Our Day at the Salisbury Fish Hatchery

This is what we do on a cold early spring day in Vermont. We visited the Salisbury Fish Hatchery a few weeks back, then drove to Lefferts Pond to release 250 Brook Trout… This is a photo collage of our day…

That’s Kay scooping out the Brook Trout (Brookies) from the tank…

Delivering the Brookies to the transport tanks…

Rainbow Trout… they were not being released on this day.

The transport truck…

That’s Seth… he manages the hatchery, and has been doing so for over 31 years!

On the way to Lefferts Pond…

Chittenden Reservoir adjacent to Lefferts Pond… That’s Pico Ski Mountain in the distance…

That’s Kay in action… releasing the Brookies into the pond. Before releasing the fish, one of the team members checks the water temperature. There cannot be more than a five degree difference between the water in the tank and the pond…

Hand-delivering the fish into the pond… it’s a little slower this way!

Watching an opportunistic fisherman at the right place and the right time!

Of course he got one…

From Our May 2024 Newsletter…

We visited the Salisbury Fish Hatchery a few weeks back, then drove to Lefferts Pond to release 250 Brook Trout… This is Vermont’s most historic hatcheries listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. They began raising fish in 1931 that produce approximately nine million trout eggs annually. The hatchery raises five different trout species—Brook Trout (Brookies), Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Steelhead Trout, and Lake Trout. The Brookies may be the most beautiful…

Kay joins me in thanking everyone at the Salisbury Fish Hatchery for an incredible visit and field trip… we’ll be back with many of our Pond Mountain Inn guests. This was truly an amazing experience that anyone visiting Vermont must take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

 

Ice Fishing on Lake St. Catherine

Want to spend time catching fish through the ice—let us know next year!

Ice shanty towns spring up all over Vermont… we love seeing these temporary hard-water communities!

That’s Kay a few years ago after reeling in a nice Brown Trout!

Carrie & Kay enjoying all the comforts of life on the ice…

The ice fishing season is most likely over, but the stories continue… This adorable ice shanty stands all by itself in the northern section of the lake with dense conifers providing a stunning backdrop—one of our favorite winter photos, and there’s more!

These ice shanties are often hilarious—not so much the inherent danger of depositing a structure atop a frozen lake, but the creativity of fashioning a temporary shelter with the amenities of home. Our friends, Carrie and Kevin, introduced us to ice fishing a few years ago have created “ice fishing towns” where friends bring their shelters out on the ice and congregate with fellow anglers— beer in one hand and venison in the other while waiting for fish to bite.

Look at the photo again; see all those things sticking out of the ice? Those are tip-ups. Through a drilled hole, an ice fishing tip-up holds your baited hook at the desired depth waiting for a fish to bite. Once a fish has snagged the bait, the tip-up pops a signal flag and alert the angler. There’s nothing more exciting than reeling in a big brown trout, and later having it for dinner!

Vermont state law requires that ice fishing shanties be removed from the ice before the ice weakens. The shanty must be removed before the ice becomes unsafe or loses its ability to support the shanty or before the last Sunday in March, whichever comes first. The fine for leaving your ice fishing shanty on the ice can be $1,000.

Lake St. Catherine is only minutes from Pond Mountain Inn

 

 

 

President Chester Arthur Birthplace

President Chester Arthur Birthplace • Fairfield, Vermont

Summer Destination & Beautiful Spring Photo…

Arthur served as the 21^st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885 following the death of James Garfield. Evaluations by modern historians generally rank Arthur as a mediocre president, and has also been described a one of the least memorable presidents. However, journalist, Alexander McClure, wrote, “No man ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted as Chester Alan Arthur, and no one ever retired … more generally respected, alike by political friend and foe.” Mark Twain wrote, “It would be hard indeed to better President Arthur’s administration.”

The abbreviated content above is from Wikipedia, which, as you know, is not considered a reliable source for academic citation.

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Our primary focus is to provide interesting photographs and insights into our area of Vermont.

Harris Hill Ski Jump Competition

Very Exciting and Comfortably Attended…

Why Fly to Innsbruck, Austria to Watch World Cup Ski Jumping…

True Ski Jumping originated in Morgedal, Norway. Olaf Rye, a Norwegian lieutenant, was the first known ski jumper. In 1809, he launched himself 9.5 meters (10 yards) in the air in front of an audience of other soldiers.

Harris Hill Ski Jump Competition • Brattleboro, Vermont

The Harris Hill Ski Jumping Competition is next weekend, February 17-18, 2024. The competition offers spectators an opportunity to experience the Olympic sport of ski jumping up close in all its breathtaking, heart-stopping glory—complete with distant ringing cow bells make it seem like you’re in Austria for the day! This long-standing, two-day Brattleboro tradition is held on New England’s only Olympic-size, 90-meter hill.

See Iconic Winter Activities Page.

The Joy of Winter Birding in Vermont

Some winters we have been graced by snowy owls… enormously inconsistent visitors from the north make seeing one worth the bone-chilling commitment—but, I’m not so sure about that! Winter, however, brings a completely different set of birds… Common Redpolls, Tufted Titmouse or an Evening Grosbeak, all of which winter here in Vermont. Surely, we’ve seen them all, but identifying any one of them is certainly a different story. That said,  my nephew, Marc Parnell, ornithologist, author, and wildlife photographer is the second-most published ornithologist in the world makes identifying Birds of Vermont a little easier! The little guy in the photo is over at VINS (Vermont Institute of Natural Science). Thank you VINS for your beautiful photograph—see you all in the coming months! And, we recently discovered the Birds of Vermont Museum… it’s amazing what Vermont and Pond Mountain Inn has to offer!

