1925

Re-reading The New York Times obituary on Robert E. "Bob" Pike and a letter from his daughter Helen Pike made me want to find and read his book Tall Trees and Tough Men, widely regarded as the definitive history of the New England logging industry (NY Times). Another book of his, Spiked Boots, has become a North Country classic. This book, Bob's favorite, self-published in 1956, was made up of stories passed down by word of mouth from the ancestors of people Bob interviewed, who consider the book such a rare treasure that they are listing copies in their wills. Bob spoke eight languages and was chief translator after World War II for the Munich War Crimes Branch. What a fascinating life! (A complete obituary on this remarkable man can be found in this or a later issue.)

As the weather (El Nino?) is such a topic these days, here is one about our treasurer, Ellie Norris. During the terrible ice and snowstorm of 1998, Ellie, who lives in New

London, N.H., had lunch with LarryLeavitt in Hanover, where they had only moderate snow. Upon her return to New London on well-cleared roads, she found she had only lost the food in her freezer in spite of the terrible damage all around her. Who says the "great white cold (always) walks abroad" in Hanover? Reminds me of a quote from Joseph Wood Hutch: "The most serious charge which can be brought against New England is not Puritanism but February."

caroline W. McDonough, 25 East Point Lane, Old Greenwich, CT 06870