Reserve a hotel or Inn, or ski lodge
in Vermont at Discount Web Rates

Vermonter.com Ramblings & Nonsense

Come on in and pull up a chair (best leave that cane alone though!)

All right you old farts and young scamps, this is where all the politicking takes place! Totally opinionated, thought provoking and lots of wisecracks. If you don't like a little controversy and it ruffles your panties just a tad...terrific!

Old stuff from the front page has been saved here too, by popular demand.

Vermont Mozart Festival

My wife talked me into attending the Vermont Mozart Festival Birthday Bash in Shelburne on July 16th. On a very hot 90+ degree day, the cool breezes off Lake Champlain were very welcome. To be entirely truthful, I am not a classical music aficionado but my wife is and she enjoyed it a great deal. I had originally planned on bringing along an iPod loaded with Pink Floyd tunes but was quickly warned that may result in a divorce. With all that being said, I think the Mozart Festival is a great resource and would urge everyone to support it. It's a nice way to spend a summer night and even if you're not into it and your spouse is really lenient, nobody will look down on you for sporting an iPod.

Vermont Winter Scenes & Photos

It's February 2006 and we're still waiting for our first big snowstorm. Where's a good old Nor' Easter when you want one anyway? Just so we all don't forget what a Vermont winter looks like, here are some newly posted photos of Vermont scenes from 2005 (and a couple from 2006).

Scuba Diver, Historian, Ecologist, and Monster Hunter – Remembering Jacques Boisvert
by Scott Wheeler editor of Vermont's Northland Journal

Scuba Diver, historian, ecologist, and monster hunter, Jacques Boisvert, died on Saturday, February 4, 2006 at age 73. He played a vital role at preserving the history of Lake Memphremagog and surrounding communities. Jacques contributions to this website have been invaluable and we will miss his friendly comments and generosity. Vermonter.com is devoted to preserving the legacy of Vermont history, legends (and people who are indeed legends in their own right). Jacques Boisvert was one of these remarkable individuals and he will be missed but his work will not be forgotten.

Hope Cemetery - Barre, Vermont

Although it might be one of the more unusual attractions on the Vermont "must-see" list, Hope Cemetery in Barre is certainly worth a visit. Thanks to a trusty Sony Cybershot digital camera, we snapped a large number of photos on October 23, 2005 and here they are. Not only did we take some of the more "famous" memorials but also some of the more unusual and creative works.

Hey You...Get Off Of My Cloud!

Summer along Route 15 between Jericho and Underhill has been entertaining if nothing else. Looks like a classic case of landlord vs. renter as the saga continues. How will it all end? Just drive by the flats on Route 15 for the latest chapter! More photos here.

 

 

Bigfoot Sighted in Newport, Vermont!!!

Anybody who's lived in Newport long enough knows that "Bigfoot" is the nickname of a local person with a less than stellar reputation who is best known for fighting with the police and miscellaneous burglaries. Seems he's got some competition these days! The lady who brought us the imaginary Memphremagog monster has now seen Bigfoot (probably not the one the police know so well) near the Clyde Pond reservoir. Yep, there's an article in the Newport Daily Express to prove it. I've fished there for years and never seen much of anything and neither has any of the other life-long natives I know. If the Enterprise beams this lady up, I'm really going to get suspicious! Meanwhile, I'm hoping for a confrontation between the larcenous "Bigfoot" and the legendary "Bigfoot" creature. Who would win this batlte royal? Inquiring minds want to know.

Ghosts Still Visit Cahoon Farm
by Denise Brown courtesy of Scott Wheeler editor of Vermont's Northland Journal

My children swear I didn’t tell them about the ghosts before we settled into what I’ve come to learn is one of Lyndon’s most famous haunted houses. Maybe that’s true. Their father had died, and I was eager to move from Connecticut, and didn’t feel that a few spirits lingering about should deter us. But in truth, I didn’t put much stock into the stories the realtor told me anyway. Read the full Cahoon Farm ghost story.

Camels In Vermont?

Have you ever driven down Route 7 in Ferrisburgh and noticed the camel (yes, the camel) peering at you from a farm along the road? For 12 years now, Round Barn Merinos has been the foremost seller of Vermont raised, processed and produced Merino yarn and knitwear in the state. Now, they've added some new "exotic" animals to their family. These new additions make up what they like to call "the fiber zoo". Today, in addition to 150 purebred Merino sheep, they have "Ollie the Camel" (a bactrian camel), a few alpacas and some mohair goats. The animals are there to show visitors to our farm what real, fiber animals look and act like in a farm setting. Drive by their fram on Route 7 in Ferrisburgh, Vermont and watch for the camel!

Northeast Kingdom Sways to the Sound of Reggae

Hard work and long hours, it’s all part of life on the family farm. But for the Rogers family, the owners of the Hillcrest Farm in Coventry, Friday, on August 12 and Saturday, August 13, they weren’t herding cows along their property, instead they were welcoming a fascinating and colorful group of reggae fans to the Vermont Roots Reggae Festival – a festival that plans to return to their farm next year on the same weekend.

