What a beautiful day this has been! Love these cooler fall days!
     I received this very nice sunset picture from Suzi Swanson today - she said Chip took this picture a few nights ago of the sunset from their window. It's a beautiful shot - like Suzi said, there's no place quite like Joe's Pond! Thank you for sharing this lovely reminder of why we love living here, Suzi.
     We have sad news today. I just learned that Richard Gagne's sister, Claire Gagne Wheeler, 76, passed away a week ago today. Our deepest sympathy is extended to Richard and his family. Condolences may be sent to Richard at P. O. Box 164, West Danville, VT 05873.

Proposed Work Schedule, Week of 10/1/18, Cabot-Danville US 2 Reconstruction [Cabot-Danville FEGC F 028-3(36) C/2] 

Project Location:  The 1.4 mile project extends along US 2 from Last Road to Danville Hill Road in Cabot. This is a multi-year project with most of the work occurring in 2017/2018. Completion is scheduled for 2019.

Crews have completed the road cut up to the Hooker Brook Bridge (Folsom farm) and are currently working toward Houghton Road. Underdrain installation will take place along with this work.

Crews will be working on slope and ditch work from the Goodrich property working back towards Houghton Rd. 

Work on driveways will continue.

TRAVEL ALERT:  A speed reduction zone of 40 mph is in place for this project. There are increased fines for speed violations within the construction zone. 

TRAFFIC INFORMATION: Construction vehicles will be entering and exiting the work zone throughout construction hours, and as a result, alternating one-way traffic patterns with flaggers will be in place. Delays can be expected.
 

Please focus on safety when driving through the construction work zone and remember, it is against the law to use a hand held cell phone while driving in Vermont.

Contact Natalie Boyle, Project Outreach Coordinator, EIV Technical Services, with any questions or concerns in regard to this project at 802-855-3893 or nboyle@eivtech.com

-- 

Natalie Boyle

--

Natalie Boyle

Director of Communications

EIV Technical Services

www.eivtech.com

The City Lights Building

106 East Allen St., Unit 506

Winooski, VT 05404

cell:  802.855.3893

office: 802.497.3653 ext.1037

Those two aircraft yesterday caused quite a commotion. Lots of people heard and/or saw them and wondered about them. I got this photo this morning form Nancy Buttura.

From Nancy:

This is the picture I took of the second one that flew by. The first one was lower and closer to our house but by the time I had gone to get my phone the plane was too far away.

Good shot, Nancy. Thanks for sending. I also had a note from Jack LaGue in answer to my question about whether they could have been from the Vermont National Guard. He told me Vermont has only F-16s. I did not know that. He also told me that the Osprey's top speed is 350mph and noted that it would take only about 30 minutes for one to get from Connecticut to central Vermont. 

I contacted WCAX news department last night and Darren Perron is looking into what was going on. I'll let you know when I hear more from him.

Others saw the planes flying low here today. Here's more:

Jack LaGue

Richard Gagne said that he had seen them before and checked them out and it was the Connecticut Air Guard doing exercises flying below the radar.  He had read that their deck for the exercises is 300ft.

I was interested in what these things are actually classed as - a plane or a helicopter. I looked it up and here's what I found:
 The V-22 Osprey is a joint service multirole combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft. With its rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter.

Maybe it should be called a heliplane.  

This came a few minutes ago from Jack LaGue:

I was sitting in my office downstairs this afternoon and heard a loud, low droning sound outside.  I went outside to check it out and a V-22 Osprey flew by over the lake low and slow... at about 500' high and the tilt rotors about 80 degrees... not quite vertical (similar to the picture below).  Another one was following about 1/2 mile behind the first one.

I wish I had thought to take a picture or video...perhaps someone on the pond thought to do that.

Pretty neat.... I had never seen one that close before.

Jack

 

I did not see the planes, but I did hear them. I was working here at my computer and it sounded like a helicopter. Those go over our house regularly, and I don't pay any attention. That would have been interesting to see - and get a picture of. I included the picture Jack sent (above) that came from a website.

