The Rut

Mötley Crüe Big In The Rut?

2010-05-27T06:00:00.006-04:00

Isn't it weird the things people do when they're waiting for The Bus?

We took the Bus on Saturday (more on that tomorrow) to Hannaford's and while waiting for our return bus retreated to the bus shelter rather than roast in the sun.

It's not the first time we've sat there but it is the first time we noticed a bunch of stickers on the shelter wall.

Randomly, the stickers appear to be from CDs, predominantly the works of Mötley Crüe.

Not that we have anything against Mötley Crüe in particular but why would you have a bunch of Mötley Crüe stickers with you? Alternatively why would you take your Mötley Crüe CD labels and decorate the bus shelter with them?

Just strikes us as a little weird and random. Not as random as the Bus being free each Saturday or as random as a freak tornado warning interrupting our American Idol party though. We might randomly place some Lee DeWyze stickers around The Rut tomorrow, just for fun.

Grand Union's Grand Pickle

2010-05-26T06:00:00.006-04:00

After a month away, our shelves were seriously bare so we hit Rutland's Grand Union for a quick restock.

With our tummies rumbling, we were easily distracted but one particular item caught our attention. A giant jar of Herr's Blossoming Onion crisps. It wasn't because we're particularly fond of crisps but rather because there was a glaring inconsistency between Herr's packaging and the sales pitch from Grand Union.

To be fair to Grand Union, Herr's crisps are apparently inspired by Outback Steakhouse's famous fried appetizer, the Bloomin' Onion (note they didn't even get the spelling right. Damn Aussies, always doing everything differently!). But at $4.99 for a giant jar, how can you go wrong?!

Secret Life of The Bus Drivers Part 2

2010-05-25T06:00:00.003-04:00

We already know that when bus driver Ross Vumbaco isn't behind the wheel he can be found behind the drum kit giving his band Bogo Guppy the beat.

On Saturday we saw another of The Bus' drivers out and about. We think his name is Garry (we heard a passenger call him that once, probably not the greatest source but it will do for now).

Anyway, Garry and his wife are dog lovers, in fact they own some inordinate number of dogs.

We spied him outside Petco on Saturday, clearly stocking up on supplies and we were greatly amused when we caught sight of his personalized license plate.

Any guesses what it says?

Corgi 9! We LOVE it!

There's No Place Like The Rut

2010-05-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

We've just arrived back in Rutland after four weeks away. Some things have changed (Connick's has a stall at the Rutland Farmers' Market, hooray) and some things have remained the same (the mall is still devoid of any character whatsoever).

The one thing that remains refreshingly the same is the Rut's ability to make us laugh via the random things that we see on one given day. We kid you not, our first day back in The Rut, we snapped the following:

1. A bra strewn on the sidewalk on Woodstock Avenue

Out for an afternoon stroll, the four members of our walking party had a laugh out loud moment when we walked past a bra on the sidewalk (hey, we'll readily admit small things amuse small minds). We were a little way away from the closest laundromat so we don't think this fell out of someone's laundry bag. We hope it was a little spring fling and nothing nefarious.

2. A fire next door to Applebee's

After a few drinks at the Downtown Tavern we headed to Applebee's for a very late dinner and were somewhat shocked to see what appeared to be a raging fire next door. No one was panicking so we quizzed our server who just shrugged his shoulders and said 'oh, that's our neighbors, they light fires all the time'. Fair enough, it was a pretty cold night for May.

3. A woman carrying an open laptop while crossing South Main Street with her family

Not sure why you would need to have your laptop open while out on a walk (she's behind the girl with the giant purple ball). Random GPS application? Hell, we have no idea, we just love the entire photo - from the giant ball to the laptop to the dog straining to get off its leash.

It's great to be home! There really is no place like the Rut.

No Sandwich For You

2010-04-12T06:00:00.010-04:00

The Rutland Farmers' Market will return to its outdoor location at Depot Park in just under a month (on May 8) and Rut Girl for one can't wait.

Sadly Connick's Sandwich Shop on Terrill Street, our favorite place to eat in Rutneyland, won't be there. Apparently there is no space at the market, in fact those in the know say that demand to have a stand at the market is so high, Connick's can't even get on the waiting list.

We did however read in the Rutland Herald last week that the market is trying to have part of Evelyn Street closed so they can accommodate more vendors (a decision on that should be made at the upcoming aldermen meeting) so there is still a chance.

