Looking out a window in the lounge of the Lodge la Belle Montagne, while his wife and daughter were in San Francisco, Pete Lafitte remembered the day many years ago when Grandpierre Hughie Lafitte had led him, Merry, and their toddler daughter on a hike from the Canadian side to the Vermont border. Pete was carrying Anne-Merry in a backpack designed for that purpose. His wife walked ahead with Hughie. "This morning, there is something I would like to show you", Hughie had said in Cajun French, which was not very different from Acadian French.

The path they were on was barely visible in the deep woods. It was late September. Among forest pines were maples in glorious colors and the yellow gold of birch tree leaves. Soon, they reached a cabin, tucked into the woods. "This is my new cabin", Hughie said. "But it is not the surprise".

A little further down the path, the trail veered left across the mountainside; they entered a meadow. Across majestic mountains, the view was spectacular. In front of the Lafitte family, a mid-sized new lodge -- built on the ruins of what was once a legendary outpost -- appeared. "We have crossed into Vermont", Hughie remarked. There was no sign that said "You are now leaving Canada and entering Vermont". Such signs were not always desirable in this area. The lodge was clearly empty, as if it had not yet opened. Over the doorway, a sign was hand carved with the words: "Lodge la Belle Montagne".

"Who owns this place?" Pete asked. He was thinking that when it opened, guests might be interested in the tours he and Merry were leading on nearby Jay Peak.

"You do," Hughie replied. "Would you like to see the inside?"

"Grandpierre", Pete said. "I know you had a lot of money sewn into your clothes when you arrived a year or so ago but..."

"Sewing money into clothes is sometimes useful," Grandpierre Hughie replied. "But I have found that a Swiss Bank account is ideal for people in my situation. Welcome to your new home".