Henry Mills Obituary

    Here is the obituary for Henry Mills, who died Monday, January 26, 2015.  Henry and his wife, Thelma, lived on Cove Road here at Joe's Pond for several years.  Soon after his wife died, Mr. Mills went to live with his granddaughter, Kellie Merrell and her husband, Jeff, in Danville, and his daughter, Henretta Splain, moved to his Cove Road Home.  He enjoyed being on Joe's Pond and participating in activities here, and the Joe's Pond community will miss him.  Our sincere condolences to Henretta, Kelli and Jeff - we know you share wonderful memories of your father and grandfather and you will all miss him very much.
    Those of you who wish to send messages of condolence to the family should direct them to:  Henretta Splain, P. O. Box 252, Danville, VT 05828.

While we're having blizzard conditions here at Joe's Pond, our friends in southern winter retreats such as Florida are basking in sunshine and warmth. I had a very nice postcard from Homer and Margaret Fitts in today's mail - they are thoroughly enjoying their time away from Vermont's deep freeze.  Homer and Margaret are on the go and anticipating Barre Day about a month away.  That is when a bunch of these sun worshipers get as many people with Barre, Vermont connections together as they can to come out in the sun and make jokes about the folks back home still freezing their tooshies off.  You might think there would be a dozen or so at most, but they come from far and wide and they get far more than that at their party.  Here's the invitation:

   BARRE DAY IN FLORIDA

             WEDNESDAY.......... MARCH 4th..........11:00  TO  3:00

                BRING YOUR...LAWN CHAIRS...LUNCH...BEVERAGE

                AT  NOKOMIS  BEACH  NORTH  JETTY  PARK

  THIS IS AN ANNUAL AFFAIR ON THE FIRST WED. IN MARCH.

           IF YOU HAVE FRIENDS IN THE AREA PLEASE 

        ENCOURAGE THEM TO COME TO THIS FUN TIME. 

    EVERYONE WITH ANY BARRE CONNECTION IS WELCOME.

So make your plans now, and if you can manage to be in Florida that week in March, hike on over to the park and join the fun.  And for goodness sake, bring back some of that warmth and sunshine for us here in Vermont - we'll really need it by then. 

    Here's a notice from the folks who publish the Cabot Chronicle monthly newspaper.  We hope you will attend the meeting and voice your opinion and lend any advice or expertise you may have to help develop a well-working business plan.
    The big snow storm of January 2015 didn't amount to much here.  We had five or six inches of snow with a fair amount of wind, but nothing unusual.  The cold temperatures persist, though, and the forecast is for more stormy weather this weekend into the first of next week, and predictions are that this will amount to more than the last one for us and will probably dump on those already struggling coastal areas.  I think most of us in Vermont are giving this a big "ho-hum" - could be just another screwed up forecast, so we'll believe it when we're digging out from under a couple feet of snow.
    However, we know some of our neighboring states, especially along the coast and Long Island, did get lots of snow and damaging wind.  We would like to hear from any of our Joe's Ponders or others who are in those hard-hit areas.  We hope you're doing ok and can get a bit of a breather before the next storm wallops you.  We may not be as lucky next time, but it does seem as if for the last couple or three years the major snow storms have hit south of Vermont.  Nobody here would mind sharing some of the deep cold, however - that part of winter is getting a bit tiresome.  Another night well below the zero mark tonight, but fortunately no wind.
    We hope everyone is safe and warm wherever you are.  Let us know how you're doing, please.

    Here we are, getting some snow today and the thermometers are still hovering around zero - well, a little above right now at high noon - 3.8 on my indoor-outdoor, but right on zero still on the one outside my office window.  It may be frozen in place - it's been at zero since I first looked at around 8 this morning.
    We have confirmation that there were some planes on the pond the other day.  On Thursday last week, this little yellow one came down at 2:30:36  and the second one (you can just make it out against the trees as it was coming in to land) landed just seconds after.

These shots came from Diane Rossi, taken from the Ice-Out cams.  Pretty neat, isn't it?  Diane said she and Bill were probably at home, but missed seeing them, but went back on the security camera and found the images.  Thanks for sharing those shots, Diane.
    To finish my weather report for today - at zero degrees and recording wind gusting to about 5 m.p.h. at our house, I'm not walking today.  I  know that a 5 m.p.h. wind in our sheltered spot means as soon as I get to the mailboxes at the end of the driveway, I would be slammed with a really strong blast, and with the snow and all, I'll take my exercise some other way today.

