We've enjoyed a mostly rainy day today, and certainly got plenty of rain last night to make up the deficit we've experienced recently.  I measured exactly 2 inches of precipitation this morning at 9 a.m., and we've had fairly steady rain most of the day, which has added perhaps another inch, but I won't measure again until tomorrow morning.  The brooks and rivers are beginning to fill to near capacity and I expect the pond will be high for a day or so.  There was severe flooding in Portland, Maine today, and also in Portsmouth, N. H., along Rye beach and in parts of the city. Of course, weather people are watching the new hurricane, Joaquin, as it strengthens and heads north.  It is expected to be a category 3 hurricane and is headed for the Bahamas, then will turn more northwest, but right now it's hard to tell where it might make landfall, in the Carolinas, probably, or it could be further north.  Heavy winds with lots of rain can make it a dangerous storm, whether it is a direct hit or not.  Residents in coastal areas may need to evacuate, and we may find a lot more rain in our forecast over the weekend, even though we aren't directly on the coast.

We were in St. Johnsbury today to take Woody for his annual physical.  The folks at St. Johnsbury Animal Hospital always make a fuss over him, and he seems to actually like Dr. Shawntel Sechrist.  Can't say that I blame him - she's very special.  She was our neighbor for a while when she first came to this area, so we got to know her more than just as Woody's doctor.  I think he likes her southern accent.  Anyway, he's healthy and the assistant there say to him today, "You sure don't look your age!"  He was 12 in April, but we hope to keep him around and healthy for at least another decade.  We've had other cats in the family live to be in their 20s, so if his luck holds out and he stays smart, he will, too.

I read on Front Porch Forum tonight that Peggy Longo is going to open a thrift store in Cabot in the building where there have been a couple of restaurants in the past, across from Willey Memorial Hall and next door to the hardware store where the present Sarah's Country Diner is located.  A thrift store there may be a good idea.  Ms. Longo is going to donate profits to the Cabot Youth Program, and apparently intends to see that children in need are provided with warm winter clothing.  It's good to know there is a local place to recycle good used clothing.  I'm not sure when her place will be open, but the Planning Commission is visiting tomorrow to see about giving her a change of use permit, and she is looking for volunteers to help out at the store, so it could be operating soon.

Watch the weather, especially if you have travel plans, and do be careful during wind and rain storms.  The ground is soggy and that makes trees vulnerable to being uprooted to fall into roads or onto power lines, so be aware and be safe.

Flood Watch in Effect

We are apparently going to get a pretty heavy rainfall during this evening, and a Flood Watch for the southern and central areas of Vermont has been issued.  We may not have quite as much rain in the Joe's Pond area, but nevertheless, be prepared if you live near streams or on the pond.  Here is a link to the official Vermont Emergency Management Advisory Center - a good go-to site for the latest information on conditions throughout the state.  You will find links to the latest weather information and various roads and waterways. 

Stay safe: don't drive through water that is flooding across the highway - you never know if there is road there or a gaping washout, so seek an alternate route around the flooded area if possible, or wait until it is safe to drive across.

Today is Cabot's day to host Fall Foliage visitors.  The rain promised for late this afternoon came early this morning, but now there's just cloudy sky and potential for showers.  The good news is that the rain brought out the foliage colors - what color there is, at least.  It seems the foliage is late turning this year.  I had thought we would have nothing but dull browns, but this morning I'm seeing some brilliant yellows, oranges and reds showing up among the deep green that still seems to be predominant.  It may be a pretty good day for Cabot's planned tours and entertainment, and we will be participating by enjoying the turkey supper take-outs tonight with friends here at our house.


There are lots of activities going on during the rest of the week as Fall Foliage Week progresses.  Tomorrow Plainfield hosts, then Peacham, Barnet, Groton and Marshfield, in that order.  The forecast seems to be for rain off and on most of the week, so this may be one of the less inspiring foliage weeks in its long history, but at least there is no snow in the forecast.  Our friend, Michael, from Alaska is visiting his mother and told us yesterday it's cold there this week with rain and snow forecast.  There's also snow forecast in Colorado and some of the other Rocky Mountain states, and I expect we'll get our share in due course.

Did everyone see the Super Moon and Eclipse show night before last?  We watched it periodically throughout the evening and at the point of total eclipse, were out on the deck - but didn't even try to get a picture - I'm not sure why; I guess we got lost in the moment.  I got a picture earlier in the evening as the "super" moon was coming up in the east over the pond and trees.  I should have been just a bit earlier when it would have seemed much larger, but I was probably focused on watching the news on TV.

Yesterday was the first day of fall, and I barely believed that as I enjoyed a perfect "summer" day in the 70s with almost no fall colors showing up yet; then today, as I was munching lunch and watching my favorite soap, "The Young and the Restless," I couldn't believe my ears when the unmistakable strains of "Jingle Bells" caught my attention - a K-Mart ad telling customers to come do Christmas shopping and put items on lay-away.  Makes sense, I guess.  Shopping this time of the year is more comfortable than braving freezing weather, slush and snow in December (if we're lucky enough to get a "normal" winter), and the unexpected Christmas music certainly got my attention.  I was surprised a few years ago by Christmas music and decorations in mid-October at some store we wandered into - I don't remember where.  Used to be we didn't get the Holiday music going until after Thanksgiving.  Times have changed.  

