14156 SE 51st Ave.
Summerfield, FL 34491
about
Our Town
Waitsfield is a quaint little town that stretches little more than 25 square miles in the center of Vermont, 45 minutes east of Burlington and 30 minutes west of the state capital, Montipelier. Route 100 slices through it with Waterbury north (where Karen works) and Warren south (an even smaller town, but host to a hugely popular 4th of July parade, where Bernie Sanders appeared this year…we missed it in favor of attending the Rainbow Gathering…). Together these towns and a few others make up the Mad River Valley, because, of course, the Mad River runs along and through all of these places. Waitsfield dates back to 1789, when it was settled (perhaps by Canadian French settlers—not sure). Several of the buildings in town seem to be original structures, and several have noticeably been renovated.
The village portion of the town—where most of the stores are—is very much like what you may have seen on TV and in movies. Almost every establishment is off the main road (Rt. 100): the municipal building, both the elementary school and high school, the theater, a row of restaurants, a general store/gas station and other shops. There is a wonderful “local” feel here, which brings with it a great sense of community.
The Mad River Valley is typically known for its ski resorts, but in the summer everyone is drawn to the many swimming holes in the area. Swimming holes are places where the river gets deep enough for swimming; otherwise the river runs more like a busy stream (and sometimes not so busy). There is a really popular swimming hole in town, just off the main road, where kids are known to jump from a covered bridge into the water! There’s great debate over whether this is safe, and so there’s talk of banning this kind of behavior.
Waitsfield puts its locally plucked veggies to good use. American Flatbread is widely known for their wood fired pizzas; and indeed, their original barn-inspired building makes for quite a unique indoor dining experience. The Sweet Spot is a perky little café perfect for coffee and ice cream fans. From scratch they make a mint chocolate chip brownie ice cream sandwich. If that sounds confusing, I’ll explain: they place the mint chocolate chip (real mint, grown on site!) is sandwiched between two thin brownies—and yes, it’s delicious.
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our
State
Vermont is beautiful. Blue skies, white clouds, green mountains. If you need a visual, look no further than on a carton of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. It’s just simply a happy setting. Of course it rains from time to time, and sometimes it down pours like any other place (well, maybe except CA); but for the most part, it’s amazingly green, blue and white.
Virtually everywhere we go we find something to love, and it can be as simple as serenity. There are more forests and farms than towns by far, but even the towns are peaceful and receptive. The people in this state are welcoming, intelligent, kind and progressive. Many businesses abide by the honor system after working hours: they’ll leave produce, fire wood, antiques, crafts, books and other items in plain, unprotected sight for people to purchase at their convenience, often with a money bucket or jar available for folks to make change.
The state is wonderfully progressive. Fields and rooftops are popular places for solar panels, but hydropower might be the favored clean energy alternative, especially with miles and miles of flowing waters. Apparently solar panels are plagued often with instrumental glitches, which force technicians to the fields to fix them. Hydroelectric plants appear to be more easily maintained, and perhaps more reliable/consistent. Additionally, most, if not all places support recycling, repurposing and reusing items. Most eating establishments use local ingredients; they pay them well above minimum wage and they seem to hire lots of young people (ages 15 and up).
If there’s anything to complain about, it might be how fast people drive on narrow roads with caution signs warning of moose, deer, people on horseback, tractors and other moving obstacles. (There are no signs warning of bear crossings, but apparently this is another animal to look out for.)
 AnimalsAmerican Flatbread garden |  Finkleis the muppet looking thing trailing the group |  Neighborly Cows |
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 Horse On Farm |  Horse On Back |  Dwarf Horse |
 ParakeetThe Stagecoach Inn |  GiraffeCool store on Church St. in Burlington |  FootprintsChipmunk, perhaps? |
 Rescue Creaturefrom strawberry field netting |
our
Experiences
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our
Hosting Farm
My Hip Event, MM/DD/YY
Dave and Amy at Hartshorn Farm have welcomed us with wide open arms. Dave manages the daily operations of the farm while Amy is in charge of marketing and organizing events. They both believe deeply in sustainable, organic practices. In addition to the farm, they manage an impressive hydroponic plant that produces several types of lettuce without the use of any dirt or chemicals. Amy also organizes wellness camps and programs.
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Dave grows an assortment of produce including kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, French beans, peas, carrots, beets, potatoes, and pumpkins. Amy and Dave host strawberry, blueberry and maple festivals seasonally, as well. Right now we're up to our ears in blueberries--oh, that reminds me, Dave's corn is incredibly popular in the valley.
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Before we learned about WWOOF.org, we sought out organic farms where we could park our camper in exchange for one of us working on the farm. Dave and Amy were just as new to the concept as we were, but just as open, too. While Karen works a normal 9-5 three or four days a week, Brian works under Dave's tutelage for 4 hours a day, four days a week. Brian does anything that's needed on the farm, often in junction with one or two other hired hands. Weeding is common, of course, as well as harvesting and cleaning/preparing produce, and helping customers at the stand. Some days are sweatier and/or muddier than others, but that's what all the local swimming holes are for.