INK MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2020 by Ink Publications

A guide to finer living in Connecticut & abroad NOVEMBER 2020

Vol 15 Issue 178 inkct.com

Our 15-minute, low radiation test catches twice as many early lung cancers – while they’re still treatable. It’s one reason why Kirk Davis gets to spend time with the apple of his eye. MiddlesexHealth.org/lung

November 2020

Vol. 15 Issue 178

Feature Stories

Departments

Lyman Orchards

“Yielding a Harvest of Fun”

No Shave November

“Growing Fuzz with the Fuzz”

Womens’s Suffrage “A Vote of Her Own”

Dolabil & the Dept. of Conciousness

“Awake, Alive, and in Awe.”

“The Story of Frederick David Watts”

Life on Sugar - Giving Thanks with Sugar Hopping Around CT - Black Pond Brews Crusty Old Diver - Capt. Skip and the Greenhorns Ask Ashley - November is Healthy Skin Month The Cheesemonger - New Arrivals On the Vine - Oregon Wine Country

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As of this writing there are twelve days left until what is shaping up to be a monumental US election. By the time you read this, it could have easily passed and by all appearances not without signficance. In America when each of us reach our 18th year we begin the lifelong journey to becoming an adult. A birthday doesn’t created an adult. It does however create a person that can serve in our military, be legally sued, gamble your college tuition at the casino, make good/bad stock market investments, and in most cases a person that has the opportunity to vote in our elections. None of these things are insignificant and all of these things will effect the days that follow your decisions. No matter the outcome of this years election my hope is that once decided, people will remember that whomever your choice may have been your friend may have made a different choice, your sister or brother another, the same goes for your next door neighbor, the firefighter, the mayor of your town, your grade school principle, your physician. When all is said and done we need to be mindful that there are children in the room waiting for their turn.

Contributors Heartsick Ronin

Ashley Alt - ask ashley Susan Cornell - editorial/photography Caryn B. Davis - editorial/photography Alletah Ganino - Editorial Alison Kaufman - music mirth & mojo Heather Kelly - life on sugar Jim Lalumiere - hopping around ct Art LiPuma - on the vine

Jeffery Lilly founder / publisher

Rona Mann - editorial Carolina Marquez-Sterling - design Paul Partica - the cheesemonger Vincent Scarano - photography John Tolmie - crusty old diver Kate Tolmie - photography Jan Tormay - editorial Joe Urso - design

Advertising

Captian T.A. Scott

“A Man with No Fear”

Jeffery Lilly - Publisher 860.581.0026 Bob Houde - Advertising Director bob@inkct.com 860.303.6690

Rona Mann - Greater Connecticut six07co@att.net - 401-539-7762

Cheryl Powell - Greater Connecticut cheryl@ink-pub.com - 860.608.5749

Richard Malinsky - Shoreline richard@inkct.com - 215.704.9273

John Tolmie - Eastern Connecticut john@inkct - 860.460.0005

On the Cover: Sculpture by DolaBil Photo by Vinnie Scarano

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Yielding a Harvest of Fun This Orchard is More than Just Fruit! By Alli Ganino

n 1741, Connecticut was one of thirteen colonies, King George III ruled America from his throne in England, and the Revolutionary War was still 24r years away. John and Hope Lyman purchased 36 acres of farmland in the middle of Connecticut and began a family farm that’s still going strong nearly 280 years later. At the time, family farms existed as self-sustaining entities. The Lyman farm operated in that way throughout the rest of the 1700s and into the 1800s, until Industrialization ushered in a new era of change and growth.Lyman Orchards planted peaches as their ﬁrst commercial crop in the 1890s, growing the orchard to 500 acres. As a high value, perishable crop peaches from Connecticut proved a valuable commodity in the Boston and New York markets. Demand was so high, in fact, that only the state of Georgia produced more peaches than Connecticut. A

severe winter in 1917 forced the Lyman family to acknowledge the unacceptable risk of relying on a peach crop so far north as frost killed off nearly all of their trees. In the face of this challenge to their livelihood, the Lyman family adapted by replacing peaches with apples as their primary crop in 1920. This strategy of shifting, adapting, and diversifying would turn out to be the key to sustaining a thriving family business for generations. When not growing peaches, then apples, the Lyman family operated a dairy. Cows roamed the picturesque pastures of Middleﬁeld until as recently as the 1960s when the dairy market became too competitive for a small family farm. Once again, the Lymans were faced with a decision: How to turn their dairy pastures into a new cash crop? Golf, of course! Much of the land currently devoted to Lyman Orchards golf courses used to be given over to raising dairy

cows. Lyman Orchards’ golf courses now cover 450 of the orchard’s 1100 acres. Land is the business’s greatest resource. The 1960s became a turning point for Lyman Orchards in another important way. At that time, orchards primarily sold their goods to distributors. In this decade, however, direct to consumer sales became an important part of business at Lyman Orchards. They opened their ﬁrst salesroom, outgrew it within ten years, and in 1971 opened the Apple Barrel. When John and Hope Lyman purchased their original 36 acres in 1741, they probably never dreamed their descendants would open one of the most popular farm stores in the

top notch golf center focusing on instruction - Lyman’s golf opportunities attract veteran golfers, novices, beginners, men, women, and children. Whether you’re looking for a quick 9 hole course to challenge your short game or an 18 hole challenge, you’ll ﬁnd it at Lyman Orchards. The Golf Center hosts youth and women’s programs, offers lessons, and ﬁts golfers with their perfect clubs using state of the art golf simulator technology.

