A Fun Day in the Burlington Area!

Ken and I woke around 7:30 and I stayed in bed to finish reading my book.  Then it was shower and breakfast time.  Ken called both girls but only got to talk to Lanie.  She is at home with the girls this weekend while Bob is at a Kubb tournament with one of his work associates in Ohio.  Later today we got an text from Lanie that the Bob and his co-worker won the tournament - Wow!  I talked to my mother and she and my dad are doing well, but not enjoying the cold, dreary weather in PA.

At 10:30 the 4 of us left the campground and took a scenic route to downtown Burlington.  We drove passed Lake Champlain and saw many boats docked in the lake.  It was a beautiful cool morning with plenty of sunshine, a great day to be outdoors.

What a pretty sight on Lake Champlain!

We arrived in downtown Burlington, parked, and walked to the local Farmer's Market held in a park in the center of town.  This market is a "big deal".  It is held every Saturday from 8:30 to 2:00 all year long, moving indoors after October.  The vendors appear to be very "earthy" all of the vegatables, meats, eggs, breads, drinks, fruits, etc. appeared to be organic. Many of the delicious looking breads and pastries were made in brick ovens and contained only natural ingredients.  There were a few craft type stands, but most items were food related.

We could not believe how many people were at the market!

Lots of interesting things to see!

Great looking veggies!

The pastries looked incredible....

....like you just had to have them!!!!

Love the wire wrapping combined with the stained glass!

An interesting logo for this pretzel company!

We left there and walked around the corner and strolled about 4 blocks in a section of downtown where there is a street for only pedestrian traffic with shops and eateries on both sides.  There were even some street entertainers.  A very interesting downtown area.

Many outdoor eateries!

This gentleman played Irish music!

Artwirj on the side of the buildings in an alleyway!

Okay, I have never seen a dog with dreadlocks!

From downtown Burlington, we drove about 1 mile to the Lake Champlain Chocolate Factory.  Unfortunately they do not offer the tours of the factory on the weekends, but you can see where they work through the glass and you are able to take a taste test to try to determine what the actual tastes you are experiences when eating the chocolate.  It was interesting.  All of there candies are extremely pricey, even ones that aren't chocolate - candy corn and all sorts licorice were $11.00 per pound - crazy!

Rather expensive....

....but smells and looks so good!

We could see where they make the chocolates, but no one
was working today!

Time for a taste test and a little quiz!

These treats were part of the taste test - honest!!!

We drove to South Burlington to take a tour at Magic Hat Brewery, a craft beer that Dane, our son-in-law, had given to Ken as a gift.  Ken had really enjoyed it and was excited to tour the brewery.  Today they were having a fund raising festival there for the local food bank with food vendors with samples of their specialty products, beer and hard cider tastings, live music, and then free tours of the brewery.  You paid $5.00 to get in and could sample 4 beers, 4 hard ciders, and get hot dogs for $1.00.  We had a great time and Ken enjoyed the brews he was able to sample.

This brewery was established in 1994 and they now brew
750,000 gallons a day!  There largest selling beer is Magic
Hat #9, which accounts for 60 to 80% of their sales
depending on the time of year.  It is Ken's favorite!

This is where you sampled the beers, specialty foods, and
the hard apple ciders.

They also had live music!

Then it was time for the brewery tour.

What a large operation!

Then into their showroom where you could buy beer and
souveniers.  It was a "hippie" looking place!

Then it was off to Wal-Mart and Costco for some needed groceries, socks for me since all I brought was low ones and it is cold here, and some wine.  We were back to the CG by 6 and decided not to get together tonight to play games.  Melissa wanted to work on her blog and Tennessee is playing football.  It was a good night to just catch up and to also do some relaxing.

I talked to Cindy and they just arrived on Jekyll Island today where they will be spending 1 month.  They are excited to be there again, after camping there for 2 weeks last year.  It is a very special place.

Ken and I watched football while I worked on the blog and downloaded photos. Looking forward to going to the lakefront in Burlington tomorrow morning to get on the bike trail and ride for many miles.  Ken and I did part of it before and know it is a beautiful, scenic trail.   

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