    Sadly, we have to tell you we have lost another member of the Joe's Pond community.  Henry Mills (Clubhouse Circle), father of Henretta Splain, passed away this morning.  He was 96.  When I have more information I'll post it here.  In the meantime, our thoughts are very much with Henretta and her family.
    I guess everyone has made whatever preparations they can in anticipation of the approaching storm.  Last report I saw predicted between 5 and 8 inches for us, but a whole lot more for coastal areas all the way from Washington DC to Maine.  The cities will probably be hardest hit - services lost and roads closed - but here it will no doubt be mostly business as usual.  It would be nice if it warmed up a little, but on the other hand, being so cold the snow will be light and fluffy and should pose no problem weighing down tree limbs.  However, with high winds, visibility will be compromised and the windchill factor one to be reckoned with, so if you must be out on the highways, please be very careful.
    We heard today that last week not one, but two airplanes landed on the pond.  We don't know who, where or exactly when, but it would be fun to know what that was all about.  Perhaps they came to fish for a few hours?  I think that may have been about the same time the Rossi's cameras quit working (Diane thinks in protest against the severe cold), otherwise we might be able to back up the record and see them, depending on where they landed.  The cameras are operating again now, so if you want to watch the storm tomorrow, check them out.  Remember you need to log onto the Joe's Pond Association website using Internet Explorer as your browser.  Full instructions are there, just follow the links.
    Stay warm and safe tomorrow and enjoy watching the "Blizzard of 2015" on television and/or from your window. 

    We saw some sunshine today, but it was best enjoyed from inside a toasty warm house.  The thermometer was registering something like 13 degrees around noon, but the wind was whipping out of the northeast - or maybe it was more north, I'm not sure.   I do know for sure that as soon as we got to the end of our driveway and headed north to get to Jamie and Marie's driveway, it was bone-chilling cold.  There are trees sheltering the driveway and around their yard, so it was pretty comfortable once we got a little way along our usual route, but even coming back it was bitterly cold at the foot of our driveways.  One of those days when it doesn't matter which way you head on West Shore Road, you're facing into the wind a good share of the time.  I think the currents bounce off the hillsides or something.  It was so good to get back inside.
    We had taped the 1976 film, "The Shootist" before we left, so we watched it this afternoon.  I'm sure some of you know that was John Wayne's last film - he died in 1979, of cancer. Some say he and many others who had worked in 1955 on location in Utah where atomic testing had been done in nearby Nevada, contacted the cancer there.  Sadly, Wayne apparently knew all too well while filming that movie what his character was going through.  In reality, he was fighting cancer just as his character was.  The film had some great actors - Jimmy Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, Harry Morgan, Richard Boone and Hugh O'Brien plus others.  It must have been difficult for all of them to watch what was happening to Wayne.  Here's some background on that film.
     Well, cold or not, things are beginning to wake up around here.  I've had two requests today to let people know about events happening in Cabot.  The Maple Festival is coming up on March 21st.  You'll hear more about that later, but mark you calendar.  It's a sure sign of spring!
    Also, there a chili contest coming up in Cabot.  And that's much sooner - on February 1st.  Click on the poster to learn more about it - a good chance to win some money if you make a great chili.  Perfect for the cold days ahead - start experimenting and perfecting your recipe now so you'll be ready.  Good luck.  
    Normally at this time of day we might say something like, "As the sun slips behind the western hills, darkness envelops us."  Instead I'm going to sign off with, "As the thermometer slips once again below the zero mark, blanketing Joe's pond with a deep, icy darkness that's interrupted only by a few dots of light from warm houses on the shore or a lonely automobile gliding along bordering highways or perhaps some late snowmobile rushing homeward, I say - this is at least a three-dog-night."   

