Life in the Finger Lakes Spring 2005

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REGION’S

PREMIER

MAGAZINE

SPRING 2005

Wild

about

White Water Pruning Tips From the Experts Ceramics Mecca at Alfred University

$3.95 US/$4.95 CAN

www.LifeintheFingerLakes.com DISPLAY THROUGH MAY ’05

Mees Observatory Connection to the Cosmos Design Your New Dock Rochester’s Famous Falcons

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“An Upscale Dining Experience in a Warm and Welcoming Atmosphere.”

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ur popular Sunday Brunch buffet features a selection of all your favorites as well as several of our signature dishes, combining over 150 years of success in the art of food preparation. In our fully equipped, state-of-the-art kitchen, we make our own pasta and sausage and smoke our own meats and seafoods.

arfield’s is fully stocked with a wide selection of wines, liquors and beers.

The restaurant, lounge and piano bar enhances your dining experience with fireplace ambience and an extensive list of wines from our local New York wineries as well as selected wines from around the world.

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he second floor banquet room can accommodate up to 130 people for a sit down dinner, and up to 150 for cocktail parties. The rich decor is highlighted by a beautiful dance floor with a working fire place to warm the spirits of your guests, and is accentuated with controlled lighting and hanging tapestries.

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ur award winning bakery offers everything from specialty breads, cookies and pies to decorated cakes. Choose from a wide array of European and traditional styles and flavors. Warfield’s also serves the best Crème Brulée in Upstate New York.

Located in Historic Downtown Clifton Springs and Close to the Finger Lakes Wineries.

Reservations Recommended 315-462-7184 Buy one lunch entree at regular price and receive half off of 2nd lunch entree of equal or lesser value.

Kindly present this magazine upon arrival to receive this offer.

Valid one time through 2005.

7 West Main St. Clifton Springs, NY 14432 www.warfields.com We are easily reached via the NYS Thruway, between Exits 42 and 43, off Route 96. Just 25 minutes from Rochester, 45 minutes from Syracuse.

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Buy one dinner entree at regular price and receive half off of 2nd dinner entree of equal or lesser value.

Kindly present this magazine upon arrival to receive this offer.

Valid one time through 2005.

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Volume 5, Number 1 • Spring 2005

F E A T U R E S

D E P A R T M E N T S

22

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MY OWN WORDS

STARLIT NIGHTS ON GANNETT HILL A world-class observatory is located in our own back yard.

By Ed Ribson and Eve Strella

LETTERS NEWSBITS HOW-TO Designing a dock that upgrades your life

30

FOREST IN SEPIA The photography of Doug McFarland

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FRUIT OF THE VINE Spirit of the vine – a new appreciation for grappa

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WHITEWATER KAYAKING...HERE?

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The region is host to a surprising number of adventure paddlers.

By Todd Miner, Cornell Outdoor Education

MADE IN THE FINGER LAKES Growers are Champions at the Violet Barn

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DAY TRIP New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University

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HUMAN INTEREST Nick Sagan – a New York state of mind

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GARDENING Prune, prune, prune...perfectly!

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FINGER LAKES SCRAPBOOK Photography contributions from our readers

63 65 72

CALENDAR: FESTIVALS & EVENTS

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URBAN FALCONS City-dwelling peregrine falcons enhance life in the Finger Lakes.

By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

Below: The Violet Barn in Naples has thousands of plants on display. They are known to serious violet hobbyists from around the world. Photo by Mark Stash

Cover: White-water kayaking at Fall Creek in Ithaca.

Photo by Steve Pike

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS OFF THE EASEL Dan Motill: a man about towns

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Birds of a Feather

EDITORIAL & PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR/EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Stash mark@lifeinthefingerlakes.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANCE . . . . . . . . Kari Anderson

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his time of year can be somewhat difficult. The days of white covering the ground are over but the days of green lawns and fully-leafed trees are yet to come. Spring is an in-between time, a time of unrealized potential.

If you look casually at the landscape during spring you may see nothing but brown and tan with sprinklings of green where the grass is starting to grow. Take a closer look and you may see the subtle color on the ends of tree branches, the buds that promise warm days and sunny skies ahead. Look at a tree-covered hillside and you may see faint shades of red where new tree growth is taking place. Willow trees are taking on shades of gold with a hint of green, ready to show their canopy of weeping leaves.

Yes, spring means of a time of growth for plants and birth for many animal species. A special visitor that the Finger Lakes receives every year is the peregrine falcon. Not so many years ago these birds almost ceased to exist because of the effects of pesticides and pollution. But in the past 30 years their numbers have increased, and they’re making their new homes in amazing new locations.

Rochester is among several metropolitan areas in the Finger Lakes that host these birds every year. The Kodak

Office Tower in Rochester is the center of their universe while they are incubating their eggs and raising their young. They usually arrive sometime in March and stay for a good part of the summer.

Peregrine falcons are beautiful creatures that have certainly taken advantage of what has been made available to them. They subsist mostly on birds, such as pigeons, starlings and ducks.

Other areas in which you may see the falcons are Syracuse and Oswego.

What a wonderful opportunity to study a bird that is still not very common but a joy to watch. Bring your cameras, binoculars, and sketchbooks and make a memory that will last a lifetime.

The saying “birds of a feather flock together” can be used to describe the throngs of people that are constantly on watch for the Rochester peregrine falcons. To find out more about these special birds, please read Ruth Thaler-Carter’s feature starting on page 44. I hope her insight will encourge you to learn more about these incredible animals.

Get outside and enjoy!

mark@lifeinthefingerlakes.com

Areas of interest in this magazine issue Bristol Letchworth Park

Romulus Cortland

Penn Yan Dundee

NEW YORK S TAT E

Ithaca

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PRODUCTION ASSISTANCE . . . . . . . Kristin Grove

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bobbie Jo Trumbull CONTRIBUTORS . . . . . . . Doc & Katy Abraham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frances Emerson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . James E. Held . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frances and Larry Grossman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Doug McFarland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Todd Miner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ed Ribson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Roth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Melissa Sue Sorrells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eve Strella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ruth E. Thaler-Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laurel C. Wemett EDITORIAL OFFICE . . . . . . . . . . . . 315-789-0458 EDITORIAL FAX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315-781-6820 DIRECTOR

OF

ADVERTISING . . . . . . . Tim Braden tim@lifeinthefingerlakes.com

ADVERTISING EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . Tricia Burnett tricia@lifeinthefingerlakes.com

FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Jason Hagerman. . . . . . . . . . . . 800-344-0559 jason@lifeinthefingerlakes.com

FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS Tricia King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315-789-0458 subscribe@lifeinthefingerlakes.com BUSINESS OFFICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315-789-0458

800-344-0559 BUSINESS FAX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315-789-4263 Life in the Finger Lakes is published by Fahy-Williams Publishing, Inc. and owned by Eleven Lakes Publishing, Inc. Co-owners: Mark S. Stash; Timothy J. Braden. Copyright 2005 by Eleven Lakes Publishing, Inc. No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

TO SUBSCRIBE, RENEW OR CHANGE ADDRESS: write to Life in the Finger Lakes, P.O. Box 1080, Geneva, New York 14456, or call 315789-0458. Subscription rates: $12.95 for one year.

Canada add $15.00 per year. Outside North America, add $30.00 per year. For renewal or change of address, include the address label from your most recent issue of Life in the Finger Lakes.

For gift subscriptions, include your own name and address as well as those of gift recipients.

Life in the Finger Lakes 171 Reed St. • P.O. Box 1080 Geneva, NY 14456 www.LifeintheFingerLakes.com Serving the 14 counties of the Finger Lakes region

The Finger Lakes Region of New York State

Alfred

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J. Kevin Fahy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tina Manzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carol C. Stash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heather Merrell

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L E T T E R S Dear Mark, A program to purchase land in Hammondsport for park purposes is proceeding slowly. Efforts by P.A.R.K. (Public Alliance to Rescue Keuka) have raised approximately $4,410 as of the beginning of February, with well over $1 million needed to complete the sale.

The land in question lies partly along Keuka Lake and partly along Keuka Inlet. While sometimes described as abandoned land, it remains the property of the Bath & Hammondsport Railroad, which continues to pay taxes, pay insurance, and perform occasional maintenance on it.

The tracks have been taken up, and it may be that the railroad LINE is abandoned – that’s a technical legal process requiring approval by the Department of Transportation, and could become a matter of legal dispute.

The Town of Urbana put in an eminent domain proceeding, which sunsetted after three years. They then instituted a second three-year proceeding. In July voters rejected a $1.6 million bond issue, whereupon the town supervisor declared the issue dead. The P.A.R.K. group offered to try to raise the money privately, and the town agreed to leave the eminent-domain proceeding in place while they tried.

Supervisor Dick Gardiner said that by resolution donations will be accepted until Aug. 29th, although the eminent-domain proceeding could remain in effect for an additional year from that time. Action on this land is separate from action concerning the adjoining property, now occupied by a 240-foot unused warehouse built as a winery in 1919. On that property, a lakefront condominium is proposed.

The DEC recently issued permits on that property, and it is possible that construction will start this year.

Best wishes, Kirk House, Bath

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N E W S B I T S Rochester Library Moves the Past into the Future Finger Lakes Hunting and Fishing Guide Available The Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance has published a new outdoor guide to the waters and hunting grounds of the Finger Lakes region. The 48-page guide provides information on hunting and fishing in the 14 counties that make up the region.

The fishing section includes a

The Rochester Public Library (RPL) will be able to digitize over 1.5 million pages of its local history division’s bound material thanks to substantial gifts from the Gleason Foundation, the estate of Josephine Tait and other individuals. RPL will have the distinction of being the first public library location for this revolutionary book digitizing technology. It is part of a three-year, $500,000 digitization project recently launched by the library.

RPL owns a large and significant collection of regional history materials, dating as far back as the early 1800s. The materials provide a unique window into the history of the city of Rochester, Monroe County and the Genesee Valley, as well as genealogy materials for this area and New England. The 50,000 items in the collection include city and suburban directories, scrapbooks, yearbooks, maps, catalogs, Civil War and World War I materials, and library, city and county governance records.

Much of the heavily utilized collection, which can only be accessed onsite at the library, is in such fragile condition that portions are in danger of being damaged beyond recovery. High-quality digital versions of these documents will be archived and accessible through the library’s website, free to anyone with a library card.

Who’s Visiting Tioga County?

Image courtesy Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance

species guide and is organized by lake, from east to west. It provides information on the physical features of the lake, public launches and the fish that inhabit each body of water. Information on fishing the rivers and streams of the Finger Lakes is also included.

The hunting section lists sources for maps, area restrictions and permits. A detailed locator map of public hunting lands is also provided.

To obtain a copy of New York’s Finger Lakes Fishing and Hunting guide, call 800-530-7488 or 315536-7488 or stop by the Cayuga County Office of Tourism, located at 131 Genesee Street in Auburn.

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The Tioga County Tourism Office recently completed a survey of individuals who had requested information about visiting the county in 2003 and 2004.

Approximately 200 responses were returned via mail and e-mail.

Of those who requested information, 61 percent actually made the trip.

Another 24 percent who hadn’t visited indicated that they planned to do so in the future. The New York State Travel Guide was named by 36 percent of respondents as the place where they initially learned about Tioga County; the Internet was second, named by 31 percent.

Visitors spent $220 while visiting the county, and almost half rated the value of their visit as one of the best or better than average. The largest age demographic to visit was the 50-59 year-old age bracket.

Gallery’s Exhibit Spotlights Art Educators An art exhibit titled “Art Educators Reshaping the Thinking of Our Community” will be featured in March at the Avenue Art Gallery in Endicott. It will showcase the artistic talents and educational philosophies of art educators from greater Binghamton and the surrounding areas.

Encompassing teachers from kindergarten through the college level, the display has been created as a way to celebrate education through the area’s arts.

Through this exhibition, the Avenue Art Gallery intends to raise community awareness with respect to the role that the art educator plays, not only in the education of our youth, but also with the improvement of the cultural and business segments of our community. The artists will share their philosophies in how they work with students to develop the creative and innovative thinking skills needed to take part and contribute in tomorrow’s society.

For more information, the gallery can be reached at 607-785-7396 or through email at chlkdust@aol.com

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N E W S B I T S FLCC Offers Courses on Wine and the Wine Industry Finger Lakes Community College is offering a variety of courses for anyone interested in wine and the wine industry. Although special topics will target certain people, the college hopes to attract a variety of students, from winery employees to wine “novices.”

The course “New Uses for Old Grape Varieties” will teach practical, yet inexpensive, techniques to create different blends from varieties such as Concord, Catawba, Delaware and Steuben. “What’s New in Winemaking Technology” will cover the latest in winery equipment and winemaking supplies, from newly engineered yeast strains to cross-flow filters and rotary fermenters.

Professional enologist Domenic Carisetti will teach all courses. He has 30 years of experience in wine products and winery operations. For more information contact the college at 585-394-3500, extension 7660.

Syracuse Stage Offers School Visits by “John Steinbeck” Students throughout central New York are being offered a unique educational program as a supplement to the Syracuse Stage adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath and the community-wide reading program, “If All of Central New York Read The Grapes of Wrath.”

“Steinbeck Visits” is a one-man, costumed 30- to 45-minute presentation that begins with a monologue exploring the writings and life of John Steinbeck, whose novel The Grapes of Wrath is a seminal work about what is arguably the most important and traumatic time in our country’s history, the Great Depression.

Following the monologue, students participate in a question and answer session.

Chuck Parsons, a professional actor from Skaneateles, will be touring as John Steinbeck. Parsons has had roles in Syracuse Stage productions, and has performed at the Geva Theatre Center in Rochester and the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival.

“Enchanted Gardens” Is GardenScape’s Theme

Frontenac Focus Remains on Dry Wines Frontenac Point Vineyard, the first winery north of Ithaca on the west side of Cayuga Lake, produces awardwinning Chardonnay and Riesling. Yet their focus is still on dry, red wines using primarily Pinot Noir and Chambourcin. Varietal Pinot Noir is produced only when growing conditions are ideal.

Since the October release of the movie “Sideways,” in which two friends go on a tasting trip in California, interest in Pinot Noir has grown. Restaurants and wine shops across the country report brisk sales.

Chambourcin as a vintage-varietal, red wine is aged at least three years before sale. Free-run Chambourcin juice is used to make Frontenac’s semidry rose. A brut Champagne is produced from Chambourcin whole-cluster press.

Frontenac Point’s Tasting Room, located 12 miles from Ithaca, is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May through November.

Boat Show Will Feature 80-Year-Old Watercraft

Photo courtesy GardenScape

“Enchanted Gardens” is the theme for GardenScape 2005, greater Rochester’s flower and garden show, to be held March 17 through 20 at the Dome Center in Henrietta. Produced by the GardenScape Professionals Association, which is comprised of nearly 200 local members in the green industry, GardenScape 2005 will feature dozens of spectacular gardens, more than 80 vendors and daily seminars with well-known horticultural and gardening experts.

More information can be found by visiting www.rochesterflowershow.com or by calling 585-265-9018.

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The Wine Country Classic Boat Show and Regatta will be held July 15 through 17 on Keuka Lake in Hammondsport. This is the 23rd annual show for the Wine Country Classic Boats chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society. Each year the show features a special category; this year it will be the boats from 1910 through the 1920s.

More than 50 boats will be shown in the water, with many more land displays. Display of the over 100 antique and classic boats will be Saturday, with a flyby and boat parade in the afternoon. On Sunday the boats will continue to be displayed and a race regatta will be held. For more information call 585-586-0754 or e-mail Wsmith4@rochester.rr.com or wccb2001@yahoo.com.

