We got our soaking rain!  Actually, we got a lot yesterday and overnight, especially.  I recorded 1.14 inches at 9 a.m. and it has rained sometimes quite hard, off and on most of the day, not clearing until late this afternoon.  There was a little thunder and some lightning last night - enough to make us think "summer."  Too soon for that, though.  There was a frost warning in the forecast tonight for later this week!

For those of you who are not Joe's Pond Association members or members who would like to see the JPA newsletter in color, Fred posted it on the website this afternoon. Click the above link to access.  Members will be receiving their printed newsletter (in black and white) shortly - they were delivered to the West Danville post office yesterday.  Please take a minute and look inside for the dues remittance envelope and put it with your household bills so you don't forget or lose it.  

Some of you are in between seasonal homes and it may take a little time for your mail to catch up to you.  It is impossible for me to know who is back, who isn't or who is on their way, and since Garey is no longer postmaster and the hours have changed, nobody has the time to intercept mail for people who have just returned here, so this year everything will go through the regular mail channel to wherever it is addressed (usually your winter address) and then has to be forwarded back here. 

I've thought about sending the newsletter earlier so you get it when you are still at your winter address, but we like to wait until the Ice-Out Contest winner is known so we can include that information for people who do not have computers - and there are a few of them still around.  We could wait until almost everyone is back here, but by then our "news" letter would be an "old news letter," so we do the best we can.  I will have extra newsletters and remittance envelopes at the meeting on May 23rd if you haven't received yours by then.  

I may have 2016 Ice-Out tickets at that meeting, too!  Yep, I sent the order to the printer today.  Like Diane said this afternoon - there is no end to Ice Out.  It is a year-around endeavor.  I finished the award certificate for our winner today and Diane and I will sign it so we can send it and the check to Mary Numa later this week. Then the 2015 Contest will be officially over.  

For those of you who have not seen the certificate, this is what it looks like.  We've been handing these out along with the checks for a few years now.  It's printed on glossy paper and several of our winners have told me they framed theirs.  (Click to enlarge).  We had hoped Ms. Numa would be able to visit us this past weekend when she came to pick up her daughter at UVM, but she e-mailed to say their schedule was just too tight, but said she hopes to visit Joe's Pond perhaps next fall when her daughter returns to school.

We understand Jane Larrabee is doing pretty well.  She is back home and able to be up for short periods, but apparently gets very tired so isn't back to feeling normal.  We wish her the very best.  I understand Curtis, Garey and Jane's son, is to be married in a few weeks, so Jane is hoping to be well enough to be at the wedding.

I think I have good news for those of you who enjoyed music by the BelAires at Danville Fair for so many years.  This year a new band, the Hitmen, will be playing.  They are not the BelAires, but they have an impressive song list and I think you'll like them. I don't know them all, but I know the keyboard player very well, Bob Dimick, middle son; and I know Bruce James, drummer and general manager at WSTJ radio in St. Johnsbury from years ago when Bob was playing in the TANK band.  The other two  musicians we'll get to know as time goes on, I'm sure.  I may be a bit prejudiced, but they sound really good to me and Fred says he is certainly not going to miss them at the fair this year. They have a Facebook page and there are some excerpts of their music if you'd like to check them out.  Nice Facebook page, too.