The Georgi The Georgi

Photos courtesy of The Georgi Museum

A collection of Renaissance art, European antiques and Asian collectibles, situated on nine acres of park and gardens along the famous Battenkill trout stream.


Photos courtesy of The Georgi Museum

Along the Battenkill in Shushan, the Georgi Museum and Park is a favorite site for catered gatherings or family picnics.

This weekend is a fund raising weekend for the Museum. Stop by and support this local gem.

Museum grounds open dawn until dusk.
Art museum and library hours:
Weekends only Saturday and Sunday 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Form more information go to the Georgi Museum website.

Cambridge Cooks: Blueberry Spinach Salad Cambridge Cooks: Blueberry Spinach Salad

Photos: Debra Pearlman

My neighbor Mary found this recipe in a flier from Hannafords. It's a great end of summer salad to add to your Labor Day dinner, here it is.

BLUEBERRY SPINACH SALAD WITH GINGER DRESSING

WHAT YOU NEED:

Dressing:
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger (about a 2" finger)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup light or pure olive oil
2 Tbsp. reduced-fat mayonnaise

Salad:
3-1/2 oz Baby Spinach (approx. 1/2 bag)
1 pint fresh blueberries
1-1/2 cups seedless watermelon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch radishes, finely chopped (approx. 3/4 cup)
1/3 cup finely chopped chives

WHAT YOU DO:

1. Combine all dressing ingredients to a blender. Mix on medium speed until smooth, set aside.

2. Place spinach in a large salad bowl. Top with blueberries, watermelon, yellow pepper, and radishes. Drizzle dressing on salad and sprinkle with chives. Toss gently and serve.

This recipe is supposed to serve four (4), but when I made it five people had salad and there was enough left over for the next day. In fact, the salad tasted even better the next day as the flavors had a chance to really develop.

Works great with grilled pork or salmon.

Cambridge Life 8/27/08 Cambridge Life 8/27/08

Photos by John Carlson and June Mohan

The Washington County Fair has ended for another year, racing season is almost over, and school is getting ready to start. All this signals that the end of summer is just around the corner. But don't despair because with summer's end comes autum's beginning. My sugar maples are already turning bright orange and red. I've been raking leaves and getting the garden ready for winter. Last Sunday I attended the closing performance of Cosi fan Tutti at Hubbrd Hall. Now I'm no opera buff, usually can't stay awake through the first act, but this was different. First of all, you get to see the singers close-up. And they could act! It was just wonderful to see a 130+ year old opera house back in action. Hats off to Benji and the entire Opera Company. I hear they are planning on more shows so be sure and check the Hubbard Hall website for future events.

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, check out the Croquet (crow-Kay) tournament at the Rice Mansion Inn. Here are the details:

A fun benefit for the Village of Cambridge Beautification

On the lawn at VARAK Park

Sunday, August 31 beginning at 2:00 p.m.

Using the United States Croquet Association special edition of the Rules of 9-Wicket Croquet

Tournament Teams of 4 may enter or we can create a foursome

All players are encouraged to wear WHITE

2:00 p.m. Refreshing Registration
2:30 p.m. First games begin

Grand Champion Playoff front Lawn of Rice Mansion Inn

Sweets and spectator viewing from front porch

$40 per team or $10 per person

Includes welcome glass of champagne or lemonade, tasty treats and sweets
Prizes for winning team, best hat, best mallet, and best team name

Register at ricemansion@nycap.rr.com. or 677-5741

The Cambridge Hotel will be open for dinner.

Don’t forget the Cambridge Farmers’ Market 10a-2p

Have a great week!

Where in the Hell is Matt? Where in the Hell is Matt?

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

SAVE-THE-DATE: Casino Night SAVE-THE-DATE: Casino Night

Ferns Ferns

A Field of Ferns
by Raymond A. Foss

Above the bluff, the scar,
the clear-cut of the power lines,
a forest of pine opens
to the north
Surrounded by conifers,
a field of ferns, rising on sturdy
erect stalks, broad leaves
to drink the shafts of light
falling briefly, through the canopy
the tall mast pines, straight and true
red-brown needles, a carpet between
the ferns, the regal trees, an evenness
of surface, short pile rug
green ferns, red-brown needles,
green-brown trunks, bright green needles
above, reaching to blue sky

Photo Credit: Roger Wyatt

Pember Museum of Natural History Pember Museum of Natural History

Photos: courtsey of Pember Museum of Natural History

If you travel a bit north of Cambridge on Route 22, you'll find a wonderful hidden treasure, the Pember Museum of Natural History. The Pember Library and Museum were established in Granville, New York, in 1909, by Franklin Tanner Pember and his wife Ellen Wood Pember. Both institutions continue to operate in the building designed and built for this purpose. The Pember Library is housed on the first floor of the marble structure and the Pember Museum of Natural History is located on the second floor. There is a resource library and wonder trails in the Nature Preserve.