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N E W S B I T S Cayuga County Tourism Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Grammy-Nominated Musician Plays at Penfield High School

In recognition of the Cayuga County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau’s 10th anniversary, the staff and board of directors have planned a year’s worth of activities to celebrate travel and tourism’s tremendous economic, social and cultural impact on the county. The county’s tourism office responds to more than 41,000 visitor inquiries annually.

“The 10th anniversary is a time when Cayuga County can focus on the impact of travel and tourism in our area,” said Meg Vanek, executive director of the Cayuga County Office of Tourism. “We can thank our visitors for their patronage, honor employees who serve them and show pride in our industry.”

Travelers to the county spent approximately $51 million from 2003 through 2004, according to the New York State Department of Tax and Finance. Those visitors also generated over $3.5 million in state and local taxes.

For more information about Cayuga County’s events, attractions and lodging, contact the tourism office in Auburn, at 315-255-1658 or 800-499-9615. Information can also be found online, at www.TourCayuga.com.

Stefon Harris, a vibraphonist-composer heralded as “one of the most important young artists in jazz,” spent four days in early February at the Penfield schools as part of the Penfield Jazz Fund Raiser Concerts. Student groups performed in concert with Harris.

Harris earned Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Album in 2003 and 2001, and his 1999 release of Black Action Figure for Best Instrumental Jazz Solo. He has performed at many of the world’s most distinguished concert halls, including the Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, Chicago’s Symphony Center, and the Sydney Opera House.

In its 35th consecutive year, the Penfield Jazz Fund Raiser Concerts have featured many leading jazz artists. This year’s concert with Harris was the first concert of the 20042005 Penfield/Canandaigua National Bank Jazz Series. The second concert will be held on March 19, featuring Rod Blumenau and Friends, and the third concert is April 30, featuring the Terell Stafford Quartet.

us e. in to w d a a s is e ke th ceiv r la t n re ge ese d in Pr an of f tle ot b e fre

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For Reservations Call (585) 396-2200

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Wine Trail Ornaments Designed and Assembled

by Keuka Lake Enterprises Keuka Lake Enterprises designed and assembled three ornaments, and assembled a fourth that was hung on the wreath handed out at the 2004 Deck the Halls event on the Seneca Lake Wine Trail. Overall, Keuka Lake Enterprises assembled over 10,000 ornaments for this event.

Keuka Lake Enterprises, a division of the Yates County Chapter of the NYSARC, provides intensive training and work opportunities for individuals with disabilities related to every day work situations. These individuals acquire new skills through vocational training that increases their productivity and quality of work.

Handcrafted note cards and bags featuring grapes are one of Keuka Lake Enterprises’ specialties. The note cards are featured in several area wineries.

The workshop also does assembly and packaging work for area businesses, such as ITT Industries, Iron Age Corporation and Soldiers and Sailors Hospital.

Correction The telephone number for the Glen Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport is 607-569-2160.

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H O W - T O

Designing a Dock That Upgrades Your Life

By Steve Roth

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any lakefront homeowners do not realize that upgrading their dock layout can be one of the easiest ways to improve the appearance and value of their property.

If it’s done right, it can even upgrade your lifestyle.

Designing a new dock can be a daunting task, particularly considering the wide variety of styles and materials available these days. To make it less intimidating, Don Rusch of ShoreStation Lakefront Systems in Lincoln, Nebraska, recommends the following three easy steps.

“It really comes down to choosing the right material, choosing the layout you want and picking accessories,” Rusch explains. “Above all, you want a dock that is functional, long lasting and aesthetically pleasing. That may seem like a big job, but by sitting down and carefully going over the following three steps, you can greatly improve your chances for long-term happiness.”

STEP ONE – Choosing the right dock material There are three primary materials used to construct most docks today.

They are aluminum, wood and polyethylene. According to Rusch, each has its own distinct advantages.

“Aluminum is very low-maintenance and cooler to the touch than wood because it dispels heat better,” Rusch said. “With aluminum docks you are also able to avoid things like

All photos courtesy ShoreStation Lakefront Systems

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splinters and nails.”

If you decide to choose aluminum, it is important to get a non-skid, powder-paint finish that resists chipping and scratching over the years.

Wood is the material of choice for some people because of the warm traditional look and feel it offers. It can be stained or left unfinished. Either way, it is important to select a wood like red cedar that can withstand lakeside environments.

Many docks are also available in polyethylene and other types of plastic.

In Rusch’s opinion, the popularity of these durable, low-maintenance docks may have peaked in recent years.

“With the improvements in aluminum docks, we’ve noticed that polyethylene is becoming less of a choice by consumers,” he said.

STEP TWO – Designing a dock layout

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It may take a little more time to design your layout than it did to choose the material, but this can be a fun, creative process.

First you need to take into consideration your lakefront’s physical limitations. How much space do you have available? How far out into the water do you want your dock to go? Are there any local regulations that must be followed?

Then think about functionality.

How will you be using your dock? How many and what type of boat or watercraft do you have? Are you planning to add any more boats or watercraft in the future? Will you be doing a lot of swimming or fishing dockside? Will you be using your dock at night? Will children, seniors or anyone with special needs be using the dock?

After answering these questions, sit down and draw a layout that fits your needs. Many companies offer dock sections in various shapes and sizes, making it easy for you to get creative and come up with something Circle Reader Service Number 109

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F

Visit Beautiful Belhurst Premier Attraction of the Finger Lakes Voted One of the Most Romantic Places in New York State!

Experience Belhurst Winery Visit the Luxurious Vinifera Inn Relax at Stonecutters Lounge Dine at Edgar’s, the Restaurant in the Castle Find Romance at our Chambers in the Castle Unwind at White Springs Manor Celebrate Your Special Event in One of Our Magnificent Ballrooms

unique. Your local dealer can be very helpful during this process, with useful tips and ideas that you may not have considered.

STEP THREE – Accessorize

Rte 14 South, Geneva Call for more information 315-781-0201 Or visit us at www.belhurst.com Circle Reader Service Number 103

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Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the dock selection process is picking out accessories that make your dock more functional and aesthetically pleasing.

The assortment of dock accessories will vary from company to company. Start with practical items like stairs, railings and boat bumpers. Then take a look at those accessories that improve the overall use, looks and convenience of your dock area, such as benches, tables, lighting fixtures and flagpoles.

Whatever accessories you choose, be sure they are easy to install or remove so you can rearrange them from time to time.

One of the most important things to keep in mind is selecting a dock that makes it easy to add more sections and accessories as your needs change in the future. “Versatility is the key to long-term happiness,” said Rusch. “You don’t want to get locked into a system that won’t be able to grow with you.”

A little careful planning is all it takes to design a dock that will meet your needs well into the future.

Following these steps will streamline the process and help you upgrade your lakefront life. To learn more about docks and dock accessories, visit www.shorestation.com.

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BRINGS NEW MEANING TO “LIVING ON THE LAKE” Looking to spend more time on the water? Our hydraulic hoist with durable drive system raises and lowers your boat at the push of a button. Plus, an exclusive Drop Side Arm design makes getting in and out easier than ever before. Heavyduty frame constructed of extruded aluminum alloy and galvanized steel.

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WINERIES Finger Lakes Champagne House

6075 Rt. 414, Hector NY 14841 Ph: 607-546-5115 * 888-549-WINE Located on the Seneca Lake Wine Trail

May - November - Open Daily December - April - Winter Hours Visit the only 'exclusively champagne' tasting room in the Finger Lakes.

Featuring award winning champagnes from Swedish Hill and Goose Watch wineries.

Gift Shop * Champagne Clubs * Great view of Seneca Lake * Peach Festival in August www.swedishhill.com

One of Seneca Lake’s newest and most modern wineries, Torrey Ridge is a destination you won’t want to miss. Taste a variety of premium wines while enjoying one of the lake’s most panoramic views.

New Tasting Room is now open for Earle Estates Meadery.

2770 State Route 14 Penn Yan NY 14527

Torrey Ridge Winery

4565 Rt. 414, Romulus Phone: 315-549-8326 * 888-549-WINE

Open Daily 9am - 6pm www.torreyridgewinery.com torreyr@eznet.net Open Daily – 10-5 Sundays – 11:30-5 (Call in Jan., Feb. & March for exact hours)

315-536-1210

fine wines for the everyday celebration of life Overlooking Seneca Lake’s west side 10 miles south of Geneva, just off of Route 14 You are invited to our visitors’ center tasting room and gift shop: Mondays-Saturdays: 10am until 5pm Sundays: Noon until 5pm Open all year.

1020 Anthony Road Penn Yan 315-536-2182 800-559-2182

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PREMIUM ESTATE GROWN WINES Chardonnay • Riesling • Gewurztraminer Merlot • Cabernet Sauvignon

Enjoy a bottle with friends on our deck and take in the view!

Daily 10-5; Sunday 11-5 2634 Route 14 • Penn Yan 315-536-7524

w w w. p r e j e a n w i n e r y. c o m 14 ~ L I F E

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Swedish Hill Winery

Wine Tasting and Gift Shop * Personalized Labels * Gift Baskets * Scenic View & Picnic Area * Business Gift Ideas * Wedding Favors and More!

Call for Event Dates or visit our website www.swedishhill.com

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WINERIES

CHATEAU LAFAYETTE RENEAU

Give a gift that lasts Life in the Finger Lakes magazine 800-344-0559 www.LifeintheFingerLakes.com

www.newyorkwines.org

TM

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Open Daily – 10-5 Sundays – 11:30-5 (Call in Jan., Feb. & March for exact hours) Come & enjoy our award-winning Meads, Fruit Wines, and Grape Wines, with something for every palate - from dry to sweet.

Browse through our unique gift shop with a full line of honey products, and observe a live, working beehive in action.

F

5480 Rt. 89, Romulus, NY 14541 Phone: 315-549-2599 www.goosewatch.com Wine Tasting * Gift Shop * Chestnut Groves * Boat Docking * Beautiful view of Cayuga Lake * Smoked Trout & Cheeses * Great Winery Events

New Tasting Room open at Torrey Ridge at 2770 Rte. 14, Penn Yan, NY 14527

(visit website for more information)

(315)536-1210 • Fax(315)536-1239

Open Daily 10am-6pm Located on the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail

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ATEAU CH FAYETTE RENEAU

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Take a tour.

Learn about wine.

Enjoy a wine tasting.

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Café Daily 11-5

Route 14 on Seneca Lake 800-636-9786 www.foxrunvineyards.com

5055 Rt. 414 • Hector, NY 800.331.7323 www.atwatervineyards.com We invite you to taste our truly memorable wines in a vineyard setting 150 years mature. Located on the south-eastern shore of Seneca Lake Open Mon-Sat 10-5, Sun 11-5

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F R U I T

O F

T H E

V I N E

Spirit of the Vine

By James E. Held

Grappa is acquiring an appreciation in the Finger Lakes region

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A

name like Knapp hardly sounds Italian, and the Finger Lakes for all their beauty bear little resemblance to that stunning Mediterranean peninsula. Both regions do share a passion for grapes, but some feel the essence of the vine is best captured not in bottles of wine but rather in its spirit, transformed through the alchemy of distillation. And in that same spirit, the Knapp Winery can boast of being the first and probably the only distillery that has successfully grafted the Old World tradition of

grappa into the New World.

The Finger Lakes region is also home to many Italian-Americans who likewise boast of their gift for coaxing abundance from scarcity, and few better examples exist than grappa. In dialect, the name means “grape stalks,” which along with the stems, seeds and skins remaining from autumnal pressing, form the raw material of this clear, hearty spirit. In more affluent lands, these dregs of winemaking would become animal-fodder or compost, but Italians learned centuries ago that

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residual sugars with just the addition of water would ferment into alcohol.

Roving peddlers distilled this cheap peasant’s drink whose harshness softened the travails and hardships of life.

As methods became more refined, Italian grappa acquired middle-class respectability, and its dry finish complements both the bitterness of espresso coffee and the richness of a good meal.

Recently, grappa has risen to new levels of sophistication, transforming from rusticity into a mark of luxury sipped in elegant, tulip stemware. The only choices, however, were Italian until the Knapp Winery began production in 1991, and the results rival any imports.

The Process On distillation days, customers can smell the hard-working still the moment they enter the winery store.

“Rather than stems and skins,” Owner/President Gene Pierce explains, “we use mainly Seedless, Aurora and Catawba grapes that are both aromatic and sweet. They ferment to about 12 to 14 percent before we begin distillation, where heat changes the alcohol into vapors.”

This takes place within a magnificent piece of functional sculpture fashioned by Portuguese artisans. The hammered copper creation stands about 5 feet tall with a 4-foot diameter pot. Crowning the 135-gallon vessel is the dome that resembles a Russian cathedral. However, it is not topped with a cross but rather a tube feeding the vapors into the serpentine copper coils of the cooling tank. There, frigid water flowing through a hose condenses the steam called “come over” into a steady trickle of clear liquid that gradually fills a stainless steel bowl placed beneath the spigot. General Manager Kathy Pasqua is proud to show off its high-and low-tech aspects on Knapp Winery tours. The still has become a source of stories. “When emptying the metal pans,” she cautions, “I was ordered not to scrape them along the concrete, which can cause sparking and a possible fire or explosion.”

Distiller Rich Iddings says, “I was

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working one weekend when a guy on tour asked me to fill a jug for him.”

“Another time,” Gene shares, “an employee assigned to watch the still became so engrossed in a book that he didn’t notice the overflowing pan until flames ignited the puddle of spirit and started his pants on fire.”

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Heads and Tails With no tradition of American grappa-making, Rich Iddings had to rely on knowledge and experience gleaned from former owners Doug and Susie Knapp or inherent guidance from his maternal Italian genes. He claims, “It’s a routine, not rocket science, but you must know your heads from the tails, literally.”

Gene explains, “After the pot is filled with wine and the gas burner ignited, the initial distillate called ‘heads’ contains harsh methanol, so the first two gallons are discarded.”

“It tastes a bit like wet straw,” Rich adds, “and would ruin a whole batch.”

The “tails,” the last part of distillation, are equally undesirable, with their characteristic low-alcohol content and off-flavors. Distillers seek the middle product named the “body,” but Rich cautions, “If you push the distillation too hard the spirit becomes harsh, so a 135-gallon pot requires about 15 hours.”

The winery added an innovative spigot to ease the task of filling, draining and cleansing the still, and Knapp works in small batches, a method the industry calls “single-pot distillation.”

As the gas flame roars, the thermometer on the dome reveals 160 degrees.

Even though it’s December, the heat of distillation gives the massive room packed with barrels of Merlot an almost cozy feeling. Rich explains, “We stow the barrels here because the warmer temperature encourages the secondary malo lactic fermentation that the best Merlot undergoes.”

After eyeing the bobbing hydrometer again he expresses his satisfaction.

“It’s holding about 90 proof,” Rich says, before heading off to complete other tasks. Fifteen minutes later, employee Ron Stowell arrives to empty the pan into stainless steel storage

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drums, and changes the coffee filter that strains the liquid trickling slightly faster than a leaky faucet. Grappa requires little aging, and a wee sample reveals the pleasant aromatics, and a smooth taste that finishes with a slight corporal shudder, stemming not from harshness but a warming delight. “It reminds me of my first glass of moonshine,” Ron reminisces.

Distillation Proof Rather than a brightly-polished finish, the still bears the patina of hard work, particularly in the off-season when labor in the vineyards slackens and the distillation pace accelerates.

