I need to take a minute to catch up on bloggables. Here's one item that just came in:

Summer Thursday Dinners at Cabot United Church

The Menu has changed, but the fun remains the same!

June 24th will be Pulled Pork, including rolls, pickles, assorted salads, and desserts.

Served from 5:30 to 7:00 with take-outs available.

There is no charge for the meal, however donations are welcome.

JOIN US THURSDAYS: June 24^th, July 15th, July 29^th, August 12th

Cabot United Church – On the Common, Rte. 215, Cabot, VT.

Call for directions or information: 563-2278

Fred and I took some time to take some pictures for the web site yesterday. We also stopped at the store to pick up mail and a couple other items, and stopped in to see Deb Stresing for a few minutes. Deb was rearranging to accommodate some new items.

Garey told me he has a good stock of the Indian Joe and Molly books. They are an interesting account of Joe, the Indian guide who lived in this area many years ago and helped the settlers. Legend has it that Joe fished on what is now Joe's Pond, while Molly fished on the smaller pond about a mile south, now called "Molly's Pond," of course - but they could call to one another over the short distance. No cars, motorcycles, speed boats or airplanes to crowd the airwaves in those days.

We stopped to get some pictures at the beach. The new pavilion is finished. I think there may be new tables and benches at a later date, but at least now it is shelter from rain or hot sun. It looks very nice and the beach is looking better than it ever has, thanks to the efforts of the West Danville Community Club. I was particularly pleased that there's a sign telling people not to feed the ducks and why. We've had problems with people doing that in years past. They mean well, and it's fun to have the ducks come up close for the food and delight the kids, but it's totally not a good idea. I still shudder when I remember how the ducks would sometimes stay around too late because someone was feeding them and got frozen into the ice. But the beach looks great and if nobody is feeding the ducks, it should stay relatively clean, too.

Woody's Trolley doesn't detract from the beach area, either. He has his end of the shoreline fixed up very nicely with plenty of tables and there's a dock so you can call ahead and pickup by boat or tie up and spend some time eating at the picnic tables. Fred got a shot of the Weekend Special on for this weekend. We've heard good reports about the food, and we can agree. It's certainly handy to be able to have take out, too.

Of course, Hastings Store has daily specials, too. Jenny turns out some very nice lunch specials. We tried one of their specials back in the early spring and it was really nice to be able to have a really good hot meal at mid-day, and at a very reasonable price, too.

All things considered, with the Joe's Pond Country Store serving up great breakfasts and all the other good food the two stores and Woody have, we're very fortunate that any time of day there's something good to eat in West Danville.

We were noticing the stone work at the old school house that used to be Larrabee's Lumber. It is now owned by the Armstrong Masonry, and while their sign wasn't out yet, we were impressed with the appearance of the place and had no doubt they know how to build with stones or bricks and mortar. By the way, that shorter column has a mailbox embedded in it. We've thought for a while that's a good way to protect them from the yahoos who go around bashing mailboxes just for the deviltry of it, and the snow plows who can't always see them on a small post.

We took a little ride out on Narrows Drive and Old Homestead Road and noticed several places have been spruced up this spring. We've had some good weather for getting those jobs done and we all know now's the time. The snowflakes will be falling altogether too soon.

Speaking of snowflakes, we have our Ice-Out tickets for 2011 ready for distribution to all our members. We'll have them at the meeting on July 3rd, but if you aren't going to be there, try to have a neighbor pick yours up for you. It will save us time and postage if you can do that. Last year Fred and Billy Rossi took a lot of them door to door, and I think they'll be willing to do that again, but you can make the job easier if you just ask someone to pick yours up for you. We do appreciate how everyone pitches in each year to sell tickets - many members sell far more than the 10 we dole out! When you need more, just contact either Diane Rossi or me. We'll get them to you one way or another, a.s.a.p. We will have extras at the meeting on the third, in case you want to stock up early. It's good to have them on hand during the summer when you're having visitors - once people know about the contest, they get a kick out of being part of the fun.