I had bought them around my birthday, in an attempt to add something very cool to my wardrobe. I had bought them new, thinking that they were an investment, that they would never go out of style, and that perhaps one of my daughters would want them. After a few years, I've worn those boots maybe four times, and my daughters have no interest in them. So it was time to purge those too.
Kim took everything I brought. In the mean time, I looked through her Johnson (Vermont) woolen mills selection and bought my husband one of their grey herringbone vests, and also a "gently worn" skirt that Clara who had been in earlier, had set aside.
White River Junction never ceases to amaze me in its ability to give me a little vacation from the blandness of the rest of the region. Besides Revolution, which is a vacation in and of itself when you simply walk in, there is the theater which has a nice little repertoire, and several restaurants and cafes. I finally tried the restaurant Elixir, which is located in a restored freight house. The bar, made from an enormous recycled door, was one of the most unique surfaces I had ever eaten on.
Finally, there is the Upper Valley Food Coop, a small supermarket that sells mostly organic food, but also locally raised, locally grown, meats, cheeses and produce when in season. The people who shop there are so crunchy, with their woolen hats no matter the season, and their hand knit oversized sweaters, and an overall demeanor that says "I am kind to the earth" , "I will always vote for the most left-wing candidate," and "I care about other people more than I care about myself." It amazes me that I can be just a few miles from the incredibly "normy" town of Hanover, where people are either training for a marathon or for Wall Street or for both, and feel a completely different vibe. You are in Vermont the minute you walk into the Upper Valley Food Coop. If you are searching for authentic crunchiness, the Upper Valley Food Coop is the place for you.