Knapp not only produces an array of fruit liquors and brandy, “We use the distillate to fortify our port wine, but the limoncello has since become our second-best seller,” Gene adds. This lovely lemon liquor, “Flies out the door,” Rich describes, “But I have to produce a spirit more neutral in flavor than the grappa,” to complement limoncello’s citrus flavor.

The Knapp Winery proudly displays the handsome copper still on its labels gracing the slender, long-necked bottles that contain the 60-proof liquor. Establishing a new American culinary legacy, however, has hardly become a path to riches. Kathy explains, “Distillation, down to the labeling, is heavily regulated and taxed by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.” Quality artisan production of 1,700 gallons annually and governmental duties make Knapp grappa more of an American indulgence than a daily peasant pastime.

Still, thanks to the winery’s efforts and talents, everyone can appreciate and celebrate the seasonal cycle of pruning, cultivation, ripening and harvest concentrated into a glass of grappa made right in the Finger Lakes. Salute!

Get into the spirit for yourself at the Knapp Winery located at 2770 County Road 128, Romulus, NY 14541. For information on the seasonal hours of the winery and restaurant call 800-8699271, fax 607-869-3212 or visit www.knappwine.com.

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M A D E

I N

T H E

F I N G E R

L A K E S

Growers are Champions at the Violet Barn

By Doc & Katy Abraham

D

riving from Naples on County Road 12, toward Bristol Springs, your attention is riveted by a stunning view of lovely Canandaigua Lake. With the gem of the Finger Lakes on the horizon, its easy to miss the 100year-old unpainted barn that houses one of the world’s most interesting horticultural enterprises.

The discrete sign in front announc-

moved to Naples, rented an old family barn overlooking the crown jewel of the Finger Lakes, and “slipped” his first plants.

“I always enjoyed teaching but ever since I was a little kid, I had a passion for plants, especially violets.

Finally, I gave up teaching to grow and sell violets full time. It was tough at first. I definitely wasn’t in it for the

B O X

T I P S

At the Violet Barn, Some plants are pink Other violets are blue Follow these suggestions and yours will Bloom well for you!

Tip #1 – Curling Leaves When leaves curl around the pot, it’s due to improper light or too much water.

Good drainage and good light will cause leaves to grow out in a flat rosette. Also, if temperature is much below 72 degrees in daytime or below 60 degrees at night, you may get curling.

Tip #2 – Failure to Bloom May be due to insufficient light for bud formation. Happens in winter. Move them to a bright window or resort to fluorescent lights. Too many crowns can be cause of no bloom. Take a razor and cut off some, reroot in water.

Tip #3 – Bud Drop Leaking gas, even in the tiniest amount, will cause buds to drop. It’s natural for some blooms to shed after pollination, so don’t worry. Dry soils and dry air cause buds and blooms to drop. Overfeeding causes blooms to ripen too fast and shed, so don’t over feed.

Photo by Mark Stash

ing “The Violet Barn” gives you a hint – but newcomers who enter are unprepared for the profusion of thousands of America’s favorite houseplant.

The Violet Barn is a labor of love in more ways than one. In 1992, Rob Robinson, an economics professor at the University of Buffalo, decided to leave academia and follow a childhood dream – growing and selling violets to fellow gardeners who appreciate the plant’s delicate beauty.

With no business background but plenty of passion for his pursuit, he

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money, but deep down I had a yearning to grow and sell these as a career,” says Rob. A half a world away in Taiwan, Olive Ma told of a similar dream. “I always harbored a desire to grow and sell plants as a career,” she says. “Of course my parents thought it foolish to get into something that didn’t pay more. I did what my heart told me to do!”

In 1995, Rob was living and running his violet business in a barn in Naples and Olive Ma was pursuing her

Tip #4 – Light Requirements African violets are sensitive to light.

With too little light, plants make vigorous growth and produce few or no flowers.

Grow in bright north window or just out of the sun of other windows. Best temperature 60-62 degrees at night and 70-72 degrees in daytime. Lack of light will prevent buds or blooms. Too much light causes yellowing of leaves.

Tip #5 – Feeding Violets More plants are over-fed than under-fed.

Every three or four months use some liquid plant food, such as Rapidgro, applied to the soil surface. Once each year remove most of the soil and repot the plant in new soils.

Vermiculite or perlite added to the soil mixture is helpful.

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lifelong dream in Taiwan 6,000 miles away. It seemed inconceivable that the two would ever meet, but their strong admiration and love of the violet eventually brought them face to face.

Olive ordered violets from Rob and they began correspondence about the thousands of varieties of the Gesneriaceae family (African violets and related kin). They met at an African Violet Society conference and discovered they had the right ingredients to love, live and work together.

They tied the knot in Taipei in 1997.

Rob and Olive now live with their thousands of plants in the remodeled Violet Barn overlooking Canandaigua’s blue-green waters. “We have six employees who work year-round and we love what we do, even though we work 12 hours a day,” Olive says.

Rob and Olive have earned international recognition for their efforts.

They are considered among the best violet hybridizers and growers of Saint Paulia in the world. They have hybridized hundreds of their own plant varieties that carry their own names.

Rob’s Cherry Soda and Ma’s Debutante are in big demand from violet collectors.

“We absolutely love doing this,” Rob tells customers. “We wouldn’t want to do anything else; that we can do this together is even better.”

Desiring to share their ventures into the violet world, the Robinsons now publish their own bimonthly magazine, Violetsfun. Their shop/nursery, the Violet Barn, located at 7209 County Road 12 in Naples, is open daily from noon to 5 year-round.

Anyone interested in a Violet Barn catalog or ordering a subscription may contact the Robinsons at 585-374-8592 or through their website at www.violet barn.com.

As this issue of Life in the Finger Lakes was being prepared, George “Doc” Abraham passed away at the age of 89.

The beloved gardening expert from Naples, along with his wife, Katy, wrote more than 20 books and a weekly newspaper column.

They also hosted a radio show, “The Green Thumb” for over 50 years.

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A world-class observatory is located in our own back yard

By Ed Ribson and Eve Strella

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The observatory is silhouetted against an amazing display of the aurora borealis.

Photo by Alan S. Russell

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bout 40 miles south of Rochester on Route 64, a large sign for Ontario County Park stands at the foot of West Gannett Hill Road. The drive up the hill makes automatic transmissions downshift and ears pop.

Photos by Eve Strella At the top, the road comes to a T-shaped intersection. The park entrance lies off to the right. To the left, South Gannett Hill Road continues a short distance uphill. Just over this rise, a fenced area of park-like lawn comes into view on the right side of the road. A sign announces to visitors that they have arrived at the University of Rochester C. E. K. Mees Observatory.

The observatory welcomes the public for free scheduled tours on Friday and Saturday evenings throughout June, July and August. Visitors drive through an open gate in the black iron fence. As they proceed up a winding gravel road, they may sight deer among the trees casting evening shadows across the hill. Farther up the road, visi-

A

tors may also notice a granite monument near a pond off to the right.

This monument, designed by the Medical Center Anatomical Gift Program, commemorates deceased individuals who have donated their bodies to science. A little way past the monument, a sign at a fork in the road directs visitors to the Gannett Hill House.

History The Hill House, the former summer home of the Gannett family, is a visible reminder of the property’s history.

Frank E. Gannett, founder of several upstate New York newspapers, including Rochester’s Democrat & Chronicle, was The telescope under the dome of the Mees Observatory was made by the same firm that constructed the Hubble Space Telescope.

Red-light illumination, says Ed Ribson (below), allows skygazers’ eyes to quickly adjust to peering up into a dark sky.

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born on Gannett Hill in 1876. While Frank was still in his youth, the Gannett family sold the property. On January 16, 1940, Mr. Gannett announced his candidacy for the presidency but later failed to win the Republican Party nomination. As a consolation prize and 20th anniversary present, his wife Caroline purchased the former Gannett property and, on a site adjacent to Frank’s birthplace, built the Hill House that same year.

In 1957, Frank Gannett died at the age of 81. A few years later, Ontario County began to purchase nearby acreage to establish a park. Mrs. Gannett was reluctant to sell her 46 acres of the hill to the county for fear that funding would be insufficient to properly maintain and police the beautiful summer estate.

At about the same time, the University of Rochester was in the early stages of planning an observatory.

The university owned a 15-centimeter Alvan Clark refracting telescope but was interested in siting a larger, stateof-the-art reflecting telescope in the Bristol Hill region. Faculty members scouted out several sites in car and on foot but did not initially explore Gannett Hill because of the “activity of the state in purchasing lands and the greater distance from the city.�

However, the university became interested in Gannett Hill when Dr. Arnold Weisberger of Eastman Kodak suggested to Dr. Morton Kaplon, who then chaired the University of Rochester Department of Physics and Astronomy, that the Gannett property might become available. Clifford Carpenter, a Democrat & Chronicle editor, arranged a meeting between Caroline Gannett and Dr. Kaplon.

Assured that the university would adequately care for the property, Mrs. Gannett was happy to donate it for educational purposes. She requested only that her children and grandchil-

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dren have access and that, if the property were no longer used for the expressed purposes, ownership would revert to the Frank E. Gannett Newspaper Foundation.

In addition to the Gannett property, the university purchased 23 acres of adjoining Ontario County Park land, which included the summit where the observatory would be built at an elevation of 2,260 feet above sea level. Mr. and Mrs. Lee McCane, next-door neighbors of the Gannetts, also contributed land. Grants and contributions totaling $237,300 from the National Science Foundation, Eastman Kodak, the Mees family and the New York State Science & Technology Foundation funded the project.

The Scenic Tour On May 8, 1965, the observatory was dedicated in honor of C. E. Kenneth Mees (1882-1960), the former Eastman Kodak director of research who had pioneered the development of sensitive emulsions for astrophotography. At the time of its dedication, Mees Observatory was reportedly the largest, best-equipped observatory east of the Mississippi. The dome houses a 61-centimeter Boller and Chivens reflecting telescope built by Perkin Elmer Corporation, the same firm that constructed the Hubble Space Telescope.

The figure of 61 centimeters (24 inches) specifies the diameter of the telescope’s primary mirror. The primary mirror or lens diameter is the most important specification of an astronomical telescope. It determines how much light the telescope collects and how much detail it is able to

Tours begin just before twilight.

At dusk, tour guides boot the computers that aim the telescope.

Photos by Eve Strella

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reveal. The Mees telescope uses mirrors of the Ritchey-Chretien configuration. This design, which produces a high quality image across the entire field of view, is the same used in the Hubble Space Telescope and in most large earth-based telescopes.

The Gannett House now provides the observatory with office and library space as well as living quarters for staff who stay overnight. It is also the first stop on public tours. When visitors arrive, they assemble in the living room or stroll out on the slate patio overlooking Canandaigua Lake. From this vantage point, they can gaze across the tops of the low clouds that occasionally hang above the lake’s southern tip.

Before each tour begins, guides take the opportunity to introduce themselves and meet their guests. Tour guides are either University of Rochester astronomy majors or members of the Astronomy Section of the Rochester Academy of Science, a regional organization that promotes public awareness of the natural sciences. Visitors may arrange to tour the observatory as individuals, in families or as members of community groups. Some come to Mees with a specific interest in astronomy, but many simply wish to see the observatory or to enjoy the beauty of the night sky.

An Incredible Show At the onset of twilight, guests return from the patio to the Gannett House living room for a brief slide presentation. The show introduces them to the history of the observatory and to current

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astronomical research in which the University of Rochester is involved.

The presentation then ‘walks’ visitors through a tour of the cosmos. The narrator introduces the audience to the basic structures of the solar system and the galaxy and attempts to impart an idea of the scale of the universe. Many of the specific objects to be viewed that evening are also discussed. The narrator emphasizes that astronomers rarely make discoveries merely by peering through telescopes. Rather they use earth-based and orbiting telescopes to collect and analyze data from different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum (of which visible light is only a tiny portion) to understand the nature of astrophysical processes. A basic understanding of these processes helps visitors appreciate what they will see through the telescope.

After the slide show, visitors either walk or drive the steep quartermile distance from the Gannett House up to the observatory building. In the gathering dusk, they enjoy the view from the observatory deck while tour guides boot the computers that aim the telescope. Remote from the glare of city lights and other sources of light pollution, the dark sky presents a spectacular vista.

On midsummer nights, the Milky Way meanders from overhead down toward the southern horizon. The telescope’s wide-angle viewfinder resolves this luminous band into myriad suns strewn like stardust across the firmament. Dark regions of interstellar dust divide the Milky Way into starry lanes scattered with glowing patches of nebulosity. The telescope reveals the ethereal beauty of these fluorescing clouds of ionized hydrogen. Like the Eagle Nebula, famous for its “pillars of creation” imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope, many of these are regions of active star birth. The telescope also resolves open star clusters consisting of hundreds or thousands of individual

Page 27

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84 Fall Street • Seneca Falls, NY 13148 • 315-568-1600 • www.HENRYBS.com

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stars that had once formed in such stellar nurseries.

Cosmic Rationale Viewing such structures through the telescope, visitors are better able to understand the natural history of our own sun. The star that rules our solar system was most likely born several billions of years ago in a cloud of dust and molecular hydrogen that had massed near the plane of the Milky Way’s spiral arm disc. The sun probably originated as one member of a cluster Photo by Eve Strella that eventually dispersed into a looser stellar association.

Visitors may also view another type of nebula – one that represents our sun’s probable fate billions of years into the future. When a dying star of average mass ejects its atmosphere, the expanding envelope of gas traces intricate, cylindrical patterns about the central star. Ultraviolet radiation from the dying star ionizes the gases, which then glow from the recombination of separated electrons and positive ions. The Ring Nebula in Lyra is one such resultant nebula.

It lies about 2,000 light-years distant from our solar system

and has a diameter roughly 1,600 times the distance of Pluto from the sun.

In addition to views of nebulae, star clusters and distant galaxies, Mees visitors often enjoy views of the more familiar planets of our own solar system. Jupiter’s cloud belts, zones and Galilean satellites are popular sights, as is Saturn’s magnificent ring system.

Since the dedication of Mees Observatory in 1965, the pace of astronomical discovery has accelerated tremendously. Much has been due to the continuing space program, the application of computer technology and enormous advances in both earth-based and orbiting instrumentation.

Under the directorship of Professor William Forest, Mees Observatory continues to operate as a research and teaching facility. Superintendent Kurt Holmes maintains the observatory buildings and grounds, and Tour Director Carol Latta coordinates public tours. For anyone seeking an update on recent developments in astronomy or merely wishing to connect with the cosmos, Mees Observatory remains an ideal place to start.

Reservations Tour reservations for Friday and Saturday nights throughout June, July and August may be made online at www.rochesterastronomy.com/ur/public or by leaving a voicemail message at 585275-4385. This line is answered in two to four days. Please be certain to leave a name and full 10-digit phone number for the return call. To ensure that all are comfortably accommodated and have ample opportunity to use the telescope, tour groups are limited to a maximum of 25 visitors per evening.

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Take Route 64 south past Bristol Mountain into Bristol Springs (about 4 miles past Bristol Mountain) and watch for Gannett Hill Road on your right. There will be a sign for Ontario County Park there. Take Gannett Hill Road to the “T”. The park is to your right and the road leading up to the Gannett house is to your left.

You will come to one more turn off to the right which is the driveway to the house and observatory. When you get to the “Y” go left to the house. Do not drive up to the observatory.

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Stardust Observatory is the personal observatory of Ed Ribson and Eve Strella. It is one of several privately owned observatories in Rochester and the Finger Lakes region. Builders Steve Breemes and Mike Coyne constructed the observatory foundation and cylindrical wall. The steel dome houses a 15.5centimeter refracting telescope built by Astro-Physics of Rockford, Illinois.

