Pictures from Vermont

I took a bunch of pictures in Vermont. Here are some favorites...



Here is a link to some of the other pictures I took...

Back

I'm back. The funerals went well. Very Episcopalian in style: elegant but simple--in very good taste. Lots of people there to remember my Aunt. Good things were said, and I could observe a noticeable shift in the feeling before and after the services that indicated, to me, that they did their jobs.

Drove back after the reception. It took about eight and a half hours. It seemed even shorter than the drive down, probably because I was by myself and could get lost in my own thoughts. Long drives like this are great for the imagination. Arrived home around 12:45 AM Sunday morning.

Slept restlessly. Church was fine. Attendance a bit low because many downtown streets were blocked for the marathon. lots of projects waiting for my attention. After the service we went to a nearby parish, St. Augustine's, to look at their chairs and the arrangement of the sanctuary furniture. the chairs are very nice. Exactly what we are looking for. More on that later.

Came home, met up with Betsy. Ate a snack, then hung out with one of our Yale friends in town for the Byzantine Studies Conference. Went to bed early.

This morning woke up and started watching DVR'd football, etc. Reheated thanksgiving leftovers and made gravy from scratch (using chicken stock) and steamed veggies for Betsy and Anna. Hard to go wrong with gravy.

Traditional Communion tomorrow. Lots of other things to tend to....

-t

Vermont

I used to come to Vermont once or twice a year. My Aunt and Uncle loved nothing more that to host us in their gorgeous home. But since I went to seminary and moved to Block Island and later New Haven the trips became less frequent. In fact, the last time I was in Stowe was about 5 years ago (for my cousin Pete's wedding). And now I've returned on the unhappy ocassion of my Aunt's death.

It's fall here--just past the peak days for seeing the leaves change colour. Most of them are falling to ground laid heavy by the cold, misty rain we've been having since before I arrived on Thursday. There are still a few trees left with pretty red and yellow canopies.

The house is as I remember it. Since I was last here my Aunt got a new, very fancy stove installed in the kitchen (she did love cooking). By the phone my mother found a file folder with her name on it. Inside were momentos and correspondence including the programs and invitations from my wedding and ordinations, along with the wedding stuff from my sisters. It shows you how she liked to keep track of stuff like that.

My Uncle is doing as well as could be expected. He misses her dearly already. His instinct is to do stuff that needs doing, so we spent some time today doing necessary errands in town. Still, the spirit in the Johnson house is subdued and overcast (like the weather). My Aunt's remains are resting in her greenhouse with a good view of the yard. We'll give her a good send-off tomorrow at the churches.

I'm traveling back to Toronto after the community service in the afternoon. It's about an eight hour drive back to the GTA--I'm looking forward to having some time alone with my thoughts.

-t

RIP Aunt Dee

We heard last night that my Aunt-Dee Johnson--passed away surrounded by her family. She had been diagnosed with cancer 7 weeks before and declined rapidly. It's disturbing how fast things can change. Life is uncertain.

I'm probably going to drive to Stowe, Vermont, for two of the funerals. She was well loved in the church and community, so we are having three worship services: two in Stowe and one in Madison, NJ, where she and my Uncle lived for many years.

My mom is with us this weekend and was planning to fly back on Tuesday, but now she may just ride with me to Stowe and get a ride from there back to NJ (where she lives). We are still figuring out the details, obviously.

Since the Stowe funeral is on Saturday, I may have to find a priest to cover for me this Sunday. I'm planning to ask Merv (the interim at COTM before I arrived). He may have another commitment, however. So I'll see what happens.

I'm sad about Aunt Dee--someone said, "She was everyone's mother." Indeed, she did overflow motherly care. She loved to cook and take care of people. I'll miss her.

-t