We have a nice day going on here today - warmish (72F), muggy, and even some sunshine along with occasional showers. Mellow is the way I would describe it.
     If anyone was driving along West Shore Road Monday afternoon and saw the array of emergency vehicles at Shelly Walker's, you were probably wondering what happened. Here's the story:
     Sometime that afternoon, Shelly noticed something out in the cove in front of her house that looked like an overturned kayak. It was blue, and sticking out of the water as if partially filled. Shelly watched to see if there was anyone with it - a person in the water maybe? But she couldn't see well - the water was pretty choppy. Not knowing if this was an emergency or what, she decided to err on the side of caution and called the state police. She said they kept her on the phone for a long time asking questions, and then she was surprised when emergency vehicles began to appear. The Cabot Fire Department, a game warden, and maybe a couple more. They watched as whatever it was drifted up the pond and apparently decided it was not an emergency. Shelly said she offered her pontoon boat if they wanted to investigate, (Shelly has balance problems right now and said she didn't want to even try to go out on the dock and take the pontoon boat out on such a rough day) but apparently nobody else wanted to, either, as they didn't take her up on that. Finally, everyone left.
     Shelly still doesn't know what it was she saw - she said it drifted out of her sight range - and since nobody seemed to be very concerned, we have to suspect it was something that blew off someone's dock or lawn or something wasn't moored well and the strong south wind dislodged it. If anyone along Barre Avenue is missing something from their waterfront, it is probably up behind the islands by now.
     It is nice to know there are people like Shelly who keep an eye on the pond, especially now that there aren't many people around. I know in years past, people have called us when they saw a boat or part of a dock floating by after high water and/or an unusually strong wind storm. People often don't think to secure their toys on shore, so this happens. Renegade items floating in the water can be a serious hazard to other boats - and there are still many people who will be using their boats for a while yet. So be sure your stuff is secure, whether at a dock or spread out on your lawn. Storms this time of the year are sometimes pretty violent and stuff gets tossed about.
     It's time for my mid-morning orange juice break. Fred came down with a cold about a week ago, and I did very well avoiding it I thought, until a couple days ago. Now I have it for sure, and while it's not one of those feel-lousy-all-over colds, it's totally annoying to be sneezing, sniffling and coughing all the time. Fortunately, I don't have to be anywhere or do anything for the next week or so, so I'm not going to be spreading it around. I just isolate myself here at my computer and deal with it. That involves lots of water, hot ginger tea, orange juice - and tissues. On the positive side - perhaps this will build up some immunity against more severe colds this winter.
    
     

We've been enjoying the nice fall weather. The rain will be welcome today, as well. Any excuse that helps keep me from feeling guilty I'm not outside getting the flower beds ready for winter! I've been doing a little every once in a while, but when I'm writing, it's easy to forget (or ignore) real work and bury myself in the moment. However, I've been out to do a little here and there, and yesterday Fred and I took a walk and when we came back along the walkway in front of our house, I noticed I hadn't taken care of the branches I'd pruned out of the lilacs and ornamental apple trees, and the perennial pea vines I'd pulled out were still in a heap on the terrace. I gathered them up and took care of them - Fred recorded it for posterity! Jane DOES work in her flower gardens!
     This morning I remembered that when we got our E-9-1-1 sign, I told Dean Deasy (assistant fire chief in Cabot) I would mention how easy it is to get these all-important signs from the fire department. I hadn't really forgotten, it just slipped my mind when I was writing on the blog recently. So this morning I thought about it and went down to get a picture of our sign. The process is very easy. I just emailed them, postmaster@cabotfiredept.com,
Dean responded right away, was able to verify the number I gave him was correct (he said it's amazing how many people still are using a wrong E-9-1-1 number or even their old street address number!) and told me the sign would cost $10. About two weeks later he brought it to us and told us where the best place was to place it at the end of our driveway. The pressure-treated post cost a few dollars and attaching the sign was easy - we had a piece of scrap lumber that we attached because the sign has pre-punched holes that were just a bit too far apart to fit on the 4x4 post. Then it took Fred a few minutes to dig a hole for the post - it was hard to find a spot that wasn't rock filled or ledge - but overall, it was a pretty simple process to get it set.
     For people who have a garage or other building closer to the road, the sign could go right on the building - horizontally or vertically. It just should be facing the main road squarely so emergency vehicle crews well be able to spot it easily. They are reflective, and Dean said that flash of color is what the crews are looking for - then they note the number and that is crucial in saving precious time in an emergency. Without that sign, even though you may have a large one with your number on it, they could miss it if it doesn't show up clearly at night.
     So get in touch and get your E-9-1-1 sign put on your house or somewhere  near the road so emergency crews can spot your place if/when needed.

