House Sitting in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont

Two short hours from our home town of Montreal is what is known as the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. As is obvious from its name this is located in the northeast region of Vermont and straddles the border of Canada both by land and Lake Memphremagog. The area of Quebec on the Canadian side is known by anglo Montrealers as the Eastern Townships and by francophones as Cantons de l’Est. This area of Quebec is known for its scenery, skiing, biking, boating and all sorts of outdoor activities and has numerous vacation homes surrounding the many ski hills and lakes.

Early November view of Lake Memphremagog from the deck of our house sit in Newport, Vermont. Although the end of foliage season, still beautiful!!! 🍁🍂🌲

We are house sitting in Newport, Vermont a town of about 4500 people which is at the southernmost end of Lake Memphremagog. This large lake is 31 miles long with more than 70 % in Quebec, Canada and the remaining southern area located in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Like the Eastern Townships of Quebec this is an area of extraordinary four season scenery and is well known for its diversity of year round activities. The area is so special that in 2006 the National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations named the region as a Geotourism designation. Recently the Northeast Kingdom was ranked as the #1 Geotourism destination in the United States and among the top 10 in the world.

Vermont’s stunning fall foliage.

We are lucky enough to be here for 2 1/2 months looking after two rescue dogs Bubba and Chips in a beautiful log house overlooking Newport and Lake Memphremagog. We arrived in the beginning of November at the end of the foliage season but the season is long as fall colors arrive a bit earlier in the Northeast Kingdom than they do elsewhere throughout the state of Vermont. The area is lucky enough to be the first to welcome the fall with the leaves turning in the mid to end of September and there are numerous festivals and events that take place to celebrate the season. The brilliant fall foliage draws hikers, bicyclists, paddlers and “leaf peepers” who can enjoy the fresh, crisp days of fall.

Our new friends Bubba and Chips digging for field mice.

In our next post we’ll tell you all about our top three things to do and see in the Northeast Kingdom but for now here are just a few shots of us hiking with Bubba in Newport, Vermont after the first dusting of snow.