The Best Random Day Trip EVER

When I realized how far up into Vermont we would have to drive to get Lizzy to her new home, I started wondering what else we could do in that direction to make the trip a little more palatable.  So I looked at the map and I thought about places and things in Vermont that Dave and I like and tried to find some overlap.  Lo and behold, we lucked out.

Being a novice baker, I have been wanting to visit King Arthur Flour, ideally for a class, but even just to go to the bakery and store.  Luckily King Arthur Flour was minutes off the interstate we used to get up through Vermont.  And better still, the Harpoon Brewery was only about 20 minutes from King Arthur Flour, a few minutes off the same interstate, a little further south. Since Harpoon is Dave's favorite beer, I knew we would have to stop.

While driving towards Lizzy's new home, I mentioned to Dave that we would have to stop at a roadside stand of some sort to get real Vermont maple syrup.  As a huge maple syrup fan (I haven't been able to buy anything other than the real stuff since we moved in together), he agreed and we kept our eyes peeled for the right place.

About 15 minutes from our first destination, Lizzy's forever family, we spotted a sign on the side of the highway for Cabot Creamery, indicating it was only 5 miles away.  We agreed we should stop and see what it was like.  So after leaving Lizzy with her new family, we got back in the car and headed to Cabot, VT.  The town is quite quaint and soon we found the Cabot Creamery, including a factory store.

We went inside and started looking at all the local Vermont goodies and then Dave noticed that they offered a tour.  Since it was about to start and was only $2 per person, we joined the group.  The tour started with a short film noting the history of the Cabot Creamery and farm co-op.  It was pretty cool to learn how they started, the quality they require of their farmers and what they do with all the milk, curd and byproduct.  They actually return the water drained off the cheese to the farm fields, putting nutrients back in the soil, and then of course the cows are eating that naturally enhanced grass.

Then our tour guide Tori told us all about the different cheese products and types they make, including some limited items that are only available close to the creamery.  She was very thorough--I had no idea they were so specialized in certain types of cheddar.  She then took us a on a quick trip through the plant, showing us the machines that make cheddar cheese (from curd to package) and another machine that, at the time, was filling 16 ounce packages of sour cream.  The video actually showed us one of the machines, the one that lifts the finished boxes onto the pallets.  I had to comment on it when Tori asked if their were questions because it was painted like a cow. (I asked who painted it.  She said the company that made it sent it like that.  How funny is that?) So of course when we saw RoboCow, I had to snap a picture.

After the tour we went back to the store to sample some of the cheeses.  We tried to behave ourselves since we hadn't yet had lunch, but I did have to get a second taste of the Buffalo Wing Cheddar and Dave was amazed at the limited batch of Classic Vermont Vintage Cheddar.  So of course we had to get both.  And then a few more.  We could have done a lot worse, but ultimately this was our haul.

I don't know if it was the lack of food or just being happy from finding a random place to stop, but outside I goofed off a little.

Moo.

We got back in the car, quickly got back on our route and decided it was time to stop for real Vermont maple syrup.  We'd passed a sugar house on the way up, so when we came near it again we pulled in and got exactly what we wanted.  The sugar house itself wasn't very exciting, but we knew it was the type of place where we would get "the good stuff."

Now it was time for me to get excited.  We were on our way to King Arthur Flour.  In true Vermont fashion, this company is 100% employee owned and really turns out some quality products.  Their recipes are amazing and I understand they have wonderful classes.  Ideally, I'd like to take a class there sometime, but stopped by the store was a fun introduction. 

King Arthur Flour is undergoing a huge expansion, building up their Baking School, store and bakery, among other things  The project will be done sometime next summer.  Guess I'll be holding off on that class until then!

Inside the store, I found myself completely mesmerized by all the different ingredients and tools. all of the thoughts running through my mind of what I could potential make with some many tasty morsels.  Dave was very patient with me as I slowly and methodically went around the store (literally around--the store is a giant circle!), placing things in my basket.   I'd warned Dave that I planned to fill my basket, but then promised to go back through it and buy only the things I wanted most.  Which I did.  My final purchase was only a fraction of all of my wants.