All this wonderful weather with cooler temperatures has inspired me to be out and about working in the gardens and whatnot.  The cooler air upped my energy and I took advantage of that to get some projects done, both inside and outside.  In the process, I pulled a rib muscle ever so slightly, or at least that's what I thought, but by the end of the day I realized I should have stopped and iced it when I first did it.  Because I ignored the twinge, I spent an uncomfortable night, which added to my misery and that of everyone around me the next day. I tend to get cranky when I don't get enough sleep.  Seemed like anything I tried to do hurt, sneezing  or coughing was out of the question, and no position was really comfortable.  Meanwhile the nice weather continued and I remained pretty much out of commission for about two days.  Now I barely feel it as long as I don't do anything silly.  I spend a fair amount of time every morning exercising to keep my back and neck muscles in shape, so now I'm going to be checking out some stretches for chest and rib muscles. 

Here's a neat picture Fred got when we were at Caleb and Mary Pitkin's in Cabot yesterday.  Horsepower - mechanical and in the flesh.  There is nothing more handsome than well kept horses.

  

There's a conference in Rutland in October that some of you who are interested in archaeology and Vermont Indians might like to look in on.  It's the New England Antiquities Research Association (NEARA) meeting from October 23-25.  There are some interesting subjects and field trips on the agenda.

Fall gatherings are beginning to crowd the calendar:  Saturday there is the chicken pie supper at the North Danville Baptist church, and we can tell you that is a really great meal; then the full week of Fall Foliage festivities begins on Monday, September 28, with all sorts of field trips, entertainment, lunches and dinners throughout the week.  October brings lots more church suppers and events for visitors and local folks to enjoy, especially in our area.  There's  Autumn on the Green in Danville on October 4, the Apple Pie Festival on October 17, and although the foliage is barely getting started, if we get a few more cold nights, preferably with some frost like some areas got last night, the colors should begin to pop.

The low at our house was 35 degrees last night.  There was a very heavy dew, and today is beautifully sunny and already pleasantly warm.  I have had the heat on in the house these crispy mornings, but it doesn't take much to get things warmed up and by lunch time I'm opening up the house to let the fresh air flow.  Once the sun drops behind the hills, the temperature plummets.  We put the storm panels in the pedestrian doors in our garage yesterday, mainly so Woody will be more comfortable on those nights he declines to come in at our bedtime.  It doesn't happen often now - not like when he was a youngster - but every once in a while, especially now when I think he somehow knows it won't be long before snow flies and his prime hunting time will be over for the duration.

Unfortunately, we may have foiled some of his good hunting by limbing out the big evergreens next to our driveway yesterday.  I've threatened to cut them all down, but decided I'd give them a reprieve by trimming them so we can see the road and not feel so isolated.  Fred trimmed the tamaracks, too, (that's him with his trusty chainsaw) and that has made a huge difference.  Of course, that lets the wind sweep at us from the north, too, and the dust from the road, but it's a trade-off.  I like knowing what traffic is passing, especially if an emergency vehicle goes by.  When Joe Labbe's place burned I didn't see a single one of the responding Cabot or Walden squads racing by, and there must have been a bunch of them, with flashing lights and everything, but I neither saw nor heard a thing.  This morning I even saw walkers going by, and I'd thought nobody was walking much this year.  Now I know I probably just couldn't see them.  Not that any this is really my business, but it helps me feel "connected" to my neighbors and the world outside of our house to be able to see activities going on.  Besides, it helps me fill up these blog pages if I know when something is happening in the neighborhood.  Fred is out there now hauling the branches off to his brush pile in the lower woods.  We may have a nice bonfire when the first snow comes.  It was a huge job getting under those big trees to limb them out.  The branches were actually on the ground, and that's what seemed to make such good hunting for Woody.  Little critters could hide out in there, but he could also sit quietly among the branches and wait for them.  Birds were particularly vulnerable apparently, as he seemed to nab them more often in those trees than anywhere else.  We hope we've saved a few bird's lives.

Speaking of saving bird's lives, Helen Morrison sent out this message and sad story on Front Porch Forum yesterday:

Several summers ago, on a trip home on Rt. 2 heading from Danville to West Danville, I came upon a family of ducks in the road, a mom and nine ducklings, right where there is a pond on one side of the road and a smaller pond on the other. They had been plowed through by a vehicle, probably at high speed. Eight of the ducklings were dead or dying. The mother was frantically running around in the road, trying to tend to her ducklings. They were all on their backs, about half flailing around, the others still. I removed them all from Rt. 2 and put them over in the tall grass. One duckling was okay as was the mom. They went off in the tall grass. It is a scene I will never forget. The carnage was so bad that I called the Vermont State Roads person and asked about a sign. He said I could do as I wished as long as it was more than 25 feet from the center of the road. I asked the landowner if I could put up a duck crossing sign. She said yes.
So, I bought the yellow duck crossing signs and mounted them on an eight foot 2x4 and left it up until Fall and then took it down. The following year I put up the sign and all was well until October when someone stole it. So this summer, for another $80+ I bought the materials and made another duck crossing sign and put it up. Between Sept. 17-18, it was stolen. It is disheartening, not only for the loss of money on my part, but for the sheer thoughtlessness of it.
If anyone has any knowledge of where this latest sign might be, please get in touch with them and tell them to bring it back. I imagine Pat Peck would be fine with them leaving it next to her driveway. I would really appreciate getting it back. I am not sure I want to do it again next summer, only to have it stolen….again.

