Summer & Ice

Thinking ahead - the Danville Market is gearing up for a great summer of activities. Here is a recent notice from the organizers:

 We launched all of our applications today, you can see more info on our blog [see link above] in case you want to share anything. 

New this year - Yard Sale Space. Community members can sign up for a Yard Sale Space to clear out things they no longer need from their home and sell or offer it for free at a market to our community members. A person can sign up once a season to use this space at the market. Thanks -- Chelsea

That sounds like a great idea. Here we are in the spring doldrums when the weather is off and on awful or great, and our roads are beginning to shed their frosty firmness and collapse into muck and slime. It's a good time to think about spring cleaning - perhaps cleaning out some of the "treasures" that we've held onto thinking we needed them or that they were precious in some way and now suddenly we realize it's been years and some don't even look familiar anymore. Get rid of them - and earn a little spare cash doing it! Like the saying goes, "One man's trash is another man's treasure!" Let someone find it and love it as much as you once did! 

That's the summer part of my thoughts today, and here is the Ice part: The ice on Joe's Pond is now 18 inches thick and my fisherman friend Bob tells me the recent rain and warm weather, plus a couple of nights (and days) of deep cold (in the single numbers again last night!) has strengthened the ice so it is no longer as punky as it was - pretty solid, clear ice. I suspect the depth varies, depending on where one is on the pond. Bob usually is out by Jane Milne's on the east shore. (This photo isn't Bob, but someone like him on some unknown lake.) There's beauty, even on a lonely expanse of ice. Looks like sunset at Joe's Pond to me!

A reminder: You only have two weeks left to get your guesses in for the Ice-Out Contest. If you can't get to one of the outlets, go to the Joe's Pond website and either buy 10 (or more) on line, or you can print some to fill out and mail in.

If you are in St. Johnsbury or vicinity, you can find tickets at the St. Johnsbury Country Store, where Natural Provisions used to be, or at "98 Mill" restaurant, on Mill Street. Also Mooslook Restaurant in Concord has tickets - at least these places did. They may be sold out by now, but it's worth asking if you are in the vicinity. And you will find other outlets on the Joe's Pond website, like Marty's in Danville, Hastings Store in West Danville, Stop Inn Shop in Walden, Cabot Grocery Store, and Dente's Market in Barre. Most locals know where they can find tickets - all the usual places that have supported the Joe's Pond Ice-Out Contest for years - and we thank them all! This is building up to be another amazing year - could be a nail-biter as our weather patterns keep changing!

Good luck! 

 

Back to Winter

 What a wild night last night! The wind was ferocious and the temperature dropped into the 20s, and that's where it is today. The wind has calmed down a little, but the temperature is still only 27F and there's a blustery SW wind that makes it feel much colder.

I had to go to Danville this morning and noticed that the pond is solidly frozen - yesterday when I was out everything was sloppy and wet - today it looks glossy and solid. Our road is not great - it has worsened since I was over it yesterday - I think we had considerable rain last night, along with very strong wind that knocked out our electricity briefly in the early morning hours. There has been a little sunshine off and on this morning so the road is now muddy and wet with lots of washboard and some muddy ruts beginning to appear. It is perfectly passable, but we need to take it slow and watch out for soft shoulders and deeper ruts.

I had a brief note from Gretchen Farnsworth this morning with a photo of the channel taken last Wednesday. She said it still isn't open by their house yet, but as you can see, the ice is darker where it the channel runs. Not much wildlife at her house yet, she said - except the resident grosbeaks that have been visiting her feeders this winter, along with the usual smaller birds. No flocks of ducks or geese -- yet. They will arrive soon, I'm sure. 

Stay warm and safe - wear some green, enjoy! 

 

Farmers' Market in Danville, VT

I recently posted a survey about the possibility of the Danville   Farmers Market changing time and location. The results are in, and it will still be on the Common, on Wednesdays - with some changes. It will be open from June 10th to October 14 from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and will feature not only fresh produce and local crafts, but will have live music, food vendors, and entertainment so the whole family can come and enjoy an evening of fun. Go to the Danville Farmers Market for further details.

