Some people find it easy to sleep anywhere, anyhow, and anytime. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. One of the groomsmen asked me, “how do you sleep over a gentleman’s house?” Let me remind you, I come from a land where “gentleman” is extinct. I did what my instinct told me; I laughed aloud. Not at him, but at the use of the word gentleman since I cannot remember a time (aside from works of fiction) ever hearing it used in public. Fortunately, I was able to preoccupy myself with cooking, watching the World Cup, and getting ready for the party.
The drive from Burlington through Stowe, (yes, the ski resort!!! I must return in the winter season!) was quintessential New England. No other place is like driving through here. Rolling green mountains, endless blue skies, towering rocks that are cut through for highways, signs of “beware of deers” at every turn; it’s quite like being back in Massachusetts, minus the mountains. We climb some altitude because once we reached the groom’s parent house, where we parked, you could see the mountains in the distant horizon, the airport lights blinking red at the top of the range. As you turn, you are led up a gravel stone to the entrance. If I were in a Thai novella, I’d be hearing that song, “นี่คือสถาน แห่งบ้านทรายทอง ที่ฉันปองมาสู่” (this home is the Golden Sand House that I came to find…).
The house sits on one side flanked by tall hedges, wooden fences surround the edges to a barn shed; this place was once a farm and still bears its name, Snowberry Farm. The gravel path leads towards a large backyard, freshly cut green grasses grow lush as bright peonies and irises adorned the edge of the house. Tall grasses bordered the end of the yard as a large mountain loomed in the near distance like a solid anchor to envelop and protect. A man-made pond sat on one side, a fountain sprouting from the center. I was told a natural spring runs underneath the pond so it’s quite deep. I’d think twice before jumping in but the boys all made their way in there as night wore on. Dwarf trees littered the landscape with romantic wooden benches and chairs situated a far distance from the house. You could tell a lot of energy and effort was taken to care for the place and I’m sure they are proud of it.
As guests started to arrive, I positioned myself at the patio table where the food was placed. I made sure to get first grab since Vy’s mother made eggrolls and summer rolls, my favorite appetizers. As with all occasion, I find myself so enthralled with the “cocktail” hour that when dinner came, I couldn’t eat anymore.
But it was well worth it! Nicole and I tried our best to fit in, she better than I. I was always trying to find ways to entertain myself that didn’t involved the art of verbal communication. I learnt the game of ladder balls, literally throwing a rope that had 2 golf balls attached at the end to “ladder” and the rope would wrap around the rung. It’s not as easy as it looked and Nicole got really good at it. I then got a chance to learn how to fly fish! I first saw this watching “A River Runs Through It” and I was enthralled by how beautiful and peaceful it looked. A form of meditation and art. But it’s a sports. I won’t argue about that since it’s not in my place. The thing about fly fishing is that even though it looks pretty, it’s a lot of work; I find that is the care for all matters. You hold the fishing rod and flick with your wrist. You make sure it doesn’t reverberate too much. Once the rod snaps back and the fly straightens out, you snap forward. If you wait too long, the rod–in retraction–bounces and the fly won’t snap forward smoothly. I pity the guy trying to teach me as I was quite inept. I’m too aggressive of a person to let things fall and spring on its own accord. But he shifted my tendency to go fast and hard to slower and gentler.
As day fell and several guests started to leave, a bonfire was started. Fireflies came out, hovering over close to the edge of the dew clinging grasses. There was no moon as thick clouds rolled in the early evening. We chatted and teased each other. It felt nice to be surrounded by people. I forget what that feels like living alone with my puppy. Mind you, I forgot by this point that I was quite prepared to stay overnight. (I blame Vy, hehe) Finally, we ended the long tiring day with a relaxing time in the hot tub. But I’ve been spoiled. Nothing beats the hot springs of Costa Rica. Sorry, Vy. ^_^