Views From The Hil 3 Views From The Hil 3

Cartoonist Hilary Allison adores your comments and can also be reached at mailto:hilaryallison@activist.cc.

NOT TO BE MISSED NOT TO BE MISSED

November 2-4 and 9-11 the Towns and Villages of the Battenkill Valley (TVOBV) invite you to treat yourself to a little fun before the holidays kick in. Create, relax, stroll and enjoy much of what our region has to offer when you schedule a day or a weekend of activities from a wide variety of programs. Most programs are about 2-hours long and within walking distance of each other, allowing you to park your car and stroll from shop to shop, grab a bite to eat and most of all enjoy.

Each Village has a unique variety of interesting, hands on learning, exploring and creative experiences.

Cambridge, NY will feature Over the Moon Beads and Gifts where you can create a beautiful jewelry with Swarovski crystals, genuine freshwater pearls, and sterling silver beads; Deluge Design Stained Glass & Gifts to learn how to cut, grind, copper foil and solder stained glass; Chasing Silver will get you working with sterling silver sheet and wire; OPEN! guests can receive massage, reiki, healing touch, reflexology and other healing arts from well-trained professionals; Bliss McIntosh will teach you to fashion a beautiful corn husk doll using all natural materials at Hubbard Hall's visual art studio on Sunday, Nov 10. A portion of your fee goes to support Hubbard Hall Projects, Inc.

Greenwich, NY invites you to Focus on Flowers on Nov. 3 & 10th to learn the art of fresh flower arranging; Union Village will be decked for the holidays, but Judy and her team have left a tree to demonstrate the art of decorating and learn to floor cloth; Greenwich Local Market will have Mary Muncil on site at to show you how to mix and learn the healing benefits of herbs; create a stunning hand-painted wooden purse with beaded handle with Suzanne Becker.

Salem, NY programs are quite crafty. Gardenworks will offer two classes: wall basket or 18" wreath & Bird House Gourd - make it artistic or functional; Sally Brillon welcomes you to her 1786 Wilson Homestead in Hebron to teach you the art of preparing and enjoying a noon meal in an open hearth; North Main Gallery will host Christine Brooks Corbett - Art of Appliqué on 10 November (Saturday) only and Faith Perkins of Quarry Ridge Alpacas 11 November (Sunday) only; Spoonful Catering will teach how to prepare delicious holiday hors-d'oeurves.

Shushan, NY the Georgi Museum and Park presents Leap of Faith 4 Friends Share their Art with Jon Katz, Anthony Armstrong, Mary Kellogg, and Maria Heinrich, November 9-10-11~ Opening Reception Fri 530-7p with the artists. Show on Sat & Sun 1-4p.

Come for the day or stay for the weekend. For a complete list of events, visit www.visitbattenkillvalley.com

The weekend is presented by The Towns and Villages of the Battenkill Valley a not for profit regional association whose goal is to promote tourism in the Battenkill Valley. Support for this project comes from the office of Senator Elizabeth Little, LARAC and the Arts and Business Council of New York.

Photographer's Log Photographer's Log

Cambridge Classic

What could be more “classic” than autumn colors combined with the rich architecture found in our Cambridge Village?

After moving out of the surrounding hills into the village more than five years ago now, I have taken to the challenge of looking at views around town from different perspectives. I am amazed to find each day hidden visual treasures available to me right outside my door.

Cambridge is such a great walking village; see you all on the streets! –John Carlson

Photo copyright John Carlson 2007
Email me at:
jdcarlson2001@yahoo.com.

NOT TO BE MISSED NOT TO BE MISSED

Photo courtesy Wikimedia. Photographer: Carole Pasquier

A weekend of Haunting, History, Legend and Lore.

