SPECIAL ELECTION: 3/31/09 SPECIAL ELECTION: 3/31/09

Scot Murphy, Democrat and Jim Tedisco, Republican

AP photos by Mike Groll and Tim Roske
from USA Today on-line

2009 special election for the 20th congressional district of New York
to replace Kirsten Gillibrand
held on March 31, 2009.

REMEMBER TO VOTE!

To read more about the cadidates visit www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-03-26-special-election_N.htm

Cambridge Life: 3/25/09 Cambridge Life: 3/25/09

The weather has been absolutely perfect for maple sugaring. My neighbor's boys have tapped the maple trees on my property and watching them is one of the delights of the spring. They have collected over 130 gallons of sap, it takes 80 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.

Last weekend my sister and I went up to Dry Brook Maple Farm. We learned about the different grades of syrup (light Amber to dark). All maple syrup grades are better than the artificial stuff. Otherwise it's strictly a matter of personal choice. Now, I anxiously await the syrup from my own trees...will it be light amber, amber or dark?

It's not just my trees that are running. This coming weekend is the conclusion o Maple Syrup Madness. All the sugar houses will once again host visitors. To find out more about the weekend visit the Maple Weekend website:
www.mapleweekend.com

These Maple Farms will be open from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm on March 28th & 29th.

* Mapleland Farms, 550 Bunker Hill Rd, Salem
* Grottoli's Maple Farm, 91 Ritchie Rd, Middle Granville
* Highland Maple Farm, 954 Coach Rd, Argyle
* Dry Brook Sugar House, 432 Chambers Rd, Salem
* Sugar Mill Farm LLC, 2469 State Route 29, Greenwich
* Rathbun's Maple Sugar House, 1208 Hatch Hill Rd, N. Granville

I have it on good authority that the pancake breakfast at Dry Brook Sugar House is, "to die for!"

Each sugar farm is different, and worth a visit. Enjoy a sumptuous breakfast, watch them as they bring in the sap and turn it into liquid gold. The weather will be perfect for sugaring and touring around Washington County.

After touring the sugar farms on March 28th, go the Historic Salem Courthouse for A Fundraiser and Auction to benefit four local arts organizations.

Starting at 5:00 pm Saturday, this collaborative fundraiser will benefit Hubbard Hall Projects, the Georgi Museum & Park, the Pember Library & Museum, and the Salem Courthouse.

Each organization has sourced sap buckets, which were then given to local artists for enhancement. Ron Seifert will be on hand for the live auction. To add enjoyment to the evening, there will be live piano music, a cash wine bar, and hors d'oeuvres.

The many buckets will be available for viewing at Hubbard Hall March 17-22 and then go to the Courthouse for preview starting March 23rd. There is no admission charge for the event, but there will be a $2 paddle fee to participate in the auction.

For more information, please contact the Courthouse at 518-854-7053. And thanks!

March is Maple Maddness Time March is Maple Maddness Time

March Maple Madness

Maple Weekends
March 21-22 & 28-29
Daily from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Spring is truly on its way. Yesterday was just above 50 degrees. People were out strolling, riding their bikes and kids were at the park shooting hoops and throwing lacrosse balls. You can taste the sweetness in the air!

Liquid Gold shining through the windows at Shushan Sity Sap Shack

One of the best things about March in the Battenkill Valley is Sugaring. The cool nights and warm day's produce "liquid gold" maple sap. From this sap comes pure maple syrup and a variety of other delicious products. The Battenkill Valley is part of the Upper Hudson New York Maple Producers region. Producers will be open during Maple Weekend™ March 21-22 and 28-29 from 10am - 4pm each day. You are invited to tour the Sugar Shacks, see the trees being tapped, sample the rich taste of pure New York maple syrup, and enjoy a pancake breakfast, all while touring beautiful Washington County.


Indulge in a pancake feast at Mapleland Farm, Dry Brook Sugar House (both in Salem) or Rathbuns in Granville. Consider coming for the weekend and staying in one of the regions Inn's, Hotels or Bed and Breakfasts. A great weekend with the kids!! Or not!

