A few weeks ago Suzi and I spent a day in Manchester, Vermont. We went to Hildene, the estate of one of Abraham Lincoln’s sons. There we saw the massive peony garden on the peak day of the year. We wandered the village area, enjoying a magnificent bookstore and lovely shops and bakeries. And we went to the Outlet Center.
There are actually a couple of outlet places in Manchester, but you’ll find this pretty easily. It’s small but listed in our travel guide as the most upscale one in all of New England. Suzi has a favorite clothing store: Eileen Fisher. The store there is magnificent and Suzi buys items that seem to have been custom made for her. I love watching her shop and I often help pick out items for her. But on this day, it was hot, I was tired, and the store had chairs designed for husbands: big, wide, soft and so deep you had to struggle to get back up. It is, of course, a trap. But to make the trap civilized, they offered us sips of wine and this tray of appetizers. No cheese or meat here at all. Just a blackberry, a slice of pineapple, and a grape. It was so refreshing I just sat back in the chair and let Suzi go on and on and on.
“Are you okay?” she asked me, passing by, hands clutching a half dozen items on hangers.
“Oh, fine,” I said tossing one empty skewer aside and reaching for another. And another and another.
We left with two heavy Fisher bags and my very happy tummy.
Try this appetizer. Just don’t do it while shopping.