I felt really sorry this has happened.  These are wild ducks and are just doing their thing, trying to survive.  The land owner is Pat Peck, in Danville, and we have seen ducks on the pond by her place many times.  I hadn't realized they are wild, and also didn't realize there is a marshy area on the opposite side of the road, perhaps where she nested.  Too bad there isn't better cover for her on the pond side - she might stay there instead of crossing back and forth putting herself and her babies in peril.  It's so disappointing when people steal.  It would be nice if the signs "mysteriously" reappeared, perhaps dropped off beside the pond some night - no questions asked.  A message to whoever took the signs:  Bring them back.  You'll sleep better after you do.

Here's a postscript to the message above from a sympathizer:

Dear Helen,

You are an amazing person to take on the protection of these ducks! I think they really do deserve a community effort, considering how the road cuts through their habitat. 

Maybe a VT Wildlife agency would be more helpful than the roads dept person. I certainly don't think you should have to foot the bill to have adequate signage. 

From talking to police in Hardwick about various signs they put up, its pretty common for signs to gets stolen and/or destroyed. Maybe a home-made sign would fare better. Once everybody in the community knows the sign from driving by it all the time, it would be harder for someone to get away with stealing it. For that matter, maybe a local school would be willing to take on having elementary age kids make several signs to protect the ducks - why stop at one? Little kids and their grownups care a lot about baby ducks. It would be a fun project. 

Good luck helping the ducks. I hope some people in your neighborhood step up to the plate!  Emily

 

 

Our summer weather continues - a little cooler perhaps today, but still warmer than normal and very enjoyable.  I picked more apples for applesauce and for the freezer.  I'm shunning my computer these days in favor of doing more interesting and energetic projects - I have way more energy when the weather isn't too hot and muggy. 

Fred's brother, Tom and his wife, Ellie, are visiting Ellie's sister in Tucson, Arizona right now.  Tom sent this photo of the new

streetcar there called the Sun Link.  It only runs something like 3 1/2 miles through the city, but apparently has been money well spent. Commerce has picked up considerably in the downtown area since it started running.  I think the design is particularly ugly, or maybe it's all the vivid advertising I'm reacting to.  I'm amazed that the power source is overhead electric lines - it's as if technology hasn't changed since the 1800s.  I would have thought in a place like Tucson the thing would be solar powered - or at the very least the power source would be under the cars, not overhead.  Most places are trying to hide ugly utility lines.  However, residents seem to be pleased with the newly operating transportation system, and probably few object to the design.  I found this history of streetcars pretty interesting; and it brings to mind that given enough time, "everything old is new again."

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

HAPPY 6th ANNIVERSARY TO HOMER AND MARGARET FITTS.

WE WISH YOU MANY MORE GLORIOUS YEARS TOGETHER. 

YOU ARE THE POSTER KIDS FOR HAPPINESS.

Another grand day with warmer than normal temperatures, lots of sunshine, no rain, just darned near perfect weather for enjoying being outside.  I feel sorry for people who have to stay inside for whatever reason - it's really too bad to have to miss this stretch of great weather.  I remember what it was like, going to work when the sun was barely up and arriving home as it was disappearing in back of the hilltops; and then having rain on the weekends a lot of times.  What a bummer.

Work is progressing on the eastern shore of the pond on the Nicholson cottage.  I just learned today that the old Wakefield cottage - now known as the Rustad/Ferriera cottage, has already  been leveled, too.  On this, the west shore, foundation work is on-going at Layton's Landing, the Decker cottage, but as far as I know, no other building or renovations taking place.  There is of course a rush by contractors to get as much as possible done during the nice weather, so crews are busy.

In Cabot Village, the road crew has been working on Clough Lane, a short dead-end road that runs from Elm Street south, parallel to the Winooski River.  The river bank in that area has been eroding over the years, slowly swallowing precious land with every hard rain when the brook swells to river size, so residents are delighted that the town has come to their rescue and lined the bank with good big rocks that will hopefully contain the rushing water.  Bonnie and Peter Dannenberg live at the head of Clough Lane and sent me some photos today of the work being done.  I made a short slide show.

Speaking of pictures, I received some very nice picture postcards from Homer Fitts yesterday.  They were of Danville and West Danville, printed for the Danville Bicentennial in 1986 - all postmarked on August 13, 1986, and each has a special Bicentennial image on the back.  This photo is an old time snow roller.  That must have been a cold ride, perched up on that thing with no protection from the wind and blowing snow.  I don't know where the  picture was taken - it could have been in Danville Village or on almost any road in town.  Main roads were rolled in the winter well into the 1900s, and even after automobiles came on the scene, roads were so poor that the only way to travel was with horses and sleighs or on foot.  It was a hard job to get to all the roads, and often people had to walk or go by horseback to get into town after a big storm. The rolled roads were a nice path for sleighs if they could be kept free of drifts.