Joe Brown who owns Connick's with his wife Patricia was hoping to sell bread (which is amazing by the way) and make sandwiches but apart from the lack of space apparently he was told the market isn't keen on having food there. So maybe we won't see Connick's there after all. Does that reasoning strike anyone else as odd by the way? On the other hand, maybe it's a good thing. We don't think the current bread vendors would take well to another competitor. We smell a bread war!

Oh well, its the market's loss. We hear Joe is taking it all in his stride. He has huge plans for his blossoming eatery including making and selling European style bread, (who needs the Farmers' Market?!), pain au choclat and croissants (we're so there).

Corners Inn Closes Its Doors

2010-04-06T17:30:00.001-04:00

If you've visited the website for the Corners Inn Restaurant in the last week and wondered why you've been greeted with a blank white page, it isn't because of a website problem, it's sadly because the restaurant has shuttered.

Chef and Innkeeper Fredric Byarm sent out an email last week announcing that 'operations from this date forward are no longer the responsibility of Marby Corporation nor Fredric Byarm'.

We emailed Fredric to see if we could find out more, including if he had plans to re-appear in a new location next season but we received an auto response which said 'sorry but this company and all operations have been closed'. That was a week ago.

Then today Fredric announced via Facebook that he had secured a job with the management team at the Woodstock Farmers Market. Which is probably just as well.

The restaurant business is a tough game, one which Fredric is no stranger to. Last season he was behind the failed Twilight Bistro at the Mountain Green Resort at Killington, which this season reopened under new management (the front desk's words, not ours) as the classy sounding Double D's (we never made it there and sadly it is due to close for the season at the end of this week).

What went wrong at the Corners Inn then? The restaurant located at 52 Upper Road (between Killington and Woodstock) was in an awkward 'blink and you'll miss it' location. The night we dined there we had to turn around after driving right by it.

The reviews were also mixed with one Rutneyland resident describing it as 'one of the worst restaurants we've ever been to' while another stated the 'dinners were very slow....and that other patrons got up and left'. On a more positive note, one New Jersey diner described their meal as 'interesting and delicious'. We had a similar experience. Rut Girl thought her Carbonara was pretty bland but her friend Butternut loved the duck.

Coincidentally we see that someone with the exact same name as Fredric is due for an arraignment hearing at the Windsor District Court at the end of the month. The food wasn't that bad.

Sandra & Elin Aren't The Only Ones Hurting

2010-04-01T08:26:00.008-04:00

We all know Sandra Bullock and Elin Nordegren are hurting at the moment with their respective men playing away from home (Bombshell McGee? Really Jesse James, what were you thinking?!).

It seems there is someone in Rutland that's hurting just as much.

One of our readers spotted this house on their morning commute today. The home on Curtis Avenue is sprayed with multiple obscene slurs (so look away if you are easily offended) . Clearly someone isn't happy.

We hear that moves have already been made to remove the offensive spray so if you're planning on a drive by, it may be too late.

It actually bears a striking resemblance to some of the messages that have popped up on Bombshell McGee's MySpace page. We know Sandra Bullock has a home in Vermont (her sister Gesine owns a confectionary (her spelling, not ours) business in Montpelier) but we're pretty sure Bombshell doesn't have a home here so if you know anything about the back story to the Curtis Avenue home, email us - rutgirl@gmail.com - not that we condone the actions, we're just interested is all.

Things You Find In A Rutland Bin

2010-03-31T06:00:00.001-04:00

It's not every day we look in bins but when we were on our way to Pack the Paramount the other day, Mama Rutland drew Rut Girl's attention to something glistening in the sun.

Moseying on over to the Center Street bin we saw all the usual things, namely cigarettes (filthy habit Rutters, give it up), a soup cup and other indiscriminate rubbish.

But what really caught our eye was the tin of partially eaten olives. If you look closely enough, you'll actually see olives from the can amongst the rubbish. Tin olives, really? Each to their own we suppose.

Spot The Difference: Cafe Terra 'Writes' A Wrong

2010-03-30T06:00:00.005-04:00

Remember Cafe Terra's inclusion on the Friday Fail list a couple of weeks back? A regular reader emailed us last week to let us know Cafe Terra had seen the error of their ways. Finally, we can chalk up a victory to the English language (take that Diamond Run Mall and Ponderosa Steak House). We love it.

