Family Fun Times
This President’s Day weekend I was fortunate to spend it with my sister and niece who traveled nine hours in the car Thursday evening from Emmaus PA to Colchester, VT. Technically they arrived early Friday morning as they pulled into our snowy driveway around 12:30 AM. Surprisingly there was more snow in Pennsylvania than Vermont!
We spent Friday morning relaxing at the house. I made gluten-free scones from King Arthur Baking Company with dried cranberries and chopped walnuts. Baking with butter and sugar is usually a win-win.The delicious scones were devoured quickly!
Later we drove to Sugar Feather Farm to pick up three bags of winter chicken feed and observe all the birds waddling about the snow. We saw turkeys, ducks, geese, chickens, and a barking security dog who greeted us at the front gate. It was a quick stop before we left for lunch at Ladder 1 Grill in Barre.
We went back and forth in the car about having Thai food or crepes from Skinny Pancake, however a majority of our palettes were not feeling adventurous so pub fare won the vote. We drove dirt roads through the hills between Sugar Feather Farm and Barre. Ryan was hoping to deliver spectacular views of snow covered mountains however, all we saw were clouds and gray sky due to falling snow.
Lunch at Ladder 1 was successful. Everyone found something to enjoy including gluten-free options for Ryan, and meat free options for my sister, and niece. There was a lot of fried food on the table and it was all delicious! The French fries were very good.
Afterwards we stopped at the Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier to pick up supplies for the weekend. My niece offered to make mini pizzas she learned in cooking class during the school year. We picked up a fresh basil plant for toppings. I was inspired to make chicken soup in the Instant Pot after watching an episode of Queer Eye earlier this week. Also, it was so cold and snowy outside making chicken soup using a whole chicken from Misty Knoll Farm seemed an easy and nourishing choice. To counter that we picked up whipped cream, ice cream, and soda for root beer floats. Also, chocolate chips for pancakes Sunday morning (as requested). And peanut butter and milk chocolate eggs from Lake Champlain Chocolates because, well why not?
Saturday morning was perfect for snow tubing at Sharp Park. Ryan and I always wanted to check out the place however we felt foolish going as two adults by ourselves. Now that our 12-year old-niece was with us we were ready to join other families with children on the hill. Watching my niece reluctantly pull her snow tube behind her up the hill reminded me of how awful I was as a teenager. I feel like I was pretty angry and out of sorts most of the time. Ryan kicked off the morning by deciding to walk to the top of the steepest chute and go down first. Tanya, Maddie, and I watched from the hill below.
As Ryan slowly pushed himself towards the steep drop, his tube teetered over the edge and he immediately disappeared in a cloud of snow, similar to Pig-Pen from Charlie Brown, as he blazed the ice trail. It was like his snow tube was a snow plow and instead of being attached to the front of a truck you’re riding inside of, he was sitting on the plow. Needless to say he was covered in snow all over his face, all down his back, and he laughed at himself all the way down the hill.
Ryan wearing a snow robe.
Somehow this inspired Maddie to being open to having fun with us lame adults. We made it up and down several different chutes and had a lot of fun laughing together while getting covered with snow and ice. As more families showed up I felt Maddie was having fun with her Mom, Aunt, and Uncle. After about 90 minutes the snow we saw moving towards us blew in with dark clouds, and wind and it was time for us to return our tubes and head home for a quick stop before going to hibachi lunch (also requested) at Koto Japanese Restaurant.
Snow tubing at Sharp Park. A picture of the four of us before we head home for lunch.
Later at the restaurant, sitting around the hibachi grill, Tanya shared videos and pictures with my brother Stefan who missed our adventures as he was getting his taxes filed at H&R Block.
Maddie says “Did you take any videos of me?”
“No, sorry,” Tanya replies.
I looked at Tanya and cringed. I thought about taking a video of Maddie and decided against it. I didn’t want to be the one who threw the whole experience off balance by capturing a memory I wasn’t sure she was enjoying. Just as Ryan’s tube teetered on the edge of the hill, I felt we were all walking on edge with my 12-year-old niece.
Later Tanya said, “Oh yeah. She loved it eventually. She was taking selfies up there with my phone and sending them to her friends.”
Thank you Maddie and Tanya for giving Ryan and I permission to act like children.
