If you wondered why there were no posts to the blog for the past couple of days, it's because we took our annual get-away trip to the coast.  We love going to Maine, but only like to stay for a couple of nights and then we are anxious to get back home. 

Jamie and Marie looked in on Woody while we were gone, and Jamie said he thought Woody missed us.  We think so, too, because when we arrived yesterday afternoon, he was very vocal for a short time and seemed to be torn between hanging out with us for some petting and getting outside.  After being cooped up inside for almost three days, he was very relieved to have doors opening on demand again and kept us busy letting him out and answering his knock to come back in.  When I settled into my chair to read the papers after dinner last night, he immediately got up in my lap, but again was torn between cuddling and getting outside in the darkness.  I think he was testing his "staff" to be sure we were not going to abandon him again. 

We decided to go through the mountains on our way east this time.  Sometimes we take different routes, depending on the weather or how long it's been since we've taken a certain route.  It had been a while since we'd been that way, and although it was cloudy when we left home, the weather forecast seemed ok.  We have been through Crawford Notch in a snow storm - strictly white-knuckle driving easing down those steep snow-covered curves - but no such hazardous conditions this time.  I've put together a short slide show of that portion of our trip.

It was quite nice when we got to York on Tuesday afternoon, but on Wednesday morning there was

a dense fog.  We went out to the Nubble Light (because that's an obligatory stop) and could barely make out the red light in the tower.  It was unusual that there were almost no other visitors there - even the gulls were quiet.  We spotted a cormorant surrounded by various other birds huddled together on

the rocks to the left of the lighthouse, waiting for the fog to lift.  Later in the morning it turned out to be a pretty nice day.  Not much bright sunshine, but very mild and perfect for exploring the deserted beach.

We had stopped on our way to visit my cousin, Janice Morrill who is at an assisted living facility in Dover, New Hampshire.  Janice was happy to see someone from home, and we had a nice chat with her.  Her memory is failing, and it's very difficult for her to recall names or sometimes to express a thought, but we were pleased that she knew us and we were able to recall things like dances at Cole's Pond, the farm in Walden where she grew up, and some of our relatives - most of them gone now, but always nice to remember. 

On the way home we had lunch at the Lakehouse Grille in Meridith with Fred's brother, Tom and Ella.  We had a very nice lunch and it is always fun to catch up on family stuff with them.  Tom was anxious to get out on the golf course, so we didn't linger too long.  We were anxious to get home, too. We headed north and didn't stop until we got home. 

As is often the case when we go to Maine in the fall, there were

canpaign posters everywhere.  It's like there's some kind of competition to see who can get the most signs stuck in the ground at any given point.  Mostly they were so close together it was nearly impossible to read any except the ones in front.  Printing companies are the real winners in this contest, I think.  The signs didn't dampen our spirits, though, and in just a few more days all the campaign ads will be gone from TV and radio, too.  And won't that be a relief!  We should all get out and vote, however.  There are important issues to decide and offices to fill; we all need to be a part of the process. 

Snow is expected this weekend "in the higher elevations."  That could mean us, of course, but it's time.  

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Cool and wet most of the day, but a few sunny breaks here and there.  We had appointments in Littleton - it almost always seems warmer there than it is here, but today it was a draw.

We had this note come to the Comments page today:
  Missing since Saturday night. We had an extra dog for the weekend and we are thinking Ivan didn't like that! He has not been seen since about 10pm. We have underground fencing but take it off every couple of days because it makes his neck raw, so he did not have a collar on and he is very hard of hearing. Our # is 684.3823. Thank you.  Kate Bertolini, Cove Road.

I sure hope Ivan shows up.  It's chilly outside, but perhaps he's found a warm spot to hang out until he's sure the other dog has gone.  Keep an eye out.  He's a bloodhound, so perhaps his nose will help him find his way back home?  I hope so.

We heard from Bill Rossi tonight that he and Diane stopped in at Cottage Hospital to see Garey Larrabee today.  Bill said he was doing very well.  That's really good news.  We sure miss him around here.