An honorable mention goes to the Rutland Creative Economy who fixed their spelling indiscretion not long after we mentioned it.

Side note: we've said it before and we'll say it again. We love Cafe Terra and we mean no disrespect. Best coffee in Rutland by a mile.

Rutland Creative Economy Community Forum Set To Spark Spirited Debate

2010-03-29T16:53:00.019-04:00

Email inboxes and twitter feeds lit up across the weekend as news spread about the Rutland Creative Economy Community Forum scheduled to be held this Wednesday, March 31 at the Paramount Theatre (although we see the event isn't listed on the Paramount's calendar, what's up with that?!).

Some people are genuinely excited about the event (which we hope to make, but we already had plans - seriously folks, a week's notice??!!) but others are angry about the lack of agenda for the forum.

The meeting made front page news of the Rutland Herald today with the Creative Economy's Chairwoman Tara Kelly quoted as saying the group had begun to hear that there was 'public perception that the group wasn't open and accepting of new members'.

It will be interesting to see how receptive the group is to new ideas and new members. Equally it will be interesting to see how receptive non-members are to the ideas presented by the Creative Economy - the emails we've seen doing the rounds from non-members are certainly fiery.

One email we were forwarded called projects undertaken by the Creative Economy 'Disney like' and another called the projects some of the 'worst investments ever'. Harsh. Additionally, the comments portion beneath the Herald's story features some spirited debate.

We have to say the bulk of the ideas up for contemplation during the 'open ideas' portion of the forum that were outlined in today's paper didn't exactly have us in raptures. Another reason for us to try and get there to have our say. The ideas for new groups and projects includes:

Forming a group to spearhead a comprehensive implementation of Rutland's marketing brand (there's a marketing brand?!)
Create a downtown gateway at the train station (we're sure that's the first thing visitors will notice when they stumble off the Ethan Allen at 9.05pm at night or 11.30pm on a Friday night. How about working with Amtrak to promote the service so we can have more than one train a day?)
Beautifying the city's gateways through landscaping and prominent signage (seriously, enough with the signage already, how about filling those vacant stores and promoting local business better?)

No matter what your position is, we think it is fantastic that there are people committed to putting Rutland back on the map so while the drama queen in us is looking forward to the potential fireworks at the forum, we hope that the passion is harnessed into positive projects that will actually make a difference.

Side note: we hate to be spelling Nazi's but a shout out to the Creative Economy - there's a glaring typo on your pages

An Important Public Safety Message From The Red Moon Saloon

2010-03-29T10:24:00.031-04:00

First of all apologies for the intermittent blogging. Poor health, the weather and a job that pays the bills have conspired against Rut Girl and eaten into her spare time, but this week she'll be back in full force.

Seeing as how we're in such a good mood, we thought we'd share a sign we spied in Rutneyland during a nighttime drive with Mama Rutland.

It is planted outside local drinking establishment The Red Moon Saloon. 'Take Safety Home With You'.....what kind of message is that to send to prospective patrons?!

Admittedly, we haven't been to the Red Moon Saloon. To be honest, we haven't heard great things....although according to the Rutland Herald, The Red Moon put the Vegas in RutVegas!

We also love their Facebook page, in particular the reference to transport in the area. Taxis and limos? Apart from the fact that we have never seen a limo in Rutland, the Friday night we were in the Red Moon parking lot, there was not a car to be seen. In fact, it was dark, desolate and all we could see were a couple of eyes peering through the darkness, watching our every move! In fact it looked closed.

So we did some preliminary digging online and found the minutes from the Board of Alderman meeting in October last year. Seems there was a motion to suspend the Red Moon's 'entertainment permit' because the place is a giant fire trap waiting to happen (our words, not theirs).

We also found a couple of awesome reviews online - one referred to the Red Moon as a 'place for toothless, lower class people' and another mentioned they nearly got into trouble when they emptied their bladder on someone's car.... you don't say?! So maybe the sign is in fact an appropriate public message from Red Moon's management; we're thankful for the warning.

We've got a birthday coming up in April, we may just take a chance and find out for ourselves.

Do You Recognize These Men?

2010-03-25T13:21:00.001-04:00

By night they're known as the rockin' and oddly named trio Bogo Guppy. By day this trio rock and rolls in an entirely different fashion.

