End of Summer Looms

Golly, the summer has flown by. Sunday is the last Sunfish Race of the season! School starts next week in our area - some have already had preliminary registrations and sports practices - it's just too soon to have to say goodbye to summer!

Susan Bouchard is hoping to rally all available sailors for the race on Sunday - and for the after-party at the Smith's! The photo here was taken in the late 1970s or early 1980s when the Sunfish Races were first organized. There are fewer sailors today, but they are just as devoted to the sport as those who sailed before them.

Here's Susan's message: 

 Hello Sailors,

Just a reminder, this Sunday is the final Sunfish Sailboat Race for 2024!!!

Hope all sailors come out to join the race and attend the Award Party hosted by Mark & Rosie Smith on North Shore Road.  The party follows the race and the Caledonian Cup winners of the Single Division and the Double Division will be announced.

Hope to see you Sunday!

Any questions/concerns, please contact me.  

Thank you.

Susan

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Now is a time when some of our Joe's Pond are scurrying to pack up and get home so younger kids can start school and older students are heading off to college or university. Some will return to camp on weekends, but for others, this is the end of the summer season here.

A bit later, after the leaves have shown off their splendor, more people will leave to spend the winter months in other parts of the country. We always miss them - but most keep in touch. I think most really miss Joe's Pond and would happily stay here were it not for the cold and snow.

Then there are the rest of us who, for whatever reason, elect to stay here in spite of the cold, the snow, and the seemingly endless winter. Each year there seem to be a few more people who stay here longer, come back earlier in the spring, or just decide this is a pretty darned good place to be and hunker down for the winter.

In this immediate neighborhood, we're looking forward to Cyndi and Ray Rouleau being here this winter. They are not new to wintering at Joe's Pond. They know it tends to be pretty quiet here once you get accustomed to the quieter lifestyle, we find ways to cope. It isn't for everyone, that's certain.

I was in Hardwick yesterday to meet a long-time friend for lunch. I noticed signs of high water along the stream (again), but if there was damage, there was not much evidence. Brickett's Crossing Road, which is shared by Cabot and Walden, still has some bad spots along the sides where water in the ditches took out chunks of the road. These spots will be fixed before snow flies, but over all, the road is good.

There was a large flock of turkeys in the field just after I left Route 215 coming home. I've seen them there many times - good feed, I guess. I noticed more than the usual amount of color in stands of hard wood along Route 15. It seems early to me, but I'm betting the colors will be really nice this year. I have hopes we'll have some sunny, crisp fall days to enjoy the colors - but perhaps that's asking too much.

I stopped at Walden Four Corners to see Diane Cochran at the Corner Stop-Inn Shop on my way home. I'm always amazed when I stop at that really old store. Diane has been running the little store for some 20 years. It is in what used to be a tavern years ago when the Bayley-Hazen Road was a busy trade route.The old road, a few rods south of the tavern, is mostly lost in the underbrush except for a few signs to mark where it crosses today's highways. The big old tavern eventually became a private residence owned by the Goodenoughs. I'm not sure when Diane and her mother moved there, but it was a long time ago. Diane keeps a supply of groceries, books by local authors, a porch full of used items from kitchen appliances and dishes to picture frames, used books, and board games. It's a yard sale on a porch. In the little store, Diane has a table where locals can sit and have coffee and conversation - and many times when I've stopped there, I've had the pleasure of meeting old friends or making new ones. I picked up the West Danville/Joe's Pond history books that Diane had been kind enough to keep on hand to sell for us. Sales of the book have quieted down and I thought it was time to retrieve the left-over inventory. Best of all, it gave me a chance to chat with Diane.

I had a very pleasant day yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with old friends, and at the Village Restaurant in Hardwick, I met Paul and Christina Handy, who recently bought a place on Route 2. I'm not sure if they are on the water or not, but they were very familiar with Joe's Pond and some of our residents. They were related to the Handys that were in St.Johnsbury when I lived there. We had to wait a few minutes for tables, so it was very nice to chat with them.

Today is a quiet one and I'm back on my computer, doing some catching up on emails. I finished a story for the Cabot Chronicle on Tuesday, well before my deadline, so I have a few days before I need to think about what I'll write about next for the Chronicle. So much history to tell!