Don't Just Read the Story, Become the Story !

Hello Everyone!

It’s always one of the big questions near the beginning of the year… Where are we going this year, somewhere over the rainbow? Wishful thinking, but really—where? And, we want a destination that’s more than a one-trick pony. Sure, city-hopping from London to Paris to Amsterdam is a blast, but it’s real work. Then, there’s the distance travelers—South Africa, Asia the Seychelles or Antarctica, where our friends are visiting right now. Certainly, all lovely, but again, it’s real work to get there—door-to-door, you’ve invested more than thirty hours on an airplane, then the drudgery of returning. You know where I’m heading… every year we make subtle or not so subtle changes at Pond Mountain Inn—this season is no different—we have new menu additions, new day-trip itinerary additions, changes in our suites, and it’s not only stunning here, but we’re less than a half a day away…

All our best – Kay & Glenn

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Luxe Caviar Scrambled Eggs…

New to our menu this year... although this isn’t our photo, we expect that our French-Style Caviar Scrambled Eggs will be more robust in color with a generous helping of caviar—between 25-50 grams, maybe more. We have selected a hybrid sturgeon, a cross between Beluga and Sterlet. It was developed over several decades in the Soviet Union as an early response to dwindling wild stock of Beluga.

Japanese Soufflé Pancakes...

New to our menu this year... this is our photo. These pancakes have been described in many ways—Fluffy Japanese Soufflé Pancakes are like eating soft pillowy clouds—so tall with a fluffy and airy texture they almost taste like a delicate balance between sponge cake and angel food cake. Topped with homemade whipped cream and fresh berries completes the culinary experience. Kay has done it again!

Vermont Sportscar...

Tour Their Ultra-Modern Facility…

Vermont Sportscar has the contract to run the largest motor sports program for Subaru in the world. They build street legal ultra-high performance rally cars for competition worldwide. This small race shop is one of Vermont’s coolest hidden gems that nobody seems to have discovered. One of our guests sent me an email about Vermont Sportscar—within the hour, we scheduled a two-hour factory tour—Friday, March 14! This should be wild… wait until you see their website!

Vermont Sportscar

Ice House Fishing Shanty • Lake St. Catherine…

Everyone's out on the "hard water" this year…

This adorable shanty stands all by itself in the northern section of the lake with the dense conifers providing a stunning backdrop—one of our favorite winter photos, and there’s more!

These ice shanties are often hilarious—not so much the inherent danger of depositing a structure atop a frozen lake, but the creativity of fashioning a temporary shelter with the amenities of home.

Look at the photo again; see all those things sticking out of the ice? Those are tip-ups. Through a drilled hole, an ice fishing tip-up holds your baited hook at the desired depth waiting for a fish to bite. Once a fish has snagged the bait, the tip-up pops a signal flag that alerts the angler. There’s nothing more exciting than reeling in a big brown trout, and later having it for dinner! This year, we hope to spend an afternoon with our expert ice fishing friends, Carrie and Kevin; they live just down the road...

Saratoga Automobile Museum...

The Evolution of Performance & Design Exhibition...

This exhibition will present a thrilling juxtaposition between the iconic vehicles of the 1920s and 30s—the Art Deco era known for its bold geometric designs and luxurious craftsmanship—and the sleek modern marvels of today crafted with cutting-edge materials and futuristic lines. Hurry, the last day is April 27th, 2025.

In the foreground, that’s a 1955 Jaguar D-Type, powered by a 3.4-liter inline-six engine, it delivered around 250 horsepower and could reach speeds over 170 mph. The D-Type made its racing debut at Le Mans in 1954, achieving a remarkable victory in 1955 by securing the top three positions.

See Each Iconic Vehicle Here!

The Art of Drinking Champagne...

Veuve Clicquot's Emblematic Cuvée...

