Fond memories of Frank

Some sad news to report: My goldfish, Frank, known for his great age and girth, has passed on to the aquarium in the sky. He lived a good life of a decade or so. Frank was a very loyal and low-maintenance pet, asking for little in the way of attention, food or accommodations. His eyes were the first to go. Can fish get cataracts? Deb seems to think so, since Frank's eyes were cloudy for the past several months.

There was no burial at sea for Frank. You see, he was so large that there was a very real danger of his earthly (or water-ly) remains clogging our plumbing. We gave him a modest burial plot in the backyard instead.

The weekend

I had a delicious prime rib and a wonderfully dense, moist gingerbread last weekend at the Waybury Inn, where Deb and I hosted the annual Beau Ties holiday party. We held our party post-holidays so that we could keep up with last-minute gift orders!

The Waybury was a new destination for us: Our previous celebratory spot was the Dog Team Tavern, which burned to the ground in a spectacular and mysterious fire some months ago.

The inn was very welcoming and we think it will be the perfect spot for the start of a new tradition.

You may be familiar with the Waybury and not even realize it. The Waybury's claim to fame, in addition to being a fine inn with a charming restaurant and pub, is its 80s-era appearance on the Newhart show. The building's facade starred in every episode as the Stratford Inn.

Welcome to 2007

Happy New Year!

We are back in action after a nice, but all-too-short holiday break in routine.

News here in Vermont is the Legistature's return to Montpelier tomorrow. I read in today's paper that two independent lawmakers will be among the ranks. The newest is an organic potato farmer from nearby Shoreham. (Democrats hold the majority in both the House and Senate.)

Vermont's is a true citizen legislature, with farmers, lawyers, shopkeepers, real estate agents and others all sitting beside one another, approaching challenges and making laws together. I'm interested to see what ideas they generate for encouraging new and growing businesses in Vermont.

Holiday warmth

Two Beau Ties employees, June and Sue, volunteer regularly with Meals on Wheels, delivering hot meals to the homebound here in the Middlebury community. June and Sue are very popular with their Meals on Wheels clients this time of year.


Each year around the winter holidays, our production staff makes lap quilts to keep meal recipients warm during the colder months. They use our equipment and space to sew the quilts during the day, as the ebb and flow of orders allows. The results are beautiful, as you can see in these photos.

Happy Holidays!

Thought I'd share some pictures from our "Secret Santa" Holiday Party.

Happy Holidays fom all of us here at Beau Ties!

Today Show online

Did you see the msnbc.com link to Beau Ties? The Today Show sort of mentioned us on-air last week. They didn't say our name, but they did tell viewers of their menswear fashion segment to check their web site for a link to a how-to-tie-a-bow-tie video.

Sure enough, there we are! Today Show correspondent Bobbie Thomas links to Beau Ties Ltd. at the end of her article.

(Thanks to Justin for putting up the video for me.)

Snow. Relief for the Vermont economy!

We're in the midst of our first true Vermont snowfall here, with accumlation and high winds. Current temperature is 31 degrees and dropping fast. It officially feels like December now.

I'm relieved the snow is here. Vermont's economy depends so much on seasonal travel--foliage, skiing and snowboarding. If the weather doesn't cooperate, the ski areas (and by extension, everyone else who relies on tourist income) really pay the price.

I won't complain. Our friends in the Midwest got hit hard recently. In my opinion, we're getting off easy. But I do wish I had finished bringing in my outdoor projects from the yard.