel their history.

Many years ago, while going through papers with my Mother, we came across letters written by a distant Vermont relative serving in the Vermont Regiment.  Not sure of the timeframe, could be around Bull Run.    Our family was  a part of this Vermont story.

The beginning of this blog started in Georgia and on to Charleston SC where the battles began.  We visited the Medal of Honor museum on the USS Yorktown and saw the recipients from Vermont Regiment.

 I’ve visited many battle sites in the south. Driving around Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and even Florida.   I took my grandson Alex on a driving tour of the Battle of Richmond, KY narrating the battle scenes as we drove along and trying to bring some life to the events so that he would understand.  

It is easy to imagine the devastation and destruction reined upon the south during the War.  Not so easy to see is the incredible toll this war took in the North.  In Vermont, all the citizens were involved in one way or another to support their fathers, brothers, sons, husbands.

 I purchased  Coffin’s Full Duty, Vermonters in the Civil War.  It will be an interesting  read.

Needless to say, I was enthralled with the Civil War Exhibit, Dave was busy going over all the machinery.     A young man demonstrated the manufacture of a small goblet which I love.  

It’s about an inch high and I will somehow fashion it into a Christmas ornament for my Trip Tree. 

We spent several hours walking around this museum and talking to the people there.

DAVE EXPLAINS THE MILLING MACHINE!

PRETTY RED VERTICAL SHAPER

PRETTY GREEN MACHINE!

I was fascinated by the miniatures.  There were two display cases full of them and when you pressed the button, some of the worked.  It was almost like watching a model train going around!

These miniatures are probably only about 6" of inches high.  I swear the one below looks like by Dad's workshop.  He had one of those red vises on his workbench!

We then  headed over to Simon Pearce glass place.

SIMON PEARCE GLASSBLOWING STUDIO 

When we were at the Corning Museum in New York we saw some Simon Pearce glass.  Now we were at the real thing…..watching the glass blowers at work. 

We walked into the Glass Blowing room to watch the artisans create the wonderful glassware found in the retail shops.  You walk into a large room that is very hot from all of the ovens.  Here they use gas to heat the ovens; at Corning Museum they use electric heat for the ovens.  The windows were open, fans were blowing and air conditioning was coming up from the floor vents but it was still hot!

To our right, the Glass Artist was producing a large vase with intricate glass decor on each side that you could use as grips to pick up the vase.  We got there as the hot glass was being added to the sides to create the grip.  Finished product was beautiful.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT

To our left an artist was making those lovely glass trees we see at Christmas.  

It starts out as a red bulb reminding me of the elongated Christmas lights.  He worked the bulb, stretching it out and then started to clamp it around the sides forming the tree shape. 

It was fascinating to watch him work.  I asked how many he was able to make in a day and he said about 35 when he has help.  Today he was working alone so probably wouldn’t be making that many.

ALWAYS IN MOTION THE TREE TWIRLS ALMOST FINISHED!

We then walked upstairs through the retail store….it was cooler….and out to the catwalk that goes around the room .  Artisans were at work throughout and the ovens were firing.  Now I know what “heat rises” means…..that catwalk was HOT.  Walked all around the room and headed back into the retail store to “shop”.

BLOWING THE  GLASS -- IT'S LIKE A BALLOON!

Their glassware is exquisite…and expensive.  

MIGHT KNOW I'D GLOOM ONTO SAILBOATS!

The goblets started around $85 a piece and they are beautiful.  And….unlike some glasses that are so fragile you are afraid your breath will shatter them …. Simon Pearce designs are delicate and intricate looking but sturdy and strong.  There is a lot of glass in those glasses.  I think they’d withstand my house and that’s saying something.

I was just reading their brochure and I was right on:  “The critical skills and high-quality natural materials …….result in glassware that is clearer and stronger than most other glass and made to last.”  ……perhaps before we leave!

I was also drawn to their fabrics.  Anything blue and white catches my eye.  If it’s navy blue and white … so much the better.  The table linens are beautiful and remind of the batik fabrics from Andros, Bahamas.   

They make these beautiful cloths using true batik with every yard hand waxed then dyed.  While we were sailing in the Bahamas a picked up a purse handsewn out of this cloth.  ….. anyway I asked the clerk where the material was from, and it was not from Andros.  It was actually from China.  I guess they can copy anything!

There is also a pottery studio where they made beautiful dinnerware.  My batteries on the camera died in the glass studio so will come back another day to visit the pottery studio.

We left out to have a late lunch at ….. Harpoon Brewery.   We are becoming regulars now.  We even have our own waitress, Heather.  It’s so nice to be away from home and walk into a place and have them know your name!   I think Cheers had a song about that!   I tried their gazpacho soup which was great and Dave gloomed down a Vermonter!  

This is truly a friendly town.  It wouldn’t take long at all to homestead here!

We came back to the MH to switch out the camera battery and pick up Billy then searched for more covered bridges.

SALMOND COVERED BRIDGE

We found Salmond Covered Bridge without too much difficulty although we approached it from a different direction than the Tom Tom told us.  As we were driving alongside a horse farm down a dirt road; a Vermont gentleman was walking from his barn (which looked like a covered bridge with sides) to his house.  We stopped and asked if the covered bridge was down this road.

He said it was just down the road, he had just finished mowing the area and it had a nice little picnic area down there so just go on down and make yourselves at home.  He has taken on the job of maintaining the area around the bridge.  I loved his tee-shirt.  It said, “Homeland Security”  then you looked down a double barrel shotgun and it said “Vermont Style”.

We drove on down and it did not disappoint.  The grounds surrounding the bridge were freshly mowed and a picnic table sat off under the trees.  Very peaceful place.

Salmond Covered Bridge  in Weathersfield VT was built by James F. Tasker in 1875.  


It is a Multiple Kingpost Truss which carried Henry Gould Road over the Black River.    It was named after the Salmond family living near the bridge.  Interestingly enough this bridge was relocated in 1959 to route 131 in Amsden to remove it from the flood control area.  It was used as a town storage shed.  It was restored and moved to this site over Sherman Brook in 1986 by the townspeople of Weathersfield. Thank You!

NORTH SPRINGFIELD DAM AND RESERVOIR

Our next stop was Stoughton Covered Bridge which, it turns out, is a foot bridge over a private farm.  Didn’t sort that out until we got home.  But in our quest, we found and crossed North Springfield Dam. ….and overlooking the dam is Mt Ascutney. 

LOOK HOW LOW THE WATER IS NOW.  THERE HASN'T BEEN MUCH RAN SO FAR THIS SUMMER.

August 31^st last year with Irene coming through, the dam measured 78’ by the marks on the wall.  That’s a lot of water considering what it looks like now!

This dam with its flood control helped save the town of Springfield.  It is operated by the US Army Corp of Engineers. 

Got back to the MH around 5:30 and cooked up the ham.  Man was it good!  We’ll be back to the Smokehouse….for sure.Our last duty of the day was the pleasure of driving to the top of Ascutney to “clear the road”.  Saw a porcupine but it was too far ahead and moving fast so didn’t get a shot.  Some day I will get a picture and it will be plastered all over the blog!

IT WAS ANOTHER GREAT DAY!