A new start.

If anyone is still looking at iSquangle (hey, post a message, and let me know you're out there, would you?) you may notice that I've deleted a few posts. The bears, as wonderful as they are, took up too much of my time. And, as a result, I ended up abandoning iSquangle.
I'm taking iSquangle back to its original purpose - as an outlet for my photography and a showcase for what makes Southern Vermont a great place to live or visit.

Here are a few photos to get started with. These were taken several weeks ago on Shearer Hill. I was on my way home from an evening meeting of the Halifax and Whitingham school boards. I've been over this road a thousand times and, although this particular farm is always one of the visual highlights, I had never seen it like this, shrouded in mist.

If you look at the photo files closely, you can see a lot of "noise" in them. That's because I had my camera set at ISO 3200, and the mist was quite thick and reflective.

Fire destroys Whitingham barn

By Mike Eldred
WHITINGHAM- Fire completely destroyed two barns at Clyde Twitchell’s Town Hill Road farm Wednesday morning.
Firefighters from Whitingham, Wilmington, Halifax, and Readsboro rushed to the scene to battle the blaze, but Whitingham Fire Chief Stanley Janovsky said it was already too late to save the structure by the time firefighters arrived. "It was pretty close to fully involved already," he said. "We knew we were going to lose the barn, so we concentrated on defensive action to protect the house and other buildings near the barn."


Twitchell’s property sits at the top of a long hill with a constant rise. Knowing there was no water source on the property, Janovsky instructed the first units at the scene to drop four-inch hose from nearby ponds to the top of the hill. Janovsky says one of the runs was about a half-mile in length. The distance was long enough that Readsboro firefighters had to station a pumper truck in the middle of the run to keep up water pressure.



The strategy worked, and, although the barns were lost, firefighters had enough water to keep the flames under control and protect Twitchell’s house and other outbuildings. "Water wasn’t a problem, once we got it established, we never ran out," Janovsky said. "But there was so much fuel in the barn."


The fire destroyed an older barn, as well as a larger, more modern barn that Twitchell says he built himself, using lumber harvested and cut on the property. Twitchell said the fire was just showing when he called 911, but by the time he got back outside, flames had already advanced halfway down the larger of the two barns.

Janovsky said the new barn was full of the extended family’s belongings, from cars, boats, and snowmobiles to tractors and other farming equipment. Some antique tractors and equipment had been carefully restored. "I think they were able to save one boat," Janovsky noted.
The fire on Town Hill Road is the second barn fire in Whitingham in less than a week, both from the same cause – lightning. A fire damaged a barn at the Corse farm on Thursday night, although firefighters were able to save the main barn from significant damage.


Janovsky says the state fire marshal confirmed that Wednesday morning’s fire was started by a lightning strike from a storm that hit the area during the early morning hours. "It must have struck between 1 and 3 am, which was when a storm came through," Janovsky said. "The fire must have been smoldering all that time waiting to catch some air." A light, but steady wind blew across the hill Wednesday morning, and the fire found its air.


Wilmington and Halifax firefighters assisted at the scene, while Readsboro and Halifax teams kept pumping water from nearby ponds. Whitingham Ambulance also provided assistance at the scene. The Rowe, MA, fire department provided cover at the Whitingham Fire Station, and a Wilmington engine provided cover at the Jacksonville station.

Johnny Angel

No, Representative John Moran of Wardsboro isn't stumping for votes in the hereafter. He's addressing voters at Readsboro's Town Meeting. Although he appears to be wearing wings, it's only a trick of the camera - the wings belong to an eagle painted on the Readsboro School gymnasium wall.

Blue Moon

Once again, I'm sharing my addiction for moon photos. This was taken one cool, crisp, clear spring morning. I always find a daytime moon kind of exciting.

Hey Bullwinkle!

Deerfield Valley News reader Jay Wood spotted this bull moose on Route 100 in Dover, close to the Stratton town line. Moose shed their antlers annually, in the fall, after mating season. After a healing period, new antler buds sprout. If you look closely (click on the photo to enlarge) you can see his antler buds, already about 6 inches long.

Sunset over Hogback

A series of photos recently taken from Hogback Mountain.

