What is a Feb?

This month my daughter started college in Vermont. The so called "Febs" at Middlebury take a gap term after high school. It's a wonderful program for 100 freshmen who crave an academic break to experience the real world before college.

My daughter was the music counselor at a sleepaway camp before flying abroad. After visiting family in England, she took the high road round Loch Lomond with her Scottish cousin. Then she shoveled "merde" on a French horse farm. In New Zealand she fed alpacas, farmed crops, hiked into Mordor and was stuck 3 hungry days weeding the meditation gardens of a cult. After that, college doesn't sound so scary!

Still it's a big step starting college, especially when 5/6 of the freshmen arrived in September. The first Feb we "met" was a Chewonki Semester School friend, who has the room next to hers by chance! The photo is blurry due to shivering. It dropped below zero F, but these two Febs are winter camping for orientation.

My son, a "reg" junior at Middlebury, had kindly stayed on campus for vacation week to help his sister move into her dorm. Febs often get nice upperclassmen housing, vacant due to junior spring term abroad. My lucky daughter was assigned a single with a window seat, where she'll read philosophy and play guitar while enjoying the mountain view. My son and I left a very happy Feb with her new friends and headed to the mountains to ski ourselves. Middlebury has a cross country (nordic) ski course and a small downhill mountain. In 4 years the Febs ski down that mountain in their gowns to receive their diplomas. As one who is amazed to find myself an empty nester in my 40's, I can already tell those college years will go too fast!

Here's the soundtrack via The Head and the Heart:



A big thank you to the Feb leaders, staff & faculty for your warm welcome & help settling into Midd!

Note: I'm having a new modem installed tomorrow which will hopefully fix my problems connecting to you. Looking forward to catching up soon!

A Vermont Weekend at Bread Loaf

Bread Loaf at Middlebury College in Ripton, Vermont

I've never gone on a writer's retreat. A tiny home office and solitude is all I need. Since my last child left home in September, I now have a surfeit of quiet time. I'm enjoying my productive space, but I miss the sound of kids coming home, telling me about their days, and our protracted family dinners. My husband and I had been counting the days until Middlebury Family Weekend.

By luck of the family housing lottery, I was granted the writer's fantasy of staying at Bread Loaf, the most prestigious/oldest of American literary conferences (but not open to children's authors.) The campus was closed last year for remodeling, and although the floorboards shined under LED lights, Bread Loaf has not lost its Victorian charm. I sipped local cider while reading (Lauren Groff's Fates & Furies) by the fire.

After seeing our room, I could understand why authors and poets compete for time at Bread Loaf. There were two comfortable twin beds and a pair of desks with ergonomic chairs. The twenty rooms on our floor shared two single-sex bathrooms, but I never had to wait for one of the three showers. It felt like being back in college, making new friends (Ada and David) while brushing teeth and chatting in the cafeteria over a hot buffet breakfast. The biggest difference was that everyone was quiet and considerate, except for one woman yakking on her cell phone (who knew that "rustic" could be a swear word?)

This was the view through my screened window. Bread Loaf is located in the Green Mountains National Forest with acres of hiking/ski trails, which we explored on our last morning. All the buildings were painted a butternut squash yellow to fit the autumnal landscape under golden light. Our Brunswick friends, Maria and Conrad, stayed in one of the annex buildings. Our kids went to elementary school together too.

While my husband sat in on Middlebury classes, my son and I hiked up Rattlesnake Cliffs.

The daunting trail name didn't fit the moderately steep four-mile loop past a waterfall (1K feet of elevation.) Rattlesnakes are rare in Vermont, although another hiker warned us of a black bear on the trail.

We didn't see the bear, but we saw plenty of woodpeckers and Silver Lake. The cliff top was an excellent spot for our Noonie's picnic. Colin is planning to return with friends for peak foliage.

Views were spectacular in all directions. Middlebury is in the Champlain valley, ringed by the Great Lake and several mountain ranges. We hiked for 3 1/2 hours, including a leisurely lunch and photo/wildlife stops.