One final, but important, piece of the Lyman Orchards puzzle also got its start in the 1960s. Pick Your Own grew in popularity as a way for families to save money on fresh produce. Visitors ﬂocked to the orchard to pick their own bushels of apples and peaches as a more economical way to stock up on produce for canning and preserving. Over time, Pick Your Own turned into a yearly tradition for many families.

state on that very spot almost two and a half centuries in the future. When you have a booming orchard and a busy farm store, what’s the next logical step? Baking! Lyman Orchards is well known for delectable pies, muffins, breads, and, of course, their famous cider donuts. If you’ve never tasted one of these sugary treats warm from the oven, you have absolutely been missing out on one of the purest pleasures of life. Three days before the grand opening of the Lyman Orchards bakery, the head baker was fired. In a pinch, Kathryn Lyman (mother to John Lyman, the current Executive Vice President of the orchard) stepped in to fill the role. Using her own recipes, Kathryn spent three years baking for the orchard while also raising five teenagers. In the 1990’s, Lyman Orchards began producing pies for wholesale, still using Kathryn Lyman’s recipes. Today, the pie business is one of the fastest growing aspects of the orchards, with the pies still being made in the same shop where Kathryn Lyman baked decades ago.

Lyman Orchards in its modern form is a perfect marriage of markets. From the 1990s on, the orchard promoted itself as a destination for a wide audience of visitors. With a driving range, two 18 hole golf courses -the Apple 9, and a

If your idea of the perfect day trip doesn’t include golf, Lyman Orchards still has you covered. The orchard has plenty to offer all year long, but the fall, in particular, boasts an ideal fusion of gorgeous New England weather, juicy fruits ripe for the picking, adorable family photo ops, culinary treats, and much, much, more. Once you’ve decided on an orchard adventure to enjoy a sunny fall day, what will you ﬁnd to do at Lyman Orchards? For the past 20 years, one of the biggest fall attractions at Lyman Orchards has been the corn maze. Not only is the maze incredibly fun, $1 for every ticket sold is donated to the American Cancer Society. Since the year 2000, Lyman

11 Orchards has raised over $623,000 for cancer research! This year, an additional portion of each ticket sold will be donated to the Connecticut Cancer Foundation to help support cancer patients here in the state of Connecticut. Covering four acres, the Corn Maze features a different design each year. A Utah company called The Maize bases the design around the theme Lyman Orchards chooses each season. The corn is planted, then cut into an intricate maze when the crop is about a foot tall. By fall, the corn is tall enough to form an impressively twisted maze for visitors to attempt to conquer. Each maze design is memorable in its own way, but a couple of mazes have stood out as particularly popular over the years. When the Uconn Huskies Women’s basketball team were 78 and 0, the corn maze featured the old Huskies logo and became the most popular design. Another extremely popular design was the Presidential Maze, grown in 2009 after President Obama was elected. That year, it just so happened that the number of days the maze was open for the season equaled the number of US Presidents who had held office. Lyman Orchards took advantage of that fact to feature a different US President each day, a ﬁtting theme for a farm that’s been in existence longer than the United States has been an independent country! After you escape the maze, visit one of the Pick Your Own areas to fill a bag with several varieties of apples, pears, or peaches. Make sure to sample some fresh picked fruit, since there’s nothing quite so delicious as a juicy peach right off the tree. Looking to get off your feet a bit? During the fall season, Lyman Orchards offers horse drawn wagon rides for a scenic tour of the homestead grounds. Little ones won’t want to miss out on a pony ride, while the more adventurous guests try out the Apple Cannon. Yes, it’s a cannon and yes, it shoots apples. In fact, there are two Apple Cannons at Lyman Orchards. For just $5, you get

a basket of apples and a quick tutorial on using the cannon. Take aim at one of the targets, a monster, or a zombie, and see what you can hit. It’s harder than it looks, but the sound of the cannon firing is just loud enough to thrill the kids without being too scary. Solving a maze, picking fruit, firing at monsters,and hiking around the hills of Middlefield is a sure way to work up an appetite. Fortunately, Lyman Orchards specializes in offering more delicious food than visitors can possibly sample in just one trip. The Apple Barrel boasts not only a farm store bursting with gorgeous produce, cheeses, and fresh baked goods. They sell prepared meals for a no-fuss dinner, offer up ice cream at their new ice cream stand, and fire up the grill on the weekends. Thirsty from trekking around the orchard? A bottle of Lyman Orchards apple cider is exactly what you need. More in the mood for a sit down meal? Head over to 1741 Pub and Grill. In previous years, this dining space was leased out, but this year Lyman Orchards decided to take over operation of the restaurant. They refurbished the interior of the restaurant and brought in Chef Ben Gaffney, who previously worked with Emeril Lagasse, to oversee an entirely new menu. Diners can enjoy a pub feel on the interior or sit outside under the large dining tent with beautiful views of the golf course, hills, and orchards. The menu features dishes that take advantage of the orchard’s own produce, such as Apple Glazed Pork Belly Bits, Turkey Apple Panini, and Strawberry

Pecan Salad with Lyman’s Berry Vinaigrette. Burgers, sandwiches, homemade potato chips, parmesan trufﬂe fries, and so much more make up a mouth-watering menu with most items priced under $10 and nothing over $15. The cocktail list showcases seasonal offerings too, with the Peaches and Cream Martini and the Elder Peach Punch. If beer is more your style, you’ll ﬁnd an impressive tap list that includes a few local breweries. 1741 Pub and Grill hosts live music on the weekend and has big plans for future events to make the most of this newly renovated space. While so many activities are still restricted or unavailable due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the fun at Lyman Orchards continues. Golf, apple picking, the corn maze, and other attractions are easily adapted to maintain social distancing guidelines. All you need is a mask! To plan a visit to Lyman Orchards, check out their website at www.lymanorchards.com. Or, call their 24 Hour Pick Your Own Hotline at 860-349-6015 to learn which fruits are available for picking. Information about the Lyman Golf Club can be found at www.lymangolf.com, and of course you can stay updated about special events by following Lyman Orchards on Facebook and Instagram. Lyman Orchards is located at 32 Reeds Gap Rd, Middlefield, CT.

