Meandering southeast on route 4

(I have more pictures for this post, but Blogger isn't letting me upload them right now. Will have to do it later...)

My trip home yesterday from Killington took me about 6 hours instead of the 2 3/4 hours it took driving north. That's because I stopped to wander through charming villages and take pictures of spectacular vistas.

My first stop was a gift shop about 5 minutes from the inn where I'd stayed. It had 6 large rooms crammed with beautiful things for the home...beautiful paintings, inspiring books, lovely pillows, and other works of art. Everywhere I looked was something I wanted for my home. I found several good Christmas presents here, too.

Next, I spent an hour or more walking the streets of Woodstock, one of the prettiest towns I've driven through in Vermont. I mostly window shopped here, enjoying the beautiful fall decorations in window boxes and at doorsteps.

My next shop stop was in Queechee at the Simon Pierce glass blowing and pottery showrooms. I had a student who used to work here as a display designer. He was so good they sent him to work in their 5th Avenue shop in New York City! This, at age 17 and 18, with no formal training, just a good artist's eye.

Last stop was at a country store I've visited many times before and found fun things for myself and others. This time I found a doll carrying a book bag with a history book and Little Women in it. How could I pass that up?!

In between shopping stops, there were a few interesting roadside sites, like hay bale bears and carved-from-stump bears, and pumpkin and gourd towers and dragons and giant lawn chairs. There are a lot of creative people out there!