It was like setting out a basket of apples at the front desk just prior to the arrival of the senior citizen tour bus. The announcement came in the mail ... Grand Opening at the New Facilities of King Arthur Flour. The neon lights flickered red inside my head ... FREE ... FREE ... FREE. We don't bake ... not pies ... not cakes ... not cookies ... not bread. But, we ARE senior citizens. And, it IS a Grand Opening. And, there would be FREEBIES. It wasn't about choice.
King arthur Flour is located in the Norwich area and it took us about an hour to drive there. From the outside, the new facilities appeared spacious and impressive. We walked in and got started right away. Just inside the entry door was the raffle drawing area. We wasted no time in filling out two or three entry forms apiece and then started looking around for the free samples. Standing at the ready were perky, enthusiastic employees guarding the shopping carts full of gifts. We feined reluctance, but gave in oh so quickly and accepted the candied lemon and orange peel gift boxes (2 of each for each of us) and the handful of recipe cards for items we would never bake.
It is Vermont!
Beware of Frost Heaves!
We faced our first bump in the road ... our first major decision. Straight ahead was the cafeteria area with food and beverages galore. To the left, was the gift shop/product area where we knew free samples would be found. To right was the demonstration and educational area. The odor of fresh baked bread simultaneously taunted and beckoned us. Like English setters winding a covey of quail, we raced, noses high and heads thrown back guided by the exquisite scent. We headed into the gift area and commenced to chow down on the four varieties of freshly baked breads. The specialty chocolates whispered in our ears and we listened. The scones demanded our full attention and perused them well. We were the perfect guests. We attended with equal zeal to each and every summons.
With reluctance, we abandoned the free samples headed to the demonstration area. On the menu, I mean agenda, for today were cookies, braided bread, and mini-pizzas. Surprisingly enough, Anne and I were the only adults in the area ... except for the parents of all of the kids there. At first, I was a little concerned that we would have to wait our turn, or let the kids go first, or stuff like that. I shouldn't have worried. The staff there were demonstrators, not teachers. It was not their job to be fair, or nice, or appropriate. They were there for the dog and pony show. And we knew it.
That kid crying was such a downer ... so we stepped over to the next demo area and pushed our way into line to learn how to braid bread. We got to take our projects home with us to bake later. My loaf was unquestionably braided tighter ... more professionally than Anne's. Her inexperience prevented her from seeing the difference in quality of work.The pizza area was another good example of the benefit of being an adult. The instructor talked a lot, but we really didn't have to listen to participate. We just stood there, and every time a new batch of pizzas came out of the oven, we started grabbing. The funny thing is I didn't even have to push to the front. The kids were so short that I was able to reach right over their heads to get the first pieces of pizza from each new batch.
King Arthur Flour was a great start to our adventure. On the way out, I filled out one more raffle form. Several weeks later, I received the telephone call informing me that I was a winner and soon received a gift basket of about $100 worth of merchandise.
Just across the Connecticut River was Dartmouth University. Our plan was to visit the Hood Art Museum there and to check out the new facilities for the Dartmouth art programs. Overall, we were not that impressed with the Hood. However, we loved the current exhibit of contemporary Australian aboriginal art. Symbolic representations of everyday activities of the aborigine culture were painted in recurring patterns by the artists to create their artwork. I loved how the boldness of color combined with the tiling effect of the symbols drew me to the pieces.
While we were there, we decided to check out the renovations to the Black Family Visual Arts Center and our neighbor's new digs. (He teaches a sculpture class there). The exterior was pretty blah, but we really liked the public areas inside. 
Our curiosity sated and the back seat full of freebies, it was time to head for home. The fragrance of bread dough rising in the warmth of the back seat reminded us that we had bread to bake ... and that is exactly what we did!
Even if I didn't get thirteen of anything.