Indeed there actually were specific items I knew I was going to purchase, like Fiori di Sicilia, an extract-like flavoring that gives a unique "secret" ingredient flavor.  I also ended up getting maple flavoring and cinnamon oil, among a few other things.  Items that did not make the cut were the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion cookbook and the mini cheesecake pan, but not I have a reason to go back.  On the plus side, they were running a special that day so I got 15% off my total purchase, which was like getting the cinnamon oil for free!


Happy with my King Arthur Flour swag, we got back in the car and headed toward the Harpoon Brewery.  Dave had been there in July for their BBQ festival with his friends Ben and Nick.  They'd gotten a brief tour, had some beer and ate some good food.  Dave asked if I wanted to do the tour, but I wasn't sure if they would be offering one, based on the information in the pamphlet I'd picked up at the Visitor's Center that morning.  We'd planned on grabbing a bite to eat since they have a pub-style restaurant and we were famished.  We'd left around 8:30 in the morning and other than the stop for nibbles of cheese at Cabot, the only other sustenance we'd had was a bag of peanut butter M&Ms.  

Inside Harpoon, Dave used the facilities and I started poking around the store with all the hats, T-shirts and what not.  I was just about to go to the hostess stand and give our name for a table when I heard a woman holler to the crowd that anyone going on the tour should line up at the door.  I hesitated, not sure if I should hurry and buy tickets for the tour or if Dave wasn't interested.  Just then he came out and I told him the tour was about to begin and did he want to go.  So we ran over to the register, got tickets and headed to the door.  They carded us, gave us tasting glasses (that's always a good sign) and the tour began.  Dave's tour back in July was only an abbreviated version, so this was definitely a treat. 

I'd like to stop for a minute and appreciate our tour guide who, while admittedly having trouble with math at the moment, almost didn't give me a glass because she didn't think I was 21.  And then realized by birth year was 1980, not 1990, and that even if it was, since my birthday is in February, I'd be 21 anyway.  Looking back, I kind of appreciated it because when I'm with Dave I never get carded at all, let along questioned about actually being over 20.


Cat and Dan, our tour guides, gave us an amazing tour.  Having gone on a brewery tour before, we kinda knew how beer was made, but the history of Harpoon and the unique things they do to make their beers was pretty cool.  Local farmers actually take the brewery's used mash for feed for local cattle (no wonder the cheese tastes so good up there!).  Plus Cat bubbled over with personality and energy and you just know she loves her job.  Along the way we had some samples.  First was a swig of unfiltered IPA.  IPA is Dave's absolute favorite, but I usually don't care for it.  But this unfiltered stuff was great.  And super cold.  Cold beer is happy beer.


Cat had filled a pitcher of the unfiltered IPA and then started given about 2 ounce pours to everyone.  With beer still left in the pitcher, she started handing out seconds.  Who was the first person she refilled?  Dave, of course.  There were probably 15-18 people in our tour, and there was a couple standing near us. The woman leaned over to Dave and asked him if he liked IPA.  He said yes and she asked him if he wanted hers--she hadn't tasted it because she knows she doesn't like it, so she just poured it in his glass.  Dave made a beer friend!

Later on in the tour, Cat brought us another sample, this time of the filtered IPA.  And yes, the entire scenario I outlined above was repeated.  Exactly.  At this point Dave had 6 tastings to my 2.  Of his favorite beer.  Lucky duck.

Finally, the tour concluded with a sampling frenzy as Cat described the 10 or so beers they had on tap at the moment and Dan offering to pour us as many samples as we'd like to try.  I tasted the UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen and the UFO Pumpkin.  Both were super yummy, and as Cat described, the pumpkin tasted like "liquid pumpkin pie."  Dave tried the 100 Barrell Oak Aged Dunkel and the Leviathan Imperial IPA, and another one I was forgetting.  Clearly he had so much beer, I was starting to forget things.  Or it could have been the fact that in 8 hours I'd only eaten cheese and candy.  One of those.

So to the pub we went!  The restaurant is the Riverbend Taps and Beer Garden and the food is classic pub fare of burgers, sandwiches and fried things.  We each ordered UFO Pumpkins and then tucked into an appetizer of chicken tenders served with amazing french fries and an awesome ranch dressing.  Again, in true Vermont fashion, ingredients are local where possible and out sandwiches were actually served on King Arthur Flour bread.  Everything was delicious and a leisurely dinner was truly was the perfect way to end the day.  With stomachs filled and our beer buzz subsided, we headed back home.