     If you are on the Danville side of the pond, call the fire department at 802-684-2264. I'm pretty sure they have the same procedure in place to get those signs to you. You'll be glad you did, especially if there should be an emergency. Besides that, it's very nice to have that sign planted in the right place so others can find you such as delivery people or out-of-town guests. It's especially important for people around the pond who may have hidden driveways. It might require two signs - one on the main highway at the end of your camp road and one actually at your camp, but that's better than wasting time trying to give directions in an emergency, right?

     And here's another thought - wherever you live, it would be a good idea to check with your fire department to find out about these signs. Emergencies happen everywhere and responders need to be able to find you in order to help!

Just a quick follow-up - we had our first white frost of the season last night. The low registered on my indoor-outdoor thermometer was exactly 32 degrees. I expect tonight may be another cold one - the wind has gone down with the sun, but it was a very pretty day, all day. Unfortunately, I have been at my computer all day working on the West Danville history. I intended to head out for a walk before the sun went behind the hill, but then got absorbed and now it's too late - and I'm hungry.
     I brought in all my plants about a week ago, knowing we were heading for frosty weather. Also, I have most of the outdoor summer furniture put away - all except some chairs on the deck that I hope we will still be able to enjoy using if/when the weather turns warm again. I do love my morning coffee on the deck!
     I have every confidence we'll have some very warm weather before snow flies. I think it's called "Indian Summer." I was curious about that term and looked it up the other day - low and behold, it is also sometimes used to describe life when we are older!! I guess that means I'm in my Indian Summer days. Not as pleasant a thought as whoever thought up that definition probably expected it would be, at least for those of us at that particular juncture of life.
I'm reminded of that wonderful Frank Sinatra song, "It Was A Very Good Year." Now I'll have that melody in my head for the rest of the evening . . . ! 

Here we are, a chilly fall-in-the-air kind of day in late September already. This evening will officially herald in the first day of Autumn, but today, with the temperature around 50 degrees sure feels like it's here now. The maples are turning - sort of an all-over blush right now, but some are predicting this is building to be a spectacular year for color. 
     I should apologize for my lack of enthusiasm for writing on my blog lately. First, losing our beautiful cat, Woody, hit both of us very hard. We miss him each day, and that has cast a shadow over almost everything I do - he was so much a part of our lives. I miss him greeting me in the morning, curling up in my lap as soon as I sat down in my easy chair to watch TV, and especially pestering me to pay attention as he sprawled on the desk beside me here in my office, reaching out gently with his paw to touch my shoulder or sometimes my cheek. When I go outside to work, I miss him popping out from behind a bush to startle me, or hopping into the wheelbarrow for a ride. He was a huge part of our lives and even though we knew we were his staff, we also knew he loved us, too.
     Then there is the history book we're writing. That is a good way to lose myself for hours at a time as I research, write, question, rephrase, search for inspiration and with luck, write another paragraph or two knowing when I come back to it later I will no doubt rewrite most of it again. Such is the nature of writing. 
     I've been searching records at the Cabot town cerk's office this week, and that has been interesting. It is time-consuming, as most research is, but there has been the added benefit of bumping into a couple of friends I hadn't seen for a long time, Amanda Legare and Lisa Ginette. Amanda was one of my co-authors for the Cabot oral history we did in 1999. There was a close bond among the four of us that included fellow author Barbara Carpenter and editor Caleb Pitkin, and we still enjoy getting together. 
     I first met Lisa almost as many years ago when I was asked to be a town auditor. Lisa served with me and Christa Scholz. Lisa is a licensed surveyor - has her own business, Sunrise Surveying in Cabot. Her husband, Eric, was very active at the historical society at one time - both are interesting people. It was good to see Lisa.
     Then, back to my computer and the West Danville history. I found out Wilbur Ewen was sort of a hold-out in selling his lake shore frontage for camps. He bought the Will Somers farm (where Sandy Beach Road and Meadow Lane are today) in 1915, but didn't sell off any shore line property until about 1921. His land stretched south along the west shore to about where Jim Craige's camp is - that used to be Dr. Burbank's, as near as I can tell from old deeds. He sold off the shoreline from Dr. Burbank's to what is now Meadow Lane, but kept the fields intact for some time. I need to go back to find out when the rest of the Ewen shoreline was developed.
     It is particularly interesting for me because I knew Wilbur and his wife, Jenny. We interviewed his daughter, Cora Newton when we wrote the Cabot oral history. I will go back to her interview for more information - I know she told some interesting stories. I was best friends with Cora's daughter, Joyce, and I used to go down to swim with her at the sandy beach at the edge of their field - before any cottages were there. All those people are gone now. I last saw Cora when she was in a nursing home in Randolph. I delivered one of the Cabot oral history books to her, and she was so thrilled. She couldn't wait to read it. I had interviewed her a couple of times when she was living in Bradford, Vermont - I remember taking her out for lunch one day and how she ate only a little of her lunch, saying she guessed she would keep some for her supper.  Since I had only wanted half of my sandwich, I urged her to take, saying I didn't think it would be good to carry it home with me in the hot car - it didn't take any persuasion. She had to watch her pennies carefully, and the leftovers from our lunch would be at least another two meals for her. She was frugal, but her apartment was spic and span and she always dressed like she was going to church. She had an artistic flare and her apartment was bright and cheerful with afghans she had made, and mementos of family and friends on display. She saved things like newspaper clippings, letters and photos, and I was able to copy some of those. She had brothers and sisters, all of whom I knew - sisters Phyllis and Athalene, and two brothers, Stanley and Bernard. There was another, older brother, that I never knew. I think Cora was the oldest sibling after that brother.

