Ralph Wins NFLarvae 2008 Trophy

After being an "also ran" for a number of years playing fantasy football, Ralph finally won the Super Bowl championship in Douglas' NFLarvae fantasy football league, winning the super bowl game by a margin of 133 to 84 over Adam Marsh's Six Packers. Normally, NFLarvae winners just get bragging rights but Douglas, in response to admonitions from his father, finally created a trophy for his Dad.

Red Skies Over Ludlow

A very rare red sky at dusk was featured over Ludlow that we thought was worth recording.

Christmas 2008 at 1 Whispering Pines

The Paces enjoyed a very pleasant Christmas. Jeffrey and Douglas came for Christmas and we enjoyed phone conversations with Barbara and Stephen from Salt Lake City and Allan who was spending the holiday in NYC. In addition to good company, Janet provided a marvellous Christmas Eve dinner. Douglas' friend Scott drove up from Rhode Island on Friday; the two of them managed to do some serious sledding on Douglas' nemesis, Mount OddFellow (see photo below). All in all it was a fun, yet peaceful and relaxing holiday. Photos of our Christmas are available by clicking here. Additionally, a very short "Conquest of Mt Oddfellow" may be viewed by clicking the icon below.

Thanksgiving Dinner at Putney Inn

Allan came up from Springfield and joined Janet, Jeffrey, and Ralph for Thanksgiving 2008 dinner at the Putney Inn in Putney, VT. We all had too much to eat; nonetheless, we managed to do a good job cleaning our plates. We enjoyed a very pleasant meal with good company.

Janet Prepares Christmas Centerpiece

Janet and Beth Almond attended a Christmas display workshop at Bushey's today. The result of her efforts is seen above. Janet is pictured with her display in the dining room below. It will make a beautiful centerpiece for the Holidays.

Pace Ponders Recount in High Bailiff Race

Following an extremely close race for High Bailiff of Windsor County (see local results below), Ralph Pace decided to concede the race as "the honorable thing to do". Pace did indicate that he was seriously thinking about seeking the office in 2010. "Much will depend on whether the County institutes the new position of Sheriff of Nottingham," he noted. Pace said that "Robin and his merry men had already been in contact with me on this issue."

He said his only disappointment was that "I had to return the royal purple robes I rented for the position. They looked so cool!"

Pace indicated that having your name on the printed ballot apparently was an advantage he overlooked.

Gang of 8 Storms Boston

While the New York Gang of Eight hasn't attacked Gotham in several years, it did do some groundwork to ready itself for the next venture into The City - it invaded Boston for a weekend late in October.

The Almonds, Kneebones, Thomsons, and Paces journeyed to beantown via Dartmouth Coach and settled into some reasonable quarters at the Westin at Copley Place. Following lunch at the Top of the Hub, we readied for our duck boat trek under the command of Colonel Duck-Tape and his aide, Lt. Colonel George Thomson. It was a marvellous land/sea view of Back Bay Boston, the North End, the Charles River, and the Esplannade.

We returned for a planning session at Bar 10, then the group ventured into the North End for dinner at Lucca's. This was followed by a highly cultural event, a Mamet comedy dealing with the difficulties of being a lameduck President in the play "November".

The next day, based on intricate plans prepared by the ladies, we assembled on Boston Commons and began to retrace the Freedom Trail. This included a number of historic churches, cemeteries, the old State House, Fanueil Hall, the Greenway and Harbor, and Quincy Market. It was here that we decided to have lunch at Cheers (not the original one). We had the good fortune to meet Curtis, a young lad probably from New Orleans who might be attending MIT (who took the group photo above).

We had a second expedition to the North End for Italian ice - gelato. Naturally it was incumbent on us to test the various concoctions offered. As may be observed, susan Kneebone decided it was necessary to do some close-up photography of the items to ensure that they satisfied Massachusetts health requirements and meet the needs of the group.

Our Saturday night dinner, naturally following a second planning session at Bar 10 in the hotel, was in Back Bay at one of our old haunts, Casa Romero. All enjoyed a good Mexican dinner with supporting beverages.

That evening, at the suggestion of our now-Florida-based friends, the Moores, we attended a second cultural endeavor at the Charles Street Playhouse, "Shear Madness", a tale of homicide and wicked doings where the audience selected the criminal.

On our final day we split into two groups to do our museum trekking; the Thomsons went to the Science Museum while the rest of us went to the Institute of Contemporary Art.

Some selected scenes from these various cultural endeavors may be seen by clicking here.

It's rumored that the gang may find itself back in New York next year - only a rumor, of course!

Ralph Runs for High Bailiff via Write-In

"Ralph understands the important role of a high bailiff in Vermont government. He has a background that neatly fits the demands of the position." With these words Congressman Peter Welch helped kick-off Ralph Pace's write-in campaign for High Bailiff of Windsor County.

Pace, a Ludlow Democrat, announced that he will seek the post of High Bailiff in Windsor County via a write-in campaign.

He indicated that "it would be a tough job to run as a write-in candidate, especially when an Independent will be on the ballot for the office." He added that he had been urged to seek the post by a number of friends who believe he would be a good candidate for this position.

