Where inspiration comes from–Burlington, VT!

Everyday that passes by I feel a sense of appreciation for where I live. When I was house hunting this past summer my primary goal was to get me and my husband a home walking distance from the bike path and the beach. I looked at about 30 homes and finally found our dream place–a cute cape five minutes away from the beach and the bike path. I try to go to the lake everyday and experience Champlain’s every mood. This particular October day was glorious and warm. I went out on my bike with the intention of documenting the landscape in order to persuade a friend of mine who resides in England to come for a visit. Most of my friends, including my friend from England, find Vermont to be breathtaking, but often wonder how anyone could reside in a place where only about 600,000 people live in the entire state. But I love that aspect of Vermont; and I find Burlington to be the perfectly populated city. In fact, at times, a colleague and I jokingly complain about how Burlington can sometimes feel like LA (not that I’ve ever been there). It’s a ridiculous comparison, but there it is. Living in Vermont has kind of altered my perception of city life. The absence (or minimal exposure) of traffic, smog, crimes and sprawl makes me a little more intolerant to real metropolitan areas such as NYC or Philadelphia. It also makes me thankful to live up here. Of course, not everyone who lives in Vermont is intolerant of concrete jungles. I certainly appreciate traveling to large cities and experiencing the hustle and bustle of these places. But I am always glad to return home to Vermont–especially Burlington. Here is where I plan to spend my life. There is no other place that I would rather be.