Bennington, VT

Bennington town offices

As most of you know, I'm working at a newspaper called the Bennington Banner in Bennington, Vermont. I started about two weeks ago, and I've been getting used to the town, the job, etc. The day I arrived in town it was unseasonably warm for December - about 60-degrees. I had a nice dinner (and a few beers) at the local brewery and started to walk home when a huge storm hit town! The wind started howling at 40 mph and the rain was coming down to hard I couldn't help but get soaked. I had my umbrella, but the rain was coming down horizontally and my umbrella kept flipping inside out. So, when I got home I was completely soaked from the waist down. Since then, we've had snow, rain and a few really nice sunny days.

Bennington Battle Monument

Bennington was chartered in 1749, and is located in the southwestern corner of the state. It's located right next to the Green Mountain National Forest, and the area is very beautiful. Ariane came down to visit the first weekend I was here, and we checked out the Bennington Battle Monument. It was built in the 1880s and is dedicated to the famous Battle of Bennington, which took place in 1777 during the Revolutionary War. The statue is of John Stark, who led the colonists against the British and defeated them, turning the tide of the war. There's a quote from Stark by the statue saying something like ... "Today we will win this battle, or Ms. Stark will be a widow tomorrow." Kind of depressing, eh?

Bennington Battle Monument

The tower opened to the public in 1891 and is 306-feet tall. There's an elevator that goes to the top, and from the observatory deck you can see parts of Vermont, New York and Massachusetts - the state lines are all within a few miles of Bennington.

Bennington Cathedral

For such a small town (about 15,000) Bennington has lots of neat, old buildings. This cathedral is located in the downtown area, and the first church service was held in the building on Easter Sunday in 1892. Old pictures show a huge spire coming off the bell tower, but heavy winds made it sway and it caused a safety threat. It was removed in 1920.

Ariane in a New York City cafe

Now, many of you have been writing to me saying things like ... "Why haven't you put up a picture of Ariane yet?" I talked with her about it, and she had to approve the pictures - so here it is. This is one of my favorites of her - it's from our trip to New York City. We're in a cafe in Greenwich Village, getting ready to check out the city.

Christmas tree decorating in Montreal

Chandre and I went up to Montreal last weekend and decorated the Christmas tree up there. It was a huge 10-foot tree and it was fun to decorate it with Chandre. Ariane is on the left in this picture, and her sister Elsa is on the right. The tree turned out really nice, but the cheap stand broke and the tree almost came crashing down. We got it fixed though, and as far as I know, the tree is still standing.

Christmas tree decorating in Montreal

Here's another picture from the tree decorating last weekend. Ariane is coming down on Friday and we're headed to Connecticut this weekend to have Christmas with Chandre. Chandre and Stephanie are going to Utah for Christmas to spend time with Steph's mom. I will head up to Montreal and spend Christmas with Ariane and her family. Should be fun. I wish everybody a nice holiday, and keep in touch!