Visiting Pres. Coolidge's hometown

Plymouth Notch is a very small town nestled in the quiet Vermont

countryside and is now a Vermont State Historic Site and the entire settlement is a Historic District. There is a Coolidge Museum & Education Center plus a restaurant, general store, a few other buildings, and an operative cheese factory. The village is virtually unchanged since the time when Coolidge lived there. Even though he spent most of his adult life elsewhere he often returned to the old homestead and never lost his fondness for Vermont and its people.

In the Museum Center we learn more about the life and times of Coolidge through interactive displays that personalize him for us.  A spry 80-year-old docent, Bill Tenney, gave us a guided walking tour of the village. Coolidge became president upon the death of Warren G. Harding, who died suddenly in 1923.  Coolidge took the oath of the office of president in the parlor of his

boyhood home by his father who was a Justice of the Peace. After officially becoming president he is reported to say, “Guess we

better have a drink.” With his wife, father and a few others they went across the street to Florence Cilley’s General Store where they toasted the occasion with Moxie. Moxie is a one of the first mass-produced soft drinks. It is not as sweet as modern soft drinks and it is still sold in the General Store. The store was built by Coolidge’s father and was in the Coolidge family until 1917. The post office was in a former carriage house

attached to the general store and was operational until 1917. Coolidge worked there at the general store and later became a partner in the business. As a boy Coolidge had regular chores such as filling the wood box and caring for the animals. During

that time families had a variety of enterprises to support themselves. The Coolidge family was no exception, besides the General Store, post office, and a small farm, the Plymouth Cheese Factory was founded by the Coolidge family. It was a way to handle the milk produced by the local farmers. On the second floor an exhibit details the story of cheese making in Vermont.

Historians have not always been kind to Coolidge but I love some of his quotes. “No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.” “Don’t expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong.” A plaque in the museum that has part of one of his famous sayings, “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.”  Coolidge was dubbed “Silent Cal.” His terseness became legendary. One contemporary quipped, “He can be silent in five languages.” My favorite tells of a young lady who told the president that she had bet a friend she could make him say more than two words. His response, “You lose.” Coolidge, commenting on his quiet nature said, “I have never been hurt by anything I didn’t say.” He is buried nearby in the local cemetery with other family members. No big

elaborate tomb for a president who was considered frugal.

I developed an appreciation for Coolidge’s dry Yankee wit and frugality. The journalist, Walter Lippmann, said the political genius of President Coolidge was his talent for effectively doing nothing. What would he think of today’s government?

Visit Stoweflake Resort in Stowe

It has been years since John and I have been to Vermont so it was time to return.  We had never been to Stowe and always thought it was a solely a ski destination. That is not the case.  In fact, Chuck Baraw, the owner of Stoweflake Resort said that the 80% of his guests visit outside the winter season.  I can

understand that.  There is so much to see and do.  First of all the drive is much nicer when there is no snow and ice on the roads.  The 60-acre Stoweflake Resort is a destination in itself with a 30-room spa with a marvelous Aqua Solarium and a seven-circuit Zen Labyrinth, indoor and outdoor pools, a 9-hole golf course free to guests, tennis courts, squash/racquet ball court, and more – I am sure I missed something. 

On the way, via Route 100, we stopped at Ben & Jerry’s in Waterbury, just a few miles from Stowe. I love the Ben & Jerry story.  They took a five-dollar online ice cream making course from Penn State and turned it into a multi-million dollar business.  Part of their success is due to using only fair trade products and giving back to the community. I asked the

young lady directing traffic, “Do you get free ice cream.” The answer was, “Yes, three pints a day.” The place was busy but we only had to wait 20 minutes for the next tour.  It started with a video about the company and then a walk by the production floor.  The best part was the free ice cream at the end.  The taste treat of the day was Salted Caramel Blondie – vanilla ice cream with blond brownies and salted caramel swirl.  Oh! My! So delicious. They have a Wall of Honor. We were

surprised to learn that the long-time favorite Cherry Garcia is no longer the number one favorite flavor; it is now Half Baked: Chocolate & Vanilla Ice Creams with Fudge Brownies & Gobs of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Before we left we walked up the hill behind the parking lot to the Flavor Grave Yard. Sugar Plum was the flavor that died out the fastest – sounds good - but even though based on the tombstone it lasted a year it actually only lasted a couple months, from just before Christmas to just after New Year’s. Some of the “dead” flavors sounded great like Tennessee Mud.

After we arrived at Stoweflake we had a light lunch in the resort’s casual restaurant, Charlie B’s Pub & Restaurant with a lovely alfresco deck.  I am not a real fan of sushi mainly because it is often too fishy but I loved their Spicy Duck Ninja Roll made with duckling leg comfit, rice, miso aioli, and rolled in nori paper. It was lightly coated in tempura batter. It was served with a surprisingly delicious seaweed salad and ginger.

After we settled in our luxurious room we drove into Stowe, a

classic 200-year old village in the shadow of Mt. Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak. They have preserved its small village ambiance. We visited the museum of the Stowe Historic Society housed in old West Branch Schoolhouse. We picked up their free Historic Walking Tour of Stowe and wandered the Historic District. Also in the village is the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum – but it was closed while we were there.