Not Your Typical Tourist Attraction.....Like a Museum

Staycation Continued.........Alternate Title .........Birthday Weekend

This post is about as far from a fitness post as I could get other than the fact that I was walking around the cemetery. I found out about this cemetery just a week or so ago when I was looking something else up on line and made it a point to go soon.  Now I have been looking up more of the history and won't mind going back some day to see some of what I missed. The cemetery covers 65 acres and I know I missed some.  It winds around and it is hard to know where you have been.  It is in Barre Vermont - the Granite Capital of the World - one third of all memorials in the US come from Barre.
 Here is some of the history.  



History:
Each year visitors from all over the world tour Hope cemetery in Barre, Vermont to see some of the finest examples of memorial design and granite craftsmanship ever produced.
Situated in the "Granite Capital of the World" Hope cemetery presents a rich and distinguished history of memorial art in stone, one of the oldest expressions of American Culture. For these reasons, Hope exerts a profound influence on the memorial art of other cemeteries throughout the country.
Hope cemetery was established in 1895.
Cemeteries are judged on their attractiveness to the community, their ease of maintenance and the opportunities they provide for families to memorialize and honor life. Hope Cemetery has achieved outstanding success in fulfilling these standards.  Many of these were made by Italian artisans who settled in the area.
 I was wondering if some of these gravestones were more modern and they appeared to be. I found the following information once home.

It is still possible for ornate and unusual tombstones to be put into Hope Cemetery. These large memorials can range in cost from US$20,000 - 30,000+. Simple headstones cost about $2,000.^[

This is one of the first ones I saw.

Cut from a single piece of granite by the brother of the deceased. Outstanding hand carved life size figure. Notice the detail of the clothing, the tools of the granite trade. Background is shell rock finish.

Very ornate.

 Brusa's own grave features a strange sculpture of "The Dying Man," slipping away, held by his wife. Brusa passed away in 1937 to a common stone carver's ailment, silicosis, from a lifetime of breathing in airborne stone particles. Ventilation equipment added to the stone carving buildings in the mid-1930s help to elimintate the hazard.

 A race car driver who died young.

A pilot.

Detail of artwork on the gravestone of a well driller.

A guitar.

Each of these links has the name of a child.  All one piece.

A cello

Gravestone of a 13-year-old soccer enthusiast.

Gravestones of a husband and wife.

One of many benches.

I loved this one.

A racing car.

This couple looked so sweet.

Walking down the aisle of a church.

A pool table.

I would like to know the story behind this one.

The family tree.

A husband and wife looking off toward the mountains.

There were lots of these stumps.  Not very attractive but

must have had some meaning.

Man playing a violin.

The parents- very realistic with family below.

This is a bed.  Very unique.  She must have been a war bride.

He outlived her by many years.

Just some general views of the cemetery.

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Three Things Thursday

1. This weekend coming promises to be exciting.  I am doing a fun Vermont touristy thing on Friday I have never done. We may go brewery touring on Saturday. I may offer to be the DD since I am racing on Sunday.  Sunday is a local tri.  And I will extend my weekend into Monday. Monday is my birthday and that is surely a holiday and a weekend day and all that. I am going to do a bike ride I love, spend time with my son - agenda TBD and then the evening will be very special. I am going to sky dive. I have always wanted to do it.  I turn 60 on Monday so it seems like the perfect time to do it.  Believe me there will be more to come on this.

I hope I'm smiling as much as this person.

2. I've been catching up with friends I haven't seen much.  Today I go to lunch with a friend I haven't seen in forever and last week I went to a movie with a different friend I hadn't done anything with in forever.

3. I had a relaxing bike ride close to home, no need to use the bike rack.  The route was hilly but I relaxed and took my time.  It is a loop from my house which is hard to come by without hills and dirt roads.  Well, there were hills and dirt roads but I just dealt with it.  Loved it!

I'm Not Quitting Summer Yet!