With the telescope’s permanent installation in autumn of 2004, the authors are looking forward to digital imaging of the solar system and deep sky.

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Eve Strella and Ed Ribson at Stardust, their private observatory. Ed is a County Health Department official and Eve is CEO of Strella and Associates.

Both authors are members of the Rochester Academy of Science Astronomy Section and have worked as Mees tour guides. Mr. Ribson is also a member of the International Dark-Sky Association.

Circle Reader Service Number 115

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Forest in Sepia The Photography and Thoughts of Doug McFarland

BIRCH AND DAFFODILS – Letchworth State Park “The white dead beech leaves created a wonderful contrast against the springtime daffodils.”

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here are few pleasures as great as a warm morning hike through an enchanted Finger Lakes forest in the springtime. No words or images can truly capture the very soul of the land as it rises from a long win-

ter’s sleep. This fact does not discourage the poet, the writer, nor the artist from interpreting these moments of springtime for others to enjoy. And so, with camera in hand, I begin my journey as an artist in search of my own interpretation.

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FIELD OF DANDELIONS – Canadice Lake Area “I was lake hopping in the spring and came across this wonderful field of dandelions. They were irresistible.”

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GENESEE LOWER FALLS #1 – Letchworth State Park “White foam set against stark cliffs. A touch of spring snow in the upper right created wonderful balance in this scene.”

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CHERRY TREES AND DAFFODILS – Durand Eastman Park, Rochester “I shot these cherry trees close up, but only after I walked away did I discover their true beauty.”

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his time of year creates some of the most interesting textures. Soft new leaves, just budding, are set against rough winter-worn bark. Young sprouts along the forest trail glow with a soft green against the dark earth. A row of still dormant oak trees provides a stark backdrop to a bright shining cherry tree in full bloom.

Fields of dandelions with fresh faces rise from the gray

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grasses of the field. Dark-ridged cliffs frame a raging river white with foam.

Springtime also shows us wonderful contrasts. A small patch of bright yellow daffodils is standing tall in a forest of brown leaves. Sometimes a few winterbleached leaves from last fall are set in a sea of tangled brown branches. Deep in the forest shade, the last

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patch of snow is tucked under a forgotten ledge at the edge of a quiet stream.

At day’s end, when I have found and captured the textures and contrasts of spring, I prepare my final impressions by teasing apart and amplifying my visions into earth-toned images. The mighty Cherry Tree, a Raging River, Daffodils and a field of Dandelions, simple in themselves, yet rich in vision. So these become my own interpretations of an enchanted Finger Lakes forest in the springtime.

Doug moved from film to digital photography in 2002.

His early work was digital black and white photography, much the same as he had produced in a traditional darkroom.

However, Doug realized that the digital “darkroom” provided greater creative possibilities than a traditional darkroom.

Thus was born his sepia-toned, interpretive-style prints. Each image is an interpretation of what he sees, rather than what the camera recorded. Therefore, Doug’s work is about him and how he sees the world. You can see more of Doug’s photography at www.Finalimpressions.com.

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The region is host to a surprising number of adventure paddlers.

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Photo by Steve Pike

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WHITEWATER KAYAKING...

HERE?

By Todd Miner, Cornell Outdoor Education

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hile most Finger Lakes visitors and residents are unhappy when it rains, Jamie Walters reaches with a smile for his computer. The Cornell University doctoral candidate jumps online and checks in with the local paddling community. As the rain falls, e-mails fly across listservs about water levels, paddling conditions, and rides to put-ins on local paddling streams. Jamie slides into his wetsuit, grabs his kayak and paddle, and within an hour he is paddling Fall Creek or one of a dozen other area streams. “When it rains, ya gotta go for it!” says Walters, describing the growing whitewater paddling scene in the Finger Lakes region.

When it comes to paddling in the region, it is usually the lakes, and sea kayak touring or flat water canoeing, that

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The other distinctive characteristic, the ledges or shelves in the sedimentary bedrock, are also readily apparent to hikers. However, for the paddlers, they are more than just interesting features, they make for mostly exciting and sometimes hazardous paddling. The ledges form a kind of underwater staircase creating standing waves to play on and surf.

According to Karp, “They are a lot of fun to run, with all kinds of drops, although some dangers as well.” Walters further explains, “Some ledges can be dangerous because they form powerful hydraulics – recirculating currents – which can trap a boat or a paddler who ‘swims.’ Most of them, most of the time, offer a heck of a lot of excitement and fun, you just have to have some experience and be careful.”

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first come to mind. Or perhaps rowing, competitively or just for fun. However for a growing number of adventure junkies, Finger Lakes paddling involves whitewater paddling – playing in specialized kayaks or canoes on the many local streams.

Two distinctive characteristics make paddling in the Finger Lakes a special occurrence: the gorges and their sheer rock walls, and the ledges. The gorges need little introduction to anyone who lives or visits the Finger Lakes. The clefts cut through soft sedimentary shales and mudstones are just as spectacular to paddle as they are to hike. “The gorges are not only incredibly scenic, they also make for challenging paddling as there aren’t a lot of eddies – the places where we can stop or rest,” says Beth Karp, an avid paddler and a junior majoring in music at Cornell.

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FALL CREEK IS A FAVORITE One of the favorite streams of Finger Lakes paddlers is Fall Creek. Originating in the hills around Cortland, on the eastern edge of the Finger Lakes region, Fall Creek flows southwest to empty into the southern end of Cayuga Lake.

The lower reaches of the creek, through Cornell University’s Plantations, are particularly popular places to paddle. Each April the area is host to the Fall Creek Race, part of a series of races held throughout the mid-Atlantic states. During high water, Fall Creek offers standing waves and short falls that attract paddlers from all over the region.

The rivers and streams of the Finger Lakes have created numerous and well known gorges, including awe-inspiring falls, but they are generally small watercourses with limited flow. Fall Creek is no different; it takes the spring snowmelt

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or a good rain to raise the water to optimal paddling levels.

According to Walters, “The ephemeral nature of Finger Lakes paddling is both exciting and frustrating. It is exciting because the paddling is variable, it’s always changing. When conditions are right, you only have to drive five minutes for some great paddling. It is frustrating because generally you can’t plan ahead to go paddling, you have to wait for a thaw or rain.”

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unannounced releases, and the streambed was cluttered with debris from 200 years of mill use and industrialization. Miller worked with the Village of Penn Yan, Friends of the Outlet, and scores of volunteers to clean the stream, design natural features to improve the paddling experience, and coordinate releases. Says Miller, “We now have up to 40 releases a year, with all the dates announced so that folks know when they can come paddle on the outlet.”

Whitewater kayaks come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Photo by Steve Pike

THE KEUKA OUTLET BECKONS There is one area stream where paddling can be predictable, very predictable: the Keuka Outlet. Keuka Outlet drops 270 feet over a short five miles, sending Keuka Lake’s water west over to Seneca Lake. It is a unique stream in several ways. The outlet means that Keuka is the only Finger Lake to directly drain into another of the Finger Lakes. More significantly for paddlers, Keuka Outlet is the only significant-sized local stream that is dam released. This means that paddlers can plan a paddling outing. Finally, the stream offers topography that is literally designed for paddlers.

The dam releases and stream flow design are the result of five years of hard work by Art Miller, a retired Kodak executive. Previous to Miller’s leadership there were infrequent and

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A safety briefing and dam release schedule for the outlet can be found at www.rit.edu/~acj1346/kayak/release_ schedule.shtml. The site also has photos of the outlet and some of its features.

Keuka Outlet is fast becoming a destination for paddlers from Rochester, Buffalo and all over the Finger Lakes. It is also becoming well known on the race circuit, particularly for slalom racing. Up to 200 spectators come out to watch the NE Slalom Series races. The NE Junior Olympic qualifying races will be held at the outlet the weekend of May 21 through 22, 2005.

OTHER PADDLING OPPORTUNITIES Of course there is more to Finger Lakes whitewater pad-

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Bud and Peggy Hohman, Kendal residents and long-time Adirondacks enthusiasts.

We kept what counts in our retirement~freedom!

Freedom to continue having fun; to be private when we want to be; to have friends join us when we want to; to know we'll never be a burden to our children; to have top-notch lifetime health care on site.

Now is the time. Here is the place.

KENDAL

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at Ithaca

a not-for-profit life care retirement community EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

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dling than just Fall Creek and the Keuka Outlet. Jamie Walters loves the “multitude of little creeks and gorges to explore. There is an endless treasure trove; we’re always scouting the local streams after a rain.” Or as Beth Karp enthusiastically puts it, the many “creeking opportunities!”

Some of Walters and Karp’s other favorites include Letchworth, Six Mile and Taughannock. “I particularly enjoy paddling Taughannock because you can run it blind; you don’t have to get out of the boat to scout,” says Karp.

For those who have never paddled whitewater and want

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instruction.shtml) and Cornell Outdoor Education out of Ithaca (www.coe.cornell.edu).

For beginning paddlers, after getting instruction and perfecting a good roll, Karp and Walters suggest starting with the upper Keuka Outlet or Letchworth. “Those are both fairly mellow and straightforward stretches of water – beautiful too,” says Walters.

There is more to paddling in the Finger Lakes region than on its 11 stunning lakes. There is a host of beautiful and accessible streams waiting to be explored. Paddling

Whitewater kayaking is a sport enjoyed both by men and women.

Photo by Steve Pike

to give it a try Karp suggests caution. “Moving water can be very dangerous in ways you might not expect. Both flooded and shallow waterways engender a number of potential hazards.” It is especially during high water that people get excited about floating the usually small Finger Lakes streams. More than one beginner paddler has needed rescue on local waterways. Walters strongly suggests getting lessons before attempting any whitewater, “Quality instruction not only teaches the necessary skills, it teaches good judgement.” Two good sources of instruction in the region include Cascade Falls Kayak Adventures out of Rochester (www.rit.edu/~acj1346/kayak/

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under the sheer rock walls of Finger Lakes’ gorges and playing on the drops created by the many ledges of the area’s streams, make for unique and exciting paddling adventures.

It is a different and very personal way to connect with the Finger Lakes environment. As Barry Lopez has said, “To stick your hands into the river is to feel the cords that bind the earth together into one piece.”

Dr. Todd Miner is the Lindseth Executive Director of Cornell Outdoor Education, the largest, most comprehensive collegiate outdoor education program in the nation.

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Kimball Realty Group

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Creek and waterfall cascade through this unique property. Call today!

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Step inside this warm and comfortable home and you won’t want to leave. Spacious updated kitchen, attached gathering room. Large formal dining room with sitting area. Living room is filled with natural light, brick fireplace and a door to the gallery porch which looks over miles and miles of Seneca Lake. Located in the heart of the Finger Lakes Wine Country.

6 bedrooms, 21/2 baths, 2 car garage, barn with storage, dock and beach area, 75 ft. of lakefront, year-round use.

McMillan 2/9/05 1:33 PM Page 1 Henry M. Kimball krealty@stny.rr.com • 607-732-0200 www.kimballrealtygroup.com

Lake Country Real Estate, Inc. 326 Genesee St., Auburn, NY 13021 OWASCO LAKEFRONT Enjoy this 3BR, 2 Bath ranch near Emerson Park. New in 1994. Easy access, lovely lakeside deck. All pub. utilities. In the heart of the Finger Lakes.

Perfect for snowbirds or for yr-rd. living. $285,000. Midge Fricano, Broker, Ext. 201 or cell: 315-729-0985. Check our website to view other fine homes!

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Falcon Realty Owasco Lake

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The falls of the Genesee River in Rochester are good vantage points to view falcons

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U ban Fa cons

By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

City-dwelling peregrine falcons enhance life in the Finger Lakes

Illustrations by Mark Stash

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ne of the great joys of living not just in New York State, not just upstate New York and not just the Finger Lakes region, but in the heart of downtown Rochester, is being able to see the famous Kodak peregrine falcons right from our windowsills. My husband Wayne and I live in what used to be called Olde Rochesterville, with the Genesee River as our “front yard� and stunning views of Rochester from the two sides of our fifth-floor corner apartment.

From their nestbox high up in the Kodak Office Tower on Lake Avenue, the local falcons swoop and hunt right in front of our windows, often perching or feasting in our view, on the ledges between stories of the HSBC Building (the one with the long-ago revolving restaurant, now affectionately known as the flying saucer, on top) at Main and State streets. We have seen them dive at terrific speeds, snatch pigeons out of the air, and carry the carcasses back to window ledges for admittedly bloody dining, as if downtown was simply another national park or untouched

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mountainside. “Nature, red in tooth and claw,” indeed!

It isn’t that urban falcons are new to us – Wayne and I met in his hometown of Baltimore, which also has peregrine falcons nesting at a downtown building. However, the Baltimore falcons never appeared outside our windows there.

Nor does Baltimore have the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge over the fabulous Genesee River gorge at High Falls, where falcon-watchers meet regularly to observe nesting, hatching and fledgling.

Nor does Baltimore have the renowned Kodak Birdcam, a set of four cameras positioned around a nestbox in the Kodak Tower and operated by a team of falcon fans in the company, sending a constant stream of real-time images to

The falcons enjoy panoramic views of Rochester

their own area of the Kodak website. Not to mention the constant chatter about every move the falcons make, through an electronic discussion list accessible from the Birdcam website. Falcon fans from all around the Finger Lakes region, around the country and even across both oceans participate in the discussion list, creating their own virtual community and occasionally coming together in real life.

For whatever reason, we’re hooked! Here’s some of what we’ve learned.

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Falcon facts Being able to watch a wild hunting bird in action from the most urban of locations seems so unlikely, but the peregrine falcons of the Finger Lakes region are more than a transplanted natural wonder; they’re an environmental success story.

Falcons were almost wiped out by use of pesticides such as DDT, which poisons adult birds and weakens eggshells, destroying new generations.

Thanks to wildlife professionals, environmental agencies and organizations, and the public, peregrine falcons have gone from “doomed,” at only 39 known pairs about 30 years ago, to thriving, with 2,000 breeding pairs today.

The nestbox at the Kodak Office Tower

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Before pesticides took their toll, Falco peregrinus (f.p.) – the one now found in the Finger Lakes region, which is one of three subspecies in North America – could be found in mountain and cliff eyres from central Alaska, across north-central Canada and down to Mexico. Their species name comes from their tendency to seek nesting sites far from where they hatch, while the subspecies name refers to their history as duck hunters.

As the falcon population declined, its natural predator, the great horned owl, took over most of its nesting sites, so scientists and environmentalists came up with sites that owls tend to avoid – tall buildings, bridges and grain elevators. These have their own risks, since coasting on thermals could land one in the middle of urban traffic, but have turned out to be mostly successful as replacement homes.

The peregrine falcon has been off the federal endangered-species list since 1999 (although its populations are still monitored and it’s still on the New York State list).

There are falcons in more than 25 North American cities; New York City has more than any other city in the world, and New York State has the most breeding pairs anywhere east of the Rockies. Rochester is not the only Finger Lakes city with nesting peregrine falcons; they are part of the urban experience in Syracuse and Oswego as well.

And again, while there are plenty of falcon and general birding discussion groups on the Internet, only Rochester has the Kodak Birdcam!

The Kodak connection Rochester became a center of falcon fanatics starting in 1994, when Dennis Money, founder of the Rochester Peregrine Falcon Project, asked Kodak to let him put a nest box on top of its office tower on Lake Avenue near High Falls. The tower was “a perfect nesting loca-

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tion with tons of nooks and crannies,” resembling a natural cliff habitat. The box went up the following year, and falcons started using the nest three years after his first efforts to attract them.

