Our first "adults only" getaway was a smashing success. It went so well that both parties, kids and grown-ups, would like to do it again soon.
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Minutes before we left home, Amanda and Eva gave us a few wrapped presents. There were a few children's books, like Little Bear, for us to read at nighttime before bed. There was a story they had written together. And then there was a Vermont Journal, which Amanda had stapled together. She asked me to write down everything we did so I could tell her when we got home. So, I made sure to fill up every page.
Here's a summary of the trip.
We had a 3 1/2 hour car ride on a beautiful yet chilly fall morning, and we were able to listen to anything we wanted. NPR, pop music, rock music, All Things Considered podcasts - anything BUT kids' stories and toddler tunes. The foliage was vibrant against the blue sky, still plenty of leaves left on the trees.
And then we crossed into New Hampshire, where there was already snow on the ground. This continued all the way to Vermont. As we drove along the river, about 15 miles from our destination, we saw the destruction from the Hurricane Irene floods. Trees were uprooted where the river had rushed and torn through the river banks. We had to take a detour because the road was closed in sections. In other areas, the road was down to just one lane, while the construction crews repaved the asphalt surface.
We arrived at our home for the night, Castle Hill Resort & Spa, around 12:30 pm. We unloaded the car and checked out the room. It was amazing!
We were staying in a castle that had been built in the late 1800's, the first house in Vermont to have full electricity. It was also the first home to have an elevator, but that is no longer in operation. There are only 10 guest rooms in the castle and ours was on the top floor.
Our room was good-sized with a very large cedar closet and a private bathroom. In our hallway, there was an old-fashioned telephone. I took a picture so I could show the kids a bit of history.
Downstairs was the cozy dining room, where dinner was served from 5-10 pm. Next to the dining room was the library, complete with floor to ceiling bookcases, a grand piano and a fireplace. We knew as soon as we arrived that we wanted to spend some time in the "library" or "study" or whatever its formal name was.
After a quick tour of the place, we headed into the next town for a quick lunch. Everyone there was talking about the big snowstorm that was on its way. They were predicting a foot of snow, and we started to get worried about our drive home the next day.
Our room came with $25 vouchers for each of us at the on-site Aveda Spa so we decided to splurge on late afternoon massages and a dip in the outdoor hot tub. If you have never been in a hot tub while the snowflakes fall from the sky, I would recommend that you try it. It is a strange sensation for your face to be cool while the rest of you is submerged in steamy, bubbling water.
Before our 8:00 dinner reservation, we decided to head down to the study and have a drink in front of the fireplace.
When we first arrived, Dave joked that he wanted to get a photo in front of the fireplace, wearing slippers, holding a pipe and a snifter of brandy. How ironic his statement turned out to be when shortly before dinner, he realized that he had forgotten his black dress shoes.
We met a really nice middle-aged couple from the north shore, near where Dave lived when he was a kid. In fact, we were enjoying their company so much that our hostess had to remind us twice that our table was ready. Not only were they fun to talk to, but pretty good with a camera as well!
(If you enlarge the photo, you will notice the lack of footwear. The choices were, dine in black socks... or wear white sneakers. What would you have done?)
Our dining experience was definitely a memorable one. I cannot even refer to it as "dinner", because it was so much more than that. As our waitress explained, they want you to relax and enjoy dinner the way they would have back then. It was much more of an "event" than a "meal."
How fitting that the very first appetizer choice was Prince Edward Island Mussels, the site of our honeymoon. And yes, of course we ordered those... along with the escargot. So delicious.
We also had the french onion soup and lobster bisque, which were pretty good. For our entrees, Dave had the Beef Wellington and I had Sea Bass. Midway through our meal, someone sat down at the grand piano and began playing Billy Joel and Elton John tunes. It turned out to be a guest from an on-site wedding and he was pretty good!
Unfortunately we are not used to eating so late and by the time our entrees came out, we were losing momentum. When 10:00 rolled around and we still hadn't dessert, we decided to get it "to go." I would definitely do it all again, but would stick to an earlier reservation next time.
The next morning we were relieved to find that it hadn't snowed as much as they had predicted, so our drive home was an easy one. We stopped at a Country Store and spent at least an hour there perusing the food, old-fashioned toys, candy, and other miscellaneous items. We got a great start on our Christmas shopping and ended up with some unique gifts.
When we pulled into the driveway at home, all three kids were standing on the porch yelling in excitement by the time we opened the car doors. They had such a great time with Omi, which was a relief, but even better was the fact that Omi was in one piece and didn't look at all worn out by them. She said they had been wonderful, so hopefully we can do this all again before another seven years pass.
(I snuck up behind them while they were watching a movie.)
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
The girls had the opportunity to walk in our town's Veterans Day parade this morning, along with the rest of their Razzle Dazzle Dance Studio.
"Trick or treat!"
(If you enlarge the photo, you will notice the lack of footwear. The choices were, dine in black socks... or wear white sneakers. What would you have done?)
We also had the french onion soup and lobster bisque, which were pretty good. For our entrees, Dave had the Beef Wellington and I had Sea Bass. Midway through our meal, someone sat down at the grand piano and began playing Billy Joel and Elton John tunes. It turned out to be a guest from an on-site wedding and he was pretty good!
Ready or not, here we come!
On our way out, we each picked an apple. Dave chose Gala while the rest of us chose Honeycrisp. He may have regretted his decision because the Honeycrisp apples were out of this world. And at just 50 cents a pound, I asked myself later why I hadn't thought to buy a few pounds worth! What was I thinking?! 
It was as if everyone had discarded their children's outgrown toys. (Dave said it gave him a few ideas of what to do with all of ours in the next year or two.) It was actually really nice because it eliminated fighting over the best toys. 
Then we put on red smocks and painted a leaf together. Red, yellow and orange... and then Eva went over it all with a foamy sponge roller to give it a blended look. We had a lot of fun at that station.
We took a snack break - apple juice and a mini bagel with cream cheese for Eva, coffee for Mama.
I love the arrow pointing "That way. Come now please."
