We spent a memorable Memorial Day Weekend with Andrea, Keith, Bennett, and Leah Card, exploring some of our favorite Vermont haunts and discovering some new ones . . .
On Saturday, we made a pilgrimage to St. Anne's Shrine on a small island in Lake Champlain. The shrine was funky and interesting, and the grounds were simply lovely. The kids had a wonderful time playing in the lake and proving -- yet again -- that children only really need rocks, sticks, and a body of water to have a rousing good time. 
Sunday we went to church then out to Allis State Park -- about ten minutes from our house -- for a barbecue and a hike. It turns out Lucy is an intrepid hiker! She did get a little tired toward the end, but then she found a magic walking stick that would lose all its powers if you stopped but would recharge if you went really fast. Gavin and Bennett -- with shorter legs and less imagination -- rode on their dads a lot of the way, but we all still had fun.
On Memorial Day we went down to the Queechee Gorge and walked up to the waterfall, then stopped at a place with a carousel and train. It's the same train as Hogle Zoo! Though without the buffalo and cheesy western kitsch that makes the Hogle Zoo train so fun. I was tempted to ask if I could drive, just for old time's sake, but resisted the urge.
We wrapped up the weekend the same way we started it: with a pilgrimage. A Mormon pilgrimage this time. We went down to Whitingham to visit Brigham Young's birthplace. There's a granite monument in the outfield of a baseball diamond, dedicated in 1950 by George Albert Smith, but the best was a small marker placed by somebody at the site of the farm where he was born, praising his "courage and superb equipment." You really gotta give old Brig credit for his superb equipment. 
The best part of the weekend -- other than getting to have fun adventures with good friends -- is that Gavin decided he wanted to wear big-boy underwear just like Bennett. He now insists on wearing his superhero unders all the time (backward, of course, so he can see the superheroes printed on them). He has been clean and dry -- even overnight! -- since Sunday. Thanks, Bennett!