I'm sure some of you have either seen in the news or heard that one of our neighbors, Howard Hatch, had the misfortune to hit a horse that had been spooked by a grain truck and ran onto Route 15.  Howard wasn't hurt, but the horse had to be put down.  It was one of those terrible accidents that was nobody's fault, but just horrific for everyone involved.  I've known Howard since we were in grade school in West Danville, and I know this would be very hard on him; I don't know whose horse it was, but I can only imagine how awful it was for the owner, too.  It's dreadful when something like this happens.  As the saying goes, sometimes bad things happen to good people.

Speaking of bad things and accidents, there has also been another fatal ATV accident.  Joey Lacquer, 17, well known at the Thunder Road race track in Barre, was killed on Saturday while riding an ATV in Washington, Vermont.  The Laquerre family has our deepest sympathy, and our thoughts and prayers are with them.

I had an appointment today at Littleton Hospital to see my dermatologist for my annual "spot" check - which turned out just fine although tonight I'm minus a few of the bothersome age-related spots I liken to fungus or moss growing on an old log. That's no big deal, it comes at least in part from being light skinned and freckled, and a former sun worshiper.  Then there's the age thing, of course.  I had sunstroke a couple of times as a kid - terrible, deep sunburns at the start of just about every summer.  My mother used to bath my hot skin with vinegar, which took the heat out, but I smelled like a giant pickle.  As a teenager and well into my 20s, I thought being tan was an absolute necessity and used whatever concoction the fashion magazines touted as a quick way to have a beautiful bronze skin.  There were a few tanning lotions on the market, but baby oil with iodine in it was the rage at least for a time, and that was a lot less expensive. Nobody used sunblock - at least, nobody I knew.  I never tanned without getting a good sunburn or two first.  I would of course then shed my skin like a moulting snake.  I can't imagine anything less attractive, but it was the process I thought I needed to endure to get the "healthy" outdoorsy look I was after.  And that is the reason I now, without fail, see my dermatologist at least once a year, and in between if there's an unusual outcropping somewhere.  Trouble is, the older one gets, the more of those unsightly blemishes there are, especially on someone who abused their skin as I did.

But back to the point of my story.  When I entered the lobby at the hospital today, I was met with a very friendly little volunteer lady who apologetically told me she would need to ask me some questions before I could proceed to the doctor's office.  Had I traveled recently to any African countries?  I was happy to assure her Littleton was about as far as I'd traveled all summer, being that Joe's Pond suits me very well most of the time.  She giggled and apologized again as she fastened a red and white checkered band on my wrist.  Then, as if to make up for questioning and banding me, she insisted on escorting me to the second floor, right to the doctor's door.  I got the feeling I might be challenged if I tried to detour.  However, I thanked her and told her how much I appreciated the diligence in screening people coming into the hospital, and she bustled off back to her post in the lobby.   I hope other facilities are taking the same precautions.  It makes perfect sense to be wary, and hopefully, prepared.

While I was undergoing my annual inspection, Fred was getting winter tires put on the car.  The forecast is for snow on Halloween.  That's a scary thought, isn't it?  Never mind.  We're ready.

It sure turned out to be a much nicer day here than predicted.  We were dreading the cold going to Granddaughter Jo-Ann's soccer game in Bethlehem today, but by noon the sun was warming everything nicely and it was very pleasant watching the game.  White Mountain School won, and she is very proud that they have lost only one game this season - that happened last week when they played on their home court in the rain and the court was puddled with water, making it a tough game.  The picture above is her team - that's Jo-Ann kicking the ball.  

Uncle Bob and Aunt Theresa came to watch the game, too, and of course Bill, Monika and Tangeni.  The first thing she told Grandpa Fred and me was that she could play soccer. Tangeni could hardly wait for the game to be over so she could go out on the field.  That's her next to Jo-Ann (22).  Her mom found her a blue shirt just like her big sister's - Jo-Ann's teammates said since nobody has number 13, Tangeni should have that.  She has her own soccer ball and practices.    Starting at 3 years old she may be pretty good by the time she gets on a real team!  Jo-Ann is no stranger to the game - she played when she was in school in Namibia.

The weather turned as we were coming home - we could see dark clouds as we left the Littleton area, and by the time we got to Danville, the sky was very threatening.  Now it's raining lightly and the temperature has dropped into the mid 40's.  It may be colder by morning.  I took this picture from the top of Dole Hill coming into Danville late this afternoon.

 Today has been dreary and rainy - sort of cool, but really not bad as long as one stayed dry.  I took this picture a few minutes ago - it's dreary, but still kinda nice, don't you think?  A good night for dinner by the fire.  

