Hi folks,

Good news again.  Yesterday's Beach E.coli was really low again, with a reading of 6.  Four more weeks to go!

Happy swimming!

Kellie

********

Don't forget the Summer Cocktail Party at the Joe's Pond Pavilion on Sunday, August 11th.

A band will play from 4-7 p.m.  Bring an hors d'oeurve to share, and BYOB.  Tickets are $5.00 per person - call Tom Beattie at Diamond Hill Store, 684-9797, for tickets.  You may also purchase a ticket at the door, but please let Tom know.  This is always a fun time.

Ending July on a High

Here we are, finishing up another month already.  Summer is almost gone.  Today is another gorgeous one, and last night clear, crisp and cool.  Nights are getting that cooler tinge, for sure.  I'm  hearing more blue jays, too - a sure sign summer is waning.  I don't know where they go during the heat of summer, but along about August, they begin to show up and get very competitive, probably hoarding food for winter.  I read someplace blue jays are notorious for stashing food and forgetting where they put it.  I can relate to that.  My freezer is evidence.  

We have finally received the new boxes, acid-free tissue and silica gel packets and cartridges that we need in order to properly protect our collection of vintage clothing and other items at the historical society building from mildew.   We are hoping to find some dress forms so we can properly display some of those things in the future.  Our budget is small, so I'm hoping there will be someone who has a dress form they no longer use - like for dress making - that they would be willing to part with.  I used to have one, but it was made of cardboard and is long gone.  We haven't found any that are within our budget to purchase new, but even ones in sad repair could possibly be salvaged for our use, so if you have one or know of someone who might, please let me know. 

Speaking of mildew, we had a lot of rain this month.  Here's what I've recorded since I began volunteering with CoCoRaHS back in 2009:

July, 2009 - 7.07 in.
July, 2010 - 3.92 in.
July, 2011 - 3.33 in.
July, 2012 - 3.51 in.
July 2013 -  8.53 in.

We've had some discussion regarding the loon chicks.  As far as we know, all the chicks are doing well.  We have two families, one on the big, or third pond; another ranging in the smaller first and middle ponds.  I believe both have two chicks.  The photo I posted a few days ago was of the ones on the big pond, taken near W. Shore Road, I believe.  They were showing some nice wing feathers, so should be ready to take off this fall ok.  Thanks for all the interest.

We enjoyed a very interesting evening yesterday at the Cabot Historical Society where David Book, author and Civil War historian, presented a monologue as Abel Morrill, father of two Civil War soldiers killed in action.  We have heard David present before, so knew it would be both accurate and informative.  At right is David, as Abel, telling us about the circumstances of the wounding and deaths of young Abel, Jr., and Edward Jack Morrill.

As we were leaving the building, the sky opened and we got pretty well drenched on our way to our car.   This morning I recorded .74 in. of rain in the rain gauge.  I think it may have rained harder in Cabot Village.   We've had a reasonably nice day today, although it seemed to threaten to rain a few times.

This will be another busy week as Fred finishes putting photos from Bill Rossi's book, "Around the Pond," into the directory, and I continue finishing albums for the Cabot Historical Society.  The idea of pictures in the directory came from Andy Rudin, and Bill generously gave his permission.  There may be updates needed, but we will take care of that in due time.  The directory is password protected, and available only to Joe's Pond Association members.  So members - check it out! 

Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project:  Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

WEEK OF 7/29/13

Mark your calendars!  Fair-Well PIKE Event - Saturday, August 10^th, 2013, Hill Street Park in Danville.  Get more details on Fair-Well PIKE’s Facebook page!  Looks like it will be loads of fun!!!

Work this week will include:

• Landscaping will continue within the Village Green and on Route 2.
• Miscellaneous clean up throughout the project.

Contact Francine Perkins, Public Relations Officer, FRP Enterprises, LLC with any questions or concerns with regard to this project at 802-479-6994 or for a more up to date schedule visit www.roadworkupdates.com.

Here's something that should be fun for lots of folks:

Kingdom Animal Shelter in St. Johnsbury, VT, is having a cat photo contest. Owners submit photos of their cats, people vote on their favorites, and the top winner is the cover "girl/guy" for our 2014 calendar. The other 12 top winners will each have a month page of their own. Go to: www.kingdomanimalshelter.com for details. It will be much fun.

So go through your files or grab your camera.  You have only until August 25, 2013 to get those photos in.  Go to the website above for complete details.

We just learned of the death of Janice Marilyn (Wakefield) Knowles, 89, a long-time member of JPA and second generation Joe's Ponder, in the same cottage her parents, Robert and Addie Wakefield, owned on Old Homestead Road.  Janice grew up in St. Johnsbury and had many friends in the area.  She will be sadly missed.  Our sympathy is extended to her family. 

E.COLI REPORT FROM KELLIE MERRELL:

Hi folks,
Last week's reading was 14 and yesterday was 3.  Happy swimming!
Cheers,
Kellie

Did you notice the hint of fall in the air this morning?  Felt like fall, smelled like fall, and all that was missing was a tinge of yellow or red on the maples.  That will be here sooner than we think.  It was chilly last night - I saw a low of 40.5 on my "warm" thermometer.  I had .01 in. of moisture in my rain gauge, but I suspect it was due to dew.  I checked the gauge this morning right after I got back from a walk, so I had shoes on, which I appreciated because I bet that grass was really cold.

It's official, we're not going to conduct a wild goose chase roundup this summer.  We're going to try to harass the poor creatures so they'll never want to return to this place - and hope that keeps the population down next year.  I heard them calling early this morning - I guess the cold night got them  thinking perhaps it's time to move south, but they have no feathers to fly with, so they're stuck for a few more weeks, at least, and that's worth setting up a squawk about.  This freaky weather has them all "fowled" up.  I couldn't resist that, sorry.

