Ship's Holog: June 2078, fragment 25

Off to the left, you can now see the only other major structure you are likely to see on the western shore of the lake south of Burlington. That’s historic Fort Ticonderoga, a remnant and monument to Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys who fought the British in the American Revolution in the late eighteenth century. As you may know, much of the east coast of the USNA was originally comprised of colonies of the European island nation of Great Britain. Largely through the enslavement of Africans, these colonies played a major role in Great Britain’s Industrial Revolution, which ultimately resulted in its becoming the last true empire on Earth.

As we move rapidly up the lake, you will notice the signs we pass that announce the end of one municipality and the beginning of another that looks almost identical. Between each municipality, there are small breaks in the line of houses, where are located (as you should now be able to see) small athletic complexes with bleachers capable of seating several thousand spectators. Open in summer and enclosed in winter, these facilities house the inter-community and intra-mural sports facilities for young and old. So important are sports to New Vermonters that even in our small and isolated valley community, we are able to field teams at several levels in softball, basketball, tennis, and football (called soccer in the USA when I learned the game in the last century). In fact, I captained the senior football team well into my seventies and most of my grandchildren, now in their sixties, still play on at least one inter-community team. We think nothing of walking or riding our bikes and horses twenty-five miles to play teams from neighboring towns in our valley.