    First a quick weather report - not much change except we had very little sunshine today.  This morning there were some snowflakes in the air, but the temperature was fairly "normal" for January - in the high-20s - so I went for my walk without my earmuffs or a hat (I know, you'd think I'd know better) and it would have been ok except there was a little bit of wind in some spots not sheltered by trees or hills, and my ears got pretty cold.  It's hard to keep one's balance in the snow while covering one's ears with mittened hands!  All is well, no harm done and lesson learned.
    I've met some very interesting people through this blog over the years.  This morning I had a message from Stephen Briscoe who lives in North Truro on Cape Cod and co-owns a summer home in West Danville with artist Kenneth Hawkey.  Stephen owns SeasCape Realty, Inc., and Larkin Gallery in Provincetown and North Truro where Kenneth exhibits his paintings.  Stephen sent pictures of two of Kenneth's paintings - one of Joe's Pond, done from the parking lot at the beach in West Danville and the other of Keiser Pond road near their home - he kindly thought my readers might enjoy seeing them.  Click on the images to make them larger. You can view more of Kenneth Hawkey's work at  Larking Gallery.
    Stephen also shared this little story:  "I've enjoyed your blog over the years and last year, while traveling in Ireland with my mother (she, along with my father, summer at our house on Keiser Pond Road), read about Beck's quest to find a new home for her little dog, Jennie.  Ultimately, my mother adopted Jennie and Jennie now enjoys splitting her time between Cape Cod and West Danville!"
    I was so pleased to learn that the blog apparently played some part in uniting Jennie with a new owner - and she is still a Vermont doggie at least part time!  It was very nice of Stephen to let me know, and I was especially pleased to see Kenneth's paintings.  I hope you all enjoy them, too, and if you visit the Cape, stop in and introduce yourself.
    Each day when I am working on the West Danville history project I find more interesting items, and today I was looking for some background material about early automobiles after noting that there were few mentions of autos in any of the newspaper items about West Danville and Joe's Pond until after about 1911.  Turns out there weren't many in the whole state.  The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles records indicate that the first auto in Vermont, a Stanley Steamer, was purchased by Dr. Lindley of Burlington in 1898.  The first law passed requiring automobile registration was in 1904 and the following spring, 373 vehicles were registered.  By 1950 there were over 100,000 registrations.  What was most interesting, I thought, was that in 1902 the legal speed limit was 15 m.p.h.  I guess that was reasonable - most of the early cars didn't go very fast anyway, and in addition the poor road conditions required extreme caution to keep automobiles and their riders from flying in all directions.  In 1918 one man, Ara Griggs, was hired to patrol the whole state to enforce the speed limit and registration requirements.  A year later two more men were assigned to patrol; but even in 1937, there were only 37 officers on duty.  I'm guessing during the prohibition years it was up to the local constabulary to intercept rum-runners - not a few of which came through or operated in this area.  But that's a whole other story . . .

    One more beautiful day to add to our cold January.  It was a tad warmer today - actually pretty darned nice until the clouds came over us shortly after noon.  The temperature actually got into the 20's above zero.  Back below the zero mark tonight, I'm afraid, but no significant weather until this weekend.
    Every day when I take my walk up Jamie and Marie's driveway I think, "I should have brought the camera."  Today I remembered!  Between huffing and puffing my way up the hill, I stopped to take some shots of the snow.  It made the trip much easier - I usually try to do it without stopping.  Most days I can do that ok, but if I've missed a day or two, then it's much harder and I sometimes have to stop and let my muscles relax.  So take the walk with me up the hill and back down.  (Slides)
    We have just posted the new Schedule of Events for the 2015 season.  Joe's Pond Association members note the spring meeting is earlier than usual, and that's because the pavilion has an early rental.  Other events are pretty much the same as usual, and we're all looking forward to being able to open things up and get going as soon as spring arrives.  That's way too far in the future to think about right now, but some of you still may want to mark your calendars so you can at least plan ahead for your summer activities.
    I've been searching old newspapers for Joe's Pond news items in the newly digitized newspaper collections and I've been fascinated that almost all the cottages built very early here were given names.  I knew a lot of them had names, but I never realized they dated back quite as far as they do.  Quite a number have retained the original names - but others have been lost over time.  Some were pretty complicated, like "Madawaska" and the Dole family's "Alsunelha;" some were kind of silly, like M. V. Dow's "Uneda-Rest" and the Kellogg's "Camp Tokumto."  Then there were the more obvious, R. C. Sulloway's "Harmony Lodge," Dr. Farmer's "Outlook," and C. H. Richardson's "Island Rest," which was of course the big island that earlier had been called "Tara," and later "Priest's Island," and now "Toll Island."  That's only a small sampling, and some, like the Petty's "The Shack," may have had a ring of truth.  Some of the early "cottages" were pretty crude by today's standards, but the were nearly all rather quickly made into wonderful retreats for their owners, and many provided a fairly good source of income from rentals - not unlike many of the places on the pond today.  At one point, around 1916, it was noted in the St. Johnsbury Caledonian that nearly all the cottages on the pond were full, many people staying for the season, others coming from St. Johnsbury for weekends, and there was something going on nearly every day.  Organizations, schools, churches and individuals held meetings, picnics, "outings," and field days, coming usually by train early in the morning from St. Johnsbury or Danville and returning in the evening.  The roads were not very good, and what few automobiles there were often got bogged down in mud if there was a heavy rain.  These were the latest models in 1914.  The automobile was virtually useless in the winter, and owners just put them away and got out the horse and sleigh.  Those skinny tires were not designed for either mud or snow.  By the time the automobile appeared, plank roads were a thing of the past, but in the very early days, either logs or planks were commonly used for roads, but they didn't last very long, so eventually roads were somewhat graded using dirt.  It was not uncommon on early roads to have water bars across them, and these made for a very rough ride.  Sometimes carriages or wagons were damaged if the bars were too deep or the horses were going too fast.  Eventually they learned to crown the roads to help shed water, and used stones instead of logs or planks in marshes.
    It must have been quite a sight seeing the train stop at the crossing near where our pavilion is now to let passengers off or take them on; and it was not unusual for two or three hundred people to congregate at Lake Side Park for picnics and swimming.  At one outing, there were 500 attending.  There was a small store and a pavilion, and swings and hammocks in the shelter of the trees at the park, and boats to rent.  There were at least three steam boats giving rides around the pond - the first mentioned in 1892 was owned by Carl Gray, and in 1897 Capt. J. S. Thompson of Lyndonville launched his; in 1899, J. S. Sanborn launched the "Minneola."  These would carry 12 or more passengers.  Who knew!?

