While we were having lunch a call came from John Lens, of Green Mountain Power. There was a significant mud slide along the penstock that runs from the dam in West Danville to the power plant some distance below, and there will be a great deal of activity in the area for several weeks while that is being repaired. He said the flow of water into the penstock has been stopped. He said he believed the water level in the pond won't be impacted, but that he would appreciate people who live here on the pond keeping an eye out and reporting anything that seems unusual, and told me how to reach him. I've let our JPA Board of Directors know.

The rain let up this afternoon and we went over to Homer's and brought in the pallet. At first it looked as if there would be too much ice between where the pallet had gone down and the shore, but when Fred began to pull in the rope we realized the pallet was moving easily, coming almost to the surface just under the ice. It looked like some big fish was plowing through the fragile ice remnants. I took a couple of pictures of Fred landing the "big one." Here's a short slide show: Pulling in the Pallet
As you can see, the ice was mostly slush except for some large pieces about 1-2 inches thick that came in to shore as we moved the pallet.

From there we went into the village. This sign was up in the parking area across the highway from the store, and another sign on the door going into Hastings Store. The Ice-Out Contest is great fun for everyone and lots of people are waiting anxiously for the winner(s) to be announced.

We stopped by to see how John Woods, or "Woody" as he is generally known, is doing getting his Green Mountain Trolley operation ready to open. He was working outside, seeding some of the area around the trolley site. Scott Ackermann was working with him and together they'd accomplished a lot to make the area really very presentable. There are large containers that will have flowers, and Woody told us he's ordered an awning, umbrellas for picnic tables and is planning a "T" dock where boaters can tie up to come ashore for a meal or to pick up food. He also said he will be extending some landscaping towards the beach to make the whole beach area nicer. In case you haven't seen earlier postings about his Green Mountain Trolley, Woody plans to be open Tuesday through Sunday, serving sandwiches, subs and special entrees "to go" or to eat at the picnic tables. Everything from appetizers to desserts (coming soon!), he said. We've seen his menu and it looks great. We'll hope for a really nice summer and that he does well.