Hills and Misses
I always look forward to seeing Yankee in our mailbox; as a 10th-generation Vermonter I find the articles are always of interest, and I like the mix of old and new. However, there is some misinformation in the article “The Soul of Skiing” [January/February]. The Vermont hill on which the nation’s first rope tow was built, back in 1934, was on Clinton Gilbert’s farm in Woodstock—there is a historical marker near that spot, in fact. But Gilbert’s Hill did not, as the article states, eventually become Suicide Six. Instead, the operation in Woodstock moved to a steeper hill in South Pomfret, about three miles away, which was then named Suicide Six.
Sara Spoor
Springfield, Vermont
Dear Sara: You are correct, and we surely appreciate your straightening us out on these slippery slopes! —The Editors
High Point
My eyes are still drying after reading Ian Aldrich’s brilliant, harrowing depiction of champion balloonist Brian Boland’s fantastical life and tragic death [“The Balloonist,” January/February]. To any Yankee reader who may have only skimmed the story or observed the photos, do yourself a favor and read the whole thing. It’s 20 minutes you’ll never want to get back.
Jared Pendak
Bradford, Vermont
Hankie-Worthy Read
Reading Ann Klotz’s “About the Hankie” [January/February] brought tears to my eyes. Her description of her mother matched mine: matchstick-thin, swollen knuckles, elfin ears, silver hair. My mother, too, always carried hankies, and I can see them in my mind’s eye. Upon her death at 100, in her purses were hankies and not much else. How I wish I had kept them.
Regina MacLeod
West Roxbury, Massachusetts
I woke up early Christmas morning and the house was still quiet, so I started reading “About the Hankie” by Ann Klotz. It brought back such loving memories. In our family, it was my father who always had a hankie in his pocket; my mother always had a tissue up her sleeve. As a young girl, I learned how to iron by pressing my father’s hankies—or, as he called them, handkerchiefs. My parents passed away a few years ago, and while cleaning out their house, I found a ladies’ hankie. I suspect it may have belonged to my grandmother.
Thank you, Ann Klotz, for your beautiful story and for rekindling warm memories for me on Christmas morning.
Barbara Trulby
Fort Mill, South Carolina
Ode to Winter
I have always loved your magazine. My dad was a letter carrier and he loved telling me about your magazine when he delivered it—he loved it also. In the most recent issue, I was particularly moved by Ann Klotz’s “About the Hankie,” and also the piece by Castle Freeman Jr. titled “Winter Sun.” While I am married to a sun worshipper, I have always loved winter. I find solace in the silence and beauty in the stark landscape and awe in a winter sunrise and sunset. Mr. Freeman’s words warmed my heart and painted lovely scenes in my head of memories growing up in the winter countryside.
I would also like to share that while I pass along my magazines when I am done reading them, my copies of Yankee have always been “keepers.” I love to go back and re-read past issues. Kudos to your wordsmiths—Yankee is the jewel of magazines even to this day.
Dee Palser
Valley Stream, New York
History Lesson
While I saw the usual heartwarming food awards, recipes for family feasts, decked-out historic homes, and other features I have always associated with Yankee in your November/December issue, my interest was piqued by the interview with historian Jill Lepore.
I admire Ms. Lepore and am particularly interested in her field of study, which includes how the founding fathers’ work has fared over the centuries. In recent years there has been considerable emphasis on the infallibility of the documents involved, and what appears to be a growing insistence that we continue to celebrate this infallibility. So I was heartened to read Ms. Lepore’s reference to Thurgood Marshall’s 1987 speech regarding the parts of the Constitution that should not be venerated. We should appreciate its framework while being aware of its fragility, and remain hopeful that it is not beyond repair.
Anne Dempsey
West Springfield, Massachusetts
We want to hear from you! Write to us at editor@yankeemagazine.com. Please note that letters may be edited for length and clarity.
SONG OF SPRING
Photo Credit : ILLUSTRATION BY D.A.W.
Peepers in the marsh
unfold
A singsong spring song
ages old,
An ancient score whose
every note
Keeps frog and human
hopes afloat.
—D.A.W.
