Sunday, Aug 3rd… More on yesterdays Manchester - Hildene Trip...

As I stated last night…… we departed from the Lincoln Mansion (Hildene) without entering any of the buildings...... we just took pictures of the outside of the mansion and the service buildings on the estate property before going on our way. Down route 7a, just a short distance, we stopped at Chauncey’s Family Restaurant for a bite to eat and then headed for home by way of Bennington. Just before arriving there, we drove past Roy’s Plumbing & Heating, which is in an old shell station that actually may be out of business. I prefer to think it is closed due to the Christmas garland still around the doorway and a wreath hanging on the door, but who knows! Anyway, take a look at the old fuel dispensing pumps (one between the doors) in front of the place, the old Coke machine and a very spectacular VW Karmann Ghia parked just behind the pump island.

A beautiful Karmann Ghia behind the neat old Shell gas pumps.

Look at the old Mobilgas pump with the winged horse icon

I bought Coke from one of these machines all the time!!

Perhaps the business is still operating as some kind of a car business, because there are other vehicles on site, looking as though there could be some kind of activity happening, at least occasionally. Check out the VW bug with a roof rack!

Never saw a roof rack for a VW before.

After pulling out and proceeding down the road toward Bennington, we knew we were close to the town when we sighted one of the old moose statues that they used as their theme for the 2005 program they had throughout the town.

In 2005, while vacationing in Vermont for a week, Vicki saw the moose displays and painted moose tracks all through the surrounding areas and the town of Bennington, leading into participating merchant businesses. This year, they used the statues of people in everyday life poses.

Again as we entered Bennington, we spied another moose on a building roof top. There are still several still displayed within the town and just outside......like these we've shown you and the one at The Apple Barn.

We stopped briefly at the Bennington Center for the Arts building to see if any of Stanley Maltzman’s art might be displayed and as I stated last evening, talked to the curator about a future visit.

As we were leaving there, about a ¼ mile on down the road, we saw a strange sight we’ve pondered over many times as we come and go in Bennington. THE SILOS… It’s a double silo with a full sized building across the top of the silo’s……which caused me to say the following to Vicki the first time we saw it……“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore Dorothy!!” We laughed then and still yesterday!!!!!

Forever Strange!! No matter the reason!

Wonder why it’s there and why they did it? Maybe it was a joke……maybe it’s functions as something because the ladder up the side of the silo has a little shed type cover over the top of the ladder where you can enter the building on top. Who Knows?????

After that, we proceeded on to another little town called Hoosick where we saw The Big Moose Deli and Country Store. We didn’t stop, but it looks like a quaint little spot we will check out on the next trip when we have time. AND…..that was the exciting part of the trip home. Everything else was traffic, driving in the rain and old hat stuff not worth mentioning.

Today……we’re planning to hit the barn and try to get the chickens new abode ready for them to inhabit……freeing up the old hen house for the original hens to go back to life as they knew it rather than the “standing room only” status they now act like they have. There is plenty of room in there for them, but they sure don’t act like there is. Anyway… we are going to put a large dent into the barn today.

This evening……we will get cleaned up and go to the Villa Vosilla in Hunter, to see a show in which friends of ours are booked to perform this evening. Vick and I have wanted to see Audrey and Alfredo perform ever since we were introduced to them over two years ago. We’ll report on the show tonight or tomorrow if it’s too late when we get home. I think it goes to 10:00 or 11:00 tonight…then the trip home from the mountain...... may prove to be really late.