The Wilbur Ewen Farm, about 1928.

     There are funny stories about Wilbur, her father. He was a small man, with a beard, as I recall. He was very shy and I never got more than a fleeting look at him as he disappeared out the back door or shuffled quickly from the house to the barn and out of sight like a little gnome. Jenny was friendly and seemed to enjoy having visitors, but there seemed to be an undertone in that household indicating things were done according to Wilbur's fancy, and nobody else's. He was known to peek out knotholes in the barn door whenever someone stopped by. Jenny would go out and be neighborly, but not Wilbur. He got bruised and shaken up one time when climbed up a ladder onto a limb of a big old tree and then sawed the limb off. He, the ladder and the limb of course landed in a heap on the ground.


    So, welcome in and enjoy our next beautiful season - Autumn.

Traffic pattern change and speed reduction to 35 mph from Last Road to Folsom Farm is in effect. Traffic has been switched over to both new bridges. 

 

Crews will continue working on the road cut from Goodrich property working back towards Houghton Rd. Underdrain installation will take place along with this work. 

Work has been completed on the removal of the temporary bridge near Houghton road and crews have moved to remove the bridge at the Folsom Farm.

TRAVEL ALERT:  A speed reduction zone of 35 mph is in place for this project. There are increased fines for speed violations within the construction zone. 

TRAFFIC INFORMATION: Construction vehicles will be entering and exiting the work zone throughout construction hours, and as a result, alternating one-way traffic patterns with flaggers will be in place. Delays can be expected.
 

Please focus on safety when driving through the construction work zone and remember, it is against the law to use a hand held cell phone while driving in Vermont.

Contact Natalie Boyle, Project Outreach Coordinator, EIV Technical Services, with any questions or concerns in regard to this project at 802-855-3893 or nboyle@eivtech.com

--

Natalie Boyle

Director of Communications

EIV Technical Services

www.eivtech.com

The City Lights Building

106 East Allen St., Unit 506

Winooski, VT 05404

cell:  802.855.3893

office: 802.497.3653 ext.1037

 Yesterday I had a nice note and some great pictures from my friend Mary in Duxbury. She has sent other wonderful photos over the years that I have usually shared with readers here. Here are her latest, along with her note:

 Hi Jane,  Yesterday, I met my son, Dale at Chimney Point for an interesting walk over the Lake Champlain Bridge narrated by administrator, Elsa Gilbertson of the Chimney Point Museum and historian, Thomas Hughes.  

 I drove Route 17 over a gap from Waitsfield to Buels Gore and saw a pair of pretty horses with fall colors already showing up. 



 There was a hops farm, too.  




In Bristol, I stopped to admire these beautiful glads against the white picket fence.

  I saw this beautiful hawk in Addison and Bryan Pfeiffer has verified to me that it is an immature Red-Tailed Hawk.  



On my return home, I saw some para gliders in Addison, 

and I stopped briefly in Fayston to admire the Bragg Farm barn & some red leaves. Mary.


Thank you, Mary - it was a joy to "join you" on your travels on Sunday.
 
I have posted these as smaller images, but when you click on one of them you can then enjoy a slideshow.

