Paint & Sip Party A Success!

The "Paint & Sip" party held at the JPA pavilion Monday afternoon was a big success.Activities Director  Susan Bouchard said that it was well attended and they took in a sizeable amount of money for the milfoil effort. Her daughter-in-law, Jess Bouchard, led the event. Jess is a high school art teacher in southern NH and has organized similar events in her own community. When Susan mentioned to Jess this spring that milfoil had been found in Joe’s Pond—and how costly it can be for lake associations—Jess  suggested hosting a Paint & Sip as a fundraiser. All proceeds will go directly to fighting milfoil at Joe’s Pond. 

Susan told me, "I was truly overwhelmed by the generosity of those who attended and for some who could not attend—we raised just over $2,500! Everyone seemed to have a great time and many suggested making it an annual event. We also sold about $100 worth of your earrings, and my brother donated some of his watercolor sketches, which were a hit."

Well done, ladies. It looks like it was really fun, and even though the weather turned on us (again) and instead of being roasting hot, there was a distinct fall chill in the air, but the pavilion was cozy and with a bit of wine to warm them, everyone had fun. Perhaps some of the works will be available at the silent auction this Saturday?  (Photos by Scott Bouchard)

Today is gloomy, but not terribly cold. Just gray and threatening. We would love to have a really good, day (or two) long rainy spell, but looks like that isn't going to happen. Perhaps a shower this afternoon, but even that doesn't look promising right now. I had coffee with a friend at the Hardwick Restaurant this morning and the river through Hardwick is almost down to a trickle. I noticed a few trees with a tinge of color along Route 15, too. Someone on WCAX predicted that this could be a very colorful fall because of the unusual dry weather putting more stress on the maple trees this year. We'll see. There is still time for a soaking rain, but unfortunately, not in the immediate future in our area.

There have been several reports of fairly large groups of loons on the pond, and this is because they tend to flock together as the older birds prepare to migrate to the coast. Sort of a farewell get-together of family and friends, I guess. The younger loons will follow shortly. 

Jamie mentioned to me this morning that they have been seeing more hummingbirds at their feeders recently, too. I expect they are getting ready to move south, too, however, they do not migrate in flocks. They are solitary migrants, but they are inclined to congregate where there is food on their flight south, so probably Jamie and Marie's feeders are a welcome refueling station this time of year for lots of hummingbirds heading south. I was surprised to learn that they normally fly about 25 miles per day over land, but can manage 500 miles of non-stop flight when necessary over water. That seems amazing to me! Tough, strong little creatures!

Enjoy the mild weather and add some extra time for rain dancing because we really need rain. You just aren't dancing hard enough!