Don’t Just Read the Story, Become the Story!

Harris Hill Ski Jumping Competition • Experience the Olympic Sport of Ski Jumping • Brattleboro, Vermont

Wall Street Journal columnist, Rob LaZebnik, wrote last month… “When I recently turned 60, I realized with alarm that I was starting to see unmistakable signs from friends and colleagues that I was becoming—there’s no easy way to put this—boring. It was almost as if the same stories I had told a hundred times were no longer interesting to them. But what else was I supposed to talk about? It wasn’t like I had anything new and exciting to tell them…” Rob went on to say, “…not doing, anything too simple, like eat a kind of pork dumpling I’ve never had or anything too complex, like raise a pig, fall in love with it, then force myself to kill it to make a new kind of pork dumpling.” This article absolutely resonated with us… the pig thing, yes, that’s exactly what we did, except for falling in love with it—chickens too, and Black Angus, but that’s another story. The point that Rob and I are making is get out there—seek out those life-changing experiences, and Don’t Just Read the Story, Become the Story! This is exactly what we do at Pond Mountain Inn…

Please read Rob’s complete article… How to Avoid Being Boring at 60.

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/how-to-avoid-being-boring-at-60-1e9d087a?mod=Searchresults_pos1&page=1

Staging Barbeque Provisions on a Remote Lake George Island…

Robert Lincoln’s Observatory at Hildene—The Lincoln Family Home • Manchester, Vermont

With our highly-skilled fishing guide, our guests experienced the exhilaration of reeling in big fish!

Since Wall Street Journal columnist, Rob LaZebnik, mentioned pigs in his article, we had to show you ours!

Brookfield Ice Harvest and Winterfest • Brookfield, Vermont

That’s “Winter Kay” at Au Comptoir in Woodstock, Vermont…

Celebrating Our First Curling Lesson… at The Royal Montréal Curling Club.

“You Guys Do The Best Stuff” is a quote from one of my former colleagues after reading about a few of our amazing experiences in one of our newsletters… another one of our frequent guests once remarked, “The drive is exciting as the destination itself. It’s amazing what you stumble upon along the way!”

The point of all of this is, the magic is in the unfamiliar—perspective comes from encountering something completely new… Thank you for spending a few minutes with us, and please visit us at Pond Mountain Inn.

Brookfield Ice Harvest and Winterfest on Sunset Lake

The event, January 27, 2024, centers around demonstrations of ice harvesting from the 1800s that includes historic tools, techniques, and step-by-step commentary of each step in the process. Most years, you can cut a block and haul it out yourself, but the warmer temperatures may make things a little more difficult. This photo was taken a few years ago by Vermont photographer, John Knox.

Some further insights… ice was stored in the ice house through the summer for local customers and was sent by train from nearby Randolph to Boston. It was said that Brookfield Ice was so clear that one could read the Boston Herald through a sixteen-inch block of ice.

Join us early next year (2024) on the last Saturday in January and harvest your own block of ice. Also, join us this summer when we visit “The Floating Bridge,” the only floating bridge east of the Mississippi, which was originally built in 1820.

Another Winter Adventure at Pond Mountain Inn!

Thanks to Jon Binhammer & Perry Kacik for making all of this possible.

Kunekune Pigs at Larson Farm

We picked up our dairy products today at Larson Farm as we do most weeks. We were intrigued with the farm’s new addition… three Kunekune pigs (pronounced “cooney cooney”). Rich, the owner, said he wasn’t sure about their origin, however, these very friendly, sweet-tempered, medium-sized pigs likely hail from New Zealand. Gourmet chefs around the world have declared the pork outstanding, and apparently, they’re great for charcuterie too! Always fascinating visiting Larson Farm!

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We’re always stumbling upon something interesting at Pond Mountain Inn!

#Vermont #vermontlife #kunekunepig #larsonfarm

Adirondack Hot Air Balloon Rides

Another Stumble Upon Moment… on our way home from Saratoga, we spotted a colorful hot air balloon in the process of being inflated—a first for us! There are fewer things as exciting as witnessing a massive balloon 10-12 stories tall preparing to ascend into a still evening sky.  The ideal launch location should be a quarter acre or more, and free from any immediate obstructions. The pilot must consider a number of variables before taking off—wind direction, side gusts, weather conditions with no thunderstorms or adverse conditions in the vicinity, just to name a few. Once the balloon left the ground it  passed silently overhead with an occasional burner blast that can deliver more than 20 million BTUs in a single pull… as it elegantly drifted away.

 

 

Guests and friends alike always stumble upon exciting adventures at Pond Mountain Inn…

Click Here For More About Adirondack Hot Air Bolloon Flights.

 

 

 

President Chester Arthur Birthplace

Arthur was born in Fairfield, Vermont, grew up in upstate New York and practiced law in New York City. Arthur served as the 21^st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885 following the death of James Garfield. Evaluations by modern historians generally rank Arthur as a mediocre president, and has also been described a one of the least memorable presidents. However, journalist, Alexander McClure, wrote, “No man ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted as Chester Alan Arthur, and no one ever retired … more generally respected, alike by political friend and foe.” Mark Twain wrote, “It would be hard indeed to better President Arthur’s administration.”

The abbreviated content above is from Wikipedia, which, as you know, is not considered a reliable source for academic citation.