Our friend Butternut dragged us out last Friday night and despite Rut Girl's persistent flu, she abated, intrigued by the fact that Butternut told us her favorite bus driver plays in the band.

Imagine our surprise when we arrived at the Downtown Tavern and spied a man that looked very familiar to us.

Yes, turns out Butternut's favorite bus driver is Rut Girl's least favorite driver. Regular readers of The Rut will probably remember Rut Girl's encounter with Ross earlier in the month when he declared The Bus would go on strike after voters declined ongoing funding.

You can revisit that delightful ride here.......on the plus side for Ross we did discover he rescued a kitten last year, so we're open to giving him another chance.

So raging and ranting Ross Vumbaco spends his days driving The Bus but he's not the only band member renowned for his day job.

The carving Ken Marisseau, who sings and plays the guitar, is head of Killington Resort's Ski School and has quite a rock and roll past, having played in ski school bands for an eternity.

The swinging Chris Cornelius, who sings and plays the bass, is Rutland's own Dr Feelgood and gets pulses racing at his local clinic. Well actually, maybe not. According to some of the reviews we found online, Dr Cornelius may have gone to the same customer service school as Ross. Maybe the pair should give up their day jobs!

The band entertained the appreciative crowd at the Downtown Tavern with sets of covers including Alien Ant Farm's version of Smooth Criminal, which they dedicated to the late Corey Haim.

It took a while but eventually patrons followed one Guppy Groupie's impassioned plea to join her (we think she might be Ross' wife) and grooved the night away. We particularly like the man doing the two beer fist pump.

Come On Rutland, Let's Pack The Paramount!

2010-03-22T10:33:00.008-04:00

We know that we like to joke about Rutland and point out certain inconsistencies but sometimes there are serious causes that we need to get behind and highlight.

This Friday and Saturday is Pack the Paramount, an annual food drive sponsored by businesses including CVPS. Organizers have set their sights pretty high - they're hoping to get their hands on 20,000 non-perishable food items, enough to fill each seat in the Paramount Theatre.

We know everyone is doing it tough right now but if you've got 50c, that's enough to purchase tinned vegetables; just one tin can make a difference.

Three local food shelves will benefit - Rutland Community Cupboard; the Salvation Army and BROC.

Downtown Seeks To Improve Signs - We've Got A Suggestion Or Two

2010-03-20T11:44:00.014-04:00

We've been sitting on this article from the Rutland Herald for a few days now, contemplating our response. After all, we're new here, we don't have a whole lot of history to draw on but then again without new people and without their input, no matter how naive, how can things improve?

It turns out the Downtown Rutland Partnership and Rutland Redevelopment Authority are submitting two grants for a total amount of $48,000 to purchase.....new signs. New signs?! Who knew signs cost so much?! The purpose of said signs is to welcome travelers to downtown and point out amenities .... particularly the parking garage on West Street (really, the parking garage?!).

Don't get us wrong, some directional signs would be nice. Take for example these signs we saw today for Rutland's Farmer's Market. Some directions (say an arrow or an address as a basic starting point) wouldn't go astray. The Rut's Farmer's Market is a FANTASTIC event on a Saturday, but in its current winter location it is impossible to find. We should be doing everything we can to support and promote local businesses and we think applying for grants supporting those types of endeavors would be a more worthy investment of time.

How about helping existing businesses establish their own websites (so few seem to have them)?

How about encouraging new businesses to setup downtown (a subsidy on the rent perhaps)?

That way when travelers and tourists visit, there's actually something there for them to see, rather than vacant stores (take a look at the number of listings on the Downtown Rutland Partnership's site) or food venues and shops that aren't open weekends when lots of travelers go exploring.

How great would it be to have a few sit down options for breakfast downtown on a weekend? I mean Clem's is great and all but it gets a bit boring week in week out. How great would it be to direct people properly to the Farmer's Market so they can sample and purchase our local wares?

Speaking of the Farmer's Market. Is it our imagination or are there decidedly less vendors at the moment? We seem to remember a Mexican guy who sold beautiful jewelry, a cupcake woman and maybe a person with homemade dips? We didn't see them today. On the plus side our favorite musician was playing today making for a pleasurable trip around the stalls.