We noticed when we went to Danville yesterday things along the Route 2 Project have settled nicely.  The Green is looking better every time we go by, and there were only a few people and machines left on the scene, and traffic was moving smoothly.  We noticed there's a "Goodbye Pike" sign on the Green.  Small wonder!

When we got back to West Danville, the wind was blowing a gale down the pond - a perfect day for sailing, but very chilly. Today is going to be a lovely one, and the weather is looking good for most of the week.  Don't forget that tonight is the dinner at the Cabot Church on Main Street.  Grilled chicken with salads, drinks and dessert, from 5:30 - 7 pm. Take-outs are available. Adults - $8; Children - $4. 

On Saturday night, there's an Italian Dinner at the Joe's Pond Association pavilion - tickets are $15.  It's a great meal, and everyone always has lots of fun.  BYOB.   Call Pam Hebert for reservations, 802-684-3655.

Sunday evening, come to the Cabot Historical Society where author and historian, David Book, will do a monologue as Abel Morrill, Sr., father of two sons who were killed in the Civil War.  David has researched thoroughly not only the war and the Cabot men who served, but also the impact of the war on people at home.  This is a Vermont Humanities Council event, and the program is free.  It will begin at 7 p.m. at the Historical Society building on Main Street, next to the church.  More details are in the poster further down this page in a blog entry a few days ago.

Did you happen to go to the home page this morning?  I like to check to see what news items Fred has dug up.  Last night I went there and was surprised to be greeted by a not very flattering picture of Woody. Fred got a much better picture of him this morning when  Woody went to check the rain gauge with me and lingered to enjoy the sunshine.

We're getting more reports of geese sightings, and a few comments:
 Jim B. says,
Keep a close eye on the water tests now that we have some geese.
Looks like a good baseline has been established so far this year, so if the
geese do have an impact, we should be able to see it right away.

Regards, Jim B.
Richard G. says,
There was a few dozen on my lawn Tuesday morning, mostly goslings. I certainly harassed them but would suspect they will be back as they are molting - can't watch my lot 24/7.  We will have to see how harassment works but they have to go somewhere. 

We'll keep you posted on this developing situation.  Unfortunately, we've had reports of some faulty septic systems on the pond recently, too, so once again we have the question of whether it is the wildlife or the humans who are causing problems, if the bacteria count goes up again.  So far the count has been well within limits - low, even.  We might expect with all the extreme hot weather and then recent downpours, the count could go up again, but we'll just have to wait and see.  I believe the septic systems are being remedied; now we'll need to make a decision about the geese.  The Goose Committee is considering options.

In the meantime, the loon chicks are growing fast.  Ted Decker sent this nice picture of a couple of chicks.  He didn't say if they were in the big pond or the middle pond.  Here's what he wrote:

It looks like the loon chicks are just beginning to loose their fuzzy brown camouflage.  Ted

 
Damp and cool today, but the forecast is for some sunshine later on.  If my figures are correct, we've had 7.77 in. of rain this summer, including 1.16 in. from Sunday through Monday morning, and another .28 in. that I measured this morning.  We had measurable rain every day from July 1 to July 12, then a five day dry spell until the rains came again on the 18th.  Since then I've found measurable precipitation in the tube every morning.   I don't keep track of the temperature highs and lows, but perhaps I should begin doing that.  I always check the temperature when I make my report at 9 a.m. each morning, but I don't always check to see what the high/low readings are.  I more often pay attention to the lows in the winter, and maybe the highs in the summer.  I'm beginning to notice the wet grass is getting gradually cooler on my bare feet each morning when I run out to check the rain gauge, though.  It won't be long before I'll be running through frosted grass in the shade of the house to get to where the sun hits and the frost has melted.  I sometimes linger a little while in the sunny spot to warm my feet before I make the dash back inside through the frost.  After a few mornings of that performance, I begin keeping an old pair of flip-flops by the door for my morning trip to read the rain gauge.

Some of you have no doubt noticed that we have a sizable flock of geese again - not as large as last year, but 18 or 20 of the creatures, enough to be a big nuisance.  Bill Rossi called around noon today to let us know, and then Frank Dolan sent an e-mail this afternoon that they were hanging out at Mark and Robin Nicholson's on Old Homestead Road.  I alerted the other two members of the Goose Committee tonight, but apparently they are both well aware - they have paid visits to Richard Gagne's lawn, and they've been boldly paddling in front of Jack LaGue's.  Apparently, the few that were spotted early in the spring must have nested and are now raising their young here, which of course means next year these young ones will all come back here to nest as long as it's such a nice, friendly spot. 

We're asking that you harass them - they cannot fly, but you can toss firecrackers at them or let your dog bark at them, chase them - whatever you can think of to make them wary of this place so they won't want to come back next year. We've had another suggestion - a roast goose dinner to replace the pig roast . . .

Speaking of dinner - the Italian Dinner is on Saturday at the pavilion.  Call Pam, 684-3655 for tickets.

Also,  the Cabot Church on Main Street is holding a grilled chicken dinner this Thursday, July 25, from 5:30 - 7 pm. The meal includes salads, drinks, dessert and of course the chicken. Take-outs are available. Adults - $8; Children - $4. They appreciate your supporting their fund-raising efforts.  You don't need to call ahead - just head down there and join your neighbors, or pick up some to take home.

