It’s not really time for a winter retrospective (even though all the snow in the backyard is gone) because we know it’s going to snow in April. But here goes. Except for coaching, I photographed only three races in the winter of 2021, all local and all low-key, from the lollipop race of the Northwest Vermont Bill Koch League Festival at Sleepy Hollow to Vermont’s eastern high school championships at Craftsbury Outdoor Center. They may have been small, but they did not lack for great picture-taking opportunities. Congratulations to the kids, who ski so well and have so much fun, and to all the organizers, the parents and the coaches who put these events together in a pandemic. These are some of my favorites. Click here for full, giant galleries on the new SmugMug pages I have just added.
Category Archives: Vermont
In the Bridge
I’ve been helping out the local weekly, The Bridge, with photos a bit this winter. These are all from a story by Will Lindner about the businesses that have sprung up in the crossroads hamlet of Middlesex, VT. Above, Brian Lewis at the takeout window of his new restaurant, The Filling Station (a former gas station). Below, Randy George at Red Hen Baking; Karin Bellemare at Roots Farm Market; Mike Sullivan at The Mud Studio, and Russ Bennett, the impresario/landlord working on building community in Middlesex. Click here for the story.
Meanwhile, it’s Spring and in the next few days I’ll post some photos from the winter past. 
Winter Arrives
After a slow start, it suddenly snowed and winter was here, full-time, for now. Top and below, the Montpelier, VT, middle school cross-country team heads across a field on an adventure ski. Everything else is within about two miles of home during the first big snowfall of 2021.
All Quiet on the State House Front
Despite concerns about demonstrations in the wake of last week’s attack on the US Capitol, Vermont’s State House was practically deserted Sunday except for media and law enforcement. Police, reporters and a few curious citizens chatted, and it just another quiet, gray and snowy Vermont day, but one with security unheard of on a winter Sunday afternoon. The only demonstrators were down at Montpelier’s city hall several blocks away protesting against fascism.
Winter Happening
As crazy as the rest of 2020, winter at the end of the year was happening slowly, in cold starts followed by fits of warm weather. Above, the colors of winter rolled in over Camel’s Hump, north-central Vermont’s local mountain. Below, the wintry look of Dec. 23 followed by the unwintry look of Dec. 26, after a day of fifty-degree weather and rain. 
Snow due tonight and tomorrow will change things.
Stick Season
Stick Season: the interlude in Vermont between autumn and winter, when there are no leaves and no snow. But there are long, long shadows, peace, and a sense of anticipation for the next seasonal act. Above: East Montpelier. Below: North Branch of the Winooski River and elsewhere in Montpelier. Click here for a gallery of Stick Season shadows and people.
Sudden Peak
Maybe because of the drought, peak fall foliage in Vermont has come early this year. It’s spectacular, but the dry, brittle leaves are coming down fast. These are from Albany and Craftsbury, in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. 
Not too Late to Paddle
We’ve had some frosty nights, followed by summer-like weather, so the water temperature in Lake Champlain has plummeted into the low 60s, but it’s still paddling season. 
Apple Time
Apple time at Burtt’s pick-your-own orchard, Cabot VT. Burtt’s plants the trees in intensive rows, supported by cables, more like a vineyard than a traditional orchard, so the trees are closer together, the apples easier to harvest. Definitely doesn’t look like an old-time orchard with trees, pruned to be low and to gather the sun, dotting a hillside.
Light on the Lake
Lake Champlain never disappoints, whatever its mood. These are from Burlington’s waterfront a few days before I broke my ankle.