Rut Girl's Friday Honor Roll

2010-03-19T10:46:00.000-04:00

Friday Funny

Well it isn't everyday that we would nominate the Rutland Police Log as funny but one particular item on the list (published in Wednesday's Rutland Herald) caught our eye. Take a look at the 3.13pm entry on Sunday, February 21. Yes, that's right 'breathing'. Take that as a warning all you Pine Street residents, take one breath and Rutland's finest (what's left of them anyway) will be at your door.

Friday Fail

Following on from last week's Friday fail featuring Cafe Terra's spelling error, we thought we'd found another one when we saw this sign at Ponderosa Steakhouse on Route 7.

That's not how you spell ace is it? Convinced that no one could possibly have erred that badly (who would describe their seafood buffet as ace anyway?!) we googled the term.

Surprise, surprise AYCE is an acronym for 'all you can eat', not one we're that familiar with, but there you go, not only do you learn something new everyday but it's yet another example of the death of the English language (and yes we mean you Diamond Run Mall). It is not like there isn't plenty of white space (obscured by the vehicle) to fit all those words. Lazy!

(apologies for the quality of the photo, but it's not easy when you're a passenger on a bus on the opposite side of Route 7).

Diamond Run Mall - A Great Place To Dine and Snack

2010-03-17T23:26:00.010-04:00

We know it seems like we're picking on Rutland's Diamond Run Mall but when we saw this ad in today's Rutland Herald, our reaction was 'what the?'.

Don't get Rut Girl wrong; not featuring the 'over 50 stores' claim is a solid move but replacing it with 'come enjoy our stores and shops to dine and snack' is certainly a unique tactic.

Rut Girl knows she's had a lot of cold and flu medication in the past few days but she doesn't think it's her imagination .... that sentence doesn't make sense. Then there's those first time visitors whose expectations are now no doubt high about the fine selection of dining and snacking they may be able to enjoy upon a visit to the mall.

Let's revisit Rut Girl's list of stores from her visit last week:

So let's do the math: Something Sweet, Orientaste, Sbarro, Gene's Beans and The New American Grill & Tap Room are the 5 dining and snacking options on offer (unless you count Vitamin World). Oh hang on, we forgot, there's also the K Cafe inside of KMart. Make that 6.

Hardly a wealth of choice and let's face it, Something Sweet doesn't really count because as delicious as they're offerings are, you don't really snack on their goodies while walking around the mall (we could be wrong). Orientaste and Sbarro aren't really what we'd consider 'dining' options either, unless you're idea of dining is eating off Styrofoam plates with plastic cutlery. Each to their own though.

And let's not forget about the free parking. That's the biggest reason of all to go? Back to the drawing board marketing team.

Five New Things We Found About Rutland Today

2010-03-16T14:21:00.020-04:00

After two days of rain (and two days of flu for Rut Girl), it was impossible to resist heading outdoors today to soak up the spring-like conditions. It's funny how blue skies and sunshine make people happy, because everyone we saw today had huge smiles on their faces, like they'd emerged from hibernation. Here's five new things we discovered about Rutland today that made us smile:

1. Newly opened Emma T's Take It To Go Buffet on Center Street. Love that they stress the point that it's a one trip buffet. We're happy to have a new lunch alternative but the story in the Rutland Herald implies they're only open Monday to Friday. Wouldn't it be great to see some life on Center Street on a weekend?

2. This house on Lafayette Street getting into the St Patrick's day spirit, putting a shamrock on the door and rolling out the green carpet, which is more that we can say for Two Sheas on Wales Street. We phoned them to ask if they had anything going on for St Patty's Day....the response of the female staff member who answered the phone? 'Uh, I don't think so' in a tone that suggested Rut Girl was stupid for asking. Awesome. We just thought given the Irish origin of the word Shea and all.

3. That we never noticed this George Bush/Queen Elizabeth graffiti complete with RutVegas' catchphrase on the corner of Center and Wales Street. Is this new?

4. That there's a Rutland Magazine. We love that Rutneyland has its own magazine, but what's with this cover image. It doesn't seem to relate to the featured stories, unless it's the one about spring chickens. Our friend Butternut also drew our attention to the dirty shorts the child in the green shirt is wearing. Hey at least he's not inside watching video games.

5. That there's a gun store next to a church on Route 4. Yep, that's the New England Outdoorsman you see right next door to the Church of the Nazarene, an evangelical Christian group organized in Texas in 1908. Just saying.

