We're still celebrating summer big time here at Joe's Pond.  We're in the 80's again today - beautiful sunshine and a nice breeze.  Still, it's too hot for lots of folks, me included, to be very active outdoors, but the two building crews are hard at work on Old Homestead Road where the Cassani and Buttura cottages have been demolished and foundations are being laid for new homes.  We stopped by today and got a few pictures which I put into a short slide show.

There's other news:  There are new signs posted on West Shore Road reducing the speed limit.   Carolyn Hamilton sent me a short e-mail.  She wrote, "Our petition worked. The speed limit has been reduced to 30 MPH and the signs are more visible."

This is really good news, and we hope drivers will pay attention.  Fred had occasion to talk with a couple of the road crew members a few days ago and they said they were putting up new signs; they also acknowledged the signs Dan and Karen Keene put up, saying it was a good idea.  They may be replacing the culvert by the end of our driveway later on this year, if time allows.  They attribute the slow flow of water to the culvert under the road having been  heaved up by frost.  Whatever the cause, it would be good to have it fixed, even though that means displacing our mailbox post (with three boxes on it!) temporarily.

Here is a picture of one of the "regulars" at Fred's feeding station for humming birds.  This little female will be heading south within a few days.  

Speaking of feeding stations - we went to East Side Restaurant and Pub in Newport on Wednesday and enjoyed a lovely meal on their deck.  The weather was perfect and it couldn't have been nicer.  We did recycling in Wolcott in the late afternoon and then took Route 14 through Albany and Irasburg, winding our way, taking time to really look at the landscape.  We went that way last spring, but this was very different.  Then things were just beginning to green up, and this trip there were acres and acres of corn, hayfields being harvested for the second or third time, farms looking generally lush and productive -- really lovely country, and great farm country.  I've put together a slide show for you.   

Enjoy the great weather, be safe - we hope the weather holds through the weekend.