by Gloria Vanderbrick, Bricklyn Eagle People in the News correspondent
A Rogue Schoolers couple considering the day’s travel plans during their visit to the Realm of Alsbrique in France. Note: all photos in this post based on design and content input from W. Senville with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.
After last year’s integration of the Realm of Bricklyn into the French Republic (as part of France Outre-Mer) there has been a surge in Bricklynites traveling to the French Inland Realms. In part this has been the result of efforts by the non-profit Rogue Schoolers organization.
According to Hans Brickelmann, CEO of Rogue Schoolers, “we’re meeting the demand of Bricklynites from all walks of life to learn more about our new French friends.”
The new generation of Brick Air overseas jets. Photo courtesy of Brick Air.
Brickelmann also noted that “Rogue Schoolers has opened its trips to France to people of all ages, expanding on our traditional base of travelers over 50 years of age.”
Another important factor in the travel boom has been the roll out of Brick Air’s new high speed jet planes, which have cut travel time from Bricklyn to Strasbrick in half — from 30 hours to just under 15.
Thanks to assistance from the Bricklyn Office of Outland Affairs, Rogue Schoolers has informally paired several of its itineraries with those of the Outland “Road Scholars” organization.
Several Bricklynites walking between canal locks, led by their guide Sammy Brickner (wearing her everyday hat and neck wrap).
➤ As reporter of this story, I have to acknowledge my bafflement about the name “Road Scholars,” as participants in Road Scholars travel programs are rarely scholars of transportation, let alone of vehicular transportation. — G.V.
One of the recent Rogue Schooler programs involved a trip to the Alsbrique region of France. As a group of Road Scholars followed almost the identical itinerary, we encourage you to read the informative, yet engaging, trip reports by tour participant Wayne Senville that the Lake Champlain chapter of The Alliance Française has posted on its website. The name Senville should sound familiar to our Bricklyn readers as Mr. Senville also serves as the Vermont-based Outland Liaison to Bricklyn’s Office of Outland Affairs.
Vermont Bricklynites had several opportunities during their trip to meet up with new friends from the Realm of Alsbrique, France. In this initial meeting the Alsbriquians wore traditional attire, while the Bricklynites also wore their own traditional attire.
Bricklynites looking up at Alsbrique’s famous Petit Château Brickingsbourg.
We caught up with Mr. Senville yesterday, shortly after his daily afternoon siesta.
Senville told us he was able to meet up with the Bricklyn Rogue Schoolers group several times because of his status as Outland Liaison. But, as he explained, “because of Bricklyn privacy laws, I was not able to share knowledge of these rendezvous during my trip with anyone in our Road Scholars group. I hope others in our group understand that while I would have liked to have had them meet the Bricklynites, this was just not possible.”
However, as Senville noted, “now that the trip is over, I can share some of the photos I took of the Bricklyn Rogue Schoolers, led by their excellent guide, ‘Sammy’ Brickner.” We’ve inserted several of Senville’s AI-assisted photos into this post.
Fourteen Bricklyn Rogue Schoolers say farewell to the Mad Elaine and several of its crew. The Mad Elaine served as the Bricklynites’ “péniche-croisière” during most of their time in Alsbrique.
Bricklyn Alliance Française members celebrate the dedication of the organization’s completely renovated offices, classrooms, and cinema/theater.
We should also note the active role that both the Bricklyn Chamber of Commerce and the Bricklyn Chapter of the Alliance Française has played in strengthening links between the Realm of Bricklyn and several French realms, including the Realm of Alsbrique.
Looking Back at 2025: Our Five Favorite News Stories
➤ Bricklyn Voters Says “Oui” to Association With France / Bricklyn voters sent a clear message to the French Parliament yesterday by endorsing Bricklyn’s joining the French Republic. The Yes — or “Oui” — vote means that the proposed agreement for Bricklyn to become a French “Overseas Collectivity” has taken a giant step forward.
