Saturday, December 13, 2008


My most recent thoughts have been about the idea of the future- how can we anticipate what technologies will be developed for energy generation? For transportation? These developments will have a profound effect on the landscape, and over time there will be many different solutions.
I enjoyed reading the article in the New York Times (Dec. 3,2008)about the Vermont town of Starksboro and the efforts of the Middlebury College students to engage the residents. It is described as a place that is not remarkably picturesque, but that was the case for Strafford (where I am) 150 years ago...it was a mining town with a bedstead factory, a sawmill, a tannery, several stores, a creamery and many tenaments. Today it is very pretty, but without any vital industries, like the dairy farms in Starksboro. There used to be many farms- I remember them fondly from my childhood- but there are only two left. These pictures are mine(except for the buggy carrying the milk cans- they come from the Strafford Historical Society). I love seeing the cows grazing, but its a hard way to make a living. There have to be new incentives for farming.