Monday, May 21, 2007

Adamant Heaven


Adamant, Vermont is not easy to find. You have to drive down some dirt roads and follow some strange signs to find the center of town which is marked by the oldest coop in Vermont.

Years ago, Adamant was called Sodom but a priest moved to town and didn't like the idea of receiving mail in Sodom, Vermont. So he changed its name to Adamant which he said reflected the personality of the town folk. There is still a beautiful Sodom Pond to remind you of Adamant's past.

I was lucky enough to get stuck in Adamant Vermont this Sunday for their 5th Annual Blackfly Festival which I am vlogging for Stuck in Vermont this week.

The one hour drive from Burlington was green and beautiful and I fell in love with Vermont and her majestic green mountains all over again. It is so refreshing to see life breathing back into the landscape again.

The day was sunny in Burlington but nippy and overcast in Adamant. On the upside, this meant the blackflies were kept at bay. On the downside, it was hard to find any blackflies to film for the video. Worse still, the little buggers are very tiny which makes it doubtful that they will survive the YouTube compression.

The town of Adamant is fairytale-esque to be sure. Close enough to Montpelier to be accessible but far enough away to feel remote and separate.

Residents are friendly and open, most people know each other, kids run free all day long, the coop has a book of tabs instead of taking money, Ethan Allen (his impersonator at least) rides up the street on a horse and smiles abound.

Spending a day in Adamant was like traveling to an alternate universe. The best kind of La La Land where pesky bugs are celebrated with silly songs and a parade, yummy pies are decorated with candy blackflies, kids catch rides in tractors and a coop is the heart of the community.

Not only that, the president of the Adamant Co-op noticed I was chilly and loaned me a windbreaker. Her art studio is above the co-op and is another little haven. Add that to some hot cider (AKA bug juice), cookies, and sausage and I was all set.

I asked a gaggle of kids why they liked the country better than the city and one said, "How could you live anywhere where you couldn't hear the peepers?" My point exactly.

2 comments:

Suzanne Lowell said...

paul and i were up in the barton/orleans area camping near lake willoughby and i felt the same way -- great to be away from city life and to be live the simpler life. i've got me some post-camping blues! we had such a blast.

tinycat said...

I can't help but sing "Don't drink, don't smoke, what do you do?" whenever I think of Adamant.