Fall is in the air this morning, for sure. We had a thunder storm roll through last night and now we have a real change in temperature. It's 56 degrees here and the wind is right out of Canada! It's actually pretty refreshing, but there will be a lot fewer shorts being worn today.

I was at Jamie's yesterday and saw the new buoys - one has been stenciled, but I think the plan is to wait for the official decals to come for the others. I think he wants to get at least one of the new ones out by the fishing access this weekend. Next year the three new upright buoys (pictured) will be out as well as the new orange ball markers that have been placed on Smith's Point, and all will be uniform and functioning properly. No more "leaners."

Probably many of you knew what the plane was about that landed here the other morning. I contacted Carolyn Hamiltion, knowing that she and Ned are pros at managing sea planes. Here is her reply:

He was pumping water that had leaked into the pontoons. We have to pump them each time we fly.

Carolyn

We had appointments in both St. Johnsbury and Littleton yesterday, and since we needed a quick lunch in between, went to the new McDonalds, thinking we could be in and out quickly and at the same time see this brand new facility. It is new, alright, and probably because of that there was way too much confusion. It was very crowded - nearly every table occupied - although we did see a couple that had trays with empty bags, cups, etc. that people hadn't bothered to remove to the trash bins when they left. Apparently there were no attendants clearing away the debris or scrubbing down tables between customers. The preparation area was more open than at the old facility, and there seemed to be more people working there, or at least getting in the way of the people who were working. Out front, after making an order, you were expected to move to another line to receive your food - or at least, that's what someone told us. Again, confusion. Later on, at our appointment, Fred mentioned we'd had lunch at McD's and the secretary laughed, saying, "You dared to go there?"

Well, it wasn't THAT bad! I'm sure in another few weeks they'll be as efficient as any other fast-food place. After surveying the possibility of a table in that crowd, we decided to eat in the car, and left to find a quiet, shady spot for our lunch. We giggled as we settled comfortably under the portico at the old McDonald's - nice cool shade in the deserted lot. While there, though, cars kept swing by, having turned in at the empty parking lot, I guess expecting the drive-through to be operating. They must have wondered at us being there - and we wondered if anyone would stop and question us. We were prepared, though - we would have just smiled and displayed the bag our food was in and that would probably have left them scratching their head trying to figure out how we got served.

We will likely give the new place plenty of time to get organized before we go there again.

Don't forget, Joe's Ponders, tomorrow, Saturday the 21st, is our final JPA meeting of this season. We will look forward to seeing a really good turnout - 10 a.m. at the pavilion. You don't have to be a member to attend the meeting; you just can't vote. You can voice an opinion, though, so if there's something you want the Association to consider, or if you have a problem, come and let us know. See you there.