The picture below of the Bert U. Wells store was also in the group that Homer sent.  Mr. Wells owned the store before Gilbert and Jenny Hastings bought it in 1913.  That probably was Mr. and Mrs. Wells in the picture, along with perhaps one of the clerks from the store. The store carried a full line of groceries and dry goods.  We found a January sale ad dated 1913.  I believe the store was sold to the Hastings in the fall of 1913, so this ad was probably not due to his selling.  Another large store up the street from the Wells store, was G. V. Frasier's Department Store. That store burned in February of 1908, taking with it the home of  Thomas Founier, next door to it.  The post office was in Frasier's building at that time, and a large bag of mail was lost in the fire as well as most of the merchandise in the store and personal belongings in the apartment upstairs.  The fire was said to have started by the explosion of a kerosene lamp in the back of the store.  The building was owned by D. C. Farrington, who lived next door, and in the newspaper account of the fire  it was reported it was "a hard fight" to keep the Farrington home from burning.  Even though the pond would normally have been an unlimited source of water to fight a fire, it was of course solidly frozen over in February when the Frasier fire happened.

In the bottom photo you can see Frasier's Department store at the far left and down the street the newly built Methodist church in the center of the picture.  The small building at the right of the photo was next to the railroad tracks and didn't burn.  This photo was probably taken about 1907, and the church was completed and the bell put in place in about 1899.  These Frasier store photos are from the collection of former West Danville resident, Phil Rogers. 

I'm pleased that I've already had a response regarding the E911 map that has West Shore Road listed as Shore Road West - actually Shore RoadW.  Jeremy McMullen, the E911 Database Administrator (who actually lives in Danville and who I worked with when the E911 addresses were first introduced) contacted me today and as near as we can figure, the problem was likely a misunderstanding of the information being given.  The fact that the map I found had the wrong name on our road is not relevant in an emergency situation because there is an E911 database that call takers go by in order to route calls to the proper dispatcher, and that database has the correct information in it.  Why whoever took the call didn't recognize the location from the land line phone, Jeremy doesn't know, but he's looking into that.  Had that call taker seen that normally automatically displayed information, the location would have been immediate and there shouldn't have been any confusion.  

I also had a response from Karen Deasy, the Cabot E911 coordinator, and she has assured me both West Shore Road and Chatot Road are in the database they use to dispatch emergency crews.  So it seems everything is good, just perhaps there was some miscommunication.


I'm noticing tinges of color on the maple trees on our hill behind the house and along West Shore Road.  Once they begin to turn it usually happens quickly and with Fall Foliage Week coming right up on September 28th, it looks as if the colors could be just about full bloom.  It's always nice to have perfect color for that week.

Here is notification of a location change for an important meeting for people in the Town of Danville.  Click on the image to enlarge it for reading.

Also, don't forget the Chicken Pie Supper that same night at the North Danville Baptist Church.  Dining room seatings begin at 5 PM on a first come, first served basis, and no reservations.  If you wish to have take outs or have meals delivered, you must pre-order by Thursday, Sept. 24 by calling 227-3035 or 748-8519.  Adults $12; Children 12 and under $6.  This is always a great meal, so plan to either go or get your order in by Thursday.  Click on the image above left for menu and complete information.

Good Morning -

I am so glad Nancy Buttura is right on top of things over on the east shore!  She sent me pictures of the tear-down at Nicholson's this morning.  Nancy said they started at 6:30 a.m.!  The top picture is the camp as it was in May, 2013, after they purchased the Ailes cottage and took it down to enlarge their lot.  Now they have plenty of room to build the home of their dreams here at Joe's Pond.  It will be interesting to see it progress.  Right now there is a lot of preparation work going on, but once the lot is cleared, I bet it will move quickly.


I expect Mark and Robin had a few moments of anxiety if they were on hand to see the wrecking ball taking the first swing at the cottage they have enjoyed for a good number of years, but having a new place will be wonderful for them, and we are happy for them.  

I've asked Nancy to keep an eye on things for me since we can't see the work site from our house and won't get over that way often.  I'll share whatever photos she (or anyone else) sends. 

We had 1.26 in. of rain overnight.  It rained quite hard off and on, and we've had a little sunshine and a few showers this morning, so a welcome change - except for people who must work outside!  It's going to be a raincoat day, I guess.  I'm off to the Danville Historical Society in a few minutes for a meeting.  It's a good day for that sort of thing.

I'm listening to heavy rainfall pelting against the deck outside my office.  It's still warm for this time of year - around 60 degrees. I just called our cat, Woody, in for the night and he's demanding attention as he sits on my desk, gently reaching out with his paw to "knit" on my arm, then rubbing his head against my shoulder.  He's been wiped down to dry him off and had a treat for coming in when called, so right now he's one happy cat.  I'll never understand why he stays outside even in the rain.  I guess it's the wild hunter instinct, or maybe he just likes getting wiped dry with a towel . . . 

After we posted the very nice video done by TJ Bouchard, Kate Chatot emailed me wondering if I'd noticed there was another video posted on YouTube of a Joe's Pond in Scotland, UK.  I had no idea there was a Joe's Pond in Scotland, but I went on line and found it is part of Durham's Wildlife Reserve.  It was quite interesting - not at all like our Joe's Pond, but a lovely spot.  

