Morning seemed to come early, and we had a ferry to catch. It didn't take us too long to get organized, and we were soon heading down the road leaving Elf Farm Vineyard behind us. The road to the ferry was almost deserted as we rolled down the hill to the toll gate. A charming lady in the booth took our $21 and we moved slowly in behind a truck queued up to board the ferry. The ferry was the 'Plattsburgh' which makes trips between Plattsburgh, NY and Grand Isle, VT.
We counted three ferries running this route as we made the crossing. They seem to be leaving every 15 or 20 minutes, what a fun way to go. The weather was perfect as we stood on the deck watching the scenery and other boats go by. As we approached the other side we hopped back into the RV and simply drove off once the ramp was lowered and in place. The island was beautiful with the trees in full color as we motored through the countryside and the town of South Hero.
We crossed the causeway from Grand Isle to the mainland and were soon back on a major interstate, Route 89. Since we left 'before breakfast, we stopped in the town of Colchester, VT at the Athens Diner. Breakfast at the diner was tasty and the service was fantastic. The diner was one of those fabulous classic neighborhood spots with good food, reasonable prices and friendly staff. This was the start of a fine day in Vermont.
Our destination for the day was the Isham Family Farm in Williston, Vermont and the Reunion of rescued dogs from the Vermont English Bulldog Rescue. The rescue is run by a lady named Dawna who is very passionate about rescuing and placing dogs in good homes. This is where we got our little Harper from back in January. When we adopted Harper she was then named Batty. We thought the name Harper was a bit more fitting for our little pup. The ride to the farm was enjoyable as after we left the diner, it was all back roads to the farm and the Vermont autumn was spectacular. The event was to start at 11:00 that Saturday morning and we rolled in just about that time, parking the Doodle in a large field.
A call to the farm a few weeks earlier secured permission to spend an overnight in the parking area. Finding good camping spots at the peak of fall foliage in Vermont can sometimes be problematic, especially on the weekend. I had spoken with Mike and he said there would be no problem at all and the the farm had plenty of room. The field where everyone was parking was huge. Finding a flat and level place to park was no problem, however we did find out that there was a wedding to be held there later that evening. I moved the Doodle to a place a bit further down the field so the wedding party could park closer to the barns.
We had the good fortune to meet Mr. and Mrs. Isham, Mike's parents, who were the third generation on this farm. The husband (sorry I don't remember his name) said that they were sleeping in the the same bedroom that he had as a child. His great-great-grandfather settled here in the late 19th century around 1870, if I remember correctly. Mike, his son, runs the farm these days and they have expanded to providing a venue for events as well as having a Christmas tree farm across the street and pumpkin patches along with the regular farm. The rescue reunion got off to a good start and we were surprised to meet so many of the volunteers who remembered Batty (Harper).
She became the center of attention where ever we walked. Pizza, ice cream and cookies were all laid out on long tables in the main barn, a fire truck showed up for kids to climb on, and a police officer was there with his K-9 to talk about the training that police dogs go through. Chad, one of the volunteers was so very delighted to see little Harper, as he said she was always his favorite and that he would make special visits just to see her. Dawna and her rescue brings dogs up from San Antonio, Texas, these dogs are from 'high kill facilities', and she finds homes for them. She said that this past year she placed over 200 dogs into homes. It is so very fortunate that we got little Harper, she brings such joy to our lives. Later in the afternoon Carol and were interviewed by Erin Brown of the local television station WCAX, a CBS affiliate, although Harper was the star of the interview. The day ended with a doggie Halloween costume contest and Harper took third place as a little devil, monster thing..
After a lot of socializing Carol, Harper and I headed out for a walk along a farm lane up to the top of a hill with a great view. The trees were in full color and pumpkins lay ripening in the field a beautiful fall day. After our walk we headed back to the Doodle to fix some supper and watch the sunset as the wedding party gathered.
We found that the tv interview would be 'on after the game' - being a Saturday it was college football day - so we got comfy in bed with Harper who snuggled down in-between us as we watched football until the local news came on. We were very excited to see if we made the cut, we did! Harper was indeed the star of the show, not that we are biased or anything. What a wonderful day it turned out to be.
Below are a few more photos from the day.
