Sooner or later, it happens to all of us. An injury changes the regular routine of life, or an illness pops up to put a severe crimp in our passions.  Possibly a life-changing disability forces us to give up a once vigorous lifestyle. These changes to our physical being, whether temporary, or permanent, cause us to re-think our activities, and adapt to a new normal.

Quechee resident Gail Seaver knows all to well how an illness can disrupt one’s life, and dramatically change a lifestyle.  A diagnosis of a rare form of cancer, followed by surgery, and chemotherapy, proved to her that life is an evolving series of unexpected occurrences.… Read More

Eric Emery met Andrea Chula while attending Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire. After graduation, the couple married and moved to Denver. Eric’s father had recently passed away from pancreatic cancer, and instead of settling in New Hampshire they decided to go live someplace new before their careers and family made that more difficult. Both avid skiers, they chose Denver because they wanted to spend some time “skiing in the powder in the Rockies.” When not on the slopes, Eric worked in sales for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Andrea worked as a pre-school teacher at the Cerebral Palsy School of Colorado.

They didn’t stay away for too long.… Read More

Je me souviens… “I remember.” The motto of Canada’s Quebec Province appears on license plates and welcome centers at the border. Penned in 1883, the lines continue, “I remember/ That born under the lily/I grow under the rose.” It’s so true! Quebec City’s 400+ years of history as a settlement began under the fleur-de-lis of France and grew under the rose of Britain. The French language and culture are strong in Quebec, and crossing the border by car, after a short drive up I-91 from Quechee, it’s easy to feel as if you crossed the ocean.

David and Brenda Barrell, and Chet and Debbie Marcus, drove to Quebec (we Americans call it Quebec City) in July of 2017 during the visit of the Tall Ships to this beautiful port city on the St.… Read More

The next time you see Joe O’Donnell around the Quechee Green, you should probably stop and shake his hand. If you know Joe, you were probably going to do that anyway, but this time around you should ask him about his self-published book, Deadly Codes: A Gallagher Novel, and the feature-length film Bent that’s based on his book. Joe’s gregarious and positive nature makes him truly enjoyable to interact with, and his excitement is contagious.

Previous to attending the premiere of a movie based on his own novel, Joe had already worked a highly reputable career in pediatric dentistry. He went to school in his home state of Pennsylvania and then Boston, specializing in pediatric dentistry.… Read More

Some people restlessly move from place to place, while others find themselves, fortunately, placed in an environment that offers work and entertainment to fill a lifetime. Ron Paprocki is an archetype of the second category. Born in Rochester, NY, he went to school there, and went to the University of Rochester as an undergraduate, receiving a degree with high distinction in French Literature. However, his degree was not a good indicator of where he was heading.

A foundation in higher education

Ron stayed put and began working for the University as an advisor, in academic support and counseling positions. Then he moved into administrative work, beginning with budgeting and planning.… Read More

While it might be true that in the spring a young man’s fancy turns to love, for us older guys it turns to more practical things: like ice fishing. Or, is that just me? Contrary to what you might have heard it is ice fishing, and not polo, which is the true Sport of Kings and manly men.

My friend Doug Cheng told me “Roll down your window” as we crept his three-ton Toyota Tundra out onto the frozen surface of Lake Fairlee in Fairlee, Vermont. “Why?” I asked, having never done this before in my life. “Because if we break through the ice, you can swim out the window,” he explained.… Read More

Graduating Hartford High School senior, Natalie Charron, is known throughout the Quechee area by many different people in various facets. She had grown up running around the Quechee Club. Natalie spent hours swimming and skiing, and at 15 she began working as a hostess there, later becoming a health desk attendant. Most who have spent time at The Club have run across Natalie and, rumor has it, simply adore her.

Her love of music

Natalie is an accomplished musician. She began playing the piano at the age of 7 and stopped when at 10 she picked up the saxophone in the fifth grade.… Read More

A to Z Cakes is an inspiring entrepreneurial tale based right here in Quechee. Abbi and Dan Courtemanche have built a successful cake making company out of what Abbi describes as a “happy accident.” Not quite ten years ago, Abbi and Dan were planning their wedding. For reasons most of us could not fathom, Abbi decided that she could make their wedding cake despite having never attempted such a fete before. The cake was such a success that wedding guests asked for the name of the baker. Abbi was shortly hired to make what would be the second of many cakes to come.… Read More

Mike DeLaus and Susan Feindt and their three sons Michael, Robert, and Daniel, live in Andover, Massachusetts. Sam and Janet Nork, also from Andover, introduced the DeLaus family to Quechee. Susan says they like being part of the Quechee community because of “the people” and the fact that is very family-oriented. “Everyone that we’ve met through the ski team have been great,” says Susan and adds, “We really like getting away from school, work, just relaxing. There is always something to do outdoors no matter what the season.” Noting that the scenery and surroundings are beautiful, Susan says, “We want to be in Quechee whenever we can.… Read More

Too much of something isn’t always a good thing – but sometimes it can be. Residents at Woodstock Terrace discovered just that when they inventoried the many donations of crafting supplies, books, and jigsaw puzzles they’ve collected over the years. Their storage closets were bursting! “This is a generation that doesn’t get rid of anything,” said Briana Maxham, the Terrace’s Life Enrichment Director, “which is how the Puzzle Club got its start.”

A few years ago, two residents who were avid puzzlers decided to start a club to work through the large supply already on hand. They started by counting the pieces of each puzzle and discarding any puzzles missing more than one or two pieces.… Read More