Quechee, Vermont 05059 Fall 2018 Published Quarterly Knowing Fire and Air: Revels North: Tom Ritland A Family Affair Ruth Sylvester ou might think that a guy who’s made a career as a firefighter, with a retirement career as a balloon chaser, would be kind of a wild man, but Tom Ritland is soft-spoken and quiet. YPerhaps after a lifetime of springing suddenly to full alert, wearing, and carrying at least 60 pounds of equipment into life-threatening situations, and dealing with constantly changing catastrophes, he feels no need to swagger. Here’s a man who has seen a lot of disasters, and done more than his fair share to remedy them. He knows the value of forethought. He prefers prevention to having to fix problems, and he knows that the best explanation is no good if the recipient Teelin, Heather and Monet Nowlan doesn’t get it. He punctuates his discourse Molly O’Hara with, “Does that make sense?” It certainly makes sense to have working evels North is a theatre company steeped in tradition, according to their history on their website, revelsnorth.org. smoke and carbon monoxide alarms if the “Revels” began in 1957 when John Meredith Langstaff alternative is losing your house or your life. R staged the first production of Christmas Revels in New York City, “Prevention is as important as fighting fires,” where its traditional songs, dances, mime, and a mummers’ play notes Tom. Though recently retired from 24 introduced a new way of celebrating the winter solstice. By years with the Hartford Fire Department, he 1974, Revels North was founded as a non-profit arts organization is now on call with his old department. He providing year-round, multi-generational programming which works with Quechee’s two fire trucks, which celebrates the power of traditional song, dance, storytelling, and live in a modest garage near the library. ritual. Tom Ritland is a member of the Quechee Ski Patrol Continued on page 12 Continued on page 30 Quechee’s Gorge Box 104 • White River Jct., VT 05001 P.O. The Quechee Times A Reminder of a Very Different Upper Valley Frank Orlowski or most of us, our first exposure to geology in school was the study of the Grand Canyon. Awed by its immense size and varying nature, it seemed improbable that a mere river could cut such a wide, and deep swath through the earth, even with millions of years to get the task completed. F Quechee, VT 05059 Postal Customer At close to 300 miles long, up to 18 miles across, and a mile deep, the Grand Canyon inspires awe, with about 5 million visitors going to see this wonder each year. Even though new evidence suggests part of the canyon formed millions of years before the Colorado River existed, the power of water, and erosion are on display at this American landmark. For those who grew up in the Upper Valley (of which I am not one), I’ll bet that alongside the study of the Grand Canyon was the study VT White River Jct., U.S. Postage of the Quechee Gorge. STD PRSRT Permit #71 ECRWSS Dubbed ‘Vermont’s Little PAID Grand Canyon,’ the gorge runs a mile long, and 165 feet deep. Miniscule by comparison Continued on page 8 The Quechee Gorge NOW LEASING The Village at White River Junction, a new, unique, custom-built Assisted Living and Memory Care residential option for today’s active senior, will open soon in historic, arts-rich downtown White River Junction, and we’d like you or your loved one to join us! Everything you need and, more important, everything you want! With only 50 Assisted Living apartments and 30 for Memory Care, we anticipate they will go quickly, so NOW is the time to reserve your space. And to sweeten the deal, we have special incentives for The Founders, our “early adopters.” The Village offers amenities you can’t find at any other Assisted Living/Memory Care residences in the area. Call us for details at 802.295.7500 101 Currier Street | White river JunCtion, vt 05001 | WWW.thevillageatWrJ.Com Gates & offiCe: 129 South main Street, Suite 103 | White river JunCtion, vt Dickson Interior Design Custom Fabrication Renovations Visit our extensive home furnishings showroom. Cheryl Boghosian Interior Designer, ASID Hanover, NH Inspiring Design 603-643-3727 gilberteinteriors.com The Quechee Times Fall 2018 Page 3 A DAY IN THE LIFE Come for the Junk Mail, Stay for the Smiles Photos & Text by Lars Blackmore he fifteen hundred mail boxes drive a lot of traffic Tto the Quechee Post Office on the Green; these days much of it is pick-up of packages from online vendors. But postmaster Esther Melser (above, center)and her colleagues Celebrating Dustin (left) and Angela deliver Birds in Winter any mail service with a