Fog rising from pond
hole #2 at Green Mountain National
7:30AM, September 11, 2006 

It's strangely quiet here today at Killington. It's hard to put an exact reason for it; the weekends motorcycle rally is gone with the attendant noise; we had the first frost last night in the area, not a hard killing frost, but enough to cover roofs and windshields; the river valleys were filled with a ghostly shroud of fog this morning, as the heat of the water in mountain streams and ponds was trying to escape into the atmosphere. Then again, there are the TV images of another beautiful day that turned awful 5 years ago for so many friends and acquaintances.

In 5 years, it is amazing how much has changed, and how much stays the same. What ever your point of view or perspective about the meaning of September 11th, keep in mind that life goes on, that fall and winter still surely follow summer, that frost in the morning is the natural consequence of temperatures going below freezing in a humid atmosphere, and that the fog of that fateful day, like many other public tragedies many of us have witnessed, must not fill our lives with pessimism, but encourage us to rededicate ourselves to the wisdom of our countries forefathers.

For we must "hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed." Declaration of Independence, by unanimous declaration by the thirteen United States of America, July 4, 1776.

Ellen De Maria and Bob Luongo
exchanging vows. MB Neisner presiding.
Photo courtesy of Roberta Lynch 

At an early Saturday morning ceremony at Kent Pond in Killington, long time Killington residents Ellen De Maria and Bob Luongo celebrated their lives together by exchanging the vows of matrimony. Presiding over the ceremony was local attorney and Justice of the Peace, MB Neisner.

A small group of close friends were in attendance to witness the ceremony. My partner, Mary, provided flowers from our gardens to create bouquets for the unofficial "bridesmaids".

Honeymoon plans are unknown at this time, but it is well known that in addition to enjoying Killington, the couple also enjoys spending time in Florida. Congratulations Ellen and Bob!

Riders in Killington Classic Parade to Rutland 

It is truly hard to tell how many motorcycle enthusiasts have traveled to attend the Killington Classic. Newspaper and TV reports indicate that somewhere between 1000 and 2000 have made the trek to the mountains, but I am assuming that these are guesses at best. What ever the number, there are clearly a lot of motorcycle riders in the area.

Last night, many cyclists took part in the grand parade to Rutland. In front of the inn, the parade lasted about 9 minutes, with a constant flow of motorcycles during that time. It was quite impressive on a warm late summer evening.

Killington Classic Banner 

The fourth annual Killington Classic Motorcycle Touring Rally rolled into town last night for 4 days of events throughout the region. While it is too early to tell how many participants this years rally will bring to the area, historically there have been several thousand motorcycle enthusiasts who have attended the event each year.

The Killington Classic features a collection of organized rides through out the Green Mountains. Today's activities feature a motorcycle tour of scenic Route 100, followed by a Caribbean Fiesta with Cuban Pork Roast at the Killington Grand Hotel. Friday's events include a guided covered bridge tour, and the Grand Parade in the evening to downtown Rutland and the Vermont State Fair.

Killington and Skye Peak, Killington VT 

The Labor Day weekend in Killington is always an interesting holiday. Like most holidays, the weather, economy, and national mood have an influence on the number of people who visit the area. In years when people are upbeat, the area surges with activity. In years when people are down... well suffice to say we would be better off going away for weekends like that. This year, the mood was decidedly middle of the road. It is very obvious that people who are doing well, are doing very well. But it is also obvious that there are a whole lot of people who are just getting by, trying to make do.

In the Great Room on Sunday night, I was speaking to an inn guest about the state of the world outside of the Killington resort. The guest was having a nice weekend, but was very concerned. He felt that people where he lived just needed to work harder, and they would be ok. But he was concerned, because he felt that the local work ethic had suffered in the last few years.

Without knowing much about the guest, of where they lived, I won't make any grand philosophical judgments, or political commentary. But it did get me thinking how lucky Mary and I are living in Killington. The joke with our staff this weekend, is for that Labor Day we gave the staff double shifts. And in fact, everyone worked at least one double shift over the weekend, being the nature of a holiday in a resort. We even were able to have one of our former employees come in and help out in the kitchen to wash dishes. But the interesting part is that they all did it gladly, without complaint, in a very professional manner, and they all stayed focused on making sure guests at our inn were having a great holiday weekend.

So as Labor Day winds down, I would like say thank-you to our staff for their labors at our inn this weekend. Thank you Steve, Michalyn, John, Karl, and Ryan!

Birch Ridge Inn
Killington Vermontt
August 30, 2006 

We still have a few more days of summer left at Killington, but Mary and I are starting the process of figuring out the best picture spots around the inn for the "Fall Foliage Picture of the Day". Sometime around the middle of next month, we will change the "Flower of the Day" picture to focus in on the changing colors of the trees around the inn.

The whole process of finding the right spot for the fall foliage picture is actually harder than it seems. For instance, do we just shot one spot, like last winters snow stake? or do we take shots of different scenes around the inn, like the flower gallery? Then there are the main actors in the tableau of nature that is fall foliage season...the trees!

Around the inn, there are trees that change color early. The birch tree in the driveway I showed in the last blog entry is an example. Some of the poplar and oak trees around the inn are slow to change. That would not represent what is going on around Killington.

So today, we spent some time outside, walking around the inn, trying to frame some pictures and guessing where a good spot would be to keep a running record of the progress of fall foliage. We have a little more work to do..for instance, what time of day should we shoot the picture and how will it effect the lighting.. before we decide on the spot. In the process, we are adding to our photo library of scenes around the inn, and getting out in the fresh air. And that is always a good thing.

Fall is coming!
Tree's starting to turn at Birch Ridge Inn. 

In case you missed it while watching Tiger Woods win the WGC-Bridgestone Classic at the Firestone course in Ohio, a hint of fall has crept into the mountains around Killington. Trees around the inn are noticeably starting to change, with the early ones already starting to display some color.

The damp weather and cool temperatures of the last couple of weeks are definitely changing the landscape. In addition to the trees starting to change, every day we are starting to hear and see flocks of geese starting their southward migration.

What does this all mean for fall foliage color. In reality, it is way too early to tell. The last couple of years, due to warm weather in late August and September, the onset of the fall foliage change was later than what we have been used too. Each year, the leaves begin their transition from green to multicolored about this time. Over the next couple of weeks, if we have normally cool nights, they trees would follow their normal schedule, yielding peak colors in the Killington area in early October. Of course, if we get a warm spell like the last couple of years, the pattern of fall foliage holding off till mid October could take hold.

In any case, over the next few weeks, we will keep you updated with pictures of the Killington area as summer transitions into fall.