So let's recap: In a little over 12 hours, we drove to Vermont, adopted out dog to a wonderful family, visited a creamery for a tour and tasting, got real Vermont syrup, visited the King Arthur Flour factory for perfect baking ingredients, toured the Harpoon brewery and got lots of samples and a great dinner.  Yeah, I'd say that's not bad for a random road trip.

Lizzy Adopted!

This was totally worth the wait.

Stella, Leland and Renee are the perfect family with a wonderful home and lots of property for a dog to explore, sniff and call her own. 

On Saturday morning, Dave, Lizzy and I piled into the car and began our trip to Vermont.  For the most part, Lizzy was good in the car.  She got a little talkative when we were stuck behind some slow moving vehicles on the back roads through New Hampshire, and towards the end she was ready to get out of the car.  We'd made two stops to let her walk around, but it was a much longer trip that she was used to.

The drive was pretty good despite the partial clouds and slight drizzling rain.  While the fall leaves weren't quite at their peak, had the sun been shining, the colors would have been beautiful.  We had no trouble finding Lizzy's new home, especially since Renee was sweet enough to be the official welcoming committee and posted a sign on their mailbox.

Their house was great.  They have a beautiful home, and since Stella works at home most days of the week, they converted the space above their garage to an office/loft, which Lizzy thought was awesome.  With big windows on one side and a sliding glass door on the other, she'll have her choice of where to sit to watch the squirrels and other critters passing by.

Lizzy got acclimated right away and Renee even took her on a short walk of the property while Stella and I handled the paperwork.  Clearly Lizzy and Renee are going to be the best of pals.  We can see them doing just about everything together.

It's been almost a full year (next weekend) since Dave and I started opening our home to wayward dogs (as one of Dave's family friends put it).  Five dogs saved and placed in perfect homes.  We learned an awful lot from each of these dogs and they will always hold a special place in our hearts.  Maybe the next year will bring us more dogs, or maybe soon we'll be able to call one our own.  Who knows, but it's definitely been fun and I like to think we've been stockpiling karma points for something really good.

Yet Another Meeting

Lizzy's meet and greet over a week ago went very well.  Jim, the applicant, really liked her and brought his dog Wilma and his sister Karen to meet Lizzy.  Everything was great--the dogs got along, Lizzy was well behaved and allowed lots of pets from both Jim and Karen.  We thought it was a good match and Dave set up a time to do a home visit.  Meanwhile, I'd emailed Stella who had submitted an application for Lizzy just after Jim's and told her that it looked like Lizzy would be adopted.

Unfortunately for Lizzy, the home visit didn't go so well.  While Jim's home was lovely, it was small for the size dog she is and there really wasn't a good place for Lizzy to lay down (Lizzy was with Dave at the time).  She seemed very uncomfortable in the home, which is not the case when we've taken her to other homes.  And Dave learned that they don't walk the dogs regularly due to a rogue dog in the neighborhood.  Since their yard was small, he didn't think Lizzy would get the exercise she needs.  Dave and I talked it over and decided this wasn't the best home for Lizzy but that their were possibly other dogs in our group that might be a better match for Jim.  So I emailed Stella and asked if she was still interested in Lizzy.

I had a lovely conversation with Stella and was thrilled to be able to set up a meet and greet for Saturday.  It would be Lizzy's fourth in as many weeks, but I felt really good about this family and Stella admitted to having a good feeling too, despite the fact she and her family hadn't even met Lizzy yet.  The difference between this meet and greet and the others Lizzy's had?  This time, it was with her forever family. 

Stella, Leland and their daughter Renee drove down from Vermont on Saturday afternoon and ended up spending almost an hour in the yard with Lizzy.  It marked the first time Lizzy completely ignored us around other people.  Twice (in an hour!) she came over to say hello but immediately went back to the family for pets, snuggles, hugs and treats.  She showed off her tricks, often unprovoked because she learned that if she did one, she would get a treat simply for being so cute.

Stella and Leland have experience with positive training techniques and Renee has a very good sense for dogs, and even asked some good questions her parents didn't think of.  Lizzy gave lots of kisses, something she hasn't given us, and basked in all the love and attention.  Toward the end of their visit when we were discussing the next steps, Renee was genuinely sad and confused, wondering why they couldn't take Lizzy with them.