Here is a clip from their promo in the Caledonian Record this week:  

 This year, the market is being revamped from a farmers’ market to a weekly community night on the Green. Organizers are leaning into creating an experience: a place where people come not just to shop, but to spend the evening. Visitors can expect live music, local groceries, handmade goods, prepared foods, activities for children, and plenty of reasons to linger with friends and neighbors.

The goal is to create a lively weekly gathering where people come for dinner, pick up their produce, enjoy music, let the kids play, and experience the best of the Northeast Kingdom.

Organizers are also excited to welcome the first confirmed vendor of the season, The Shepherd’s Hearth.

Winter All Day!

 We are back in Winter! It has been snowing lightly all day with plenty of wind, and now the temperature is dropping rapidly. We enjoyed being in the 30s most of the day, but now I'm seeing 25 degrees and there's a mean wind out of the west. I think it's going to be a cold night.

As for the Ice-Out Report - the past few days have taken a toll on the ice and the narrows are open. No sign of open water in the upper pond, but I haven't heard from Gretchen. I bet the channel is open, at least past their house. This is typical March weather and we know that "mud season" is fast approaching. Jamie had some ducks stop over near his office by the Passumpsic River in St. Johnsbury, and Marie heard geese one day last week when she was walking. Sure signs of spring! 

 A bit of Ice-Out history: I found this photo, taken May 1, 2007. It hasn't happened often that the clock has stayed into May! And that certainly won't happen this year! I don't know how thick the ice was that year, but upwards of three feet, I expect, with plenty of solid blue ice - not like we have this year, the punky white ice that is a mix of snow and water. This was when the flag and block was attached to Homer's deck by the fishing access. 

Bob and I went on our monthly "First Thursday" lunch date this week - I was busy celebrating Diane's birthday last week, so we had to switch to 2nd Thursday. Bob likes back roads and drives a pickup truck, so we took back roads most of the way to Bradford. I know, where does he come up with them? Same thing on the way home. We went up the old Route 5 and then off into the boonies to Barnet and beyond. Some of those roads I haven't been on for 50 years, and some were completely unfamiliar. When I worked for Bill Lederer in Peacham, he knew all of them in that area and, like Bob, preferred them to anything resembling a major highway. We often went to the library in Hanover where he like to research for his books, and sometimes he took me and did dictation. It was less complicated than taking a tape recorder, I guess.

I was surprised that there really wasn't much mud on those back roads. Some were pretty rough with washboard, but all were perfectly passable. We ate at The Little Grille at the Mill. I had never been there, but Bob played there with his band years ago. It is a fascinating spot - good food, nicely done decor, and is onf the Waits River just before it converges with the Connecticut. Again, we forgot to take a selfie - but there are some neat photos on their website. I would definitely go there again. I don't know if the upper level is also a restaurant, but it wasn't open when we were there. The grille was fairly busy when we got there, but the service was really good. We plan to go back in warm weather when the patio down by the water falls is open for dining.

That's about it for me tonight - it has been a very quiet day and I did some reading and then took a long nap this afternoon. Now I can hear some ravioli calling to me from the freezer. Or maybe it's mac 'n cheese . . . hard to tell! Sometimes it's a matter of what I can find easily when I'm rummaging in the freezer. 

 

 

Ice Depth at Joe's Pond

 As promised, my friend got back to me with a report on the ice depth. He said he measured 24 in. of "soft, punky" ice - meaning it is the white stuff I described earlier that is formed when snow mixes with the water and freezes. Blue ice is more dense and stronger, and is formed when the water freezes - no snow involved. 

Blue ice is twice as strong as white ice. That said, our temperature today is back in the freezing range, depending on where you are. I'm showing 34 degrees here, but it may be a bit colder down on the pond. We have lost a lot of our snow cover these past several warm days, and had some rain off and on yesterday. My little backyard pond is showing some water on top of the snow covering the ice - and very little bare ground anywhere except along the roadsides and warm spots like stone walls and wind-swept knolls where there are ledges. The snow is pulling away from tree bases and from the foundation of my house - so there is a lot of warming and melting going on.

I went to Berlin for my eye shots yesterday and the Winooski had some ice jams along the stretch before Montpelier, but near the intersection with the Stevens Branch, it was clear. That is good news as in the past ice jams have caused serious flooding in Montpelier. The cold period expected this weekend will be a good thing and will slow down the melting a bit so river levels can settle, hopefully preventing flooding.

