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3008
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Remembering Eleanor
May 1, 2024
Spring and summer are seasonal reminders to me of those who have contributed to my perennial gardens. As their gifts to me come into bloom I remember the person who gave the plants to me and their kindness in doing so. This year in particular I will be remembering our neighbor, Eleanor DiSabito, who sadly…
Lot life
May 1, 2024
Three vibrant young 20-somethings were just gathering up, skis on their shoulders as they walked from their vehicle to the trailhead. Their day packs were small, ready for whatever fast and light adventure they had chosen for the day. But they had definitely been here before, definitely had a plan and definitely ended the day…
Shouldering the pain
May 1, 2024
When I was playing basketball in high school, there was a strict rule that no team member was allowed on the ski slopes during the season. Apparently, too many athletes had fallen prey to freak injuries while skiing and cost the school state championships. I had been involved with basketball since grade school, so I…
Learning the language of birding
May 1, 2024
The shift begins around the time we turn the clocks ahead, a gradual transition from winter’s steady chorus of chickadees, squawking jays, and crows cawing over the compost pile to — well, more. On an afternoon walk along back roads, I’ll hear an avian uprising and look up to find a large flock of red-winged…
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Watching the Killington community grow
May 1, 2024
Building our Killington Dream dream lodge, Part 11 We began to build our ski lodge in 1958, the same year the Killington Access Road was built and the mountain opened for its first ski season. Preston Smith who began it all lived at the end of Roaring Brook Road, about a mile past the land…
Rain
May 1, 2024
I look into the sky as the rain slips off my face. The pond ripples. The water puddles in the street. Rivers rush and ducks quack in the distance, barely audible. A slightly wet bunny frolics through the puddles. A robin pulls a worm from the mud. Spring is coming, and with it new beginnings.
Loon vs. Canada goose: A battle for Goose Poop Island
April 24, 2024
I am pretty sure she was a little disappointed when I turned into the Kent Pond parking lot. Can someone really get excited about the 100 acre pond that you pass by all year long on the way to the resort or to work? It is definitely not expected when someone says “Will you take…
A break in the action
April 24, 2024
When I was in college, my friends and I decided to vacation to Florida during spring break week. One of the guy’s parents lived near Ft. Lauderdale, so we made a plan to drive down in one 24-hour stretch, hang out for a few days, and then drive back. MTV was at its apex at…
Headwater streams are vital sources of clean water
April 24, 2024
By Barry J. Wicklow For nearly 15 years, I have been exploring the headwaters of a river near my home. The entire drainage area, encompassing all the streams, rainfall, and snowmelt that pass into a single river, is called a watershed. Within each watershed, a system of rivers and streams forms a network, in which…
Riding over the mountains: an expedition to a rodeo wedding
April 24, 2024
Building a Killington Dream Lodge, Part 10 As the ski house we were building in Killington grew, I did, too, from age 7 on up. I entered adolescence and continued helping with various tasks. My latest assignment was pretty exciting compared to repairing our tar paper roof. I climbed a ladder to the top of…
The animals are counting on us
April 24, 2024
The Earth is beautiful, That should never change, The earth is natural, And it should stay that way. Magical and wild, The earth has always been, Sunning and gorgeous, It should always be. But our earth is slowly losing, What is used to be, Temperatures are rising, Making ice melt at sea. Forests are dying,…
A quiet moment amidst the storm
April 24, 2024
As the dust begins to settle upon the chaos that April has been, thus far, don’t be fooled into thinking the storm is over. While the skies are quiet comparatively to what they’ve been, this is simply a chance to calm down, regroup and refocus. In times of war (real or metaphorical), in times of…
Bookstock cancels summer event after 14 years
April 17, 2024
Courtesy Bookstock Book lovers seen at a recent Bookstock event selceting from a wide variety of literature. Bookstock, the summer literary festival in Woodstock, cancels its annual event after 14 years. After 14 years of annual literary festivals, Bookstock is closing down. Its festival planned this summer for June 21-23 will not take place. The…
Crêpe breakfast tradition at sport hill
April 17, 2024
Building a Killington Dream Lodge: Part 9 Dad was on a mission to build our ski lodge so wasn’t thrilled by invitations to escape our Killington work camp. But Mom and I were elated and ready to get off “the reservation” whenever we could. When our friend Ann relayed an invitation from Walter and Emile…
Two guys, Ives and Quinn, and the end of Baseball’s color barrier
April 17, 2024
By Bruce Bouchard John Turchiano, a retired union official and a close friend of 50 years, and I often talk baseball. What follows is from a chat we had recently about Jackie Robinson and the reversal of the color barrier in baseball, which happened 80 years ago this week — April 15, 1947 — when Robinson…
Quotes that seniors can relate to
April 17, 2024
“Old age comes at a bad time!” – Sam Banducci I think retirees will agree with that statement. We work all our lives and once we retire we finally have time to do all the things we dreamed of doing. But after awhile bad knees, backs and feet may put some restrictions on activities such…
Eclipse
April 17, 2024
We look into the sky at the wonder above us, the damp ground squishing beneath our feet. The moon slowly moved in front of the sun, covering it completely. The warm sun rays left our faces and were replaced with cold darkness. For a few minutes, day turned to night as we peered up…
Spring slush, it’s fun to ski and paddle through
April 17, 2024
Settling into my lawn chair in the parking lot, I extend both legs outward. My toes are pointing straight up, my forward lean angle set by my ski boots — super soggy and full of water. I don’t want to even think about touching my wet socks. And the aroma that wafts through the parking…
A stroke of bad luck
April 17, 2024
The Masters ended this past weekend, and like so many other golf fans, I was glued to my phone and television for four days as the pageantry and competition unfolded. The event did not disappoint as the world’s No. 1 Scottie Scheffler struck precision golf shots for four days, outlasting any challenges his competitors made.…
