Christmas 2021 -
Jericho Church on the Green

Our annual tradition is the lighting of candle luminaries on the Jericho Town Green, in celebration of the birth of the Christ, God's great gift to us.

Outdoor Carolers -
Jericho Christmas

The pandemic pushes us all outdoors more, and as part of the Jericho Congregational Church's celebration of Christmas, there is an outdoor carol fest. Everyone in the community is invited to sing along and participate on the town green (now white with snow). Everyone bundles up, and a chilly evening comes very early this time of the year.  Jericho Congregational Church, Jericho VT.  December 2020

Crèche Celebrations -
Getting Ready for Christmas

After Thanksgiving, out come the family mementos of Christmas past. Decorating the house, and with Advent hymns playing in the background, we quickly get in the mood for the holidays, and celebrating the birth of our risen Savior and Lord. The One who has changed our lives so dramatically, and the lives of countless others, around the world. As members of Wycliffe Bible Translators, we also celebrate the few NEW communities who have the Christmas story available to them spoken or read in their unique languages.  Our living room, on those gloriously short Vermont daylight days, Jericho VT.  November 2020

Kid Carolers -
Neighborhood Friendliness

Hiding in houses due to the pandemic, some enterprising parents gather the neighborhood kids and have a fun outdoor activity, singing classic Christmas carols to our house and others. Masking is included, as everyone is trying to stay safe. Our near neighbor is a teacher and reeling from the increased workload due to the virtual classroom experience. Overnight we become zoom experts and this brief encounter is a welcome respite.  Our front door, Jericho VT.  December 2020

Virtual Meetings -
Learning to Zoom Around

Members of WBT or SIL were no strangers to Zoom technology, since our personnel are stationed all over the world, but when the Pandemic hit and everyone self-isolated at home, suddenly we all became Zoom "experts" and gradually adjusted to the awkwardness of "not-quite-being" at a real meeting. Helen attended a lot of medical symposiums and professional medical meetings, as physicians discussed the implications of COVID-19 and the latest discoveries from medical research.  Our house office, Black Walnut Lane, Jericho VT.  November 2020

Pandemic Puzzling -
A Quiet Thanksgiving

It was a quiet Thanksgiving at our house, since no one was traveling and everyone was trying to stay safe indoors. Kids and grand-kids couldn't come to see our neighbors either. So....to make a stay-at-home holiday a special time we broke out a new puzzle to just chill, talk and "hang out" after a nice meal together.  I think the theme of that puzzle was "funny dogs" if I remember right.  Our living room, Black Walnut Lane, Jericho VT.  November 2020

Beautiful Islands -
Lakeside Views

A view from the Island Line Trail, walking north to South Hero Island.  Fall in Vermont is rife with colors and hikers are rewarded with some spectacular sights way beyond just views of mountains. Wildlife surrounds such a place, and honking geese fly overhead in formations heading to the deep south. These are the perfect settings to spend time conversing with the Lord.  The Adirondack mountains in the distance, Causeway Park, Colchester VT.  October 2020

Happy Eyes -
Joyful Hearts

We had a wonderful picnic outing together with the Henaults and their children. A bit cool that day, but we needed to be outdoors with the Pandemic raging around us. Even behind the masks, their smiling faces can be clearly seen here, reflecting the fun nature of this family. We enjoyed the fall colors, while encouraging them somewhat to pursue their new ministry Waking Word.   The Pavilion, Mills River Park, Jericho VT.  October 2020

Mailbox Moving Party -
Working With the Neighbors

When Helen suggested that the Home Owner's Association consider moving our mailboxes from a very busy intersection to a quiet part of our street, both the neighbors and the US Postal delivery woman, loved the idea. So rolling up our sleeves, a bunch of us managed to extract our mailboxes out of the ground and physically carry them over to the new site. Then very deep post-holes had to be dug, impaired by countless rocks found in the soil. A great way to build relationships with our neighbors, and we had fun along the way.  A rainy day in our neighborhood, Jericho, VT.  October 2020

Outdoor Luncheons -
Coping with Pandemics

Our dear friends, Ben and Sarah Courtemanche, invite us over to their forest haven for lunch with the kids. A rather normal social function made twice difficult by the necessity of eating outdoors on the porch during the colder Autumn months.  Everyone bundled up that day, but we did get to enjoy the turning of the leaves, fine food, and we mutually shared what the Good Lord and Shepherd was doing in our lives.  Courtemanche House, Bolton, VT.  October 2020

