Burlington, Vermont, USA

Defining Main Street: The Tea Shop. Tea brings the world to Burlington. While tea shops are less common than coffee shops on America's Main Streets, they always add a touch of refinement. Still, they can't keep up with the new trifecta of beverage purveyors: breweries, distilleries, and cideries. [2009]

Bellows Falls, Vermont, USA

What services can a covered bridge provide? It can carry a couple of mailboxes for nearby residents. Alas, the original Hall covered bridge was destroyed by an overweight truck in 1980. Given Vermonters love of the bucolic, however, it was immediately rebuilt to exacting, authentic standards. Thank you Milton Graton.[2009]

White River Junction, Vermont, USA

Happy New Year! January has been the first month of the year since 153 BC. Before that (and in some parts of the West, long after that), the new year began in March. Which one seems more logical to you? [2022]

Burlington, Vermont, USA

Compare this urban tableau with the sidewalks in your city. Burlington's (at least here in the downtown) are wide enough for two double-wide strollers to be out for a morning walk side-by-side. Let's hear it for pedestrian space! [2011]

Burlington, Vermont, USA

You might not be drawn in by the watercraft on display at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, but you might be curious enough to learn more about Champ, the 'Lock Ness Monster' of the lake. He has been sighted for centuries and is now a protected species. [2011]

Cornish, New Hampshire, and Windsor, Vermont, USA

The Cornish-Windsor covered bridge connects two states across the Connecticut River. From portal to portal, it's the longest in the United States and a civil engineering landmark. Remember, though, you must "walk your horses or pay two dollars fine." [2018 and 1991]

Burlington, Vermont, USA

In the context of the 1990s: Democracy was a jigsaw puzzle with some new pieces in Eastern Europe, but we had faith that the pieces would eventually fit together seamlessly. In the context of the 2020s: Democracy is still a jigsaw puzzle, but many countries are struggling to keep the pieces from falling apart. That would include the United States. [1995]

Winooski, Vermont, USA

In the 1970s, no one was impressed with a building just because it was over a hundred years old. In fact, the Winooski Block was lucky to have survived the urban renewal movement: The rest of the neighborhood was leveled. In the 1980s (see the cars!), the building was refurbished and now hosts stores on the ground level and 24 apartments upstairs. [1983]

Burlington, Vermont, USA

If a severed head landed in your forest would you look at it or look away? And, would you wonder what the cranium concealed? What about your own head? What does your cranium conceal? What kind of junk would tumble out if it were lopped open: your passions? your worries? your struggles? your visions? Perhaps some art therapy is needed. [2011]

White River Junction, Vermont, USA

If Vermont and New Hampshire ever merge, White River Junction will be the capital of the new state. Why? Because it is so centrally located. That centrality was initially provided by the junction of the Connecticut and White Rivers; then, it was reinforced first by the railroads, and then by the junction of I-91 and I-89. [2022]

Burlington, Vermont, USA

♫ These Are a Few of My Favorite Things ♫ ~ Main Streets: Regardless of their specific names, main streets embody the essence of place. Topophiliacs ("place lovers") flock to their shores. Although they may not realize it, the folks here are exemplary topophiliacs. Elsewhere in downtown, more irresistible trottoirs await. [2009] 

Swanton, Vermont, USA

 
Big Spider: It's fall, so you are probably seeing spiders under the eaves, all over the house, and in lots of places where they don't belong. According to the web master on the wall of this house, it's because she and her cohort are making end-of-life decisions about where they can lay their eggs. [2011]

Montpelier, Vermont, USA

Vermont was the first state to be admitted to the union after the original 13. Before accession, on this date in 1791, it had been a republic of its own since 1777. As for Montpelier, it is the least populous state capital in the U.S. What's a gold-leaf dome doing out in the middle of the country? Below is a view of the capitol from the Winooski River. [2018 and 2001]

Burlington, Vermont, USA

Here is what every town dreams about: thriving businesses on main street. What are the keys to success? (1) Easy parking, (2) nearby residents, (3) community aesthetics, (4) agglomeration economies, (5) locavore tastes, (6) escapist venues, (7) unique landscapes, and (8) history revered (even if sanitized). [2011]

St. Albans, Vermont, USA

From the  news last week: Cemeteries in the U.S. are filling up faster than they should. The death rate is increasing and life expectancy is declining for the second year in a row. Cancer mortality rates continue to fall, but all other major causes of death are increasing, especially suicide and drug overdose deaths. Worried? You should be. [2011]

Northfield Falls, Vermont, USA

Labor Day is not for laboring. It's for taking a break and enjoying the last days of summer. Fall comes to Northfield Falls and the Green Mountains early, so this may be the season's last chance to bag some rays, imbibe some brews, and bathe some booty in the cool waters of the Dog River. [2018]

Burlington, Vermont, USA

King Kong has been on the big screen since 1933 and has starred in a dozen films. Did you ever wonder what he did in between pictures? Here's your answer. Yes, there was a long period of unemployment after King Kong Lives debuted in 1986. [1995]

Randolph, Vermont, USA

The Gifford Covered Bridge is one of many in Vermont. It was built in 1904. Almost a hundred years later, in 2001, it was refurbished and raised a bit higher above the river. Vermont has the highest density of covered bridges in the nation: about one for every 10 square miles. [2009]

Randolph, Vermont, USA

Covered bridge are vulnerable to all sorts of threats: fires set by arsonists, trucks too heavy to cross, floods during heavy rains, rot from age and the elements, condemnation by highway departments, and simple lack of maintenance. Fortunately, more people are now becoming interested in conserving cultural resources. [2009]

Dummerston, Vermont, USA

To get across the West River, you had to invest in a bridge. When wood was the only building material available, however, you had to figure out a way to make your investment last. That's because wood rots. Why are covered bridges covered? To prolong their lives. It must work: The West Dummerston Bridge is heading towards its sesquicentennial. [2009]