Brattleboro is for Book Lovers

Delia Cabe recently wrote an article for Boston.com entitled Brattleboro is for Book Lovers. How right she was. This small town nestled in Southeastern Vermont is a book lover's dream. Famous authors such as Rudyard Kipling, Saul Bellow, John Irving, and many more have lived here or in surrounding towns.


Vermont is a great destination for those looking to get out of the city at all times of year, although many people especially love to come in Autumn for the great foliage and in Winter for the skiing and other outdoor sports. If you drive up Interstate 91, you are bound to come through Brattleboro. Although you may be coming for the foliage or skiing, there are many other activities as well that you can enjoy.

This upcoming weekend, September 30th - October 3rd, is the 9th annual Brattleboro Literary Festival.

The Festival is a four-day celebration of those who read books, those who write books, and of the books themselves. Located in downtown Brattleboro, Vermont, the Festival includes readings, panel discussions, and special events, featuring emerging and established authors. All events are free and open to the public.



More About the Festival:

The Brattleboro Literary Festival was founded in 2002 by a very small group of bibliophiles from area bookstores and libraries. The very first festival featured Nobel Prize winning author Saul Bellow in his last public appearance. Since then the festival has gone on to present over 250 authors, including winners of the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, Newbery Medal, and the Caldecott Medal.

Brattleboro is a natural setting for this event. Writers have always found it a congenial place to live and work. Royall Tyler, the celebrated playwright and poet of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, called Brattleboro home. The first literary societies in the community were formed in his day, the forerunners of the reading and writing groups that abound here today. In the eighteen-nineties, Rudyard Kipling resided at Naulakha in the hills on the edge of town, and wrote several of his classic works while living here. Today, the Brattleboro area is home to numerous active writers.

Brattleboro has also been known for the industries that support such creativity. In 1812, the first Bible in Vermont was printed here, establishing Brattleboro as a printing town. Book presses and publishers thrived, and they’ve had a continued presence ever since. It was no great surprise when the first American edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone rolled off the presses here in Brattleboro.... and you can now buy the entire set of first editions at Raptis Rare Books, also located in Brattleboro.

Hope to see you at the festival!

Vermont Summers

I love summer. Don't you? Even though I love to travel to other countries, there's really no where else I want to go in summer other than my own backyard of Vermont. You may not live in Vermont, but I hope you feel the same about whatever little part of the world you've chosen to make home.

Here's a little bit from my Vermont summer thus far.

We spent Memorial day up at South Pond, which A Cup of Jo, had just mentioned in her blog a short time ago.

Did you know that if you forget your corkscrew, you can open a bottle of wine with just a towel and a tree?

I love just driving around and looking at the rolling hills, farms, and scenery.

Our town always has Gallery Walk on the first Friday of every month, with music, food, and all the art galleries and shops open late.

This month, there were many special events for the Strolling of the Heifers weekend - including a bread bake-off. I couldn't resist snapping a picture of these delicious looking loaves.

A few photos from the parade: 

The Dairy Festival .. it's more like the 'anything and everything' festival.

This past weekend we went antiquing (one of my favorite things). One shop had an entire
car inside.


We stopped at a little chocolate and candy store in Bennington, VT. These are called Vermonsters.
You can't really tell from the photo, but they are quite large!


We also stopped at the Vermont Covered Bridge Museum, where they had these beautiful lilies.


Many towns in Vermont paint various animals and have them around town. I love the Bennington Moose!


We drove just over the border to the Cambridge Antiques Center in Cambridge, NY. One of my favorite antique shops. If you're ever in the area, check in out. I found this lovely sink that could work for my new laundry room, but the shop that owned this wasn't open for some reason. We found many other treasures to fill the car though so this wouldn't have fit anyway. Maybe if its there next time...



This past weekend all the state parks and historic sites were free as part of Vermont Days. On Sunday we went to the birthplace of President Calvin Coolidge in Plymouth Notch, VT. The tiny town is virtually untouched since the time he lived there.


His father owned the general store here and Calvin helped build these counters. He was born in a tiny
apartment in the back of the store.

We also went to the Vermont Country Store, one of my favorite places. There are two locations. We actually stopped at the one in Rockingham in the morning for a coffee and then stopped at the Weston store on our way home.

Mrs. Orton who helped start the store with her husband just recently passed away at the age of 99. The business is still in the family and Lyman Ortan was in the store while we we were there helping to do some practical little thing. There is a wonderful story in the NY Times about her life.



Here are just a few other random photos taken along our drive.

To see more photos, check out my June album.

What's your favorite summer thing about the place you live?

Cows.. on Main Street??!

My town has this lovely and crazy festival and parade this weekend called Strolling of the Heifers. Yes.. and its exactly what it sounds like. We parade our young cows (decked out in flowers of course) down Main Street. Only in Vermont.. right? If you are ever in the area, its a great event... especially if you have children. Its definitely NOT just cows. The parade involves much more than just the cows... thats just the first part. And then there are tons of activities all weekend, including a Green Expo, Dairy Festival, Music, Circus Performers, Art Exhibits, Dancing, Food Contests and lots of free ice cream, yogurt, cheeses, and so much more. Our library also has a book sale and there are many other activities going on the area. We're only 3 hrs from NYC and Montreal, and 2 hrs from Boston. Do I sound like an advertisement for Brattleboro or what? Gotta love the Green Mountain state!