When Joe Labbe's place burned last weekend, our daughter-in-law, Theresa Dimick, called E911, but had a hard time making the dispatcher(s) understand where the fire was.  I was surprised by this as I thought when using a land line they could locate where the call was coming from just from that; apparently not.  Theresa said she told them West Shore Road in Cabot but they still couldn't locate it.  Yesterday I decided to look up the E911 map of this area and found that what we know as West Shore Road is listed as Shore Road West on their map.  No wonder the dispatcher couldn't find it.  Chatot Road is listed, but when Theresa spelled it for them she gave spelled it Chateau - of course they didn't put it together because even though she told them it was directly off West Shore Road they hadn't a clue.  She finally was somehow able to make them understand where the fire was, but there was a delay of precious minutes because of the way the road is listed.  Had it been a medical emergency, that delay might have been a life or death situation. 

I have sent a message to both the information contact e-mail address at E911 and to Karen Deasy, the E911 coordinator for Cabot, to see if it can be corrected or if we need to instruct people in our area to remember to use Shore Road West if they have to call for emergency help.  I don't believe there has been a problem before because dispatchers were more local and familiar with most roads.  Now emergency calls are routed to one of a few consolidated offices in some other part of the state and there isn't that local knowledge base.  I'll keep you posted if/when I have a response from someone.

Another beautiful day here in the north country.  I think we're in for a few days of pretty steady rain - tomorrow, at least, and maybe into next week - but we can use the rain.  I finally got to work in my flower garden a little bit today, but still lots more to do.  I hadn't realized how humid it was today until I was outside working for a little while.  Tonight seems cooler, but everything is damp.

Friday the West Danville History Committee went with Bert Frye to inspect the "Twin Boulders" on the quarry road.  Pictured here, from left to right, Jane Larrabee, Dot Larrabee, Patty Conley with video camera, Sharon Lakey and Bert.  Click on image to enlarge. Bert had told us there was what was thought to be Indian writing on one of the big boulders, but when we saw it we all agreed it was the name A. Holt and other names we couldn't quite make out carved with what we believe is two hearts.  Bert said there was a Holt family that lived near there years ago.  I found John Holt in the census of 1860.  We also know he became postmaster and owned a store in West Danville where he lived with his wife, Mary and seven children for many years.  One of their three sons, Alden Holt, would have been 13 years old in 1861, which is the date carved in the stone, and carving his initials and those of some young lady he was sweet on in the big boulder would seem like something a 13 year old boy might do, so we think we know the "Indian" responsible for the markings on the boulder.  In 1895 Mr. Holt sold his grocery store and at age 84, moved to West Boxford, Massachusetts to live with one of his sons, but the notice of his death didn't say whether it was Daniel, Alden or Frank.  He died there three years later.  

We were disappointed that the markings on the boulder were apparently not made by the Oneida Indians.  I did a little research and the Oneidas seemed to have lived no further east than upstate New York, so Oneida Road in West Danville may have been named for some reason other than that Oneida Indians lived here.


History is often hard to pin down to absolute facts. People not only remember events differently, but especially as time passes memories dim or stories gather new details so it's hard to know what is fact.  We're trying to locate as much information as possible and verifying what we can as we move ahead.  Bert has great deal of information and is a great interview, so we will be talking with him again about old roads in the area. 



Here's the rest of the story I posted a couple days ago.  Rachel, the lady who was looking for the Joe's Pond cottage named Camp Kumawnin, was invited with her husband to visit the place, now owned by Andy Rudin and family.  Andy said they spent a couple hours with him today.  It was very generous of him to invite them to see the honeymoon cottage of both Rachel's parents and Andy's.  Isn't it nice when things work out so well?

Here's something I know you'll all enjoy a lot.  It came to me via Butch Bouchard, whose son, TJ, made the video.  Click HERE, turn on your speakers and enjoy a great presentation of Joe's Pond!  Thanks, Butch for sharing, and TJ for allowing us to post it here.

I am very pleased to tell you the mystery camp has been identified.  It was built in 1910 (not sure who built it, but I'll try to find out), Andy Rudin's parents honeymooned there and like it so much they bought it in 1937!  Now I've been able to let Rachel, whose parents also honeymooned there in 1930 and went back for their anniversary a year later, know something of the history of the place and that it still exists. Sometimes the stars seem perfectly aligned to give up these odd bits of information so everything comes together.  I know my contact will be pleased to know her parents were not the only couple to have a special connection to the place.   

This may be something you would like to participate in - a survey about the Route 15 bridge construction project.  The survey will take you only a few minutes and will help VTrans in planning future projects.  VTrans Route 15 Survey.

Now I have a question for you Joe's Ponders who might remember camps in the 1930's.  Does anyone recall a camp named "Kumawnin" from that era?  Here is a photo of the cottage and one of the view across the pond towards Wilbur Ewen's farm on West Shore Road (fields and buildings at right across the water), so I'm pretty sure the cottage was on Old Homestead - perhaps somewhere near Dr. Paulsen's?  The daughter of a couple that spent their honeymoon at the cottage is wondering where it was and if the cottage still exists.  I suspect it has been remodeled around the original cottage, if not torn down, but someone may recognize it.  Let me know if you can help.