Photos: courtsey of Pember Museum of Natural History

Have a fun on-line experience by creating a critter at the Pember Website.

The Pember Museum is located on the second floor of the Pember Library and Museum building at 33 W. Main Street Granville, New York.

Open Year Road: Tuesday - Friday 1-5pm, Saturday 10am-3pm, Closed Sundays, Mondays and Holidays

Cambridge Life 8/20/08 Cambridge Life 8/20/08

Photos by John Carlson and June Mohan

This is a jam packed weekend. The Washington County Fair is in full swing, Saratoga Race Track is getting ready for Saturday's Travers Cup race, and the Villages of Cambridge and Salem have all sorts of cultural events taking place.

Salem is an amazing little jewel in the Battenkill Valley. Located off Route 22 about 12 miles north of the Village of Cambridge and about the same east of Greenwich, Rt 29 to Rt 22, lies the Village of Salem.

Take a break from the Washington County Fair and find yourself in Salem for the day. Enjoy Barry and the Hill Hollow Band, venture up to Gardenworks, have lunch on Salem's Main Street, check out McCartees Barn, and join SAW for the Moveable Feast. Pangaea and Chef Bill Scully will not disappoint you!

Friday evening consider joining the ladies at Battenkill Books in Cambridge for poetry-maybe enjoy an early dinner at the Cambridge Hotel trying Chef Jonathan Fine's new menu then stroll back for dessert after the readings.

Hubbard Hall's production of Cosi fan Tutte continues on Thursday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

The Towns and Villages of the Battenkill Valley look forward to welcoming you to our little piece of the planet. Come for a visit, you will be glad you did.

P.S. Blueberries are ripe for picking and they are delicious!

Here;s some of what you can do this weekend:

Thursday, August 21, Saturday, August 23 @ 8:00 pm
Sunday, August 24, 2008 @ 2:00 pm
HUBBARD HALL
Cosi fan Tutte

Friday, August 22, 2008
BATTENKILL BOOKS
POETRY NIGHT
7:30 P.M. at Battenkill Books One East Main Street in Cambridge
Bring a poem or two to share, from your own work or from a favorite poet--or just come to listen.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, call the Bookstore at 518-677-2208.

Saturday, August 23, 2008
Barry Hyman in Salem
11:00am, Salem Farmers’ Market
Bandleader Barry Hyman brings his Hill Hollow Band to Summer Sounds of Salem. The free concert begins at 11:00 am and takes place at the Gazebo on Main Street. Hyman is known for his world beat music and smooth sounds.
The Hill Hollow Band is led by Barry Hyman. Sample his music at http://payplay.fm/barryhyman2.

Summer Sounds of Salem, a free outdoor concert series sponsored by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, features an eclectic mix of music from around the world. For additional information please call Stephen Trombley of the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce at (518) 935-3297 or email s_trombley@verizon.net.

Saturday, August 23 @ Salem Art Works (SAW)
A Movable Feast 4:00 - 9:00 pm

Salem Art Works' Annual Fundraiser Offers Gourmet Outdoor Dining, a Live Auction, and Performances by Local and International Musicians and Artists
Catered by Pangaea Restaurant of Bennington, VT, the three-course dinner will be served outdoors at different locations among the rolling blue-hills of SAW's 120-acre public sculpture park at 19 Cary Lane. All proceeds from the event will be dedicated to supporting SAW's programming and artists’ residencies in 2009.

Tickets for this event can be reserved by calling the SAW office at 518-854-7674 and the cost is $35-$100 per person on a sliding scale dependent upon each individual's ability to offer support

Exhibition Opening
"Ferro City, Welcome to the Land of Cast Iron Sculpture"; a group show of contemporary cast iron sculpture curated by Coral Lambert (UK) will be opening in SAW's Barn II Gallery, a new installation by Theresa Smith (MI) will open in Barn III, and monoprints, collages, and drawings by Nolan Grunwald (NJ) and Zach Noel (MA) will open in SAW's Visitors Center. All Works will be on display through September 2008.

August 20-Sept. 15, 2008
McCartee's Barn
Presents an art show titled Roots and Routes and features artists:
Dona McAdams, Craig Barnes, Benjamin Hill, Stu Eichel,Dona Friedman, Robin Hanks, Michael Williams, Leif Johnson, Greg Miner, George Van Hook, Harry Orlyk, Joan Duff-Bohrer, Erik Johnsen, Ray Arenella, Jon McClellan, Peter Hanks and David Wade.

