One potato, two potato, Sweet Potato Pie

We are back home, and can report that the trip to Stowe and the trip back to Pennsylvania were both very, very pleasant. No traffic to speak of, gorgeous scenery -- and we listened to Hunger Games, which we both liked a lot.

Around noon we said good-bye Stoweflake Resort.

But we stopped off at the Ben and Jerry's factory soon after that.

We visited the Flavor Graveyard.

Here are a few of the tombstones in the graveyard.

And below is the outside of the factory. We did not have time to take the tour, which is a shame because I love factory tours. I have toured wineries, breweries, a potato chip factory, a cheese factory, a glass-blowing studio - loved them all.

Another favorite sight - hay bales. When I was a kid participating in the annual hay-baling tasks in Michigan, on my relatives' farms (I say participating rather than helping, because I was too young to be of much help), the bales were smaller and shaped like bricks. We used them like bricks, to build forts and playhouses in the barns, too. But I like these big round ones, too.

Oh, and at a rest stop in New York's Hudson Valley, we stopped at a McDonald's with an impressive sculpture inspired by local farming activity in the middle of the restaurant. I really like it when McDonald's have surprising decor. No one ever thinks of fast food franchises as having personality, and their food is certainly uniform, but it does remind you that someone involved (the franchise owner?) could be a local person hiring local people who are proud of their community.

We were home before 10:00 pm (which is very good time for us, because we stopped a LOT), and I will be in the office early tomorrow to meet with the chair of Acute Care. All in all, a great little trip.