7/1/05 - The Letter that the Burlington Free Press Wouldn't Print!
What About Lake Memphremagog?
by Scott Wheeler/Derby, Vermont

A week doesn't go by without me turning on the WCAX News or picking up the Burlington Free Press and not hearing/reading about the move to clean up Lake Champlain. Even our governor and the other politicians in Montpelier and Washington D.C. are involved in raising millions of dollars for the project. Woe to the developer who allows run off to drain from his parking lot into a dry streambed, or to the farmer accused of spreading manure too close to a stream.
It's about time that we start taking the health of Lake Champlain seriously - but what about the bodies of water in the rest of the state? Yes, there are other bodies of water out there although they don't make the news quite so often as Lake Champlain. What about Lake Memphremagog?

Vermont Country Stores on their way out?

Vermont is home to more than 250 country stores, many of which have been the center of their communities for well over a century. Country stores are as varied and unique as the towns they serve. Most are small, cozy, locally owned and operated, and housed in historic buildings. Their offerings include staple products like newspapers and bread, as well as goods geared to the local market, such as fishing lures or gourmet cheeses. Their owners tend to be deeply involved in local affairs and the stores themselves often function as the town's main gathering place and political center.
But Vermont's country stores are under siege. Many have already closed and most of those that remain are struggling to stay open. They are facing heightened competition from chain convenience stores, like Cumberland Farms, Maplefields, etc, difficulties with suppliers, costly repairs on older buildings, and a lack of resources for advertising and marketing.

5/1/05 - Let's Rock!

Driving across the I91 bridge in Orleans, over the River Road, you will see the infamous "Rock Junkyard". A ridge of long dead, abandoned autos, appliances and just about anything you can imagine. Not quite as postcard perfect as other Northeast Kingdom icons such as the Old Stone House (in nearby Brownington) or giddily nonsensical and touristy as the Memphremagog monster, but nonetheless an area institution.

Yep, folks it's an eyesore...no doubt about that. We're pretty sure it's not listed as one of the "must see sites" in the local Chamber brochures but like Ripley's Believe It or Not, it has an odd (though reviled) reputation.

Oddly enough, there are many other oddities spread throughout Vermont and the Northeast Kingdom that look similar. Most native Vermonters tend to "live and let live" and simply acknowledge these eyesores as a way of life. After all, it's well known that Vermont jobs pay far less than most in New England. Many area locals just do whatever they can to scratch out a living and guess what? Sometimes it ain't pretty! - more photos, etc here.

6/20/05 - Hot and Hazy - Weather or Vermont Real Estate?

The thermometer isn't the only thing maxing out, Vermont real estate is boiling over too. Simply browse any Burlington area website and you'll find prices that would frighten the most stout of heart. Not good for us poor hobbits (Vermonters)! The shire is getting just a bit too crowded.

Problem is that most good paying jobs in manufacturing and the tech industry are dwindling away or going overseas. If there are any good paying jobs, many of them are going to people imported in from out of state and paid big salaries. That probably explains the unholy prices of Verrmont real estate in Chittenden County.

Meanwhile, the average Vermonter makes due with below average wages at Walmart or the local mini-mart. Even Home Depot doesn't pay the kind of wages for someone to afford a decent home in their native Vermont.

Is it time for a trailer park within the well-heeled community on Spear St.? Maybe, but even if you could afford the trailer, the taxes would eat you alive. So what does a poor Vermonter do? That's easy...moonlight in Vermont or starve. But, even with two jobs it probably isn't enough to afford that special home on the hill like the one where Grampa used to live. It's not just the Burlington area either. Even the traditionally poor, hardworking folks in the Northeast Kingdom are feeling the pinch. Home prices in that region are also exceeding what the locals can afford to pay. Vermont is becoming an amusement park for the well-to-do and if you can't afford to do as well, you're out of luck. The Hobbits are being displaced by Tony Soprano. Fuh-get-about-it!

5/1/2005 - Area Fishermen Declare War on Mempremagog Lake Monster

Newport, VT. - Vermont Fish and Wildlife biologists have struggled for the last several decades to figure out what happened to the salmon. They also want to know why, after stocking tens of thousands of salmon during that period, the salmon numbers aren't increasing. The walleye population that once filled the river in the Spring time has all but disappeared. Fishermen have been frustrated with the biologists inability to find answers.

Disagreement between fishermen and state officials have often turned into shouting matches. The conflict has even divided fishermen. The battle lines are often drawn between the "Cabelas" (a dressed to the hilt cadre of out-of-towners who wear so much gear that they look like a SWAT team) and the locals (whose angling gear include a pair of worn out jeans, a 15 year old Shakespeare rod and a couple of Budweisers). Much ado about nothing?