To keep up to date with area happenings visit The Towns and Villages of the Battenkill Valley website, or click on the Seasons of the Battenkill sign on this page.

Little Theater on the Farm Little Theater on the Farm

The Little Theater on the Farm at 27 Plum Road in Fort Edward is part of the Arts Decentralization Program, administered locally by the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council. It features some upcoming events.

August 22nd, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
A Talent Show for students grades K-12

August 23rd 2008
Groovefest rock concert

September 5th 2008
Washington County Historical Society Concert featuring Traditional & Historical Songs of New York State. This concert, sponsored by the Washington County Historical Society, is performed by musician and storyteller Dave Ruch, who has a special knack for performing songs of real New Yorkers from days gone by, and weaving the songs into the stories behind them - stories of farmers, lumbermen, children, immigrants, Native Americans, cannallers and more. The program is free and open to the general public. It's funded by the New York Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The theater doors open at 7:30, the performance begins at 8 p.m. Come enjoy some refreshments before the performance and take a stroll through this authentic 19th century barn.

September 6th 2008
Adult Talent Show (family entertainment)

For ticket sales call (518)747-4418 or visit their website.

The theater's facilities are available for plays, concerts, recitals, and other appropriate activities. Indoor seating capacity is 70. 14' backdoors open for extra seating.

Good Stuff Cookies Good Stuff Cookies

Good Stuff Cookies
By Anselmo Hollo

2 gods
2/3 cup hidden psychic reality
2 teaspoons real world
3/4 cup sleep
2 cups sifted all-purpose iridescence
2 teaspoons good stuff
1/2 teaspoon pomp & pleasure beat gods hidden psychic reality
real world and sleep together
sift together iridescence - good stuff
pomp & pleasure
add to real world mixture drop by teaspoon
2 inches apart - on cookies sheet
press cookies flat
with bottom of glass - dipped in sleep
bake at 400 F
8 to 10 minutes
2 dozen cookies - good stuff.

Recipe from John Keat's Porridge: Favorite Recipes of American Poets, Edited by Victoria McCabe. (1975). Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa Press.

Washington County Fair Washington County Fair

The Washington County Fair runs between August 18-24 in Greenwich.

Blowing Curtains Blowing Curtains

I am fascinated by curtains like this that both conceal and reveal what is outside. Windows are access points to the transition from one space (inside) to another (outside). And as this photo shows, you get a tantalizing view of what lies beyond, in this case, a mostly blue sky with clouds. I would like to see more blue skies with all the thunderstorms lately!

Roger Wyatt
Photo Credit: Roger Wyatt

Saratoga Batlefield National Park: Tuesday Music Series Saratoga Batlefield National Park: Tuesday Music Series

Tuesday Music Series at the Saratoga Batlefield National Park
Time: 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Location: Battlefield

Details:
Bring a bag lunch and enjoy the scenic views while listening to noontime concerts each Tuesday in August. This popular music series offers a range of musical forms with a historical twist.

August 12th -- Rich Bala -- Follow the history of New York as it flowed along the lakes, rivers and canals with folksinger Rich Bala`s unique combination of traditional tunes and tales.

August 19th -- Linda Russell -- Had enough of the tax on tea? The North American colonists did. Enjoy the stirring songs that called a people to rebellion and Revolution as folksinger Linda Russell performs on guitar, dulcimers, and pennywhistle.

August 26th -- Fort Ticonderoga Fife and Drum Corps -- Martial music at its finest! The Fort Ticonderoga Fife and Drum Corps performes tunes that might easily have wafted over the landscape, mingled with gun smoke, during the Battles of Saratoga

Fees:
free

Cambridge Life 8/6/08 Cambridge Life 8/6/08

Photos by John Carlson and June Mohan

As summer inches towards an end, there is still much to do in the Cambridge area. Of course, the Saratoga Racing season is in full swing. Upcoming track events:

August 11, 2008 NFL Alumni Day
Meet and collect autographs from NFL alumni to benefit charity.

Aug 16 - 24, 2008 Travers Festival
A week long festival of equine-oriented events as well as many fun family inlcuding a Chili Cook-Off, the Stewart’s Ice Cream Eating Bonanza and Battle of the Brews.

August 23, 2008 Travers Day
Also nicknamed the Midsummer Derby, the Travers Stakes is the oldest major thoroughbred race in the nation, and the most highly anticipated event of the Saratoga meet

For more information and a complete racing schedule click here Saratoga Race Track.

