My Vacation with Kabouters In Middletown

Whether you're a Middletown resident vacationing out of town, or an out-of-towner vacationing in and around Middletown, we'd love to hear your story, and see your pictures. Drop us an email: mieyeed@gmail.com

Here's a vacation story from a Vermonter.

From Louise Mulier Sandberg
I live in central Vermont and on June 22 drove down I-91 to Middletown for my granddaughter's graduation from middle school on the 23rd. Aside from the graduation ceremony, which was happy and grand, I went with my son Stephen (aka fishmuscle) to attend a Common Council meeting on Monday evening, on Tuesday strolled around downtown a bit, briefly visited the incredible Kidcity Children's Museum and saw the outdoor display of gnomes celebrating the "right to dry" with clothes hanging on a clothesline. Having grown up in Holland where gnomes ("kabouters") were a real part of my childhood, I totally identified with Kidcity's gnomes, for they very much look like the little earthmen I remember! From there I spent a quality hour-and-a-half in the fabulous public library. There, I was happy to find a novel by one of my favorite authors, Dutch-born Jan de Hartog, a great writer who, persecuted by the Nazi's during World War II, fled to England (and eventually the U.S.A.), and switched from writing powerful Dutch to writing equally powerful English.

I spent the rest of my time in Middletown with my son and daughter-in-law and their wonderful daughter and son ages 13 and 8 at their mini-farm where they keep chickens, three young pigs, a milk goat and a tiny horse.

Anyone wondering what kind of vacation that was, well, it was great. Our 130-acre farm in Vermont is the kind of place people would spend much money to travel to in order to enjoy peace and quiet and boundless beauty, and by charming urban contrast Middletown gave me a wonderful change of pace and environment.