We have been in St. J. most of the morning, and this afternoon I've been catching up.  It always seems as if when I'm away from my computer is when I get the most mail.  

I have a couple of mysteries to solve.  The map shown here was drawn in 1975, but the question is, who did it?  We think it was for the Fall Foliage Festival that year, but so far I haven't been able to find anyone who knows for certain.  A Massachusetts may got in touch with me by e-mail last week wondering who made the map, and so far I haven't been able to find out.  One of my contacts thinks perhaps Leonard Spencer did it.  Leonard taught art at Cabot School at one time and was also very active at the Cabot Historical Society.  I haven't been able to reach him yet, but I expect he'll have knowledge of the map.

The next mystery is a "History of Joe's Pond" that Ted Chase has.  He says it's printed, as if perhaps for a newspaper, but there is no byline and no author listed that he can see.  It is framed and has been at his home for many years.  He said it mentions numerous cottages by names of owners many years ago, so he believes it probably is quite old.  It might have been printed in one of the local newspapers - the Caledonian Record or perhaps The Northstar.  Ted said he will bring it over to me so I can scan it - that way I may be able to track it down.  I don't believe I've ever seen it, but I could be mistaken.  I'll know once I've seen it, I expect, and anyway, I'm anxious to read it.

This next picture is no mystery.  It was taken on one of those lovely fall days we had a few weeks ago and shows George Baxter, Andy Rudin, and Ted and Barbara Chase on the freshly stamatted (is that a word??) rail trail.
Ted was telling me today that there have been some sponsors of mile markers in the area of Joe's Pond - donations are of course still badly needed if the trail is to be completed.  As of now it stretches from the trestle bridge over the channel leading into the pond at the north end, all the way to the trail coming out of St. Johnsbury.  Fred is putting more details about this on the website home page, so check there.  

We were noticing that the filling station/convenience store at the foot of Western Avenue coming out of St. Johnsbury is shaping up quickly.  It is good that is going in, I guess, being immediately off the interstate and close to the Fairbanks Inn.  Now if someone would put a restaurant in that area . . .  Between the hillsides and the river, there isn't a lot of room for businesses along that stretch, although there's plenty of opportunity in the area of the Comfort Inn, a little south of there.  I expect within a very few years, things will begin to happen all over the St. Johnsbury area.  Certainly the town should benefit from the development of Burke Mountain, and St. Johnsbury could be a very nice tourist destination again, with a little rejuvenation. 

I need to update you on Garey Larrabee, too.  His son-in-law, James, told me this morning Garey has been moved to Cottage Hospital in Woodsville, NH, where he will be doing rehabilitation.  This is good news, to have him in a good rehab facility that is closer to home but not too far from Dartmouth Hitchcock.  We are all looking forward to seeing him back at the store in West Danville, though.

Woody is in his "mopey mode" where he wants to go outside but seems to know it's rainy and cold so he sits on his bench by the window and gazes out longingly; or like right now, he's hunched on the desk beside me with a very sour expression on his furry face.  He is really only half asleep, hoping that when he opens his eyes the weather will be warm again, I think.  It will be a long winter for Woody, I'm afraid.

This just came from Jack LaGue - click HERE and be sure your speakers are on.  (This is what I call funny bordering on downright mean and maybe even dangerous.  I wouldn't be surprised if one of those people had a heart attack.)  But don't worry, it's perfectly safe to watch.

Here's good news from Kingdom Animal Shelter in St. Johnsbury:
 

Kingdom Animal Shelter now has their 2015 Cat Calendar available.  It is an absolutely gorgeous and fun calendar, a great gift for yourself or a loved one that is into cats.  The cost is $12.  One can buy one at the Joe's Pond Craft Shop, Hastings Store, The Danville Inn and Restaurant, the Diamond Hill Store, or in St. J at Aquarealm and Locally Social Coffee.  

 

If you wish to order one on-line, they will soon be available at our website  Kingdom Animal Shelter  There will be $3 shipping charge. Call me if you need more information, 563-2488. Thank you.

Helen Morrison

I finally figured out what I was doing wrong on the slide show of the Apple Pie Festival, 2014.  I think it's ok now, so take a look. 