The weekend of October 26-27-28 is going to be hauntingly fun in Cambridge, NY. Residents and visitors will find plenty of entertainment over the weekend as they delve into Cambridge's history and explore the past with Elizabeth Davidson of Ghost Girls Paranormal Investigations. Elizabeth has been performing paranormal investigations for the past 6 years in the Washington and Warren County areas. She considers herself a "sensitive" which simply means she is very attuned to her environment; she can feel what’s around her, sensing activity and presence. "I'm very proud to live here in a place that is chock full of amazing History, and where there is History there is certainly Paranormal activity" She strongly believes these areas are a mecca for paranormal activity.

Friday Evening: Ghost Girls investigation will tour the Rice Mansion Inn from 5:30p-7:00p ($10 includes refreshments)

Sat. Afternoon: Ghost Girls will explore any haunting of the Cambridge Hotel from 3:30-5:00p (no charge, but for those wishing to stay for dinner reservations are advised)

Sat. Night: 9:00p - Vampires, Pirates, Cowboys and Indians and maybe Wonder Woman will be at Hubbard Hall’s annual Scholarship Halloween Costume Party. Rock the house with the “Blackouts”. Music, dancing, costumes, munchies, beer & wine available! $10 per person (no little pumpkins please).

Sunday Afternoon: 2:00 pm Theatre Company at Hubbard Hall presents A Very Scary readers theater with readings from some favorite spooky stories and several local ghost tales! $12 non-members, $10 members, $5 students.

Saturday & Sunday: Explorations will continue with local cemeteries. A suggested donation of $5 to the TVOBV is encouraged. No dogs or strollers on the tours, please.

The weekend is presented by The Towns and Villages of the Battenkill Valley. Come for the day or stay for the weekend. For more information visit their website at www.visitbattenkillvalley.com

Views From The Hil 2 Views From The Hil 2

Cartoonist Hilary Allison adores your comments and can also be reached at mailto:hilaryallison@activist.cc.

Cambridge Life 10/22/07 Cambridge Life 10/22/07

Photos: John Carlson; Debra Pearlman

Living where we do it's so easy to take our views for granted, but this morning I could not stop looking at the trees outside my bedroom window.


My morning wake-up call (Photo: Debra Pearlman)

The morning light was just starting to illuminate the leaves and the combination of gold and pink was so intense. As I sat on my bed and contemplated my day, a wing of geese flew overhead, honking their signal of the coming season. I know that today will be rainy, some may even say gloomy, I say it's just another beautiful day in Cambridge, NY.

Views From The Hil 1 Views From The Hil 1

CambridgeBuzz welcomes our newest addition, "Views from the Hil," a weekly cartoon thread created by the young cartoonist Hilary Allison from Salem, NY.

I am sure you will enjoy Hilary's sharp wit, unique perspectives of our area (and beyond), and her rising-star talent, as much as I do.

We are honored to have you on-board, Hil!

P.S. She adores your comments and can also be reached at mailto:hilaryallison@activist.cc.

Cambridge Cooks Cambridge Cooks

Photos: Debra Pearlman

Greetings to all you culinary artists. Cambridge Cooks has been on a bit of a hiatus but is ready, willing, and able to share your favorite recipes, kitchen secrets and must haves.

I'm addicted to cooking shows. I watch for good recipes, but I also watch for all the wonderful cooking gadgets and utensils I absolutely need. The right size grater, a specific type of ricer, or maybe you just must have a blast freezer-- what ever it is, having just the right tool for the job is essential to creating culinary perfection.

As the Village where Pie a la mode was invented, Cambridge, NY really knows how to put on a spread. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I know you have a particular dish that just can't be omitted from the menu. Along with your favorite recipes, share your kitchen must-haves and sage advice. Email suggestions to debra@pearlproductionsllc.com.

Enjoy!

Photographer's Log Photographer's Log

If you have missed “Photographers Log” lately, it is because, June Mohan-- the artist and author responsible for this thread-- has had to step down for a while to take care of some health concerns. Let’s send June our well wishes that she can come back soon to again grace this journal with her photos and prose.