"From opening the bottle to savoring the last drop, drinking Champagne is a truly sensory experience. We are here today to show you how to use your eyes, nose, palate and imagination to get the most out of your glass." We attempted to abbreviate Fatcork’s Seven Step Process, however, after thirty-minutes, we acquiesced, it’s far easier to simply provide the link. That said, the blog is beautifully written, delightfully amusing, and provides very nice insights—truly outstanding, and their entire website is well worth visiting! Clearly, we're having too much fun in Vermont, and it's still winter!

The Art of Tasting Champagne at Fatcork

The Chiselville Covered Bridge…

Vermont’s Most Notable Treasure...

A stunning arial view of The Chiselville Covered Bridge, located in Sunderland, Vermont. Normally, our photos are taken from Roaring Branch River. You may remember seeing the bridge in the 1987 film Baby Boom, where Diane Keaton’s character leaves New York City to start a new life in fictional Hadleyville, Vermont, with her daughter for a quieter and more peaceful lifestyle. There is a sign posted at both entrances of the bridge, "One Dollar Fine for Driving Faster Than a Walk on This Bridge."

Vermont Covered Bridges

Rock of Ages...Some Disappointing News

The Water is Really Turquoise Blue...

"After more than a century as a cherished Vermont tourist destination, we have made the difficult decision to close the Rock of Ages Visitors Center and end public access to our quarries and self-guided tours as of January 2025."

Thankfully, we were able to see this fascinating forty-minute guided quarry tour that took us to this overlook of the Smith Quarry. At nearly 600 feet deep, it is the largest operating deep-hole granite quarry in the world. And, yes, the water is really turquoise blue...

If you recall from a previous newsletter… The Grande Arche de la Défense was completed in 1989 to celebrate the bicentennial of the French Revolution. In 2019, the arch’s crumbling Italian Carrara marble exterior was replaced with BETHEL WHITE® granite from the Rock of Ages quarry in Graniteville, Vermont—the Grande Arche de la Défense restoration won the highly prestigious Grand Pinnacle Award that year.

More Information

Closer to Home...

Embrace the cold, but from inside...

After seeing the Official Collection of Original James Bond Vehicles at the Saratoga Automobile Museum a few years ago, we committed to watching all 25 James Bond movies. One movie a week just about covers the 25 weeks of winter here in Vermont. We were further motivated after being gifted the entire James Bond Collection by one of our long-time guests of the inn, Mary Lou and Scott! Last week, together with our neighbors, the Upper & Lower Ciccarellis, we started at the beginning with Dr. No...

Watching Dr. No comfortably in “The Loft Suite” on a 70” Samsung HD Television using Blu-ray DVD technology offered incredible clarity and more details, making the experience closer to what you would see in a theater—incredibly impressive! Thanks again, Mary Lou & Scott for making this unbelievably cold winter far more tolerable!

One more thing... The Dr. No (1962), poster above sold at Sotheby's last month for £20,160 GBP, that's $25,370 USD, the estimate was £20,000 - £30,000 GBP.

Something More to Consider...

The Tillerman...

“Welcome to the Tillerman! Pull up a chair in our 1790s farmhouse and experience our heartfelt, inspired food.” They were just awarded “Pizza Place of the Year” by Yankee Magazine. Located in Bristol, Vermont—Bristol is considered one of New England’s best up-and-coming food towns, and the Tillerman is a big reason why!

Maple Weekend...

Maple Open-House Weekend is March 22 & 23. Please join us for an amazing cultural experience. Look closely at the sap bucket... it's completely filled with sap! Maple Open House Weekend is Vermont’s most anticipated spring event, and a celebration of the current season’s crop—it's a fascinating insight into Vermont life!

Bagel Bazaar at PMI...

We now offer the “Ultimate Bagel Experience”, thanks to our guests, Joleen & Mike. They just brought us two dozen authentic New York bagels from “Bagel Bazaar”—a New Jersey staple for over thirty years. Our favorite—The Everything Egg Bagel… Please join us for this unique “Ultimate Bagel Experience”.