THE CLOCK HAS STOPPED!

 THE CLOCK STOPPED THIS MORNING AT 6:21, SO THE OFFICIAL DATE AND TIME IS

APRIL 16, AT 6:21 A.M.  

 

It may take some time before we know the winner or winners - finding them on our list isn't what takes time - it's the verification process that takes time. The committee has to find the winner(s) and verify that the ticket information we have is valid - it's a process. We will have more information for you within a few days. In the meantime, check your ticket stubs - if you have this date and time, you will be getting a phone call or email message soon! 

The pond still has plenty of ice remaining. That is not unusual. The pond is usually free of ice within a few days after the block goes down and the clock stops. With warm weather this week, it could be gone by the weekend. Then our summer season begins and our friends begin to drift back to the pond for good times and happy days. We are looking forward to seeing everyone and to our usual Joe's Pond Association gatherings. 

NEW PHOTO!

THINGS ARE CHANGING QUICKLY - HERE IS A PHOTO DIANE SENT TO ME A FEW MINUTES AGO - LOOKS LIKE TODAY MAY BE THE DAY! STAY TUNED!!!

If you are wondering how this can happen, the rope that connects to the clock is being held by the ice so the block hasn't been able to fully sink yet. Now it all depends on how solidly that rope is frozen into the ice and slush. The temperature is about 52 degrees at my house, but it is probably different on the ice - that said, it is definitely above freezing and no freezing temperatures in the forecast for at least the rest of the week, bit we expect it could let go and stop the clock any moment. Good luck to those of you who have picked today - this could be your lucky day!
 

Progress!

I had a message from Diane a few moments ago saying the two smaller ponds are free of ice this morning. Earlier she had sent a picture of the block still sitting squarely erect  - that was about 8:30 this morning. Her message a few minutes ago was that the block is now beginning to tip! That is encouraging news - the ice underneath is softening and the block could go down soon. 

Our weather today remains warm, but we had almost an inch of rain last night, and that polished off almost all of the snow piles around my house, and the last remaining bit of ice on my backyard pond. We aren't expecting more rain until late this afternoon, but then a rainy evening and possibly most of the night again. I have to think the end of the contest is near!

Here's a fun note - so far there has been a lot of interesting dates and times logged in. Our ticket input specialist, Theresa, reports she's logged in 20 entries for 4/20 at 4:20 a.m., and 45 entries for 4:20 at 4:20 p.m.! For those of you who, like myself, had no clue of the significance of 4:20, here is what I found on line:  

 4/20 (April 20) is an internationally recognized counterculture holiday celebrating cannabis consumption and advocating for its legalization. Originating from a 1970s California high school slang term for meeting to smoke, it has evolved into a day of global festivals, social gatherings, and political activism for drug policy reform. 

I doubt that the clock will remain running until 4/20, but if it did, it would be a first to have to split the winnings among 20 or 45 winners. We have had multiple winners several times - two or more, up to I think the most I remember was five. 

Diane sent a photo of the tilting block, but as often happens, getting it from my phone to my computer where I can access it to use here is sometimes a day-long process, so I decided to just let everyone know the conditions without the photo. Just know that the block is beginning to tilt - and that's a good sign something is going to happen soon!  

Still Waiting

 The block is still sitting proudly on the ice, not showing signs of sinking just yet. We have had warm temperatures today in the 50s and periods of rain. Most of our snow is gone and the ice is getting darker, so things are changing. It's very hard to tell the condition of the ice, but it looks pretty soft, and there is no indication we will see freezing temperatures to slow things down again. We are in a holding pattern of 50s and rain for the remainder of this week. Diane just sent me a photo of the block - like she said, she feels like she's sending the same one each time. It certainly looks very secure out there! Diane said as of this afternoon there is still ice on both of the smaller ponds. Probably the ice will just turn to slush very gradually and the block will sink without fanfare as opposed to some years when it travels on ice blocks several feet up or down the pond, depending on the wind.