In the meantime, I will keep the thread going with my own version of the log. Hope you enjoy.


(Photo: Copyright 2007 John Carlson)

A Steeple Reclaimed

Over the past months I have watched with fascination the renovation of the steeple on the Cambridge United Presbyterian Church, here on Main Street. It got me thinking about all kinds of structural issues, like leverage, wind sheer and how the heck do you fix something like that anyway! It has been an ongoing education.

A tip of the hat, not only to the workers who are risking their lives to help save one of our architectural landmarks, but to the citizens of the church and the town, those who donated money to keep this view of our Cambridge intact.

Today, as a belayed steeple-jack puts some of the finishing touches on the project- the bright copper flashing on the seams- I was inspired to make this photograph and to share it here on the CambridgeBuzz.

I hope you get out there in the next few days and gaze upwards at this rather remarkable team of people as they finish securing the structure of one of the wonders of our skyline, for generations to enjoy.

To contact me, send your email to: jdcarlson2001@yahoo.com Thanks.

NOT TO BE MISSED -RAIN OR SHINE NOT TO BE MISSED -RAIN OR SHINE

This weekend the foliage will be at peak color so why not experience an Historic Journey through the Battenkill Valley

The Towns and Villages of the Battenkill Valley present their first “Seasons in the Battenkill Valley.” Travel through the rural towns and villages, stumble upon a treasure, learn about the past, and enjoy the beauty of our region. Come for the day or stay for the weekend. Residents are encouraged to have tag sales and retail merchants are asked to clear out their shelves to prepare for the holiday season

Kick off your weekend at the Car Show and Block Party - Cambridge Freight Yard
Friday, Oct. 12 4:00 -9:00 PM

Music by Bliss and Robbie McIntosh
Dancing with Darcy May and the Irish Step Dancing class
Popcorn, cotton candy, lemonade, ice tea and fresh pressed apple cider.
The event is free, but donations to the Youth Commission are most appreciated.

EVENTS ARE SCHEDULED ALL WEEKEND LONG!

For up to date information and details visit www.visitbattenkillvalley.com or call 677-5945.

Cambridge Life Cambridge Life

I know what you all are thinking, what can happen in a small rural village in a week? This past week I went looking for close-out sales of outdoor deck furniture. First I went up to Granville to the Telescope factory. Their products are lovely, but even at close-out prices a bit too dear for me. Next I drove over to Manchester, VT. What a mistake! Being Columbus Day weekend, everyone who could get out-of-town decided to go to the outlets-- crowded doesn't begin to describe the volume of shoppers. On Sunday I headed over to the Wilton Mall area. I figured I could check out all the major "box" stores and Sears, but they have jumped from summer right into Christmas. Forget Halloween and Thanksgiving, the tree decorations and lawn orniments were shelved and ready for purchase. Gives new meaning to rushing the seasons. Needless to say, I never found any deck furniture.

The rest of the week is quickly evaporating into the upcoming weekend. Things to think about:

Sat. & Sun. there will be a Village-wide tag sale all weekend long.

Remember to get your raking and twig debris out for Village pick-up, which is just around the corner.



Sunday, October 14th, will be the last chance to stock up on fresh from the farm produce or pick-up a great Christmas present from one of the many craft vendors at the Cambridge Farmers' Market.

I'm also looking for some good advice on prepping for winter. If you have suggestions on how best to winterize your home, car, garden, tools. etc... please email Debra Pearlman or post a comment to this blog. I'll share your advice and probably make use of it as well.

Have a great week Cambridge!

Not To Be Missed Not To Be Missed

Experience an Historic Journey through the Battenkill Valley

The Towns and Villages of the Battenkill Valley present their first “Seasons in the Battenkill Valley.” Travel through the rural towns and villages, stumble upon a treasure, learn about the past, and enjoy the beauty of our region. Come for the day or stay for the weekend. Residents are encouraged to have tag sales and retail merchants are asked to clear out their shelves to prepare for the holiday season.

