So...we changed our minds!

The rain started sometime in the night and it was still raining when we woke this morning...and it was still raining mid-morning.  So, plan A...a trip back to Boston was put on hold.

We decided we would take a trip up to Leominister, a town about 10 miles north of the campground to find  Wal-Mart.  So, around noon, we headed out, and yes...

it was still raining.

Before, we got to Leominister, I remembered that this was the way to the Yankee Candle Shop, a great place that Sylvia Avery had told me about.  So, we decided to put Wal-Mart on hold and drive on the 50 miles to Deerfield.

Soon, the rain stopped, and we

had a beautiful drive.  We arrived at the

Yankee Candle Store, which by the way is their flagship store.  When we entered, Mark was given a

map for us to navigate the facility.

We saw and smelled the

newest fragrances.

There were rooms and rooms of everything from

kitchen collections containing items indorsed by lots of famous cooks and chefs to

shelves of Vera Bradley bags.

We saw

Christmas trees,

Christmas villages, and

teddy bears that wouldn't fit under the Christmas tree.

Then, we found ourselves in a room full of sugar.  There were

canisters of jelly beans,

lollipops,

chocolate covered marshmallows, and

candy apples.

The next room Mark found this

cute truck...and yes it is real.  It sold for $45o in 1939...just $10 more than a Ford Model T.  However, the company went bankrupt just 4 years later and was purchased by the man who later developed the Jeep.

In yet another room, we found where you could

make your own candles, mixing and matching colors and fragrances.

Walking from room to room, seeing all that candy, and smelling the breads cooking in the bakery made us hungry so we were off to find lunch.  All we had to do was go out the door...

and down the

sidewalk to the

Chandler Restaurant.

  We enjoyed a great lunch that included Clam Chowder.  A good pick on a cool and rainy day.

After lunch, we walked the grounds enjoying all the

beautiful

flowers.

One last trip through the store to get the picture of the

King Candle...it has quite a

story.

Thanks Sylvia for insisting we make

The Yankee Candle Village a part of our trip to Massachusetts.

By, the way...we did find time to stop back by Leominister and do a little shopping at Wal-Mart.