Annual "Exposed!" Sculpture Exhibition in Stowe

Stowe's Helen Day Art Center has announced its 18th annual Exposed! 2010 Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, July 9th through October 9th.

Artist Nadine Faraj strength-testing
the steel skeleton of Haven, in her studio.
(Completed piece is Haven, 2010
steel reinforced concrete, 5'x7'x4')

Curated by UVM sculpture professor Meg McDevitt, it features more than 20 individual works by artists from around the region. Sculptures will be displayed on the Helen Day Art Center lawn, on Main Street and neighboring streets, along the 5-mile recreation path, and in other highlighted sites in Stowe.  A marquee event on Stowe's summer calendar, the exhibition attracts an estimated 75,000 visitors during its annual 3 month run. 

This year's exhibition includes works by regional and international artists, including Nadine Faraj (Canada), Joel Fisher (England/ USA), Kenji Endo (Japan), among others.

The Opening Reception is Friday, July 9th at 5pm, and will feature the traditional artist-led Walkabout tour of Exposed! During the tour, the majority of the artists share their reflections on their work. This year's artists include Leila Bandar, Jon Black, Tyler Buswell, Mireille Clapp, Kat Clear, Chris Curtis, Tom Douglas, Kenji Endo, Nadine Faraj, Joel Fisher, Rob Hitzig, Bruce Hathaway, James Irving, Harlan Mack, Jordan Pratt, Peg Smith, Piper Strong, Denis Versweyveld, and Catherine Ward.

"Walking Tour" maps of the sculptures, will be available on the Helen Day Art Center lawn, on Main Street, and along the Recreation path. For more information, call 802.253.8358.

Exposed 2010 sculpture exhibition is made possible by Major Partners: Steve and Mary Jean Beimdiek, Peter and Brenda Christie, Cushman Design Group, Robert and Jana Giordano, Stephen and Petra Levin, Drs. Leslie Abramson and Fred Rossman, Steve and Gail Blumsack, Frank J. Motter Construction, and Patterson and Smith Construction. And by Sponsor, Chittenden Bank, a division of Peoples United Bank.

HGTV's 15 Anniversary Dream Home will be built in...

Think this will intensify worldwide buzz about and interest in Stowe? You can count on it! Here are some strong monthly-average stats for HGTV.com in Q1 2010:

SITE METRICS

• 6.0 million unique visitors
• 203.8 million monthly page views
• 4.8 sessions per person
• 2.1 million HGTV Ideas newsletter subscribers
• 14:35 average minutes per person
• 31 pages per person
• (monthly average for Q1 2010)

You can bet every one of these site visitors knows about the HGTV program lineup and the annual Dream Home. And, soon, they'll all be very Stowe-aware. Read today's HGTV press release here.

Can I help you find your dream home?

write or call (802.730.4343)

Let the Selling Season Begin!

I'm delighted to show you this home in Stowe I just sold to a young couple from a Boston suburb. It's on a private road close to Stowe Village and Stowe Mountain Resort. This 4-bedroom, 2 bath home on 1.66 acres offers lots of privacy, great views of the Worcester Range to the south; and, distant views of the ski trails on Mt. Mansfield to the north. It was on the market for only 32 days and under contract for 36 before closing last Friday. The market is picking up!

Can I help you find yours?

write or call (802.730.4343)

Looking to Esc to Vermont?

I can help. Call (802.730.4343) or write.

Fifteen-Year Mortgage Hits a Record Low

From the Wall Street Journal
FAMILY FINANCES | JUNE 4, 2010

WASHINGTON—Home-mortgage rates were little changed last week, holding steady for the most part at or near recent lows, including a record for the 15-year fixed-rate loan, Freddie Mac said.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage average rose slightly to 4.79% for the week ended Thursday, according to Freddie's weekly survey.

In the prior week, the average rate was 4.78%, the lowest since December. The year-ago average for the 30-year home loan stood at 5.29%.

"The economy grew at a slower rate than originally reported in the first three months of the year … which suggests inflation will remain tame in the near term," said Freddie Mac chief economist Frank Nothaft, referring to revised data on U.S. gross domestic product.

"As a result," he said, "mortgage rates held at historic levels this week."

Rates on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 4.2%, the lowest level since Freddie Mac began tracking the mortgage in 1991, down from 4.21% in the prior week.

One-year Treasury-indexed adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 3.95%, unchanged from the prior week and the lowest level since May 2004. The one-year ARM averaged 4.81% a year ago.

The five-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 3.94%, down from 3.97% in the prior week and 4.85% a year ago.

Peculiarities of Realty

My friend Brad was one of the most experienced, knowledgeable, and well-liked real-estate Brokers in the Stowe area for years. And, as our across-the-street-neighbor, he was the first person Fran and I met when we found our home in Hyde Park almost seven years ago. I received this eMail from Brad a few days ago:

"I read in the online edition of the Burlington Free Press of the death of Emma Davis, Waterville.

She was a part of the Manchester clan of the upper west side of Lamoille County, and a devoted Nazarene.