You may remember that there was a report recently of an algae bloom spotted at the north end of the lake.  Kellie Merrell looked into it with some other professionals from the Agency of Natural Resources and as far as anyone can tell, it is a sometime thing that happens naturally and unless it becomes more widespread or frequent, there is no need for concern other than to avoid swimming in the water and be careful to keep dogs from drinking it.

That said, Kate Chatot has sent us a link to a very comprehensive analysis of blue-green algae produced in Scotland for the World Health Organization. I think you'll find it interesting - long, but interesting.  Also, she sent a link to a site where we can learn about numerous things we can to to help prevent this and other contaminants from entering our streams, ponds and lakes.  This is an endeavor of the Lake Champlain Committee to help people understand and take action against further pollution of that lake, but the same precautions apply to Joe's Pond.  Here's a link to their "Take the Pledge" program. 

Kate is sidelined right now recovering from a hip replacement last week, so she's putting her "down time" to good use.  Thanks for all the great information, Kate.  Really good stuff, and hopefully by heeding this advice we can continue to enjoy Joe's Pond being free of serious problems.  We don't have anyone doing water sampling for clarity since Gina Kurrle and Marty Talbot resigned after last year.  Anyone interested can get in touch with either of them to find out more about this important volunteer job.  Jamie Dimick did it for a number of years, and then Gina and Marty; this is the first year in a while we haven't had sampling going on during the summer.

There hasn't been much news about the fire at Joe Labbe's place, and I haven't heard how Joe is doing - only that he has been in hospital in Newport.  He was not injured in the fire, but did have some difficulty on the road in Derby the night of the fire.  The fire inspectors have not figured out exactly how the fire started, but they have said they believe it was accidental.  Joe has no family in the area, and we haven't heard where he might live in the future.

Our hot weather is supposed to ease up perhaps tomorrow.  We had only .02 in. of rain yesterday and last night, but Greensboro got close to an inch.  I had the prediction for winter wrong, too - I heard the same report again and some scientist was saying because of El Nino, he expects we will have less snow and a milder winter.  I guess that's good news - if it happens that way.  Milder certainly sounds good after last winter's unrelenting cold, and less snow is ok except we hope there's enough for winter sports and to keep our  lawns and fields from getting winter killed.  In the meantime, we'll all try to enjoy the last of summer.

Harvest Supper in Cabot

Amanda Legare, palmandan@fairpoint.net, Route 215
Event: Sep 10, 2015

The annual red flannel hash supper, also featuring baked beans, ham, coleslaw, rolls, beverages and pies, will be held Thursday Sept. 10 at 5:30 pm in the Cabot United Church on Main Street. The meal is followed by a fun harvest auction and bouquets are given to the oldest woman and the oldest man present.
This traditional meal was started many years ago by Blanche Lamore as a fund raiser to save the stained glass windows of the church.

Another hot day gone by.  It seems to be cooling down tonight, but so far we haven't had any rain, just a rumble of thunder earlier in the evening.  I measured .25 in. of rain from last night's storm.  I thought there would be more than that; it woke me up when the rain started last night sometime after midnight, I guess because we're not used to hearing rain much lately.

The weather seems to have been good for some things - there is a huge apple crop nearly everywhere this year.  Trees around our place that haven't amounted to anything in the past are laden with fruit this fall.  Our old tree that normally bears only every other year had a bumper crop last year and has a great crop again this year - the apples are small, but are great for applesauce, so Fred picked up a big bag full today and did the first of two batches of applesauce while I was working on some history stuff.  I helped with the second batch.  We have a nice supply to put in the freezer for next winter.

I also made frozen yogurt today.  We had a quart of plain no-fat yogurt that was nearly out of date and we knew were weren't going to use it, so I made maple flavored frozen yogurt.  It came out very smooth and creamy, and I'm hoping the maple syrup I used to flavor and sweeten it will keep it from getting rock hard.  Even if it does, it only takes a few minutes out of the freezer for it to soften.
I bought an ice cream maker a couple years ago as a surprise for Fred, who loves ice cream, so I could make healthy frozen desserts for us.  It arrived about two days after he swore off ice cream.  I was not about to send it back, but didn't use it much until this summer when I decided I wanted to make sherbets and sorbets to have during this hot weather.  By now Fred has relented and enjoys desserts again, so I'm really glad I kept the machine.  It does a nice job - no cranking necessary - and freezes whatever mixture in about half an hour.  I've tried making real ice cream, sherbets, and now frozen yogurt - all successes. 

I've recently been going through minutes of JPA meetings over the years to pick out anything I could find about the progression of building the facility we now have - the recreation field and pavilion.  The Association started off with just a shed to accommodate some shuffleboard equipment and maybe a croquet set.  Over the years, more equipment and a more substantial building evolved.  I'm up to 1984, and in the next issues of minutes there will be a lot more information as to how it developed.  It has taken me back to when I was first aware of JPA in the 1960s and then actually became involved in the 1970s lettering slats for the signs and as co-chair of the Boat Parade, sailing in the Sunfish races, etc.  Lots of names that bring back memories, too.  It's great fun to look back now.  I wish I had pictures of the old wooden picnic tables and benches that served for so many years for social events and meetings, but I don't seem to have much from that era.  Perhaps someone will find some photos and send them to me!

