Jay ##den : Vermont a haven of farms , red barns , white houses , covered bridges . Bad weather here in winter , he says , with ice bending trees and snow blocking roads . To some degree , it has been like Eden itself , a shelter from the American storm : leafy mountains , red barns and white clapboard houses , quiet dirt roads with covered bridges , village greens , lots of fresh organic food , ex-hippies galore and the open waters of Lake Champlain , which treads a narrow path over 100 miles between the Green Mountains to the east and the Adirondacks to the west . Now , Brattleboro deep under water , ruined covered bridges and homes , Parini says . Parini : Vermonters left to hole up in the calm , bright weather Irene left behind .
Jay ##den : Vermont a haven of farms , red barns , white houses , covered bridges . Bad weather here in winter , he says , with ice bending trees and snow blocking roads . Now , Brattleboro deep under water , ruined covered bridges and homes , Parini says . Parini : Vermonters left to hole up in the calm , bright weather Irene left behind .