Madame Sherri's Chateau

Last weekend the iSquangle crew headed off for an out-of-state adventure in nearby New Hampshire. Madame Sherri’s "castle," as these chateau ruins are called, is a well-known, and supposedly haunted, local landmark located in Madame Sherri Forest in Chesterfield, NH. (Directions below)

Gulf Road. A cool diversion on the way to the chateau

The arched stairway, which once led to main floor of the chateau, is the most prominent feature of the ruins.

The chateau was built by Madame Antoinette Berandi Maculuso (Madame Sherri), a costume designer for the Zeigfeld Follies in the 1920s. Madame Sherri spent her summers at her chateau in Chesterfield for more than 30 years.

Madame Sherri was famous around town for her outrageous behavior. She is said to have enjoyed being chauffeured around Keene and Brattleboro during the summer wearing nothing but a fur coat; and rumors circulated around town about her raucous parties and the out-of-town guests that showed up for them.

Another rumor suggests that Madame Sherri ran a brothel out of the chateau. The rumor is probably nothing more than that; the backwoods of New Hampshire isn’t a likely location for a house of ill-repute. Perhaps locals simply confused her old world title with her occupation.

The chateau, which had been long abandoned, burned in 1962. Madame Sherri died three years later at the age of 84.

If you’re interested in exploring the ruins of Mdme Sherri’s chateau, or hiking the loop through Mdme Sherri’s forest, the site is easy to find. From the traffic circle on Putney road, take the Keene/Route 9 East exit. After you cross the green bridge into New Hampshire, take your next right – right by the little market that’s just across the bridge. Take your next left, onto Gulf Road. Mdme Sherri’s Forest is on the right, a couple miles up the road. The sign and parking area are very visible from the main road. The chateau ruins are a across the footbridge and a up a short path.

More fire photos

Fully involved.

This photo courtesy of Wilmington firefighter Jake White

The bank building, before renovations sometime between 1885 and 1905.

Photo courtesy Peter Morris

Photo showing the brick wall at the back of the building, and the jewelry store, unscathed. Notice the snow on the roof.

A burned-out skeleton.

The vault alarm box that once topped the front facade lies in the rubble on the sidewalk.

Before the fire

This photo of the bank building was sent in by Mary Towne.

More fire photos

These were sent in by downtown resident Jennifer Betit. She says she woke to the sound of a tractor trailer sounding its horn. When she went outside she saw the fire.

Fire at Wilmington's Bank Building

The burned out building, still standing

Wilmington lost one of its historic buildings in an early morning fire Sunday. According to witnesses at the scene, the fire at the former Vermont National Bank building was reported by passing truck driver at about 4:30 am. Fire was already showing, and the building was quickly consumed.

View from the front of the building

Power was out throughout the valley from 4:30 am until 9:30 and later in some areas. Power, phone, and cable crews worked throughout the morning to restore services. Traffic was halted on Route 9 east and west, and Route 100 north for about 12 hours.

From the east side of the building - Dot's Diner is just visible through the charred studs.

The building was in such precarious condition, local officials called in an excavator to take down the remainder of the building as a safety precaution.

View from the bridge. Note the melted vinyl hanging off the home center wall.

Although fire damaged the vinyl siding on the Wilmington Home Center, peripheral damage was minimal. Fire department officials said a strong northerly wind kept the fire from spreading to a jewelry store and the Village Pub to the south. In addition, the south wall of the old bank building was brick, perhaps protecting the former bank's vault, also located along the south wall.

An excavator begins pulling the structure down

Curiously, the jewelry store building just to the south of the burning building, located a mere foot or two away, suffered almost no damage. Even the snow on the roof wasn't melted.

On the downwind side, however, it was a different story. The plastic housing of the traffic lights at the intersection was melted, and crosswalk signs by the Parmelee & Howe building and the Wilmington Home Center were both melted.

Fire investigators search the debris. The bank vault is still standing. A vault that had been on the second floor is visible to the left of the main vault.

Fire investigators worked closely with demolition teams to examine the ruins as the debris was being pulled away.

A fire investigator emerges from the building's basement

View from the bridge before nightfall

By about 5 pm, much of the building had been removed. Crews remained into the evening, replacing utility lines and working to restore service.

Guest Photographer

This series of images were taken by local photographer Tiido Tennelo. Tennelo's photography is well known around the valley, and appears on a number of local websites.