Listed below are the producers found on the Maple Weekend website www.mapleweekend.com

* Mapleland Farms, 550 Bunker Hill Rd, Salem
* Grottoli's Maple Farm, 91 Ritchie Rd, Middle Granville
* Highland Maple Farm, 954 Coach Rd, Argyle
* Dry Brook Sugar House, 432 Chambers Rd, Salem
* Sugar Mill Farm LLC, 2469 State Route 29, Greenwich
* Rathbun's Maple SUgar House, 1208 Hatch Hill Rd, N. Granville

Tim and Kendall Dwyer of Shushan Sity Sap Shack, off Roberson Road in Shushan, only produce 200 gallons of syrup using a wood fired evaporation process. Travel up Rt 313 and go across the Eagleville Covered Bridge into Shushan.

Visit Mapleland Farms and Dry Brook Sugar House in Salem,NY. Both are offering pancake feasts and Dry Brook Sugar House is offering horse and oxen wagon rides into Vermont.

Stop at the Battenkill Valley Creamery for the freshest dairy products in the region. Go over Bunker Hill Road towards Cossayuna Lake to Rt 40 in Argyle to Marge and Daves at Highland Maple Farm.You can make your way to Sugar Mill Farm in Greenwich. John & Michele Reid started their operation twelve years ago. Their sap is processed through a 1,200 gallon per hour reverse osmosis machine and then boiled on a wood-fired 3'x12' evaporator with steam away.

On Day 2 you can begin with a journey through the slate valley and trips to Grottoli's Maple and breakfast at Rathbun's Sugar House. Granville is also home to the Pember Museum and the Slate Valley Museum.

There is no end to what you can see in and around Cambridge, NY when spring blossoms.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

VILLAGE OF CAMBRIDGE ELECTIONS

DATE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2009

TIME
12:00 Noon - 9:00 PM

LOCATION
Village Offices
56 North Park Street
Cambridge, NY

Happy St. Patrick's Day Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! The shamrock has come to be one symbol of St. Patrick's Day, along with the mythic Leprechaun. According to legend, St. Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, but he seems to have been adopted by the entire world. On this day, I am reminded of the Irish Blessing. Here is one version:

May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire.

I am currently reading the book Bless This Food, by Adrian Butash, a wonderful book that includes ancient and contemporary graces from different religions and places around the world. This book provides historic and contextual information about each prayer. I am not an especially religious person, but this is a fascinating window on different religions and cultures around the world. For example, I have learned about "The Selkirk Grace" which I learned from my Scottish grandparents many, many years ago.

Cambridge Life: 3/16/09: Spring Cleaning Cambridge Life: 3/16/09: Spring Cleaning

Photos by John Carlson and June Mohan

The Ides of March have passed and we've turned the corner into spring. I'm just loving the beautiful weather we've been having. I spent the weekend surveying my property, cleaning up winter debris, raking, marking what is coming up in the garden and cleaning out the cabinets.

I don't know about where you live but being in farm country surrounded by pastures and woods you'd think that all the little critters would find a better place to spend their winter than my kitchen cabinets. But NO! Instead of being outside on Sunday, going for a bike ride or talking a hike, I was under the cabinets scrubbing the wood, washing every pot and pan I own, de-mousing the winter home of the Ash Grove field mice.


B.W. is clearly not doing his job. Now that the mice have been swept from the corners of my mind and kitchen, I can proceed to the next phase of spring clean-up, the floors. Over the winter I treated myself to one of those H2O steam mops seen on the late night infomercials. Believe it or not, it's great! I actually enjoy washing the floor. After floors will come taking out the deck furniture, sweeping out the barn, and then I may just vacuum my car. Anything that gets me outside on a beautiful spring day is not a chore, but a joy!

HAPPY SPRING CAMBRIDGE

Canada Geese Sighting Canada Geese Sighting

Today, I saw (and heard) the first Canada geese of the season. This is another sign that spring is coming! Here's a poem about Canada geese from the website http://www.lovecanadageese.com/.