The first pair, named Mariah and Sirocco (who later was found to have been named Cabot by falcon-watchers where he was born), used the nest successfully from 1998 to 2001. CabotSirocco disappeared and a new male, Kaver, replaced him as Mariah’s mate.

Things got really exciting in 2003 and 2004, when Mariah and Kaver had an unprecedented five eggs and hatchlings each year – falcons usually have two to three eggs.

As of 2004, the total falcon offspring from the Kodak Office Tower is up to 26. Although the new generations have been banded, no one seems to know where the young birds have gone. As the discussion list’s “Frequently Asked Questions” says, “Unless someone spots a leg identification band and reports it to an agency that can track them, their whereabouts will likely remain a mystery.” The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper reported that one of the 2004 birds was fitted with a solar-powered transmitter that tracks his movements, but he has never gone farther than Elmira, so he isn’t expected to teach much about the migration habits of peregrine falcons.

Partners in the Birdcam are the Genesee Valley Audubon Society, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Kodak’s Health, Safety and Environment departments. The Migration Research Foundation is a leader in furthering knowledge about the peregrine falcon, and members of the GVAS Fledge Watch volunteer to watch over and protect the fledglings.

Being a Rochester falcon fan even has a hint of mystery to it. Here’s what is known about “Birdman,” operator of the Birdcam for the past two seasons: “Birdman is a Kodak employee who has a deep interest in nature and the Birdcam project … There are many at

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Earth Portraits

Finger Lakes Region 24˝ x 30˝ Satellite Poster Print only $19.95 Order online today at www.spatialinnovation.com or call 315.252.9311

Spatial Innovation! of Auburn, NY proudly offers readers of Life in the Finger Lakes magazine a satellite poster print of the Finger Lakes Region for $19.95, and a note card set of twelve Earth Portraits of the Finger Lakes Region for $24.95. Earth Portraits are derived from NASA satellite imagery that artistically portrays the Finger Lakes Region’s unique beauty and natural features as viewed from space at different times during the year. These products are great as gifts or for display in your home or cottage on the lake.

The Finger Lakes Region Earth Portraits are created by Earth Imagery Art pioneer Brian Bell, whose artwork is exhibited and represented internationally by the acclaimed Amsterdam Whitney Gallery of New York City.

Satellite Poster Print: Full color 24˝ x 30˝ Earth Portrait of the Finger Lakes Region (pictured above). Cost - $19.95 (free shipping, tax additional) Note Cards: Earth Portrait box set of 12 (2 of each Earth Portrait). The note cards are 5-1/2˝ x 7-1/4˝ printed on white folded textured card stock. All note cards are blank inside. 12 blank envelopes are included. Cost - $24.95 (free shipping, tax additional) Also available - Earth Portrait for collectors of art Unframed Earth Portrait: Full color 24˝ x 30˝ Earth Portrait print on glossy archival paper mounted on Gatorboard™ ready for framing. Earth Portrait is personally signed by Brian Bell. Cost - $175.00 (shipping and tax additional) Framed Earth Portrait: Earth Portrait print (as described above) with 1/4˝ black wooden frame; Print is personally signed by Brian Bell. Cost - $325.00 (shipping and tax additional) To Order Earth Imagery Art toll free hotline – 866.301.1015 Spatial Innovation! Switchboard – 315.252.9311 Spatial Innovation! Fax – 315.253.7335 www.spatialinnovation.com to download an order form

Full money back guarantee if prints are in original packaging and not damaged. Mastercard, Visa accepted, NY State sales tax of 8.25% applicable on all sales. Please allow 3-4 weeks delivery. Finger Lakes Earth Portraits can be viewed at www.spatialinnovation.com/FLgallery. All images are copyright protected. Any use or reproduction is strictly prohibited by law, all rights reserved Spatial Innovation!

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Kodak who give their time to make this project a success each year, and Birdman speaks for us all.”

The nature of the bird The falcon is the fastest of birds, so fast it has been called “the cheetah of the sky” and a “feathered bullet” – it can reach flying speeds of 50 miles an hour, and 200 mph when it dives or “stoops” for prey. Its long wings (3 feet on a body the size of a crow), streamlined build and small head contribute to its potential for speed. The female is the actual “falcon”; males are called “tercels” or “tiercels,” from a German word for “one-third,” because the male is a third smaller than the female.

Searching for prey along the river

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Peregrine falcons hunt in the air, slamming into their prey and grabbing it with fisted talons.

The average lifespan is 13 to 17 years, but only about half of each year’s new population survives. Many die as they learn to fly in urban canyons; some perish while migrating. Not all falcons migrate; some stay put – as the Rochester pair sometimes does – if winter weather is bearable, and if the food supply of starlings, pigeons and the occasional duck remains stable.

Falcons typically return to the same nest every spring, although they may switch to different nests in the same area from one year to the next.

They come back in early March and have a brief courting behavior every year. The female lays two to four eggs, one every-other day. Incubation lasts 33 or 34 days from when the last egg appears. An adult is on the eggs constantly; the female usually takes the “night shift” and most of the daytime nesting responsibility, although males seem to enjoy sitting on the eggs, even after doing the flying and hunting for both.

A baby or eyas spends two days “pipping” or pecking at the shell with a sharp egg tooth on its beak before emerging, weighing about 1.5 ounces and looking like a fluffy little snowball, with oversized feet and beak.

Feathers start replacing down in three to five weeks and the birds are essentially full-grown at about six weeks.

Leg length determines sex – short legs: male; longer legs: female. The eyasses learn to tear up their own food by around five weeks and testing the ability to fly at around six weeks, when they become fledglings. They leave the nest between the 38th and 45th day, encouraged by their parents either withholding food or hovering near the nest with prey in claw. It takes fledglings about a month to fly and hunt on their own; then, they leave town to find mates and homes of their own.

Despite the intense sense of connection between falcon-watchers and

each year’s new clutch, the Birdcam discussion group says, “Each nesting pair of peregrine falcons prefers to select its own private location. If any one of the hatchlings return[ed] with mates during the next year’s nesting season, their parents would drive them off, as they would any ‘invading’ peregrine. After the young falcons leave the nest, all family ties and loyalty are dissolved.”

Getting plugged in Want to join the legions of Finger Lakes falcon fans? Local newspapers usually announce the return of falcon pairs to their respective urban eyres.

For news of the Rochester falcons, start visiting www.birdcam.kodak.com in early March.

Once the birds return, don’t be surprised to see dozens of excited messages back and forth about every single moment of progress toward a new clutch of eggs, followed by breathless anticipation of hatching, creative input on naming and delight at banding, thrilled responses to every feeding event and flight attempt, cheers for each successful flight, and, finally, sorrow as the Birdcam shuts down for the year.

While the Kodak Birdcam offers “a front-row seat to the peregrine falcon’s courting, nesting and fledgling,” the birds also can be seen all around downtown Rochester, including High Falls and the Pont de Rennes Bridge, the smokestacks, Frontier Field, High Falls Brewery, and – just for us, of course – over the river between Main and Andrews streets.

Life in the Finger Lakes doesn’t get more fun than this!

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter is a successful freelance writer/editor who returned home to Rochester in 2001 with her husband when he retired from Bethlehem Steel. “Wayne has wanted to retire in Rochester since we got married here in 1989, and my career is portable, so here we are,” she recalled. Thaler-Carter can be reached through her website, www.writerruth.com.

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D A Y

T R I P

Mecca for Ceramics

By Laurel C. Wemett

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he Southern Tier village of Alfred, New York, might aptly be described as a “Mecca for Ceramics.” The village has long been the home to the internationally recognized New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, founded over 100 years ago in 1900. In the heart of the campus, the ScheinJoseph International Museum of Ceramic Art houses an impressive permanent collection of ceramic objects dating from the Neolithic period to the present. Annually the museum offers exhibitions based on its large holdings, loans from private collections, and notable traveling shows.

Graduate thesis exhibitions that reflect the latest work in ceramics and electronic arts will be highlighted this spring.

In 1900, New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt signed a bill establishing the New York State School of Clay-Working and Ceramics (now the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University). The ceramics department, like those in other universities, was established to bolster the state’s brick industry and utilization of the state’s raw materials. A prosperous Alfred business, the Celadon Terra Cotta Company, which then manufactured tiles and bricks, was partially responsible for locating the ceramics school there. Today a tour of Alfred reveals 50 houses roofed with terra cotta tiles made by the company. Its “Terra Cotta” building at the southwest corner of Pine and Main streets is listed in the National Register of Historic Sites. The tiny building, built in 1892, was once an office and display center for the company, and

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boasts exterior walls set with ornamental tiles.

PLACE IS MAGICAL

Charles Fergus Binns (1857-1934)

THE GATEWAY TO ALL THE FINGER LAKES WINE TRAILS

The Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art Housed temporarily in BinnsMerrill Hall, the Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art has 1,500 square feet of renovated exhibition space. It seems fitting that two chandeliers and a portrait of Binns, both evident in a 1933 photograph of the room, but later removed, have been returned.

With over 8,000 objects in the collection, the good news is that a larger museum is being planned. New additions to the collection strain the four storage areas overseen by Collections Manager Susan Kowalczyk. A commitment of $9.2 million has already been made by the State University of New York Construction Fund for a larger

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The Ceramics College at Alfred is linked to Charles Fergus Binns (fig. 1), who has earned the title, “Father of American Studio Ceramics.” The English-born Binns learned about pottery at the Royal Worcester Porcelain Works where his father was comanaging director. After he moved to the U.S. in 1897, Binns began to produce his own pottery, learning the potter’s wheel, and testing glazes on his own ware. His style, characterized by simple forms and rich but subdued glazes, shows the influence of early Chinese ceramics (fig. 2).

Binns became founding director of the New York State School of ClayWorking and Ceramics at Alfred University in 1900 and held the position for over 30 years. It was he who created the curriculum at Alfred that dealt with factory, laboratory, and studio techniques, as well as some classes designed for public school teachers. His influential writings impacted the development of American ceramics.

Referred to on campus as “Daddy” Binns, his students went on to become outstanding teachers and potters.

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Visitors are encouraged to take a short walk from the museum to Main Street to see the local enthusiasm for ceramics.

Many of the restaurants and gift shops feature pottery. Here’s a partial listing: • The Terra Cotta Coffee House 34 North Main Street 607-587-8800 The rafters are filled with pottery and there’s a countertop display of Glidden plates.

The Parry exhibition at the museum • The Collegiate North Main Street 607-587-9293 This eatery has a fascinating collection of teapots (and fraternity paddles).

• Café Za 18 Church Street 607-587-9673 Owner Eric Cushing is an Alfred graduate who has lots of pots to peruse.

• Nana’s Japanese Café 56 North Main Street The owner sells her own pottery.

• The Gallery 607-587-9200 Crandall’s Jewelry Store 607-587-9441 43 North Main Street This was once the showroom for Glidden Pottery.

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facility to be located within walking distance of Harder Hall, which houses the School of Art and Design. Architect Bruce Wood of Kallmann, McKinnell and Wood Architects of Boston, is responsible for the design. Kowalczyk says it may be open by 2008.

Meanwhile, changing exhibitions, some traveling and others curated by the museum’s own staff, help fulfill the educational and research mission of Alfred’s College of Ceramics. Installation 188, on view in 2004, featured glass bottles containing clay from 188 different countries (fig. 3, pg. 52).

These were part of the Common Ground World Project, an international organization, established by Alfred University alumnus, Neil Tetkowski, that uses art to draw attention to global environmental concerns.

In 2001, the museum mounted an exhibition on Glidden Pottery, which

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featured the locally produced moldmade and hand-decorated stoneware produced in Alfred from 1940 to 1957 (fig. 4, pg. 52). Gliddenware was much admired for its design and the firm that made it was founded by a College of Ceramics’ graduate student, Glidden Parker. Perhaps due to Glidden’s popularity with today’s collectors, the museum’s catalogue of this exhibition is one of its best-selling publications.

Mount Morris

Penn Yan

The current exhibition at the Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art features 12 works by William Parry (1918-2004), professor emeritus of sculpture. A 1947 graduate of Alfred’s School of Art and Design, Parry returned to teach at the school FLT_LITFLad_spring05_final from 1963 until his retirement in 1/18/05

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William Parry (don’t forget to) Wonder

Directions to the Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art

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390

21

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417

Visitor Parking

From Interstate 86, take exit 33 to Almond, follow signs to Alfred University to Route 21 south and to Route 244 to Alfred. Turn left onto Pine Street at the stoplight. Binns-Merrill Hall is at the top of the hill, second building on the right. The street is for pedestrian use. Visitor parking is available nearby. The museum is on the second floor of Binns-Merrill Hall.

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Admission is free.

NEW YORK Ceramic Museum

PENNSYLVANIA

A Portion of Alfred University 5:02 PM

Hours: 10 a.m – 4 p.m., Wed. - Fri. Call ahead for exhibition information: 607-871-2421.

Pine Street

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For information, contact ceramicsmuseum@alfred.edu

Splendid news!

Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance Partners making “waves”

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Finger Lakes Wellness Center and Health Spa will open this spring in Bath, NY. For further information, call 607-776-3737 or check www.giftsretreats.com or www.fingerlakeswellness.com.

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1989. Most of the sculptures are part of a recent gift to the museum from his widow, Elizabeth Parry, and span the years from 1965 to 1993.

The title of the exhibit comes from a page of Parry’s notes with an (unattributed) quote: “We will not die through lack of power but one may die through lack of wonder,” Parry said.

“Don’t forget to wonder.”

Kowalczyk remembers Parry when she was an undergraduate majoring in ceramics in the 1970s. “He was very soft-spoken and generous with his time,” says the museum professional who has worked at the Alfred facility since 1996. “When he was talking to you, he made you feel like you were the most important person.”

“Bill Parry was an artist of deep intuition and surprising insights who had a special kind of imagination,” wrote Val M. Cushing, Alfred Professor Emeritus in a tribute in the June 2004 issue of The Studio Potter magazine. The variety of hand-built sculptures in the exhibit offer the viewer a chance to explore that imagination and, in Parry’s words, “to wonder.” Familiar objects like “Knife, Fork, Spoon” (fig. 5, pg. 52) take on large abstract forms in Parry’s hands.

The simplicity and scale of these implements give them a somewhat prehistoric appearance. Made of white stoneware with copper oxide slip, they resemble bones or other natural forms.

“Knife, Fork, Spoon” was produced as part of a series and the three examples on view offer the visitor an opportunity to compare them. Each trio is distinguished by its own unique texture, shapes, surface patterns, and variations of grays and whites.

The Parry exhibit ends April 1, after which five MFA student thesis exhibitions are scheduled through May 6, 2005.

Laurel C. Wemett is a correspondent for the Messenger-Post Newspapers in Canandaigua. Her mother and aunt both graduated with BS degrees in ceramic art and her uncle graduated with a BS in ceramic engineering from Alfred

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I N T E R E S T

Nick Sagan – A New York State of Mind

By Frances Emerson

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hen Auburn journalist Art Wenzel was seeking a famous writer to headline his Authors Exposed Four (see sidebar) last November, he never believed that his first choice would actually be interested. Until one day he found, to his amazement, a reply in his e-mail. Nick Sagan, Photo courtesy Nick Sagan the son of the late Cornell University professor Dr. Carl Sagan, was at home in Ithaca with his wife, Clinnette, busily working on his third novel.