I have been busy getting last-minute things off my desk and there some interesting bits to share.  First, many of you knew that Ray and Evelyn Richer were preparing to sell their house at the end of Sandy Beach Road, and yesterday they sent us a link to their ad.  Click HERE to see it.

While on that site, I found another very interesting item for sale - the old Maynard farm on Cabot Plain.  So many people have been interested in that place in years past, but now it's pretty much falling down, its owner is putting it on the market.  The land is nice, though - truly a "plain" with a couple of lovely level fields.  It has a brook along the west side of the property and gets lots of sun.  Nice spot, in spite of the disrepair of the buildings.

I also discovered yesterday that the Bacon home on Route 2W has been sold.  I don't have the transfer information yet, but will share that as soon as I have it.

Garey Larrabee had his operation on Friday, all is well, and he might even be coming home soon.  There may be more operations needed later, but it's good news that he's improving.

It's rainy and foggy today, but I'm still going to do my noontime walk.  It's still only about 45 degrees, but there doesn't seem to be much wind, and that makes it more comfortable.

Our weather today has improved over yesterday, but still it's chilly and pretty drab.  Yesterday there were snow showers off and on all day long.  It would have been depressing except we had no place we needed to go and no deadlines of any sort to meet, so we were able to veg out quietly.  That was a really good thing for me.  I needed to slow down after the Apple Pie Festival on Saturday. We took a walk down W. Shore Road, but the wind was pretty cold and we wisely cut our walk short and got home just as it was spitting snow, around noon.  None of the white stuff stuck here, but it did on higher elevations according to the weather folks.

I'll have some photos of the Apple Pie Festival soon - right now I'm having difficulties with the slide show.  I received this photo from Michelle Parker this morning - sunrise over the middle pond this morning.  There was an eerie light for a while, but like always happens, it only lasts a few minutes and is then gone.   Michelle caught it at a beautiful moment. 

Peace Baxter sent this photo taken a while back when the weather was perfect for trying out the new rail/trail bike path.  That's Peace and Ted Chase.  You can see what a really nice surface there is on the trail now.  I've heard several people comment that it is wonderful for hiking or biking.  We're fortunate to have it, for sure.

 When we were coming home from Cabot Friday night after setting up for the silent auction at the Apple Pie Festival, the sun was just setting and we got some nice shots from the cemetery on the Plain.  That's Camel's Hump at the far right of the photo, then the Worcester Range and the hills on the west side of Cabot in the foreground just beyond the bare maple trees of the Spaulding sugar orchard.

Then, this morning while I was getting ready to leave for Cabot, Fred got some nice sunrise shots from our front deck.   The sun wasn't out very much today - just a few minutes here and there before the rain poured down about mid-day.  I think, judging by how wet Woody was when he came in a few minutes ago, it's still raining.  I won't have a measurement until tomorrow morning.  I could go out and measure it tonight just to see how much we got during the day, but unlike our cat, I don't like getting wet.  Besides, I may have some snow to report tomorrow . . . !  It's always exciting to report the first real snow accumulation.

When I stopped at the store yesterday afternoon, James told me Garey's operation was again scheduled - it was supposed to happen today.  I haven't heard it they went forward with it or not.  We are all thinking of Garey and his family - all the delays have been very difficult for them, I'm sure.  We'll keep you posted.

Work is continuing on the Joe's Pond Country Store - the new owners are busy cleaning, refurbishing and upgrading the place.  It's unlikely it will be open any time soon, however.  We have reached out to the new owners and hope to have an update from them soon.

We are getting ready for the Apple Pie Festival tomorrow - today is set-up day, with lots of work to be accomplished in order to have everything in place ready for pies and fun tomorrow.  Things are falling in place nicely and we look forward to a good turnout.  Hope to see you there!

 

We had another lovely, warmer than normal day yesterday.  It was a good day for the work to be done on the culvert by the end of our driveway.  The road was closed from 9 a.m. until mid-afternoon.  It was a long span - I think there may have been three sections of new culvert installed.  We were curious to see what the old culvert looked like - it hadn't been working well for quite a long time, and when we saw how rusted and crushed it was, we understood why.  We took lots of pictures and I've put some into a slide show for you.  Dave, Rusty and Aldo did the work - they are regulars on the road crew.  They did a really neat job and everything looks as if it will operate perfectly.  They put rip-rap in the catch basin, and that will help keep the erosion as a minimum, and they reset our mailboxes so we're better than ever.  Now we're waiting for a good soaking rain to see how everything performs.

