This year's big vacation (July 23-28) was to Boston, Kennebunkport and Vermont. We flew to Boston and had dinner at the Union Oyster House near Quincy Market. It is the oldest restaurant in continuous operation in the United States. The next morning we rented a spiffy Mustang and drove up I-95 to Kennebunkport, Maine. This postcard village, oft visited by the Bush family, was straight out of a movie set. Shortly after arriving at our bed and breakfast, we walked around the town then drove to the beach.

The following day we traveled west through the southwest tip of Maine, through southern New Hampshire, then diagonally through Vermont on our way to Burlington. That evening we met Brad's brother and family, an uncle and cousin (plus some second cousins) for dinner. The next day we went to the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory to have a couple bears made and go on the factory tour. Afterwards, we drove to Waterbury to meet friends at the Ben & Jerry's factory. We left Waturbury and headed north to see Stowe, Mt. Mansfield and our friend Marne's home.

On our way out of Burlington the next day, we walked along the shore of Lake Champlain and visited the massive Shelburne Museum. Afterward, we drove south to Manchester. This town has several factory outlet stores, so it was loaded with tourists. It also has numerous beautiful houses and buildings that typify New England architecture.

Our final leg of the trip was a mad dash from Manchester to Boston, with several stops at craft stores thrown in. We were able to check off two items from the Vermont tourist list: maple sugar and covered bridges. We also saw many red barns and towering white steeples throughout the trip. Plus, the green landscape ...