Pond Mountain Inn February Newsletter Happy Valentine's Day! Our Website • Guest Rooms • Experiences • Winter Packages  We've been spending more time exploring Middlebury in recent months, which is the early focus of this month's newsletter. And, we’ve provided you with other interesting places to visit. We’ve freshened up our presentation this month – we hope you like the subtle changes!

Middlebury College Museum of Art • Middlebury, Vermont *** Norman Rockwell’s 1946, Willie Gillis in College , on extended loan to the museum, features a student in his Middlebury College dorm room; and yes, that's the chapel through the window! Funny story… Rockwell met the model for Willie Gillis at a square dance in Arlington, Vermont; where Norman Rockwell lived for fifteen years. Arlington is just thirty minutes south of the inn. Also, read our Covered Bridges Blog that includes Rockwell’s home and picturesque views from his home.

Middlebury College Field House *** We missed a sporting extravaganza last Saturday at the Field House . Middlebury College hosted Women’s Hockey, Men’s Hockey, Men’s Squash and Men’s Basketball – all under one roof and free admission. A great way to spend an indoor afternoon – and, if you’re really motivated, leave shortly before five o’clock, grab an early dinner and return in time for Men’s Hockey at 7:00PM!

New Bedford Whaling Museum New Bedford, Massachusetts *** Spending Super Bowl Weekend with friends in Rhode Island was spectacular. The New Bedford Whaling Museum is one of the finest and most interesting museums in New England – we spent hours there! The five massive whale skeletons dwarf in comparison to depth and breadth of the entire museum. And, their website is unparalleled!  New Bedford, Massachusetts was the world’s center of whaling. At its peak in the 1840s more than half of all whaling ships sailing the world’s oceans called New Bedford their home port.

Inside The New Bedford Whaling Museum *** The museum entrance opens into this magnificent hall! These whales died in accidents and were donated to the Whaling Museum. (L_R) highly endangered North Atlantic Right Whale and her unborn calf; rare 66-foot (20.02m) juvenile Blue Whale; 37-foot (11.3m), male Humpback. Photo and Content Courtesy New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Blue Whale Heart • Early Primative Scrimshaw  *** Kay is standing next to a life-sized model of the heart of an adult blue whale – it's a 1,000 pounds! Blue whales are the largest animals living today and the largest ever to live in the ocean. And, February is American Heart Month! The New Bedford Whaling Museum holds the world’s largest and most comprehensive scrimshaw collection. Don’t miss the 31 st Annual Scrimshaw Weekend in May. Click on the photo for more details.

Siena Restaurant & Pastiche Fine Desserts Federal Hill • Providence, Rhode Island *** Our first time to Providence’s historic Federal Hill and starved for Italian food, we begun on Atwells Avenue where we dined at Siena Restaurant – extraordinary Tuscan cuisine and the Gnocchi al Forno & Frutti di Mare special were weekend highlights!     We skipped dessert at dinner like so many others and stopped into Pastiche to indulge – a perfect way to complete the evening. Espressos for all and I had the carrot cake – unbelievable! Two days later we returned to Federal Hill, this time to Venda Ravioli an incredible Italian food emporium and filled up on cured meats, olives, cheeses and so much more, but my favorite was the Ricotta Cookies . Next time we're bringing larger bags!

Grand Central Station • New York City *** We enjoyed a mid-week getaway to the city on Amtrak – an easy trip from Pond Mountain Inn. Arriving and departing from Penn Station we began our visit by enjoying a dozen oysters at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central after a brisk 18 minute walk from Penn Station.

Hudson River View *** Mid-week travel along the Hudson River on Amtrak from Albany-Rensselaer was beautiful and must be magnificent in the fall! Just over two and a half hours we enjoyed the solitude of a near-empty carriage, scenic river views, and a well-packed lunch made the journey quite nice.

What's a Cape Cod Lighter? *** Beneath the fireplace grate you’ll see a short rod with a ceramic ball attached to the rod-end. That’s the Cape Cod Lighter ! However, there’s more… very popular in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries these lighters are ingenious requiring no kindling whatsoever to build a fire.   Prior to starting your fire the Cape Cod lighter sits patiently in a pitcher of lamp oil or kerosene. The porous ceramic end of the rod absorbs the oil until ready for use. Once you have assembled the wood in the fireplace, you remove the lighter from the pitcher, light the soaked ceramic ball and place it under the wood pile. Within minutes you’ll have an impressive conflagration!

Our Vermont Winter Plans *** Skiing Distances from Pond Mountain Inn Bromley Mountain Ski Resort • 48 Minutes / 29 Miles (Southeast) Stratton Mountain • 1 Hour / 38 Miles (Southeast) Okemo Mountain Resort • 1 Hour / 40 Miles (East) Pico Mountain • 1 Hour / 42 Miles (Northeast) Killington Resort • 1.1 Hours / 48 Miles (Northeast) Cross Country Skiing Southern Vermont Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home • 35 Minutes / 25 Miles (South) Wild Wing's Ski Touring Center • 50 Minutes / 34 Miles (Southeast) Harris Hill Ski Jump and Fred Harris Memorial Tournament February 16 &17 • Brattleboro, Vermont  Watch ski jumpers up close as they launch and soar more than 300 feet at speeds up to 60 mph! Top jumpers from around the world compete on New England's only Olympic-size 90-meter h ill. Ten of us are going Saturday followed by dinner in Manchester! Vermont Maple Festival April 26-28, 2019   This State-Wide Three-Day Festival held annually takes place on the last weekend in April that celebrates all things maple! We offer private Maple sugarhouses tours, enjoy homemade Maple donuts, Maple Syrup tastings, exhibits, and more as Vermont comes together to celebrate our love of Maple Syrup. More in our next newsletter!

You Don't Need More Vacation Days – You Just Need Better Ones!   All our best, Kay and Glenn

Telephone: 802.325.2829

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A Bed and Breakfast where you'll discover the true meaning of "Welcome Home!"