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LIFE ON SUGAR

By Heather Kelly, Carrie Carella Photos by: Winter Caplanson, Connecticut Food and Farm

Giving thanks with SUGAR

he countdown is on...can you believe we’re back at it for the holiday festivities so soon? What better way to kick off a month of merriment and cheer than with the number one food holiday of the year. No gifts, no pressure, just gathering with the ones you love in sharing a good meal - our favorite. Our suggestion if you want to bake up your own creations, is to incorporate as many of those warm, delicious fall flavors as possible into whatever is you are making. Pies? You can’t go wrong with the classics like apple, pumpkin, and pecan. To add a little sass to the recipes, considering blending two of the three together, and a dash of bourbon to warm things up, or infuse some whipped cream with Kahlua or Baileys to add a splash of fun and uniqueness. Cheesecake? Swirl pumpkin or caramel into the batter before baking. Top with sauteed sliced apples and some of that infused whipped cream. Have fun with it! Are you in charge of everything? Or just would rather not be bothered with dessert? Don’t stress – we are open and happy to help! Everyone has their job - someone to carve the turkey, that one aunt who makes the BEST twice baked potatoes, and when all else fails - there can never be too much dessert at the table. That’s where we come in - and we’ve kicked up our Thanksgiving Menu to please even the pickiest of family members this year. Pumpkin Pecan Pie - gingersnap snap crusted pumpkin cake, caramel buttercream frosting, topped with candied pecans. The mild sweetness of the caramel with the sweet crunch of the candied pecans is MELT IN YOUR MOUTH delicious. Cranberry Apple Streusel - vanilla cake, cranberry apple pie filling, cinnamon cream cheese frosting, streusel crumble topping. We all know the best part of a pie is the crumble topping - so how could we resist throwing it on a cupcake? Sweet Potato Pie - cinnamon graham crusted sweet potato cake, marshmallow fluff filling, toasted meringue frosting. Those sweet potatoes are too good to leave for just the main course. Caramel Pear - caramel pear cake, caramel buttercream, caramel drip, candied pecans. If we could, we would put a caramel drip on everything but it goes PERFECTLY with this cake. Thomas - chocolate cake & chocolate frosting. Add in some skilled frosting techniques, some googly eyes, and a candy corn tail and you’ve got sweetest little Turkey you ever did see. The Great Pumpkin – pumpkin spice cake, cheesecake filling, orange buttercream frosting in the shape of a cute pumpkin complete with chocolate stem. You’ll have to pick yours because these guys go quickly. There you go - something for everyone! Are you looking to bring it above and beyond? We have created one more option for the most serious of dessert connoisseurs. PIE-HOLE-CAKE – the now FAMOUS apple spice cake sandwiching a full pumpkin pie complete with traditional buttery flaky pie crust, layers of cinnamon buttercream topped with candied pecans and a caramel drip. Not for the faint of heart. And don’t bring it around unless you can handle your family talking about it until Thanksgiving rolls around again - it’s that magical. You can find our bakery at 700 Main Street in Middletown. Wishing you the best for the holiday season - we appreciate all you Cake Lovers!

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opping Hopping Around CT.

Photos and proﬁle by Jim Lalumiere

brewery in downtown Danielson, CT. Opening in 2014 in the basement of Danielson Adventure Sports guaranteed immediate customers because “as it turns out, mountain bikers like beer” according to Mike.

Black Pond Brews

Historically Different Danielson, Connecticut

High School friends Mike Teed and Cory Smith started brewing beer together in 2010 and entered homebrewing competitions, winning ribbons along the way.“It went from a hobby to an obsession” Cory says. Growing up, Black Pond was the local party spot in Woodstock, CT. Little did they know that name would be the inspiration for their own

With no other brewery within half an hour, Black Pond Brews became THE local taproom of the Quiet Corner of Connecticut. Mike says that one of the “unintended consequences of opening a brewery was that customers became friends and then an extended family.” The small bar within Black Pond Brews has a true community feel to it with locals regularly ﬁlling the seats and drinking pints of the eight rotating beers on draft. A mug-club membership will cost you $75 per year for a 20-ounce mug. Die-hard supporters can opt for the $500 lifetime membership which gets you a personalized, handmade mug from Sawmill Pottery in Putnam. Most breweries have an IPA or lager as their flagship beer. The brewers at Black Pond decidedly went in a different direction with

their Machu Piccu Jalapeno Saison taking top honors. Inﬂuenced by a habanero Black IPA from Boston Beer Works, Cory developed a toned-down recipe with a south-of-theborder-feel using wheat and corn. Combining those flavors with local jalapenos and a Belgian yeast that is peppery and earthy created a niche beer that stands out in a sea of 10,000 IPAs.“It’s not our top selling beer, but it’s definitely our most well-known” says Cory. With Mike being an archeology major and Cory having studied history, it’s not surprising to see some of their beers named with historical context. Machu Piccu is an Inca worship site in Peru, and Supay, who is the