I worked at the Cabot Historical Society building again this afternoon.  We have pretty much eliminated the mildew problem - fortunately, no permanent damage has been done, and we've been able to pack up some items and store them safely so they'll be ready for future exhibits.  As one might expect, we found some interesting items that some of us had not seen before. And we have been able to feature one special gown now that we have a manikin to display it on.  We could use several more manikins, but they are hard to come by, I guess.  What was recently donated was a dressmaker's form, but it serves the purpose perfectly, and actually is probably better than a full manikin as the ladies' garments are much smaller than clothing made for women today.  I'm sure the women were well cinched in - some of the bodices have lots of stays.


I also want to mention that we have a very special guest coming to the Cabot Historical Society on Sunday.  David Book is going to do his presentation on the Abel Morrill family of Cabot and their two sons who served and died in the Civil War.  David wrote a very interesting book about the men from Cabot that served in the Civil War, so he has a wealth of information about our community as it was then, the people, the times, the struggles.  He is a fine speaker and does a remarkable job portraying Abel Morrill, Sr., telling the story of how his two sons died.  We are very fortunate that we have in our museum a bible that belonged to young Abel, also a letter and other papers that will be on display.  The program begins at 7 p.m., and it's free. 

We've enjoyed a much cooler day - and last night!!!  What a joy to have to use an extra blanket!  And did you see the moon?  Made me think of late August a little, and that's not good to think about, the summer's been way too short already.  Even though I suffer in extreme heat, I'm not ready to think snowflakes yet.  I had a low last night of 48.3 on the "warm" thermometer.  The "cold" thermometer on the back side of the house doesn't have a memory, it always reads at least two degrees cooler than any of the other thermometers.   I should put a new one out there just to check to see if it's really cooler where it is or if it's a faulty reading.

We took a short walk towards Brickett's Crossing Road just before supper.  The cows were all near the fence and were more vocal than sometimes.  They are looking good.  There were a couple of little ones nursing - and they all seemed to be enjoying the cooler air, just like we were.

It's nice how the cattle have cleaned up that field, especially around the old foundation.  It had become overrun with weeds and small brush, but the cattle keep it well cropped.  That is the old Ora Ennis farm foundation, and where the cattle are pastured once was a productive field.  I don't know how much land went with that little farm, but I expect perhaps the big field across the road where the Wright's have built was likely part of it.  Further over on that road was the Ashley Barnet place - the house on the east side of Deeper Ruts Road, and the barn on the west side, where Mrs. Douse's little house is now.  Then up the road just below where the Ackermann's house is was where Ed and Gertie Gamble lived.  They would have been Kelly Gamble's grandparents; his great grandparents, Jim and I think Rose, but I'm not sure of Mrs. Gamble's first name, lived where David and Val Covell's house is.  I remember Mrs. Gamble made wonderful doughnuts.  But then, so did my grandmother.  And later my mother.  I tried, but I never managed to make a decent doughnut.  

My Grandmother Bolton's doughnuts were what got us kids through all those afternoons rounding up the cows in those far-away pastures that stretched all the way to the Watt lot, which is now owned by Kate and Jay Chatot and the Svec family a little beyond.  There were two pastures, each about 90 acres with some open land and lots of deep woods and swamps, and the cows were alternated between them, a few weeks at a time, to keep the feed adequate.  Every day at 3 o'clock, we kids had to head to the pasture to round up the cows for milking.  The only break we got was if it was pouring rain so our uncles weren't in the hayfield; then usually it would be Uncle Bob who would go to get the cows and we'd have a day off.  

Some farmers have cows that are very obliging and will meander to the gate in late afternoon when it's close to milking time; other farmers just step up to the gateway and call out a loud "Come boss," and the beasts appear like magic, dutifully coming to their master's call.  But not those big dumb Holsteins my grandfather kept.  He could actually call and get them to come, but they ignored us completely, and probably headed away from our "Come bosses." Every day we'd find them in the remotest depths of the forest, or belly deep in mud in a swamp.  Had it not been for Grandma Bolton's doughnuts, we might never have made it back to the barn with them.

Today reminded me of those days.  Especially this cow in the picture, standing in the brook next to a mud hole.  Typical.  And then there was the smell - hot mud and cow manure.  There's nothing quite like it.  Farm kids never forget it.  I remember, too, the feeling of mud in my wet sneakers, washing my feet and shoes in a cold brook, and the blisters.  We always had blisters - on our heels, mostly.   After supper we would often walk down to the pond for a refreshing swim before bedtime.  I wonder how many miles a day we kids walked, or ran.  A lot, I think.  But what fun we had!


 

We have a good report about the incident over the weekend when someone on a jet ski pulling a water skier endangered the loon family in the middle pond.

Henretta took a ride down there Sunday morning and spotted the jet ski being loaded by one of the rental cottages at Point Comfort.  She talked to the young men and found they were unaware they had done anything wrong - they were circling in order for friends to get pictures of the skier, etc., and not intentionally harassing the birds.  Henretta said they were polite and contrite.

We owe Henretta a big thank you for having the  courage to do that.  It's sometimes hard to approach strangers about something they've done, but she did it in a nice way and they understood.  I'm sure they'll watch out for wildlife from now on. 

We'll hope the loon family was able to settle down after their harrowing experience. 

Here's a disturbing report:
 Hi all,

Dinner time/early evening yesterday, [Saturday] we were out on the middle pond on the pontoon boat.  The Pt Comfort loons were also there.  There was a dark blue jet ski with 2 people on board a girl and a guy (muscular) who were towing a water skier.  First of all I would think the middle pond was too small for water skiing as not sure if they can remain 100 yards from shore without a wake.  BUT beside the point.  They were in total disregard of the loons.  We tried to block the loons but jet skis are so much more maneuverable that they just totally disregarded us even with us yelling and shouting and waving our arms - they were completely oblivious and we observed them many times going around and right thru the loon family. 

