I woke up disoriented, holding a plaid-clad teddy bear.  It was unusually quiet as I reached for the  moose-embellished bedside lamp.

Click.

My  brain finally connected the dots, and as I emerged from the fog of a deep sleep  at Moose Meadow Lodge in Waterbury, Vermont, I was greeted with a blanket of  white outside my window. A broad sea of white, actually, it seemed soft and  fluffy like a quilted pillow top. The flakes were still falling fast, like  opaque marbles rolling vertically down the window.

This  was the second prolific snowstorm in as many weeks, and I was relieved that I  arrived two days earlier. Vermont in the wintertime is unpredictable. The Green  Mountain State averages 81 inches of snow yearly, but this number swings wildly  year-to-year.

Luckily  for me, I took advantage of the snowfall the day before when the sky was clear  and the sun was shining. I woke up at dawn, snapped on some snowshoes, and  trekked up to the highest point of the property – the Sky Loft. From there, I  feasted upon the first daylight view of the gently rolling hills becoming  mountains in the distance. I could see all around, deep into the valley and  across the range.

I  started the easy hike down just as the sun moved higher into the sky, sending  shards of fiery light bouncing through the trees and brilliantly highlighting  individual snow crystals.

I  stopped abruptly, noticing that the only sound around had been my own.  The forest was muted by the absorbent snow,  and it was so silent you wouldn’t have even been able to hear a pin drop.

Sublime.

Vermont  is a four-season destination, with each season unique in its qualities.  Winter is wonderful for snow bunnies, spring  great for those interested in maple, summer exceptional for almost all outdoor  activities, and of course fall foliage season brings spectacular colors to all  corners of the state.

Vermont  is also a haven for the committed gays, the gays that want to get married. It’s  a small easily accessible state that provides a stunning backdrop for a  marriage no matter what the season.

Newly  elected Governor Peter Shumlin has been pro-equality since he helped pass the  civil union bill in 2000 and his subsequent central role in proposing, passing  and overcoming the veto of the marriage equality bill of 2009.

Underscoring  how accessible this state is, the Governor invited me to his office mere weeks  after taking office to talk about the far-reaching implications of marriage  equality in his state.

"I hope  as governor that we will be seen as the friendliest state to travel to for gay  and lesbian couples across America. Not only are we the most beautiful state in  the country, best quality of life, best place to be a tourist, extraordinary  inns, locally grown food - but I think its really important that gay and  lesbian Americans stand up and say: we want to spend our dollars in states that  stand up for us."

I can’t  argue with that.  I am a firm believer in  spending dollars only with businesses that welcome me as a gay individual, and  respect me as they would any other customer.

And  Vermont will treat you right, especially if treats are what you love!

Food.  It’s everywhere here, especially those food products that come from cows.  Cows are therefore ubiquitous, from cow  stools with udders to actual living and breathing cows.  The cows give us milk, which in turn gives us  cheese, cream, yogurt, and all kinds of other savory spreads that go on bread.

Apples  are pervasive, as are sausages.  Oh, and  Ben & Jerry’s!

It’s  everything you are told not to eat, in abundance.

After a  day spent wandering down the Foodie Trail along Route 100 from Waterbury to  Stowe – popping in for a scoop at the Ben & Jerry’s factory, sampling a  dozen cheeses at Cabot Farms cheese sampling shop and chomping two cider donuts  at the Cold Hollow Cider Mill – I am sitting with Chef Tom Brooks at the Bolton  Farms restaurant at the Essex Culinary Resort outside of Burlington.

It’s a  fantastic concept: take the farm-to-table ethos that drives so much of the  cuisine here and bring the farm even closer.  As in, right outside the windows of the restaurant where I sit!

"We’re  figuring out what we want to plant, what harvests we want, and what we want to  supply ourselves with throughout the year," he tells me.  Gesturing over my shoulder, he adds, "We’re  hoping to build our greenhouse on 11 acres over there."

Tom  recently moved here from Boston, and when I ask him about the change, he is  enthusiastic about his new surroundings. "This place is magical in the  summertime.  The gardens are just  amazing. I haven’t seen flowers like this ever.  Flowers that I have never even seen before!"

The  extraordinary natural beauty of this area is compounded by the attitude of  Vermonters that preserves every aspect of their culture. Whether it’s the 1,600  acre working farm originally built in 1886 over at Shelburne Farms, or the  burgeoning vineyards, folks here are connected to their land in a modern,  contemporary sense.

Vermont  is in close proximity to some of the biggest cities in eastern North America –  south of Montreal, northeast of Boston and north of New York City – which gives  it an isolation that is entirely appropriate.  Live free, live well and eat your treats.

It’s  the Vermont way!