I'm a little late getting going this morning - this humid weather takes a toll on me, slowing me down to a snail's pace.  I had high hopes for relief from the heat when I heard it raining so hard last night, but turns out the rain just adds to the humidity.  The "crisp" weather we can expect after this will be a relief, but on the other hand, I'm not quite ready for real cold weather yet.

This was a busy weekend at the pond.  We stopped briefly at Bill and Diane Rossi's yesterday afternoon and there seemed to be still lots of activity on the water.  Some people were definitely taking their boats out of the water, so going for one last ski or ride, but others seemed to be just enjoying the last gasp of summer.

I had a message from Jim Bernotas this morning.  Jim has been busy cleaning debris from the upper narrows by the Cobb-Gruggel and Coffrin camps.  There are times when sailors must walk their boats through the narrows between the middle and big pond, and Jim realized there were shards of broken glass and other dangerous objects lurking on the bottom there, so he voluntarily has been using his diving skills to clean it us.  Here's his update: 
 

Hi Jane,

I did another sweep through the upper narrows this weekend and thought folks around the pond would like to see what I've been taking out of there. This is the fourth pail of debris that has been removed. What you don't see is all of the broken pieces in the bottom of the bucket. I thought this would be a quick job when I started, but I must say I'm amazed at the amount of glass on the bottom in that area. Looks like I'll be there a few more times to get it all. As I had mentioned at the fall meeting, none of this stuff is very recent.  I'm sure we don't have a current issue with boaters floating through the narrows smashing bottles. The most popular find are beer bottles from the "No deposit no return" era, followed oddly enough by Armour chipped beef jars, and then wine bottles. The only real oddities have been a few shards of tableware and an oar lock, no doubloons yet.  

Thanks again to the boaters for keeping an eye out for me.

Regards, Jim B.

I'm sure everyone joins me in thanking Jim for doing this.  It might be interesting to know how some of that stuff got there.  That narrows was dredged in 1984, and that makes me wonder if some of what Jim is finding was unearthed at that time.  It has certainly been a few years since a rowboat has gone through the narrows.  

Many thanks to Jim for his dedication to this unpleasant job.  

I had a message last night from Andy Rudin about this article that he found floating in the pond yesterday.  I have no idea what it is, although it looks like a child's toy or float of some kind, so it is no doubt important to someone and if you are the owner or know who might be, you can get in touch with Andy (684-3876) or just stop by his place at 403 Old Homestead Road. 

Another beautiful summer day.  I think this must be a Labor Day Weekend for the record books.  There has been hardly a cloud in the sky and temperatures in the high 70s and the prediction is for another great day again tomorrow for all those folks who couldn't get out to enjoy it today.  The weather can't get much better'n this!  It wasn't all play for some of us and we put in a little extra "labor" today at the Joe's Pond pavilion and buttoned it up for winter.  Not all of our board members were here this weekend, but those of us who were enlisted the help of our spouses and made short work of wrapping things up. Tom (Tom Dente, president of JPA) had told us it would probably take about an hour.  I didn't time it, but this evening I received the following message from Tom:

 The Pavilion has been put to bed for eight months. The JPA crew of Don Sherwood, Jane and Fred Brown, Susan and Butch Bouchard and Camilla and Tom Dente accomplished the feat in twenty-five minutes this afternoon. That included putting away the chairs and tables, removing the curtains from their vertical position and folding and placing them in a configuration to re-hang in the spring, preparing the kitchen for winter, stowing other objects properly for winter and properly folding and stowing the American flag for an eight month sleep. We also had a lot of fun and laughter. Thanks to all.

 
I really think Tom and Camilla had jump started the process by having at least the kitchen pretty well taken care ahead of time, and beyond that, Tom is always very well organized, so we even had time for chatting and philosophizing by Don Sherwood on "here" and "there."  I know; you had to be there.   Of course, it's a lot easier to close the place up when it's nice weather like today, but on the other hand, it seems a shame that it is already the end of a very nice summer season for JPA members.  Quite a few folks have closed their cottages and gone back to cities - vacations over and schools beginning; but some others will be around for a few more weeks to enjoy the late summer and fall.  However, about the time we get our first real frost, all but the most hardy will be out of here. 

We stopped at camp on our way home this afternoon, and Bob and Theresa were soaking up sunshine on the boathouse deck - enjoying the last of summer.  It's always sad when they have to close camp, and this year it seems as if summer has flown by.  I just looked up an apropos quote I really like but couldn't remember who said it:  "Life is like a roll of toilet paper - the nearer you get to the end the faster it goes."  Thanks to the late Andy Rooney for coming up with that. 

We thought some of you will appreciate this.  This is a picture of JPA member, Helen Morrison who many of you know volunteers at the Kingdom Animal Shelter taking care of homeless kitties.  We saw her Saturday afternoon at "Pete's" birthday celebration and noticed she had some "ink."  I was surprised at first to see a tattoo on our friend and neighbor, a retired schoolteacher, especially one that was real - a temporary "stick-on" maybe, but she assured us this is permanent!  The design is appropriate for Helen, though. She understands and appreciates cats and provides a loving home for several of her own in addition to caring for those at the shelter.  Way to go, Helen! 

