Daybreak Thursday 2/10/22

GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!

"In the warm sector." That's us, according to the weather folks. With some light showers on the way—chance of snow at first, then rain (at least in the valleys), then clouds, then probably sun later this afternoon. Temps today are likely to pass the 40 mark, then drop back into the mid-20s overnight. Winds continue from the southwest.Those snow cornices... They're getting a little dramatic, don't you think? Here's one on Sally Duston and Dean Whitlock's barn in Thetford.Norwich hires town manager. And, as was the case with its new police chief back in January, it's a hire from within: Rod Francis, who since last summer has been the town's interim manager—and, before that, the town's planning director for three years. In a press release yesterday, Selectboard chair Roger Arnold said, "We are confident that Rod Francis has the necessary skills and learned insights to serve Norwich at this unique moment." Francis will also continue as planning director until the town can hire a new one.Stage employees at Northern Stage seek to unionize. In a press release Tuesday, the VT/NH local for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (there's more to the name, but we'd still be reading it next week) announced that the theater company's backstage workers have petitioned the NLRB to create a collective bargaining unit. "Local 919 is pleased to have begun the process of working collaboratively with Northern Stage to support their talented young crew...in their struggle for livable wage, health care coverage, and retirement benefits," the union writes."The power of the creative force to propel us through difficult times." That's Dartmouth's and Northern Stage's Carol Dunne musing on the theater department's upcoming production of RENT at the Hop. In Artful, Susan Apel recalls that "RENT holds a unique place in Dartmouth history, as it was first seen at the College in 1994 as part of New York Theatre Workshop’s annual summer residency." It opened two years later off-Broadway, she adds—the evening of the day author Jonathan Larson died of an aortic aneurysm after returning home from the final dress rehearsal.SPONSORED: Seen what's at Long River Gallery lately? You'll find meticulously stitched and colorful landscapes by fiber artist Julie Crabtree, as well as her work in jewelry, miniature wall art, and large framed tapestries. Until the end of this month, she offers a 10 percent discount on her exhibition pieces. You can visit the gallery on Main Street in WRJ Wednesday – Saturday 11-5 or by appointment. Shop online or email [email protected] for a personal shopping service. And we're open Monday, Feb. 14  for Valentine’s Day with a wide selection of gifts for the occasion! Sponsored by Long River Gallery."The alternative is almost assuredly a permanent residence and the little yellow signs that are neatly posted along the boundary when properties change hands in our area." Responding to yesterday's item about opposition to the proposed community solar array in Norwich, Norwich Solar Technologies' Troy McBride says in a letter to Daybreak that the proposed project "represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to expand the land open to the public in that neighborhood." Full letter at the link. Plus, you can check out the land in question for yourself in this drone footage from photographer Lars Blackmore.Forget someone planting a bug...I just need to find the remote. This is pretty interesting: Beatrice Perez, a computer science postdoc at Dartmouth, is working with fellow researchers to build a detector that can scan a space for lost or hidden electronics. “Without necessarily suspecting malice, you may want to know if there are devices installed by landlords or left behind by guests or previous owners,” she says—or just find something you've lost. The device sends out a radio wave, then listens for waves at twice the frequency to bounce back, reports Harini Barath for Dartmouth News."We’re all familiar with the hope carried in the first flowers of spring..." It's early for snowdrops in these parts—and even if any have come up, they're buried—but in her latest A Breath of Song podcast, Patricia Norton looks ahead, teaching Jennifer Cook's "Brighter Days," which is about... snowdrops. And hope. The song, Patricia writes, "reminds us to turn to whatever helps us hold on through darker days." As usual, with Patty Piotrowski's artwork.The price is... oh no! Okay, look, NH's capital city is a fine place, with good restaurants, some excellent entertainment venues, one of the Northeast's best bookstores... But still, you can imagine how Catherine Graham, who's from Boston, felt when it turned out the big prize she was playing for on The Price is Right was ... a trip to New Hampshire. And not just any trip, reports Portland ME's WCYY: She'd be flown from LA to Manchester and be given a rental car. Then she'd get five nights in Concord. She won. Have you found common ground with someone on the opposing side of a local issue? Are local issues starting to reflect national polarization? NHPR is setting out to explore a crucial and interesting topic: How local civic engagement has changed in recent years. They're trying to understand "what local democracy looks like in New Hampshire right now." And they want your help. At the link, you'll find plenty of ways to let them know what you're seeing and experiencing, whether you're in a public role, just getting involved, or watching from the sidelines.A publishing sign of things to come? Eating Well magazine has been a pillar of the Vermont publishing scene since it started up in 1990. Now, reports Seven Days' Melissa Pasanen, it's just become one of six mags bought recently by Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp media group that will cease print publication and become online-only. The others include InStyle and Parents. A company spokesperson tells Pasanen layoffs affect “less than 4 percent of our Vermont-based employees”—but it turns out they include Eating Well's longtime editor-in-chief, managing editor, and creative director."If you are now or have ever been a dog lover, there's a place you have to see." To the Best of Our Knowledge radio producers Anne Strainchamps and Steve Paulson and their corgi Alfie visit Dog Mountain in St. J—the 150-acre dog park, chapel, and gallery with artist Stephen Huneck's work. They stop by the dog chapel, with its walls inches deep in cards, notes, and pictures honoring departed dogs; reflect on the lives (and deaths) of Huneck and his wife, Gwen; and, thanks to Alfie, spend quality time by Dog Mountain's pond. Warning if you're listening with your dog: there will be barking.VT wants to try out "on-demand transit" Montpelier's experience shows some of the pitfalls. Also called "microtransit," the idea is that instead of waiting for a bus on a fixed route, users summon one with a smartphone app—think "Dial-a-Ride" updated, writes Bill Donahue for Bloomberg Green+CityLab. Montpelier's got a two-year pilot project running at an average cost to taxpayers right now of $16.75 a trip—and though plenty of people use it, plenty who used to use the fixed bus don't. The state's looking to study the feasibility of adding the service in 12 more communities, Donahue writes. (Thanks, SB!)"I'm crying, I just can't stop crying." But Barbara Ann Cochran's tears were of joy, of course, after her son, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, took silver in the Olympic Super G earlier this week. Journalist David Goodman devotes his latest Vermont Conversation to a conversation with Barbara Cochran—who won her own gold medal almost 50 years to the day before her son's, at the 1972 Olympics, and for the past four decades has run the ski school at Cochran's, the ski area her parents started in the family's back yard in Richmond, VT. VT state parks get some love, including two close to home. Lonely Planet continues to do its part to amplify VT’s hidden treasures. Little on their list of must-see parks is unknown, but kudos to writer Berne Broudy for delving into each one’s unique attractions. Like Underhill State Park’s Wampahoofus Trail, a path along Mt. Mansfield named for the mythological, half deer/half boar creature that once roamed the hillsides. It’s good to see Quechee Gorge on the list, along with Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller—which, yes, is a national historical park. And with Smuggler’s Notch and Camel’s Hump, they're in fine company.“The instrument's interior appears to be its own concert hall.” And photographer Charles Brooks, formerly a concert cellist, would know. After 20 years as a professional musician, he picked up a camera. But rather than distance himself from that world, he drew even closer; he went, quite literally, inside the music. My Modern Met spotlights Brooks’ innovative photos that scope the interiors of classical instruments, employing a “focus stacking effect” that, he says, “fools the brain into believing that it’s looking at something large or cavernous.” For sure you won’t look at a didgeridoo the same way again.

