Four Wings and a Prayer

Caught in the Mystery of the Monarch Butterfly

By: Sue Halpern

Sue Halpern is brilliant when it comes to choosing a title for a book and equally talented in the writing of a unique memoir and travel adventure. For anyone who has ever been moved by the sight of the well know orange and black butterfly, Daaus plexippus, usually referred to as the Monarch, Four Wings and a Prayer is a must for your library.

Part memoir, part travel adventure, Sue Halpern takes you on a journey into the wild world of mystery surrounding the Monarch. It is her pursuit for better understanding of the power that this small creature holds on both scientists and amateurs (like myself) alike, that makes Four Wings and a Prayer such a fascinating read.

Just days after promising her mother that she would not drive through Mexico at night, Halpern finds herself spending a week in a car, in Mexico, driving at night, with a total stranger. But this was no ordinary stranger. Bill Calvert is really more of a "legend" according to Halpern. It is Bill Calvert who twenty seven years earlier, had made one of the greatest discoveries in modern science; the winter roosting sites of the Monarch butterfly. He is one of the many intriguing scientists and passionate individuals that cross back and forth through the pages in Halpern's journalistic account of the life of the Monarch.


Whether Halpern is humping through Mexico's Transverse Neovolcanic Mountains trying to catch a glimpse of the monarchs winter roosting site or driving fifteen miles per hour along Hawaiian roadways in hopes of spotting a white monarch, a rare genetic variant, she reveals eloquently her own passion for her literary muse in this captivating book centerd around the mystery of the Monarch butterfly.

Medelise

Beautiful Starlight Meadow

Aah...love at first sight!!! We couldn't help but to fall in love with this little gem as we motored up the long dirt driveway surrounded by glorious green fields. I know the cardinal rule is never let the real estate agent know how much you love the house...but it was hard to contain our excitement.

It all started back in 2003 when we purchased our first house, a small little place, off the grid, in a quaint little town in the Northeast Kingdom. Oddly enough the town was called Danville. We loved our little house despite the fact that it had no electricity. But after three years of candles and gas lamps, not to mention only one bathroom, we decided to start the search for a retreat a bit more.... guest friendly.

Having inherited the knack for perusing real estate magazines and Internet real estate sites from my mother, it was not long before I stumbled upon Starlight Meadows on the MSL listing on the Internet. Immediately, I put a call into my favorite Realtor, Barb Machell, and we booked our appointment to see it. We never imagined it would surpass all of our expectations.

Starlight Meadows, named surely for the unobstructed nightly show of the heavens above, is located on forty open acres of rolling hills and meadows. It is in a small town called Walden just west of St. Johnsbury. Although its location made it a longer drive to our ski mountain, Burke, it was closer to Craftsbury Nordic Center and two other ski areas we enjoy, Jay Peak and Stowe, both within an hours drive from the new house.










The house is beautifully constructed of timbers. The interior has all wood floors, one woodstove and pme gas stpve, three bedrooms, two baths, a dining area, kitchen and living room. Each bedroom is equipped with a double or full bed, one of the upstairs bedrooms also has one twin bed in it. The basement includes an unfinished area with a ping pong table and a laundry room. The outside of the house is spectacular. Surrounded by perennial gardens and rolling hills, the house boast three different decks to enjoy the view from. And our favorite part, the 100 gallon water trough is exquisite for late night baths(and hot showers) under the stars.

In addition to skiing in the winter, Starlight Meadows is ideally situated for summer recreation being within 40 minutes to the Kingdom Trails in Burke Vermont and several lakes including Caspian and Joe's Pond. The Kingdom Trails are renowned as some of the best mountain biking trails on the east coast. The town of Burke and Lyndon are overflowing with great restaurants and intriguing shops. Stowe Village and Mountain are also within an hours drive with a vast array of summer, fall and winter activities.

However, you might simply enjoy hanging out on the hammock under the Butternut tree or watching the sunset from the top of the hill with a glass of wine and cheese and crackers. You may just find it hard to drag yourself away from the peacefulness and beauty of Starlight Meadows.

Rates
Christmas and Holiday Weeks $225per night
Weekends and non holidays $175per night

House can accommodates up 6-8
special note: There is no TV or Dishwasher

















Enjoy
Medelise and Dan

About Us

In 1985, I graduated from Boston College University and headed off to Jamaica, West Indies. As a Volunteer ( Jesuit Volunteer Program) I was stationed in the capital, Kingston, not far from the ghetto township of Trenchtown, made famous by Bob Marley. Little did I know that I would meet my future husband(serving as a Peace corp volunteer at the time) and that we would share such an incredible life together traveling and searching for adventure, amongst other things.
So that is how we got to this point. Collectively between us we have lived in Jamaica, West Indies, Puerto Rico, Alaska, Washington State, Maine, New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. We have traveled out of country to New Zealand, Japan, Germany, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Austria, Costa Rica, Grand Cayman,Canada, and British Columbia. The list of states that we have had the opportunity to vacation in is long but include such favorites as Colorado, North Carolina, Arizona, California, Washington, Georgia, Nevada and of course Vermont. We have kayaked and camped through the Arctic Circle, fished on commercial fishing boats in Alaska, sailed through the Caribbean on a 26 foot schooner, mountain biked in Arizona, surfed in Costa Rica and gone horse back riding in the Rockies. Traveling with our kids, Meddie and Nolan has added a whole new dimensions to our adventures, sometimes good, sometimes not so good, but always interesting!

In addition, every year, for the last 15 years, we have been lucky enough to get together with Dan's family in such beautiful locations as the Outer Banks, Vancouver, British Columbia, Nevada and Colorado, just to name a few.

We have been fortunate!!!

It will take time but eventually we would like to share these travels with our readers to inspire them and to assist them in making their own travel plans. We welcome any comments or participation in these ongoing posts. Exchanging of stories is part of the plan.

We hope to hear about your own adventures and travels.

Yearn to Travel
Medelise and Dan Reifsteck