    We are looking at another absolutely gorgeous day - clear blue sky, lots of snow on the trees and ground, and temperatures promising to be close to normal (whatever normal is!) for this time of year.  This morning we have a reading of 10 above, which to a lot of you seems really cold, but for us these days anything above zero is a good thing.  Each night we dip well below zero - although last night wasn't quite as cold at minus 5.  The sunshine during the day just makes everyone happy, no matter what the thermometer reads.
    We had a comment come to the website - you can see it by clicking HERE - and perhaps is someone knows who is keeping Barre Avenue plowed, you could mention to them that the snow piled up at 167 Barre Avenue is a problem for the owners (or will be in the spring) and that where they made the turnaround is right on the Systo's leach field - also a problem.  I'm sure whoever did the plowing will be able to find alternatives, so please pass the word and hopefully we can get this situation corrected.  It's always best to check with neighbors before using their property for any reason, even snow removal/disposal.  Let us know if we can help by contacting the party that is plowing out there - we don't know who it is, so cannot deliver the message directly.

 

    We've had a bit of weather in the past couple of days.  It warmed up yesterday, Sunday, and as predicted, rained.  That made the roads pretty treacherous.  In lots of places it produced instant ice, and even though the road crews were expecting it and did everything they could to keep the roads safe, it was still a surprise to some folks and there were a number of pretty serious accidents.  It all turned to snow fairly quickly here, and we gained about 5 inches during last night.  Today we've had snow showers much of the day so probably have another couple of inches.  Yesterday's snow was heavy and wet, and some places lost electric power; we have been lucky so far.  The trees are bending under the weight, but after the last heavy snow, Washington Electric Co-op had crews out cutting any trees or limbs along the lines in our area that were either on the line or close to being on it, and I think that helped.
    We have some photos of how we looked today after the wet snow stopped and before today's flurries.  Check out the slide show.

Lawrence Rossi, Sr. obituary

Here is a link to Mr. Lawrence Rossi's obituary.  Our sincere condolences are sent to the Rossi family.

 

    Another very cold night to add to our January weather pattern.  It is now minus 9.4 on the indoor/outdoor thermometer, with an overnight low of -13.  The old mercury thermometer outside my office window is reading -14 right now - but that always reads lower than any other thermometers at our house.  Cold enough, for sure, whichever side of the house we're on.  Inside, nice and toasty.
    I have sad news again today.  Larry Rossi and Lauren VanDeren's (Otis Drive) father, Larry, Sr., died yesterday.  He was 96.  I will have a link to the full obituary as soon as it's available.  Mr. Rossi had been in poor health for some time, but even when we know one's time is near, it it always very sad to lose a loved one.  Our thoughts are with Larry and Lauren and their family.  Messages may be sent to Larry and his sister, Lauren, at P. O. Box 307, Woodbury, VT, 05681 

    Friends of Garey Larrabee will be happy to know he had an operation yesterday, as planned, to further repair damage to his arm.  His son-in-law, James, told us this morning the operation went very well and Garey's doctors were successful in reattaching muscles and nerves to enable him to use his hand and fingers.  James expected Garey might even be coming home today.
    Some of you may not realize that the hours the post office in West Danville will be open have changed as of this week.  The post office survived the cutbacks and wasn't closed, but the hours that anyone is on duty have been seriously cut.  The window will be open Monday through Friday only from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m.  You will be able to access your mailboxes during the store's regular hours - 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. most days except Sunday, and I think the store is sometimes open on Sundays during the summer, but I'm not certain.  I know they all put in long hours.  
    We're so glad Garey is making good progress.  There were lots of people at his surprise "appreciation day" celebration honoring his retirement after over 40 years at the post office.  Seems to me I heard something about he was retiring on his birthday, but I may be wrong about that.  I'm sure he enjoyed seeing so many friends and neighbors and I hope he knows just how much we all appreciate him, and not just for his service at the post office.  Both Garey and Jane watch over the community like it is family, and go far beyond what is expected to help their neighbors and support their town.
    Another cold day today - we woke up to about 10 below zero and even with bright sunshine, the thermometers at our house have not gone above 20 degrees.  There doesn't seem to be much wind, and that is a relief.  Today is our "warm-up" day, for this weekend the temperature is expected to plummet again.  There's probably more snow in the forecast someplace, but apparently no big storm.  We seem to be getting it in dribs and drabs, 3-4 inches at a time.  And that's ok.  There's about 16 inches at the stake in our yard after a couple days of settling and packing by the wind.  It's still very light and fluffy because it's been so cold. 

