By Julie Tyler
Quint and I were so excited to move into the beautiful 1840's farmhouse next to The Red Clover Inn in Mendon, VT. Needless to say, that was an adventure in and of itself with an 8 year-old and 5 year-old. Two days after we arrived on August 27, we purchased groceries and unloaded many of our belongings so as to be prepared for a “tropical depression” (according to weather reports.) Quintin went on his way Sunday morning to go back to Tyler Place. Little did we know that he would be one of the last to leave the area.
The power went out around 2:00 pm and it continued to rain all day. The kids and I listened to the radio for our news as it continued to report on the damages around us. I realized that the situation was becoming serious. That evening we went to bed in our new home by candlelight. The next morning we ended up stuck at "the culvert" which was our road, broken in two, with a culvert down the middle. We weren't going anywhere by car.
As we met our neighbors (what a way to meet them!), the news (and bottles of water) came in by bike and 4-wheelers of how badly the flood had damaged the area. The neighbors were teasing us about just moving in but we felt blessed that even with a flooded basement and a few leaks in the house, we were ok-- with Red Clover Inn’s restaurant right next to us! Quickly our neighborhood "mayors", as they were affectionately called, organized. We had no power, but one of the houses in the neighborhood had a generator and we were finally able to charge our cell phones. Frankly, I was scared thinking I only had one bar left and no car charger (which I found in a purse after the storm).
Quintin, being the resourceful Vermonter he is ,was determined to find a way to us. I knew that if anyone could get in, it would be him. On the following Tuesday Quintin came in by bike with a backpack on his back. My knight in shining armor! The power came back on too! Ben and Char had made some friends at the culvert with one family in the neighborhood and we were so thankful! The neighbors had figured out a way to hike "to the other side” of the trailhead, so it became possible to get the kids to school. On Wednesday, Ben's first day of school, he hiked out with his Dad and the neighbors to a car caravan. What a way to go to school; we were so proud of him!
Quint and I were so excited to move into the beautiful 1840's farmhouse next to The Red Clover Inn in Mendon, VT. Needless to say, that was an adventure in and of itself with an 8 year-old and 5 year-old. Two days after we arrived on August 27, we purchased groceries and unloaded many of our belongings so as to be prepared for a “tropical depression” (according to weather reports.) Quintin went on his way Sunday morning to go back to Tyler Place. Little did we know that he would be one of the last to leave the area.
The power went out around 2:00 pm and it continued to rain all day. The kids and I listened to the radio for our news as it continued to report on the damages around us. I realized that the situation was becoming serious. That evening we went to bed in our new home by candlelight. The next morning we ended up stuck at "the culvert" which was our road, broken in two, with a culvert down the middle. We weren't going anywhere by car.
As we met our neighbors (what a way to meet them!), the news (and bottles of water) came in by bike and 4-wheelers of how badly the flood had damaged the area. The neighbors were teasing us about just moving in but we felt blessed that even with a flooded basement and a few leaks in the house, we were ok-- with Red Clover Inn’s restaurant right next to us! Quickly our neighborhood "mayors", as they were affectionately called, organized. We had no power, but one of the houses in the neighborhood had a generator and we were finally able to charge our cell phones. Frankly, I was scared thinking I only had one bar left and no car charger (which I found in a purse after the storm).
Quintin, being the resourceful Vermonter he is ,was determined to find a way to us. I knew that if anyone could get in, it would be him. On the following Tuesday Quintin came in by bike with a backpack on his back. My knight in shining armor! The power came back on too! Ben and Char had made some friends at the culvert with one family in the neighborhood and we were so thankful! The neighbors had figured out a way to hike "to the other side” of the trailhead, so it became possible to get the kids to school. On Wednesday, Ben's first day of school, he hiked out with his Dad and the neighbors to a car caravan. What a way to go to school; we were so proud of him!
On that same day, Charlotte was playing with her new friend and broke her arm riding a tricycle. Just the thing you want to happen during an emergency, with helicopters flying overhead and no way of getting her to a doctor! I quickly turned to my neighbors for help; I was sure that she didn't have a broken arm, but thought maybe the chiropractor I had just met could come and take a look. So he did, as he was leaving (we had decided a splint and ibuprofen would be all we could do for now) a gentleman walked into our living room with a backpack on. He was fresh off of Route 4 and said, "Hi, I'm an orthopedic surgeon." All I could think about was how lucky we were. He examined Charlotte's arm and was 95% sure it was broken. We immediately called his office and we made an appointment.
The next morning we were going to get a ride over Route 4 to Rutland. As we climbed over the culvert, Charlotte and I were greeted by reporters from Vermont Life and The Boston Globe (apparently a 5-year-old breaking her arm during a disaster is a good human-interest piece). We finally made it to Rutland down a dirt road that was once busy Route 4. One can't properly explain how it looked. Huge sections were totally washed away. Charlotte's doctor visit went well, and she was to wear a splint for the next 6 weeks
Quintin came back in and got us on Friday, and we left by trail to go back to our cottage at Tyler Place. "The Path"turned out to be a beautiful walk through what was a horse farm in the mid 1800's. Journey's End Road linked to another gorgeous neighborhood called Helvi Hill. "The Path" after some work by many volunteers, was a delightful walk and covered by woodchips. Golf carts had been donated as well which made for an easy ride. The people were so kind to open up their land. It was really wonderful. The kids became spoiled by the daily offerings of candy and drinks along the way and Charlotte figured out that her splint became a good place to stash her goodies. This was truly something we would always remember. We spent the weekend in Highgate and returned with supplies in tow. We put our groceries in a rolling suitcase and we were off. Charlotte's first day of kindergarten was the next Tuesday and she happily hiked through the woods with her broken arm and her big brother. What a big first day of kindergarten for Charlotte!
The New York Times happened to be at the school that morning and the school held an assembly for what would be the first day for all 33 children that were affected by Irene. At the end of the school day I waited for Charlotte on the path only to see her come out of the woods with the reporter and photographer from the New York Times! According to the photographer, our daughter had told her the whole story and Charlotte was quoted in The New York Times on her first day of kindergarten. That is definitely one for her memory book.
The power remained out for a couple of days and The Red Clover Inn donated all of it's perishables to the community. Route 4 became passable in a week and amazingly the road crews had Route 4 open within three weeks so that Red Clover Inn & Restaurant was fully open for foliage season traffic.
Thank you to all the people who helped us in our first couple of weeks in the neighborhood. For some reason, a disaster always seems to bring out the best in people and we couldn't be more thankful. We have finally been able to settle in. Quintin is here and we have worked through what has been a beautiful foliage season. What a nice place to live; the community is just tops! We have made lasting friendships with our neighbors here in Mendon, and we certainly have a story we will we always remember in our move to the Red Clover Inn.
We would love for all of our Tyler Place friends to visit us at The Red Clover Inn & Restaurant. Come share the beauty of this gorgeous area (and some fabulous dining!) There are a lot of great things to do around here and we will gladly make suggestions and help you plan.