A TV scriptwriter and author of two science fiction best sellers (Idlewild and his recently published Edenborn), Nick Sagan has his own claim to science fame. He has written screen adaptations for Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, and The Deus Machine, by Pierre Oulette and shares authorship of an

award-winning computer adventure game: Zork Nemesis: the Forbidden Lands. He has worked with directors Martin Scorcese and David Fincher, and was recently asked by another New Yorker, actor Tom Cruise, to adapt The Mark, a popular comic book feature into a major motion picture.

And he is the sixyear-old voice on the Voyager spacecraft heralding, “Hello from the children of planet Earth.”

But he is best known for his work on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Enterprise, and Voyager.

“It’s my favorite part of the world,” Nick revealed, remembering what it was like growing up in the ’70s in the Finger Lakes. “I love the climate. I love the people. It’s like living on a nature preserve. I love the fact

Authors Exposed is an event begun in Auburn by Art Wenzel, who is a journalist and archivest for the Cayuga County Historian’s Office. The first event was held in December of 2002 to promote books by local authors living in and around the Finger Lakes region. From its first two authors signing and displaying their books at the County Historan’s Office to the “Twelve Authors Twelve Days of Christmas” at Willard Chapel, the event has grown since its inception. Authors Exposed Five is planned for Spring 2005. Wenzel hopes to showcase more than 50 local authors and their works.

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that I can be writing. I can look up out of my window and I can see deer.

In Los Angeles, I’d be very lucky to see a coyote.”

Growing up in Ithaca for Nick, on many occasions, consisted of eating dinner with Isaac Asimov or Robert Heinlein, or visiting with Rod Serling, who lived just down the street. He also found himself sitting out under the starry skies with his dad, gazing into the heavens and discussing philosophical profundities.

He can still hear his father admonishing Hollywood (with great scientific conviction) for that now famous Star Wars science faux pas. “A parsec is a unit of distance, not time” stated Dr. Sagan. “They can afford to get that right.”

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1970, Nick remembers his first seven years living in Ithaca as happy ones, and loving everything about the Finger Lakes region – including school, he added.

Then, in 1977, his parents divorced. Nick moved to Los Angeles with his mother, Linda Salzman. “It was a very dark time for me,” Nick continued, until he started to attend college. With the help of an instructor, he sold his first screenplay.

Thrust early into the annals of science by his father, to wind up writing for Gene Roddenberry was prophetic for Nick. Oddly enough, Roddenberry’s plot for Star Trek The Motion Picture was about Kirk and Spock’s discovery of the Voyager spacecraft on a journey homeward from the far reaches of the galaxy.

Nick’s love for computer games as a child has become a huge part of his bread and butter as Space.com’s executive producer of entertainment and games.

The Great American Novel When Nick agreed to introduce Edenborn to an awaiting Auburn audi-

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ence, Wenzel was very delighted. It had been a lifelong dream of his grandmother’s to meet Dr. Sagan and invite him over for dinner. But both passed away before he could help her accomplish that goal. Getting Nick to headline Authors Exposed, Wenzel said, was definitely the next best thing.

Nick doesn’t consider himself a scientist or a science fiction writer, or even a futurist. But his books, hauntingly, do convey a kind of future vision for planet Earth to his readers. Idlewild, the book that begins the trilogy, (its title is taken from a town in Pennsylvania he once visited) is a kind of “coming of age story,” said Nick, “about a group of teenagers who’ve survived Armageddon.” Everfree, the third novel (available September, 2005) continues their story where they try to answer the question, “How will mankind rebuild after the Apocalypse?”

“I’ve been getting tremendous feedback. The reviews have been phenomenal,” noted Nick. And both of his books were a hit at Wenzel’s show, selling out within minutes.

Nick will continue living in the Finger Lakes and working on Everfree.

He will also be commuting to Hollywood for other projects there that are in the works. In the meantime, he is mulling a prospective writing project that several people have been urging him to take on. If Nick does decide to puruse this project, it could become his next big, sweeping novel. Nick Sagan fans will be eagerly anticipating the results.

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Frances Emerson lives in Geneva and holds a Master’s degree in education from Nazareth College of Rochester. Currently, she works part time as evening administrator for Finger Lakes Community College at its Geneva Center. She is also the weekend library supervisor for Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a substitute teacher.

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G A R D E N I N G

Prune, Prune, Prune...Perfectly!

by Frances and Larry Grossman

P

runing should not be considered a chore, but one’s expression of living art. There are numerous reasons to prune plants. From a grower’s perspective, we prune plants to train them to have full, well branched structures. Generally shrubs should be pruned every 6 to 8 inches, and trees are pruned every 12 to 15 inches. The result, on the one hand, will be a plant that has strong branches able to better withstand heavy snow and ice during the winter time. On the other hand, a well-pruned plant creates a work of beauty during the rest of the year.

Characteristics such as flower color, size, fragrance, leaf color during the season, or even fall color, will all be enhanced with proper pruning. The end result will allow you to produce a plant that will perform brilliantly for years to come. From a homeowners perspective, we prune plants to keep them from getting out of shape, growing too tall, too wide or more simply put, so they don’t cover up the windows, grow over the walkway, or up against the house.

Whether you are a professional or a weekend gardener, pruning a plant should have the same results.

WHEN TO PRUNE The best time to prune flowering shrubs is just after they finish flowering.

Shrubs such as forsythia, viburnum, lilac, and some hydrangeas (macrophylla varieties) produce the following year’s flower buds just after their current year’s flowers cycle. So if a lilac flowers in mid-May and we prune it by mid-June, the shrub will branch out again and then set its flowers for next year. If we

TOOLS OF THE TRADE:

Start with a pair of hand pruners, either left- or right- handed and properly sized for your hand. Like a glove, they should fit comfortably, not too big, not too small.

Adjustable handle hedge shears are next. These allow you to work up close or up to three feet away.

A short handled lopper works great for branches that are too large for hand pruners.

These cut 1/2-3/4” branches.

For thicker branches, you will need a folding saw.

As for the tall trees, use a pole saw. You can typically reach up to 20 feet in height. Anything higher than that, call in the tree climbers.

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Illustrations by Amy Colburn

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H O W prune that same lilac in the fall (perhaps because it is overgrown from several years of neglect), though we will put the plant back into shape, we will also lose the following year’s flowers.

Sometimes it is better to prune a plant at an off time of year in order to correct years of neglect. Evergreen shrubs such as rhododendron, azalea, Japanese andromeda, and mountain laurel should also be pruned in the same manor. As for all other evergreens that are not known to have a significant flower, boxwood, juniper, arborvitae, holly, yew and hemlock, these should be pruned once in late spring and touched up with a light second pruning in the fall.

When we talk about pruning pines, be it Austrian, mugho, Scotch, or white, all trees or shrubs in this family should be pruned while their shoots (candles) are actively growing. These plants react similarly to flowering shrubs. They set their buds for next year’s branches (not flowers) just after they push their spring growth. If you prune them in fall you will take off their branch buds for the following year.

Not to worry, they will push new branches the year after. Lastly, all trees and shrubs that fall in the spruce and fir families are best pruned in late spring through the fall.

The bottom line is picking the proper plant for the proper location will allow us to grow the plant as it would naturally. Learning how to prune plants so that we maintain them in an area that is too small for them to grow in the first place can truly dampen our spirits as a gardener. So in the end, a wellplaced plant becomes one we come to admire…a thing of beauty…living art.

Larry Grossman and his wife, Frances, are the owners of Grossman’s Country Nursery, Inc. located in Penfield.

Tune in every Saturday morning from 10 to 11 a.m. for the WHAM Garden Show Live with Grossman’s Country Nursery on WHAM 1180 and join Larry and Frances Grossman as they bring garden enthusiasts new and old into the fun and rewarding world of gardening.

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y first principle of pruning is always cut back to another branch or bud and to cut back to healthy wood. When we clip the top off a branch, the energy will flow to the bud or branch just below the cut. The result will be buds breaking open and producing new shoots. Most times after the plant is pruned, we see it grow furiously. Over the years when trimming is done to the outer portion of the plant, the canopy becomes very dense. As sun light is restricted from getting to the interior of the plant, the inside dies out. We see this typically happen with yews. We shear them and shear them to the point where there is nothing on the inside and what remains is an old crusty looking green shrub on the outside.

T

his leads me to my second principle of pruning that I call thinning-out. If we take that old crusty yew and open up the dense canopy by taking out small sections, we will allow sun to get to the center of the plant again. In order to take out a small section, perhaps 3 inches in diameter, we need to prune out a branch (or branches) about 6 inches long.

Though this will look like a hole in the plant up close, from afar it will be unnoticeable. The benefit to the plant is getting sun into the center. Fortunately yews will produce buds from the older wood in the interior of the plant.

Once those larger branches receive sunlight, the buds in the center will break open and develop branches. These new branches will grow from the darker inside through the three inch openings you made and toward the sun.

T

his practice takes time and patience. It takes more time to thin each plant and open up the canopy, and it takes patience to let the plant grow out over time in order to rejuvenate it. Combining both principles allows us to maintain the size of our shrubs in a more natural way. We end up growing our plants from within and not just on the outside. Thinned-out shrubs grow more open. They don’t grow “out of control” because this pruning practice does not stimulate excessive new growth.

Yews, hollies, and junipers are evergreen shrubs that can be maintained for years at a desired height and spread by thinning-out.

Viburnum, euonymus, weigela, dogwood, privet and barberry are some common deciduous shrubs that will also benefit from this technique.

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F I N G E R L A K E S S C R A P B O O K Readers show us their favorite Finger Lakes photographs.

“Here is a photo of the bridge that spans the north end of Cayuga Lake near the town of Cayuga. The bridge was built in 1905 and the concrete abutment was poured in 1917...I am sure there is a great deal of history behind this bridge.”

– Mark Tanner, Montgomery, Pennsylvania “This photo was taken at about 8 a.m. looking east at the foot of Severne Road in Himrod, Yates County.

– Jim Sharp, Himrod “Waiting” in the Cornell Plantations.

– Carol Grove, Trumansburg

“Took this around 7 a.m. from Aurora looking west across Cayuga Lake.”

– Dave Brong, Aurora

Please send photos to: Finger Lakes Scrapbook P.O. Box 1080 • Geneva, NY 14456 e-mail: Mark@LifeintheFingerLakes.com View more Finger Lakes Scrapbook photos on our website: www.LifeintheFingerLakes.com

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1st Saturday each month...

All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast First Presbyterian Church, King Ferry. Pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, juice and coffee.

315-364-8923 2nd Saturday each month...Corning Art Walk A monthly event celebrating the arts. Demonstration in glass, painting and jewelry as well as lectures, performances and special exhibitions of national artists. Art sales, wine tasting and refreshments.

607-962-8997 or 866-463-6264 Open for Season...Ice Rink Regular Skating Located at Manhattan Square Park, Rochester.

585-428-7541

FEBRUARY Feb ’05 thru Jan ’06 An amazing look at polar bears, grizzlies and black bears. Explore the mythical past and fragile future of some of the most inspiring and misunderstood predators on the planet. Rochester Museum & Science Center.

585-271-4320

Thru Mar 31...Coldrush 2005 Rochester’s annual wintertime celebration featuring hundreds of indoor and outdoor events.

Sensational shows and spectacular sports, thought-provoking lectures and wonderful music.

800-677-7282 Thru Mar 31...Writers and Books Writer’s and Books announced its selection for the 2005 “If All of Rochester Read the Same Book...” initiative. This year’s selection is “Servants of the Map: Stories,” by Andrea Barrett. Event is sponsored by Writers & Books, Rochester.

585-473-2590 Thru Mar 31...Cross Country Skiing Monroe County has groomed trails for crosscountry skiing at Mendon Ponds Park. Full-color trail maps are available on the website.

585-256-4956 Thru Mar 31..Downhill Skiing Powder Mills Park and Northampton Park. Swain runs a learn-to-ski program. The hills are equipped with tow ropes and equipment rentals.

585-256-4956 Thru Mar 31...Sleigh & Coach Rides.

Enjoy beautiful Ellison Park while you take a sleigh or coach ride through the winter scenery.

Located at Heberle Stables, Rochester.

585-654-9027

Feb 26 & 27...Mardi Gras Party King Ferry Winery & Long Point Winery, Aurora, plus other Cayuga Wine Trail wineries. Costume contest, prizes, wine glass and beads, wine and food tastings.

800-684-5217

Mar 4...Gaffer Mystery Dinner Murder mystery dinner wih four-course meal.

Sorges Restaurant in Corning.

607-937-5422

Feb 27...Bridal Expo 2005 Fingerlakes Mall, Auburn. Fashion show.

Information from expert wedding planners. FREE. 315-255-1188

Mar 4...Wine Dinner Welcome Spring with our five-course wine dinner featuring wines from Standing Stone Winery.

Winemaker will talk to guests about the wines paired with each course. Radisson Hotel Corning.

607-962-5000

MARCH Mar 3, Apr 7, May 5...First Thursday Celebration Corning’s Gaffer District-wide sidewalk sale, special promotions, wine tastings, great entertainment and family fun.

607-937-6292 Easter Bunny Date and time TBA. Corning’s Gaffer District.

607-937-6292 Daily thru Mar 12...Little Gems – A Collection of Miniature Paintings An group exhibit of miniature paintings by more than 30 artists. Second floor exhibit showcases the work of Marc Rubin. West End Gallery, Corning.

607-936-2011 Thru Mar 12...Family Night at Bristol Mountain A family of three can ski or ride from 4pm-10pm for only $60 with their Wegmans Shoppers Club Card. Additional family members are $12 each.

Located at Bristol Mountain Winter Resort.

585-374-6000 Thru Mar 27...Kids Kayaking in Rochester For boys and girls, ages 10-18 who have had previous kayaking experience. Reservations Required.

585-328-3960 Thru Mar 27...The Cumming Nature Center Reopens on weekends only for fabulous winter sports and activities for the entire family. Enjoy snowshoeing and cross-country skiing (weather permitting) with rentals available. Naples.

585-271-4552

March 4-6...The Central New York Log & Timber Frame Home Show The Convention Center at OnCenter, Syracuse.

800-745-8120 Mar 4-6...10th Annual Home Expo Cayuga Community College, Auburn. Vendor displays and demonstrations.

315-252-7291 Mar 5...Jigging for Walleyes in Oneida Lake Workshop Bass Pro Shops in Auburn. FREE. 315-258-2700 Mar 5 - April 24...“Go Figure” Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn.

Exhibit featuring figurative art by regional artists.

315-255-1553

Visit our Lakeside Showroom for a HUGE Selection of • Wakeboard • Runabout • Fishing • Party Boats!

Catch the Excitement on Beautiful Silver Lake (Just 5 Minutes from Letchworth State Park) in the Western Finger Lakes Region.

Life in the Finger Lakes recommends that you call ahead for details on these listings.

Moomba Headquarters for the Finger Lakes

C A L E N D A R

Mar 5-27...“History in Full Bloom” Cayuga Museum, Auburn. Live floral arrangements, floral artwork and decorative pieces.

315-253-8051 Mar 6...Family Workshop: Painting on Glass Parent- or grandparent-and-child teams work together to create a stained glass design on a glass lampshade. Appropriate for ages 5 and up.

Corning Museum of Glass.

607-974-6467 or 800-732-6845 Mar 10-13...Orchid Show Sonnenberg Gardens, Canandaigua.

585-394-4922

585-237-5185 www.silverlakemarine.com Circle Reader Service Number 141

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C A L E N D A R

The Finger Lakes’ log home experts.

