I’m sitting on the stoop in front of my room at the Brandon Motor Lodge in Brandon, Vermont. It’s an old school place that a lot of people I know would never stop at. And that’s a shame.
Because I watched the sun rise over the mountains across the street, followed by a gentle rain. Now the mist hangs over trees in one of the most beautiful displays I’ve ever seen.
Off to my left is a group of 20 or so chickens - part of the menagerie of animals owned by the family that owns this place. An incredibly interesting couple who home school their three kids. I talked to them while sharing a homemade blueberry muffin this morning in the common room.
In the room next door to us is a gentleman (and his dog Sally) who spend the summer here to get away from the heat of their native New Orleans.
We ate at the Country Kitchen last night. The owner, who was also our waitress, gave us the story behind her mac and cheese recipe.
I relate all this to let you know that America is still really good. It’s beautiful. And there are a lot of really decent, interesting people all over. We (I) sometimes get too focused on stuff that just doesn’t matter.
I recommend you try a road trip sometime. If you have kids, they’ll learn patience and compromise and how to entertain themselves in ways that will surprise you. This is our third summer doing it, and I wouldn’t trade the experiences for anything. We’ve done fancier - and perhaps more Insta-enviable trips - but nothing compares to finding surprises along a beautiful two lane road through the mountains on the way to somewhere you don’t have to hurry to get to.
Speaking of impatience - I’ve got to run. The hotel dog Charlie requires my presence to throw the tennis ball 20 more times.