The next day our son took us to Burlington, the biggest city in Vermont (population 40K). We had a delicious lunch at Skinny Pancake, that would be American for sweet and savory crepes. It was worth the half hour long line for the Josh Panda and Nutella & Strawberry crepes. Yum!

After lunch, we strolled along the shore of Lake Champlain, enjoying the 60 degree sunny weather.

From the pier, we watched a sailboat race before a lighthouse and mountains.

The arbored walkways and outdoor cafes reminded me of Quebec. Being Vermont, the busiest store was The Outdoor Gear Exchange. My son had planned a perfect weekend for us. It was hard to leave but easier knowing that our kids are going to a terrific school in a gorgeous location. I'll return in February when our daughter starts Middlebury College after her gap term. Now back to revising my young adult novel...

Family Weekend at Middlebury College

Last weekend my husband and I visited our son at Middlebury College in Vermont. The perfect weather and peak foliage called for a hike up nearby Snake Mountain. From the summit, we had a spectacular view of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains, across the border in New York.

The golden trail was an easy 1,000 feet over two miles ascent. The ski team passed us, running up and down, but we easily overtook the yuppies hiking with an elderly basset hound. A garter snake slithered by on the way down.

Middlebury campus was gorgeous. This is the view from the science building, where my son spends most of his academic hours. In his free time, he plays Chopin on piano, and he's joined the bike club, the nordic club, the film club and Mchaka Mchaka, a group that runs around campus at night, chanting in Swahili. I can understand why he's enjoying freshman year.

The ivy on his dorm was burning bright red, complementing the maples.

My British husband felt at home in the Shoreham Inn, run by a Brit and his American wife. The pub style restaurant served delicious hot cooked breakfasts and locally brewed Switchback Ale with a tasty dinner. Our luxurious loft room was in a converted sheep barn, a twenty minute drive from campus. All of Middlebury and neighboring towns were booked five months in advance of family weekend.

While our son did his homework, we went to a book talk on Wonder Women: Sex, Power and the Quest for Perfection by Debora Spar, a fellow Middlebury parent. Afterwards we settled into Adirondack chairs (scattered throughout campus) to read in the sun.

Back home in Maine, the leaves in our yard aren't too shabby either.

A new chapter: Middlebury College

Two views of my son's dorm at Middlebury College.

As my son joined the queue of freshman, my advice was:
"Don't run over the photographer."

My son turned to me and grinned. "Don't be so sentimental."

I laughed with him, fighting back tears. It was a long journey, and I don't mean the five hour drive from Maine to Vermont.

Middlebury Town in Vermont

My son worked so hard to get to Middlebury College, and he got lucky too. Middlebury was the first college we visited together junior year. He fell in love with a hilly campus encircled by mountains, the absurd amounts of snow and a cafeteria open all day long: paradise!

President Liebowitz had advice for us parents: "Your job is done. They're adults. Don't worry; we'll look after them." He celebrated Middlebury's achievements and shared a story about a sobbing parent. He told us "to suck it up." We laughed because it beat crying. It was time to let go.

I said goodbye to my son by cell phone. He was rushing off to take a placement exam. I had never felt so alone, not since my mid 20s. My husband was in Maine, meeting with his freshman advisees at Bowdoin College. Our 16-year-old daughter had already left for a semester school on a coastal farm. For one semester, we will be empty nesters. It's not all bad; I can write and paint without interruption. For years I've been looking forward to this gift of free time. But still.

Look, Beth, Small Damages.

In my new found solitude, I headed off campus, crossing the bridge to the charming town. I took refuge in The Vermont Book Shop, overlooking the river. Driving home, I listened to Beautiful Ruins on CD.

Now I'm back at work, writing a new young adult novel and painting a couple of commissions. Classes have started at Bowdoin too. For the first time, my husband's students are the same age as our child. The dog roams the house, sniffing around suspiciously tidy rooms. Our son calls weekly and our daughter emails. They sound happy. We're all adjusting to this new pace of life.

Blog Watch: Happy 5th Blog Anniversary to Cynthia Newbury Martin! Welcome back Donna and A Cuban in London from summer break! Elizabeth Wix has shut down About New York but is still posting at The World Examining Works.