She was also Waterville's Town Clerk, and I think she kind of inherited that role from her husband. As I recall, there was no real "town office" in Waterville, and she kept town records at her house.  I had little real-estate activity in that town, but occasionally I did. In one instance, I had a listing that went under contract. The seller was the estate of the property owner. The local attorney for the estate had documentation for his appointment. After a protracted period of time, it seemed that he did NOT have a death certificate, and we were on the brink of closing. He asked that I go to Waterville to get a copy of the certification. So dispatched, I appeared on Emma Davis's doorstep. I let her know what I was looking for. She was busy, and said that the death certificate should be in her back bedroom in a volume on her bureau. I discovered the appropriate book, indeed, on her bureau. There were orderly filings properly bound, and additionally, a whole bunch of loose documents shoved at the beginning, the end, and in between bound pages. I was at a loss as to how I might find the death certificate I was seeking. Ultimately, I went back to Emma's kitchen and said I seemed unable to find what I wanted. She looked up at me and said, "Look, the guy is dead. I know it, and I went to his funeral, and now I need to go."

This was before FedEx, and long before fax and email. We delayed the closing, and sent for a certified copy of the death certificate in Manhattan, where it was the Seller had died. Couple of weeks later it finally appeared. Emma was right, he was dead."

And this year's winners are:

Our Mt. Mansfield Ski Patrol annual end-of-season "Prom" was held this past Saturday evening (a special hello to Jen, a faithful Stowe Patrol reader, and John Davis, who were just leaving the Commodores Inn as I arrived.) For the 2nd year in a row, Stowe Mountain Resort's own Gary Gendimenico and his band, PB Jr. and The Blues Busters rocked us with their blues originals and covers! 

• Volunteer Patroller of the Year: Charlotte McCormack
• Rookie Patroller of the Year: Carl Wrighton
• Patroller of the Year: Jan Axtell

Wonderfully detailed Waterbury Village vintage home - Just Reduced to $212,900!

This vintage home still has all original wood trim, tin ceilings, switch plates, and 5-panel solid oak doors throughout. There are ceiling fans in each of the 3 bedrooms, and the original claw-foot tub in the 2nd-floor bathroom.

• 3-season porches front & rear
• New Roof 2006
• Whole house new electrical in 2008
• Ideal for 1st-time home-buyer tax credit (you'll have to be under contract by April 30th!)
• Close to Rt. 89, making it perfect for commutes to Burlington, Montpelier or Stowe

Take a look at the complete listing, with more photos at Realtor.com. Then, call me to arrange a visit!

Lake Elmore: Back on the market after a Winter hiatus

This exceptional custom lakefront 3-story home is back on the market at $589,900.

• It's 2-years new
• It's equally suitable for full-time, year round living and as a second- or vacation-home
• 25 minutes to Stowe Village; another 10 minutes up the Mountain Road to the Resort
• If you've got school-age kids, this is an important and valuable feature: Lake Elmore is a "Homeowner School Choice" town. Because Elmore doesn't have its own schools beyond elementary, residents' children can choose to go to Junior and Senior High in Stowe, Morrisville, Hyde Park; or, any other public school, worldwide! (you have to pay for the transportation to France...)
• 3 Bedrooms, 2 ½ Baths, 2,750 square feet
• 71' Lake frontage
• It's got tons of features, too numerous to list here

 See the original blog entry, with more photos here, and then take a look at the complete listing on Realtor.com.

Then, give me a call to arrange a tour -- it could be yours to enjoy this summer!

Congratulations to Chris Francis of Stowe!

Stowe, VT (April 9, 2009) On Wednesday, April 7th Chris Francis, owner of Ye Olde England Inn, was named the 2010 Vermont Travel Person of the Year at the Vermont Travel Industry Conference held at the Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa in Stowe, Vermont.

Francis began his career in the travel industry the summer of 1983, when he purchased the Ye Olde England Inn while on vacation with his wife Lynn. They had traveled to the states from England to catch the Americas Cup Races in Newport, Rhode Island. After, Chris and Lynn made their way up to Stowe, Vermont. It was during this visit that Chris decided he would like to own an inn and pub there, was interested in the lodging property San Souci and made an offer using his credit card. On the way back to England, he was notified that the offer was accepted and on November 4th, 1983 the Ye Olde England Inn officially opened.

Francis’ devotion and dedication to both Stowe and Vermont has kept him actively involved in the community. He has been on the board of the Stowe Area Association for 25 years and its president for 8 of those years. Francis is also the force behind many of Stowe’s car shows including The British Invasion. This event attracts hundreds of British cars and thousands of visitors to Stowe and to the state of Vermont each summer. Francis is known for his wit, negotiating skills and peacemaking and most importantly his strong advocacy for Vermont and the town of Stowe. 



The Vermont Travel Person of the Year exemplifies an ongoing dedication to what makes Vermont such a special place to visit. The award is presented to an individual who contributes significantly to Vermont’s travel and tourism Industry.

Source: Stowe Area Association

Personal Note: Ye Olde England Inn: Best and biggest beer selection you've ever seen, and great pub food!

These Just in...

Carl Wrighton, a fellow patroller, just sent me these photos, which he took of me on March 25th. Just a week and a half later, I'd already forgotten that he'd  taken them!

