You know what I think is weird? Every time they put up news about a hurricane, there's always a picture of the really dumb guy that gets stuck out in the storm. Why do they do that to people? So, Burlington was awesome. Let me give you the rundown: 6:00 AM, we're on our way. Shannon's cranky because she got nil for sleep, which I can forgive; I'm tired too. We stopped at Dunkies for a little breakfast, and then we were on our way in my little blue electron. Around 10:00, we hit Vermont. The Green Mountains are absolutely beautiful; they were a dark, bumpy green with wisps of rainy cloud draped over the side. And as Shannon slept in the passenger seat, I let my eyes slowly drift over the landscape, and over the little towns that we passed on our way. The two big towns on our way, though, were screwed up; let me tell you, St. Johnsbury was a huge hilly maze of confusion, but a pretty town. Montpelier is like my hometown with a capitol building. The middle is very nice-looking, but the middle is surrounded by ends that seem to trail off as you go out. But, enough of my survey of my trip...now for Burlington. We get there, and we immediately have to find our hotel, since Shannon and I are hungry, horny, and in need of the bathroom version of relief. But, like an idiot, I don't have any directions to the hotel, or the address! So, we're driving around forever trying to find the Howard Johnson in South Burlington. Eventually, I break down, at the protest of my male tendencies, and ask for directions. The first gas station attendant has no idea that there is a HoJo in South Burlington; the other informs me that there IS no HoJo in South Burlington. At this point, I'm basically screaming 'WTF' the whole way out of the place. Across the street, however, is the University Inn and Suites, where the HoJo apparently USED to be. So, we went there, and asked if I had reserved the room there. Dudley, party of two. Nothing there. Turns out, the HoJo we were REALLY looking for was on Shelburne Road, where Kate had suggested a Japanese restaurant. Go figure that Shelburne Road was totally torn up on one side, with huge chunks of granite gravel down in between the sidewalk and the street. Great for my car and my tires. Hop into the hotel, take some time to ourselves, and then we're out into the rain again. This time, we're off to see downtown Burlington, which is very, very nice. Ate at the Red Onion Cafe for lunch, and walked Church Street and window shopped. It was great; there were some really great shops, and the atmosphere alone was worth the trip. (Lili: what I'm sending you came from a shop on Church Street. It was Shannon's suggestion.) When we got done window shopping in the rain, we headed back to the hotel and changed for dinner at Koto Japanese Steakhouse on Shelburne Road. GREAT stuff: excellent miso, tempura to die for. Shannon ordered a really good soba, but couldn't eat it. Unfortunately, she has an unwilling aversion to Japanese food. No biggie, though; that's when the Dollar Menu at Mickey D's is all-powerful. While we were standing in line for Shannon's two double cheeseburgers and coke, there was this really freaky guy trying to get us to go halves with him on a sundae. We smiled, nodded no, and tried to ignore him, but he came with annoyance on many fronts (i.e. he was just one of THOSE kinds of people). It was actually kinda funny. Then, Shannon and I get 10+ hours of some of the nicest sleep I've ever had. I'm tellin' ya, if you want a good night's sleep, drag someone into the nearest king-sized bed (preferably your loved one, but can be anyone if you prefer) and sleep, and snuggle into the warmth with them. Trust me, you'll sleep like a rock and thank me for the suggestion. ;) We got dressed, headed out, and saw more of Burlington. This time, we parked in one of the free parking garage (parking in Burlington is VERY city regulated, and free on Sundays, which RULES!), and headed to Starbucks, got a little something, and walked down to the waterfront of Lake Champlain. We saw the small ecological museum down there (ECHO) and got to see Lake Champlain, the initial purpose of our visit. It was very nice, but outside of ECHO, there were a huge swarm of mayflies pasted to the windows. It was freaky. We walked back up to downtown Burlington and stopped at Burlington Hearth, a 'flatbread' place. Got our fill on some of the best pizza I've ever had: a Twisted Equilibrium (red peppers, red onions, goat cheese, olive oil, herbs, olives) pizza. Beauty baked in a primitive dome oven over an open flame. Great stuff. Shannon and I, this whole time we're in Burlington, are very happy. I found the weekend very romantic, very freeing. We smiled the whole time, except when navigating a new place took us to frustration. It was great, and I'm finding that everywhere I vacation, I'd like to live. Burlington is no exception. So, now I'm at home, listening to Dave Matthews and writing this. I've got to send away a few things, and I have to go to work tomorrow. Once again, I've gone someplace that if I had the choice, I'd stay. I'd plop down and make my home there, but it's like I'm attached to a spring tied to Maine; eventually, it's gonna bring me back, quicker and quicker as I get closer and closer until it slams me down. But, the time that we resist the pull is sweet. Shannon, if you're reading this, I love you, forever and always, and I'm so happy that you went with me. I'm happy I got to take you. I hope things are always that good. :) Good night, all. Catch you on the flip side.