Today, Sunday, began under cloudy skies that appeared to be threatening rain.  Since no administrative offices were open to help us with research info and questions, we spent the day visiting tourist attractions.

Our first stop was Stowe, Vermont, home of the Austrian-style mountain lodge built and originally occupied by the von Trapp family portrayed in the movie “The Sound of Music.”  Not much fanfare, just the lodge (now extensively renovated, modified and expanded) and some adjacent time-share apartment buildings.  But our short visit allowed us to walk where that famous family once did, to view some historic photos, to walk the beautifully manicured grounds, and to get some great photos of the surrounding scenery.  The leaves on some trees are beginning to turn color, and the rambling tree-covered hills in the distance were impressive.  There are trees, trees, and more trees every where we looked.  On the way down the mountain, we took a drive through the Stowe area (famous for its skiing facilities), and then stopped in town for another picnic lunch.  Found a nice little area adjacent to the highway, but separated by a thick, high hedge, and one lone, rickity picnic table.

Our next stop was the production factory of the world famous Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.  They must be on vacation following an ice cream filled summer, because their production line is closed until Oct. 6.  They produce 250,000 pints of ice cream a day when the plant is operating.  But not all was lost because we were able to partake of a guided tour of the factory, at the end of which we got a free scoop of the flavor of the day, Triple Caramel Chunk.  Mmmmm, delicious!

Since it was Sunday, we decided we should do something serious, so we then drove to southern Vermont, near Sharon, where there’s a memorial commemorating and marking the birth place of Joseph Smith.  It’s a really serene setting.  The 100-ton marble monument (the main column is 42 feet tall) sits atop a low sloping hill surrounded by woods.  We stopped in the Visitor Center and got the “official word” on the memorial, etc., from a missionary couple from Idaho.  It was an interesting hour or so.  Mom quipped that others visit Church historical sites like Palmyra, Nauvoo, etc., but we visit southern Vermont!

No other stops on our way back to “nostalgia,” so we decided to seek a light dinner @ a nearby TGI Friday’s and then called it a day.

Back to genealogy research tomorrow if we can locate the appropriate offices where we can ask questions and, hopefully, view some records.