Today is rainy, but it's very light so far.  The prediction is for some heavy rain perhaps later in the day.  We need the rain, but we aren't looking forward to the colder weather that is going to follow it this weekend - in fact, there is a chance we'll be seeing snow showers by Sunday.  I guess it's time, but we're completely spoiled by this stretch of abnormally warm weather.  We're ready for it, though.

Summer returned to the north country today!  It's been beautiful, in the 70s (YES!) with a nice south wind.  The lady bugs are gathering - no matter where outside we went today, we saw them flying and had to be careful not to bring them into the house.  They landed on us repeatedly, and if you've had experience with these cute little red creatures, they don't seem to have much of a navigation system and will land willy-nilly in your hair, on your clothes or on your skin.  Trouble is, they emit a strong odor if they are disturbed too roughly. They are actually a beetle - and very much like the potato bugs we kids used to have to pick off the potato plants, but I don't think these smaller ones we're seeing today damage crops.  I've read that they prey on aphids so are considered beneficial.

I had a note and some pictures this afternoon from Peace Baxter.  Here's what she wrote: 
   Dear Jane,
I couldn't resist sending this to you! When we left Sunday morning at 7am this is what we saw at the lookout in Danville..14 photographers lined up to catch the sunrise..most of them were Asian! How did they know to be there?!  There were no tourist buses, only a few cars so somehow they got the word that it was a great spot to take pictures..our lookout is famous!!  

I have an idea they may have been with a photography club - they all seem to have pretty sophisticated equipment.  Perhaps they had a guide who was familiar with our area.  Thanks to Peace for sending these pictures to us.  Those photographers were treated to a lovely sunrise, for sure, but these that Peach took are beautiful, too.
 
The middle picture was taken a few minutes before the bottom one, I believe.  It is amazing how quickly scenery like this changes, but these are very nice shots.  Click on them to get a larger view.

We've had another pretty nice day today, but the forecast is for a definite warming trend that will send temperatures into unseasonal range for a couple of days. We'll also be getting a little more rain.
We had frost again last night - the nights have been clear and quite lovely, and in the morning the grass is white until the sun hits.  Most of the leaves are off the trees at the higher elevations, and the tamaracks will soon be turning yellow.  Fall is progressing, in spite of the unusually warm weather, and pretty much on cue, I'd say.  We are seeing squirrels and chipmunks busily carrying food to their nests for the winter, and the bluejays are squawking as they fight over whatever - they'll stockpile food but then forget where they hid it, I once read.  That's a good thing because then other creatures can benefit from their lapse in memory when they find the food by chance sometime during a long, sparse winter.  

There's all sorts of fall work that needs to be done before snowfall.

I haven't mentioned much about the work on the bridge in West Danville.  This has been going on for several weeks and today when I went through town it looked as if they may be ready to pave it.  I'm not sure what they actually did to it, but the surface was pretty much all scraped off.  When they started working on it, I believe the stop lights were solar powered; but on the day we got these pictures, apparently they had run out of juice so traffic was being controlled "manually."  Now I think they are hard wired for regular electricity because I haven't noticed the solar panels recently, and the lights are operating.  They will certainly have the work finished before really cold weather sets in.

The Town of Cabot is going to replace the culvert by the end of our driveway on Wednesday and there is a sign that the road will be closed to traffic at 9 a.m.  We'll be glad to have that done although that will mean no more little frog pond by the mailboxes.  It will also mean we'll probably need to reset the post for the mailboxes - or maybe the town will put it all back before they leave.  We'll see.  I expect even though our driveway is below the culvert, we won't be able to get out for at least part of the day, but that's fine with me.  

I stopped at the store in West Danville this afternoon and I'm sorry to report that Garey still hasn't had the operation that has been pending for a while.  Mary said it is again scheduled for tomorrow, but she said that could change again, depending on his overall condition.  All we can do is wish him well and keep those cards and notes going out to him at P. O. Box 58, West Danville VT 05873, or if you are in town, drop them off at the store.  Jane or some other family member goes down to Dartmouth Hitchcock nearly every day to see him and will take them to him.  Knowing Garey, hanging out in the hospital is probably getting on his nerves about now and he can probably use some cheering up.  

