It’s an annual trek to the Berkshires, the mountains of Massachusetts, where culture thrives. A few hours drive to an uncrowded world dense with creativity, where I feel I get spiritually refreshed through art and nature.

It’s worth it.

But first, some fluff…

1.On our way to our first stop in Hadley, MA, we dipped into Vermont to get an up close view of The (famous) Vermont Country Store, where time has appeared to have stood still. You can wax nostalgic, rhapsodic, or however you wish over those perfumes you used to find at Woolworth’s in the ’50’s (Evening in Paris), the candies that tweaked your sugar synesthesia in your childhood, the toys you thought were abandonned to progress, the house coats your aunt Sadie wore years back. They’re all here, and more, from kitsch to funk to functionality.

Sometimes you find something cool and modern:

A lip plumper/polish collagen treatment. Check out the neat case. Open it and a mirror pops open. And that cute crystal ! Scented with mango? Can’t quite make it out. Not even sure if it will make a difference in my labial pillows, but hey, it is fun.

Remember Bosco? I know my sister does. Here are some photos that will bring on nostalgia; well, maybe not.  But I enjoyed seeing all kinds of typewriters, princess telephones, kitchen gadgets and lost laundry soaps. And then there was Gumby and Mr. Bill…oh no!

reply millimusings wrote on Jul 17, ’08 Ohhh Sue sounds like such a fun place to go and I know i would enjoy. You have the best taste in lipstick lol that colour is gorgeous and i love the little case. I am a lippy girl myself LOL. A really neat share here and thanks for taking us all down memory lane.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jul 17, ’08 millimusings said Ohhh Sue sounds like such a fun place to go and I know i would enjoy. You have the best taste in lipstick lol that colour is gorgeous and i love the little case. I am a lippy girl myself LOL. A really neat share here and thanks for taking us all down memory lane. The color is actually a very pale sheer pink, I can’t account for the darkening. And it’s speckled with little sparkles. Do we sound like 10 year olds or what?? xo 🙂

reply vickieann wrote on Jul 17, ’08 Harumph! You were in my neck of the woods! Isn’t the store just fun? My sons, when they were small, loved the candy display and we let them go wild for a bit picking out sweets. We love to visit the store in the fall and the best time is during the week (you have to play hookey from work to do this) but it is also very beautiful year round.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jul 17, ’08 vickieann said Harumph! You were in my neck of the woods! Isn’t the store just fun? My sons, when they were small, loved the candy display and we let them go wild for a bit picking out sweets. We love to visit the store in the fall and the best time is during the week (you have to play hookey from work to do this) but it is also very beautiful year round. It was a great stop. We get the catalog and I had no idea that there was really a “store.” And what a store!

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jul 17, ’08 sanssouciblogs said The color is actually a very pale sheer pink, I can’t account for the darkening. And it’s speckled with little sparkles. Do we sound like 10 year olds or what?? xo 🙂 I did some color adjusting, that’s more like it!

reply hurricanekate wrote on Jul 17, ’08 ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wanna see more more moreand then some! xo

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jul 17, ’08 hurricanekate said ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wanna see more more more and then some! xo They’ll be coming…been working all day getting it together and still not finished. Excuse me while I get some photos of the baby raccoon at my back door. >>>>>>Zip

reply starfishred wrote on Jul 17, ’08 wow what a great olace lots of fun and sooo much to see-

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jul 17, ’08 Visit here: http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/

reply hurricanekate wrote on Jul 18, ’08 awwwwwwwwwwww baby racoon! I had a porcupine up a tree today in my backyard. I know how much work it is to get them ready to post.  I appreciate your effort. truly.

reply strongwilledwoman wrote on Jul 18, ’08 What fun that must have been, its always a surprise when you run into a place like that. Great photos.

reply kwika wrote on Jul 18, ’08 I wouldn’t mind a trip there myself.  sounds very cool.

reply sweetpotatoqueen wrote on Jul 18, ’08 What a great place ! ( I think they have a mail order catalogue also?) We have replaced stores like this with these big, unimaginative cookie cutter conglomerations…this reminds me how mundane most shops have become.

reply stillybee wrote on Jul 18, ’08 What a great place!!!! I would give my eye teeth to spend the WHOLE day there 🙂

reply lynnpolarity wrote on Jul 18, ’08 looks like a two dollar shop. love those old places like your slideshow. l could use the roller thing on top of the washing machine , my arthritic hands cant squeaze out things like it used to. thanks heaps for the tour!

reply artimisia wrote on Jul 18, ’08 i does sound great up that part of the neck of the woods…never been to the east coast…i remember  wrap around armless pinnies, i used to pick them up in charity shops in the 70’s and wear them over jeans or leggins….the patterns were always so 40’s n 50’s…i think they were called house coats here as well more pics please

reply brian51 wrote on Jul 18, ’08 Did you see any Bay Rum aftershave? I’m still trying to find the stuff.

Comment deleted at the request of the author.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jul 18, ’08 brian51 said Did you see any Bay Rum aftershave? I’m still trying to find the stuff. Check them out on-line! Get a catalog! It’s endless!

reply vickieann wrote on Jul 18, ’08 http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/shopping/search/searchresultsmain.jsp?fresh=1&searchType=advanced&iMainCat=0&iSubCat=0&attribute14=0&attribute15=0&attribute16=0&RS=1&keyword=bay+rum+aftershave bay rum aftershave!

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jul 18, ’08, edited on Jul 18, ’08 I love places like that. When we go to Maine, we always put aside one day to hit all the antique and gift stores. Matt eventually got into it because he found some interesting antique toys.

reply stillybee wrote on Jul 18, ’08 I looked at thier website last night & was delighted by it all!!  I saw many vintage things, wat fun!!

reply teena2 wrote on Jul 18, ’08 The store reminded me of a small town I visited with some friends eons ago with an old town feel…does that lip plumper really work???  Gosh, I haven’t seen Bosco in years!!! I wish I could afford to travel…

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jul 18, ’08 teena2 said The store reminded me of a small town I visited with some friends eons ago with an old town feel…does that lip plumper really work???  Gosh, I haven’t seen Bosco in years!!! I wish I could afford to travel… Does the lip plumper really work??? Well, you’re supposed to use it 3 times a day for a 20 days to see results–it has all kinds of fruit and berry extracts, we’ll see-but what the heck, the case is so cute!!

reply millimusings wrote on Jul 19, ’08, edited on Jul 19, ’08 sanssouciblogs said The color is actually a very pale sheer pink, I can’t account for the darkening. And it’s speckled with little sparkles. Do we sound like 10 year olds or what?? xo 🙂 LOL Sue we do and mmmm I like that colour on you actually…LOL…The name is evocative too a bit much for a ten year old LOL.

reply annedigitalis wrote on Jul 19, ’08 the candy display would be my favorite stop! mmmmmm I love old fashioned candy, hell I love any candy. Looks like a fun place!

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jul 19, ’08 Check out the website and you can get catalogs too. Running off to plump my lips and do the next installment of this series…plump, plump….

reply tulipsinspring wrote on Jul 20, ’08 Oh I love Vermont, but somehow have missed that store! I’m close to Vermont, the Northern part, and haven’t been there yet this summer. Inspiring — I do need some lip plumper, and that is an adorable case! Glad you had fun!

reply gilesy01 wrote on Jul 23, ’08 That’s a carefully conceived place.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jul 23, ’08 gilesy01 said That’s a carefully conceived place. It is so much fun– and so packed my husband couldn’t take it! He was on sensory overload!