Incan God of Death, has been resurrected in the form of a Belgian Chili Stout using local Carolina Reaper and Ghost peppers. Setting yourself apart is very important in today’s craft beer environment and Cory and Mike do that exploring different styles of beer. Their newest bottle release is Old Put’s Reserve (10.2%) which is a Colonial Style beer named after Israel Putnam, local patriot and Revolutionary War veteran. Cory explains that a Colonial Style beer “uses a combination of fermentables such as barley, wheat, molasses, rye, corn and squash which was customary before traditional brewing ingredients were readily available in the Americas.”Pine needles and spruce tips are also used in the beer, as hops were not always the prevalent bittering

ingredient in beers. Supporting local farmers and businesses has always been part of the craft beer world, and in today’s climate, that is especially true. Black Pond uses local ingredients whenever possible. Cory recently transferred Hearsay, their “annual all Connecticut ingredient sour” onto local peaches, and uses grains from Thrall Family Malt in East Windsor, a family farm that has been in operation since 1646. Cory says that “around harvest time is the best time to get locally grown ingredients” and will be using local maple syrup in their upcoming Oktoberfest. Beer styles come and go, but one that looks like it is here to stay is the hazy New England IPA. “The beer scene is changing so rapidly you basically just have to see what takes off” Cory maintains. The style that started in Vermont has taken the world by storm more than any other style he can remember. Hold My Juicebox NEIPA has become Black Pond’s best-selling beer. That beer, along with Machu Piccu, Mr. Kitty Milk Stout and Hella Light Lager rounds out Black Ponds core beers. Bourbon is more popular now than ever and is a great compliment to any brewery. Not only does Black Pond Brews offer an incredible selection of bourbons and whiskeys in their taproom, but they also use bourbon barrels to age some of their beers. Currently sitting in two fresh Garrison Brothers bourbon barrels are Only on Vinyl Stout (10%) and Now That I’ve Stood Up Barleywine (8.2%). Both will be available this fall as limited bottle releases. Having outgrown their current location, Cory and Mike are in the

process of building a new brewery in Killingly, CT where the new 10-barrel brewhouse will be a huge upgrade from the current 3-barrel system. Inside and outside dining will accommodate 125-150 people and the full kitchen will offer a menu ranging from burgers and wings to traditional German fare. A discgolf course is also in the planning stages for customers to enjoy while knocking back some pints. In today’s beer world, it is important to own your backyard. Black Pond Brews is doing just that, one beer and one extended family member at a time. Black Pond Brews 21 Furnace St. Danielson, CT w w w. b l a c k p o n d brews.com Hours: Monday/Thursday5:00-8:00 Friday- 3:00-8:00 Saturday- Noon-8:00 Sunday- 11:00-5:00 Jim Lalumiere, lover of all that is hoppy, malty and sour.

Growing Fuzz With the Fuzz It’s No Shave November CT time!

By Alli Ganino

A lot of people consider fall to be their favorite time of year and for good reason. Days are sunny but not too warm. Nights are cool and perfect for s’mores around a bonﬁre. Kids go back to school, apples and pumpkins are ripe for the picking, and the trees put on a vibrant ﬁreworks display of gorgeous color. Most of us grew up with these time honored activities, but over the past several years, a new fall tradition known as No Shave November CT has taken the world of social media by storm. The idea is to put down your razor on November 1 and donate the money you would have spent on shaving supplies for the month. If you’d like to support cancer patients right here in Connecticut, consider participating in No Shave November CT with the Connecticut

Cancer Foundation. 2020 will be CCF’s fourth No Shave November CT.It all began with a donation from the Ledyard Police Department and has grown into an impressive fundraising initiative with over 60 police departments, companies, universities, and individuals. They hope to far surpass the money raised in previous years. According to Lt. Cifarelli, the Wallingford Police Department “began working with the Connecticut Cancer Foundation and No Shave November CT in 2018. We immediately knew CCF was the partner we were looking for. It gave us the opportunity to help people who live right here in Connecticut, our neighbors, friends, and family. No Shave November CT gives us the opportunity to fulfill what brought us to this profession to begin with. We get to help people.”

Last year, CCF raised $100,000 to support Connecticut cancer patients. This year, they are on track to at least double that amount. The Connecticut Cancer Foundation assists Connecticut cancer patients and their families by helping ease financial burdens. Many cancer patients ﬁnd themselves in serious ﬁnancial hardship while battling a disease that typically takes over six months, at a minimum, to treat.

During this time, many cancer patients, or parents of children with cancer, are unable to work. Connecticut Cancer Foundation helps patients focus on defeating cancer without the added stress of worrying about keeping food in the pantry, keeping the lights on, and avoiding eviction or foreclosure. In addition to financially assisting eligible cancer patients in Connecticut, funds raised from this event will contribute to significant grants for CCF’s No Shave November CT ambassadors. This year’s ambassadors are Elmer, Noah, and Atryell. Elmer is a five year old boy battling a brain tumor. Two year old Noah is fighting leukemia, and Atryell is a 17- year- old with a diagnosis of Osteosarcoma of the leg and knee. Thanks to the efforts of everyone who fundraises for No Shave November CT, Elmer, Noah, and Atryell’s families will receive the financial assistance they need in order to focus on the thing that matters most: Defeating cancer.

Jane Ellis, President and Executive Director of CCF, outlined for me the many ways in which people can participate in No Shave November CT this year and some of the exciting activities they have planned. New to the fundraiser for 2020 is presenting sponsor Edgewell Personal

Care through their brands Schick Hydro and Schick Extreme. After learning their headquarters are located in Shelton, CT, Jane emailed the CEO, Mr. Rod Little, to ask if the company would be interested in supporting No Shave November CT for the Connecticut Cancer Foundation as

Presenting Sponsors, and a commitment was conﬁrmed the following week -- lightning speed for a global corporation. Jane states, “I was beyond thrilled and grateful. A heartfelt thank you to Mr. Little for stepping up big time and making their support possible, truly caring about Connecticut cancer patients. Schick employees in Shelton as well as those in the Schick factory in Milford will be invited to participate in No Shave November CT. Schick’s inspiring generosity and compassionate responsiveness to CCF’s request for participation have already set this year’s fundraising efforts on track to exceed their goals! Rod Little explained why he didn’t hesitate to sponsor CCF’s No Shave November.“I am proud to be sponsoring this initiative with the Connecticut Cancer Foundation. Schick is a part of Edgewell Personal Care, and we are headquartered in Shelton, CT, so this cause is very close to home and near and dear to our hearts. We have a very long history of supporting organizations in