➤ Venice in Bricklyn: The New Canal District Takes Shape / Bricklyn’s long planned Canal District — referred to by the moniker “Venice in Bricklyn” — is bearing its first fruits with the completion of several Venetian-style palazzi alongside a newly constructed canal.
➤ Why the Bricklyn Longhouse is Central to Community Life / Chief Bricklyn historian W.T. Jackson describes the design and uses of the Bricklyn Longhouse, perhaps the single most important building in the Realm. Jackson explains how the Longhouse incorporates Viking, Iroquois, and New England roots.
➤ The Bricklyn Brick Spa: A Cleansing Journey / In the first of a series of interviews of “ordinary” Bricklynites, Bricklyn Eagle correspondent Gloria Vanderbrick speaks with Meredith B. Days, manager of the Bricklyn Brick Spa, and discusses the key role spas play in the life of the residents of Bricklyn.
by Gloria Vanderbrick, Bricklyn Eagle “People in the News” correspondent
“What’s the weather like today?” That’s the question asked by most Bricklynites every day. We dare say, it’s the same question most Outlanders also ask.
Bricklyn weather forecasters, however, have the unusual task of having to deal with two totally different “climate zones” — depending on which side of The Great Wall of Bricklyn you live on.
Here to explain the ins and outs of the tricky job of forecasting the weather in the Realm of Bricklyn is chief meteorologist Tiler Brickoski, who works for the Bricklyn Weather Service — and who many Bricklynites see almost every day on NewsChannel5.
Tiler Brickoski on the air with NewsChannel 5 on a snowy day in Bricklyn Jct. .All photos in this article taken by Bricklyn Eagle photographer Ann Tiler Anderson, with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.
There’s one more reason Tiler is with us, and that’s because he’s a past Brickardy winner– but more on that after we talk about just about everyone’s favorite topic here in Bricklyn, the weather. Welcome Tiler.
Tiler Brickoski: Thanks, Gloria. Glad to be here, and I have to tell you I enjoyed your interview of fellow Brickardy winner, Merry Days. Her Bricklyn Brick Spa is my go to place whenever I need a thorough cleansing!
Weather Patterns Inside & Outside The Great Wall
Gloria Vanderbrick: Good to have you with us. Let’s start with what probably puzzles most Outlanders, and even some Bricklynites: just why are there two distinct climate zones in such a small geographic area as the Realm Bricklyn?
Tiler Brickoski: It has little to due with geography, since all of the Realm is quite similar in terms of topography. But what does make a huge difference — and why we always have to issue two sets of forecasts — is because of The Great Wall of Bricklyn. Those living in portions of Bricklyn “inside” The Great Wall are subject to completely different weather than those living “outside” The Great Wall.
Gloria Vanderbrick; We’re inserting below a photo showing the difference. Bear in mind that the photo was taken on a snowy Winter day (February 14, 2024, 1pm EST). You can see The Great Wall cutting through the middle of the yards facing each other: nice weather on the west side of The Wall, snow on the east side.
Same time, same February day: two sides of the same block in Bricklyn’s Eastside neighborhood looking west towards Bricklyn Bay. Photo by Ann Tiler Anderson, with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.
Tiler Brickoski: Yes, it’s a strange phenomenon, which can be especially disorienting in Winter when it’s almost always temperate inside The Great Wall, but cold and snowy outside the Wall — even though the Wall is only about six feet wide.
The Great Wall does not in any significant way affect the ability of Bricklynites to easily go back and forth between either side of The Wall. It can be fun to walk, in just a couple of minutes, from a snowy to a sunny day, or vice-versa. Kids of all ages enjoy that!
I should add that it can be confusing for Outlanders to understand the difference between “outside” or “inside” the Wall. But it’s actually simple:
“Outside The Great Wall” refers to those areas that cannot be seen by humans (other than in photos) since The Great Wall hides them from human sight, but leaves these parts of the Realm of Bricklyn subject to Vermont’s highly variable, seasonal weather.
Boys heading from house inside the Great Wall on a December morning to do some cross-country skiing a few blocks away in part of Bricklyn that is outside the Great Wall.