I'm going to take a minute to comment on an occurrence tonight that brought me right out of my chair. It was the very loud booms of what sounded at first like an explosion, and then more like gunshots. It turned out to be harmless fireworks somewhere down on the pond, but both Fred and I experienced a moment of terror - the explosions outside of Boston, the all too common shootings - all these things have some of us just a bit skittish. And it was almost eleven o'clock - later than one would think someone would be out shooting off fireworks. I rushed to the door and turned on the front porch lights, and that was when I saw the display of fireworks high above the trees - I'm guessing the party was in the vicinity Channel Drive. I am happy it was just some sort of celebration; but it makes me sad that the first thing that came to our minds was that something something bad was happening.

Sometimes your day just starts off great! Yesterday was one of those days for us. We were invited to granddaughter Tangeni's school for "Grandparents' Day." We had missed it last year, but this year we were determined to make it. Tangeni called several times to remind us and give us specific directions - you don't have to pick me up or anything, I'll meet you there; don't bring anything; there will be coffee and muffins and juice, etc. 
     We had to roll out early in order to be in Waterford by 7:45 a.m. That was a bit early for me, but we made it right on time, and Tangeni was waiting outside, cute as a button, with her friend Angelina and a few other classmates. We got a big wave and then hugs. She wore her special white, lacy blouse in our honor, she said.
     Inside, we enjoyed coffee and muffins and chatting with other grandparents, and then visited Tangeni's classroom. She took us on a tour, showing us the charts and cubbies and all kinds of displays. There were no desks, but round tables where each of the nineteen students had a place with a picture to color and then give to their visiting grands. Before we left, the class entertained us with a song. We were impressed with the setup of the classrooms at Waterford, the enthusiasm of the students and the teacher. After goodbyes and more hugs, we left and proceeded with the remainder of our day, but basked in the warmth of the way it had begun. Such fun, being grandparents!

Proposed Work Schedule, Week of 9/17/18, Cabot-Danville US 2 Reconstruction [Cabot-Danville FEGC F 028-3(36) C/2] 

Project Location:  The 1.4 mile project extends along US 2 from Last Road to Danville Hill Road in Cabot. This is a multi-year project with most of the work occurring in 2017/2018. Completion is scheduled for 2019.

Work to be performed includes reconstruction, realignment and widening of a portion of US Route 2 including bridge replacement, grading, drainage, sub-base, pavement and other highway related items.

Traffic pattern change and speed reduction to 35 mph from Last Road to Folsom Farm is in effect. Traffic will be using the temporary bridge that was previously installed.

Paving operations from Last Road to the Goodrich property have been completed.

  
Shoulder back-up, removal and reset of barriers, and line striping has been completed along the newly paved portion of the project.  

Following the switch over of traffic to the newly paved portion of the road, crews will begin the road cut from Goodrich property working back toward the Folsom Farm. Underdrain installation will take place along with this work. 

Work has begun on the removal of the temporary bridge near Houghton road and will continue throughout the week of 9/17. 

TRAVEL ALERT: Motorists are advised that a traffic pattern change will be in effect at the temporary bridge, and the existing bridge will be closed. A speed limit reduction to 35 mph will be in effect at the location of the temporary bridge. The remainder of the project remains at the 40 mph speed reduction. There are increased fines for speed violations within the construction zone.

TRAFFIC INFORMATION: Construction vehicles will be entering and exiting the work zone throughout construction hours, and as a result, alternating one-way traffic patterns with flaggers will be in place. Delays can be expected.
 

Please focus on safety when driving through the construction work zone and remember, it is against the law to use a hand held cell phone while driving in Vermont.

Contact Natalie Boyle, Project Outreach Coordinator, EIV Technical Services, with any questions or concerns in regard to this project at 802-855-3893 or nboyle@eivtech.com

--

Natalie Boyle

Director of Communications

EIV Technical Services

www.eivtech.com

The City Lights Building

106 East Allen St., Unit 506

Winooski, VT 05404

cell:  802.855.3893

office: 802.497.3653 ext.1037

A note from Tom & Camilla

We just wanted to let everyone know how much we appreciate your support and concern over the past several weeks. It meant so much to us that you would take the time to write and encourage us with our challenges. Your kind words, beautiful cards, and prayers really made a difference.

Thank you again for your thoughtfulness and your friendship.

Warm Regards,

Camilla and Tom