This was a very pretty day, but on the chilly side, although it was probably just about spot on for mid-October.  It's amazing how quickly the days, weeks and months go by.  I'm not anxious for winter to begin, but once the snow is here, I don't mind so much; it's the cold, dreary days in November that begin to get to me.

We're hearing lots of geese flying overhead and usually can spot them, although it took a while this noon when we were out for our walk.  There were two jets flying very high - we could only see the jet streams - and then a small plane came from Danville and St. Johnsbury way and circled over us to head in the general direction of Peacham.  While we were "spotting" the airplanes, we could hear geese, but didn't see them right away.  Finally, Fred saw them flying very high in the sky from north to south.  The jets were going in approximately the same direction, but much higher, of course - however, the smaller single-engine craft crossed beneath them.  It wasn't even close, really, the geese were much higher than the little airplane, but it did make us think about what might happen.  We have an awful lot of geese passing overhead this time of year, and we also have lots of small planes circling over the pond, sight seeing, I suppose.  And then there's the helicopter that frequently flies directly over our house, night or day. It could be bound for Dartmouth Hitchcock, I guess.  I wonder if they ever have close calls with geese.  It wouldn't be a good outcome, I expect.

The bugs that plague us during warm weather are becoming dormant.  Fred took these pictures the other day.  There were more clouds than sun, so it was taking a while to warm things up.  That bee had no intention of moving until he got well warmed in the sun.  I don't believe it would even be able to sting anyone when they are like that.  They really need to get wherever they go to spend the winter.  These frosty mornings are only going to get colder.  Sometimes there has been snow on Halloween, and that makes it tough on little spooks who want to show off their costumes.  Not easy navigating with heavy coats and mittens.

 

Right now is probably the busiest time of the whole year for me - with the exception perhaps of the few days at and after the ice goes out, ending our Joe's Pond Ice-Out Contest.  This is prolonged, though.  I need to be outside clipping back flower beds and putting things away in preparation for winter, and when I'm inside, I need to be seeing to things like washing windows and a little general house cleaning before closing things up for winter.  I don't do as much of any of this as I used to or I know I should, but I've found if some or none of it gets done, my world doesn't turn upside down. This year has been particularly "slow going" for me because the arthritis in my neck and back flared up a few weeks ago and even sitting or standing was uncomfortable and while bending was okay, straightening up afterwards was definitely not.  I'm making progress now with regular physical therapy, but I think twice before doing anything dumb like moving furniture or digging in the gardens, and it's a good excuse to put off some of the household and garden chores I'd normally be doing this fall.  That, I hope, will allow me to get through this year's silent auction at the Apple Pie Festival on the 18th.  I have really good help for that, so I'm sure it will be fine.  We've had some interesting donations and there will definitely be something for everyone.  All the money raised goes to the Cabot Historical Society, so we hope you will come spend the day with us, have some pie, enjoy the crafts and silent auction and perhaps go home with some interesting Christmas gifts or other items you wouldn't find anywhere else.  We're looking for pie donations, too - either as entries in the contest or to sell.  There are specific instructions on our websites:  www.cabothistory.com and www.joespondvermont.

The lingering summer weather we've had was wonderful, but I'm happy to report we've also had some pretty typical fall weather that included, finally, some rain.  We did not get a deluge, but enough to raise the water level in the pond a bit and I presume allow some of those who have been late in getting their boats out of the water to do so.  Another good thing about the rain is that there's plenty of water in the brook below the dam - a significant concern before these past few rainy periods.

 When we were on our way down West Shore Road yesterday, we noticed the new buildings going up across the pond on Old Homestead Road.  Here is Fella and Nancy Buttura's - good progress being made there.  

Not far down Old Homestead is the new Cassani home.  That is also well along.  Each of these building crews wants to have things well closed in by the time the winter winds begin to blow.  That (east) side of the pond gets more wind in winter than we do on the west shore because it is open from both the north and the west, while the west side is fairly protected by a hillside on the west, and even the north wind isn't usually much of a problem.


We stopped at the store yesterday and were told Garey's operation that had been postponed was finally happening, and that is good news.  He seems to be progressing well, but won't be home right away.