“Inside The Great Wall” refers to those parts of the Realm of Bricklyn that humans, that is to say Outlanders, can visit and see.
Those areas inside the Wall are all located in an enclave within an Outlander’s basement. As a result of this protective bubble, It never snows or rains in those parts of Bricklyn inside the Great Wall.
Photos above show two tunnels through The Great Wall, in both cases the view is from the downtown Bricklyn “inside the Wall” side. The other end of the tunnels is in Bricklyn Junction on the “outside the Wall” side. Photos by Ann Tiler Anderson, with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.
Gloria Vanderbrick: So what difference does that mean in terms of weather if you live inside or outside the Wall?
Tiler Brickoski: Well, generally speaking, weather outside The Great Wall is the same as the weather outdoors in Burlington, Vermont, while weather inside The Great Wall is the same as what it’s like inside the Outlander’s basement.
But here’s the problem: the weather inside The Great Wall — and this includes all of Bricklyn’s downtown core and part of South Bricklyn — is subject to the “whims” of that “unknown” Outlander who owns and controls the basement in which a large portion of the Realm of Bricklyn is located.📍
📍Editor’s Note: The 1981 establishment agreement between the State of Vermont and the Realm of Bricklyn formally recognized the Realm of Bricklyn’s existence as a quarter-acre enclave within the State of Vermont, The specific location, as well as the name of the homeowner who has provided the enclave cannot be disclosed without the express written consent of the homeowner. There are steep penalties for unauthorized disclosure, including banishment from Bricklyn.
Gloria Vanderbrick: Why did you says “whims,” Tiler? Isn’t the climate in those parts of Bricklyn inside The Wall generally temperate and consistent year round?
Tiler Brickoski: Maybe the word “whim” wasn’t the right word to choose — and I’m glad you included the word “generally.” Indeed most of the time temperatures in areas located inside The Wall are consistently in the 62 to 65 degree F. range. These temperatures are maintained by the Outland homeowner’s furnace and air conditioning unit as well as the fact that the basement is partially sunk into the ground.
Portions of South Bricklyn are located inside an Outlander’s basement. Various elements of the basement’s heating and cooling systems create forecasting challenges for Bricklyn meteorologists.
However, there is some variability, especially when this Outlander is on vacation and significantly lowers the temperature inside the house — perhaps to save money, perhaps to believe his action helps fight global warming. This can cause a quite noticeable drop in downtown Bricklyn’s temperature of about six to eight degrees. Bricklyn meteorologists refer to these times as the “They’re Away Days.” Again, it’s hard to forecast since we at the Bricklyn Weather Service are not privy to the Outlanders vacation schedule. That’s one weather mystery!
Gloria Vanderbrick: Tiler, are there any other aspects of the weather in those parts of Bricklyn that are inside The Wall that are, shall we say, “Outlander dependent”?
Tiler Brickoski is certified accurate by the Bricklyn Meteorological Society (BMS).
Tiler Brickoski: Yes, in fact there are. They relate to both wind speed and wind direction.
First of all, easterly winds flow out of vents near the basement ceiling.
They generate warm breezes during Winter when the Outlander’s furnace is active, and cool breezes during Summer when the Outlander’s air conditioner is running.
There’s one further complication, and that has to do with the Outlander’s portable fan.
Gloria Vanderbrick: How does that fan complicate your forecasting?
Tiler Brickoski: The fan’s unpredictable usage, location, and speed can be quite baffling to our meteorologists. Frankly, we don’t understand why the Outland homeowner periodically shifts the location of this fan, and also why he sometimes goes days without running the fan, and then days when the fan is always on.
Fan pointing northFan pointing east
Further complicating our forecasting ability, the homeowner seems to randomly change the fan’s “rotation” setting. This means that while sometimes the fan-generated wind blows steadily in just one direction, other times it moves in a broad, semi-circular constantly repeating pattern. Bricklyn meteorologists refer to these winds blowing in continuously changing directions as the “Circular Variables.”
