My weather report tonight is just like last night.  Today was just like yesterday except not quite as cold.  We got another 2.5 in. of snow yesterday and I expect about the same today.  The two feet of snow, plus or minus, we have on the ground around Joe's Pond is pretty average for February, according to the weather folks.  The wind was out of the south again, and warmer temperatures are creeping into the region so that by Friday we'll have some sleet and maybe rain or freezing rain - again.  The weather pattern repeats.

So what else is new?  Well, there's movement on the Rail Trail going by our pond.  The requests for bids appeared this week.  One for trail construction within the towns of St. Johnsbury and Danville, or Phase 1A; then another request for trail construction within the towns of Morrisville, Hyde Park, Johnson and Cambridge which is Phase 1B.  Bids have to be in by Feb. 28th.  If all goes as planned, construction will begin as early as possible in the spring.  It's good to know they are finally able to move ahead.  However, there's a sizable gap from the Danville line to the Morrisville town line, which has some missing bridges and serious erosion problems so may take a long time and lots of money before the two ends of the trail are able to be joined.

Speaking of rails reminds me - I watched "You Can Quote Me" on WCAX last Sunday.  Senator Dick Mazza, who represents the Chittenden and Grand Isle area of northwestern Vermont was being interviewed, and mentioned he would like to see a rail corridor for passenger and freight service along the western side of Vermont from Montreal to NYC.  

I've always been a big fan of trains.  I used to love watching them, loved hearing them whistle at the crossings along the St. J. & L.C. R.R. route not that long ago, and especially liked traveling by train.  When I first went to work in St. Johnsbury, it was still something of a rail hub - trains going in all directions. You could buy a ticket to go to Montreal, Portland, Maine or Boston - with connections to any place in the country.  Besides that, freight came in by train - automobiles, farm machinery, oil - logs went and lumber came back - even occasionally livestock or a whole circus would arrive in town.  That can't happen now, of course.  If you want to go to Boston, you drive.  Likewise, if skiers or vacationers want to come to Vermont, they have to drive.  No fun ski-trains pulling in at the Lyndonville station heading for a ski weekend at Burke Mountain.  But wouldn't it be nice to have that option?  Think what it would mean to this area to have a rail corridor on the eastern side of Vermont. 

Back in the real world - Liz Sargent sent me this photo of Pearl Island that she took this past weekend.  They are hoping to get some repairs made to the island before spring comes.  The island was hit hard by high water last year.  Looks like they have a good hard-surfaced road right to their door!