There is not much more news about last night's fire at Joe Labbe's on Chatot Road, and we don't know anything more about how Joe is doing - only that last night he was in the hospital in Newport, very confused, having apparently been found with his disabled truck on the side of the road in Derby.  We don't know if the truck quit on him or if he was in some kind of accident.  We only know he was unable to give the police coherent information.  Neighbors say he has had some health problems recently.  Fred took these pictures this afternoon.  The house is a total loss.  We are glad nobody was injured.  Bob Dimick, first on the scene last night, said he was surprised the fire didn't spread into the surrounding woods.  Everything is very dry and there could have been an even more serious fire.  (Click on images to make them larger.)

There was a nice gathering to celebrate "Pete" Blackadar's 90th birthday this afternoon.  The weather was perfect, although quite hot, but nobody seemed to mind and everyone was having a great time. I'm sorry we didn't get a photo of the birthday girl - I thought I had one, but unfortunately someone's arm got in the way at the last minute and I didn't realize the shot had been spoiled.  Pete certainly doesn't look 90 years old - she looks and acts at least 20 years younger.


It seems the Nicholsons aren't the only cottage owners that are knocking down their old cottage to build anew.  I was told today there are preparations being made to tear down the former Wakefield cottage, now owned by Chris Jane (Knowles) Rustad's children, Dr. James Rustad and Erica (Rustad) Ferreira.  That old cottage had seen better days so it will be a big improvement to the neighborhood to have it replaced.

Enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend and our fine summer weather! 

There was lots of excitement on Chatot Road last night.  The small house owned by Joe Labbe, just a few rods up Chatot Road burned.  Joe wasn't there and nobody was hurt, but according to neighbors, the house is half gone.  I spoke with our daughter-in-law, Theresa, this morning and she and Bob were the first to notice the fire and she immediately called 9-1-1 while Bob rushed up to see if Joe or anyone else was inside.  Other neighbors were there to help, but there was little anyone could do but watch as the firemen from Cabot, Danville and Walden worked to put out the blaze. 


We found out that Joe was perhaps in an auto accident in the Newport-Derby area last night.  No more information than that at this point, but this morning the fire investigator has been at the scene of the fire and interviewed neighbors.  Mark Smith was on hand last night, so there is probably a story about the fire in today's Caledonian Record.

Joe built the house with his son, as I recall, years ago as a hunting camp.  I don't know that they did much hunting, but Joe loved it here and used to come often from his home in Connecticut, and eventually moved here permanently - probably around 1989 or so.  Neighbors estimate that Joe is around 90 years old.  He has been a quiet and good neighbor over the years, solitary and reclusive, living alone in his little house, but also very cordial and talkative with friends and neighbors.  We hope Joe is going to be alright. 
The above photo of Joe was taken in 2008. 

We have some super summer weather going on here right now, and the forecast is for it to hold through Labor Day into next week with only a possible shower and no real cool down.  Really perfect weather.  We were in West Danville this afternoon and it was fairly quiet there - it seems some schools have started and foliage season hasn't hit yet, so there aren't as many people visiting the area.  That will probably change dramatically this weekend.

I want to remind you of a couple of things going on this weekend - first there is the open house to celebrate "Pete" Blackadar's birthday on Saturday, the 5th, at the Joe's Pond Association pavilion from 1 to 4 p.m.  Also, don't forget the big yard sale at Nicholson's, 345 Old Homestead Road from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Bring the pickup and load 'er up!  Everything has to go because the camp is being demolished to make room for their new home.  

It's always exciting when someone takes down their cottage and builds new, but it's also a little sad to see the old cottages disappearing - at a fairly alarming rate in the past 10 years or so.  A lot of the cottages that have been taken down were originals, built in the early 1920s, so I guess they had served their intended  purpose - rustic cottages for summer-time getaways; but now people want to have efficient year around homes, either as vacation homes in all seasons or for year around living on the pond.  Renovating an old building is not really cost efficient, therefore the "look" of Joe's Pond is quickly changing from quaint camps tucked into the trees along the shore to impressive homes with modern amenities and the best insulation against the weather that technology can produce.  They are sturdy, beautiful and comfortable - perfect for summer vacations, ski trips to Burke or Stowe, or as a retirement dream home.  We'll be watching the progress as the Nicholson's new home goes up. 

This is a picture taken in May of 2013 after they bought and took down the old Ailes camp.  That made a very nice double lot for them, plenty of room to build something new and elegant.  The building on the right is the one that's coming down.

I received this message today:

Geoffrey Penar, Son of Paul and Dorothea Penar of Narrows Drive, [Joe's Pond, West Danville],  will be performing in the Vermont Opera, A Fleeting Animal:  An Opera from Judevine, with music composed by Erik Nielsen and libretto by Wolcott poet David Budbill. The opera has passion, humor, and tragedy. With its earthy characters and libretto and music inspired by French Canadian fiddle tunes, the blues, jazz, and other contemporary styles, A Fleeting Animal appeals to a broad audience.

A Fleeting Animal will be presented at six locations (including Barre and Hardwick) in Vermont over two weekends, Sept. 11-13 & Sept. 18-20.  Tickets for all performances may be purchased at the Barre Opera House, www.barreoperahouse.org. For more information, go to www.afleetinganimal.com.

Geoffrey has an impressive list of accomplishments in his operatic career, and many of you are familiar with the work of David Budbill.  This promises to be an entertaining performance.