smile. And At a ceremony at since they’ve gotten to know all VINS on September the local residents over the years, 22, the US Postal the atmosphere is less DMV and Service will dedicate more pub full of regulars. a new set of Forever stamps celebrating It’s somehow comforting to know Birds in Winter. that, even in an age of everything digital and online, whether you’re sending boxes across the country or just need a book of stamps, the post office and its friendly staff are always there for you. ■ This edition of A Day in the Life is proudly sponsored by Derek Cosentino, Sales Director at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate – The Masiello Group Everything we do is designed so that our customers experience quality throughout our entire real estate relationship. We will ensure that your expectations are exceeded. Derek Cosentino c. 802.369.0268 1996 Quechee Main Street · PO Box 258 · QUECHEE, VT 05059 · 802-295-1160 · www.masiello.com [email protected] Page 4 Fall 2018 The Quechee Times EDITOR’S NOTE CHILL IN THE AIR “Quechee Took My Breath Away” n Maine, they use the term ‘from away’ for folks who haven’t spent their Are you ready for winter? whole lives in a particular spot. Julie Johnston is the graphic designer who Is your home prepared? Ilays out our beloved Quechee Times. Though she grew up in Maine – and now lives in a much less picturesque area in the south – when she’s in Quechee, she’s ‘from away.’ Julie traveled to Maine in July for a family reunion, and extended her trip so she could visit the Upper Valley she’d read so much about. “I’ve lived in places like Maine, Boston, Monterey, and Florida which are all beautiful in their own way... but I gotta tell ya: Quechee absolutely took my breath away! I don’t know as I could hold my own trying to get out of some of these driveways in the snow FEEL THE DIFFERENCE and ice, but I certainly enjoyed the epic terrain, the storybook architecture, and every person I met. Each character exuded a warmth and wry sense of place. Every single one of them seemed rugged, graceful, grounded, and timeless. I’ve Your hometown heating experts - we can help! decided: I like Quecheeans, and I’ll be back!” Julie stopped in to meet a few of the Quechee Times advertisers, and she wanted to extend a big thank you to each, and to say how much she (802) 295-0000 appreciates them. “If you ever need help with graphics, I’d be happy to help. 8 BARNES AVENUE.,WHITE RIVER JCT You’re family now.” And Julie’s experience is like so many others who come to Quechee for a visit or to put down roots. Whether people know each other or not, if you’re part of PROPANE GAS ◆ BIO-BLENDED HEATING OIL the Quechee community, you’re family. From the talented Revelers (page 1) to HOME COMFORT MONITORING ◆ PLUMBING inspirational swim coach Cole Reavill (page 22), from the smallest school garden (page 21) to the expansiveness of the Quechee Gorge (page 1), Quechee is a group of people who have come together to be part of a community which has an abundance of activities and opportunities to explore, and a landscape that, especially in the fall, is breathtaking. The unpredictable weather, the challenges 24HR – either individual, like Maegan Luce’s marathons (page 20), or in groups like SERVICE the Ottauquechee STEAM team experiencing learning in a new way (page 6) – all add to the intrigue of this community. We are a community that endures, survives, and excels. Take for instance the years Jim Carsley and Sean McLaren have devoted to providing great customer service (page 15 and 26), or the 80 years Madame Stein spent in the arts, with 35 of those here in the Upper Valley (page 10). There’s also the dedication to others like that of Tom Ritland (page 1), Community Access TV executive director Donna Girot (page 5), and speech pathologist Nicole Johnson (page 24). We have so many inspirational neighbors and friends. And remember, strangers are just people you haven’t met yet. So go meet some of your neighbors, because you’re sure to share some of the same interests! Take care, Anne is published quarterly by GREATER GOOD MEDIA, INC. Jennifer MacMillen • [email protected] www.quecheetimes.com EDITOR – Anne Clemens [email protected] 802-356-3453 ADVERTISING SALES ADMINISTRATION Jen MacMillen and Frank Orlowski [email protected] [email protected] 888-868-7192 or 802-698-8184 802-698-8184 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Anne Clemens Ron Dull Frank Orlowski Ruth Sylvester Anne Critchley Sapio Darby Laine Kate Schaal Isabel Weatherdon Michelle Dougherty Molly O’Hara Pam Vermon The Quechee Times is an independently owned publication.