Another cold but beautiful morning - think 10 below zero.  Fred was out early to get some pictures - here's a short slide show. 

    Another beautifully sunny day today.  It's so cheerful when the sun shines!  I could actually feel the heat of the sun's rays on my face as I was walking at noontime even though it was very cold, like 9 above and colder facing into the wind, but when I returned and was coming up our driveway, the sun was high overhead and I could feel it actually warm on my face.  It was encouraging.
    I came across an item in a December 10, 1902 issue of the St. Johnsbury Caledonian  that the ice was perfect for skating and that January it was reported a large amount of ice was being "cut and drawn" from the pond; H. S. Dole would put 30 cords into their "enlarged ice house" for the creamery.  They were cutting ice to supply the creameries in Walden and Danville, several other local  businesses and some farms. In  December of 1903 it was reported that several mornings had been as low as 25 degrees below zero, and they were calling it "an old-fashioned winter."   Then, on March 27, 1907 there were "snow drifts 12 feet deep on the back roads and ice in Joe's Pond is nearly 30 inches thick."  There was a hint of pride in the report saying Danville is "1000 feet nearer heaven than St. Johnsbury."  Somehow every generation seems to have memories of "old fashioned winters" but over time they all seem to be pretty much the same, at least here where we're "nearer heaven."
    There was an item in today's Caledonian about cutting ice on one of the Squam lakes in New Hampshire.  Apparently there are some cottages on that pond still using ice for cooling and they cut it and put it in "insulated ice houses" so it will last all summer.  I imagine the ice houses built today are far more efficient than the old ones that were wooden sheds with ice packed in sawdust to keep it from melting.
    I had a note from one of our Joe's Ponders who winters in Tucson, Arizona, saying people are complaining there because it's so cold - 68 degrees!   That sounds about perfect to me - much warmer than that and I'm uncomfortable.  But I guess I'd complain a bit, too, if I was used to much warmer temperatures all the time.
    Speaking of comfortable - here's another Woody picture.  We open the blinds when the morning sun is on the big window on the southeast side of the house so he can look out, and today he really, really enjoyed basking in the sun, letting all loose ends hang over the edge of the bench.  He has to share the bench with the telephone, but he doesn't seem to mind - he just sprawls out with his head on the window sill and lets the rest hang.  Bird-watching can be so tiring.

No letup in the cold weather, but we did have some bright sunshine today.  That makes it not seem so cold.  However, I've been mostly at my computer today digging around in digitized newspapers finding items about West Danville and Joe's Pond.  It's extremely interesting.  I've been at it off and on all week and find it hard to quit, even though it's time consuming and sometimes frustrating; then, just when I begin to get really impatient with finding nothing, some real gem pops up at me and I'm charged up again, rarin' to go.
This is for the West Danville history, of course, and I'll be sharing my findings with the others - they will be searching in other areas - so that hopefully we'll put all the pieces of the puzzle together and have as accurate an account as possible without actual people to interview.  I'm only up to 1905 searching for Joe's Pond information and already I have had to separate the years into three sections because I'm recording so much information.  It gets unwieldy when there is too much.  I'll eventually share some with you, but I'm really just getting started, so need to get more and do some verification first.
     This project has kept me inside and warm during the cold snap - and that is a good thing!  I took some pictures this morning it was so pretty outside.  You can see Woody is content to hang out in the sunshine inside on days like today.  He seems to know it's cold out there, even without sticking his nose out the door to test it.
    If you look closely you'll see the moon about ready to drop behind the trees at the center of this shot.  This is our back yard and the view from my office today.  There has been a little wind, so by afternoon a lot of the snow was off the trees, but it sure was pretty this morning.  Tonight it's already ten below, and still heading down.  We had a low of about -10 last night.  Lots of places were colder, but that's the lowest reading I got.  We're going to probably see -20 before morning, but then we get a warm-up!  Oh, yes, and we got about 4 inches of new snow during yesterday.  My back yard stake shows there are 17 inches on the ground. 

Here is a link to Chris Wilson's obituary:  Click here.
 