Helping to cheer Renee up, we decided to set up a time to finalize the adoption this Saturday.  We got a virtual tour as part of the home visit and will follow that up with an inspection when we get there.  We typically try to not do a home visit and adoption in the same day, to allow a 24 hour waiting time to make sure everyone is comfortable with the decision, but the family has a great property on a quiet road and we couldn't be more thrilled with the opportunity for Lizzy. 

She's been a pretty easy dog for us and we're glad that we've taken our time to find the right home.  There's been a lot of interest in her, but she's going to be a great addition to this family.

Every Dog Deserves a Treat

Last weekend I was baking and ended up using the last bit of peanut butter in the jar.  Of course, when talking about peanut butter, that means there's always still more in the jar, but just really tough to get all the last bits out of the jar without getting your hand stuck in it and peanut butter all over your hand. 

As the resident dog, Lizzy has the privilege of "cleaning" the spatulas used for peanut butter when I'm baking.  It's only fair since the other dogs got to have it.  Having come to the end of the jar, I did what any well-minded dog lover would do. 

I gave the empty jar to the dog.

 

She was pretty happy.  Even when Dave went outside, she kind of looked up and then decided she was too busy and interested in her jar than to follow him. 

Guess we know where he stands.

"It was camouflaged!"

Actual conversation between Dave and I last night:

Me (in the kitchen): You like cantaloupe, right?

Dave (in the living room): Yeah.

Me: Ok, I'm going to cut this up then.

Dave: Ok...Wait.  When did you get a cantaloupe?

Me: Oh dear Lord.  Are you serious?

Dave: What?

Me: It's been here since Saturday.

Dave:  Where?

Me: On the counter.

Dave: Oh, well it was camouflaged!  (Note: Our counters are off-white, but not the dark beige of a cantaloupe rind.)

Me: You're full of it.

Dave: Well it wasn't in the fruit bowl, so I didn't see it.

Me: No.  It was right in front of the fruit bowl and you reached over it earlier.

Dave: See, it wasn't in my line of vision because I was looking beyond it.

Me: I'm so blogging this.

Dave: What?  No!

Me: My mom is going to love this one.

Dave:  Ah, dammit.

Happy 2 to Us!

Today Dave and I celebrate our second anniversary.  It's been two crazy, uncertain and fun years and yes I'd do it all over again.  We decided to celebrate over the weekend because Mondays don't lend themselves to parties.

On Friday evening, I walked in the door and was welcomed by this:

Because, as Dave said, "All the anniversary balloons were lame."  This sucker is ginormous.  Like 3 feet tall.  Who said contemporary gifts for second anniversaries was cotton? Clearly it's giant mylar balloons.  (Although we did exchange cotton in the form of T-shirts.)  And I got roses.  He's such a sweetie.

Saturday night we went out to dinner, opting to go to The Melting Pot.  If you've never been, I highly recommend it.  We had a blast and I was impressed with the intimate nature of the restaurant, as well as the service and the slow pace they allowed us since we did the "Big Night Out", a four-course fondue feast of cheese, salad, various meat entrees and an excellent dark chocolate and dulche de leche fondue for dessert. 

Yesterday we made soft pretzel bombs (pretzels stuffed with cheese and pepperoni), drank beer and watched football (and drank more beer to drown our sorrows after the Steelers lost.  Tonight will be low-key since we've already done our big celebration.

It might seem like I give Dave a hard time on this blog, but it's only because he's hilarious and I love him.  And I wouldn't have him any other way.

Puppy Olympics

Also known as dog agility.

A woman in our rescue group, Teri, is also involved in dog agility and this past weekend her group ARFF (Agility is Really Fun for Fido) had a competition nearby and invited anyone to attend and watch the dogs run the course.  Having nothing better to do, we packed Lizzy into the Jeep, picked up Cindy and her son Jake and headed out to watch the fun. 

It was such a neat place.  Dave and I had seen such things on TV but never watched dogs run these courses in person.  Lizzy was in heaven with all the dogs around. She was pretty good, but all the excitement got the howls going in her.  She was very friendly with all the dogs and people she met.  And I fell in love with the 9 month old Golden Retriever who came to say hello to us.  Her ears were so soft she reminded me of Panda (who still holds the title of Softest Ears). 