Connecticut, and the CCF is doing amazing work to support cancer patients in the region. No Shave November CT will surely be fun for all involved and successfully raise funds for the very deserving CCF. I’m looking forward to seeing the results and supporting the teams who participate!” Other businesses and police departments have already stepped forward to contribute to No

Shave November CT. Rich Cersosimo, the owner of Pasta Vita, is “proud to help sponsor the Connecticut Cancer Foundation’s No Shave November CT because of the great work they do to support cancer patients right here in Connecticut. This important appeal provides help and hope to cancer patients, and Pasta Vita is happy to be a part of this great event.” Another generous sponsor is Liberty Bank, is “a proud, long-time partner of the Connecticut Cancer Foundation, and we are thrilled to support their 2020 No Shave November fundraiser. By joining together, we work to ensure that every child with cancer has access to the services and treatment they need to overcome this life-threatening

disease. Our hope is that we can free all children from cancer, helping them come out of recovery stronger than ever before. As Connecticut’s oldest bank, we pledge our commitment to organizations just like the Connecticut Cancer Foundation and their cause for the next 195+ years.”

CCF has some fantastic incentives planned for No Shave November participant teams. There will be weekly, virtual, beard and mustache contests featuring prizes from Schick Hydro and Schick Extreme for things such as Most Creative Mustache or Longest Beard. CCF will feature a social media Mustache Challenge where participants can post videos of themselves and challenge their friends to donate. Each week, the top ﬁve fundraising individuals will each receive a baseball signed by an MLB player. Anyone who makes a donation of $100 or more will receive a limited edition, mustache-themed mask from the Connecticut Cancer Foundation. Finally, to wrap

up No Shave November, plans are underway for a virtual “Shave Off with Schick” event on December 1st. Be sure to follow Connecticut Cancer Foundation on Facebook and Instagram so you don’t miss any of the exciting events! Now that you know how much good you can do by participating in No Shave November CT, all you need to do is sign up! Recruit your family, friends, and coworkers to donate or join your team, then visit the Connecticut Cancer Foundations’ website at www.ctcancerfoundation.org/upcoming-events. At that link, you can register a team or individual, join an existing team, support a team, or make a donation. Actual beard or mustache growth is optional and everyone is invited to join. If you’d like to ﬁnd a police department for your business to partner with for No Shave November, please call CCF at 860-388-0788.

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Captain Skip and The Greenhorns By John Tomie

rom Greenwich to Mystic, the roughly one hundred miles of Connecticut shoreline exudes the picture-perfect essence of New England charm. However, the view of our enchanting coastline would soon become inaccessible by boat. The brief and magical Autumn season had arrived and once again took us Nutmegger’s by comedic surprise. The oppressive heat of summer had vanished and within twenty-four hours, airconditioners and boilers had traded respective roles. Seemingly overnight, green canopies succumbed to the ﬁery palette of autumn and boats were hauled ashore as the seas swiftly cooled. It was the end of the season and the bite of winter would soon arrive. However, the briny coastal sea remained at a moderate ﬁfty degrees, just balmy enough for a few hearty sea-folk who would milk the season to its bitter end.

The impending winter nudged one such individual. Skip Rowe was determined to accomplish what he had put off all year. Time had ﬂown and he had yet to set sail under the prevailing wind. Skip makes a living restoring wooden boats and his client, Laura, had hired him to spruce up her thirty-six-foot schooner. The upgrade was ﬁnally complete, and the beautiful schooner was eager to set sail. Laura had yet to pick a whimsical moniker for the vessel, but as her friends boarded, all agreed that the

Crusty old

Diver

“No-Name” was a temporarily appropriate pseudonym. Lines were cast and the small engine in the belly of the No-Name coughed to life and chugged forward to the open water of Fishers Island Sound. It was Laura’s ﬁrst-time setting sail. Her friend Stephanie had never been sailing and it had been since childhood for Kate and me. However, the impromptu adventure had been a much-needed respite for all. With calm seas and the wind with the tide, Skip grinned. He turned to the crew and said that we could not have picked a better evening for a cruise. Kate helmed the wheel as Skip, Laura and I heaved the mainsail aloft, which obediently caught the wind in satisfying thump, leaning the

boat slightly to port. Skip directed Kate on course as he adjusted the sail and leveled the boat. Kate cut the engine and a sense of peace passed over the crew as the silken whisper of wind and water replaced the motor's vibrations. Kate guided the No-Name toward Latimer Lighthouse, a white stubby sentinel poised to alert mariners of its surrounding shallow reefs. The sun began to kiss the horizon with the sky blooming colorfully in an ethereal haze. Windows on the lighthouse reﬂected iridescent pink in sharp contrast to the soft glow washing over its metallic body. Indeed, the ‘magic hour’ had arrived with us as its grateful witnesses. Rounding the northern side of Latimer Light, the No-Name was set on her return course home. Skip loosened the port line and took in the starboard slack. The boom shifted, the sail abided and ﬂapped for an awkward moment before snapping taught at the winds’ command. What had been smooth seas moments before, now turned as the wind was now against the tide. The sea responded with agitation, the daylight faded to dusk, and the wind became a deafening howl, causing anxiety in one of our crew. Stephanie had never been on the ocean at night and the sudden turbulent shift was not sitting well. The safety of the harbor and the lights from the marina beckoned, but for Steph, it still seemed miles away. Comfort and reassurance immediately cloaked her as her friends took notice. Agreeably, the entire crew had, at one time or another, been through what she was currently experiencing. As Kate guided the No-Name into the darkened harbor, Skip and I

gaffed lines and secured the mooring to the bow. Chuffing, Skip admitted that things had become a bit ‘sketchy’. I wholeheartedly agreed. One by one we lowered ourselves overboard into a small inflatable dinghy whose motor bubbled dutifully, fostering hope of making landfall. It was a short trip from mooring, and as the dinghy bumped dockside, the crew scrambled ashore with more than

half gasping nervous cackles of relief. Eventful as it had been, our last-minute excursion had been one for the memory books. Mother ocean had once again fulfilled her promise of adventure. Soon, the No-Name would be hauled on dry land, where she would slumber until the warmth of spring beckoned to raise her sails once again.

