Fall is Here!

 Yesterday was a pretty day, but chilly, for sure. Marti Talbot sent me this photo taken at her house yesterday morning as the sun came up over the pond. Today is much different! There was a little sunshine very early, but now it's overcast and pretty chilly. My thermometer read about 40F when I first looked, but that was around 8 o'clock. I'm pretty sure it was in the 30s before that. My new thermometer that I attached outside one of my kitchen window is inside, waiting for me to put new double-stick pads on it. It may have been held in stock too long, or perhaps I goofed when I put it on the window a couple months ago to replace the old, failed one. Within a few weeks it came off and no way can I get it to stick on the window now. My more complicated weather-station outdoor thermometer is presently not functioning, too. I am not very technical, and I haven't had time to pull out the instructions and get into reprogramming it. I'll need to do that soon, as I really like to know how low our temperatures get during the winter. It has to do with bragging rights!

I was at Hastings Store yesterday and noticed the hanging fuchsia plants looked as if frost had hit them. We've had some pretty cold nights, and low-lying spots cradle the cold air, so it's likely West Danville did have a touch of frost already. It seems early, but as I've said before, it is not surprising to have snow flurries during the first week of October - and we're pretty close to that.

Here's some news: The Segale place at 44 Clubhouse Circle is on the market again. I had a message from Tom saying the deal fell through with the previous buyer, and it is being advertised again. Tom sent a link to Zillo. It probably won't be available very long as properties here, especially those as nice as this one, are highly sought-after. If you are confused about which camp that is on Clubhouse Circle, it is the red one.

I've been watching with interest the progress on the Sprague place (the cottage at the end of the bridge on Route 2 in West Danville). That building was originally Maple Lodge, the meeting hall for the community of West Danville. I believe the first school house in West Danville is also part of that structure. It was a one-room school located near there, and around 1902 when the town decided to build a new school, Charles Hunt purchased the little school from the town and moved it a short distance to his abutting property where he converted it to a home. In 1935, after the new, two-story school was moved across the brook to Route 15, additions were put on the smaller building and it became Maple Lodge. There is a lot of history resting among the beams and boards of that place. It is covered in some detail in West Danville, Vermont, Then and Now, 1871-2021, to be published very soon and available before Christmas.

And that reminds me: With slow mail deliveries these days and anticipating deliveries will slow even more during the holiday rush, we are going to be sure that the people who have added their names to our pre-buy list will be the first to know when the book is ready to be released. You will be contacted by email or phone and can then make arrangements to pay for however many copies of the book  you want. We have a team already in place who will package and send orders as soon as we receive them. We don't want anyone to be disappointed because their order didn't arrive in time for Christmas. The book will be a great Christmas gift for anyone who knows and loves Joe's Pond. It will certainly interest those who have been associated with the pond for years, and it is a wonderful way to introduce newcomers to the history of the place. It is well written and carefully researched to be as factual and informative as possible, but it also has moments of whimsy, funny stories and personal revelations few people have had the pleasure of reading before. And the photos are amazing! If you haven't put your name on the pre-buy list, do it now! When the book is available, you can then send the Danville Historical Society your $45 per book, plus mailing costs, and it will be one less item to think about on your Christmas list. Here's where to send contact information: book@danvillevthistorical.org.

Now I need to get back to my emails. We are int he process of final "tweaks" as the graphic designer moves through the chapters, and will be starting the indexing process within days. It is all coming together amazingly fast now, and we are very excited that it will be available for holiday purchases. Please let your friends know about the book - send them the above link and show them what it looks like - I posted a picture a couple days ago here on the blog. We are hoping you will all help us get the word out. Thank you!