Our New Fridge

After three months of trying to make ice and coming up with only water, we finally realized that our refrigerator was on its's last legs.  After months of denial, we began the slow process of saving up money to replace it.  We moved the rice milk, the tofu and eggs into the freezer, where we hoped they would have at least a fighting chance of survival.  It really was a sad state of affairs as we listened to our fridge make noises that I thought could only come from an angry bear as it fought for its life.  By early September we had succeeded in saving up the couple hundred dollars required to purchase the absolutely cheapest energy saver fridge on the market.  Then we made the fortuitous mistake of walking into Dick's Sporting Goods one beautiful summer day. 

Paddling Chittenden Reservoir toward Pico Mountain

We left Dick's that day with a canoe!!  Made of the same material as cheap sit-on-top kayaks, our hideously blue canoe was absolutely perfect.  The sales guy made the mistake of dropping the boat while trying to remove it from the racks and it was already on sale.  For us, there really was no question here as to whether or not we would purchase our first Mad River Canoe.  In about thirty minutes (with a little haggling) we left the store with a set of straps and a big plastic boat, headed home to grab our life jackets and paddles, and drove straight to the Chittendon Reservoir.  Immediately upon launching, I knew we had made the right decision.  I could feel the boat floating underneath me on the calm water as Vespi bounced from gunnel to gunnel trying to figure out where puppies would sit.  After about an hour, she finally settled in and found her place in the boat, her head on my shoulder, looking out over the water with wonderment at the beauty of it all. 

Since that wonderful day, we spent the remainder of the summer exploring all the lakes and ponds that the Killington region had to offer.  We found mini-reservoirs with apple orchard shorelines and little coves where sunbathing was clothing optional.  Hours have been spent fishing and reading as we floated along over the acres of water filled with mountain runoff.  There has never been a single moment that either of us have second guessed our decision to forgo the fridge and instead purchase a doorway to the peace and quiet of the cruising on flatwater.