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VA L E N T I N E H . Z A H N C O M M U N I T Y

G A L L E R Y

T H E GA L L E RY AT M I D D L ES E X H E A LT H S H O R E L I N E M E D I C A L C EN T E R

“Point of View”

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Oct. 29, 2020 - Jan. 29, 2021

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Gail Kotowski, Vue de Chat, fabric (detail)

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Ask Ashley

November is Healthy Skin Month Here are 5 Ways To Keep Your Skin Healthy + Pretty

n the realm of National Awareness Month happenings, November sheds light on many important topics. It brings awareness to lung cancer, diabetes, stomach cancer, and family caregivers, among a variety of other health observances. This issue, we are talking about something that affects everyone a little bit differently in the winter months: The change in our skin’s health and appearance. Your skin is your body’s largest organ. And it’s unique in that what we put onto our bodies is equally as important as what we put into our bodies. It makes sense that Healthy Skin Month lands in November, as this is the time of year when our skin falls victim to dryness due to the drop in temperature and higher winds. So, how do we keep our skin looking and feeling good in the winter? Believe it or not, simple, everyday habits -- as opposed to expensive skincare products -- are excellent ways that contribute to clear and healthy skin

Here are 5 ways to keep your skin looking and feeling great in the name of winter wellness • Drink water All day, every day, drink water. This tip is painfully simple (and probably tiresome to keep reading about), but that’s because it works. Water flushes out toxins in the body, revealing healthy, glowing skin. Studies have repeatedly shown that drinking just two 8 oz. cups of water can increase blood flow to the skin, giving it an even tone and texture. In addition, staying hydrated throughout the day prevents premature aging, reduces puffiness, prevents acne, and prevents itchy skin on your face. Looking to lose or manage your weight? (looking at you, leftover Halloween candy and pre-Thanksgiving treats). Drinking warm lemon water first thing in the morning (and throughout the day) has been tied to weight loss and healthy weight management, according to numerous health professionals from the New York Times Well section, Prevention.com, Healthline, and Well + Good.

• Turn down your thermostat High temperatures contribute to dry skin, and quickly. Cranking up your central heat (or blasting a portable heater on your feet) makes the air in your house super dry, contributing to dry and itchy skin.

photo by Kelsey Chance

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• Wear non-irritating clothing

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Image Courtesy of the Connecticut Historical Society

35 The Connecticut Historical Society

A Vote of Her Own:

The Long Fight For Woman Suffrage By Barbara Malinsky Photo Courtesy Connecticut HistoricalSociety, Museum of Connecticut History, Connecticut State Library

omen! When you cast your ballot during this year’s election you will be standing on the shoulders of thousands of women who fought for almost one hundred years for you to have that right. Those women were verbally and physically abused; many were beaten and imprisoned where they were tortured. The one hundredth anniversary of the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote was ratified on August 18, 1920. The Connecticut Historical Society (CHS) is celebrating this 100th anniversary with an exhibition of memorabilia associated with that struggle. The Connecticut Historical Society under the curatorship of Ilene Frank has assembled images from that historic period as well as letters, scrapbooks, pamphlets, and a dress from the CHS collection. Also, on view are objects from the Museum of Connecticut History such as banners, pennants and sashes used by suffragists in Connecticut. In the United States, throughout the 1800s several concepts were evolving simultaneously; the right for women to vote, better education for women, the temperance movement, abolition of slavery, and a change in legal status for women to be their own person and not just the property of their husbands. The causes sometimes overlapped. Connecticut was an influential state in ushering in many of these social issues. The Stowe sisters of Litchfield, Connecticut played a significant role in accelerating these changes. Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American abolitionist and author. She is best known for her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin which depicts the harsh conditions endured by African American slaves. The book reached millions as a novel and play and became very influential in the United States and Great Britain. It

energized the anti-slavery forces in the American North and anger in the South. Catharine Esther Beecher founded the Hartford Female Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut. She published an advice manual with her sister Harriet in 1869 titled The American Woman’s Home. Although not an advocate of suffrage, she focused on education. Isabella Beecher Hooker embraced the full swing of suffrage and even tried to vote in 1872 but could not though Susan B. Anthony succeeded. She believed that women could bring a new level of dignity to politics. The Hartford Courant published her lectures. Her advocacy for women’s property rights passed into law in 1877. The US women’s rights movement was closely allied with the antislavery movement. Before the Civil War, Black and white abolitionists and suffragists joined together in common cause. During the antebellum period, a small cohort of formerly enslaved and free Black women, including Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Maria W. Stewart and others were active in women’s rights circles. They were joined by prominent men such as Frederick Douglass and Robert Purvis who worked with white abolitionists and women’s rights activists including William Lloyd Garrison, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony. Following the 1848 women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, prominent free Black women abolitionists and suffragists attended, spoke, and assumed leadership positions through the following decades. In 1851, former slave Sojourner Truth delivered her famous Ain’t I a Woman speech at the national women’s rights convention in Akron, Ohio.