Sargasso Seas? -
Lake Grass

More Exploring at Shadow Lake. Quiet, idyllic waters, with a few homes on the shore. Down near the lake outlet, where the creek feeds the Moore Reservoir, we found this sea of green lake grass in the shallows, which floats on the surface of the water while alive and still growing. This leads to a strange 'streaking' landscape experience while resting in our kayaks.  Shadow Lake, east of St. Johnsbury.  September 2020

Camel's Hump -
Early Fall

With air temperatures falling into the 60 degree mark and lower, our last flings at kayaking with gorgeous scenery. There are many lakeside campsites here that can only be reached by small boat or canoe. By mid-September the leaves are just starting to turn, and within two more weeks, everything will be rife with colors. All this water-sport play under the watchful eye of Camel's Hump in the distance.  Waterbury Reservoir, Waterbury VT.  September 2020

Business Challenges -
Trying to Stay Open

Stores and restaurants struggled to stay open during the height of the Pandemic. The store clerk with mask found behind a Plexiglas shield, sells Helen a veggie wrap sandwich served to an outside window. Grocery stores were allowed to stay open; restaurants moved to carry-out services, mostly to survive. The typical Vermonter went out extra just to keep local businesses alive. This particular store hires many local teenagers to give them an employment experience before college.  Jericho Country Store, on the Green, Jericho Center VT.  August 2020

Summer at the Water -
Malletts Bay

Lake Champlain has many beautiful bays and inlet coves, and perfect summer weather for fishing, kayaking, jet-skiing, and sailboats.  This bay is half an hour's drive away from our house, and with very clear waters, it beckons me to go sailing every time I visit. There is a public beach and it wasn't all that long ago that the nearby city of Burlington literally supplied their drinking water directly from Lake Champlain after sediment filtering. Our very first house was just down the road from Bayside Park.  Malletts Bay, Colchester VT.  August 2020

Hay Bales -
Drying in the Sun

A classic scene around Vermont are hay bales, and many a field is reserved for this purpose. With lots of cows and horses about, I suppose there's a good market for these.  We often see them wrapped in white plastic to stop fermentation, and left for the long winter months.  Fitzsimonds Road, on the way to Mobbs Farm Valley Park, a nature preserve, Jericho VT.  July 2020

Outdoor Services -
Beating COVID

As the pandemic rages and everyone hides in isolation, our JCC church services went virtual for a season. But outdoor gatherings of a certain size were allowed in Vermont, and that was our only chance at face-to-face meetings. On a chilly and windy morning, one worship band leads the congregation in song with stringed instruments.  Davis Farm, Jericho VT.  August 2020

Intrepid Kayakers -
Water Sports

Helen loves to kayak and so Lisa joined us for an outing on Lake Carmi (KAR-meye) near the Canadian Border. Our dear friends, the Andersons invited us over to their summer camp for some fun in the sun. We discovered several mysterious bubbling pockets in the lake, churning the water upward, and I was confused because they could not be fresh springs. The lake is too deep. Turns out there are machines aerating and circulating the water in an effort to cure the lake from dreaded "blue algae", a nemesis created by fertilizer run-off from all the nearby farms. No sign of algae on this gorgeous day, however.  Between Franklin and Enosburg, VT.  July 2020

Cautious Ronald -
Burlington Airport

As my sister Lisa gets ready to depart, she coaxes Ronald to forego social distancing for a moment for a good-bye snapshot. At the time Vermont restaurants were only doing carry-out services, and no dining inside, including the local McDonald's franchise. Ronald McDonald House Charities has a presence in town, not far from our hospital. Lake Champlain is in the background.  Burlington International Airport, Burlington VT.  July 2020

Outdoor Parties -
Old Family Friends

Long ago, when we were all much younger, Mark and Beth Masters shared a house with us in Colchester. We ran off to serve in Papua New Guinea, and daughter Janell eventually follows in pursuit of a socio-linguistic career and ministry with the Wycliffe Bible Translators. Naturally, she came and lived in our house at Ukarumpa in the Highlands. Here we catch up during an outdoor (and safer) dinner party in their backyard.  Essex Junction VT.  June 2020

