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…

June is usually thought of as the beginning of summer. School is out, we open our summer houses and maybe plan a vacation. I was given a book called “The Big Book of 30-Day Challenges” written by Rosanna Casper. It sat on a table for a long time with me just looking at it every…

Whether it’s 2024 or 1954 kids share the enthusiasm that comes from being on school vacation during the summer months. However, the way that their free time is spent has few similarities. As often happens when my weekly breakfast group gets together we take a “look back” at various things and recently we recalled what…

Shhhh. Don’t tell anybody, but this is one of my all time favorite weeks of the year. The one where I make myself so exhausted that I am asleep before my head even hits the pillow. The one where I am up with the sunrise for no reason except that I cannot wait for the…

My son just graduated from high school. By my decree, the day after the ceremony, he started his first 40-hour workweek. The goal was not to force him into a career, it was simply my way of immersing him in the reality of what it feels like to be beholden to a job for five…

By Bruce Bouchard and John Turchiano Editor’s note: Bruce Bouchard is former executive director of The Paramount Theatre. John Turchiano,  his friend for 52 years, was formerly the editor of “Hotel Voice,” a weekly newspaper on the New York Hotel Trades Council. They are co-authoring this column collaborating to tell short stories on a wide…

By Michael J. Caduto July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded worldwide, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Rising temperatures associated with climate change have dramatically increased atmospheric moisture, causing more frequent and severe storms. During the Great Vermont Flood of July 10-11, 2023, at peak flow more than 4 billion gallons…

I watch the lightning illuminate the night sky, a brief trick to daylight. I jump at a loud clap of thunder. The water runs off the windows in little rivers. I see the mud rush under the tires. The rain sounds like it will break through the roof at any minute. Just as soon as…

There’s a certain kind of power in recalcitrance. It’s not so much about being stubborn. Rather, it’s more about defiant, yet righteous, disobedience. A refusal to co-operate. To not bend nor stretch to others’ ideas and opinions or what they want from you. And when I say “power,” c’mon, it’s 2024! Surely you’re not equating…

Vermont’s vibrant spirit thrives on a network of over 7,000 nonprofits; some 1,500 of them in the Killington-Rutland region alone. Considering that number, it’s not surprising that some of these organizations prompt the question: “Why does that nonprofit exist?” Yet, the ones that tackle tough issues and enrich lives spark admiring comments, like “Imagine how…

By Bruce Bouchard and John Turchiano Editor’s note: Bruce Bouchard is former executive director of The Paramount Theatre. John Turchiano,  his friend for 52 years, was formerly the editor of “Hotel Voice,” a weekly newspaper on the New York Hotel Trades Council. They are co-authoring this column collaborating to tell short stories on a wide…

We got there at 7:30 in the morning, a good 90 minutes before the lift was scheduled to spin and discovered an already developed line. Skis and snowboards were laid on the ground, one right after the other, in a line that would eventually extend from the Superstar Quad around the Umbrella Bar and K-1…

I drive a black Ford Ranger. It’s a basic truck with few bells and whistles other than heated seats and a cover for the back bed so my golf clubs don’t get wet.  My wife hates trucks and is persistently complaining about my need to own one. My response is always the same: It’s convenient…

Rain falls, making puddles, and putting droplets on spider webs. How beautiful it is, just sitting there in the rain, enjoying what is around you. Just being present in the moment. Makes you so happy. So you just sit there. In the rain, with nature.

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…