Back to Joe's Pond Responses

From Andy Rudin, Old Homestead Road:

Hello Jane,

This is my 77th summer at Joes Pond.  Coming through our cottage door for the first time is like slipping into a well-worn set of comfortable slippers.  The familiar smells and sounds emanate from this 1910 camp.  There isn't a whiff of insulation in this place.  The only heat is from a wood-fired stove, so the mornings build character.  I am committed to a swim each late afternoon, which I call "Baptism by Joe."  The first dip was Friday 5/15 when I arrived.  The water temperature was a refreshing 50F. Two nearby loons went nuts when they saw me get into the water.  I think they were hooting, "Hey, look.  That Swedish idiot is back !"  Since then, the water temperature has increased a degree or two each day to 59F yesterday.  My quarantine period will be over on May 29.  Goodie !!!  I love the quiet here, and the last few days have been absolutely spectacular, which is a very pleasant surprise.

Thanks, Andy

And from Sonja and Ted Decker on West Shore Road:

Hi Jane,
Ted and I arrived at the pond on Monday, May 18th, to begin our 14 day quarantine.  This is not unlike what we’ve been doing since March. We are fortunate to live in the southern most county of New Jersey and our county, much like West Danville, has had very few cases of the virus. We arrived with a lot of food so we won’t have to grocery shop for a while. This year we packed more food than clothes!  We appreciate the rules that the pandemic has brought about and we are observing all of them. Having this beautiful pond to gaze upon is a blessing!   Thanks for your blog to keep us all updated. You and Fred stay well and hopefully we’ll see you sometime this summer. 
Sonja and Ted Decker

Welcome back, and thank you for sharing your experiences coming back. I hope many others will share, too - both good and not so good experiences, if that's the case.

Thanks to all for adhering to the quarantine rules, too - that makes everyone feel a lot safer. This will be a different sort of summer for many of us; we will be waving from a distance, shouting greeting from behind face masks, emailing, or talking on the phone. We will all miss the hugs and the handshakes - and isn't it strange to not be able to see friendly smiles? We have to learn to look each other straight in the eyes and guess whether there's a smile under that mask or not. Masks can be a fashion statement or an advertising gimmick. You learn quickly, no lipstick and if you wear glasses, they should rest on the mask otherwise they're going to steam up. I made ours with elastic to go over our ears it is easy to tangle with my hearing aids, but more convenient than ties would be. 

By the way, if anyone needs masks, Joanne Stewart and some others here at the pond made dozens a while back and may be able to help. I have an easy pattern if you want to sew some yourself. My pattern has two cloth layers, one layer has a slit so you can insert a liner - either a dust mask or a large coffee filter (which directions say works well, too).

I expect there are some things out of place as you come back - like the aluminum dock section that Sheila Calevro on Barre Avenue is missing, or other items that have floated off or are otherwise missing. There is usually a period when people first get back each spring - it's the "lost and found" period of adjustment before summer relaxation begins. Let us know if you have found something attached to your waterfront that doesn't belong there or if you have lost something. We may be able to help.

In the meantime, keep those emails coming - they are very appreciated!