Travels to New England, May 2010, part 1

Dog Chapel (and to the right, the gallery) at Dog Mountain


Daisy (curly tail) running out of the pond before turning to jump in again



Daisy (the world's most spoiled dog) enjoying her Ben&Jerry's ice cream!

Vermont Vietnam Veterans' Memorial

Vermont Vietnam Veterans' Memorial

Daisy and I are at it again. Less than a week after the Gettysburg adventure, Daisy and I set off for New England on Friday, May 28. We swung west to get to Bow, NH, in order to avoid urban traffic on I-95, especially over a holiday weekend. After retracing many of Lee's and his army's steps before and after Gettysburg, we went north to Binghamton, NY, to spend the night, then arrived in Bow, NH, to visit my brother and his family by early afternoon Saturday.

The kids came over to the hotel for a swim that afternoon, and then we had a great dinner at their house. On Sunday, Daisy and I drove around Vermont, heading for St. Johnsbury, where there was a memorial service for Stephen Huneck.

First we stopped at the Vermont Welcome Center on I-89 North, where the Vermont Vietnam Veterans' Memorial is located. Then we went to Ben and Jerry's (Daisy had ice cream, I had an iced latte), then on to Cabot Creamery--bought lots of cheese!

Dog Mountain was full of people and their dogs honoring the life of Stephen Huneck. Daisy had a total blast running around chasing and being chased by other dogs, swimming, and barking her fool head off. We also went to the gallery and bought a few things--presents for me and a few other people. We got back to Bow about 4 pm, the kids came to swim again and then we had another great dinner at their house and then we all (including Daisy) went to a local dairy to eat more ice cream!

About Stephen Huneck: I was first introduced to his art by my friend, S, who with her husband had discovered his gallery in Vermont and bought me one of his books entitled "My Dog's Brain." I read his biography, where I learned he had suffered an ailment similar to that which my father had, and went through months of rehab. He credited his black lab, Sally, with helping him regain his heath, and he redirected his art to focus on dogs. He bought Dog Mountain and built a Dog Chapel there. I have visited many times (both with Savannah and with Daisy) and own many of his beautiful art pieces. Tragically he committed suicide earlier this year. Many other people and their beloved dogs attended the service planned by his wife Gwen and other at Dog Mountain yesterday. It was a beautiful event. I don't know if Dog Mountain can be saved--tax bills are enormous. I hope so, so that we can visit again!