Daybreak doesn't get to exist without your support. Help it keep going by hitting the maroon button:

I'm just going to let music historian Ted Gioia take this one... "Noël Akchoté is a French guitarist, who has worked with everyone from Chet Baker to Marc Ribot. In the last few days, he has uploaded onto Bandcamp a series of solo recordings of Renaissance music played on steel guitar....When I found a YouTube video it had zero views—that’s no exaggeration, a total of

zero

views. But this is glorious music, and I refuse to keep it a secret." With good reason.

by French-born composer Philippe Verdelot, who actually spent most of his life in Italy, especially Florence. Where he hung out with Machiavelli. Oh, as of this morning it was up to 287 views. You can send it skyrocketing!

See you tomorrow.

The Hiking Close to Home Archives. A list of hikes around the Upper Valley, some easy, some more difficult, compiled by the Upper Valley Trails Alliance. It grows every week.

Daybreak Where You Are: The Album. Photos of daybreak around the Upper Valley, Vermont, New Hampshire, and the US, sent in by readers.

Want to catch up on Daybreak music?

Check out the Spotify playlist generously maintained by Sarah and Nelson Rooker.

Written and published by Rob Gurwitt         Writer/editor: Tom Haushalter    Poetry editor: Michael Lipson  About Rob                                                    About Tom                                 About Michael

And if you think one or more of your friends would like Daybreak, too, please forward this newsletter and tell them to hit the blue "Subscribe" button below. And thanks! And hey, if you're that friend? So nice to see you! You can subscribe at: 

Thank you!