I was in Burlington, Vermont this past weekend…
…visiting friends.
I also had a yen to see sunset over Lake Champlain, and just to get away and do something a bit different.
I had a good meal. The weather was fabulous. I saw a fascinating exhibit of the art of Harold Weston here, which was happily—and uncharacteristically, for today—devoid of political proselytizing (surprising in an area known for its extreme leftism).
I took a couple of photos of favorite paintings, but the problem is that with Weston the colors are the thing, and the complexity of color and the exact hues don’t reproduce very well. But here’s one:
As for that sunset over the lake, I may just have hit one of the most underwhelming sunsets in Burlington history, considering that it had been a lovely day. But it was nevertheless beautiful:
And speaking of politics, do not take the Ben and Jerry’s Factory Tour. It’s a factory tour in-name-only (fee charged, by the way), because production is halted on weekends and plenty of other times as well. It’s mostly a stupid and way-too-cutesy film that tells you how wonderful Ben and Jerry’s has been in bending the world towards social justice.
[NOTE: Take a look at that Weston picture frame. He hand-carved most of his frames.]
I did the Ben & Jerry’s factory tour years ago – no charge then – and still felt ripped off!
For all their talk about social justice they were VERY cheap on the free samples. Basically, they pulled two flavors from the production line and gave everyone on the tour a small bite of each flavor. By small, I do mean small! It didn’t even fill the little white paper cups they used – you know the white paper cups they use in the hospital for giving patients pills. THAT small.
Such cheapness didn’t do much for making me think they cared about social justice or anything other than making money.
I see nothing wrong with making money – but they are hypocrites for claiming otherwise while being so cheap.
And the prices they charged for the ice cream in the shop at the end of the tour were steep! I didn’t buy any.
And boy, during the whole tour they just couldn’t shut up about Haagen Dazs – about how much better they were than Haagen Dazs, and there better not be any Haagen Dazs spies on this tour! Perhaps an inferiority complex?
Also in Vermont is Cabot Cheese – we did their tour (free!) and they gave free samples at the end. I do wish that I had a way to buy some of their cheese and keep it cold until I got home!
Of course, nothing can compare to a tour I did of a brewery years ago in Germany – no charge and two free beers for everyone at the end. Now that’s good publicity!
charles:
Well, now Ben and Jerry’s gives you only one small paper cup of “free” (wink, wink) ice cream at the end, after charging 4 dollars for the “tour” (3 for seniors) and blabbing about how wonderful they are. And no choices about the flavor. They decide on one, and if you don’t like it, tough.
Sounds like socialism, comrade!
Looking at the photo of the sunset I suspect you may have snapped it a few minutes too late. Sailing to Halifax across the gulf of Maine I’ve seen many great sunsets, and taken lots of photos. The camera, or phone, seems to dull them a bit such that a bright, vibrant scene appears to have been taken later.
I’ve never sailed on Champlain, I hear it can be lots of fun. Is the town still full of hippies, young and old?
The Whatsits haven’t bought any Ben and Jerry’s in many years because of their blatant dishonesty about the dairy industry — damaging assertions about such things as antibiotic use, carefully phrased so they aren’t quite lies (“we use milk with no antibiotics in it” — true, but so does everybody else, which they carefully don’t tell you while implying — without saying, because that would be a lie and they know it — that Ben and Jerry’s products are different.) They pretend to be concerned to protect “family farmers,” but in fact, they’re hurting farmers by damaging consumer trust in dairy products, laughing all the way to the bank by scaring people into buying their products and then pretending to be all about social justice. Sometimes (like yesterday afternoon) it can be frustrating, because nobody else has such a broad range of flavors in smaller containers. But there it is.
The painting is gorgeous, even without the full depth of color!
Didn’t Ben & Jerry’s sell to a large multinational? Nestle?
I family of Creighton alums own Wells Blue Bunny in Lamars, Iowa. A wonderful ice cream museum. I can’t recall if there are samples.
Lemars, Iowa.
The wife and I used to go to the People’s Republic of Burlington for a weekend away every once in a while because we live fairly close for that kind of trip.
Eating dinner on Church Street was always the highlight of our time there.
Until the time we were accosted while we ate by young Red Shirts and Brown Shirts (they were all truly wearing red or brown t-shirts) from the University. About 50% were white kids with dreadlocks which turn my stomach (How long do you have to not shower or wash your hair to get that way?!?!) Utterly obnoxious. And we considered going inside the restaurant and getting a table but before we could do that, they went inside chanting and harassing people. The cops who were nearby just watched. So we stayed outside, finished out meal, and never went back to Burlington.
Not sure if the restaurant is still there. It was an Irish pub-restaurant named The Ri and Ra. They used to have a phenomenal Broccoli, Cheddar and Ale soup. I have tried to make it on my own but have never succeeded in copying it.
Charles,
I was an exchange student in the Netherlands in college. I went on a tour of the Heineken brewery on a weekend trip to Amsterdam.
At the time, a tour ticket cost 5 guilders. The nice thing about the Netherlands back then, before the Euro, was a 5 guilder coin (The Euro only goes as high as 2 euros in coin form). You could jingle the change in your pocket, and as an American, think you needed more money, only to find four or five of those coins and you could eat for a couple days on it.