TO CANADA GEESE

By Belle Schmidt

There is no traffic jam in the sky

when you spread your wings and fly

south along a boundless,

trackless pathway.
In undulating V-formation

unerringly you cross the nation,

wings waving to people far below.

Day after day,
like a precision drill team,

sun catching your feathers’ gleam,

in and out you weave and waver;

but never stray.
Your hoarse honking, its purpose clear,

although strident to our ear,

conveys to the flock aloft;

there’s no delay.
Guided along by an unseen force,

you follow an instinctive course,

and make us beneficiaries

of this wonderous display.

Roger's Photographic Meditations 3 Roger's Photographic Meditations 3

A winter scene... dreaming of spring!

Photo Credit: Roger Wyatt

Cambridge Life: 3/6/09 Cambridge Life: 3/6/09

It doesn't get any fresher than this!

The Battenkill Valley Creamery is the only fluid (bottled) milk producer-processor in Warren, Washington and Saratoga Counties. Now the Creamery has teamed with the Tour of the Battenkill to produce a commemorative bottle of chocolate milk to promote the race and celebrate the agricultural roots of Washington County.


April 18-19, 2009 will put Washington County in the national spotlight as we host the nation's largest single-day Pro/Am bicycle race, the Tour of the Battenkill, which will draw more than 1,500 professional and amateur bicycle racers from throughout the USA and Canada. Racers will compete over a rugged, 124-mile course in upstate New York's Battenkill Valley.

The bottles' imagery includes the artwork of Heather Bellanca of Salem and Sara Kelly of Cambridge.
(White milk is displayed for reproduction in photography.)

To celebrate this collaboration, Battenkill Valley Creamery will unveil the bottles at an open house event on Saturday, March 7 from 12-4p at the creamery located at 691 County Route 30 Salem, NY. If you have not yet sampled Battenkill Creamery's chocolate milk, you are in for a treat.

Battenkill Valley Creamery Open House
691 County Route 30 Salem, NY
DATE: Saturday, March 7
TIME:
12:00 pm - 4: 00 pm
LOCATION: At the Creamery
MORE: They now have ICE CREAM !!!

Additionally, Battenkill Valley Creamery will introduce their newest product, ice cream. Offering ice cream in ten flavors, Battenkill Valley Creamery is the only dairy and manufacturer producing ice cream in the tri-county area. This means all milk and cream come from their cows with no corn syrup and no artificial ingredients - just pure delight!

WHY CHOCOLATE MILK?

A recent study, published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, shows that chocolate milk may be as good - or better - than sports drinks like Gatorade at helping athletes recover from strenuous exercise.

Fall Back, Spring Ahead Fall Back, Spring Ahead

Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday, March 8, 2009 @ 2:00 AM

Follow the antics of Nergon and Alan at Nergon.com

Pavement Picasso Pavement Picasso

Believe it or not, all of the following images are drawn flat on the sidewalk!!

Julian Beever is an English artist who's famous for his anamorphic art on the pavements of England , France , Germany , USA , Australia and Belgium. Beever gives an amazing illusion to his drawings, so that the objects appear to be three dimensional rather than flat as they actually are.


WORK IN PROGRESS




The understanding of perspective needed to create illusions like this is reminiscent of Esher.

WORK COMPLETED



Hard to believe that the little boy is standing flat on the pavement!
Optical illusion on a whole new level.


Julian admits that some people see his work as graffiti, and don't feel it has a place on public streets.
Happily, he says, he mostly receives a positive reaction and people like and enjoy his art.







Did you spot tiny Julian Beever on the Top of the Bottle?



The 3D aspect to his work came much later while he was working in Brussels , "I decided to get into 3D after seeing the effect of tiles being removed from the street and later trying to recreate the sense of depth in a drawing." People avoid the hole.


Hosing down the street
Everything is fake, even the hose and water!







Rafting


Watch out!



There is no hole in this pavement.

Politicians get sucked into a pit.

Who will save them?




"Once I realized you could make things go down, I realized you could make them appear to go up and I began experimenting."

You can check out more amazing art by Julian by visiting his website: at http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/index.html