The seminal moment for suffrage was the first Woman’s Rights Convention in the United States held in 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York. The idea was planted in 1840, when Elizabeth Cady Stanton met Lucretia Mott at the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London. The conference refused to seat Mott and other women delegates from the United States because of their sex. In 1851, Stanton met temperance worker Susan B. Anthony and the two would soon be joined in the long struggle to guarantee the vote for women in the U. S. In 1868, Anthony encouraged working women from the printing and sewing trades in New York, who were excluded from men’s trade unions, to form Working Women’s Associations. As a delegate to the National Labor Congress 1868, Anthony persuaded the committee on female labor to call for votes for women and equal pay for equal work. The movement was created and going full steam ahead. The struggle for suffrage in the United States ran somewhat parallel to that of the United Kingdom. Emmeline Pankhurst was an ardent believer in the right of women to have the vote. She founded the Women’s Social and Political Union, whose members known as suffragettes fought to enfranchise women in the United Kingdom. She

Above Right: Catherine Flanagan, one of the national organizers of the National Woman’s Party, on the steps of the US State Department. She was selected by her peers to have the honor of delivering Connecticut’s official certificate of ratification of the 19th amendment to Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. Fall 1920 Courtesy Connecticut Historical Society, Gift of Lynn Ferrari Above Left: Stratford Woman Suffrage Association Parade Float, Hartford CT, May 2, 1914. Courtesy by Connecticut Historical Society, the Newman S. Hungerford Museum Fund. Bottom Right: Woman Suffrage parade in Hartford, about 1913. These photos were taken by a member of the Hahn family while they were vacationing across the United States. Courtesy Connecticut Historical Society collection, gift of David Madsen. Bottom Left: Womens suffrage working the get the vote Photo Courtesy of Oregon Historical Society.

“A defiant deed has greater value than unnumerable thousands of words.” Emmeline Parkhurst

made a whistle stop in her “prison express” in Hartford, Connecticut because this was an essential place in the suffrage movement. One of her most famous speeches Freedom or Death was delivered here in 1913. Fortunately, she lived long enough to see the vote granted to women in the UK in 1918. The United States also had its hero Inez Milholland who was always placed at the front of parades. She wore a crown and long white cape riding a large white horse named Gray Dawn. Horses became a very necessary method of spreading information. Her health was fragile and she died at the age of 30. The First World War changed the popular mood. Historian Leslie Hume states, “The women’s contribution to the war effort challenged the notion of women’s physical and mental inferiority and made it more difficult to maintain that women were, both in constitution and temperament, unfit to vote. If women could work in munitions factories, it seemed both ungrateful and illogical to deny them a place in the voting booth. But the vote was much more than simply a reward for war work. The point was that women’s participation in the war helped to dispel the fears that surrounded women’s entry into the public arena.” Years later, voting rights for women were introduced into international law by the

United Nations’ Human Rights Commission chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt. In 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Article 21 stated, “Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly, or through freely chosen representatives. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures”.

Above Left: Political Cartoon, Shall Women Vote? by Samuel D. Ehrhart Published March 31, 1909 Courtesy Library of Congress Top Right:Vote for Women Postcard c.1912. These postcards were mass-produced with blank spaces that could be filled in with local information about where these lectures would take place. This postcard was used to promote a Hartford event in 1912. Courtesy Connecticut Historical Society, 1912S946v Bottom Right: Votes for Women Pageant and Parade Official Program. Saturday, May 2, 1914. Connecticut Historical Society, 1914V674w

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly, or through freely chosen representatives.â&#x20AC;?

Photo courtesy of The Library of Congress

Thus, the movement which began in some countries extended globally through the United Nations worldwide. In the United States, in the most recent elections, women who constitute more than half the population have cast almost 10 million more votes than men. The show continues through March 2021 For further information go to chs.org

Katherine Beach was born in Hartford, Connecticut on August 2, 1853 to Joseph Beach and Josephine Elizabeth Coffing. She was raised in Hartford and stayed there her entire life. On October 13, 1877, Katherine married George Herbert Day. The couple had seven children. It is possible this picture was painted either as an engagement or wedding gift. Katherine helped to found the Hartford Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She also helped to lead the effort of the Connecticut Birth Control League, which fought to repeal the federal Comstock Law. The Comstock Law made contraception illegal to sell or take, regardless of whether a person was married or single. In 1905, Katherine became involved in the Connecticut Women’s Suffrage Association upon meeting her new neighbor Katherine Houghton Hepburn. After the death of her husband in 1907, Katherine assumed her husband’s place as director of the Hartford Real Estate Improvement Company and stayed in that position for many years. On December 26, 1942, Katherine died at her home in Hartford due to a brief illness. Above Right: Portrait of Katherine Beach Day (1853-1942), Painted by Charles Noel Flagg c.1877. Courtesy of Connecticut Historical Society collection, gift of Mrs. Godfrey Day, 1983.92.2 Left Page Top: Connecticut Women Suffrage Association, executive committee. Standing left to right, Miss Emily Whitney, Mrs. Harrison B. Freman, Mrs. William H. Deming, Miss Mable C. Washburn, Mrs. William C. Cheney and Mrs. Ruth M. Dadourian. Seated left to right, Mrs. W. P. Couth, Miss Edna Tyler, Miss Katharine Ludington, Mrs. Rosamond Danielson, and Mrs. Thomas S. McDermott. 1919 Left Page Bottom: Women Suffrage Activists suffrage and labor activist Flora Dodge “Fola” La Follette (1882-1970), social reformer and missionary Rose Livingston, and a young striker during a garment strike in New York City in 1913. Library of Congress Photos: Gallery Connecticut Historial Society Courtesy Connecticut Historical Society. Illustrations by Mary Long

“There never will be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect lawmakers” Susan B. Anthony Arressted for voting in the 1872 Presidentional Election

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LAND & SEA Landscapes, Waterscapes, the Great Outdoors!

October 9 – November 19, 2020

Virtual Art Auction & Bene昀t Ends November 15

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Art: Bill Stondstrom, Stonington Town Dock (detail), oil

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Awake, Alive, and In Awe

Daæ°&#x20AC;bil and his Department of Visual Consciousness Profile by Nancy LaMar-Rodgers Photos Courtesy DalBil & Vinnie Scarano.

