I went into St. Johnsbury today to have lunch with a friend.  We ate at The Wine Gate on Depot Square.  I hadn't been there for a while, and enjoyed it today.  It wasn't awfully busy, so we felt comfortable sitting at out table and chatting over coffee long after we'd finished eating.  Bill and Bo Keach were there - both looking very well.  Their new house on Narrows Drive will be up soon.

I know you'll all be interested to know that the first two ponds are completely frozen over - as of today, at least - and the big pond has lots of ice showing around the edges.  Like Diane Rossi said yesterday, it's frozen part way down from the north end.  There is also a good deal of ice at the narrows, in the coves, and where the water is shallower.  Another night or two with temperatures in the teens or low 20's will no doubt finish the job.  That isn't to say the pond will stay frozen over.  We could still get a warm spell that will open things up again, but things are looking a lot more like winter than they were a week ago.

I was going through some photos this morning, looking for a particular picture, and noticed some we'd taken of the Route 2 Project in Danville over the past couple of summers.  At one point it was a huge mess, like a bomb had gone off in the middle of town, but today as I drove through, I was impressed at how nice it's looking.  Even though it isn't finished, it's taking shape.  I'm even getting used to the islands either side of town.  I'm still skeptical of how handy it will be for the plows to work around them, but I guess they'll figure it out.  And it's very nice to have a sidewalk from town down to Marty's.  There were a couple of people walking there today when I came back through.  It should be a whole lot safer, and having a turn lane for Marty's is much better, too.   Everything considered, I like the way things are looking there, and I bet when it's finished the Green will be very nice, too.  Hopefully it will be worth the three or four years of chaos.

 I didn't take the camera with me - probably should have, but I didn't think of it until I was part way down West Shore Road.  Our road is pretty much snow covered now, and the Town of Cabot has been out with the sand/salt trucks.  Route 2 was bare.  I think we're going to get a little snow tonight, but nothing to get the snow blower out for yet.  It's hard to believe there are only two more days in November, and yet, here we are with snow on the ground and the pond nearly frozen over.