Sustainable Vermont -
Domestic Solar Power

Eric Borneman (right) and his brother, from the local company called SustainableVT come to install solar panels on our roof. Vermont is a very Green State, and there are incredible financial incentives by Federal and State programs to do this. Our very progressive utility company will purchase our excess solar power for more than our purchase price for electricity in a grid-tied program. For those who will ask, the break-even point is around 8 years of service for our future electric bills. After that all our power will be "free" of cost.  We specified extra panels to cover our solar powered EV vehicles in the garage.  Jericho VT. with assistance from Morrisville VT.  June 2020

Isolation Sets In -
Pandemic Shopping

As the first isolation efforts come upon us, only essential services remained open. Everyone is in shock at our severe change of lifestyle, and masks seem like a bizarre new fashion accessory. Grocery stores are rather empty, but we have to eat and so we all braved the unknown. Resourceful merchants would hire employees to gather your shopping list and then bring that outside for pickup later. A hopeful month's inconvenience, grew to more than a year of isolation. Surviving restaurants move to carry-out services exclusively.  Helen at our local grocery store, Essex Junction VT.  April 2020

A Bright Hope for Tomorrow -
Flowers Blooming

Maybe it's the very short growing season, but Vermonters love their flowers. There are quite a few floral nurseries around. This flower reminded me that life rebounds after a harsh winter where everyone is somewhat dormant. A major Christian theme is renewal and restoration, and how new life is always possible. Consider Jesus' words in Mark 10:27 and John 10:10 today ('rich and satisfying' - NLT).  Claussen's Greenhouse, Colchester VT.  June 2020

Pandemic Projects -
The Mini Chop-Saw

As the Pandemic rages and we are all forced indoors, I started work on some favorite projects in the workshop. Why not? I was making custom aluminum parts for my sailboat, Kaya-2, and came up with creating a mini-chop saw to cut precision aluminum parts. In the junk box was an old, very old, first-design Dremel cutting tool that still worked, so I mounted it on this hand-built extruded aluminum frame, to make a jig for cutting standard aluminum stock from the hardware store. Soon the "maiden" voyage (cut) was upon me. Sad to say, the ancient Dremel tool didn't have the torque to do the job (it might be broken). However, looking at this today, I need to revisit this with a modern Dremel cutting tool.   Our House, Jericho VT.  May 2020

 Sailboat Design -
Kaya-2, The Portable Catamaran

The design goals here are  1) Portability on a car top without trailer  2) Easy set up, like a sailboard  3) Kayak hulls that can be normal kayaks later  4) Two persons  5) Single person set up (me)  6) Relatively low cost (yeah, right <smirk>).  The wooden movable centerboard goes in the slot created here in the middle. The lightweight mast and sail are inserted into the vertical step. Helen and I look for the few outdoor activities in life that we can still do together, and this has worked out well. There were no plans to follow. A creative way to wait out COVID-19. Just adult Legos <grin>; that's all this really is, as an activity.  Our garage, Jericho VT.  May 2020

A Pandemic Easter -
Building Closures

 Like many churches in the area, the Jericho Congregational Church struggled with the challenge of meaningful Easter Celebrations while stuck with the inability to gather together as before. Building sanctuaries were closed. Services went virtual, and the Body of Christ rallied to the call to stay connected, since not everyone has the Internet in rural Vermont. Ever watchful for emotional and mental stress, church groups formed to call everyone for support and to encourage one another.  The Church on the Green, Jericho Center VT.  April 2020

Time to Relax -
Board Games at the House

When it's time to get away from all those intense, virtual meetings on the computer, then Helen and I retreat and relax with a short board game. Carcassone is one of our favorite games, with lots of strategy and part of its beauty is a short game playing time. Perfect for those quick "down times". As the Pandemic forced everyone indoors in April, good inside activities were more necessary.  At our rosewood dining table, imported from Papua New Guinea, Jericho VT.  November 2019, but could be anytime.