I think I'm noticing a tinge of green in some spots on my lawn. The buds on my lilac bushes are swelling and I have clumps of daffodils up a few inches here and there. It's happening! The rain this week will make a big difference. Stay tuned!

Quiet Spring Day

 Not much going on here today except a lot of melting of snow! That said, the block hasn't moved, but it seems to me there are spots where the ice is darker, but not near the Ice-Out setup. Diane sent this photo a few moments ago (on the left) - compare it to the one on the right from last night. She said a little more of the block is showing - she thinks the snow has probably melted from around it. We lost most of our snow on the ground today. With rain expected tonight, things will begin to change, I expect. 

We are happy that the next several days will be more like April should be - no snow or single digit temperatures in the forecast! Just nice warm, wet, spring weather! When I went through West Danville this morning, there was a channel the whole length of the first pond, and lots more open water in the middle pond. I expect the ice is getting pretty soft - it was in the 50s today, with sun shining most of this morning. I just looked (at 6:15 p.m.) and it's 61 degrees! Windows open and fresh air for sleeping tonight, for sure!!!

My friend, Mary Whitcomb told me about an article on wake boats that was posted on Vermont Digger. It is very interesting to get some insight to what the people at the state level are thinking. Seems to me they should begin thinking in terms of making it easy for lake associations and marinas to install wash stations. They haven't cooperated with our lake association in considering that option. They really need to be willing to sacrifice a couple of parking spaces if that's the only alternative, or relax any regulations that prevent installation at the state-owned fishing access at our lake. So far, it seems they are determined to stick to their guns and refuse to consider reasonable options. 

We are grateful they are willing to act quickly to change the laws regulating wake sports, but we are already fighting milfoil here and trying to prevent spreading it to other lakes, and it seems short-sighted to not do everything in their power to make it possible for us to install a wash station at the fishing access.

I'm thinking the maple trees in the woods behind my house are beginning to show a little rosy color, like there may be some buds beginning to show. That will put an end to sugaring season - but it's good news for those of us who are tired of bare trees, snow, and cold. And I can definitely see some pussywillows on at least one tree in my back yard! Unfortunately, they are all pretty high up - I've cut them for so many years, the trees are well "pruned" and no branches within easy reach. They are fun to see, though. A sure sign of spring! 

Spring?

 Does this look like spring to you? It doesn't to me, and last night was anything but springlike, too. We had an overnight low of 9 degrees!  When I looked at my thermometer at 7 a.m., the sun was already shining on it and it read 25 degrees, so I knew the day was only going to get better. Now, at almost noon, the snow is falling off the big evergreen trees by my driveway and the road is back to mud - although, not the deep, sinking kind we sometimes experience in the spring. Thankfully, our road (West Shore Road) has been really ok except for some washboard and puddles. So far, so good!

I measured another four inches of new snow this morning, making it six inches in all from this two-day storm. It's pretty and clean, all that white snow, but we've had it long enough and it seems only fair for us to be able to pull out of winter and get going on some real spring weather. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that Joe's Pond has its own micro-climate. Those of us who live here or in the immediate vicinity, need to accept that it is colder, the growing season is shorter, and it's often harsher here than two miles in almost any direction. The exception would be in Walden. Their weather is much like ours, only more so. We're in a snow belt, there's more wind, deeper cold, and in an electrical storm it often seems that we are too darned close to the heavens above. If nothing else, living here gives us bragging rights about lots of things other folks never experience. But sometimes we could do without all those perks. 

After I took my bird feeder down this weekend, the weather turned sour and we began to get snow. I found several birds sitting patiently in the maple tree when I opened the window shade Monday morning, and of course I felt sorry for them and put the feeder out again.  I measured two inches of new snow, cleared my deck and figured that would be it. It snowed off and on all day Monday here (but nowhere else!) and it didn't build up much, so when I went out this morning and found another four inches, I was really discouraged. Once againI cleared the deck and filled the bird feeder. The birds are happy - I may leave the feeder out at least for the rest of this week since we are expecting warmer weather. Once the snow is gone again, I will take the feeder down again - hopefully for the last time this season!