 

We've had a little rain the last couple of days, but not enough to raise the pond level much.  People have been asking when the water level will get back up to "normal," and the best answer is "after we get a good rain."  I think we need about a week of more or less steady rain to get the pond filled up again.  There's a fine line the power company is trying to keep: they need to keep the water level within a certain range in the pond, but at the same time, they are mandated to keep a certain flow going down the brook so the downstream ecology won't be damaged.  It's a balancing act they really cannot totally control unless we get rain.''

There are some people on the pond who haven't taken their boats out of the water yet, and that could be a problem.  I've been told some are literally "sitting on the bottom," in boat houses or at docks.  November can be a wet and dreary month, but most want to have their boats out before snow flies, and waiting until November probably isn't a good idea if they can find a way to get their boats out sooner.  However, we've seen more than one being hauled out of the water on a snowy day - which could happen in October.  I think it was Sunday night there were snowflakes reported on Mt. Mansfield. 

We were at Ray and Evelyn Richer's on Monday picking up some things for the silent auction and watched an eagle soaring over the channel.  Evelyn was telling us about watching him snag a really large fish - she said it was a real trophy size, but they couldn't tell what kind it was, just that the big bird had a hard time getting it airborne.  Fred got this picture of him - we were a long way away, but you can see him in the middle of this picture.  Evelyn said he's been around most of the summer.  We have seen a big bird soaring over the pond but it was too far away to tell that it was an eagle, so we were glad to get a closer look and know what we'd been watching.

I watched this partridge feeding on our lawn yesterday.  She spent some time under the apple tree and then wandered towards the crab tree.  We've seen a lot of partridges this year, usually along the back roads.  They are big and look well fed.  

According to the folks at the store yesterday Garey is doing well, and that is good news.  A couple of people dropped off cards for him while I was there.  We're all thinking of him and Jane and their family - we're glad  everything seems to be going well.

I bumped into Don and Diane Sherwood at the store and they were telling me Don's cousin has bought Ruth Bryan's cottage on Edgewood Ave.  I'll have more information later on.  It takes time for the papers to get to the town clerk's office and entered in the books, but I'll check within another week or so.  I'll need to spend some time at the town offices doing some research for the history of West Danville.  Right now my assignment is to find out as much

as I can about roads in the area - old thrown up ones and details like when routes 2 and 15 were paved, when the bridge was built and the old covered bridge taken down.  We know the bridge that's there now (and being repaired) was rebuilt and the road straightened a bit in the 1950's.  I should grab Bert Frye - I keep seeing him at the store - I bet he'd have lots of information for me.  These two pictures are that first bridge - not the one that's there now.  In the lower picture you can see the back of the shed right next to the road and on the railroad track where they used to keep the railroad hand-car.  That area is all parking lot and rail trail now.  

Speaking of the rail trail - the sta-mat is finished along the pond now, and that makes a very nice path for biking and hiking.  However, a few tourists (or maybe locals?) have turned onto it with their cars and I can understand that.  I noticed as I drove down Brown Rd. to Old Homestead recently how easy it would be to turn onto the trail.  However, there are enough signs at all of the crossings so nobody should make that mistake.  It will take some time to educate the public, I suppose.

I notice every time I'm driving now there are cars stopped at the road sides to talk on their cell phones.  I've paid attention but so far I haven't noticed anyone violating the law.  Now there's a new study saying hand-held devices are no more distracting than hands-free devices.  We all knew there would be a study published eventually that would disagree with the thinking behind that law, but I'm really surprised it came so quickly.  It's like all those other things - like wine, butter, coffee, etc., that are studied and pronounced "bad" for us, and pretty soon another study is done (probably all at tax payers' expense) reversing it.  A friend told me recently she just eats or drinks what she wants because "life is too short to try to punish yourself and follow all the nonsense published."  I totally agree.  Moderation is the key.

For all you bakers - here are the rules for the big Apple Pie Contest at this year's Apple Pie Festival in Cabot on October 18th:

 

Click on the image to enlarge it.

