For the first 50 years of my life, my perfectionist self mistakenly believed it was all about knowing more, getting it right, planning, attempting to prevent bad things from happening, and keeping all of my chicks in a row. It took me this long to discover that the JOURNEY is all that matters. This quote from Gilda Radner sums it all up:

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.
"


Monday, August 27, 2012

Only in Burlington

We made a quick trip to my hometown yesterday to bring Kerry back to school at UVM.

Kerry slept almost the whole trip, clutching her pillow and her iPhone.

After moving her into her apartment in this brand new apartment building on campus,
we headed downtown for a bite to eat before heading back home.

Burlington was swamped with people since it was move-in day for UVM.
We had to park in the parking garage near Church Street.
As we parked, Kerry caught a glimpse of something new...

The alleyway from the parking garage to Church Street was covered in a gorgeous mural!

 The mural was commissioned to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Church Street Marketplace.
It depicts the history of Vermont in a very fun and entertaining way.  I could have studied it for hours!

 Local businesses are represented along with QR codes which can be scanned with your iPhone to give you information, menus, etc.

 Here is Maria Von Trapp with her guitar.

 I wish I knew who everyone was, but I could spot Bernie Sanders and Olympic skier Barbara Cochran.  THE HOT DOG LADY even made in onto the mural - she's the white haired lady with the pink jacket standing next to Senator Patrick Leahy!







There are going to be maps with keys to who everyone is - I can't wait to see one!

For those of you who grew up in Burlington  and now live elsewhere, here is a news report on the mural.  I think you'll find it interesting!

http://www.wcax.com/story/19277268/new-mural-paints-a-picture-of-burlingtons-history

This is a fun picture of Vance and Kerry walking down the alleyway into the sun.

So,  next we sat down to eat outside at the Asiana Noodle Shop.


 We all had extremely good meals (teriyaki chicken and rice).


As we ate, we were entertained first by this old man with his guitar...

He was missing a few teeth, but he was playing his heart out for the little boy (far left).  I think he was scaring him a little, as the boy's father (the shirtless man with the tattoo of a monkey riding a bike on his back) looked on!

Then, a few minutes later, another group set up next to us.  A shirtless man with a vest playing guitar while a girl (woman?) with green hair adorned by a large gold bow, andgold hi-top sneakers played accordian.  They both sang!  Such a treat!

Only in Burlington!

As we walked back to our car, we spotted my Uncle Jack's car and went over to say hello to him and my Aunt Connie.  It was good to see them!

 It was getting late and we had a long trip home, so we brought Kerry back to her apartment and said good-bye.


There she is, waiting for the elevator to take her up to the 5th floor.
I still feel sad whenever I drop her off.  I already miss her!

But I look forward to many trips this year to visit her and Adam, watch her play softball, and parent's weekend in October.

It gives me a reason to go home again.

1 comment:

  1. Gayle - thanks for sharing your photos. I work right in downtown Burlington but don't often get off the path from home to work and back again. We are sometimes so busy that we don't see what is right around us. I will definitely take a walk at lunch to check our the mural! I always enjoy the sights on Church Street. I need to make more time to enjoy all that Burlington has to offer.

    ReplyDelete