Building our Killington Dream Lodge part 26 in a series on the Dye family adventure By Marguerite Jill Dye We’re headed for Europe as this column comes out to visit with friends and see old and new sites where I’ll paint en plein air like French “artistes.” I’ll take a break from my series of…

Part 26 in a series on the Dye Family Adventure by Marguerite Jill Dye A child’s awe Some of the stress and pressure in our lives was lifted once I quit my job to care for Danny, cook, keep house, and recover from months of sleep loss. My pay was low and child care high,…

Part 25 in a series on the Dye Family Adventure by Marguerite Jill Dye Motherhood, the next frontier We were awe-struck when our son was born. Duane cut the cord and bathed Danny in warm water. I held him on my chest as we fell in love with the sweet little fellow, all rosy red…

Building a Killington Dream Lodge part 24 When my husband Duane and I fled to Vermont to take a break and recover from my miscarriage, we spent time with my parents who were very encouraging as they always were. Dad, also had updates on the house. He’d been hard at work completing projects, both down…

Building a Killington Dream Lodge, part 22 Bright Vermont moonlight flooded the great room as we entered the upstairs of the Killington dream lodge. Flickering firelight from Dad’s new wood stove danced across ceiling, walls, and floor. The aroma of gingerbread filled our nostrils. Mom placed it on the counter to cool and cried out…

Building our Killington Dream Lodge, part 22 Vermont was the best healing balm for Dad’s cancer and my Argentine trauma. Our spirits were truly at home in our Dream Lodge where my parents had just moved upstairs! I ran up the real steps (the slanted ladder was long gone) and let out a cheer when…

Building a Killington Dream Lodge, part 21 Important steps were being taken in building our Killington dream lodge. Dad bought an oil tank and furnace. A septic field was laid out. They were all costly and progress was dictated by a limited budget and work just on weekends. When I completed my Kleiningersheim internship, Dr.…

Building a Killington Dream Lodge, part 20 On frequent weekends and vacation, Dad added sheathing to the outside walls, second hand windows in the bedrooms, and new Portland Glass picture windows across the front of our Killington dream lodge. Sturdy repurposed wooden doors from N.J. offices graced our house. (I helped when here, but sometimes…

Building a Killington Dream Lodge, part 17  What a difference a year can make. I was really excited about the changes taking place in our Killington ski lodge while I was away attending Schiller College Paris my sophomore year and Graz Center for the second summer. Meanwhile, in Vermont once the roof was done, Dad…

Building our Killington Dream Lodge: Part 16 The second floor framing on our Killington Ski Lodge was growing a little week by week. One of the slowdowns was only two beams could be transported at the time atop our station wagon each week (to avoid caving in the roof). As Dad progressed, I stayed in…

Building our Killington Dream Lodge, Part 15 Dad, a mechanical engineer, understood the principles of levers, pulleys and gears. He used them to lift heavy beams to the second floor and on top of the frame. It had to be done methodically, piece by piece with planning and forethought. He bought the materials as his…

Building a Killington Dream Lodge: part 14 By Marguerite Jill Dye Dad made progress and forged ahead on our Killington ski lodge while Mom, Billie, and I toured Europe. Our extensive European whirlwind trip was the very beginning of my awakening to understand the world and how I fit in. I had no idea what…