Have a good day, stay warm and safe. 

  

Time To Guess the Ice-Out!

 This is it - the last few weeks of the big Joe's Pond Ice-Out Contest. You have only until midnight, April 1st to get your guesses in! If you don't have your tickets yet, you will find them at the usual outlets, plus several new places in the St. Johnsbury area - the Elks Club; 98 Mill Restaurant on Mill Street; the St. Johnsbury Country Store at 537 Railroad St.; Center Tower, on Memorial Drive in St. J. Center; and Mooselook Diner in Concord. Or, if you aren't out and about, just log in to the Joe's Pond Association website . You will find lots of information there, plus a page where you can purchase Ice-Out tickets. And they are still only $1.00! After all these years, the price of these popular tickets hasn't gone up! What has gone up is the amount you may win if you guess the closest date and time the flag will go down and the clock stops. Each year we sell more tickets than the last - and the cut was over $7,000 last year.

When the clock stops all depends on weather. We have had deep cold this year, but also lots of snow, so the ice appears to be more the white variety than the clear, solid blue ice that forms from just the lake water freezing. I haven't had a measurement from my fishing friend recently, but he will try to get out there tomorrow. Several weeks ago he reported over two feet of mostly white ice, that is formed from snow mixing with the water and freezing. FYI: Four inches of clear, blue ice is safe to walk on, but it takes twice that amount of white ice to be safe.

The recent warm weather may be the reason the fishing shanties were taken in this past weekend. Shelly Walker let me know today they are now all off the ice. Tere is a lot of water on top of the ice right now and the forecast is for rain tomorrow, and then some much colder weather coming through, so the ice shanties would be solidly frozen in place if left in these conditions. Best to get them off while they can. By law, they all have to be off the ice by the last Sunday in March. 

The Ice-Out paraphernalia is on the ice and the clock is ticking, as of early this morning. Larry Rossi and his crew got out there early and now we're counting down to the final moments. The surface was crispy and frozen this morning - the temperature dropped to just below freezing overnight. Right now I'm showing 59.8F and there is no sun. It is going down steadily and will probably get below or at least near freezing. Great sugaring weather!

Pictured on the left, setting the block and flag; on the right, Larry and the guys hitching the rope that is attached to the block arrangement to Diane's boathouse deck. There is a connection to the electric clock that is attached to the rope so that when the block goes down, the tension on the rope disconnects the clock and it stops. The only way to make the contest fair is to wait until the block has dropped sufficiently to stop the clock. There may be lots of open water near the shoreline, but it takes longer for the broad lake to open, where the block is set up. The clock is monitored regularly and the information will be posted here immediately so everyone knows the date and exact time. However, it takes longer to find and verify the winner(s). Yes, we have had more than one winner - sometimes two or three guesses are the same. In that case, the winnings are shared. 

Good luck - it all depends on the weather - and we all know how unpredictable that is! But your guess is as good as anyone's!

Today was beautiful - warm sunshine that sent the temperature on my porch to 70 degrees. I was out there briefly, but only to enjoy the sun and brush off some of the winter debris left on the furniture covers. I'll wait until the snow is gone and there's no danger of another snowstorm before I set up the porch for the summer. I am always anxious to have that done - it's so nice to be out there in nice weather. My plants will be happy to be back outside, too, I expect. 

Enjoy the spring weather, but watch out for ice jams and flooding if you live or are driving near a river. 

  

Spring Is Here!

Wow! We have been having some really nice spring-like days recently. Even a few showers in between sunny periods last week. And best of all, warm temperatures without slipping below zero every night!

Along with spring often comes a renewal of sorts - we clean house, rearrange furniture, or otherwise upgrade our lives in a variety of ways. Spring always brings out lots of opportunities to buy or sell property, and the "For Sale" signs begin showing up - sometimes even here at Joe's Pond.

I received the following note from Thierry Guerlain and Julie Hendrickson this past week: 

 Dear friends and neighbors,

Julie and want to let you know that we are putting our Joe’s Pond camp at 263 Old Homestead Road on the market, “For Sale by Owner.”  We’ve totally enjoyed our many summers “at camp” but feel it’s time to trim back a bit.  Secretly, we’re hoping that camp doesn’t sell too soon, so that we can sneak in one more summer on the lake.

