Darais Days

Clarissa likes to refer to vacation as “vacay,” which is fitting since slang has been her favorite since the age of 2. On our last day, we had breakfast with Beth, Cheryl and Asia. It was a lovely breakfast, after which Abe and I did some last minute packing (so proud of ourselves for packing almost everything possible the night before), and we headed out the door in time to just make it to the hospital by 9:30, which was when Mary had her follow-up appointment at Dartmouth Hitchcock.

While Abe and Mary were at the appointment getting Mary’s long cast put on, the kids and I went to Main Street in Dartmouth and hung out at a bookstore on that street. Lydia bought a book by Heather Cox Richardson because she told me she wanted to be able to represent normal American people when she was in Germany. I tried not to take it personally, since she is aware that I am not a fan. But I do believe in reading all sides, so of course we got it.

In the meantime, Ammon and Clarissa were being very sweet to a two year old in the kid’s section. Their dad was an elementary school teacher, and he was very kind and chatted with them too. Their mom was pregnant, wearing a green outfit that was very stylish, and browsing the store. I am so proud of myself for remembering all of these details! I think he said she was a teacher too.

After the bookstore, we headed over to the Simon Pearce glassblowing shop around the corner. The kids were immediately transfixed by the videos of glass blowing, but I was completely distracted by the parking situation. I had just realized our car was parked in a pay zone, but when I tried to pay I could not. Maybe it required a physical card and mine was missing? I can’t remember. At any rate, I came back to the glass store and collected the kids. I promised them we could check out the actual glass blowing later in the day, and we all drove over to the Norwich bookstore that Beth recommended.

The Norwich bookstore was indeed as charming and delightful as promised, and I read in the local section about the history of Norwich producing Olympic athletes (I guess it produces a lot) and that it produces a lot of great athletes because the community is so tight knit and egalitarian in significant ways. Kids who don’t have opportunities otherwise have opportunities in Norwich. At least, that is what I picked up from the skimming I did before Ammon clogged the toilet. I had even told him exactly how NOT to clog the toilet right before he went. But it happened anyway. That was nightmarish. I felt so so bad about that.

By then Mary was done with her appointment and we headed over to pick her and Abe up. From there we went to King Arthur Flour, which felt more like a tourist trap than I remembered. Maybe it has expanded since I was there last. At any rate, Mary really did enjoy it and I regret not buying more of the mixes! But I did buy a loaf of amazing ginger rye date bread, and we ate it at home after we flew home. It was great toasted with loads of butter.

After King Arther Flour, we went to Simon Pearce and watched the glass blowing…and cliff diving. There were cliff divers right on the river outside the studio, and we watched in horror as they almost killed themselves jumping. Normally I am the one to lecture kids on safety, but after we were all done and in the car, Abe turned around and gave the sternest lecture I have ever heard him give to the kids on cliff diving. There is, he explained, a reason why no one has made the sport commercial. That is because there is literally no way to make it safe. I was very gratified to hear him hammer home safety to the kids, and I do think they understood because it was so uncomfortable watching the young men jump. It was so clearly…ill advised.

Then we drove to Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, about three hours away. When we arrived the weather was absolutely perfect. It was so lovely to get out of the car and walk all around and admire all of the CLEARLY MARKED trees. I was blown away by the color of Scotch Pine in the middle of all of the other green trees. That orange bark glowed like Bryce Canyon, or the molton glass we had just seen at Simon Pearce. We speculated on the meaning of the giant sphinx carved out of stone and then hopped back into the car to go to dinner at The Helmund, an Afghan restaurant that happened to be right next to Toscanini’s! I should have made everyone get burnt caramel, but I had forgotten how outstanding a flavor that is and opted for something less spectacular. Someone got it though and we were all duly amazed. Lydia even mentioned it recently in some other context as a culinary apex.

After gelato we were all exhausted and ready for bed. We were thrilled to be at the airport Hilton, because it meant we could sleep in a little later and know that when we woke up the next morning, all we really had to do was waltz onto the plane.

We loved the Billings Farm so much on Wednesday that we returned on Thursday. Our ticket was good for both days, and so on Thursday we were able to see the full butter-churning presentation and the academy award-winning movie about the Rockefeller who ultimately owned the estate and the farm. Abe and I were so moved to learn how much he gave and also how deeply all of the stewards of that farm cared for and regenerated the land. I had read about Thomas Marsh in my Alexander Von Humboldt book, but this was huge re-enforcement. I would have totally forgotten him as a character if I hadn’t had this experience. What an incredible person. Abe and I were talking about the irony that he and Joseph Smith were born within miles and a few years of each other.

One claimed to be a prophet while raping women. The other made no such claim but totally transformed the land and preserved America’s ecology by championing conservation so effectively. Vermont in the early 19th century had 80% fewer trees than it does today. It is thanks in part to Marsh’s revolutionary book and advocacy that America started to recover its native ecology.

We went on a hay ride and afterwards spent a lot of time admiring the quilt show in the barn. Clarissa played for an hour with quilt blocks while Ammon and Abe meditated on a slooooow movie from the 80’s about a craftsman making a water trough. It was a really nice movie, but the pace was nail by nail. Perfect after a week of hurried activity, so both of them just sat there transfixed. I watched a while but started wondering how the girls were doing and so went to find them and admire the quilts some more.

Then we headed to back to The Skinny Pancake for lunch. It was much busier than the day before and ate up almost two hours of the day. We waited in line forever, but it was worth it. I honestly would go back to Vermont or Maine or wherever The Skinny Pancake lives just to eat there. It is on my top five of all time restaurant list. I hope one comes to Raleigh! Those beet hushpuppies are something else.

Then we checked out Woodstock. We went to a cute gift shop where I bought a blue glass necklace and wandered to the local covered bridge. We also ducked into the Danforth Pewter shop and discovered that every year they make one of Snowflake Bentley’s snowflakes! What a thing to collect. I was tempted but it doesn’t quite go with my tree theme. But maybe?

Then we headed back to the Rockefeller estate and caught the gift shop just before closing. The kids wanted to play croquet and not hike, so Abe and I took a brief walk to the gardens and in a mini loop behind the house while the kids played. By the time we came back we found the croquet gone (the staff put it away when the center closed) and Ammon entertaining all the girls by acting silly and doing somersaults down a hill. They were just sitting there laughing and watching him. I was worried about ticks and it was getting to the point where we felt we might cut it close for dinner.

We then drove back to Liberty Hill Farm, where we were sadly the only guests that night. We missed our German friends! But it was nice talking to Beth and Cheryl, and I learned the name of a lake I need to check out if we make it to Maine anytime. Sebago Lake is her favorite, and she lives in Maine. She and Beth learned in that conversation that they both went to Sebago Lake every summer as children, and they have been friends for over four decades!

After dinner the kids played cards while Abe and I packed and packed. I think at least half of us took baths. Then we finished up the night by playing Cover Your Assets together as a family, and we all had so much fun. That is definitely my favorite game to play as a family. By far.

Then I gave everyone a magnesium chocolate with calcium and put everyone to bed. It was a lovely, lovely day.