 

Could anyone tell me what we could have done or who we could have reported it to.  I am guessing whomever it would be would not be able to get there in time to catch them.....but.....It was very disturbing to hear the loons in distress.....

 

Henretta

When something like this happens, call one of the State Police officers on the pond - Marc Luneau (563-2006 at camp) has a camp at 67 Point Comfort Rd on the middle pond;  and Tim Clouatre (684-3409) lives year around at 305 Rt. 15, on the first pond.  If neither is available, then you could watch to find out where the jet ski originated, and approach them at their camp or launch site and explain politely they were harassing wildlife and that is against the law.  Some young folks simply may not be aware;  if they are just being disrespectful, then report them to Marc or Tim anyway.  A visit from a uniform might have some impact.

If anyone knows who this might have been, please talk to them about this; or if you are not comfortable speaking to them about it, let someone on the JPA Board know.

There is a comment about article on the decline in Cabot taxes I quoted in a recent post.  To clarify further, I'm posting a scan of the entire article, which gives figures and details that may help people understand the complicated circumstances behind setting tax rates.  Click to increase size.  Questions beyond that should be directed to Town Clerk Tara Rogerson at 802-563-2279.

Andy Rudin sent this link to the WCAX newscast regarding the rail-trail: Rail Trail Progress
Thanks for that, Andy.

We had another thunder storm last evening, and this one knocked out our power for an hour or so.  Some others are still without electricity.  The storm in our area was mostly wind, and we got only .07 inches of rain.  There was some lightning, but nothing severe.  We are expecting more of the same today, so we're keeping spare water available for drinking and flushing for at least another day - then we'll hope temperatures moderate.  We're almost into August, and that means it's downhill from here.  Nights will begin to get nippy and the air should dry out somewhat.  The summer has flown by, even though during this heat wave it seemed as though it's been forever and would never end.  I remind myself I have to be careful what I wish for, and that it will be cold and blustery soon enough.

Early this morning I looked out the bedroom window and saw a lovely rainbow high in the sky over Cabot Plain.  It's unusual to see one in that direction - they usually show up in the afternoon over the pond in the eastern sky.  But this morning there was apparently a rain shower going on west of us and the rising sun hit it for a moment, but not long enough for me to get my camera and get a picture.  What I did take a picture of, though, was our back lawn.  The rain last night had made everything bright and fresh, and even where the logging has been done, there is lush greenery.  During last night's strong wind storm, we were glad there were no large trees looming over us.  In this picture, you'll see Fred mows around wet patches where flowers, ferns and swamp grass grows.  We don't plan to reclaim any of this for lawn - we have plenty of that - and the birds and critters enjoy having vegetation as cover.  I plop my excess clumps of perennials in those areas to cover ledges, stumps or just fill in wet spots when I thin out flower beds in the fall.

Property owners in Cabot were surprised recently when they opened their tax bills for the current year.  Apparently, most, if not all, found their taxes had gone down.  This is practically unheard of, and even more unexpected since we were warned the state would be increasing the school tax rate this year.

Reporter for the Hardwick Gazette, Will Walters, in an article that appeared in the July 17th issue of the Gazette, explained that the reduction in Cabot's tax rate is due to the town having received reimbursement for highway repairs in the fiscal year after the expenses were paid.  He said Town Clerk Tara Rogerson told him this could happen again if expected assistance for work on Mack Mountain Road and the Main Street culvert work is not paid by December 31.  

At last spring's town meeting, we were warned that the school tax set by the state would be going up, so Cabot residents braced for bad news in their tax bills.  Instead, the tax rate in Cabot for both residential and non-residential properties dropped a little over 10%.  I'm pretty sure eventually the balance will shift and we'll return to having our taxes go up a bit every year, but it's nice to have a reprieve, even if temporary.

Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project:  Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

WEEK OF 7/22/13

Work this week will include:

• Traffic Island installation on Route 2. 
• Electrical work will continue on the new street lighting around the Village Green and on Route 2.
• Landscaping will continue within the Village Green and on Route 2.

While crews are installing the new traffic islands, travel will be reduced to alternating one-way traffic while most of the work above is being performed.  Motorists should expect and plan for traffic delays when traveling in and around the project.

Contact Francine Perkins, Public Relations Officer, FRP Enterprises, LLC with any questions or concerns with regard to this project at 802-479-6994 or for a more up to date schedule visit www.roadworkupdates.com.

 

About the Ice-Cream Social on Sunday for the benefit of the West Danville Methodist Church:
I spoke with Jane Milne this morning.  Jane said how the Yankee Swap works is that they select a few items from those donated for the auction - she said they have some very neat things to auction off - and those will be for the Yankee Swap.  So you don't need to bring anything except an appetite for cake and ice cream (Yes!  You get cake with your ice cream, and it's FREE!) and plan to bid on some of those interesting items that will be auctioned off.  So bring your checkbook or cash and see if you can outbid your neighbor.  All in good fun and for a good cause. 

They are hoping for really nice weather on Sunday, but no matter what, under the cover of the pavilion at the Joe's Pond Recreation Field, everyone will stay dry, cool, warm or whatever is needed.  Predictions are for temperatures in the 70s by Sunday, and if that happens, it will be perfect.

There's more breeze today, and that helps, but the outside temperature is already up to 80 on the "cool" side of our house, and way above that where the sun hits.  I've been for my walk, so plan to hang out inside mostly today.  I have a lot to catch up on, and as long as it doesn't require much energy, it'll get done.  If it gets too hot, we can always retreat to the basement where it's at least 20 degrees cooler - in fact, after 10-15 minutes down there, I'm ready for a sweater.  Now that I think about it, today is a good day to catch up on some mending I've been putting off - and maybe even some ironing.  There are projects waiting for me on my workbench in the basement, put aside last winter for "a hot day next summer," and this certainly qualifies.  I think I know where I'll spend a fair share of the day today, and maybe tomorrow, too.  Fred doesn't mind the heat like I do, but I bet I can find a few "projects" for him down in the basement, too, if needed.