Sunrise Beware! -
All Was Serene

I don't remember what I was doing that day, but the nights are super-long in Vermont before the Equinox, so I was driving around in the car. "Red sky at night, sailor's delight; red sky in the morning, sailor's warning." This phrase stems from common weather folklore that a red sky during sunrise is a sign of stormy weather down the road. Jesus agrees in Mathew 16:2-3. Little did I think that there might be a crushing Pandemic on the way.  Near the Jericho Town Market, Route 15, Underhill VT.  February 2020

Vermont Cultural Arts -
Free Concerts

The A Capella Jazz septet, "Maple Jam" (local artists) wows our community with a free concert at the library. These seven talented singers reinterpret favorite jazz and big-band melodies with "lush close harmonies, cool percussion grooves, and soulful trumpet solos using only their voices." They covered Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Neal Hefti and Miles Davis to Bill Evans, Chick Corea, Antônio Carlos Jobim - all without instruments!  Deborah Rawson Memorial Library, Jericho VT.  March 2020

Helen Returns -
Back to Papua New Guinea!

Helen returns to PNG and visits our friends, Marius & Mihaela Taciuc, who are missionaries from Romania.  Marius is an engineer-technician type who is brilliant at electronic design and electronic repair - a much needed skill in a country where there are hardly any repair shops around. The Taciuc family purchased our old house (background) before we left. They arranged a special luncheon date, while Helen was teaching medical skills to PNG staff at our remote clinic.  Ukarumpa, EHP. Papua New Guinea  February 2020

Helen Finally Home -
Almost "Lost at Sea"

As the Pandemic's monster jaws close shut on airports around the world, Helen literally flies in circles around South-East Asia, trying to find airports still open. For three exhausting days, and with considerable expense (mostly recovered), she manages to miss the COVID-19 fangs as they threaten her. Via Japan, she makes it to Newark Airport, at that time near an epicenter of the outbreak. JFK had closed completely. Finally back home, she is welcomed by our neighbors. Praise to our Lord; lots of answered prayers on this one.  Black Walnut Lane, Jericho, VT.  March 2020

Neighborhood Views -
The Mountain

Walking the dog, as many people do in our neighborhood, affords incredible views of nearby Mt. Mansfield. Common backyard trails link various streets and parks. We never get tired of the mountain, seeing it change over four complete seasons, something we missed while in tropical Papua New Guinea. Snow was that funny stuff that you scraped away in a freezer compartment, and never enough for a snowball! Not necessarily something to enjoy.  South Main Street (really), Jericho VT.  January 2020

Warm Fellowship -
Jericho Congregational Church

In the middle of our frigid winters, there's nothing quite like the warm fellowship (heart, soul and body) of our historic and quaint church building. Over two centuries old, this building and JCC services to the greater community has stood the test of time. Small in size, the church still has a commanding presence "On the Green" at Jericho Center, right across from the Jericho Center Country Store, formerly known as "Dessos Store".  www.jccvt.com  Jericho Center, VT. February 2020

Winter Scenes -
Camel's Hump

There's no shortage of amazing views in Vermont as you drive around the place. This mountain, is under contention by mere feet with Mt Ellen as our third highest. It is often hidden from view due to winter overcast-cloud conditions. But not on this day! Mostly fragile alpine tundra up top, this iconic shape is commemorated on Vermont's version of the US quarter-dollar coin.  Mountain View Road, Williston VT.  January 2020

Alpine Skiing -
Last Runs

Sunset can be as soon as 4:30 pm in January. This view is like the end of the day skiing, on a groomed, intermediate trail enjoying the mountains. Tourism is a major part of the Vermont economy and skiing is a big draw. When the Canadians cross the border and I befriend someone, I say: "Thank you so much for coming and spending your money here with us! It helps us out sooo.... much!" <grin>  Can you guess what mountain that is?  Smuggler's Notch Ski Resort, Jeffersonville VT.  January 2020

Famous Places -
Cantilever Rock

When you just have to get away from all that computer screen time, a very quick hike up the mountain can bring you to a place of rest in the great outdoors. An impressive and large balancing rock, called Cantilever Rock has been here.... well for ages. It was here 40 years ago, when I first journeyed as a young man to settle in Vermont.... and it's still here today.  A spur off Sunset Ridge Trail, about one half-hour hike.  Mt. Mansfield, Underhill VT.  October 2019

Church Life -
Child Dedications

Our Jericho Church celebrates periodic "children dedications". Three generations are shown here with our dear friends, Frank and Carol Hassler looking on. The children are dedicated to the Lord, and the congregation pledges to give watch-care to the families in the years ahead. Individual families, like ours, are assigned other children to pray for over the years leading to their spiritual maturity.  Jericho Congregational Church, Jericho Center, VT.  November 2019