We offer: • Custom Log Homes • Additons/Renovations • Solariums/Sun Rooms • Cabins, Residential, and Light Commercial

Mar 12...7th Annual Youth Fair Fingerlakes Mall, Auburn. Boy Scout Pinewood Derby and other family-fun activities hosted by county agencies and not-for-profits.

315-253-9795 Mar 12...Victor Hiking Trail Call for more details about the club or free maps of the trails.

585-234-8226 Mar 12...St. Patrick’s Day Parade Located in downtown Rochester.

585-234-5167 Mar 12-13...Spring Break Three of Keuka Lake’s premier wineries roll out their new releases to old time Rock & Roll music.

Dr. Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars, Hammondsport.

607-868-4884 or 800-320-0735 Mar 12-13...Sap, Syrup & Sugar History-based nature program traces history of maple sugaring in upstate New York. Hike through the sugar bush trail and learn about tapping trees with guides dressed in period clothing. Genesee Country Village & Museum, Mumford.

585-538-6822 Mar 12 - 26...Easter Bunny Visits Fingerlakes Mall, Auburn. Photo opportunities.

315-255-1188 Mar 17...2300 Degrees: St. Patrick’s Day Traditional glassmaking, music, food and more.

The Corning Museum of Glass.

800-732-6845

Circle Reader Service Number 159

NEW YORK CAMPING

ake it a day in the country. From fine furniture, gifts and fresh flowers to casually elegant luncheon dining, our shops offer a unique shopping experience.

Relax and enjoy the country.

The Loomis Barn - Fine home furnishings and accessories Corn House Cafe - Open for lunch specialty sandwiches, homemade soups Colonial Bouquets - Fresh flowers, dried arrangements, wreaths The Back Room - Unique accessories, gifts and accent items Store Hours Tues. - Sat. 10 - 5:30 • Sun. 12 - 4 Closed Mon. Cafe open for lunch Just a 10-15 minute drive from Canandaigua, Penn Yan or Geneva. Call for directions.

800-716-2276 • (585) 554-3154 www.loomisbarn.com 4942 Loomis Road • Rushville, NY 14544 Circle Reader Service Number 127

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FINGER LAKES

If you Love the Outdoors, You’ll Love New York’s Truly Affordable Camping Getaways!

Call or write for your FREE 2005 Campground Directory

Campground Owners of NY PO Box 497 LIFL Dansville, NY 14437

Ph: (585)335-2710 ext 22 www.nycampgrounds.com Circle Reader Service Number 106

March 17-20...GardenScape The Greater Rochester Flower & Garden Show.

585-265-9018 Mar 18...Winemakers Dinner, Italian Theme Night Bristol Harbour Resort, Canandaigua.

585-396-2600 Mar 18...The Art of the Meatball Share a pasta and meatball dinner in an Elmira Mock-Victorian home - modestly decorated in the SalVo Style. After dinner regather at the Clemens Center to enjoy the production of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.”

607-962-5871 Mar 18 - 20...“Jesus Christ Superstar” First Love Ministries, Auburn.

315-255-1253 Mar 19...Meet the Winemakers Unlock the mystery of winemaking at King Ferry Winery, Long Point Winery, plus other Cayuga Wine Trail wineries.

800-684-5217 Mar 19...Beginning Tinsmithing Learn how to cut, fold, hem, shape and solder tin plate to make a nameplate and a candleholder.

Located at Genesee Country Village and Museum, Mumford. Reservations Required.

585-538-6822 Mar 19-20..Breakfast with the Easter Bunny Seneca Park Zoo, Rochester.

585-336-7200.

(Calendar continued on page 66)

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INDEX OF ADVER TISERS FREE information by mail. Life in the Finger Lakes offers you the opportunity to request free brochures and information from our advertisers. Simply circle the numbers on the adjacent postage-paid card and mail.

The advertisers will send information directly to you.

Pg. 18 Pg. 17 Pg. 25 Pg. 12 Pg. 59 Pg. 8 Pg. 64 Pg. 19 Pg. 57 Pg. 11 Pg. 27 Pg. 68 Pg. 66 Pg. 59 Pg. 21 Pg. 17 Pg. 68 Pg. 29 Pg. 68 Pg. 55 Pg. 29 Pg. 53 Pg. 65 Pg. 54 Pg. 56 Pg. 27 Pg. 68 Pg. 16 Pg. 41 Pg. 64 Pg. 67 Pg. 11 Pg. 64 Cover 3 Pg. 7 Pg. 65 Pg. 66 Pg. 21 Pg. 66 Pg. 12 Pg. 67 Pg. 56 Pg. 66 Pg. 58 Pg. 58 Pg. 9 Pg. 13 Pg. 63 Pg. 65 Pg. 56 Pg. 49 Pg. 53 Pg. 58 Pg. 18 Pg. 60 Cover 2 Pg. 3 Pg. 5 Pg. 25 Pg. 16 Cover 4 Pg. 67

Aurora Inn........................................Info #100 Bayles LeatherHouse........................Info #101 Beaver Mountain Log & Cedar Homes ........................Info #102 Belhurst Castle & White Springs Manor ..................Info #103 Best Western Vineyard Inn & Suites ....................................Info #104 Bristol Harbour ................................Info #105 Campground Owners of NY ............Info #106 Cayuga East Wineries ......................Info #107 Church Creative Flooring..................Info #108 Cicero Hoist & Dock, Inc. ................Info #109 the cinnamon stick ..........................Info #110 Clifton Springs Hospital and Clinic ..Info #111 Cobtree Corporation ........................Info #112 Community Bank..............................Info #113 Corning’s Gaffer District ..................Info #114 Country Inn and Suites by Carlson ....Info #156 Daniel Long Architect ......................Info #155 Earth Works Art Gallery ..................Info #115 Finger Lakes Dermatology ..............Info #116 Finger Lakes Tourism ......................Info #117 GardenScape....................................Info #118 Gault Auto Sport BMW ....................Info #119 Geneva on the Lake..........................Info #120 Grossman’s Country Nursery ..........Info #121 Heat-Line Corp.................................Info #122 Henry B’s Authentic Italian Restaurant Heron Hill Winery ............................Info #158 Home and Garden Inspirations ........Info #123 Kendal at Ithaca ..............................Info #124 Lake Country Homes........................Info #159 Lane’s Yamaha ................................Info #125 Log Home Show ..............................Info #126 The Loomis Barn ............................Info #127 Lyons National Bank ........................Info #128 Marvin Windows of New York, Inc. ....Info #129 McBooks Press ................................Info #157 Namasté Healing Arts Center ..........Info #130 Northern Design & Building Assoc. ....Info #131 Ontario National Bank ......................Info #132 Oswego County Tourism..................Info #133 Panorama Outfitters ........................Info #134 Rental Plus ......................................Info #135 Rochester Folk Art Guild ..................Info #136 Roses and Oak Ranch......................Info #137 Seneca County Tourism ..................Info #138 Seneca Lake Winery Association ....Info #139 ShoreStation ....................................Info #140 Silver Lake Marine ..........................Info #141 Sonnenberg Gardens ......................Info #142 Spa Apartments ..............................Info #143 Spatial Innovation! ..........................Info #144 Taughannock Farms Inn ..................Info #145 Timber Frames, Inc. ........................Info #146 Timberpeg East, Inc. ........................Info #147 Tioga County Tourism ......................Info #160 Warfield’s Restaurant ......................Info #148 Waterloo Premium Outlets ..............Info #149 West & Company Diamonds............Info #150 Wilcox Press ....................................Info #151 Woodstock Soapstone Co., Inc. Xerox Classic ..................................Info #152 Zaretsky & Associates......................Info #153

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Experience the height of Victorian garden design at Sonnenberg Mansion & Gardens!

Geneva On The Lake Wine Country Villa & Resort A Luxurious Getaway & Executive Retreat

“The food is extraordinarily good.”

–Bon Appetit

1-800-3-GENEVA RT. 14, GENEVA, N.Y. WWW.GENEVAONTHELAKE.COM Circle Reader Service Number 120

“A dazzler . . . indispensable” —Albany Times Union

New! Italian Garden • Japanese Garden Rose Garden • Rock Garden Old Fashioned Garden • Conservatory Whether you like to learn, have fun or just enjoy nature, we have something for everyone. From a Teddy Bear party and stories in the garden to learning gardening tips and historical backgrounds, or enjoying music and mysteries, 2005 promises to be a year of reinvigoration at Sonnenberg.

Sonnenberg Mansion & Gardens

“The perfect place to start—or fondly recall —a trip to the region . . . not to be missed.”

—Neil E. Schlecht, Frommer’s New York State

Like taking a tour in a book, here’s the perfect guide and reference to Finger Lakes wineries, with over 125 color photos, food-and-winepairing recipes, complete directory, maps, expert tips on choosing wines and much more.

Wine Tour of the Finger Lakes Where to Stop, What to Taste, and What to Buy in New York State’s Premier Wine Region Text GRADY WELLS • Photos KRISTIAN REYNOLDS 160 pages, 10" x 7 1⁄2 ", full color $19.95 paperback • $29.95 hardcover

151 Charlotte St., Canandaigua

585-394-4922 www.sonnenberg.org

In bookstores or order direct: 1-888-266-5711 toll-free On the Web www.Finger-Lakes-Wine.com Circle Reader Service Number 157

Circle Reader Service Number 142

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4 miles south of the City of Geneva on Route 14, set within 64 acres of grounds which include a wooded area with a woodland nature trail and spectacular views overlooking the eastern shore of Seneca Lake and beyond, “Cobtree” offers Deluxe Self-Catering Family Accommodations for visitors to the Finger Lakes region of New York state.

This recently remodeled Colonial Style farmhouse offers accommodations for up to 10 people and 3 bedroom Villas for 6-8 people. Please visit www.cobtree.com or call 315-789-1144.

Circle Reader Service Number 112

C A L E N D A R Mar 19-20...Trombone Circus and the Fruerling Posannon Kilbourn Hall at Eastman School of Music.

585-385-6440 Mar 19-20...”James & the Giant Peach” Nazareth College Arts Center.

585-389-2170 Mar 19,20...Antiques on Campus 30th annual Antique show & sale featuring over 50 fine antiques dealers and verbal appraisals.

Genesee Country Antiques Dealers Association at Nazareth College.

585-342-7852 Mar 19, 20, 26, 27...Easter Bunny Express Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad.

607-432-2429

APRIL Thru Apr 13...Draw and Discover Discover stories behind the Museum’s objects while learning some basic drawing skills. The Corning Museum of Glass.

800-732-6845 Thru Apr 24...Animals in Glass Exhibition Glass portrayals of animals, from ancient times to present. The Corning Museum of Glass.

800-732-6845 Thru Apr 24...Hard Twist: Western Ranch Women An exhibit of 61 photographs by celebrated photographer Barbara Van Cleve detailing the lives of modern women ranchers. Rockwell Museum of Western Art in Corning.

607-937-5386

Circle Reader Service Number 132

“A DAY OF INSPIRATION” 2005 Women’s Day Conference Namaste’ Healing Arts Center Sponsored by

Hof andcrafts Distinction

April 16th 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Canandaigua Inn On The Lake

Portions of the proceeds to benefit breast cancer research.

Aromatherapy Consultations/Education Relaxing Facials/Body Treatments Reiki • Massage • Classes Experience all in a beautiful garden setting, weather permitting.

Circle Reader Service Number 130

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Apr 1 – May 29...Finger Lakes Boating Exhibit Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, Hammondsport.

607-569-2160 April 1-2...The Seneca Land District Spring Convention & Contest Greece Apollo Middle School. The Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America.

585-381-2810 or 585-461-4152 Apr 1 - 3...Outdoor Show Learn about Central NY great outdoor adventures at the Fingerlakes Mall, Auburn. FREE. 315-255-1188

A very special day for women to become inspired, pampered and leave feeling rejuvenated!

Call the center at 1-585-905-9388 or visit us on the web at www.namastehealingarts.com for reservations and more information.

Thru Apr 24...Tenting Tonight: Camp Life in the Civil War Special exhibit at the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum.

607-569-2160

VISIT OUR NEW BOOK ROOM! POTTERY, FURNITURE AND TURNINGS, CLOTHING, WEAVING, WOODEN TOYS, BOOKS AND CARDS Middlesex is on Rt. 364 between Canandaigua and Penn Yan. Look for our signs.

EAST HILL GALLERY at the Rochester Folk Art Guild

OPEN MAY 27 to OCTOBER 10 Fri., Sun., Mon. 1-5 p.m.

Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. (or by appt.)

585-554-3539 1445 Upper Hill Road, Middlesex, NY

www.rfag.org

Circle Reader Service Number 136

April 2...Casino Night Poker, blackjack, craps and other games of chance in the mansion, plus refreshments and live music. The Granger Homestead.

585-394-1472 April 3...The Taste of the Finger Lakes Sample wines from more than 15 of the best wineries and food from 12 of the finest restaurants in the Finger Lakes. Sponsored by VictorFarmington Rotary Club.

585-924-9110 Apr 4 - May 15...Homegrown Business Exhibit Cayuga Museum, Auburn. Details TBA. 315-253-8051 Apr 9-10...Corning NY Glass Sale All glass on sale for one weekend only. Weekend getaway packages, entertainment, great food, local wine and more.

607-936-4686

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Creating

C A L E N D A R

landscapes

Apr 9-10...Wine Murder Mystery Tour Enjoy wines and hors d’oeuvres at each of the eight wineries as you unravel clues to piece together a solution to the crime. Keuka Wine Trail.

800-440-4898

that reflect

Apr 15 - 17...Bass Pro Shops Turkey Week Bass Pro Shops, Auburn. Turkey hunting festival, calling contest, seminars and sales. FREE. 315-258-2700

the beauty of the

Apr 15, 16, 17...Spring Festival of Crafts Rochester’s Harley School, 1981 Clover Street.

Pottery, woodworking, natural fiber clothing, and lots more from this renowned group. Rochester Folk Art Guild.

585-554-5462

Finger Lakes.

April 16...“A Day of Inspiration” Presented by Namaste’ Healing Arts Center. A very special day for women to become inspired, pampered and leave feeling rejuvenated! Canandaigua Inn on the Lake.

585-905-9388

ZARETSKY AND ASSOCIATES

Landscape Design • Build

April 16...Sonnenberg Volunteer Meeting Open invitation to the community.

585-394-4922

585.377.8330

Apr 18-22...Spring Arts & Crafts Camp The Fun Factory, Auburn. Different art projects.

315-258-2076

ZaretskyAssociates.com

Apr 21-23...“Noises Off!” The hit Broadway farce, that is a play in a play will leave audiences roaring for more!" Live on stage at The Smith Opera House, Geneva.

315-781-LIVE

Circle Reader Service Number 153

Apr 23-24, 30 - May 1...Wine & Herb Festival King Ferry Winery, Long Point Winery, plus other Cayuga Wine Trail wineries. Potted herbs, wine glass, recipes, wine and food tastings.

800-684-5217

• FULL SERVICE FLY FISHING SHOP • FREE SHIPPING ON ORVIS CATALOG ORDERS • CLOTHING FOR MEN & WOMEN • FLY FISHING CLASSES • GUIDE SERVICES

Apr 28-29...Fly Fishing Weekend Bass Pro Shops, Auburn. Fly tying seminars and equipment sales. FREE. 315-258-2700 Apr 29 - Jun 4...Recent Work by Tom Gardner Art exhibit featuring the recent work of Tom Gardner. Work of Marjorie Lucarelli showcased on second floor. West End Gallery in Corning.