    We spent a little time at Garey Larrabee's retirement party at the store this morning.  Garey said he had every intention of "sleeping in" this morning - something uncharacteristic of Garey, but no doubt while recuperating it's very good for him - but he was roused and told he had to get a move on to be dressed and "decent" to greet his well-wishers. 
    Was he surprised when he realized there was a party for him?  I think so!  I have to say, he looked quite dashing in his "morning jacket," or, as he called it, his "Hugh Hefner" robe.  He's a little pale, but that's expected - none of us have seen much sunshine for at least three months, and he's been cooped up in hospitals a lot of the time.  He will have another operation, I believe he said next week, to connect nerves that will allow his fingers to function.  He's really dong very well considering the extent of his injury.
    There were dozens of people at the store when we got there around 10:45, and more coming and going all the time.  Lots of folks we would normally not see, especially this time of year - Bryce and Esther Montgomery, Dot "Pete" Blackadar (she never changes, still feisty and spry!), Bert Frye, Ned and Marsha Moran (I didn't see them to talk with, but Fred did), the Milton Gadapees and lots of familiar faces I couldn't put a name to.  There were a lot of people snacking on fresh-baked cookies and other goodies at the far end of the store where the deli is, and people in every aisle chatting and enjoying being inside with friends on another frigid day (mostly in single numbers, but ABOVE zero) with wind -  especially in West Danville where it was whipping, as usual.
    Here Garey was explaining to me about the upcoming operation - a very serious moment - but he said he expects to be making donuts again real soon - "right now it's a little hard to stir anything."   We wish him the very best - it was really good to see him behind the counter at the store.  So many people have missed him, I'm sure everyone felt the same way.  I overheard one man exclaiming to Garey, "I'm just glad you made it!"  I think we all share that - he really had a close call. 
    Jane told me today was the day he was supposed to be officially retired, but typically, the post office has asked that his date of retirement be extended until next month.  Maybe we'll have another party! 
    I'm sure he will have reading material for days to come - there was a large basket containing cards and messages, many of them from Joe's Ponders.  Our JPA mailbox was overflowing this morning, but they have all made it into the basket with the others, so, many thanks for your responses.  I hadn't dared post anything here because I thought Garey might see it, but I did send all JPA members notice and as always, our members rose to the occasion.
    It's a good day when a friend is on the good side of a catastrophe, and we all wish Garey the best from now on.

 

    I received news this afternoon that Chris Wilson (West Shore Road and Aiken, S.C.) has passed away.  Diane Sherwood received the sad news today from a mutual friend.  We have no further information right now, but as soon as I know more, I'll post it here.
    Diane  told me Chris and Dot had been to their daughter's in Iowa for the holidays, and shortly after their return to Aiken, Chris fell and was taken to the hospital.  His health rapidly declined. 
    Chris was a respected member of our Joe's Pond community and a good friend.  We will miss him greatly.  
    If you would like to send a message to Dot and her family, the address is:  614 Long Shadow Rd., Aiken SC 29803.

    Our weather has moderated big time - we've made it up to 20 degrees and that's ABOVE zero, so even though there's still a pretty stiff wind blowing, we feel like we're getting a break.  However, there are some really threatening looking clouds moving from west to east, and some snowflakes in the air, so winter is definitely not over.
     Kate Chatot,  who lives about a mile south of us, sent this

picture to me last night.  This was her thermometer at some point yesterday - perhaps early in the a.m. or maybe Wednesday night - she didn't specify - it could have been either; clearly showing at least 35 below, (when I had reported a low of 22 below).  By the looks of her thermometer, it better not get much colder than that.  I have one that only registers to 40 below, too.  I guess the manufacturers didn't expect them to be used in Vermont.  I just looked at the thermometer outside my office and it can go to 70 below - I just hope that doesn't happen!  These are the older mercury thermometers; I guess the digital ones can go as low as necessary.
    The sun just disappeared, that threatening cloud is overhead and it's snowing hard and down to 15 degrees.  So much for that "spring" feeling!
    I had a call from son Bill last night - he said he'd been talking with one of our Joe's Pond ice fishermen that had been here over the weekend setting up an ice shanty.  The fisherman told Bill it was brutally cold out on the ice and a squall came up obscuring the shoreline so he and his buddy were barely able to find their tracks to get back to the boat launch with their truck.  They had drilled a hole in the ice (hopefully to test it before they drove their truck out onto it!) and it was 14 inches thick - plenty safe to drive a vehicle on, apparently.  There hasn't been much snow on the ice - we'd had almost no new snow until last night when we got about two inches, and the whole pond was pretty much clear ice with only patches of snow.  But the wind picked up whatever snow there was and  carried it down the pond in huge white clouds.  Weather like that can be really dangerous because you lose your sense of direction.  
    I was glad to know the depth of the ice (thank you, Bill!) and Fred has added that information to the Ice-Out page so the folks that get really serious and scientific about choosing when the ice will go out will have something to add to their formula or whatever.  We'll keep you posted on temperatures, snow depth and measurements as the ice increases.  And it will.  There's no real warm-up trend in sight. 

