Scenic Vermont

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Scenic Vermont

As we pulled out of the Robb Family Farm we called On Star for directions to the 2nd Sugar House on the list. With the big snow flakes coming down it was easy to see why Vermont has a reputation for being scenic. The rural ambiance was only enhanced by the wintry weather.

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Creamery Covered Bridge

On the way in we’d passed a red, covered bridge. Now Joe suggested we pull over for a photo op.

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Named the Creamery Covered Bridge it is the only covered bridge left in Brattleboro, Vermont. It is well maintained and it seems the town is serious about keeping it that way. A large boulder has been placed in front of it to prevent cars from driving over it. You can walk but you can’t drive.

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Of course the bridge is an iconic shot but the stream that runs under the bridge is interesting too. I took some time to take a few photos of that as well as the bridge.

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I heard that this is a popular spot for wedding photos during the summer. I can see why.

The Sugar House at the Robb Family Farm

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The Sugar House at the Robb Family Farm

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Stepping into the Sugar House at the Robb Family Farm was like stepping back in time. The rich maple aroma washed over you immediately. Who cares about maple syrup. Lets just make a perfume like this…heavenly!

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The Sugar House is made of wood; wooden floors, wooden doors, wooden tables. Take a right as you enter the shop, push open a wooden door and you are right where the magic happens. Most of the room is taken up by a huge furnace or stove or I’m not sure what to call it except what it is, an evaporator. It’s a huge fire box with large, shallow pans to boil the the sap into the thick, sweet, gooey goodness we all love on our morning pancakes.

From Sap to Syrup

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It takes an amazing amount of sap to make even 1 quart of syrup. Usually about 40 gallons of sap are required to produce one gallon of finished syrup. This evaporator is burning wood for fuel which explains the huge woodpiles we saw as we came in.

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It’s a feast for the senses. Imagine the smells of a wood burning fireplace with a strong overlay of maple.

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To the right of the evaporator was a small table with maple cookies and homemade donuts, free samples. I especially liked the cookies. One of the maple farmers was watching over the process and explaining everything to the crowd as we filtered through.

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Vermont Maple Sugar Products

Back in the shop I had to choose. Did I want a big maple leaf or a small bag of maple candy or something in between. It all looked so good and of course it smelled good so it’s hard to resist.

Some History

It’s no wonder the Sugar House looks old. The Robb Family Farm was established in 1907. For 105 years the farm was a commercial dairy farm but in 2011 the farm became victim of the badly fluctuating dairy prices and milked its last cow. That was when they began to concentrate on the Vermont Maple Syrup products.

The farm also shifted from dairy to beef. Now you can purchase naturally grown and fed beef, no antibiotics and no hormones. I haven’t tried Robb Family Farm beef but we raised our own beef when I was growing up and it definitely tastes better than the standard grocery store beef.

What a great start to our Vermont Maple Syrup Festival! A very traditional Sugar House with a wood burning evaporator, yummy maple cookies and donuts and a warm, friendly atmosphere.

I don’t know if the Robb Family Farm is open to visitors or tours when it’s not the big Maple Sugar Festival but they have an online store at http://robbfamilyfarm.com/

I can personally vouch for their maple sugar candy…2 thumbs up!

If you plan a visit they are located at 827 Ames Hill Rd. Brattleboro, VT. 802-257-0163

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Let’s go Maple Sugaring!

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Let’s go  Maple Sugaring!

After breakfast at Raff’s Cafe in Haverhill, we headed out to see how many  Maple Sugar houses we could visit in one day. Joe had downloaded a map with all of the places taking part in the Maple Sugar Festival. We decided to start with the southern-most farms first and work our way north if we had time. The closes farm looked to be the Robb Family Farm in Brattleboro, VT. We plugged the address of 827 Ames Hill Rd. Brattleboro Vt. into my On Star and were given an drive time of 2 hours , 6 minutes.

Getting there.

As we pulled out of the parking lot we noticed the overcast sky. Driving to Haverhill I’d passed through bands of rain, like squalls. It would be raining then dry then rain again. Joe checked the weather app but it did not give any indication of storms, just gray, cold and overcast so off we went!

Turns out the route wasn’t very direct. The old Maine phrase “Can’t get there from here” kept running through my mind as we backtracked south on RT 495 until we reached RT 2. Soon we were traveling along the scenic Mohawk Trail. A nice trip to make when spring finally gets here.

We picked up RT 91 north and pulled off at the first exit in Vermont. It had started to snow or maybe rain. It was hard to tell. I guess the weather term is “wintry mix”. The views from the visitor center were scenic but we didn’t linger for pictures because of the weather.

Something to do on another trip.

Vermont Arrival

It didn’t take long to reach Brattleboro. On Star led us through the village and onto a little dirt road. The road was snow covered by now and starting to get muddy in places. Fun! First time going “mudding” in my Equiniox!

We could see the plastic tubing running along the trees by the side of the road so we knew we were headed in the right direction. Plastic tubing  replaced the traditional buckets for commercial production in the late 1950’s.

Topping a small rise in the road we saw a large farm house on the right. The sugar shack was on the left with clouds of steam billowing from the opening in the roof. This was a traditional Sugar Maple Scene right out of Currier and Ives!