Besides watching the dogs run the circuit, one enjoyable part was seeing so many well-behaved dogs and their owners.  Quite the difference than what we see at some of the parks and even at Petco where owners aren't always paying attention or correcting their dogs when necessary. 

Better still were the owners who clearly had worked with their dogs on the course but didn't take themselves too seriously when the dog completely forgot what he or she was supposed to do on the course.  One little poodle was so excited for the treat his owner had that it took 3 or 4 tries through the weave poles.  He eventually did it, but the look on his face was purely that of a dog (not an athlete) as though to say, "I don't understand. Why won't you just give me the treat?"

It was hot so we didn't stay too long, but we did have a good time watching the runs and being outside with other dog lovers.  Lizzy had a fun time and finally let me get a picture of her in the car.  This is her happy face.  It's also her "let's play"face, her "I'm hungry" face and her "I've got to pee" face.  She does, however, have another face for "I don't understand these words you're speaking."

Dave and I are hoping that we when adopt our very own dog, she'll be smart enough and eager enough to do some agility exercises.  Or at least I hope we're smart enough to teach her. 

Third Time's a Charm

Lizzy hasn't received a ton of applications, but she has had two meetings with families.  Unfortunately they weren't the right match for her, but we are very proud of how well she showed for both of these families.

The first was a young family from Rhode Island.  Linda and William drove up with their three kids, ages 4, 5 and 7, to meet Lizzy.  She was fantastic.  She played nicely with the children in the back yard, didn't jump on them, and even let the little girl, who was 5, warm up to Lizzy on her own terms.  I think the little girl was intimidated by Lizzy's size at first but as she noticed Lizzy behave and play gently, she became more comfortable, offering Lizzy lots of pets.

For her part, Lizzy didn't act like an older dog at all.  She ran around the yard, but not in a crazy way, and let the kids pet, poke and prod her.  She leaned in for Linda and William to snuggle on her and just showed wonderful behavior all the way around.  Although Linda was smitten with Lizzy and really wanted to adopt her, William had his heart set on a puppy and so it wasn't the right family for our girl.

The following week I arranged for Lizzy to meet Donna and Rob, and their 13 year old Dachshund/Chihuahua mix, Billie.  Billie doesn't particularly like female dogs, but she will tolerate well-behaved ones, so Donna and I thought it was worth a meeting.  Donna and Rob used to volunteer with a rescue group, have a horse and their application impressed me because Donna was specific about the type of positive reinforcement training they use.

When they arrive, Lizzy was very excited to see they brought her a friend to play with.  Billie was less enthusiastic, but gave Lizzy some serious signals to not push her luck.  And Lizzy listened, about 75% of the time.  Despite this, Donna and Rob spent about 45 minutes in the yard with Lizzy, observing her behavior, walking her on a leash, and even getting her to sit and come on command (two things we had only just begun working on with Lizzy).  At times, Lizzy got a burst of energy and started running, doing laps around the pool, getting distracted by sights and smells, and not listening or responding when called.  It was great to see her so excited and playful, even if it meant Billie giving her the business from time to time.  I had know idea where this energy came from, especially since I'd taken her for a long walk late in the day in anticipation of the meeting.

Unfortunately, however, this high display of energy is what made Donna & Rob decide she wasn't the right dog for their lifestyle. They don't have a fenced yard and abut conservation land, so the fear that as a sight-hound she would go running was a definite concern for all of us.  But Donna was right in saying Lizzy is a good dog, she just has to find the right family.

So over the weekend I connected with Jim who recently put down one of his two dogs.  His application was also impressive, especially when he said he wanted to adopt a rescue dog because "they love you more because they know you gave them a second chance."  Jim is sure his other dog, Wilma, is lonely and feels dogs are better in twos, so we have a meeting with Jim, Wilma and Jim's sister this weekend.  Jim's sister is a sweetheart who comes over during the day to let the dogs out while he's at work.  We really like that he has a chance to give the dogs some socialization (and a chance to get outside) in the middle of the day instead of being stuck inside. 

Hopefully this meeting will go well and Lizzy will find her forever home.  Dave and I keep commenting that Lizzy seems to be getting younger since we've had her, so if the trend continues, she'll be acting like a puppy by the time Jim sees her.  So much for her being the old lady of our ragtag group of wayward dogs.