Rain, Rain, and Strange Sounds in the Night

We are dealing with another soggy day. Water is rushing off the hillsides into our pond and across roads and fields is collecting debris and untethered floatables, stretching boat tie-ups to their limit, toppling trees and washing roads and bridges, generally causing havoc. I measured 1.83 in. of rainfall this morning - not a huge amount compared to some locations, but rain is still falling steadily. Streams and ponds are already overflowing and with more water pouring down on us, the situation will only get worse. Please tie down things in your boathouses or on your waterfront or move what you can to a secure, higher location if possible. There will no doubt be runaway docks, boats, and water toys as this winds down, but you can at least prevent some of the aftermath by securing loose items. It's also important to loosen boat moorings so your boat isn't held down to a permanent dock where it can be swamped with high water or waves coming over the sides or transom.

Some pretty strong storms rolled through yesterday afternoon. Jamie had just texted me, "Want a pontoon boat ride?" and, as he was driving into the yard to pick me up, I heard thunder rumbling. We were going to pick up Diane Rossi, but we made a wise, collective decision to bag the boat trip. From Diane's, Jamie drove down Barre Avenue. We were both interested in the condition of that road. It's really bad. There is no danger of anyone speeding there - the whole length of Barre Avenue is a mass of potholes and washboard that are enough to shake the bolts out of even the most well-made vehicle. I hope the Danville road crew can get to that before the end of the summer. The intense weather right now has caused major washouts on some Danville roads, so I am sure they won't be able to get to that road anytime soon, but I do feel sorry for residents along there.

Now I have a problem to solve. Last night while I was watching television, sometime around 10 or 11 o'clock, there was a really loud THUMP! that shook the house. It sounded like something very heavy had either dropped on the house or perhaps inside the house. I turned TV off and did a complete search, even outside, but there seems to be nothing out of place and no evidence of anything. It definitely wasn't thunder and it wasn't on TV. The only possibility I can think of is that it might have been a sonic boom. I don't know if there were night flying maneuvers going on by the Vermont National Guard - but they are not supposed to fly at speeds that would set off a boom. I know that because we had a similar situation a few years ago and through the State Police, finally decided it was a plane. That time several other people in this area heard it, too. So I'm wondering, did anyone else hear that boom? I'd like to hear from anyone who may have heard it or have an idea what it was.

We enjoyed the Italian Dinner Saturday evening. There was a nice crowd and in the wide-open pavilion we were reasonably comfortable, although the air was very muggy. I felt sorry for the kitchen/cooking staff - they must have been uncomfortable. But everyone had a good time. Some of us are thinking it would be nice to have name tags at these social events - it's really difficult to keep track of who's who, and there are always new people there. As we were leaving, Susan Bouchard stopped us and lined us up for a photo. She said her father (Jules Chatot) always took lots of photos and most are identified. That is great - over the years memories dim and those old photographs will be precious, especially if everyone in them is named. 

Here are a couple of shots Susan took of our family as we were leaving. On the left, granddaughter Jo-Ann Dimick; me; her Mom, Monika; her dad and my son Bill; and my youngest, Uncle Jamie. Uncle Bob and Aunt Theresa weren't with us at the supper, and Aunt Marie and granddaughter Tangeni are missing from that first photo, but we finally corralled Tangeni for the shot with me and her sister (photo on the right). Thanks, Susan, for thinking to take those pictures.

It's very nice that another generation loves being at Joe's Pond as much as I always have and my sons do. We actually go back even further on the pond - my grandfather Bolton owned much of what is now the Randall's property and also the head of the pond that is now in conservation on the west side of the channel. He would float a large boom of logs down the pond to the mill in West Danville most springs in the early 1900s. My father grew up swimming, fishing and boating on the pond and later he and my mother bought the camp that my sons now own at the corner of Barre Avenue and West Shore Road. Also, Dot and Bill Dimick, my sons' paternal grandparents, for many years owned the cottage where the Greniers built on Cove Road. So that makes Jo-Ann and Tangeni the fifth generation of our family to enjoy Joe's Pond. Tangeni is following in her sister's footsteps and has become a certified life guard. She has been on a swim team since she was very little and got her life-guard certification a few weeks ago. 

I have been going through some old photos for the Judith Lyford Public Library in Cabot. Many of them are duplicates of what we have in the Cabot Historical Society, and I'm renaming them for the library because the way they were previously named wasn't easily searchable. They came from a file that our editor used back in 1999 when we wrote the Cabot oral history, and we all knew who and what they were, but now, decades later, they need updating. I'm about half way through, and it's great fun to see some of those old photos I had nearly forgotten.

That, and blogging, will keep me occupied on this rainy day. If you have to travel, please be extra careful and don't drive through water that is crossing the road - there may not be any road there at all, and you could be in deep trouble. Best to turn around and find another way. Stay safe!