Charlotte, VT

It helps us adults feel like kids again when our children run into our bedrooms in the early morning light to tell you excitedly, "it's snowing hard outside!!!" There's something extra special about that when you live here in Vermont.

As I craned my neck to look out the window above my bed, I tried to gain the contrast of the background through my ocular fogginess to pick up the foreground flakiness. Scrolling in and out, I could indeed see snowflakes tumbling and flitting about. My daughter said, "Dad. It's really coming down out in front of the house!!" With a beaming smile, I vaulted out of bed and sprung to the stairs and looked out the front door panes, past the whitening front porch, down the front yard, out across the meadows into a backdrop that looked like a horizontal AND vertical cloud.

Winter is here.

If you place any stock in the Farmer's Almanac (and I do), then we're in for a cold and snowy one. It's a simple equation really. Vermont + Snow = Winter. Today's high temp supposed to be 31 degrees. Tonight lows of 14!

Yep. It's here alright and ahead of skedj.

Now, thoughts of snow tires (with studs this year) begin percolating along with ski passes, getting the parts needed for a$$%#@! whuppin' sledding (last year took its toll on the hardware), a warm fire to sit beside, hot chocolate with freshly made whipped cream, and preparing the outdoor hot tub all come to mind again (ahhhhhhh...).

And yeeeees (lest I give you an imbalanced perspective), so does shoveling. May even have to break down this year and have a guy plow my driveway instead of me dancing with my Toro. Maybe?! Haven't yet committed one way or the other. I still love that ole' girl though. Not sure if I want to give her up just yet.

Let's see...Christmas is coming. Definitely need an upgraded set of YakTraks for my boots. Gotta put that high on the list. That would be a great Christmas present! (that is if I can wait that long...) Time to break out the scarves and nuclear (have we all figured out how to pronounce this word yet) warm coats.

Moments ago, before I sat down to write, I stepped into my kitchen and was filled with sudden, spectacular joy! The east wall and a half of cabinets I replaced last summer with windows is flooding light all around. Even with today's cloudiness, the ambient reflection off newly fallen snow on the ground brightens the place up exponentially. It'll make mornings in the kitchen with the sunny view up Mount Philo a true blessing. I love that.

Hmmmmm. Here's a warm thought. Can I get to an island or a beach this winter??? Any beach!? Okay, okay I said it!!!!!! I said it!! Am I a traitor? Oh my! Please let me wistfully digress with this dreamy song...click the following link and crank it up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciFesab7OYA (btw that was not MY blinking house just in case you were wondering...) Goodness! Back to reality!

YES, INDEED. She's here almost five weeks ahead of her official day.

Ready or not, here she comes...

Call me at 802.238.5256, email me at Chris@ChrisHurdVT.com or post your comments at Hurd's The Word or go to my website at Burlington Vermont Real Estate.

Four nights ago, while driving from Williston through Shelburne on my way home to Charlotte at dusk, I was blown away by a stunning, mad November sunset unfolding from north to south along the upper ridges of the Adirondack Mountains illuminating Lake Champlain in an other worldiness of color.

While craning my neck and driving perilously close to the edge of the road, I reached instinctively for my camera to capture these rare, intense moments. Jesus, I thought. It's not here. It's at home! Mon Dieu!!

Seconds later, my cell phone rang. It was my 17 year old son excitedly asking me if I could see the sunset and did I have my camera to snap some pictures. Dejectedly, I remarked, "I didn't" but I said, "call your sister. She's at home." 

Hours later, I excitedly learned that he reached her and asked her to grab her camera and nail that sunset on film. Whereupon Ry calmly and warmly remarked, "not to worry, Will. I already took 15 shots."

God, I love my kids. The mere fact we saw what we saw and were connected at those same moments and were all so moved blows me away! We all appreciated nature's stunning display and the glory of the red sky that night taking time, care and love to reach out to one another so as to share that beauty. It doesn't get a whole lot better than that in my book!