Summer's end is rapidly approaching.  But I'm not ready to throw in the towel and declare it time to go back to work.  I have an unofficial rule that I don't go back until after my birthday.  Once you start going back you are sucked in and there all the time.  But I did just find out that we officially start the 20th.  Yikes!  There is no time during those official time to do the thousands of things you need to do.  So you do need a decent amount of time beforehand.  Somehow it all gets done and if I have to I can use the weekend before we start to get even more done.  I have no race this weekend.  But for now I am still totally embracing summer.

I have been swimming most Tuesday mornings and then going to the gym to get a run in. I have liked this recent routine (how many times makes something a routine) but once I am back at work I could swim in the morning or run but not both!  It will be swim before and run after.  After my last triathlon I will cut back on the number of workouts I am doing.  I will need to to survive timewise and I will not need as many workouts.

I have two triathlons in Sept. One is in N.H. and one is in Maine. At the end of the month I will be doing (not racing, doing) a half marathon in Rhode Island. I will be traveling more in September than I have all summer.

Yesterday was yet another gorgeous day in Vermont.  Oddly I had to wait awhile for it to warm up as temperatures are not seasonal but once it did I got a wonderful bike ride in.  I went to South Hero where I love to ride. I went alone and managed to go on my favorite route, go on a ferry, visit a friend and lounge at the beach to read when I was done.

Heaven.

I haven't left Vermont this summer but why would I?

My bike feels quite at home on the ferry.

Taken from the ferry I was on looking at the ferry going back.

Three continuous ferries keep this stop fast.

I stopped to visit a friend who lives here. Not too hard to take.

Time to relax with a book before heading home.

Touring Our Own State

No race this weekend meant an easier time fitting in workouts.  Today I went with a friend and practiced for next week's tri.  Yi Yi Yi.  I hope a bad dress rehearsal means a good play!  The swim was fine but I was slow on the bike. I knew I was but when I looked at the time I was very surprised at just how slow!  Then during the run I was sure in the first mile my watch wasn't working.  The second mile was good but in the third mile it started thundering.  I didn't expect that.  Didn't hear any more but just as  I did my friend came in her car and picked me up so I finished at 2.7 miles. It still bugs me that I had to stop but even my OCD exercise ethic doesn't include running in thunderstorms!

My July stats were pretty awesome - of course I have more time in the summer and it shows.

Running - 88.5 miles

Biking - 401 miles

Swimming - 8600 yards

Races - 5

Saturday my husband and I took a day trip just to play and be tourists in our own state.  We headed to Newport which is basically on the Canadian border in the northeast part of the state.  We hadn't been in years (never together) and it was time to change that. Newport is a gem even on a cloudy not so great day.  Lake Memphramagog which is a huge lake is in Newport. We went to the boathouse and walked along the lake on a very nice walking path.

A view of the town seen at the top of the hill near

the Catholic church.

A very nice walking path.

U.S flag flying above Canada and Vermont

We had also talked about working on our Vermont Breweries card. There was one in Newport so since we had driven all this way we looked for it. And looked and looked and looked.  We were actually on our way back when my husband spotted a sign. Then we had to go up this dirt road - not really right on the beaten path.  But we got there and had a few samples and got our cards stamped. My favorite was Skinny Bitch - named after the owner's dog  if you are wondering.

We tried to find Rock Art next.  It seemed like we had clear directions but nope.  No luck.  We were now on our way to find a place to eat when again - the husband not I - spotted a brewery sign and right up the road was The Alchemist. More samples, another stamp.

We found a great place to end the day with a fantastic burger.  While we were driving I asked my husband the question from my last post - name 3 places you would want to live.  He gave it very serious thought- as if we had won the lottery and were about to purchase a house in said place - and came up with two.  He didn't know my choices. He mentioned Pennsylvania and Ohio.  If you read mine I came up with two in the PNW and the other was Maine.  I guess for the sake of our marriage we better stay put right where we are.  Good thing we both like Vermont.  

What state would you like to live in?

I love "games" where you do lists of things.........your favorite meal on vacation, favorite activity, best book you ever read and on and on.  I spent some time this year thinking about where else I would want to live if I wasn't living in my beloved Vermont.