    I recorded a low of -22 degrees last night.  It's now up to -7.9, so we are gaining, if slowly.
    Fred got this picture from his brother in Colorado - Tom said he and Ella went to Glenwood Springs yesterday and took this picture - air temp was 45 degrees, water temp around 100 degrees.  He said that part of Colorado has not had the extreme cold we've had, as yet.

     It might be a little nippy getting in and out in the kind of cold we've had in the last 24 hours, but it sure looks like great way to warm up.  A few minutes in water that warm and you might want to roll in the snow before jumping in again.  Can you imagine the sensation?  It would sure get the blood flowing! 

 

    Just in case you are living somewhere that's warm right now, feel fortunate.  We're at 16 below tonight and it's moving downward.  It isn't that we aren't more or less used to temperatures like this here at Joe's Pond in January, but after rain and fairly moderate temps, this is sort of a shock.  There is a bit of wind that makes it feel more like 25 below, and that is borderline brutal is you're outside.
     That's why I've been happy to have plenty to do at my computer today.  I have been going through the digital newspaper files on line now (there was an article in Monday's Caledonian Record) and one short note in the December 8, 1922 issue mentioned that two feet of snow on the Walden Heights Road between Cabot and Joe's Pond.  I'm assuming that would be what is now West Shore Road and/or Route 215.  I went on line and checked the weather history in Burlington for that date and found precipitation of a little over one inch recorded.  No surprise there - Walden always has more weather than anywhere else in the state except perhaps Mt. Mansfield or Camel's Hump, and Burlington is obviously in the temperate zone by comparison.
     I also ran onto something interesting that I hadn't known about Joe's Pond.  In April, 1921, Rufus Sim Whittier, who at that time owned one of the islands in the pond (see picture below) along with about 100 other property owners at the pond, filed suit against Eastern Vermont Power Corporation, saying that after they replaced the wooden dam at the outlet of the pond with a new concrete dam, they caused the water level to rise, damaging property around the pond.  Does that sound familiar?  The article didn't say what the outcome of the lawsuit was except Eastern Vermont was defending their actions and were asking that the court define where the high water line should be to settle any future disputes.  I imagine that was when the pin was placed in the big granite rock on the West Shore at what is now Mason's residence.  I'll find out more - I'm pretty sure the Joe's Pond Association archives have something about that.  I was a bit surprised that Whittier was so prominent in the dispute, but we do know he was not a man to be taken advantage of; he refused to pay highway taxes to the Town of Cabot saying he had no need for  their roads (he traveled by boat and on foot on the railroad tracks), and wasn't going to contribute to something he didn't use.  Tough old cookie - he apparently got away with it.

   

    Many people have asked for an update on Garey Larrabee.  As most of you know, Garey had a serious accident that resulted in a severe laceration to his right arm.  He was at Dartmouth Hitchcock for many weeks and had several operations.  He returned home before the holidays and has been doing very well.  Yesterday he had several appointments between DHMC in Lebanon, NH and the Veteran's Hospital in White River Junction, and when I was in the store yesterday I was told he has at least one more operation which will involve three surgeons, and pending the availability of these doctors, he will be operated upon later this month. We hope all went well during the appointments yesterday so surgery can move ahead later this month.

Good News!
    The webcam is operating.  Diane just called and it's all set up.  I can only imagine how she must have suffered putting that out there in this miserable cold.  It's still in the single numbers above zero here.  I need to go back to see what her big thermometer is reading.  It may not be quite down to the true reading as I think she just got it placed this morning and it may not have had time to adjust. 
    Remember that you need to use Internet Explorer to access the webcam.  You can then go to our website, www.joespondvermont.com, and follow the links on home page.  You need to have the user name:  admin; and the password: 1111.  That should get you in.  Let us know if you have a problem.
      Many thanks to Diane and Bill for allowing the use of those two cameras.  Don't expect the Ice-Out flag to appear on the ice for at least six weeks . . .  We're thinking mid-March or early April if this cold weather keeps up. 
    P.S. - earlier I had written in this post that one of the cameras was pointed at Barre Ave. - I was wrong.  I saw Diane this evening and she corrected me.  The camera is pointed across the pond towards Old Homestead Road on the east shore.  I wasn't paying attention, obviously.  So Angela - I'll try to get some Barre Ave. shots for you soon!  I promise!

Winter with a Vengence!

