Montpelier, VT
October 2025
A Vermont Escape at Echo Lake
- October 9, 2025
- 313 mi
- ~ 7 hrs
We left Stamford, NY, around 9 am. Seven hours later, after a smooth drive through Vermont, correctly nicknamed the Green Mountain State, we arrived at our new destination: a lake house on Echo Lake in Charleston, VT.
After putting away the groceries we picked up in Newport, VT, and settling in following our usual routine, I finally took the time to enjoy the beautiful house and its fantastic view over the lake. The view was even more breathtaking than the pictures on the Airbnb site had promised.
We will cherish every day of our week in this peaceful corner of Vermont.
The Granite Art of Hope Cemetery
- October 12, 2025
- 0.66 mi
- 18:13 min
- 63 °F
We found beautiful art in an unexpected place at Hope Cemetery in Barre, Vermont. Established in 1895, it’s less a graveyard and more an open-air sculpture museum.
The reason for this? Barre is the “Granite Capital of the World.” This industry attracted master stonecutters and sculptors, who worked with the tough Barre Gray granite. Tragically, the silica dust from their work led to silicosis, causing many craftsmen to die young. Knowing this, they often built the monuments where they would eventually be buried.
Walking the serene grounds was like scrolling through a personal picture book, each monument showing the life story of the person laid to rest. We were touched by the individual monuments, including a granite race car, a detailed airplane, and a massive granite cube. It gave a bittersweet feeling to see the exceptionally talented carvings of Barre’s stonecutters, knowing that the materials they worked with caused them to die so young.