There were plenty of cars parked along the road. It made me wonder what kind of traffic there would have been on a nice day? Time to get the car parked and go inside. Let’s see what this Maple Sugar Festival is all about.

Raff’s Cafe, Haverhill

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Fresh Start

Back at home I put the unpleasant airline experience behind me making plans with Joe to go Maple Sugaring. Vermont was holding it annual Maple Sugar Festival. On that weekend sugar houses, craft stores, Inns and Restaurants across the state celebrate all things  Maple by opening their businesses to truckloads of tourists. Maple is King this weekend from pancake breakfasts to crocheted maple leaves! I was interested in the sugar houses with their boiling, bubbling sap but it would be quite a drive to get there so Joe suggested meeting at his sister’s restaurant, Raff’s Cafe,  for breakfast before we headed to Vermont.

Raff’s Cafe

Raff’s cafe  is located at 620 Primrose St, Haverhill right off RT 495. It’s in a little strip mall. The restaurant serves breakfast and lunch, open from 6 AM and closing at 2 pm.

When I walked in around 9 am it was completely full. I made a detour to the “powder room” to wash off the hour + drive.  When I came back out a small table had opened up. I introduced myself and experienced a flashback from Cheers…where everybody knows your name!

I’ve been friends with Joe for more than 30 years but had not met his sister. Still when you’ve been friends for so long the family hears your name and they made me feel like they had known me forever. The dynamics of the staff and the customers also made me think of Cheers. Lots of banter and no one seemed to be a stranger. Clearly this was a popular local breakfast spot.

While I waited for Joe I was offered coffee, tea, hot chocolate a soft drink, water…something, anything…even my breakfast! Joe’s sister, Bobbie-Jo suggested I have my breakfast and they’d leave an empty plate for Joe telling him he’d already finished his (joke). I finally caved and accepted a hot chocolate with loads of whipped cream. (Yummy) I’d just finished it when Joe arrived.

Bobbie-Jo and Chuck, Co-Owners

We ordered breakfast which came cooked to perfection by Chuck, the co-owner. Our table was near the kitchen and I was entertained by the oldies that drifted out the half door.

Menu

I was amazed at the prices. The menu was comprehensive with all the old favorites and all very reasonably priced! (see page 1 below) In fact I’d have said they were priced below average. I love bacon but am very fussy about how its cooked. The bacon here came out of the kitchen cooked to perfection! I also had French Toast, another win!

Conclusion

You can’t beat this little gem for price, quality or friendliness. If you are in the area, stop in. I am sure you won’t be disappointed!

Photos by Joe St. Jean, Take Pride Photography

(This endorsement is totally unsolicited. They didn’t even know I was writing about them)

 

Frustration At American Airlines

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Frustration Overwhelms!

As I reached the end of the jet way my coat slid out of my arms again as I lifted the carry on over the connection between the plane and the jet way. To my surprise a Flight Attendant caught it for me , asking if I would like some help with my bag. Her kindness after the debacle at the gate caught me so off guard that I started to tear up! She asked what happened and I let her have it! All my frustration with the stupidity at the gate came flying out. The other passengers were staring at me. I felt like an idiot but I couldn’t shut up.

I travel quite a lot. I certainly consider myself a seasoned traveler and usually I handle these things better than this but the whole experience had been one frustration after another. From wandering the airport first for non help at customer service to looking for a working Kiosk…The last straw  was that all they had to do was take my coat out of  the bag for it to fit.  Of course if they did that they wouldn’t have had the chance to go through all of my belongings. I think I felt violated.

This Flight Attendant

I wish I had gotten this attendant’s name because she was wonderful. She let me vent, helped me to my seat, stowed my luggage and offered to get me something to drink!  She checked on me throughout the flight making sure I had the snack they passed out, that I was comfortable and so on. She really went out of her way. It made up for quite a lot. She deserves a commendation!

Concerns

I do have one concern. Before we took off, one of the gate attendants came on the plane. He came right to my seat and asked my name. He wrote it down on a little pad. I asked him if I could now put my coat in the overhead. He just mumbled “of course”, took my jacket and stuffed it over my suitcase.

It wasn’t until later that I began to wonder about that little seat side visit. I wonder what kind of welcome I’ll get next time I fly American. Have I been blacklisted? I don’t mean to sound paranoid but why else would  he come back to the plane before take off and just single me out?

Home at Last

Once I was home I told my story to my friend Joe. He was as outraged as I was . So he grabbed my cell phone, marched me to the porch and piled me high with the contents of my suitcase to show how ridiculous the gate attendants demands had been. Here’s what it looks like.

And to think this was what they did to a senior citizen using a cane. ( Sometimes I forget I’m a senior citizen but that just makes the whole incident worse in my mind!)

American Airlines leads the pack in complaints

It was another busy month for complaints. Readers filed 337 grievances, just a few cases shy of our record 342 complaints received last August.

American Airlines continued its winning streak in the complaints department, claiming almost 11 percent of our formal grievances.

Read more here: http://elliott.org/blog/march-complaints-approach-record-as-american-airlines-extends-lead/?utm_source=sendy&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=elliottsemail