I hope everyone is managing this stretch of extremely hot weather okay.  It takes a toll on all of us, especially those who have to work outside or who don't have air conditioning.  We don't have air conditioning, but the house stays comparatively cool as long as we can cool it down at night and then keep it closed up during the day.  By late afternoon, I begin to get a little claustrophobic because I also keep the shades down until the sun has been off the windows for a few hours.  With the overhead fans going, it is pretty comfortable, and as soon as the sun goes down and the outside temperature begins to drop, I can't wait to get the house opened up again.

I have a hard time with the little "no-see-ums" that sneak in through the window screens at night, though.  Those little dickens bite!   So it's either sit in the dark and keep everything open, or endure the irritation of mini-bites while reading the newspaper or watching TV.

I went to the Cabot Historical Society today to help with a mildew problem we have, thanks to the long stretch of wet and humid weather.  We got a lot done, but will need to go back and finish - hopefully when the weather has cooled down a little.  The building was oppressively hot today, and we were tired after a couple hours.  

We have had a manikin donated to display a special turn-of-the-century (1900s) wedding dress.  It's interesting that even though the manikin form is adjustable, it won't quite reduce to the small size of the dress. I think people were considerably smaller than women today, and I'm not thinking because of obesity being more prevalent now; I think people were generally smaller boned, shorter, and differently proportioned.  We have ladies' under garments that must have been very uncomfortable; and in photos, even in the middle of summer, women wore heavy clothing over layers of petticoats, tightly fitted collars and bodices, and sometimes a bustle - all to be stylish.  Even farm wives worked in long dresses.   The picture above was taken on the Angus Smith farm in Cabot during haying in the early 1900s.  The two women were no doubt helping - but all decked out like they were going to church.  I guess if you know you're going to have your picture taken, you usually want to look your best - but in a hot hayfield?  Really!  Nobody had nearly that many clothes on today at the historical society building, but we were all sweltering in the heat, and I'm really, really glad nobody took my picture . . . !  Anyway, we may have a hard time dressing that manikin!

This is perfect ice cream weather, and I've been asked to remind people about the Ice-Cream Social this coming Sunday.  Here's the scoop (you expected that, now didn't you?):  

 This Sunday evening at 6 pm there will be an Ice Cream Social followed by an auction at the JPA pavilion to benefit the West Danville United Methodist Church and there is no admission fee!  Craig Vance will be the auctioneer and there will be a Yankee Swap as part of the auction.  It should be a lot of fun and everyone is invited to attend.  

I have asked Jane Milne, one of the organizers, about the Yankee Swap, so I may have more information on that tomorrow. I'm not sure exactly how that's going to work, but Jane will fill me in. 

In today's Caledonian Record there's an item about the gathering tomorrow in St. Johnsbury at 5 o'clock to celebrate groundbreaking for the rail-trail from St. Johnsbury to Swanton.  People are congregating at the site of the former railroad overpass on Mount Vernon Street in St. Johnsbury.  Sen. Bernie Sanders will be there, and St. Johnsbury Town Manager John Hall (Otis Drive), among other enthusiasts.  And so begins work on the 15-mile stretch of former St. J. and L. C. RR bed from St. Johnsbury to West Danville.  If work goes as planned, that stretch should be ready for use by late summer, 2014.  There are two more sections that will have work started this summer, another 15-mile section from Morrisville to Cambridge Junction, and a 10-mile section from Sheldon to Swanton.   I guess the 50 miles between West Danville and Morrisville will be done some other time.  The 90 mile trail between St. Johnsbury and Swanton will be connected at the southeast end to the already completed  St. Johnsbury bike path which ends at Mount Vernon Street.  Rail-trail organizers are looking for volunteers to help maintain the path in the future, and of course donations or in-kind support to help with the expense of building the path this year.  

Mark your calendars - the Joe's Pond Association's Italian Dinner is coming right up on July 27th, and you won't want to miss it.  Tickets are $15, and you can call Pam Hebert to reserve yours - 684-3655.  Cocktails begin at 5, BYOB; an appetizer to share is always appreciated.

To answer a question regarding the proposed legislation, Bill H.526, in Vermont Legislature:

JPA is keeping a wary eye on proposed legislation re. waterfront properties.  Our state  legislators have assured us that it won't impact existing land owners around the pond.  The JPA Board will be following the progress of  Bill H.526 when Legislature reconvenes in the fall.

On the local level, we have a representative, Larry Rossi, who will be representing JPA as new zoning regulations are being drafted by the Town of Danville.  Towns will need to consider and adapt to some of the state laws.  Danville and Cabot are reportedly working together on new zoning regulations re. the pond; Jack LaGue will be monitoring Cabot's rewrite of the regulations. 

We will be reporting any proposed changes as they pertain to our members, and hopefully keep things from getting too complicated or damaging.  Larry has had lots of experience in these types of regulations, having sat on the selectboard in Woodbury for  many years, and he is also a year around resident here at Joe's Pond; Jack has a sharp mind and will be a good voice for Joe's Pond, as well.  He, too, is a year-around resident.  As time goes on, I will be reporting any movement from either town on the blog, and we'll be tracking the progress of Bill H.526 on the state level.


If you have specific questions, you may want to contact JPA President Tom Dente.