The High Bailiff's principal function is to exercise those activities which the county sheriff is "incompetent" to do, namely, to arrest the sheriff if circumstances require that action. The High Bailiff then fulfils the function of the sheriff until a replacement is named. High Bailiff is a positon unique to Vermont in the American political structure. It is based on medieval legal systems and currently exists elsewhere only on the Isle of Man.

Pace noted that he felt his understanding of medieval history made him a natural candidate for the post.

He wryly added, "I think the current political contests need a little levity added. Somehow, our politicians have lost their sense of humor."

Pace writes a blog, Black River Today, and is co-anchor of a weekly televised news programs on LPC-TV, 'That Was The Week That Was'.

A Sausage Making Party

No, this is not some obscene event transpiring!

This is a sausage making event that hostess Dianne Krupp and Ralph had always wanted to make and finally decided the time had come to do so.

Dianne purchased about 9 pounds of pork which we then ground up (twice), add the vital herbs and seasonings, and then stuffed in casings to form our own, homemade sausage. (As a footnote, nine pounds of ground pork makes a lot of sausage.)

Pictured below are scenes of Dianne and Ralph at work and finally celebrating the ultimate achievement of consuming their culinary work of art. It was very good sausage.

Additional photos of this event may be viewed by clicking here.

A Journey to Barnard

Today we drove up to Barnard, VT with the Almonds and Kneebones to partake of lunch at the Barnard General Store, enjoy the foliage in Barnard, and enjoy the foliage in the ride up and back. It was a great day, almost cloudless, bright blue sky, and beautiful foliage, even if slightly past peak. Above is a picture taken of Grasshopper Lane in Cavendish, a road less travelled. Below are the Almonds, Kneebones, and Janet at lunch in the General Store. A few other foliage pictures may be viewed by clicking here.

Fall Arrives at 1 Whispering Pines

With the arrival of Fall, Janet has installed someone to guard us from the ravages of the season. Hopefully he'll be visible for awhile before the snow covers him.

Ludlow in the Fall

On a beautiful Fall day, it's hard to ignore Ludlow's singular foliage scene. Below is the front yard at 1 Whispering Pines. Our maple closest to the street turned suddenly, within just several days.

A New (well, sorta new) Car for the Paces

After 12 years of reasonably good service (but terrible gas mileage), we traded in the Explorer and purchased a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. While it has 13,000 miles on it, we hope it will last another 12 years (or until we stop tarvelling!). It lacks some of the features of new cars but should serve our basic needs for long distance trips (and when Janet refuses to let me drive her car).

Family Gathers in Brattleboro

On Friday, The New England section of the Pace klan (Barbara & Jim Boland, Herb and Shirley Pace, Ralph, Janet, and Jeffrey Pace and honorary klan member, Allan Nelson) gathered for lunch at the Riverview Cafe in Brattleboro. While we forgot to take any photos of the event, we nonetheless enjoyed a very pleasant meal and each others' company. Everyone was in good spirits. It was great to get together.

Janet's Quilt Displayed at National Park

Janet's quilt, "A Purrfect World", has been honored by the Billings Farm & Museum, a National Historical Park located in Woodstock, VT. It was among the 37 quilts from Windsor County selected for display at the museum's 22nd Annual Quilt Exhibition, running from August 1 through September 21.

According to the exhibition announcement, "A jury of three experienced quilters surveyed each quilt and judged overall impact, effectiveness of design, color, fabrics, and technical skills" in selecting the quilts to be displayed.

Her quilt is of various poses of cats, a subject always warm to her heart.

All In A Day's Work

It's nice to see that some of the bees have returned to fulfil their annual obligations. Pictured above is one of them doing its thing on a globe thistle in the front yard. Due to the unusal weather, lots of rain, even the dahlias are blooming earlier than usual. To get an enhanced view of the photo, simply place your cursor over the pix and double-click (sometimes a single click is enough).

Janet Joins Race for the Cure

Pictured above are five Ludlow area women who joined the "Race for the Cure", part of the Susan G. Komen fund raising effort to combat breast cancer, held in Manchester recently. Well-over a thousand men and women joined the race and walk. From left to right, they are: Joann Milza, Jackie Hunt, Kay O'Hare, Dianne Krupp, and Janet. Estimates place the participant count at well over 1,000.

Devi Recovers From Surgery

Devi is pictured resting as she recuperates from her recent surgery. It seems that in her youth in Tennessee, when she was neutered there, the vet used stainless steel "thread" to close the incision. She probably disappeared into the Tennessee wilderness between the neutering operation and the time she was supposed to have the stitches removed. Consequently the stainless steel remained in her. When we took her for her annual exam, the vet spotted this and advised on their removal.

The Garden in Bloom

Due to the rain we had early in the summer, the flowers are in full blossom. Even the dahlias are in bud (one actual has opened). Janet took these photos to highlight the hanging baskets on the porch and the lilies.

TW3 Receives Local TV Award

It may not be an OBIE or a TONY but it was nice to receive the above award for the TV news show that Leo Graham and I do over our local public access news show on LPC-TV, Channel 8 (on cable). TW3 is a fun show to do and, while CBS hasn't asked us to replace Katie Couric as its news anchor, both Leo and I get a real kick out of doing a half-hour show each week.