Happy Belated New Year

I seem to have misplaced the cable that connects my camera to my computer, so this will have to be a photo-less recounting of the my New Year's celebration. My friend Andy Peach generously invited Neilson and I along with a few other friends to his lovely new home in Vermont. We took the train up to New Haven in order to rent a car, thus avoiding the exorbinate NYC rates (over $100 a day for an economy!). Our drive was leisurely, and instead of grabbing some junky food on the road we stopped off in Northampton for some surprisingly good Mexican food. Then we arrived in VT. It turned out everyone but Neilson was in some stage of sickness-coming down with a cold, in the throes of one, or just recovering. (I myself had a hacking cough--very attractive.) So it was a pretty mellow weekend. Around seven, we headed down toRowell's Inn , where many of the locals were gathering. The owners had comfy couches and a very extensive hot sauce collection. We sampled Trout River Beer, which had a very groovy, very Vermont label and a nice hoppy taste. Then it was back to the house, for Andy's delicious cassoulet, apple tart, and champagne. I hit the sack soon after midnight, although, as my nickname among my friends from college is narcoleptic Kate, my effort to stay up until 12 was appreciated. The next day was full of more lying around and eating, starting with bacon, eggs, and Moravian sugar cake, imported by John Thomas from North Carolina. We later took a drive out to the Grafton Village Cheese Company. For the end of the day, we took in King Kong, which was the great cinematic adventure I had hoped for. Poor Kong! The showing of the movie had an interesting twist. Just as Kong picked up the fair maiden for the first time, the movie broke for an intermission. For ten minutes we watched a documentary on the Tyrolian Paradise from the 50s or early 60s, including a discussion of the wonders of "Bovine Passivity." Then back to the action. The final day of our trip included more bacon and sugar cake, then a drive back to New Haven. It was a great weekend, althoug the next time I go to Vermont, I hope to be healthy enough to participate in some outdoor activities.