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Winter is officially here. Mount Snow opened for skiing & riding this weekend although conditions are less than ideal. The storm that was supposed to bring us a foot of snow wound up delivering three inches. We wish we could trade for the October storm that dumped two feet on us! Worry not however because Mount Snow does have the best snow making in the country. The snow from their fan guns is a lot closer to that which falls from the sky and they get more snow from a given amount of water (water, on the other hand, being something we have had in oversupply the past few months). They can also make snow at a slightly higher temperature than the older snowmaking tech that is used in most places although again, not a worry just now as we are in the teens every night.
We have greatly enjoyed those of our guests who came under the Living Social Package. That package has prompted us to offer Dinner to all our guests on Saturday nights. Our food can best be described as eclectic Asian home cooking. I can pretty well guarantee that you will not find it anywhere else this side of Asia:-) Chef Lee remains the food maven and as usual we continue to source everything that we can locally. We served grass feed fillet at a wedding last summer along with locally and organically grown chicken. There is a difference in taste and texture. All our wedding salads come from Lilac Ridge farms and are picked the day of the wedding. If you saw Food Inc. you caught Amanda from Lilac Ridge Farms on the big screen, she was the lady talking about Walmart. We had a Gelato Cart at two weddings last summer, locally made and really good. All our veggies and tomatoes are locally grown, the eggs get laid next door (you can hear the rooster). The maple syrup comes from our neighbor's trees and your guests can go to the source at Brattleboro Farmers Market on Saturday mornings through October.
It is a while until Spring but we can look forward to seeing the tents go up in front of the Inn and watching months of planning come to fruition when Wedding Season arrives. Moonlight in Vermont really works wonders and the views of the mountains during Summer evenings inspire guests as well as the wedding parties. It is very unusual to be able to watch the moon rise in the east then turn around and watch the sunset in the west, but it happens all the time on Cooper Hill.
Summer and Autumn will also bring golf, horseback riding, hiking and swimming in the West River. Flamingo Yoga is here again in April. Our year begins and ends with the beautiful foliage of Autumn and the snow starts the cycle again.
Wildlife update: Vermont is one of the states with the most hunters per capita and venison is still very much on the menu for many of us. We have a Youth Hunting Day in November before the season starts and this year I extended the courtesy of the property to a young man who lives in Wilmington. With his Dad's guidance he got his first deer at the age of 13. We also spotted at least three bucks on the property as well as several does and I know they will be back to sample the garden in the spring. We are still knee deep in wild turkeys. Keep an eye out for them when you are coming up Cooper Hill Road as they are not as quick to get out of the way as they might be. Lots of bear sign in the woods this past fall and in the lower part of our back yard where a youngster has been sampling the blueberries. There are several bear families in the Green Mountain National Forrest, just up the road. We heard the coyotes singing to the full moon this week. Be careful on the roads, especially at night as the shoulders are narrower than what you are used to. And don't trust your GPS too much as it doesn't show moose or deer in the road
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Friday, 23 September 2011 19:55 |
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