Good times.
Anyway, regarding the Heineken tour, 5 guilders got you into the tour, which was fascinating (and not just because it was guided by beautiful, tall, blonde dutch girls), and all the Heineken or Amstel Light you could drink.
I don’t usually care for beer and I rarely drink. Maybe it was the freshness of it. Maybe it was the attractive tour guides handing the dumb American glass after glass. Maybe it was both of those things. But the beer tasted amazing*.
Like I said, good times.
*I really needed it after a tour of the Ann Frank house…
steve walsh:
Au contraire. The real sunset was almost colorless except for the sun itself. The photo actually makes the color look brighter than it was rather than less bright.
Hey, Cornhead, that’s great to hear about Blue Bunny in northwestern Iowa! My favorite ice-cream sandwich. Yet another reason to dream of Iowa!
Sunset over water is a rarity in Iowa, I’ve never been disappointed on the few times I have been blessed to observe one.
Philip,
Come to Iowa, you won’t be disappointed. 🙂
Blue Bunny is my indulgence of choice, if I can’t get Blue Bell.
Ben & Jerry have yet to make anything I like — and if they do, I won’t know it, because what I have tried was not worth the price and I’m not tempted to try any more.
Tillamook makes great cheese and ice cream, for store-bought.
Is Burlington the home of the Coat Factory?
“Didn’t Ben & Jerry’s sell to a large multinational? Nestle?”
It looks like they were bought out by Unilever, Europe’s seventh most valuable company, makers of Dove soap. Hmm, isn’t Dove pushing this body positive philosophy that is designed to make obese people glory in their extra weight. That sure makes it easier to push high calorie sweets.
such a sceptic on June 25, 2019 at 8:46 am “That sure makes it easier to push high calorie sweets.”
* * *
Everthing in the Great Chain of Capitalism is connected to profit.
Which is usually a good thing, IMO, because it’s Caveat Emptor with regard to personal lifestyle choices.
One of the few government bureaucracies I actually support is the one (over multiple agencies) dedicated to the protection of foods from pestilence and skull-duggery. I subscribe to the Food Safety News Network, and the amount of food recalled world-wide for serious problems, including fatalities, is staggering.
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/
They dont come out well cause you dont white balance before you shoot..
no white balance, dont expect your stuff to come out right except by luck
How To Get Perfect Colors In Your iPhone Photos Using White Balance
https://iphonephotographyschool.com/white-balance/
you can do the same under lighting settings on droid
and almost all digital sources to day have it
so… why not use it? LAZY…
[anything else is an excuse]
how hard is it to take a photo of a white piece of paper or shirt, or paper plate or back of security pass or or or or or… then have the perfect color?
TOO HARD as you set to auto, and ignore all the other stuff you paid for and they competed to have for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the major problem is taht almost everyplace you want to shoot inside uses mixed light…
12volt halogens… incandescents some cool some hot… tungsten in the corner… and open window letting in sun
and you expect color to be right? like your EYES
when worked with olivery sachs (yes THAT sachs), he had already done his groundbreaking research
humans map color in 3D space so we balance it stupdendously, to the point we dont actually see what we see…. cameras see orange light under incandescent… we see normal…
but you want your photos to be right?
then dont always have the color wrong and pray
charles
Also in Vermont is Cabot Cheese – we did their tour (free!) and they gave free samples at the end. I do wish that I had a way to buy some of their cheese and keep it cold until I got home!
The spring I was in third grade my family took a trip up to Burlington. I don’t recall why. My memory is that we purchased some cheese from the farm that Calvin Coolidge grew up in- or that the Coolidge family owned. I doubt the cheese made it home.
Some college friends have been in Burlington for decades.
charles
Also in Vermont is Cabot Cheese – we did their tour (free!) and they gave free samples at the end. I do wish that I had a way to buy some of their cheese and keep it cold until I got home!
The spring I was in third grade my family took a trip up to Burlington. I don’t recall why. My memory is that we purchased some cheese from the farm that Calvin Coolidge grew up in- or that the Coolidge family owned. I doubt the cheese made it home.
Some college friends have been in Burlington for decades.
Gringo on June 25, 2019 at 5:26 pm said:
https://www.cabotcheese.coop/shop-online
which leads to
https://www.dakinfarm.com/Cabot-Cheese.html?utm_source=refer&utm_medium=cabot&utm_campaign=dakin
enjoy your cheese…
parker, indeed I was not. I’ve been there once recently. Mahaska and Marion Counties. A good many of my ancestors are buried there.
I’m considering it as a possible retirement location.
I went to Ben & Jerry’s, noticed lots of political type signs and made it a point to not do the tour. But I was willing to splurge on some ice cream. By the way, the best flavor they ever made and one of the best flavors in the history of ice cream is New York Super Fudge Chunk. And what pushes it over the top are the chunks of white chocolate. What an amazing flavor. In case anyone was wondering, one of the other best flavors in the history of ice cream is Baskin Robbins Jamocha Almond Fudge.
All of a sudden a company dedicated to “social justice” is a noble accomplishment or endeavor. How about just make ice cream without any artificial flavoring and preservatives – as natural and organic as possible, with as much flavors as possible, at a sales price I’m willing to pay.