View of the Vermont hills from the path, framed by maples and spruces

Vermont · 44.5° NOne day, in seven parts

The Perfect Day

In the mountains,
at our house.

An unhurried itinerary for a bright spring day — three meals, two paintings, one long Saturday, and a sky that won't stop being blue.

The Itinerary

Sunrise → Candlelight

017:30
Waking up with the hills
Open the window, let in the cold mountain air. The buds are just starting to come out.
028:30
Berry smoothie on the porch
Wild blueberries, strawberries, a frozen banana, honey, oat milk. Drunk standing in the sun.
039:30
Baseball with Noah in the field
Small bats, huge swings. A lost ball in the tall grass, laughter in front of the mountain.
0410:00
Walk down the dirt road
Past the spruces, past the field. Wave at the neighbor's barn. No phones.
0513:00
Barbecue and mashed potatoes
Charcoal smoke rising through the trees. Buttered mash, grilled corn, ice-cold lemonade.
0615:30
Painting at the kitchen counter
Two canvases, every color we own. Nobody is allowed to say it's finished.
0718:00
The couch, a book, low light
Low sun coming through the blinds. Read until someone falls asleep.
0820:00
A fancy salad for dinner
Bitter greens, sliced pear, toasted walnuts, blue cheese, warm shallot vinaigrette. Candles lit.

Three meals

What we ate

Breakfast

Wild Berry Smoothie

·1 cup wild blueberries
·½ cup strawberries
·1 frozen banana
·1 tbsp local honey
·¾ cup oat milk
·a pinch of cinnamon

Blend until the spoon stands up. Drink barefoot on the porch.

Lunch

Barbecue & Mashed Potatoes

·Slow-smoked ribs with maple rub
·Yukon potatoes, butter, cream, chives
·Grilled sweet corn
·Pickled red onion
·Iced mint lemonade

Eat outside. Let the smoke get in your hair.

Dinner

A Very Fancy Salad

·Bitter greens and frisée
·Sliced Bartlett pear
·Toasted walnuts
·Crumbled blue cheese
·Warm shallot vinaigrette
·Freshly cracked black pepper

Candles on the table. Wine optional, seconds mandatory.

Scenes

From the house

Noah practicing his swing in the field, mountain in the background — 9:30 — baseball with Noah.

Two paintings on the kitchen counter, late afternoon light — 15:30 — two canvases, finished or not.See Noah's paintings →

The dark living room couch with sun coming in — 18:00 — the good couch, the slow light.

Standing on the path in the afternoon sun — After the walk, before the grill.

The mountain view from the path — The view that started the whole idea.

The neighbor's field with cows, a red wagon, and the mountain behind — The neighbor's field.

Illustration

The perfect day illustration

"Nothing happened today, and everything happened."

Now playing

On the couch

Books that shift my way of thinking

01Rich Dad, Poor Dad
02Girls That Invest
03Think and Grow Rich
04The Power of Self-Confidence
05Scrum: The Art of Doubling Your Time
06The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
07The 4-Hour Workweek
08The 5 AM Club
09Project Management
10Design Thinking

Another spring day in the neighborhood

Gymnastics fun time

Noah running across the colorful obstacle course at the gym — The obstacle course — beams, tunnels, and arches.

Noah walking the balance beam over blue mats — Balance beam, one careful step at a time.

Noah doing a handstand in front of the painted flag mural — Handstands by the mural — one at a time, one direction.

Minecraft fruit snacks, a blueberry cereal bar, and a GoGo Squeez pouch on a wooden table — The post-gym snack lineup.

Out and about

What summer has to offer in the Upper Valley

Mom and toddler by a calm lake on a sunny day — Mornings by the lake.

Baby smiling in a yellow and blue baby boat float in clear water — First rides in the baby boat.

Toddler with goggles and floaties swimming in a clear pool — Pool days, goggles on.

Toddler making giant bubbles at a science museum — Giant bubbles at the museum.

Toddler planting marigolds in a wooden planter box — Planting marigolds.

Toddler holding a big orange pumpkin at the pumpkin patch — And then — pumpkin season.

Noah in a blue helmet on his green balance bike on the dirt road, green Vermont field and hills behind him — First ride down the dirt road — and yes, safety comes first.

View from the sandy beach of kids wading in a calm Vermont lake with forested hills across the water — At the beach — toes in, mom on lifeguard duty.

When the snow comes

What winter looks like

Toddler in a navy snowsuit kneeling next to a snowman wearing sunglasses and a blue and red knit hat — Building snowmen in the backyard — sunglasses included.

An elaborate magnatile track and tunnel layout spread across a red Persian rug — Magnatile cities on the living room rug.

Noah carefully stacking colorful blocks on a Tower Stack balance game — Tower Stack — steady hands, focused face.

An open Battleship game with red and yellow pegs scattered across the board — Battleship marathons after dinner.

A stack of family board games including Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe, Monopoly Junior, Chutes and Ladders, and Candy Land — Board game on the rug — snacks mandatory.

A neatly stacked pyramid of children's picture books including The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Pete the Cat, and Dr. Seuss titles — Bedtime stacks — one more, always one more.

A hand of UNO cards held above a red Persian rug with a draw pile and discard pile — UNO night — someone always forgets to call it.

A long wall built from colorful mega blocks across the playroom floor with a Mickey Mouse backpack and rocket tent in the background — Mega-block fortresses across the playroom.

A wooden train track loop with a bridge, boats, and a helicopter laid out on a red Persian rug, small socked feet visible at the edge — Wooden train loops and quiet socked feet.

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

Plans

Summer Calendar

Swimming Lessons

Exploring the nature

Store Land

Circus Smirkus

Tunbridge Fair

Billings Farm

Plans

Winter Calendar

Snowboarding lessons

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Swim lessons

Gymnastics

Montshire Museum