I actually started this post in April and never finished it.  Since someone I love dearly is moving across the country it seems like a good time to finish it and hit publish.

I would have a job, a house, and not have to worry about moving. I am simply picking 3 places I might want to live.

1. The first one will be no surprise. I would want to live in Maine. But I don't want to be far inland. I want to be on the coast. I wouldn't mind at all being on an island although my husband never believes me when I say that. He says I am on the go too much to be satisfied on an island. I am not so sure.

2. I am also attracted to the state of Washington.  It has ocean and fir trees, a winning combination in my book.  So I would need to be on the western side near the coast. I could be on an island.  I LOVE ferries so taking one on a regular basis would be just fine. There is a movie that had a spot I loved. I am forgetting the name of it. It was about computers and work and the guy took a ferry every day from Bainbridge Island.  I think I have that right. I am moving into that house.  Okay thank you Google. The movie was Disclosure.

3. Okay, one more in this made up game of mine.  Where else might I choose to live?  I definitely prefer the north to the south. I don't see me moving anywhere where it is hot for a lot of the year. YET I would be able to bike much more so maybe I should consider one state in a warmer climate.  I don't want to be far from the ocean. Mountains are pretty important.  But there is also a part of me that would like to live in a city.  If it was a short move and then I could move again I would live in DC or NYC. Really!  I regret that I never lived in a city but at this point in my life I would not choose it as a long time thing.  I'm still having a hard time deciding so I'm going to stop and come back later.

Okay it is MUCH later.  I never got back to this but now I'm going to say Oregon.  I won't follow my daughter right to where she is but Oregon is appealing to me so why not be in the same state.  I am not sure where I'll be but I think I'll say the coast and near the mountains.  I don't want to be in a big city but I don't want to be too far from one. And I want to be able to bike a lot!

So if you could live in any state (we'll save other countries for another time) with no worries about a house or a job where what 3 places would be possibilities?

T.T.T. or I'd Really Like To Quit My Day Job and Work for VT Tourism

1. I have raced 5 weekends in a row and am really looking forward to NOT racing this weekend!

This is when Jameson is holding the phone and Emily

is cheering me on from DC.

2.  I hate seeing the end of July arrive. I always allow myself to pretend school doesn't exist during July. My time is my own.  At some point in August all the stresses of getting ready for the school year come back into my life.

One of many free race photos from last weekend.

3. Wednesday was another great day in Vermont and I had another great ride on a new route. Well a mostly great ride. By the end of it I was tired! Very tired!  I rode 54 miles and that was just a bit more than enough. I was ready to be done.  I took a ferry early in the morning to Port Kent, NY from Burlington.  Then I rode through New York. Some of it was quite nice and some not so much.  I had a deer in front of me in the road but I don't ride with the camera out so no picture. I was riding to Essex NY where another ferry was but when I got near there I took a picturesque loop!  It was but I took no pictures. It was more open which I prefer. I did get lost and rode south more miles than I should have but found my way back.  Then I got to the ferry and took it to Charlotte, VT. It was a blissful ride. There was a breeze. Everyone was friendly and chatting on the upper deck.  Then I rode on some roads I had been on before but some were new. I had parked at Jameson's house near the ferry so I wouldn't have to pay for parking. When I got there I took a shower before I headed home as I was completely disgusting!

Looking toward New York.....

Just liked the shot.....

The falls that fish can't get up.....

so there are fish ladders...

They come up and turn a corner and go up more.

This was  the opposite of my map but how could you not go look at fish ladders?

I went back to get this shot.  I just liked it.

Heading toward the ferry to go back to Vermont

The ferry ride was blissful.

Just before Charlotte Beach

A little town beach - great place for a snack to regroup.

Overlook Park in South Burlington.......my last stop.

I have to admit I was VERY tired the rest of the day. This ride took it right out of me!  Today I am relieved not to be biking. Say what?  Just for a break, just for a break. I actually had a pretty decent run

today.  Now I'm off to a movie.