Tyler Place

- August 11, 2021

We went back to the Tyler Place this year. We hadn't been since 2017, but we missed it, a lot. When we were on our way back from our RV Spring break vacation earlier this year, Michael and I were chatting and we both said that if we could do anything at all this summer travel-wise, we wanted to go back to Tyler Place. I called them and asked if, by chance, there was anything available for our week and there was! It was meant to be and we quickly and happily booked it.

Davis especially lucked out as this year he was supposed to be aged out, but they extended the age deadline so he could do his final year there. He and Sam were both in the same teen club and had a fantastic time together. We bonded with old friends and so many new ones. There are no words for how magical the connections with these people were. I genuinely care and like so many of them and did not want to leave at the end of vacation. I don't think I've made that many friends in such a short time since I was a kid. It's MAGICAL and WONDERFUL.

We re-booked again for next year.

Logistics. We flew into Burlington, had a late, slow, expensive dinner at Blue Cat, slept in a tiny (free with points) hotel room and got in our big beautiful rental car the next morning to explore the farmer's market in the rain, have brunch in the rain, stop at Trader Joe's in the rain and head to the Tyler Place.

Our cabin, Partridge 1, was ready when we arrived so we checked it out, got our bikes (we sprang for the mountain bike for D) and settled in. I loved having a bike as my broken toe made walking hard and with my little cruiser I could go anywhere pain free!

The kids settled into their group and made instant friends (Davis and a kid named Evan bonded instantly, adopting a bicycle built for two and spending the rest of the week riding it together). Michael and I also made friends again and immediately began fun!

Things we did: Low ropes course, Vermont days (no maypole!) fly fishing lesson, softball game, lawn games, canoe trip, cards against humanity with mimosas for "book club", EVERY cocktail party and evening entertainment including bonfire and potato cannon, singing on the lawn, dressing up for game night, dancing with the staff on the screened porch, winning trivia and doing ballet with a broken toe, playing darts, trying daily cocktails, eating three lobsters on lobster night and going on the sunset champagne cruise. It was epic. Imagine what I could have done without a broken toe???

We would get home at 11 to find the kids in a big clump, lounging on the adirondack chairs in the front yard, stargazing.

It rained quite a bit, but it didn't dampen our fun. (see what I did there?). We always had our laundry hanging on the porch and some wet things, but we didn't care. I still swam in the lake and Davis rode in the duckman (we cheered with wine!). We rode our bikes around the property during "family time" (in quotes, because our teens did not participate in family time) and ate ice cream and chatted or read books in the cabin. I forgot half my clothes, but Chris (god bless her) packed them up and shipped them to me. We celebrated fourth of July at the dock with gorgeous fireworks and sunset and water and friends.