I heard from Homer and Margaret Fitts this weekend that Noah Alonso (Barre Ave.) is here.  This is very good news, as Noah hasn't been able to come to the pond for a number of years, and it's nice to have him back.  Here's some of what Homer wrote:

[NOAH'S] FIRST  TIME AT JOE'S IN OVER FOUR YEARS.    HIS WIFE LEFT US THIS WINTER AFTER 3 - 4 YEARS IN BED FROM A STROKE.    NOAH WAS IN GRADED SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL WITH ME AND HAS BEEN IN EAST LANSING, MICH

IN THE ART DEPT. AT MICH. STATE UNIV.     THEY CAME EVERY SUMMER AND HAD A NEW PLACE BUILT 5 YEARS AGO.        MARGARET AND I SURE HAVE HOPED FOR A LONG TIME THAT HE WOULD BE HERE.

 

I'm sure Noah has many friends here at the pond who will be happy to learn he's here.  Homer and Margaret aren't at their camp as often these days, so stop by and say hello to Noah if you get a chance.

 

Enjoy our stretch of nice weather.  It's sunny, at least, though still very humid.  There was a heavy dew last night and it promises to be really hot today.  Take a dip if you can, and stay as comfortable as possible.  We are expecting Fred's cousin and a friend from Rhode Island for lunch today - always fun and interesting as Cousin Ora is the family historian for the Wry side of the family.

We had a busy day yesterday.  In the early afternoon, I was at the Cabot Historical Society - and I actually had four visitors, a mom and three children stopped by, and then there was a stray dog that wandered in, looking for friends and a cool place to rest, I think.  He was a neighborhood dog, according to the children.  They had a good time exploring the exhibits under the watchful eye of their mother, and I was pleased to have them stop in.  The two boys were anxious to see where we had placed the old 1915 number plate they'd found some time back in the Winooski River.  They thought perhaps it had been uncovered by the rush of recent flood waters.  I've been meaning to try to find out from the State of Vermont who that number might have been issued to, and now I'll do that since the boys who found it are interested enough to check up on it!

I rushed home after closing the historical building and headed down to camp where Tangeni's birthday party was well under way.  There were kids (all girls except for one) of all ages, and a large number of adults watching out for everyone.  They were water skiing, tubing, and even got out hula-hoops.  I've made a short slide show of the proceedings - at least through birthday cake and  gifts.  Tangeni was impressed with her cake, which was individual cupcakes frosted, and decorated with some of her favorite cartoon friends, to make one large "cake,"   She is far more careful about getting frosting on her than her father or uncles were (I guess it's a boy vs. girl thing!) and except for what was on her face that she couldn't see, she licked her fingers clean, but carefully guided her mother's hand to clean frosting off when she got some on her leg.  All the other girls just jumped into the pond to clean up. 

Big sister, Jo-Ann, challenged her father to upset her while tubing - she loved the very rough ride, but managed to hang on, claiming the title of "queen of tubing"; but she said she is not interested in water skiing.  That has confounded and disappointed her uncles - nobody in the Dimick family has ever turned down learning to water ski; even Monika, who had to learn to swim when she first joined the family, water skis.  It goes back to Grandpa Bill Dimick priding himself on both water and snow skiing into his 80's, along with some equally "seasoned" buddies like Hugh McLean and Harry Winters.  Then there was Uncle Cliff, who is legendary for water skiing in his tux, holding the rope in one hand and a martini in the other, and smoking a cigar.  The sport has come down through the generations and it would be hard to count the number of youngsters who learned to ski behind our inboard, "Raja."  Perhaps she'll surprise everyone one day and decide she can do it.

We enjoyed watching the kids playing in the water, and the boats passing by.  We were struck by the very large boat equipped with a sound system perched overhead (see photo), and always appreciate seeing a classic inboard (pictured below).  This might have been Billy Hamilton's recently restored boat, but I wasn't sure.  Click on the photos to make them larger.

A mother duck and her brood visited the party briefly, and that was a high point in Tangeni's day.  She talked with them in their language and I think was about to offer them some birthday cake until her mom explained we don't feed the ducks.  They settled in the cove by the boat lift for a little while, but then went on their way.  There are lily pads in the little cove, and lots of reeds beyond towards the Ward camp, and ducks love to forage there.

The Ward camp has been painted, and it looks very nice.  We should have taken a picture, but didn't think to do that.  Another time.  We left before the party was over - grandma and grandpa don't have the stamina that "Young America" has.  Today, Fred is mowing our lawn, and I'm headed out soon to use the walk-behind mower to do the walkway and trim around the gardens where it's hard to get at with the riding mower.  It's such a pretty day, it's a huge temptation to drop everything inside and get out there.

The next Cabot Planning Commission work session will be Thursday, July 18 at 6 p.m. in the town office.

Photo by Susan Cole Kelly

AGENDA 1. Review draft Article 1 A first draft of Article 1 was distributed at the May 6 meeting. We reviewed Chapters 1.A and 1.B at the July 1 meeting. We will continue the review with the final chapter, 1.C. 2. Review draft zoning map and district concepts Brandy will bring a draft zoning map to the meeting and we will discuss district concepts. 3. Review draft Article 4 A first draft of Chapter 4.A was distributed at the July 1 meeting. This is the first chapter of Article 4. Administration and deals with the responsibilities of the Zoning Administrator and how zoning permits are issued. 4. Next meeting Next regular meeting is August 1 at 6 p.m. You are welcome to attend any Planning Commission meeting. More information is available on our project webpage.

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Correction:  In the blog entry I did earlier today (below), I originally wrote that the power plant in West Danville is owned by Washington Electric.  That is not true, of course - the dam and the plant are owned by Green Mountain Power Corporation.   I have made the correction in the blog, but wanted to set the record straight in case anyone was confused.