 

The Joe's Pond community was stunned this week when Garey Larrabee met with a very serious accident Monday night that landed him a helicopter ride to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.  We are glad to report that he is doing well; however, he will likely remain at DHMC for some time.  For those of you who may not know who Garey is, he and his wife, Jane, own and operate  Hastings Store in West Danville and Garey is postmaster there.  Garey is one of the kindest and hardest working people I know, and his generosity and thoughtfulness has touched nearly every person in the community at one time or another.  We spoke with the folks at the store yesterday and they told us that for the time being only family is allowed to visit him, but cards or other messages wishing him well can be either mailed to him at home - P. O. Box 58, West Danville VT 05873 - or left at the store and Jane will take them to him.  We will keep you posted on his progress.

We were surprised to learn the Conley cottage at 108 Narrows Drive is on the market.  There are a number of very nice cottages available on the pond right now - some have been on the market for a while, others have been listed more recently.  We have several listed on our website.  

Our beautiful sunny weather is gone today, and so are lots of the beautiful leaves.  There has been a misty rain for the past hour or so, and the wind is scattering leaves from the trees.  We still have some very nice color, but I think we are past peak foliage here.  We do need the rain, so the change in weather is actually welcome - as long as we don't get snow . . . !

The top picture is our Washington hawthorn tree taken on Monday, and the bottom picture was taken today.  Lots of the trees are bare at the tops like this because they are protected on the lower level by evergreens or the terrain and so still have some of their foliage.  

The rain is now coming down in earnest.  We hope to have at least a day of gentle rain to give the ground a chance to absorb it.  So far, so good - we seem to be getting intermittent, gentle showers.  I imagine this is making it pretty uncomfortable for deer hunters on this first day of bow season, but at least it will make traveling in the woods quieter  for them.

I received Burr Morse's newsletter yesterday and as often happens, what he wrote triggered memories for me.  Burr grew up on his family's farm, as I did, and although he's somewhat younger than I, the experiences for farm kids in Vermont haven't changed all that much over the years, I guess.  

Burr writes about holding onto cows' tails for an assist climbing a steep bank or two, and about hitching a ride on one of their Jerseys.  My two Connecticut Cousins and I (my cousins spent summers on the farm during WWII) often let one of the cows give us an assist climbing the hills back to the farm on hot afternoons, without incident.  However, one night as we were taking the cows to the night pasture after milking, we braided the long hairs of two tails together.  It was just something to do as the herd lazily climbed the hill to the pasture.  What we hadn't anticipated was a patch of small trees growing in the lane, where one cow went to the left of a young maple and the other took the path on the right.  The tails tightened, there was a brief struggle and they went on their way, one with considerably less hair on her tail and the other with a bloody hair extension on hers.  We knew we'd be in a lot of trouble if our grandfather found what we thought was probably a good sized piece of one cow's tail attached to another one by a tell-tale braid.  We tried to track which cow was which, but in a herd of 50 or more black and white Holsteins, it was impossible, and when they got to the pasture, they immediately scattered into the evening shadows and we finally had to give up and hope for the best. 

None of us slept very well that night, and first thing in the morning we were all waiting for Grandfather Bolton or one of our uncles (or my father!) to say something.  As I recall, one of them noticed the bloody tail of the cow that lost the pulling contest, but fortunately for us, the braid had released overnight and there was no evidence of our foolish stunt.  Within days I told my father what had happened, and he actually thought it was funny since he could easily tell how upset I was, and my cousins told our Uncle Bob, who was our confidant and ally, being only a few years older we were.  Our consciences were soothed by our confessions, but I'm pretty sure nobody ever told my grandfather.  

As for riding one of those big Holsteins - we talked about it, but as far as I know nobody ever even tried. 

I'll remind everyone again, but we'd love you to make a pie for us and enter it in the competition.  Or better yet, make two pies and forget about the $5 contest entry fee.  You will find a little more information on the website. www.cabothistory.com if you click on "Apple Pie Festival" in the menu there. 

We have already received some very nice donations for the Silent Auction (a really nice hand-knitted poncho and some of Velma White's elegant quilted items), and more coming in nearly every day.  We can always use more, and if you have a business, it's a great way to get your products seen.  We've had crafters asking for a spot to show their products, so there will be lots to see.  Bring your Christmas shopping list - you won't find a better chance to load up on one-of-a-kind gifts.  And of course there's the food, entertainment and fun going on all day.  Proceeds go to the Historical Society to help us continue to collect and preserve Cabot's history.  Come by the Silent Auction and say "Hi"!