I gave my “Black Presence” talk in Shoreham, Vt., earlier in the month and will be doing it again in Sheffield, Mass., at the end of the month (the 26th, 6:30 pm) in the old Congregational church in the center of town. That will make the second church I have spoken in this month, as I gave a talk on Robert Frost and his Arlington connections to the Arlington Common on the 7th in the now deconsecrated mid-century Catholic Church on Main Street. That required dipping back in to Sarah Cleghorn’s Threescore, from which I extracted some moving quotations about the effect of spoken word poetry on her, especially Frost’s by Dorothy Canfield Fisher and modern poetry by her friend Halley Phillips Gilchrist, the force behind the Southern Vermont Poetry Society, which first brought Frost to the area. I enjoy these bursts of research and speaking, and a couple of local historians (Bill Budde and Shawn Harrington) dug up some good things for me. 35 or so people showed up and I was happy to take requests in the second part of the program.

Of course, Adam Plunkett has also spoken, in his new biography of Robert Frost. He persuasively explodes Frost’s oft-told tale about staying up all night at the Stone House in summer 1922 to write “New Hampshire,” then coming up with “Stopping by Woods” in the morning. Plunkett ascribes this piece of deception on Frost’s part in terms of his rivalry with T.S. Eliot and the clamor over “The Wasteland” (1922). I, with many others, have fallen for Frost’s and can’t call it (my 3rd edition) back now. It will have to wait for the 4th…

Meanwhile, we are almost all set for the 250th activities around the commemoration of the taking of Ticonderoga by Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys in May 1775. I have been quite occupied with those activities, especially in regard to the educational tour for 4th grade students. It another CVNHP-funded project, quite ambitious, too.

I’ve been swinging from talk to talk lately: my “Black Presence” talk at the Mount Independence State Historic Site in Orwell, a talk to a visiting group at the Robert Frost Stone House in South Shaftsbury, and a brief talk about the Old First Church to a group at Hildene in Manchester. I think my speaking season is over, good, as I have to get back to preparing a new edition of my Battle book for spring publication.

I enjoyed learning more about the Church, which is raising money for various maintenance projects on the slate roof, the steeple, etc. It’s a remarkable structure. I was allowed to climb up into the tower (that’s the lower portion of the steeple, with windows). I was speaking alfresco, without slides, but I described the view out the north window over the gravestones of the early settlers of Bennington.

Here are a few more shots, including one showing the “lantern” (the topmost portion) on the ground before it was carted off for restoration. They tell me that I may be invited to give the talk again. I’ll keep you posted.

The always intriguing exhibits at the Bennington Museum are my favorite freelance subjects:

https://theberkshireedge.com/circus-posters-grandma-moses-vermont-rocks-it-must-be-the-bennington-museum

On the first of July, I posted about the Lake Paran panels and the regrettably complacent attitude of the board to fixing them. Three weeks later, a 9-year-old at the Lake Paran summer camp drowned. As with the panels, so with water safety. According to reports, there was negligence in terms of supervision and delay in calling emergency services. I am so angry that I doubt I will ever go back to the lake.

It’s been six months since my last post. I know I should be putting content out there every day, but I am happy to lead a quiet, private life instead.

I did publish “Day Trip to Deerfield” in the Berkshire Edge magazine (Out and About) in May:

https://mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?m=68865&i=821475&p=108&ver=html5

I had seen the “Unnamed Figures” exhibit in New York prior to writing the piece. 

The good people who run Paran Recreations at Lake Paran in North Bennington had a great idea: erect two illustrated informational panels at the lake, one about the history of the lake, one about its ecology. They applied for and won a grant to finance the project and unveiled the results last summer. 

I always approach a local panel with dread at what I will discover. The committee spent the grant funds on some first-rate mounts and printing, but enlisted a local college student as a volunteer to write the text (I have been informed). The editorial committee approved it, even though the name of the organization was misspelled and the word “incredible” was used five times in a row to describe species that dwell in or by the lake. I brought these shortcomings to the attention of the organization and got an estimate on new panels ($900). I volunteered my time to correct and as necessary rewrite the texts. The board met to consider matters. Their representative told me that they are “comfortable” with the present panels. I don’t have the energy to fight this one. I avert my eyes from the panels when I go for a swim. I have been considering changing the name of my business to “Better Call Phil.”

The Curator of the Bennington Museum does call me. I am always delighted to help the Museum as a volunteer, and I enjoy previewing (and reviewing) the wall labels for the always-intriguing exhibits. “Vermont Rocks” is on right now.