I thought you might like to read the follow-up plans about wake-sports legislation. Responsible Wakes for Vermont Lakes sent this update this morning: Wake Boat Update 

 

Still Here!

 Winter is still here, and so is the Ice-Out Contest block! No sign of it sinking yet! As I write this, we are having another snow squall - just like yesterday's weather. I measured 2 inches of new snow yesterday morning and because we had snow flurries most of the day yesterday, I though I would be shoveling away at least another inch or two this morning, but there was barely any on my deck or in the measuring tube. I got away with reporting a trace - really not measurable. Our temperature this morning was in the mid 20s and now, at high noon, right at 32. Not much melting going on except from whatever warmth the earth gets from the brief moments of sun we see from time to time. Water is running in ditches and there is open water in the first pond, but that is the smallest and the shallowest, and there is always a strip that opens up past the beach as the water flows to the dam in West Danville.

I went to St. Johnsbury yesterday, and left in a blizzard. It was snowing pretty hard and the wind was furious. I expected the roads to be really awful, but Route 2 was wet only to about Danville, then dry from there and absolutely no snow on the ground. It was like I was in a different country! I know I should be used to that after all these years, but it still amazes me at the difference. On the way home, there was sun in St. J. when I left, I began to see snowflakes as I approached Dole Hill just below Goodfella's, and by the time I got to West Danville, snow was swirling in the road, but the pavement was still mostly dry - it was too cold and windy for it to melt! Even West Shore Road was pretty good - only a bit of mud, and I really appreciated that since I had gone through the car wash in St. Johnsbury - only about the 2nd time I've been able to do that all winter because it was either bitterly cold and I didn't want my doors to freeze shut, or all the roads were slushy and there was no point. It was good to get it done - my car always seems to glide more smoothly after it is washed. I think getting some of the sludge out from underneath is a good thing, and maybe things really do move more easily.

Diane (Rossi) and I had dinner at Eastside Restaurant in Newport on Sunday. We ordered off the menu rather than doing the buffet. We agree that balancing plates and elbowing our way around a crowded buffet doesn't hold a candle to sitting comfortably and being served. The food was excellent, as always, and even though it was very crowded, we were seated withing a few minutes, and while service took a little longer than usual, we were in no hurry. All the wait-staff were on the run. Our waitress was a very nice middle-aged woman with a charming French accent. I'm sure knowing French comes in very handy at Eastside - they have always had lots of Canadians visiting, being so close to the border. Even with tensions high at the national level, people who love coming to Vermont for whatever reason are probably still coming. 

A few minutes after Diane dropped me off at home Sunday, she sent this photo of a para-glider (hard to see in the gloom of snowflurries, but he/she is a little left of center where the ice looks darker). We are always awed that anyone would be out there when the ice is probably very unstable. I'm sure they know what they are doing, but what happens if the wind takes them somewhere unexpected, like over open water? 

You can see that the Ice-Out block was showing no signs of movement. Nothing has changed since this photo - that is pretty solid ice where the block is, and there is very little open water around the shoreline of the pond. It's only open in the narrows between ponds and where brooks come into the pond. Even the middle pond isn't open from one narrows to the other. There is a strip of open water about half way along the Route 2 side where the current runs from the narrows, but that's it - as of yesterday when I came home mid-afternoon. Temperatures have remained near or below freezing since then.We are expecting a slight warmup later this week. Spring does not come easily here!

Our Ice-Out Committee has been approached by a reporter from the Boston Globe. It's always nice to have a big-time news outlet give us some press, but I can't help wishing it had come a couple weeks ago, before ticket sales closed! We had that happen one year in the early 2000s when an Associated Press reporter stationed in Montpelier did an article on us. It went nation-wide, and we saw a pretty good surge in ticket sales. The most fun for us was getting emails from Joe's Ponders wintering across the nation who were surprised to see the article about Joe's Pond in their local papers. Any coverage, any time, is great.