Find This Place -- Northeast

Somewhere in western Massachusetts, close by to the post below (that was a hint) is a great place to tire out the kids, and shoot panorama photos of three states.
As always, If you email me with the location of this mystery spot, I'll send you a custom FamilyRoadTrippers barf bag!

Bridge of Flowers -- Shelburne Falls, Mass

An abandoned street trolley bridge transformed into a Footbridge for your senses.



On a trip between Brattleboro, VT and home, I had an extra hour or so to kill, so I followed the sign I've been wondering about for so long: "Bridge of Flowers Next Right." This time I bit: the light was going to be good, and I had a camera with me, so I took the exit to Shelburne Falls.

One problem, which I suppose is understandable: No Dogs. This is a sensitive topic with me because we just added a new puppy to the family roadtrippers (her name is Moxie).

It's not a long walk -- 400 feet -- so it wouldn't be that great for dogs, it's mostly a nice place to stroll with an ice cream cone after dinner. And there happens to be a nice little tavern with a porch overlooking the bridge. And I saw people walking around with ice cream, so I suspect there's an ice cream store there as well.

The Shelburne Falls Women's Club tends more than 400 species of flowers, shrubs, and vines on the bridge which blooms early spring through late fall. The trolley ran twenty years over this bridge before closing in 1928. The following year it was converted into the bridge of flowers. Don't forget to leave a donation in the can at either end of the bridge.

Our New Puppy Road Tripper!

To answer the question posed in the long-standing previous post, to dog, or not to dog?

The answer, is To Dog!

Meet the new puppy roadtripper (name narrowed, but not chosen).



We're leaning towards Daisy, Zelda, Moxie, Smarty Jones, and Lucy.
What do you think?

UPDATE:
Moxie won out.
She's been one on the greatest dogs we've ever had. An instant classic.

To Dog or Not to Dog?

The following email came to me while I was at work the other day. It was from Tinsley. To put it in context, I should say that we've been contemplating getting a dog. It's been almost three years since Wookie died and we feel like it may be time to fill her shoes, so to speak.

It just occurred why I need us to have a dog.
I have wondered much why I would want an additional source of chaos, feces, noise,
debris, etc... because that really does not make sense. However,

I just put both our kids down for an enforced nap at 11:30. They both totally hate me right now
and are drowsily plotting their next move. I can hear one of them rustling ominously this very moment.

But a dog NEVER does that. Not even terriers. (Cats might.)
A dog's only agenda is love, and maybe stick. And food, but let's face it, compared to being shrieked
at over peanut butter & jelly vs. peanut butter & honey, dogs culinary needs are pretty easy to handle.

Kids make you constantly aware of what a [beep] you are.
I don't even have to compare dogs to that. You know.

Selfish? Maybe.
Balm for the soul? Absolutely.

So I just had to sit here and tell you.

And they lick everything but a few veggies off the floor.

god bless dogs.

Amen.

Eugene Slug Queen Update

Our roving Oregon reporter, Constance Van Flandern, has updated us with the details of this year's Slug Queen Festival. At the time of her previous post, the details of the coronation hadn't been smoothed out, shall we say. The Festival begins in a little over a couple of weeks on Aug 15, but

"Don't worry if you can't make it to Eugene until after Labor Day--you'll be just in time for the new Slug Queen Art Salon opening reception at the New Zone Gallery (164 West Broadway), August 15th, 2008 at 5pm. There will be live music, art, an d activities for the kids"

Thanks, Constance