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My spot

Last week my husband was reading the NY Times and noticed that there was a front page article (at least in the online version) about our area in VT. This area is a very literary and artistic community and we have had our fair share of authors living and writing here. The article talks about Naulahka, the house that Rudyard Kipling lived in and wrote The Jungle Book.

One of my favorite quotes from the article about this area:
During a trip overseas, he confessed to a friend “a desire to be back on Main Street, Brattleboro Vt. U.S.A. and hear the sody water fizzing in the drugstore ... and get a bottle of lager in the basement of Brooks House and hear the doctor tell fish yarns.”

An epicenter of local culture, Main Street is only four miles from Naulakha and retains the architectural patina of Kipling’s time while offering engaging contemporary diversions. Dragonfly Dry Goods, in the old Brooks House, the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, the Latchis Art Deco cinema, and innovative boutiques, bookstores and restaurants make for fine excursions.

I didn't grow up in this area (although I do have family from here going back to the 1800's and spent many a vacation here). I grew up in the city, but somehow I turned out a country girl through and through. A couple of years ago though I was wondering about moving, as there aren't exactly many jobs in epidemiology around here and I had a recent Yale degree in hand. I found a site called findyourspot.com where you answer some basic questions about what you like and what's important to you. They give you 10 or so towns or cities and a nice 4 page write-up about each place. And guess where one of my spots was? Brattleboro! ... exactly where I was already living. You can read it here: page 1, 2, 3, 4. Then a few weeks ago, I went and answered the questions again just for the fun of it to see where it would lead me. And same thing! This is a little quote from it:
Framed by towering Mt. Wantastiquet to the east and the foothills of the Green Mountains to the west, Brattleboro exudes New England charm, and has struck a perfect balance between big city culture and small town charm. 

Here are some of my photos from around town... my ABC's of Brattleboro (and surrounds) :)

Arts

We have numerous art galleries and on the first Friday evening of every month we have gallery walk, where the shops often have live music playing and sometimes some nice munchies too!

Antiques
Only a few places in town... but lots in the area.


Apples
Lots of orchards, cider-making, apple-cider donuts etc. Yum. This tree was in  my yard.


Alpacas
Ok.. this doesn't really symbolize the area... but every year the sugar houses open their doors to the public and one I went to last year has an Alpaca farm too. So cute.

Bikes
This town likes to bike. Every 4th of July, the kids all decorate their bikes for the parade too.

Bridges (Covered)
Our state is known for them


Books
We have at least 3 used book stores and some very nice rare book stores as well. For the last 9 years, we've also had an amazing literary festival. This year its October 1 - 3rd.

Boots
Skiing. Need I say anything more?

Bars
Some great places to chill. Good food, good wine, good beer, good friends.

Beadnicks
One of many very funky stores on Main Street. 

Churches
Lots of places to grow spiritually... whether its in one of these buildings or not.

Coffee

Cows
Every year we have a parade called Strolling of the Heifers. I know it sounds strange, but its very fun and brings people from all over. Lots of free ice cream, yogurt, and cheese samples too!

Color
Vermont is well-known for our colorful trees in autumn.

More coffee

Country stores

I'm sure there's more I could share, but I think thats plenty for now. I think you get the idea... Brattleboro is my spot.

I also wanted to include the book, The Naulahka, in this post. You can read the full thing here. I've never actually read it... but it sounds like I probably should at some point. It was written with Wolcott Balestier, Kipling's brother-in-law. I'm also including a poem written by Kipling.

To Wolcott Balestier

by Rudyard Kipling

Beyond the path of the outmost sun through utter darkness hurled --

Further than ever comet flared or vagrant star-dust swirled --

Live such as fought and sailed and ruled and loved and made our world.

They are purged of pride because they died, they know the worth of their bays,

They sit at wine with the Maidens Nine and the Gods of the Elder Days,

It is their will to serve or be still as fitteth our Father's praise.

'Tis theirs to sweep through the ringing deep where Azrael's outposts are,

Or buffet a path through the Pit's red wrath when God goes out to war,

Or hang with the reckless Seraphim on the rein of a red-maned star.

They take their mirth in the joy of the Earth --

they dare not grieve for her pain --

They know of toil and the end of toil, they know God's law is plain,

So they whistle the Devil to make them sport who know that Sin is vain.

And ofttimes cometh our wise Lord God, master of every trade,

And tells them tales of His daily toil, of Edens newly made;

And they rise to their feet as He passes by, gentlemen unafraid.

To these who are cleansed of base Desire, Sorrow and Lust and Shame --

Gods for they knew the hearts of men, men for they stooped to Fame,

Borne on the breath that men call Death, my brother's spirit came.

He scarce had need to doff his pride or slough the dross of Earth --

E'en as he trod that day to God so walked he from his birth,

In simpleness and gentleness and honour and clean mirth.

So cup to lip in fellowship they gave him welcome high

And made him place at the banquet board -- the Strong Men ranged thereby,

Who had done his work and held his peace and had no fear to die.

Beyond the loom of the last lone star, through open darkness hurled,

Further than rebel comet dared or hiving star-swarm swirled,

Sits he with those that praise our God for that they served His world.