Welcome To Vermont, Flat Stacey!

It has been a long day. Poor Flat Stacey is already sound asleep. The morning dawned cloudy this morning at the Vermont Welcome Center, so I could not show her a splendid sunrise that I usually see there on clearer days. We were up fairly early and enjoyed some cereal for breakfast. I did a quick inspection of the truck to make sure everything was okay with it before leaving. Everything looked good and I was ready to leave when Flat Stacey asked if she could see the inside of the Welcome Center. 

We were already running late, mostly because I enjoy sleeping until the last possible second. But, after she asked, I felt it wasn’t right to leave without letting her see how neat it is inside. In addition to that, I felt it might be a good idea to stop by the potty before we hit the road. Since we were tardy, I knew this would be a one-stop trip. The only problem was that I knew Flat Stacey would like her picture inside the building which meant I would have to bring Miss Nikon along on the journey. I devised a plan to hide the camera underneath my bulky winter coat. I then slid Flat Stacey into an inside pocket to protect her from the cold air. It was only ten degrees this morning. We were off.

We walked into the building and noticed two people sitting behind a desk. They are there to answer any questions that people traveling might have. They can tell you about local history, give you directions or suggest a place to stay overnight. I tried not to look at them as I wanted to get the potty part of the morning out of the way. When I was finished in the restroom, I washed my hands because I didn’t want to get germs on Miss Nikon, and especially not on Flat Stacey. 

I came strolling out of the little boy's room with my camera hanging around my neck and walked up to the friendly people behind the desk. I looked at them as I slid Flat Stacey out of my coat pocket and asked, “Good morning, would you mind if I took a few pictures?” They were pleasant and told me that it would be okay. They kind of looked at me as if it was strange that a person would take a camera into the potty. We chatted a little bit. I told them about Flat Stacey. They told me they knew all about Flat Stanley. I asked if they would like to get their picture with Flat Stacey and they both said, “No thanks.” I think this might be due to the fact that I walked out of the restroom with a camera. It didn’t bother me. It’s okay if people think you are different or even a little strange. We are born to be unique. I was having fun and found the situation to be humorous. Flat Stacey didn’t understand why she couldn’t get her picture with the nice folks. I told her not to worry about it. We would try again next time we visit. I hope we get the chance before our time is up. If at first you don’t succeed, keep trying until someone tells you, “Yes.”

Flat Stacey and I had a brief look around the inside of the Welcome Center. It is really big inside. Its walls and floors are filled with all kinds of arts and crafts from Vermont. You could spend an hour walking around reading and learning about all kinds of things. Below is Flat Stacey with some wood carved into the shape of a dog by a local craftsman. Isn’t it neat? Flat Stacey wanted to take him along home. I had to explain that this wasn’t a store, things are not for sale. I did, however, want to find a store that sells them and buy one for my house!

Next, we walked outside. In the picture below Flat Stacey is checking out a gondola. These nifty compartments are used at ski slopes. People hop inside at the bottom of a hill and get a ride to the top where they can then ski down the hill. It’s kind of like an elevator, but on a cable up in the air. I bet it would be a fun ride to take. Skiing is one thing that Flat Stacey and I won’t get to do. I tried it once when I was about ten years old and never went back. Now that I’m older, I am even less of a fan of the cold weather than I was back then.

 

Finally, it was time to hit the road. We spent an hour on the interstate. After that it was mostly back roads to our first stop. It began to snow. Sometimes I feel like it never stops snowing in Vermont. It snowed the last time I was in the state two weeks ago. It wasn’t a heavy deep snow. It was just enough to make the roads a little slippery and everything really pretty as you can see in the picture below.

 It was about a two and a half hour ride to our first stop. As we were passing through the town of Ludlow, we caught a glimpse of Okemo Ski Resort.  You could barely see the ski trails through the foggy and snowy morning. Flat Stacey asked if we could go visit and watch the people skiing. I had to explain to her that we did not have time. There are a lot of things that I would like to see and do out on the road. Most are not possible because customers are counting us to show up with their furniture, and I like to sleep until the last possible second. Someday I will get out of the trucking business and go out to explore the world freely. It will be easier to park once I don’t have a huge truck to worry about!

One of the other things that Flat Stacey really enjoyed was all the neat homes. There were so many to look at. They are all very unique. We were at a traffic light light when I looked to the left and saw the one in the picture below. I told Flat Stacey that I really liked it. Then, I spotted a wind sock next to the house and said, “Hey look, a wind sock!” She asked what a wind sock was. I told her, “They are used by pilots to determine which direction the wind is coming from so they know which runway is the best one to use.” She asked where the runway was. I told her that I didn’t see one. “I don’t think there is a runway.” “Why is there a wind sock then?” she asked. (Flat Stacey was suddenly full of questions. I am planning to take her to the airport soon where I will have more time to answer these airplane topics.) I explained that sometimes, people who have hobbies (like pilots) enjoy keeping things around that remind me of the stuff they enjoy engaging in. She nodded her head like she understood. I hope she did.

Eventually, we arrived at our first stop of the day in the town of Vergennes. (That’s another tough name to spell. I’m not sure what the correct way to pronounce it is either!) The store is called “Bub’s Barn.” It really is a barn too. I wanted to ask the customers how old it was, but I forgot. It sure is neat inside. On the bottom is the store, and on the top is where they store all the furniture. We delivered into the upstairs part. There are a lot of long barns in New England. I don’t see that many in Pennsylvania. I’m not sure why that is. I’ll have to remember to ask somebody.

After we left Bub’s Barn, we had two other stops. One was in Williston, and the last stop was in Essex Junction. After finishing those, we headed back to Massachusetts to pick up another trailer full of furniture that we will deliver tomorrow. Along the way, we stopped at a rest area and cooked some stuff up in the truck. The sky was finally turning blue again. Flat Stacey marveled at the view of the mountains out in the distance. In between bites of food I asked her what she liked most about Vermont. She answered quite happily, “It’s not flat!”