This came from Steve Allen this morning:

Jane,

Sorry to be so late getting back to you. Anyway, I saw the Blog this AM and see you have an answer! We took a cruise yesterday and saw BOTH loon families, apparently functioning fine! I'm sure the folks that hit the loon just weren't watching where they were going - their attention was focused on the slalom buoys, and they weren't speeding.

Steve

Our thanks to Steve. It's reassuring to know both families are fine. We're really glad nothing serious happened. I've also had a response from Marc Luneau, one of our resident state troopers, and he said he will speak with Ray Richer and also the boater just to make sure everything is ok on all fronts.

We went for a short walk quite early this morning - I like to get going before it gets too hot, and anyway, some dogs barking in the distance had awakened me far earlier than I'd have preferred; but it meant we got an earlier start on the day, which is almost always a good thing. When I went out to read the CoCoRaHS gauge, I checked the garden, as I usually do, and brought in this lovely tomato. It isn't our first, but it is the largest - one from our "Beefsteak" plant. It's amazing how many we've had ripen already, and most years we end up with loads of green ones and no ripe fruit at all.
Fred took this picture of a grasshopper with what looks like a powder puff halo. The big bug was resting on the rail of our back deck and that is a pink sweet pea blossom framing its head. I was listening to the crickets calling yesterday and reminded that's another sign of fall, like bluejays screaming as they pack away their winter food supply.

We've had a doe and her fawn enjoying the apples under our big old tree recently. The young one is cute as can be, frolicking about like all kids do. Still has some spots, so it's definitely this year's fawn. Both look very healthy. We'll still try to get some pictures, but they generally show up quite late in the evening and with the screens on the windows, it's hard to get a good shot.

*****

Cabot residents:

Contrary to what was said at our last Cabot School Board meeting (and what was duly reported in the ensuing article in the Hardwick Gazette), the next meeting of the Washington Northeast Supervisory Union Board will be held in the library at Twinfield High School (not the CSPAC) at 6PM on Wednesday, August 18th. An official from the Vermont School Boards Association will be giving a presentation during the first part of the meeting about the impact of legislation passed in Montpelier last spring on Vermont schools. Included in the presentation and discussion will be the school budget reductions mandated by the "Challenges for Change" legislation that you highlighted in the Gazette article.
I'm sorry for the confusion about the location of this meeting.

Chris Tormey