I am a city gal. The country frightens me. A good friend of mine (thanks Bonnie) coined the phrase ‘Outside begins with OW.’ I am much more comfortable walking the concrete canyons of NYC than the forests or woods. However, on a recent trip to visit friends in New England we drove up to Vermont to visit the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS.) It is a non-profit environmental education organization based in Quiche, Vermont.  Its mission is to motivate individuals and communities to care for the environment through education, research, and, avian wildlife rehabilitation. It was a wonderful experience seeing their raptor collection, education center and beautiful, very accessible, forest canopy walk. Am I a convert to the country? No – but every now and then it is good for the soul to get outside of one’s comfort zone.