607-936-2011

129. S. Main St. Canandaigua • 585-396-3010 900 Panorama Trail Rochester • 585-248-8390 www.panoramaoutfitters.com Circle Reader Service Number 134

May 6-15...Lake Ontario Counties Fishing Derby Lake Ontario, Fair Haven. Dusk - dawn, adult and youth derby. Categories include salmon, brown, lake or rainbow/steelhead trout, $10,000 grand prize.

800-REEL-2-IN May 7...“Blast for the Past” Auburn Golf & Country Club, Auburn. Cayuga Museum’s annual dinner and silent auction with music and dancing.

315-253-8051

(Calendar continued on page 68)

LANE’S YAMAHA INC • 607-535-7574

May 4...An Evening with Marcy McGinnis, CBS News Wells College, Aurora. Discussion of “When Mama’s Happy, We’re All Happy: How Women Leaders are Changing a Man’s World.”

315-364-3456

RTE. 14 NORTH OF WATKINS GLEN, NY

MAY

Circle Reader Service Number 125

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C A L E N D A R May 7...Barbershop Time of your Life The Oswego Valley Snowbelters Barbershop Chorus.

315-342-9297 May 7-8...Spring Festival of Crafts in Buffalo Park School of Buffalo, 4625 Harlem Road in Snyder. Rochester Folk Art Guild.

585-554-5462 May 8..Mother’s Day at Sonnenberg Mothers admitted free with families.

585-394-4922 May 8..Breakaway With Brahms The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes performs. Guest artist: Pei-Yao Wang. Corning Museum of Glass Auditorium.

607-936-2873 May 10, 17, 24, 31..Garden Lecture Tuesdays Sonnenberg Gardens, Canandaigua.

585-394-4922 May 11...Women’s Council Spring Luncheon Speaker Ann Mitchell portraying a 19th century schoolteacher, catered by Orange Glory.

Reservations required. The Granger Homestead 585-394-1472 May 14-15...Owasco Stage Race United States Cycling Federation sanctioned bike race, fee for licensed racers depending on class.

315-729-3634 Circle Reader Service Number 111

Circle Reader Service Number 155

FINGER LAKES DERMATOLOGY ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS Pamela L. Foresman, M.D. and Jeffrey R. LaDuca, PhD., M.D. Offering BOTOX® Injections, Chemical Peels, Laser Hair Removal, Diamondtome Microdermabrasion, Laser Surgery and Skin Products (BOTOX ® and BOTOX ® Cosmetic are trademarks owned by Allergan, Inc.)

General Dermatology, Dermatologic Surgery, Cosmetic Dermatology 100 Genesee St., Suite 108, Auburn NY 13021 • (315) 252-7539

Visit Our New Location - “reflections” H

14 West Genesee St., Skaneateles NY 13152 • (315) 685-1100 Circle Reader Service Number 116

F DERMATOLOGY

May 21...Echo Taps There will be an attempt to form an audible connection between the Woodlawn National Cemetery in Elmira and the Bath National Cemetery through the efforts of brass players performing Taps. It is estimated that 600 brass players will be needed to span the 41-mile distance. Participate in this effort to honor our Veterans and to raise awareness of the need for buglers to play a live rendition of Taps at Military Burial Honors for those who have served and passed.

607-937-5619 May 21...Dutch Oven Workshop Bass Pro Shops, Auburn. Sample and learn cooking techniques. FREE. 315-258-2700 May 22-27...Elderhostel Program - Trees, Gorges, Glacial Geology & Grapes Daily hikes on moderate to hilly terrain of 1-4 miles. Glacial geology lectures and forester/naturalist lectures. Watson Homestead Conference & Retreat Center in Painted Post.

877/426-8056 May 23-29...LPGA Gaffer Classic Come and putt with the LPGA pros. Centerway Square, Corning’s Gaffer District.

607-937-6292 May 24...Ladies’ Night Sample Sailing Shawn’s Marina, Fair Haven. FREE instruction by Susan Gateley.

315-594-1906

With just one visit, you’ll be enchanted by our winery with its exceptional wine tasting bar and spectacular view of Keuka Lake.

ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS View our website at www.heronhill.com for upcoming events

Pamela L. Foresman, M.D. and Jeffrey R. LaDuca, PhD., M.D.

Open Year Round Mon-Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5 1-800-441-4241 • 9301 County Route 76 • Hammondsport, NY 14840 Circle Reader Service Number 158

BOTOX® Injections, Chemical Peels, 68 ~ L I F EOffering IN THE FINGER LAKES Laser Hair Removal, Diamondtome Microdermabrasion, Laser Surgery and Skin Products (BOTOX ® and BOTOX ® Cosmetic are trademarks owned by Allergan, Inc.)

May 27 – Oct 10...2005 Season - East Hill Gallery at the Rochester Folk Art Guild 1445 Upper Hill Road, Middlesex, off Route 364 between Canandaigua and Penn Yan. Look for our signs to guide you.

585-554-3539

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CLASSIFIEDS

ATTRACTIONS

GOLF

The Rose Hill Mansion is a National Historic Landmark and considered one of the finest examples of Greek Architecture in the United States.

Housed in the 1829 Prouty-Chew House, the Geneva Historical Society Museum explores the history of Geneva and its diverse people and enterprises. The Museum features period rooms, a library and archive, and local history programs and exhibitions.

18 hole par 3. One of The Finger Lakes most challenging and fun to play!

543 South Main St., Geneva, NY 14456

(315)789-5151 www.genevahistoricalsociety.com

M

315-672-8677 westhillgolfcourse.com Route 5 in Camillus, just 15 minutes from Skaneateles

SODUS BAY HEIGHTS GOLF CLUB, INC.

4 players play for the price of 3 with this ad.

7030 Bayview Drive, Sodus Point, NY

WillowcreekGolf 2/10/05 10:03 AM 315-483-2094 • www.SodusBayHeightsGC.com Visit our website to receive 2005 Membership information and view our picturesque course

MISCELLANEOUS

Willowcreek Golf Club

B&B INN FOR SALE

Wind Catcher Sailing Charters Cayuga Lake, Ithaca, NY Capts. Nancy & Ed Siemon

The Francis Hall House Bed and Breakfast is an exquisitely restored Greek Revival circa 1869, offered for sale by its present owners without the added expense of a Realtor commission. This is an excellent opportunity to own a Registered Historic property and a profitable and reputable B & B. Please visit our website for more enchanting details and pictures – www.bbonline.com/forsale/ny.cfm or call Caroline Hopkins @ 607-734-9780

Offering 27 challenging holes Call for a tee time 3069 State Rt. 352, Big Flats, NY 14814 (607)562-8898 • www.willowcreekgolfclub.com

CAMPGROUNDS

Country LCMS Lake Moving & Storage

“One Of New York’s Most Beautiful Campgrounds”

2915 Rt. 96S • Waterloo, NY 13165 Lukas 2/10/05 10:07 AM B Local, Studio.MP.doc Interstate and International Movers Packing Service • Packing Materials • Storage

One-half & Full Day Sails Sunset & Starlight Cruises

DOT#32239

1-800-479-3188

On the way to the bay...

Visit a working pottery studio!

Phone/fax: 607-257-1600 Web: www.windcatchersailing.com E-mail: windcatchersail@aol.com

Chemung Valley History Museum www.chemungvalleymuseum.org

MC#435411

LUKACS POTTERY Mark and Cathy Lukacs Shop for unique handmade gifts

P

C

7060 Route 14 • Sodus Point, NY 14555 • (315) 483-4357 7060 Route 14 • Sodus Point, NY 14555 • (315) 483-4357 Hours -- 10 10 am am to to 66 pm pm Tuesday Tuesday through through Sunday Sunday Hours

Patterson Inn Museum 607-937-5281 A museum complex featuring a 1796 restored Inn, c. 1850 log cabin, a working 1878 schoolhouse, agricultural barn and blacksmith shop.

Open M-F 10:00am-4:00pm

415 East Water Street, Elmira, NY 14901

Guided tours available

Ride Into History... and Beautiful Scenery...

CACV

The Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad Experience what was Once the Primary form of Transportation - Riding the Rails.

Easter Bunny Express, Sat & Sun March 19, 20, 26, 27 @ 2p.m. (Reservations Required) Reservations Required • Call (607) 432-2429 • www.lrhs.com

on Seneca Lake - Himrod, NY - off Rt. 14 607-243-5994 or 607-243-7926 4 cottages for rent plus campsites bkachers@linkny.com • www.backachers.net

Clute Memorial Park & Campground

59 W. Pulteney St., Corning, NY

Experience the stories behind Mark Twain’s Elmira, local immigrant life, Chemung County’s role in the Civil War and so much more! Explore your history through the Booth Research Library and shop for special books in the Museum Store.

Open seven days a week. 607-734-4167

Call or write for a FREE color brochure Page 1 www.sugarcreekglencampground.com P.O. Box 143, LIFL, Dansville, NY 14437 (585) 335-6294

155 S. Clute Park Drive Watkins Glen, NY 14891 Ph: (607)535-4438 • www.watkinsglen.us S

Sunflower Acres Family Campground 1488 Sunflower Blvd. • Addison, NY 14801

Bring your family to spend time with our family Ph: (607)523-7756 sunfloweracres@aol.com www.sunfloweracres.com

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SHOP HERE!

The Finger Lakes Most Complete Model Train Shop

“YOUR FINGER LAKES CHOICE FOR QUALITY CONSTRUCTION AT A FAIR PRICE”

Model Trains in Scales N, HO, O • Rockets Thomas the Tank • Accessories

• • • • • •

Finger Lakes Headquarters for:

501 Exchange St. • Geneva 315-781-6397 Mon-Sat 10-5 • Thurs ’til 9pm

Remodeling & Renovations New Home Construction Additions & Garages Bathrooms & Kitchens Sunrooms & Decks Windows

(315) 531-9074

F

LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED FOR OVER 20 YEARS

Finger Lakes Images

Spring Valley Garden Center and Gift Shop The quiet relaxed atmosphere you’re looking for in a quaint victorian setting dating back to the 1800’s.

Bill Banaszewski Specializing in Outdoor Photography

Where you will find that special gift for anyone or any occasion, ranging from simple to elegant.

Opening April 18, 2005 for the Season.

Over 200,000 Stock Photos • Custom Photo Shoots • Post Cards

3100 Cty Rd. 10, Canandaigua, NY 14424

315-536-1004 • bana@linkny.com P.O. Box 626, Canandaigua, NY 14424

www.springvalleygreenhouse.com

(1/8th mile North of Route 5 & 20 on Cty. Rd. 10)

8.25% tax & $8 per blanket shipping.

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Phone 607-255-7712, Fax 607-255-9829

(585) 396-1460

Art Portraits

It’s hip to be square b

by Dick Falzoi

Hand drawn from your favorite photograph(s) 315-789-5372

www.portraitsbyfalzoi.com

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12 EAST MARKET STREET, CORNING, NY 14830 (607) 936-2231 FAX (607) 936-4292 E-MAIL BJEWELRY@STNY.RR.COM

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SHOP HERE! Unique Gifts & Home Decor Open Daily 315.781.0529

“Experience coffee the way it’s meant to be.”

Coffee Creek

Geneva 266 Hamilton St.

The Finger Lakes’ premier coffee house and wireless internet café.

(Rts 5 & 20 next to Arby’s)

Visit The Attique for all of your gift giving needs!

116 Main Street, Phelps, NY (315) 548-CAFÉ www.coffee-creek.com

Mention this magazine for a 10% discount!

THE FIRE SHOP Gifts and supplies for Firefighters, EMS, Police

Classic Women’s Apparel & Accessories

Statues • Mugs Patches • Lights Decals • Clocks T-shirts • Pins

• Brighton Accessories • Susan Bristol Sportswear • Icelandic Design • Blue Willis Jeanswear • Tribal Pants • French Dressing Jeans • Finger Lakes T-Shirts • Tasteful Gifts & More

See us in Lown’s House of Shoppes

131 Main St. Penn Yan

Shop online at www.pennyanfireshop.com

www.countryewe.com 18 East Genesee St. Skaneateles, NY 315-685-9580

Folks from the beautiful Finger Lakes Region have enjoyed millions of cups of coffee from Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters for over seven years. Our travels and roasting experience allow us to locate the highest quality beans from all over the globe. Freshness is guaranteed. Please visit us or purchase a bag of beans online!

www.fingerlakescoffee.com Visit our website for locations.

800-420-6154

M

• David Brooks • Lisbeth •

79 South Main St. Canandaigua, NY 585-396-9580

• Carol Anderson • Sigrid Olsen •

Susan Bristol • Vera Bradley • Frank Lyman • Fat Hat

Brighton Shoes & Accessories • Barry Bricken • Jewelry

Monica’s Pies Pies, Cookies & Breads

LOCKWOOD LOG HOMES Local Lok-N-Logs Dealer Jack & Sherry Lockwood Phone: 585-786-9986 Cell Phone: 585-295-3672 Wyoming, NY 14591

Made Fresh Everyday.

Shipping & Gift Certificates available!

Call 2 Days Ahead for Special Orders.

7599 Route 21, Naples

585-374-2139 www.monicaspies.com

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The Three Bears Painting - Acrylics

Dan Motill: A Man About Towns

By Melissa Sue Sorrells

D

an Motill began his career as a draftsman with a love for Americana landscapes. Though he always painted in his spare time, it took Dan 28 years to realize that he wanted to focus on art full time. Dan combined his skills in engineering, architecture and art to produce beautiful ink drawings and watercolor paintings of the buildings he saw every day.

The Finger Lakes region is Dan’s muse: he recreates the landscapes, villagescapes, and important institutions of the area. Each of his paintings is the result of rigorous current and historical research in an attempt to understand and depict the reason a particular community developed the way it did. Dan, in the tradition of the American primitive artist, creates a natural blending of the past and present, allowing them to coexist simultaneously on the same canvas.

Dan believes that, “the two dimensional depiction of a community has to successfully coexist with the humanity of the community.” To that end, he has become indelibly involved in his local community. Dan supports the arts by allowing young artists to work in his studio and sponsors a program called “Celebrating Local Talent,” which features local artwork on the walls of area banks and restaurants, and

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he supports local schools by donating money and materials and organizing field trips. He is actively involved in four Finger Lakes region historical societies and chaired the restoration campaign of a local church.

Ovid: The Three Bears, a painting done in earth-friendly acrylics, holds a special place in Dan’s heart. Recently, he designed and proposed a federal stamp of the buildings’ images. Although the stamp was rejected, it is still widely used in Ovid as a decorative piece. Dan is also part of a movement to save the Bears, which make up the oldest government complex in New York, from being torn down by Seneca County. The Friends of the Three Bears, as the movement is known, hope to help the county raise enough money to restore the buildings and then start using them again for education, tourism and commercial retailing.

Dan would be happy to talk to anyone interested in viewing his work or in saving The Three Bears. You can visit him in his studio at 6495 Route 89 in Ovid, reach him by phone at 607-8699585 or e-mail him at dan@danmotill.com. For more information, visit www.danmotill.com.

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176 yards to the green. Over water.

To a pin tucked 12 feet on.

And the mortgage is due tomorrow.

Fire away.

On this Tour, your next shot could be the one that determines your future. So what do you do? Do you play it safe? Or do you fire away? The future is playing now on the Nationwide Tour.

Bring your game. Š2004 PGA TOUR, Inc.

{ Xerox Classic }

August 18-21, 2005 • Tickets on sale now!

Purchase online at ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster charge by phone (585) 232-1900 or in person at the Auditorium Theatre box office.

Circle Reader Service Number 152