MTN GRL Studio

MTN GRL Studio Artist living in the Green Mountain State.

08/29/2026

Dahlia beds are starting to pop! I’ll be out in the garden most of the day, stop by if you’re near and wanting a late August garden tour.

My Vermont Photo Project 26.042Forty five years ago, the first two blocks of the Church Street Marketplace was opened to...
08/13/2026

My Vermont Photo Project 26.042

Forty five years ago, the first two blocks of the Church Street Marketplace was opened to foot traffic. This award winning pedestrian mall is the home of dozens of local shops and eateries. The Marketplace also hosts community events such as Burlington Jazz Festival, the Festival of Fools among others. 200,000+ twinkle lights adorn the trees during the holidays, and a large tree is installed at the top of Church Street, sourced locally here in Vermont.

The Marketplace was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010, and has won numerous awards for its design. The initial concept was formed as Burlington was undergoing an urban renewal in its downtown community. The buildings range in architectural styles from Art Deco, to Italianate, to Queen Anne.

When I was coming up with places I wanted to visit for this project, Church Street was one of the first on my list. An iconic destination in the heart of Burlington.

Save the date! The fourth annual Holley Jolly will be November 28th from 10 am-3pm, at the Holley Hall in Bristol, Vermo...
08/01/2026

Save the date!

The fourth annual Holley Jolly will be November 28th from 10 am-3pm, at the Holley Hall in Bristol, Vermont.

Applications are now open, deadline August 23.
Link in bio.

My Vermont Photo Project 26.041How has it taken me 212 days to share a photo of one of my favorite places? I’ve spent ti...
08/01/2026

My Vermont Photo Project 26.041

How has it taken me 212 days to share a photo of one of my favorite places? I’ve spent time here, nearly every day for the past four years. And when I wasn’t here, I was at some other river spot or natural body of water. To say I love being at the river is an understatement. 💦

Dip of the day: 1586

In a recent Vermont post, I shared a little bit about the Civilian Conservation Corps, and their efforts in Vermont duri...
07/30/2026

In a recent Vermont post, I shared a little bit about the Civilian Conservation Corps, and their efforts in Vermont during the 1930’s. They constructed nearly all of the fire towers we can still visit today.

When I set out on this project I expected to draw the different towers, but quickly found out that many of them look alike, a large scale erector set of you will. Since drawing this poster, the tower in Glastenbury has closed and the Green Mountain National Forest is in the process of securing funding for its repair.

I’m slowly ticking the remaining fire towers off my list, how many have you climbed?

My Vermont Photo Project 26.040On our way back from camping in Groton, we stopped in Montpelier to take a few photos of ...
07/27/2026

My Vermont Photo Project 26.040

On our way back from camping in Groton, we stopped in Montpelier to take a few photos of the Vermont State House. It is one of the oldest and best preserved of all of our nation’s state capitals.

There is obviously much history behind the smallest state house in the country so I’m going to share a few things I learned when doing research for this post.

• This is the third State house since becoming a state in 1777, and for the first 30 years we didn’t have one. The current State House was completed in 1859.
• Ceres, the Greek Goddess of Agriculture has been replaced twice since the current building was constructed, each figure lasting approximately 80 years. Ceres III was installed in 2018.
• The dome was originally painted red to mimic the red Tuscan terracotta tile roofs popular in Renaissance Revival architecture. In 1906 it was first gilded in gold, and it takes roughly three pounds of gold leaf to cover the entire surface.
• The State House Pages (30 8th graders from around the state), are some of the few people allowed the dome. A right of passage for the Green Jacket Pages they are allowed to sign their name on the inside walls of the dome.

I think I’m due to a visit inside the State House, something I haven’t done since on a field trip as a kid. Also on my stop will be a trip to the Vermont Historical Society museum!

In my last newsletter I eluded to an open garden happening today, July 26th, and then promptly said nothing more about i...
07/26/2026

In my last newsletter I eluded to an open garden happening today, July 26th, and then promptly said nothing more about it… whoops!

We’re here hanging in the gardens today until 2, if you’re wanting to drop by for a stroll. If not, enjoy the bloom scroll. ☀️ 🌺 🪏

My Vermont Photo Project 26.039No trip to the Groton State Forest is complete without a hike to the top of Owl’s Head. W...
07/23/2026

My Vermont Photo Project 26.039

No trip to the Groton State Forest is complete without a hike to the top of Owl’s Head. We’re big advocates for the Vermont State Parks system, and are still working toward our goal of visiting or staying at every one. This time around we stayed at Stillwater, and paddled around both Osmore and Kettle Ponds.

We had quite the loon encounter during our paddles, an experience G and I won’t soon forget. We hung out with a set of parents and their two loonlets for close to a half hour. We watched the parents dive down to get minnows and feed their young, and giggled at the little loonlet antics of kicking their little webbed feet, and practice bobbing their heads under water.

The robustness of our State’s recreational opportunities is in large part due to the Civilian Conservation Corps, a peace-time army created as part of President Roosevelt’s Emergency Work Act of March 1933. Close to 41,000 young men worked in the State of Vermont between 1933 and 1942; building and improving Vermont’s recreational infrastructure thanks to the direction of Perry Merrill the State Forester at the time. Originally Vermont was allocated 4 camps, but due to Mr. Merrill’s hard work and dedication, we received considerably more assistance and resources.

Beyond their extensive work in the Groton State Forest (including building over 100 miles of trails and roads), the C.C.C. can be credited to the construction of the first ski trails on Mansfield, planting over 1 million trees across Vermont, building fire lookout towers, assisting in the construction of the Waterbury, Wrightsville, and East Barre Reservoirs, and the development of close to 20 state parks.

The C.C.C.’s work is still available to visit, view, and appreciate in many locations. Entire Long Trail sections and side trails; leantos, fireplaces and pavilions still remain in campgrounds; decommissioned fire towers still begging to be climbed; and the stone steps leading up the trail to the peak and stone hut on Owl’s Head. (They also built the one on Mansfield.)

Home from a few days camping and exploring in Groton State Forest. And visited a friend’s mountain vista and fell in lov...
07/23/2026

Home from a few days camping and exploring in Groton State Forest. And visited a friend’s mountain vista and fell in love! Mountain ombré blues and greens have my heart. 🩵 💚

My Vermont Photo Project 26.033-26.038Last week Chris and I visited the Shelburne Museum. It’s been a few years since we...
07/17/2026

My Vermont Photo Project 26.033-26.038

Last week Chris and I visited the Shelburne Museum. It’s been a few years since we had been, and I wanted to take some photos for my photo project. As an added bonus there is currently an exhibition of Norman Rockwell’s artwork that I wanted to check out as well.

Electra Havemeyer Webb founded the museum in 1947, after spending much of her adult life amassing a “collection of collections” of American folk art. Originally meant to preserve her collection of horse-drawn carriages; the 45 acre property now features thirty nine buildings, hand selected from around New England and filled to the brim with her treasures.

Featured here are the following buildings:

• Ticonderoga
• General Store
• Lighthouse
• Schoolhouse
• Toy Shop + Variety Unit
• Round Barn

Chris and I have been coming to Shelburne Museum since we were kids on fields trips. Some of my favorite buildings include the Print Shop (obviously), the Apothecary Shop, and the Memorial Building. What’s your favorite building to visit?

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Lincoln, VT

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