The Beast Made Me Do It

2010-03-14T16:24:00.006-04:00

Rut Girl has heard and given her fair share of excuses for being late to work but today she heard the best one of the season.

Pesky old daylight savings started today, meaning the clocks moved forward an hour. That played havoc with the work and social lives of those who didn't change their clocks before bedtime.

Amongst those caught out, one Killington Resort employee who turned up late. His excuse? The Beast told him to be late (click here to learn more about the beast)!!! We love it and we hear he wasn't alone and that scores of employees missed the start of their shifts.

Maybe it was the wicked awesome sleepover the Beast threw?

Diamond Run Mall Losing Its Sparkle?

2010-03-14T06:00:00.014-04:00

On a recent drive back from New York, Rut Girl was amused to see this billboard for the Diamond Run Mall, which basically positions the mall as a Rutland attraction (closer than you think!). What we loved more was the 'over 50 top name stores claim'. We also love that the 'you' has been abbreviated to a 'u'. Farewell English language, you are officially dead.

Rut Girl has had frequent occasion to visit the mall and to be honest when she moved here, she was just glad there was a mall, because at that stage the movie theater was still closed and entertainment prospects were looking pretty slim.

We were willing to consider that the sign may have been old, after all, there's still a Pickle Barrel billboard on that road promoting a Bret Michaels concert that happened a year ago. But then when we went to the mall Friday, we saw this banner strung up.

Yes, even indoors at the mall, the claim is that there are over 50 stores, and even more amusingly, an invitation to 'rediscover the NEW Diamond Run Mall'. Rut Girl would hate to see what the old mall was like.

Rut Girl couldn't fathom the idea that there were over 50 stores under the mall roof so with pen and paper in hand, she dutifully made her way around the mall, carefully counting the stores, stopping only for something to eat at Orientaste, which she knew would be a mistake but goddamn it she loves Asian food. The results speak for themselves (and we're not talking about the boneless pork and rice). For authenticity, we present Rut Girl's notes:

So as you can see, the list of stores comes in at 44 (Kay Toys Bee and Steak Out were shuttered). Now Rut Girl is of the opinion that you can't really count hair and nail salons or food court/restaurants as stores, so if you take those out of the equation, the number is more like 37.

Actually, make that 36, we just noticed we hadn't asterisked Regis Hairstylists. We don't think phone providers like AT&T count either but in the interest of fairness, we'll count them. We also think 'top name stores' is a bit of a stretch, no offense Rock'n Willy's or Novelty Tees.

And while we make light about the inconsistencies of the marketing campaign, the disappearance of stores, whether it be recession based or other, is cause for concern particularly as the people of Rutneyland themselves dismiss the mall.

Since Rut Girl moved here, pretty much everyone has labeled Rutland's mall as a joke. I countered with Mama Rutland today that it seemed a little unfair and how could one expect big name stores to stay if not even the local folk support them. Her response was resounding 'it's simply a joke; it's not a mall and if I want to go shopping I'd rather drive to Lake George or Burlington.' Harsh words indeed!

To prove her point, Mama Rutland drove Rut Girl to Wilton Mall. I saw lots of similarities - Victoria's Secret, Kays, Old Navy and Sears were all there. Then there was all the stores that we don't have - H&M, Banana Republic, Forever 21 and the list goes on. Wilton was also bright, airy and playing current music, something you definitely don't encounter upon a visit to the Diamond Run Mall.

I tried to rationalize it, thinking to myself, Wilton must have a bigger population. So, here are the results from the US Census Bureau's website:

Wilton - 16,405
Rutland (city) - 16,742
Rutland (county) - 63,331

So there goes that theory. Depressing.

On a brighter note, in honor of Bret Michael's debut on Celebrity Apprentice tonight, we thought we'd throw in some footage we found from his gig at the Pickle Barrel. Enjoy.

California Dreaming

2010-03-12T18:32:00.005-05:00

Rut Girl took The Bus to the mall today (more on that tomorrow) and it was like stepping back in time. The driver had a show tunes compilation blaring (and we mean blaring) including California, Here I Come from the 20s musical Bombo.

Not sure if he was dreaming of a warmer climate but it was a ray of sunshine in Rut Girl's day. The five people on board couldn't help but tap their feet. We just thought we'd share the ride with you.

