For a number of years, when Bob and Theresa are at camp on vacation, we have scheduled a day to go to some place fun for a meal with them. We went to the Danville Inn one year for breakfast; we went to River Run in Plainfield for great southern cookin', last year we went to Parker Pie in West Glover for pizza, and decided to go there again this year. I have to say, we had great pizza and really enjoyed it again - none of us had been there since last year although we'd all said we'd like to go back again.

The restaurant is rustic - in Parker's Store, and directly across the road from a very large working farm - I should say, barn. The barn, with open windows, is right across the road and needless to say, when the wind is right, you get an interesting mix of pizza and barn smells . . . but that's beside the point. The food is good, and the "atmosphere" - well, unusual. The wooden picnic tables outside in back of the restaurant are slightly more weathered than last year, and at first we thought perhaps we'd hit the place on a slow day, being mid-week and all; but we were there just about noon, and by the time we left an hour or so later, it had really filled up. There were bikers, cyclists, home-town "regulars," summer folks from Parker's Pond, just down the road, and tourists - probably some folks who had found the place in the winter while on ski trips or something. Who knows. The place was busy.

We took a back road that comes out on the road to Albany, Vermont, and then went to Greensboro and on to Hardwick where Bob wanted to stop at Hall's Market (formerly Pete's). Although there was no sunshine the whole day, we enjoyed the views - that's great farm country out through there, with spectacular views in all directions.

A little before we left to go to lunch, Fred was in West Danville checking out the water level at the dam. He got some good pictures of the work being done to replace the penstock that carries water from the pond to the power plant, further down Joe's Brook. A while back much of the bank under the old penstock washed away in a big rain storm, and for some time they didn't dare let water run through the penstock for fear it would collapse. They had shored up under the old one, but now they are replacing the old wooden penstock with a steel one, like they've done from the Molly's Falls Dam on Route 2 just above Marshfield.

Here's a short slide show, first you'll see the dam and the water line that shows the level was still down at that point; then the pictures of the workers who are putting in the new steel penstock below the dam. It will go into that big round hole in that is part of the dam structure. When the power plant is making power, the flood gate is opened into the penstock and water from the pond is diverted from running over the dam into the penstock. Penstock Work











Before I sign off, I want to show you a picture Fred took of Tangeni when we visited yesterday. She was wide awake when we first got there, but soon after she was asleep again in her big sister's arms. She is changing rapidly and seems to be much more aware of people - we even saw some smiles.