On my way to West Slope with 10 pieces of bamboo with disks to close a jump and a feature with 5 X's

Skiing the race course on upper Main Street

Thanks, Carl!

Photos of the Day - March 25

Season 7: Last day -- and what a beauty it was. We had lunch on "the beach" at our patrol station: hamburgers and hot dogs on our charcoal grill. With that wonderful grilling aroma wafting between our station and the top of the Sensation lift, we were the envy of our guests!

My last day just before 1st line check

Butternut Mountain Farm, March 20

Lucy and Dave Marvin finally built the addition they'd been wanting to at their certified organic and kosher Butternut Mountain Farm Sugar House in Johnson, VT. To celebrate, they invited their friends to join them for a ham and baked beans and "Sugar on Snow" feast around 5:00 p.m. And, every guest received a quart mason jar of just-produced syrup. We had the best time -- we learned more about sap running and sugar making than we imagined!

One vial per barrel of maple syrup produced,

from the first of the season through today, March 20th.

The second row looks like it's Grade A Fancy.

Here's Dave showing us how the sap runs into the 2nd floor

of the Sugar House. The round 'tags' are wooden disks,
and indicate the sections of the sugar bush from
which sap is running.

The Butternut Mountain Farm Sugar House.

The new addition is the "2nd building back."

Be sure to visit the Marvin's Country Store on Main Street in Johnson, VT, right next to the Johnson Woolen Mill. Open 7 days a week, year round - except for the usual holidays.

Wow: you can buy Butternut Mountain Farm maple syrup at Amazon and  Williams-Sonoma, too!

St. Patty's Day Photos

7:16 a.m. - on my way to work

From the Sensation Catwalk looking south to Stowe Village

Mt. Mansfield from the Sensation Catwalk

Looking up the Catwalk to Sensation top

Photo of the Day - March 8

4:15 p.m. - All lifts closed

Photo of the Day - February 25

Building a feature on West Slope for an upcoming 'big air' event

Photos of the Day - February 22

Toboggan ready to roll

Inside my station

Waiting to start Sweep

Photos of the Day - February 10

I was scheduled to do an early line check for races schedule to start at 8:00 a.m. This Piston Bully was still hard at work at 7:27 a.m.

Catching up...

Ok... I'm so far behind, I'll start with an update here, then I'll catch up with everything since the beginning of February.

• See my knee update here
• I'll post a bunch of photos I took since February 3rd
• During the entire month of March, I spent every Tuesday and Thursday evening, after patrolling all day, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., in an EMT refresher class
• I continued working with and showing homes and land to many of my real-estate clients
• My 7th season as a ski patroller ended last Thursday, March 25th
• Last Saturday evening, my wife, Fran, and I attended the Mt. Mansfield Ski Patrol 75th Anniversary Celebration at Spruce Camp at Stowe Mountain Resort. More than 300 people were there, including most of the current and past patrollers from 30 to 40 or more years ago! More here.
• I took my EMT recertification exam (written and practicals), with many of my fellow patrollers, this past Monday, March 29th
• I received my Happy Letter from VT EMS yesterday -- I passed with a score of 87%. My EMT license is now valid for another 2 years, until the end of February 2012
• I'm now going to focus my time exclusively on local-area real estate.

Male, Left Knee

On Monday morning, first trail check, first run, 4" to 7" powder on top of overnight machine tilled, it wasn't the satin I expected, and it felt just a tad rough. I felt 'something' underfoot and the next thing I knew, I was going down, and heard (or was that felt) "the pop." The dreaded ACL/MCL tear?

I got up and skied to the base, with some pain in each turn to the right (weight on my left, downhill ski.) I caught up with Craig, my hill captain, at the lift and told him I couldn't go back up. He had seen my fall, but to him it looked like I went into a right turn and sat down. I headed to our base station to start icing my knee, while Craig went back up to take a look at my tracks. They were untouched, since the lifts weren't yet open. Later, when he joined me at our patrol station, he reported that my tracks were clean, with no marks to indicate I'd had a "phantom foot" fall.

Now I was the patient, with Craig completing our "blue form," the NSAA (National Ski Area Association) injury report. Then calls to dispatch and the supervisors, and I was sent home with instructions to continue icing and take ibuprofen. Dispatch would check in with HR and initiate the Worker's Comp. process; and, a couple of hours later, Guy (former MMSP Assistant Director and now a Medical Assistant) at Mansfield Orthopedics called me at home. He ordered x-rays and we made an appointment for me to see a PA on Friday afternoon. "Continue with ice and ibuprofen," he said, "and, try to walk straight line so you don't torque your knee and cause additional damage to your ligaments."

I just got back from Copley Hospital, where a series of digital x-rays were taken. The pain was at its worst on Monday evening/night. And, there's been no swelling. But, all along, my knee has felt weird, not necessarily unstable, but like it wants to be independent of the rest of me. There's a fraction of stiffness, and pain only if I make a sudden movement off center.

After my Mansfield Orthopedics appointment on Friday, I'll know for how long I'll be off skis. I was supposed to be at the Mountain today (and tomorrow.) I'm already missing it.