Top Stories for Tuesday April 6, 2010

Sharing Stories And Memories Of Life Lessons From The Elderly
By Cookie Steponaitis
     Walking into Claude & Bernadette’s Vergennes home is like stepping back in time to the multi-generational families of early American life. There are two to three elderly, ranging in age from seventy to nearly 100. One holds the family dog and the other two are playing cards with the Laberge grandchildren and visiting friends. Bernadette is cooking supper and the radio is playing on low in the midst of the family like atmosphere The mood is one of engagement and the sounds are that of a family in action.
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Pilot Gig
By Joe Schmidt
    A surprising number of small boats are constructed in Vermont, even though it is the only New England state without access to the ocean. Many are built at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.
Two hundred years ago, when cargo ships driven by sail reached a harbor, they would wait offshore for a guide to lead them past shoals and other dangers. The Pilot Gig, a small six oared craft, was often used even in turbulent seas,  to transport a mariner with local knowledge to the waiting vessel.
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