A New Wedding Trend?

 Two weeks ago Eric, Madeline and I sat in beautiful, handcrafted rocking chairs, sipping coffee and enjoying the mountain views in the distance.

I sighed happily and said to Eric, "Maybe we should get married here."

"I don't think that would be a good idea," he smirked back.

I pointed to the picnic tables several yards away that could serve as the ceremony site.  I praised the deliciousness of the coffee and baked goods.  I informed him that "green" weddings are very chic now and that this place was definitely "green."

Try as I might, Eric was not convinced.  And he was probably right because, as nice as the views were, we were sitting at the rest area off of Route 89 North in Vermont.

"Come on!"  I tried one last pitch.  "We could hand out plungers as a favor!"

Eric raised his eyebrows at me.

"Yeah.  You're probably right.  I don't know how I would word this on the invitations...."  I conceded.

For some unknown reason, hippies often get a bad wrap for being dirty, unwashed creatures who blow bubbles on the quad, eat food only fit for goats, wear clothing made out of recycled disposable diapers, and rant about their God-given right to smoke weed in public. 

But I can tell you with some authority on the matter, that hippies are not the mythical, dirty pixies popular culture makes them out to be. (The part about blowing bubbles on the quad is true, but who can resist bubbles?)

I know this because I've been to Vermont.  Vermont is rampant with hippies.  It is also an extremely clean place.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the Vermont Welcome Center by the side of the highway just over the New Hampshire boarder.

Think about every dirty, greasy, hole-in-the-dirt-floor, someone's-gonna-kidnap-me rest area you've ever been to.  Now think of the exact opposite of that.  It does exist.  

This rest area has complimentary free trade, organic coffee.  It has gentlemanly Veterans selling baked goods.  (Not hippie baked good though.)  It has a person at a desk who smiles and waves to babies.  It has local artwork for sale, and non-crumpled fliers, and an amazing view of the mountains.  It is...gasp...clean.

So clean, in fact, that there is a greenhouse area where the used toilet water is miraculously cleansed and recycled all with the power of plants.  I don't know how they do this.  It's some miracle of modern hippie science.  (There are signs to explain it better for those who are truly interested.)

The only unfortunate side effect is that the toilet water is always a rather unpleasant shade of green.  I've often seen women go from stall to stall looking for a "clean" toilet.  Little do they know that green is clean, baby.

There you have it, not only is this rest area beautiful, clean, and filled with friendly faces, but the place is environmentally friendly as well!

All reasons why I suggested Eric and I should exchange vows on the lawn of a potty kingdom.

P.S.  We did end up finding and booking a more suitable venue.  I'm not giving up on the plunger idea though....