Fred and I took a short trip this morning to the power plant just outside of West Danville.  Some of you will remember it was completely washed out back in 2012.  We recently talked to the folks at Green Mountain Power that owns the plant, and were told they should be back on line sometime late this summer or early fall.  It has been a huge job to reconstruct the building and get the turbine inside cleaned and repaired.  There was unbelievable damage caused when the penstock that brings water from the dam in West Danville down to the power plant burst.  A good portion of the penstock leading out of the dam had been compromised a few years earlier when heavy rains caused mud slides along the bank of the brook, leaving some of the penstock dangerously suspended with little or no support.  That fixed, only a short time later, the lower section of the old penstock gave way causing a torrent of water to rush above ground, and through the power plant building damaging everything in its path.  The top picture is how it looked today, the bottom one  was taken on June 18, 2012.  I found the slide show I did after the washout, if you'd like to see more of the damage back in 2012.

We made a short slide show today of the rebuilt plant, so you can compare then and now.  There was nobody there this morning, so we don't have official information for you, but I was able to get a picture of the machinery inside the building from the window.  It looks as if there is still work to do inside, and the penstock will need to be connected (in one picture you see the open end of the big pipe at the foot of the hill). Once connected, they will be able to accept water from the dam in West Danville which will relieve some of the pressure on the rubber dam to keep the water level within prescribed limits.  

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Work Update

Danville Route 2 Project

Project:  Danville FEGC 028-3(32)

Saturday, 7/13/13 – Crews will be grinding lines on Route 2 in the new pavement in preparation for line striping.  They expect to start early and finish mid morning. 

WEEK OF 7/15/13

Project Update:  This project is nearing completion!  After this week, there will be items such as, installation of new traffic signals, the remaining traffic islands and miscellaneous clean-up work left to be performed.  There may be some repairs here or there but for the most part, after this week, work will start winding down on the project.   Work updates will continue for the next couple of weeks.

Since the weather did not cooperate last week, line striping was postponed until this week.  Crews plan to paint lines this week, weather permitting.

Installation of the granite posts started last week and will continue into this week.  The posts are being installed around the Village Green and on Route 2 near the Danville School.

More street lights will be installed as well as new landscaping within the Village Green.

While crews are line striping, travel will be reduced to alternating one-way traffic while most of the work above is being performed.   Motorists should expect and plan for traffic delays when traveling in and around the project.

Contact Francine Perkins, Public Relations Officer, FRP Enterprises, LLC with any questions or concerns with regard to this project at 802-479-6994 or for a more up to date schedule visit www.roadworkupdates.com.

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 The above is probably the best news lots of Danville people (and folks passing through or visiting Danville) have had in a long time!  We will soon be posting photos of the finished project, and perhaps even a celebration.  Perhaps by Autumn on the Green time everything will be available again on the Green?  Wouldn't that be wonderful!

This morning Helen Morrison asked this question:

I wonder if Kelly also tests (or does someone) for phosphates and nitrates in the water...from fertilizers and farm/manure run off?  With all the rain, that could add to the Pond's count.  And then, of course, we could get algae blooms.

Just curious.

I posed the question to Kellie Merrell, and I thought others may be interested in her response:

Hi Jane,

That is part of the monitoring that I do on all the inland lakes in Vermont.  However, with so many lakes and only myself and my colleague sampling, we have to rotate across the lakes in the state that we sample to get to them all over time.  The primary program we use to monitor phosphorus and nitrogen in our lakes is the post ice out sampling I do when the lakes turn over and are fully mixed in the spring 7-10 days after ice out.  I did sample Joes this spring (along with 75 other lakes or so) and the results were not out of the lab prior to me heading back into the field for summer lake assessments now.  So, I won’t have the latest numbers QC’d and graphed until this winter.  For more frequent monitoring of phosphorus, water clarity and chlorophyll a (a measure of water column algae) we heavily rely on our lay monitors to collect that data weekly for us in the summer.  I know some lay monitors only do the water clarity reading, but it really helps when our volunteers collect the phosphorus and chlorophyll a samples as well.  Without our lay monitors, it can take longer for me to determine if there is a troubling trend associated with increasing nutrients in a particular lake.   Bethany Sargent is the head of the Lay Monitoring Program and she will be compiling the data collected on Joes this summer that will help answer Helen’s question….which is a very good one!

Best Regards,

Kellie  

We have posted a link on home page to the Pope Memorial Library posting about Inspired Dinners.  That will be there for a while, but this link will move down the page out of sight as I continue with new posts.  However, if you are looking for something that appeared in the blog even ages ago, searching the archives will usually produce results.

I received a new E.coli graph from Kelli Merrell yesterday.  Things are looking good, in spite of the rain, so far this summer.  We seem to be heading into a new weather phase with much less rain and humidity.  This should be a big boost for our morale, and may prevent the bacteria count from climbing.  Things certainly look good so far.  Here's what Kelli wrote:

Hi Folks,

Here are the latest graphs with the last two weeks worth of data now included.  We are still well below the 235 E coli/100ml level where beach closure is recommended and exactly halfway through the summer swim season.  Hopefully the weather for the second half of the swim season will be less rainy!  Please discard the graph I sent you on Tuesday, I noticed I had put the red beach closure threshold line at 250 instead of 235.

Best Regards,

Kellie

How about this sunny (mostly) day?  It took a while for it to get going, but it sure is nice now!  Let's hope it stays a while and gets things dried out a little.

The wine tasting event, "Spirits of Vermont," was a big success, according to organizers.  They were pleased with the number of presenters there and with the attendance.  Henretta Splain, one of the organizers and a JPA member, sent me a batch of photos, so I've done a slide show.  Click on the link above.   It was at the JPA pavilion on Sunday, and the weather was pretty good, by the looks.  Thanks to Henretta for sending the pictures.

