Eleanor Ott had a genius for bringing people together. In the book-lined dining room of her 19th-century farmhouse in Maple Corner, she ran an eclectic backwoods salon, hosting women's discussion groups and rune feasts to fête the solstices. At her table, you might find yourself elbow-to-elbow with a close friend of the crown prince of England, a psychic healer from Iceland, or a photographer who had documented the Civil Rights movement.
When I left my home in Waterbury Center to report on Vermont's fast-rising floodwaters, I fully expected to return to my family that evening. The Winooski River wasn't supposed to crest until late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. I thought I could document flooding in the Capital City without getting swept up in it.
Eleanor K. Ott MAPLE CORNER — To Eleanor Ott, bringing people together was as natural as breathing. As a teacher, writer, poet, artist, and general instigator of shenanigans, she connected