Rut Girl's Friday Honor's List

2010-03-12T06:30:00.005-05:00

Friday Fail

Rut Girl could be wrong but she doesn't believe that Carmel is actually a flavor. A girl's name yes. The town Clint Eastwood was mayor of, yes. A cappuccino flavor, no. The spelling offender is Cafe Terra on Center Street. Maybe the drink really is named after someone or it's a play on the flavor. It's dubious no matter which was you look at it. We still love them though; best coffee in Rutneyland.

The second winner of Rut Girl's Friday Fail is Rutland's dog owners. With the weather warming up, lots more people are out and about, many with their prized pooches. Unfortunately many have not bothered to take bags with them to clean after their dogs. West Street is a veritable minefield. Rut Girl is disgusted and you can bet that if she catches you in the act, she'll have absolutely no hesitation in shaming you. Consider yourself warned.

Friday Funny

Rut Girl couldn't help but laugh out loud when she was out for her afternoon stroll yesterday. She was walking down Woodstock Avenue and saw this peculiar bear statue outside the Rodeway Inn. What it is that the baby bear is doing is somewhat unclear. Feel free to send in your interpretations. Keep it clean!

Rutland's Very Own Axis of Evil?

2010-03-11T16:58:00.011-05:00

Not really, but Rut Girl is intrigued by these graffiti images around Rutneyland. We've found three of the George Bush/Queen Elizabeth images around town; two with accompanying quotes.

Rut Girl isn't quite sure what it's all about. We did discover that George Bush is the 13th cousin of Queen Elizabeth II twice removed though.

You can find the graffiti in the following locations - on the corner of West and Wales Street (which we noticed this afternoon now has an addition of a swastika on George's forehead); Another on the wall of Grand Union and a third on Woodstock Avenue beside Stewarts. If you see anymore, let us know.

Inn At Long Trail The Place To Be Wednesday

2010-03-11T16:14:00.013-05:00

Well Killington was about as rocking as an Enya concert last night. So Rut Girl had to entertain herself by taking photos - they're from the parking lot at the Inn At Long Trail where one driver took the angled parking sign a little too far.

This was Rut Girl's first visit to the Inn At Long Trail, and it was very quiet but the service was great and the bartender told us that St Patrick's Day is going to be huge there. No surprise, it's their biggest night of the year and apparently people start lining up outside the pub doors well before its opening time of 11.30am.

Expect the Guinness to be flowing, the Irish music to be pumping and plenty of the Irish eats that the Inn does so well. Only five sleeps to go. We'll be there, to be sure, to be sure.

The photo is deceptive but the car's tires are literally up on the ice...too much Guinness

Snowshed Staff Snub Snowboarders

2010-03-09T10:00:00.003-05:00

Last week it was Andy Reid's customer service skills that made us laugh. This week it's the staff at Killington's Snowshed Rentals desk whose shabby service upset some visiting snowboarders, although sadly, unlike at the Deli at Killington Corner, there were no Christian Bale inspired antics.

With spring like conditions across the weekend, anyone who was anyone hit the slopes. Even Rut Girl managed to fit in a few runs. Runs to the bar that is. The sun was shining, the sky was particularly blue, there wasn't a lot to complain about.

Unless of course you were at Snowshed trying to get some help with your snowboard. Rut Girl received an email (rutgirl@gmail.com) from a disgruntled New Yorker who vented that when they went to the rentals desk to have a snowboard adjusted, the five staff working were more interested in chatting to each other than customers.

Designated slow zone....you're not wrong

The group had to wave to get attention and when they did the staff continued to ignore them until one girl yelled 'can we get some help here?'. A female staff member sauntered over and proceeded to patronize the group rather than offer any genuine assistance.

Under the impression the board they had was a 'righty', the group went to exchange it for a 'goofy'(Rut Girl loves snowboarding terminology). The staff member rolled her eyes and remarked 'it's a twin tip board; you just lift this' and promptly returned to the gossip session. Even better, she didn't actually adjust the board for them, she left them to figure it out for themselves. The New Yorker told us she's glad she wasn't a first timer and was able to figure it out. So are we.

Proof Donuts Are A Health Hazard?

2010-03-08T11:00:00.003-05:00

Not really, but Rut Girl chuckled to herself yesterday when she walked down West Street and saw an ambulance parked outside Jones Donuts and Bakery.

No emergency, we guess just an ambo in need of a sugar rush. Not sure that's the best message for a health care professional to be sending but Jones Donuts are very, very good.