Closer to home you can find the following events:

August 8 @ 8:00 p.m. - Kevin McGuire & Friends
The Rodgers & Hammerstein Songbook:
A TCHH Fundraiser with Kevin McGuire and Friends! Kevin and friends bring their unique talents to Broadway's most recognized music: Oklahoma!, Carousel, State Fair, South Pacific, The King and I, The Sound of Music, and more!

August 9 Music From Salem
Baroque Madness (La Folia), Don Quixote and Psyche will be performed. For ticket information go to Hubbard Hall or www.musicfromsalem.org.

August 15-16, 21, 23-24 @ 2:00 p.m.- Cosi fan tutte
Building off of the rich tradition of arts in the Cambridge Valley, Hubbard Hall Opera Theater seeks to bring yet another element of culture to an already bustling center. HHOT plunges into its first season with a production of Mozart's La scuola degli amanti (The School for Lovers), better known as Cosi fan tutte (All Women Do It). This opera is famous for some of the genres' greatest ensemble works and pairs Mozart's quintessentially vibrant music with the libretto of his best collaborator, Lorenzo Da Ponte. As in the origins of the theater, the Hall will host a twenty piece orchestra to complement six Divas and Divos who will bring a taste of Italian melodrama to the forests and fields of Cambridge, NY.

Visit www.hubbardhall.org for information on all the upcoming events at the Hall

Thursday Night Cabarets at Fort Salem Theater

August 7 - Nathan Lucrezio ­- Broadway My Way
August 14 - Andrea Green
August 21 - Ann Marie Acquilano
August 28 - Jessica O'Keefe and Friends

For a complete calendar of events for Fort Salem go to www.fortsalemtheater.com

Be sure to check all the activities going on in the Cambridge Valley by visiting the Towns and Villages of the Battenkill Valley website or click on the Seasons of the Battenkill Valley link on this blog.

Have a great August Cambridge!

Simon's Cat: Let Me In! Simon's Cat: Let Me In!

Movie Review: Lost In The Fog Movie Review: Lost In The Fog

Last night I attended a screening of "Lost in the Fog" at the Saratoga Film Forum. You have one more chance to see this wonderful documentary today, Sunday, Aug. 3 at 7:00 PM. If you like horses, horse racing, and a good story, you won't want to miss this film.



"Lost in the Fog" follows the story of champion racehorse Lost in the Fog, winner of Saratoga's 2005 King's Bishop Stakes race and the 2005 Eclipse winner. But it's not just about horse racing. It's about the people who guided and loved this horse. Through a series of unlikely events, Harry Aleo finds his life's dream when he is given the opportunity to own his "big horse." The film is as much a story of this extraordinary man, a curmudgeonly old coot from northern California who just has a love of horses. Amazingly, this wonderful horse takes Harry on the ride of his life. Winner of the 2005 Eclipse Award as racings top horse of that year, Lost In The Fog embodies what a great horse is all about. The film features scenes shot at Saratoga Race Course.

Director John Corey was on-hand for a talk-back session. It's always a treat when you have the opportunity to speak with the filmmaker. Sunday night's showing will not have John on hand, but I highly recommend this film to anyone who loves animals, especially horses. "Lost in the Fog" won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2008 Cinevegas Film Festival. More information at www.lostinthefogthemovie.com


Sunday, August 3rd, 7:00PM only

The Saratoga Film Forum is located in the Saratoga County Arts Center at the corner of Broadway and Spring St. in downtown Saratoga Springs.

Lost in the Fog Premiere Lost in the Fog Premiere

The Saratoga Film Forum is presenting the World Premiere Engagement of the documentary "Lost in the Fog," about champion racehorse Lost in the Fog, winner of Saratoga's 2005 King's Bishop Stakes race. The Saratoga Film Forum has plans to welcome director John Corey to discuss his film at the Friday and Saturday 8:00 PM screenings. After 28 years in the game, elderly, iconoclastic Bay Area realtor and racehorse owner Harry Aleo finds his life transformed when his "big horse" finally arrives. Aleo and his longtime trainer enjoy the season of a lifetime as their champion horse propels them to racing's most prestigious events-culminating in the world championship. Features scenes shot at the Saratoga Race Course. Lost in the Fog won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2008 Cinevegas Film Festival. More information at www.lostinthefogthemovie.com

Thursday, July 31st, 5:30 and 8:00PM

Friday, August 1st, 5:30 & 8:00PM

Saturday, August 2nd, 8:00PM only

Sunday, August 3rd, 7:00PM only

The Saratoga Film Forum is located in the Saratoga County Arts Center at the corner of Broadway and Spring St. in downtown Saratoga Springs.