[LisaMc46]

Even though I've lived here for eight years, I'm still awestruck by the views. I wake up in the morning and look out my window and I see an open field with a mountain looming behind it. I eat breakfast and see an even bigger mountain out my dining room window along with birds and an occassional deer.

On my drive to work I see working farms, forests, cows, horses and Mt. Mansfield (I can see the ski trails there during the winter months).

When I lived in N.J. I'd look out my window and see my neighbor's house just a few feet away. On my way to work I'd see bumper-to-bumber traffic, ugly billboards, old factories and cookie-cutter townhome developments.

So despite my occassional rants about the state of the economy around here, I think it would be difficult to find a place with so much natural beauty outside my window. It really cheers me up when I'm feeling discouraged about the more difficult aspects of living in Vermont.

[ex-springfielder]

vermont #1 in breweries per capita , what more can you ask for!

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by ex-springfielder

vermont #1 in breweries per capita , what more can you ask for!

Is it really? I love VT's microbrews.

[chaz longue]

Originally Posted by LisaMc46

Even though I've lived here for eight years, I'm still awestruck by the views. I wake up in the morning and look out my window and I see an open field with a mountain looming behind it. I eat breakfast and see an even bigger mountain out my dining room window along with birds and an occassional deer.

On my drive to work I see working farms, forests, cows, horses and Mt. Mansfield (I can see the ski trails there during the winter months).

When I lived in N.J. I'd look out my window and see my neighbor's house just a few feet away. On my way to work I'd see bumper-to-bumber traffic, ugly billboards, old factories and cookie-cutter townhome developments.

So despite my occassional rants about the state of the economy around here, I think it would be difficult to find a place with so much natural beauty outside my window. It really cheers me up when I'm feeling discouraged about the more difficult aspects of living in Vermont.

Billboards...I forgot Billboards...did I mention that we don't allow 'em here? That belongs on the list...Thanks for reminding us, Lisa!

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by chaz longue

Billboards...I forgot Billboards...did I mention that we don't allow 'em here? That belongs on the list...Thanks for reminding us, Lisa!

Yes, I noticed that when I was up in Burlington early last week, really liked that! I should've remembered that, back when I lived in the Albany, NY area for a few years in the late 80's I'd visit the Bennington area often and this struck me then! Glad to see they didn't get rid of this.....

[GypsySoul22]

Speak of billboards, yeah, they are damn ugly. I just got back from a trip from southern NY and that trip on I-95 North all you see in Connecticut are stupid billboards for "Geico" (with that dopey money 'puppet'), billboards about 'perverted services' (Plan your own stimulus package...bleh), and McDonald's...now I see them and notice they are awful.

Get on 91 in VT and all you see is the wonderfully beautiful view.
The roads are CLEAN. The welcome center in Guilford is 'so Vermonty' you want to cry...it's like "Welcome Home.'

That last 1.2 hours is a pleasant drive up 91...
Even in streaming rain.

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

Speak of billboards, yeah, they are damn ugly. I just got back from a trip from southern NY and that trip on I-95 North all you see in Connecticut are stupid billboards for "Geico" (with that dopey money 'puppet'), billboards about 'perverted services' (Plan your own stimulus package...bleh), and McDonald's...now I see them and notice they are awful.

Get on 91 in VT and all you see is the wonderfully beautiful view.
The roads are CLEAN. The welcome center in Guilford is 'so Vermonty' you want to cry...it's like "Welcome Home.'

That last 1.2 hours is a pleasant drive up 91...
Even in streaming rain.

Going up I went I-87 to US 4 and felt the same way about the Welcome Center near Fair Haven I stopped at.....the woman manning the place right away said "hi" and struck up a conversation and the whole place felt very homey (and the free wi-fi was quite convenient).

Went back home your way you describe (89 to 91 to 95), one interesting thing I notice is it took a few miles in MA before I saw the billboards again. Somehow I thought they'd be screaming the minute I crossed the border :-)

[happeemommee]

There were so many wonderful things mentioned in this thread. It truly seems like VT could be home to me.The shared values, way of life, sense of community and the easy access to a "greener" life, only to name a few. But I have to tell you that when I read the post about no billboards I wanted to jump up and down! That is just absolutely wonderful!!

[chaz longue]

...and speaking of billboards:


I took (yet another) 7 hour continuing education course toward renewing my license last week.

The presenter was a very nice guy from the greater Boston who had all sorts of interesting observations and direction about conducting mediation proceedings, hearing formal complaints, "procuring cause" and the like. But he kept referring to a member of the public seeing a rider on a real estate yard sign saying "sold" or "under agreement" or some such... Finally, after the polite rustling in the audience became too hard to ignore, he asked what was the problem... I told him we don't put "sold" on signs here, because it violates the same laws which keep billboards off the highway (The explanation didn't make much sense to him, either...don't feel bad)... But he said he sure liked the pretty drive up here from Boston to teach. He took me aside at the lunch break and asked me about dual agency. "Nope", I said - we don't do that either. We represent one party or the other. He allowed as how the case study he'd prepared for after lunch wasn't going to be of any use then. I said (in my best Yankee drawl)..."yup".

After the course, one of my broker friends said that if people would just follow the golden rule, everything would work out fine. I said "yup". Then something to the effect that if all the people I dealt with were as straightforward as he was, it would be easier, too. Then it was his turn to say "yup".

We're not all just a bunch of rustics here. But when the folks from Boston come up for the trainings and such, we do our best.

And the view from the car window is pretty nice.

[GregW]

Great views, great people, great beer. What more do you want?