I need to get out to the garden to pick peas in a little while - before it begins to rain again.  I was surprised the other day when I went to get some lettuce and noticed the peas were right at prime.  I'd actually given up on them, thinking they were a lost cause this year.  One thing that has been able to grow abundantly this year is grass.  Farmers have had a hard time harvesting it unless they chopped it into a silo, I guess; we haven't had many good drying days.  Our lawn has needed mowing more than usual, and weeds in the gardens have flourished.  However, I feel fortunate we haven't been plagued by floods in our particular area.  There have been serious flash floods in other parts of the state, like in Williamstown, and a golf course had to be closed because of a sink-hole opening up.  We can't trust the ground we walk on any more with all that water rushing over and under it.

I think our back yard is relatively safe, so I'm going to go get those peas for supper.

We heard from John and Liz Randall they have a lovely new grandson.  Of course we're waiting for a picture, but in the meantime,

Hi Jane and Fred,

We are over the moon with JOY!

John  Perry Randall was born on Thursday, June 13, 2013 he was 5 pounds 5 ounces 18 3/4 inches.  

First child of  Jason and Kerrin Randall.

He was born in Concord Hospital in Concord, N.H.     

Proud grandparents:  John and Elizabeth Randall of Miller Place, NY. and Debra and Perry Wilmarth of Salem, NH

First time proud Great-Grandparents: Hildegard and the late James McDowell, formally of Port Jefferson Station, NY; Harry and Florence Randall of Mt. Sinai, NY; and Gretchen and Paul Wilmarth of Salem, NH.

Congratulations to Jason and Kerrin, and to the grands and great grands - we know you'll have many wonderful moments with the new babe.  We're so glad everyone is doing well.

John and Liz have a home on West Shore Road which they have been visiting both summer and winter, and where Jason lived while attending Lyndon State College.  We've watched the family grow up (they are our neighbors directly across the road) and we're very happy for Jason and Kerrin.

I know people have been interested in the e.coli reports this summer and comparing them to last summer, so I contacted Kelli Merrell a while back.  She told me reports have all been very good so far this summer, even with all the rain we've had.  We haven't had the goose population, and several septic systems have been corrected, so we believe we're on the right course.  Kelli sent this graph to illustrate her findings.

 If you need to see it a bit larger, click on the image.

Fred sent me some especially good news - it was actually from a Walmart ad:

How great is that!?

This noon I met with the people who were searching their property lines up near the cemetery on Cabot Plain, and found what we were looking for.  It was wet in the woods, but not raining when we were there.  The rain started shortly after I got back home, though.   We went into some pretty dense slash country and it was fairly hard going some of the way.  Fortunately, we didn't have to go far.  Some of the area was very steep and we needed to be extra careful because everything was so wet.  It would have been easy to fall and do some damage.  But we made it safely, found what was needed, and weren't even too badly eaten by black flies and mosquitoes, although they were out in force.  I had used "Off", so I didn't get chewed at all.

July 10, 2013

Yesterday was an interesting day.  Several weeks ago I received an email from Jill Baker, an archaeologist, wanting to visit local sites where there were forts or block houses during the Revolutionary War days.  I agreed to show her where the fort was on Cabot Plain (as near as we can tell from old records), and Judy Clifford was going to show her Walden's.  Judy was unable to go with us yesterday, but I met Jill and three others at the Cabot Historical Society so they could see the artifacts we have which were unearthed in the general vicinity of the fort, and then we went onto the Plain.

There is no real indication of where the old fort might have been.  Years of agriculture have removed any land marks, and Jill said it would be unlikely there would be any evidence left to dig for.  She was able to get general coordinates and even though the weather was hazy, everyone enjoyed the view.

Jill earned her PhD in near eastern archaeology, and formed an independent organization, Archaeological Horizons, based in Miami, from which to work.  She recently published a book, The Funeral Kit.

So how come she's interested in block houses in Vermont?  It seems she is interested in the possibilities the ground holds wherever she is, and while spending time in Vermont with her family, she is exploring block houses along the Bayley-Hazen Road.  

Today I'm heading with friends to search property boundary lines - but more about that later as I need to get my boots on (literally) and grab a sandwich before I go to meet them.
 

A really muggy day.  We had a little over half an inch of rain last night, and a few showers again today.  We don't seem to be able to get out from under this wet system.

We went to Wolcott to recycle today and on the way back stopped to get some pictures of the cattle being pastured just beyond our house.  They were somewhat bothered by flies, but they still look very healthy and content.


It's sad to think that in a few months most of them will be steaks, roasts and hamburg.  They are gentle beasts and really don't ask much from their humans.  I don't eat a lot of red meat anymore, but I do love a good steak - sorry, beef critters!

There has been some movement in the sale of cottages on the pond recently.  On Clubhouse Circle, Gary Duke and Chris Lowery have sold their cottage to their neighbors, Bruce and Deidre Palmer.  Then, on West Shore Road, Tom Beattie and John Dauteuil have sold their place to their neighbor, Steven Craige.  Steven and his siblings built a beautiful new home on the family lot a few years back, and this will be in addition to that, giving the family more spice, I presume. 

We always feel sorry to have members move away from Joe's Pond.  We will miss Gary, Chris, Tom and John.  Tom and John, who own Diamond Hill store in Danville, will still be in the area and we'll see them from time to time; however Gary and Chris live in Washington DC area, so we probably won't see them often, but I'm sure they will keep in touch with friends here so we won't lose touch completely.  We wish all of them well.