Kick off your weekend at the Car Show and Block Party - Cambridge Freight Yard
Friday, Oct. 12 4:00 -9:00 PM

Music by Bliss and Robbie McIntosh
Dancing with Darcy May and the Irish Step Dancing class
Popcorn, cotton candy, lemonade, ice tea and fresh pressed apple cider.
The event is free, but donations to the Youth Commission are most appreciated.

EVENTS ARE SCHEDULED ALL WEEKEND LONG!

For up to date information and details visit www.visitbattenkillvalley.com or call 677-5945.

Green Tomato Solution Green Tomato Solution

Late September and still not ripe (Photos by Debra Pearlman)

Blog Reader June Mohan sent me the following solution to the green tomato problem I mentioned in this week's Cambridge Life posting. I now share this good tip with all the readers of the Cambridgebuzz.

You don't have to quickly use up the last of the green tomatoes each season.

This is a very, very old solution for final harvest time, passed down through the generations of my family. You can use it on green peppers for a while, too.

When I was a youngster my mother used to set out 12-24 tomato plants each year! (And she did not do any canning, believe it or not!) The ripe ones would instantly go into sauces and other food preps several times a week during the growing season. BUT...

When the season ended, just before the first frost, she would pick every green tomato, wrap each individually in newspaper, lay a bed of crumpled newspaper on the bottom of a drawer in an old chest of drawers, layer the wrapped tomatoes, put another layer of crumpled newspaper over these, layer another batch of wrapped tomatoes and continue this process until the drawer was full. Then she would go on to the next drawer. The trick was this chest was in an unheated bedroom, a pretty cool place, I'll tell you.

We were eating ripened red tomatoes into January! And they were delicious. Every few days we'd go into the drawers and choose some "pinking" tomatoes to put onto the kitchen table to ripen over the week. If we wanted them to ripen quickly we'd put them onto the kitchen window sill to let the sun help them along.

If you have an unheated room that is well protected from frost give this trick a try next year. Just make sure you put the greenest, most unripe tomatoes on the lowest layers in each drawer as they will last the longest.

Thanks June!

Cambridge Life Cambridge Life

As I travel about the Village, I see neighbors putting up their Halloween decorations, raking leaves for pick-up and making sure all the weather stripping is good. It's more quiet in town now that the kids are back in school. Weekends are filled with football and soccer matches or traveling our own secret roads to spot our favorite bit of fall color.

I'm hoping my deck will be finished in time to enjoy the crisp autumn nights and amazingly starry skies. The tomato plant that overtook my back porch has been harvested, even though the fruits were still pretty green. I decided to invent a green tomato sauce-- sort of like fried green tomatoes, pureed. I'll let you all know how that one turns out. I've moved the snow shovels to a place I can find them, put one last grass cutting on my To Do List, and have noticed that I'm craving more soup than ice tea.

Life in Cambridge, NY is noticeably slower these days, but you can still catch the peak of leaf season and find fresh veggies at the Farmers' Market, but you better hurry!

Let me know how you prepare for the upcoming seasons. Send an email to Debra Pearlman and I'll include it in the next Cambridge Life posting. Or join our interactive community and post a comment.

WIne Tasting Events Offered WIne Tasting Events Offered

(Photograph by John Carlson 2007)

Interested in developing your wine palette?

Black Dog Wines & Spirits, located at 63 West Main Street in Cambridge, is offering free wine tasting. They are informative and fun.

The following events are scheduled:

Thursday, October 11, 7 PM
Cabernet Sauvignon;

Tuesday, October 30, 7 PM
Riesling;

Sunday, November 18, 1PM
Beaujolais Nouveau and other Beaujolais.

Please stop in the store or call 677-BARK (2275) to make a reservation for 1 or all.
Watch the Blog for further events.