    We are really in a deep freeze here tonight.  Already it's down to about zero, and there is a wild, bone-chilling wind right out of the Arctic.  We are expecting much colder temperatures tonight and into tomorrow and for most of the remaining week.  When I got out of my car at Hastings this afternoon, I was hit by a blast of wind only those of you living here understand.  There is considerable ice that had been slush yesterday, and with the wind blowing a gale off the pond, it was hard not to slide past the steps and end up in the snowbank.  And was it ever COLD!  Main roads are fine, but the back roads are glare ice under a sprinkling of sand that is being blown helter-skelter and is non-existent in some spots, making driving just a bit dicey.  Even good winter tires don't have much traction on glare ice when it's this cold.
    Speaking of traction, a couple days ago I posted a picture of a man on a bike - Diane and I thought it was Jay Chatot - and today I got a message from Kate Chatot confirming that.  It seems Jay has some new "studded" tires for his bike - well, this is what Kate wrote about the picture:  
 

My husband called this a "be here now" moment! He likes his studded tires gaining him access to smooth level biking with wind propelling him at least one way. Thrilling! 

Not the night to be out there, Jay!    I was watching a piece on TV last night about the new "fat" bike tires that are being touted for I guess year around biking and not just mountain bikes.  Made me think of the old balloon tires the old Elgin bike I rode to school on had.  Later on when I had a more up-to-date bike with skinny tires, I appreciated the better ride the balloon tires gave me - but at the time I was riding back and forth from Cabot Plain to Cabot Village, even those didn't prevent the ruination of my wristwatches.  I think at least two were damaged by the jarring.

      I had a very interesting letter from a former summer camper,

Sarah Wernert, whose family owned what is now the Lizer cottage at 3652 Rt. 2W.  Sarah referred to it as "Camp 53" and it was easy to locate in the book Elsie Deforge wrote in 1995.  That, of course, is the "old number" used before the 9-1-1 system came about.  Sarah very kindly sent some very nice pictures of the cottage as it was when her family owned it (right) and a very early black and white shot of it (top).  I searched my files and found a recent picture of the cottage that shows how it looks after the extensive renovations done to it about 10 years ago after the Wernerts sold it.  Sarah said she has fond memories entire summers spent here at the pond.  I'm sure she'd be surprised if she took a boat ride around the pond today to see all the changes.  However, I expect the general ambiance of the pond is intact - perhaps even enhanced, with more people living here year around.  Certainly the area is being more fully utilized than it was even a few years ago.  We have proven that just in the past few winters, having had an ice hockey game and a biker this year, and previously skaters and cross-country skiers on the pond in addition to the usual fishermen and snowmobiles.  And we shouldn't forget the Ice-Out Contest!  That has grown considerably from it's start. 

    All that winter fun and summers are still sultry, cool, wet or steamy, depending on weather's whim, but always fun and relaxing for those of us fortunate enough to live or visit here. 

    Many thanks to Sarah for the photos!  She sent others which I will share with you another time - when we need a real boost because of the cold!

    We're waiting for our spring weather to turn frosty, but that hasn't happened yet.  We got a lot of snow overnight - about 6 inches or more was still on my measuring board at 9 a.m., and we were getting some sprinkles, so we probably had more than that.  I measured 1.39 in. of precipitation, and it's been raining off and on most of the day - sometimes just misty sprinkles, but other times pretty good showers.  The temperature is at 38.7 as I write this.  We thought it was heading down around 1 o'clock, but instead it went up a bit.  We're expecting it to fall dramatically tonight, but when I was outside a few minutes ago, the rain had stopped.  If it stays dry, roads should be ok, but if we get rain or sleet, we could be in for a nasty night.
    We are wondering where our three turkey friends are.  We haven't seen them all week.  It may be that they have moved on, having picked our area clean of most food.  They did a good job getting all the low-hanging crab apples.  I threw out some failed brussel sprouts for them after Christmas Eve, and I think they got most of them, but we haven't seen them since.  Perhaps they felt the same about the sprouts as everyone at our table.  I roasted them - but they were so tough we really couldn't eat them.  It wasn't that they were under cooked - they were just plain tough.  I suspect they had been around for a while when I bought them and then I kept them a few days before cooking them.  They looked fine - good and firm and green.  Just a bad choice, I guess, but we had plenty of other food so nobody went hungry.  I really hope it wasn't those that discouraged the turkeys from visiting . . . !
    The first meeting of 2015 with the West Danville History Committee is tomorrow.  We didn't meet during the holidays, so there will be lots to go over tomorrow, I expect.  It's going to be a really cold day, according to the forecast, but their building is always cozy and warm. 
 

Here's another "first" for the first day of the New Year! (Picture by Diane Rossi)

    Starting the New Year right off with a bit of news - Diane Rossi reports there was "a fairly organized game of ice hockey" by the fishing access yesterday.  We aren't surprised, the ice looks super smooth, like glass, with just a few spots of snow scattered around.  However, I'm not sure I'd want to go out onto it.  We've had such off and on weather that melted some of the ice and surely dumped a great deal of warmish water into the pond, so there could be thin spots.  We just hope everyone had fun.
     It's a little warmer here this morning, 14 degrees, after a clear cold night.  The snow is coming this weekend - and perhaps a little rain . . . dicey weather again.