Lately, Memphremagog fishermen began to take interest in recent media reports concerning a lake creature that some say inhabits Lake Memphremagog. The beast is said to be bigger than a large dinosaur. Stub Chamberlin of Lyndonville elaborates "Yeah, most people didn't take much stock in those Memphre stories but now we're starting to think about it somewhat seriously."

Frustration finally boiled over on the river banks of the Clyde in early May. A group of rag tag fishermen known as the "river rats", unable to catch a single salmon, vowed to hunt down and kill the beast that is stealing their salmon. The "river rats" alliance is made up of former rivals the "Cabelas" and the locals. They don't care that the legislature has passed legislation designed to protect the beast. They just want their salmon and walleye.

2/1/05 - Cats, bears and woodchucks, oh my!

The big controversy in Vermont this past month has been over teddy bears and crusaders. Vermont Teddy Bear is under fire from *TWHNBTD's all around the state who are offended by the "Crazy For You" Valentine bear, that comes wrapped in a straitjacket. I'm surprised VTB hasn't been attacked by the Playmate bears which would typically ignite a sexist firestorm.
* Those Who Have Nothing Better To Do

"Welcome to Vermont, now go home" department:

There was a letter to the editor posted last Thursday in the Caledonian-Record. The writer was clearly offended by the term "flatlander" and described Vermonters as "farm-reared, frost-insulated country bumpkins rightly known as "Stumpjumpers" and/or "Woodchucks", among other things.
Note: Larry, Darryl and Darryl are on their way up to straighten him out just a tad.

1/17/03 - Viewing the Northeast Kingdom From Afar

The following message came into Vermonter.com from a Northeast Kingdom resident currently stationed in Macedonia.
Thanks to Scott Wheeler of Vermont's Northland Journal, we do have a Derby Line story: Remembering Bert Curran — the Police Chief of the Village of Derby Line.
Also, check out the story of Old Slipperyskin the Bear, who was hunted in Morgan and may have found his way towards Holland.

"I am sitting at my jobsite in Skopje, Macedonia of all places and I was reading your website stories and articles. (I am a contract pilot for the US Army flying security ops in Kosovo.) I recently moved to Derby Line, VT with my wife and we plan to build on our property in Holland. I was a little sad to see no mention of Holland, Derby, Derby Line, or Derby Center in the Northeast Kingdom description. Just wondering and look forward to being back home in a week. Thanks for your time and great site."
- Richard Jackson

(11/03) History for sale 

The Miss Newport Diner, like many other historical Northeast Kingdom landmarks is gone. Oddly enough, it didn't burn down or fall into neglect and obsolescence, it was just relocated...to Massachusetts that is.

Hey, that thing got a hemi???

Shouldn't there be a law somewhere to prevent selling off pieces of our local culture and history? Sorry Hayes Ford, but the site of yet another queue of pickup trucks and SUV's certainly is a sad replacement for the Miss Newport. (Hmm, we're running low on historical icons to sell. Maybe we can get the folks in Jersey to haul away the Goodrich Library to make room for a new mini-mart.)

So much for one of the few remaining places where you could get real maple syrup without being short-changed. Although to be fair, someone did write in and complained about being served with dirty dishes and was happy to see the diner gone.

(10/03) The 'Flatlanders' and Their King
from the National Review, October 13, 2003

"Howard Dean typifies what many call "the Flatlander invasion" - the massive influx of urban professional liberals who've taken advantage of of Vermont's famous tolerance and don't-tread-on-me individualism and turned it into a whatever-floats- your-boat Epcot Center exhibit of Green Socialism. By Jonah Goldberg"

Why are Vermont farms fading away in favor of condos and box stores? When did the morning news headlines shift from "good morning farmers" to "there's been another shooting in Burlington's North End?"

This issue of National Review is an excellent "must read" for native born Vermonters who are wondering what's happening to a once proud culture and way of life.

(8/03) What's in store? Not much it seems.

Ever since the Newport/Derby area lost it's last remaining department store (Ames), the locals are justifiably upset. Kohls is slated to open in the old Ames location at the University Mall in South Burlington. However, a department store with much more variety, such as Target, would be a far better solution for the Northeast Kingdom.
A letter in a recent edition of the Barton Chronicle expresses the frustration of one man's quest to purchase something as simple as underwear. Let's hope that a solution arrives soon. Otherwise, we can surely anticipate an entire region...without underwear.

(8/03) A monster by any other name... or much ado about nothing?

Is there really something swimming around in the depths of Lake Memphremagog or is it simply a bigger version of the infamous "fur bearing trout" story? Who knows for sure. One thing's for sure, it certainly has sparked up some controversy. Check out John Mahoney's informative article at http://www.tomifobia.com/mahoney/freethe_lakemonster.shtml on the ongoing battle to name a lake creature. Almost as whacky as an episode of Seinfeld!