Snowy Vermont

I hadn't been to Vermont since Liz's wedding, 5 years ago. Since there's...um...nothing in Cambridge, NY, where my grandmother's funeral was held, we all stayed in the teeming metropolis that is  Bennington, VT. Bennington's claim to fame is an extremely tall obelisk on the top of the tallest hill to commemorate the Battle of Bennington, which for reasons known only to itself was not actually fought in Bennington. Silly Vermonters. It wasn't even in Vermont - it was in New York! (Granted, only 10 miles away, but still.)

Anyway, Vermont's wintry weather obliged with a very pretty dusting of snow:

Here I am, pointing at the British, I think. At least, that's what the tall statue-dude (General John Stark, apparently) was doing.

And then we found a snowy, covered bridge. Since we were in Vermont, after all.

And then, the following morning, we had absolutely pristine and perfect New England scenes. The monastery (at the top of a very long and extremely steep driveway/road) was serene and beautiful.

Even the birdhouse had snow.

Before the service, we found my grandfather's grave.

My grandparents were very involved with the Monks of New Skete (monks have websites, too!) in their original location in New Canaan, CT, near my grandparents' house, and stayed in close contact with the brothers throughout their lives. The brothers and other members of the New Skete community were extremely welcoming and kind, and included us in their Sunday mass, as well as a short service afterwards. It was perfect, and Grandma would have loved it.