As if all this weren’t enough, this fan also generates three different wind speeds, which are not set in any pattern we can discern. As I said, it’s baffling. We’ve asked our liaison to the Outland world to look into this and speak with the homeowner, but we’ve been told to “not rock the boat.”
Gloria Vanderbrick: I can see how all this can make forecasting difficult. I also know that you closely monitor the weather in Burlington, Vermont. Can’t Bricklyn just rely on the human meteorologists in Burlington, like the eminent Tyler Jankoski, for forecasts affecting those portions of Bricklyn outside The Great Wall? After all, the weather there should be about the same as in Burlington.
Tiler Brickoski at Bricklyn Weather Service offices in Bricklyn Jct., Vermont.
Tiler Brickoski: Yes, we could. But then six of us, including me, might be out of our jobs!
But truly, Gloria, we at the Bricklyn Weather Service have always felt it important for Bricklyn to be able to take care of its own forecasting needs. Given some of the concerns about possible changes in the relationship between Bricklyn and Vermont — the latter being part of the United States — I think being self-reliant remains a good practice.
Brickardy Advice from Brickoski
Gloria Vanderbrick: In our last few minutes I’d like to switch gears and ask you about another aspect of your life, that involving the game show Brickardy. You’ve been a past contestant and a six game winner on Brickardy. What got you interested in that show?
Part of the set of Brickardy. A much younger Tiler Brickoski is seen in the middle.
Tiler Brickoski: Like Merry Gay — and, yes, I read your interview of her — I started watching Brickardy as a kid. I even used to go over to The Excchange LIbrary and use their VPN to watch games of the Outland show it’s based on, Jeopardy.
I guess you’d call me a nerd, especially in my teens. I also preferred science to sports, which is how I got addicted to learning about weather. So delving into aspects of weather and climate led me to want to learn a lot about many other subjects, especially in the sciences. Brickardy just seemed to tie together all kinds of knowledge.
Gloria Vanderbrick: As I asked Merry Days last week, let me ask you: if you had to give one tip to someone who wants to be a Brickardy winner, what would that be?
Tiler Brickoski: I saw Merry’s advice was to make better use of the buzzer. That’s certainly a good tip. But for me what’s most important is having prepared a game strategy. This means things like selecting categories wisely, understanding how Daily Doubles work, and making smart wagers on Final Brickardy.
Gloria Vanderbrick: Tiler, thanks for taking the time to speak with us, and see you on NewChannel5.
To the Editor: Thanks for the interview of my favorite TV weather person. Tiler Brickoski is just great, and is such a smart guy. I love the segments he sometimes does on “weather mysteries.” I also wasn’t aware there are so many different factors involving wind speed and direction in Bricklyn. It is a strange sensation to walk down South Street during those “circular variable” winds when they’re continuously changing direction. — Melissa Plater Grant, Bricklyn, VT.
The day it rained frogs in South Bricklyn (June 15, 1983). Photo from The Bricklyn Eagle archives, taken with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.
To the Editor: I’m a junior at Bricklyn University, where I’m majoring in physics, with a minor in meteorology. I remember a number of years ago when I was in 4th grade, Mr. Brickoski came to our class and gave a terrific talk about strange weather events in Bricklyn’s history, like the time it actually rained frogs. Yes, it really can rain frogs! It was a lot of fun, and helped trigger my interest in meteorology.
But I also remember asking Mr. Brickoski why he was talking about the weather, instead of about meteors!He explained that the word “meteorology” comes from the Greek word “meteoron” which means “things high in the air” — and that includes the weather. — Moses B. Strong, South Bricklyn, VT.
To the Editor: I think that you could have edited the interview better. At times it was hard to follow. My guess is that most Outland readers will be lost with all the” inside the wall” and “outside the wall” references. They cloud up the article. You should tell your readers to at least read the glossary entry about the Great Wall first, or read where Bricklyn’s chief historian gives a good summary of the Great Wall’s history. Editor Walt Brickman, you could have done better! — Wayne S., Vermont