If you know of anyone who may be interested in purchasing our camp, please have them contact us directly.  Meanwhile, here are some details on the property.

Our single-story camp is 1050 sq.ft. with three bedrooms (one with bunks, ‘other two with double beds) and two bathrooms, each with a shower.  Living room with woodstove; “modern” kitchen renovated after we purchased the camp; large screened-in dining and napping porch right on the water.  Napping couch included.

The camp has a great "camp" feeling; authentic, right on the water.  Never a musty damp camp feeling ever! …as fresh air is constantly blowing through, under the camp, that sits on posts. We bought our camp in 2010 and over time have made numerous improvements, modification and additions, including recently a small addition that added a second bathroom and a new stacked washer, dryer.  Camp last summer also received a new shingled roof and a new Hearthstone wood stove.  

Separate single car garage with overhead door facing the lake, with a side shed for the lawn tractor.  Tractor, lawn mowers, tools, BBQ, lawn furniture, one weathervane, indoor furnishings, fixtures, appliances, docks, float mostly all included with sale of the camp (subject to terms).

The property has a fully permitted “modern” septic system with the septic tank by the house, away from the lake.  Septic “leachate” is automatically pumped across (under) the road to the permitted septic leach field across the road. Drilled fresh water well, something like 350’ deep.

Great sunshine, morning, all day long, evenings, right to the fantastic sunsets.  (Lakeside our camp faces exactly southwest; we have approximately 95’ of lakefront.)  Our property includes approximately 1-1/4 acres on the east side of Old Homestead Road.  Enough parking for 20+ visitors, a rarity at Joe’s Pond!  (The parking, not the visitors.)  Our 1-plus acres on the east side of Old Homestead Road extends through the woods all the way to and abuts the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail (LVRT).  Seems that there would be building opportunities across the street, but we’ve never investigated that possibility.

Our camp has a sandy-bottomed waterfront, with an easy hinged dock system and two sets of stairs down into the water.  Also a wheeled dock system, easily rolled in and out of the lake, spring and fall.  Offshore swimming float also included.  We think of our camp as having six different “microclimates,” various places to sit and relax, seven if you include laying in the sun, out on the float.  Great layout, great for entertaining, easy access to the deck and the sunporch, lots of parking.

We’re asking $995K for the camp.  Further details available to qualified buyers.  Please contact us directly if you or someone you know is interested.  And, please call if any questions or concerns.

Thanks…

Thierry Guerlain 802-343-6566   &   Julie Hendrickson 802-279-0079

tguerlain51@gmail.com.                       juliehendrickson4@gmail.com

 

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It always makes me sad when long-time Joe's Ponders decide it's time to leave, but I certainly understand. Comes a time when taking care of two or more homes is just too much effort. It's great when the decision is to stay year-around at Joe's Pond, but that takes courage, too. It isn't always handy to get out every day and it can be kind of dreary -- and shoveling snow isn't for everyone. We wish Thierry and Julie the best, and we will miss them.

  

We wished Diane Rossi "Happy Birthday" on Friday -  at Spoon Thawee Thai Cuisine in St. Johnsbury. It may also be called Kham's Thai Cuisine - I'm not certain. But the food was really good, and we had fun. Our server took pictures, and we enjoyed a great meal. Sherry couldn't be with us, but she ordered this delicious birthday cheesecake (photo right), complete with a candle in Diane's honor. So nice, but we missed Sherry. In the photo on the left, left to right, me, Cyndi, Dotty, and Diane. 

 I assume you all remembered to set your clocks ahead one hour last night. It takes a little time to get used to it. Although I got all of my clocks set ahead, my internal clock may take a little more time to adjust - I've been hungry at odd hours today, and I may not be quite ready to sleep when the clock indicates I should tonight. I try to remember that changing our clocks is another sign of spring, and that's a good thing! 

We've been in the 50s today and lost a lot of our snow. There have been some flooding alerts along the Lamoille and the Winooski rivers. Because it is from melting snow, not from rain, it is fairly gradual and hopefully there won't be too much damage. We don't have rain in the immediate forecast, but we do have warm temperatures ahead, so the melting will continue. The back roads are sloppy, but no real mud holes - yet. Those will come, but it's still early in March and we will almost certainly have more snow and cold. It is a process.