The picture you see above is one of fifteen my daughter took on that evening. I emailed it to our town newspaper, The Charlotte News, earlier this morning. They, too, thought it was spectacular. In fact, my daughter will have her first published photograph in their upcoming edition. Cheers to you Ry!!! Love you!!

Call me at 802.238.5256, email me at Chris@ChrisHurdVT.com or post your comments at Hurd's The Word or go to my website at Burlington Vermont Real Estate.

What an amazing summer for storms! Sometimes 4 and 5 in a day. Some would come from across Lake Champlain from the west. Some from the south. Some from the northwest. The drama was spectacular as it unfolded from my porch beside Mount Philo State Park with its pastoral westerly views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains. Let's not forget the spectacular lightning display of a week ago. It even brought my teenage son with his three friends out from behind their video game, "Call of Duty", to witness the awesome power. How's that for jaded 16 year old boys?Record rainfall. Record lake levels. Thunderstorm watches and warnings it seemed everyday for a month. Our states' moniker, The Green Mountain State, earned its deserved reputation this summer. All the different greens reminded me of that great Johnny Cash tune, "40 Shades of Green." If you haven't heard it here you go. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0oTDS9ur_U

We are in the tail end of summer now. My daughter started high school today. Heavens. Onward we go.I'm hoping September and October are the longest stretch of Indian Summer weather in Vermont's history! And I'm betting there's another 650,000 people who would agree with me.If you have your own summer storm stories, please share them and post them here.

Call me at 802.238.5256, email me at Chris@ChrisHurdVT.com or post your comments at Hurd's The Word or go to my website at Burlington Vermont Real Estate.

A purely personal list subject to change (guaranteed!) of my favorite things to do in Shelburne VT throughout the year:

10. Walking my dog up Mt Philo,

9. Swimming/Tennis/Sunsets at the Charlotte Vermont Beach,

8. Charlotte Land Trust/Open Spaces,,

7. Charlotte Central School,

6. Launching out of Point Bay Marina en routh to Basin Harbor or Whallon's Bay,

5. A "Charlotter", cup of coffee with half & half and sugar, and the newspaper hanging out on the porch of The Old Brick Store,

4. Sledding down Mt Philo,

3. Views anytime atop Mt Philo,

2. Cycling Charlotte VT back roads,

1. Views from my front porch!

If you would like to add a comment or add your favorite Top Ten list, please do so by posting a comment here at Hurd's The Word or go to my website at Burlington VT Real Estate.

Christmas has come early this year. I was rejoicing reading the Free Press this morning about the successful efforts of the Charlotte Land Trust to preserve 40 acres of open land west of Mount Philo, near State Park Road. A three year effort has paid off and I would like to express my deep gratitude to all who had a hand in making this preservation of important land a reality.

The Charlotte Land Trust recognized two main purposes for conserving this land. The first was for the property's prime agricultural value and the second was for preserving expansive westerly viewsheds from atop Mount Philo.

Who among us hasn't rejoiced in those spectacular views earned with only a short (30 min) hike to the top of Mount Philo to view the beauty of our Champlain Valley, Lake Champlain, The heart of the Adirondack Mountains, westerly sunsets that are superlative, walking with loved ones and our dogs, watching the bi-annual migration of Canadian Geese, Snow Geese, or Peregrine Falcons in jackknifed dive into the now preserved meadows in search of a meal.

Yes. It feels like Christmas Day allright!

Charlotte residents contribute to the conservation funds each year through 2 cents of the tax rate. This was authorized by the voters in 1996 and re-ratified again in 2006. Every ten years a revote must occur to reapprove the allocation of resources. In excess of a dozen properties have been conserved with help from this fund.

If you would like to make a contribution to the fund, you may do so by writing to the Charlotte Land Trust at P.O Box 43 Charlotte VT 05445. Their website is at present under construction at http://www.charlottelandtrust.org/

As always, if you would like to add your comments here at Hurd's The Word, please feel free to do so or go to my website at Burlington VT Real Estate.