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This is turned out to be a pretty day, but it was still chilly with the temperature ranging in low 40s and a really persistent and cold west wind. I've been inside all day - busy with a variety of tasks after taking time off yesterday to have lunch with middle son, Bob. We were back on our "First Thursday Lunch Date" schedule and in spite of the weather being borderline nasty with the last remnants of snow/rain/freezing rain hanging out most of the morning, by the time Bob picked me up it was not so bad. The roads in any direction between my house and paved roads was a different story. It's early April in Vermont. 'Nuff said.
Bob had done some research to locate some off-beat spot for our lunch date and we headed for the "Busy Bee" diner in Glover. We took Brickett's Crossing Road to paved Rt. 215 and then US 15 north. Brickett's Crossing Road was barely ok. It has almost continuous, bone jarring washboard, well pocked with mud puddles. We proceeded at a snail's pace and Bob commented that at the rate we were going, the diner might be closed by the time we got there.
We actually arrived just a little before noon and although there was an "Open" flag displayed, it looked like nobody was there. The Busy Bee is a tiny spot, the size one expects a "take-out only" place to be, but inside, there was a counter with six or so stools and on one end, a small table for two and another that would possibly accommodate four, but it would be tight. And there was a thick aroma of - well, FOOD. It was like bacon and eggs, pot roast or hamburger, and hot fat - with a tinge of rich coffee and maybe little maple something.It smelled good as we went in out of the rawness of the cold rain outside. That same aroma was still on my jacket when I put it on to go out and read my rain gauge this morning. Somehow, it wasn't as impressive as it was yesterday.
There were two men on stools at the counter, chatting with the staff - two women - one the cook, the other waiting on customers. They all seemed to know one another.
After the men left, more people came in while we were there and the little diner was almost at capacity - were six customers, including us - pretty much a full house.The noise level was exceptional, being such a small space, and it was hard not to overhear what other people were talking about. But that's the fun part. We found out from our waitress that she liked to ski at Burke Mountain, and the cook asked me my first name because she thought she recognized me as someone she had met at a recent meeting. Then a couple from Walden paused to join our conversation before leaving, and we chatted about muddy roads, winter woes, and found we knew people in common.
At some point our waitress explained the history of the Busy Bee building. She said it was originally a gas station, "about a hundred years ago." I supposed that it was just her way of saying it had been around a long time, but later found out that a woman named Beatrice started the diner in 1930. It has had several owners since "Bea," and of course some modernizing and updating inside, but outside not much has changed. Like when it was a gas station, the restroom has a separate door at the back of the building, accessible only from outside. Where there once were gas pumps, now customer's park their cars. Actually, everyone who came while we were there arrived in some brand of mud-spattered pickup truck. That included us.
Our waitress also told us that back in the day the gas station owner kept a live bear outside as a tourist attraction - which wasn't uncommon in the days before there were laws preventing people from capturing and training wild animals. I suppose people gave the bear food scraps and cans of soda-pop like at Clark's Trading Pose in Lincoln, New Hampshire that I remember visiting with my kids when they were small. They may still have bears in captivity there. Perhaps New Hampshire laws allow that, but I don't think anyone could do that in Vermont now..
I don't remember the bear in Glover. I do remember there was a taxidermist just up the road from the diner, though. That establishment is no longer there, but I once went there with a friend who had the head of a deer he'd shot mounted. It was interesting, and the taxidermist had some beautiful specimens displayed.
Our waitress very kindly offered to take this picture for us when Bob told her we would be taking a "selfie" outside the diner before we left. I took the photo of the inside, and I've waited all afternoon for it to arrive from my phone to my computer so I could post it. It still hasn't shown up. I'll probably have half a dozen copies of it waiting for me tomorrow.
Sat. a.m.: And here it is, finally - this got to my computer during the night. Our table was at the very end of the diner - and from there I could see the entire space. Small, but effectively good food and a really nice experience eating there.
By the way, the presentation by Howard Coffin on Sunday in Cabot will be available on Zoom. Below is the information needed to access it. The program is scheduled from 3-4 p.m.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/
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