Art Park West View Evening.

Mother Nature is his playground and the materials of the earth, his toys. Through the forests, across the white sandy beaches and fields of green and gole, artist Dalabil is both interior designer and environmental warrior. His sculptures and interactive installations provide visual appeal, yes, but more importantly an awareness of the fragile nature of our planet. William Potvin was born in Norwich, Connecticut in 1971 and attended college in New Britain, where he studied both Psychology and Sociology. Potvin never saw himself as an artist at that time, “I used to draw quite a bit, but I was really interested in psychology because I liked talking with people and thought that I would do that for a living.” But fate had a different plan for Bill and in 1996 he found himself Los Angles bound. “I went out there to live with my uncle who was an artist and I spent about nine months there, before I left and found my way north to San Francisco and the Bay Area.” The move north proved to be one of the best decisions Potvin made. Inspired by the natural beauty of California’s northern coast, and the way of life in the Bay Area, it would be here that Potvin would be exposed to the people and environments that would shape the next twenty years of his life.

“I was 爀a氀y inte爀sted in psycho氀gy because I 氀ked tal欀ng with people and thought that I wou氀搀 that for a 氀ving.”

His exploration into what would later blossom into his life’s work, began with a volunteer effort to paint signs for a music festival. These were not necessarily signs of any true artistic value, but for Potvin, it was that experience that would solidify his purpose. He had found his tribe. The music festival atmosphere, and the culture of community and artists working together was the mecca he had been searching for and as fate would have it, Potvin was hired the following year by the promoters to head up installation of all the signage. “That was the springboard for me. From the sign making, I knew that I wanted to work on and create the stage structures and larger pieces, but I needed to develop some skills and so I spent a summer studying with a carpenter because I knew that if I wanted to build these stages and installations I needed to know basic structural skills so that I could create larger scale art pieces.” Potvin was a quick learner and with a new set of skills under his belt he began creating and building stages and structures for the music festivals that had become his home. The

Top: William Potvin seated in the Art Park. Middle: West End View Art Park Bottom: Buddah 1

stages for these festivals are an extension of the mindset of those in attendance. For the large majority, who attend these festivals, it’s not just about the music. These are groups of people looking not only for the sound, but rather to experience all of the senses, while in harmony with nature. His structures are symbiotic with their environmental surroundings, and what Dalabil refers to as the stage’s façade intertwines with the landscape. Some structures stand tall like the oaks or are bent and woven like a bird’s nest. Some are the colors of a southwestern desert or the sandy tones of a driftwood covered beach, and all are offshoots of the majesty that surrounds them. These larger scale stages and installation pieces would become what Potvin would start to create with his band of artists under his umbrella business, cleverly and light-heartedly named, The Department of Visual consciousness. Potvin explains his vision and the reason behind the name, “I formed it back when large scale art had its original boom in the music festival industry. In breaking down the name, visual consciousness were the words I thought of to describe the intention of the art. That visually the art conveys a deeper message through experiencing it. That experience could be as simple as reflecting on the written words or immersion into the art environment. DVC is a collaborative umbrella under which many artists have worked with me through the years to create these art experiences.” Potvin was renamed Dalabil, by a friend after the Wyclef Jean song of 2007, and he has gone by that ever since and the last thirteen years has brought Dalabil and his band of artists to many festivals, on many lands and countries. For someone who never saw himself as a working artist, Dalabil’s Department of Visual Consciousness movement has certainly made its mark across the nation’s landscapes. Dalabil wanted to create not only environmentally aware but experiential art

Above Left: Forest Stage Above Right: Detail of Wall Art Park Left: Pagoda Night Bottom Left: Detail of Wall Art Park

“In b爀a欀ng 搀wn the name, visual 挀nsciousness we爀 the words I thought of to desc爀be the inten琀on of the art.”

Top: Symbosis Gathering Left: William Painting, Right Path Organic Cafe Lower Right: Envision Festival Stage

as well, and he has. These installations invite people not just to look, but rather to experience, to touch and to climb on and to nestle into or dance under, to breathe in and exhale slowly. The Visual Consciousness movement is one that has an audience’s senses wrapped around the deeper meaning. Potvin’s early foray into psychology, sociology and the workings of the human mind and soul has certainly influenced the way he presents these external experiences.

“It was simply a symbo氀c ce爀mony 爀p爀sen琀ng a mytho氀gical bird that is born again.”

We walk to the far outdoor stage of the Hygienic Art Gallery in New London, where Dalabil has created a living space along a wall that was once covered with stacked chairs; against a fence serving as an area for storage. It was dead space in the beautiful Art Park but for Potvin, there is no “dead space” when it comes to the great outdoors. We stand in front of the environmental creation, with the long afternoon stretched across the slatted six-foot fence. The worn weathered wood is the perfect back drop, the perfect natural host for a fireplace replete with a mantle of driftwood and iron elements. The outdoor living room invites an outdoor audience to sit and bask in the warm glow of the LED lit fire, where you can almost smell the woodsy, pine infused autumn air. With several tree stump held planters and iron gate pieces that resemble the grandness of an over the mantel piece of art, the space has become the coziest of living rooms, a Vermont log cabin or a mountain lake getaway. This is what Dalbil does. He brings to the outdoors, the warmness and the humanity of our familiar spaces. He invites us to shelter into giant nests and swing amongst the stars. He asks us to climb the tree while learning about its heritage on the way to the top, and he wants us to know that the natural world is a playground of such infinite beauty. With structures and commissioned installations everywhere from Michigan to Florida, Dalabil takes the idea of visual aesthetics seriously. Where there may have been dead trees, fallen branches, or old shrub, Potvin will transform the landscape and make it both whimsical and rousing. A visit to the Electric Forest in Michigan

Top Left: Maha Tower Top Right: Tree South View

is an experience in psychedelia, and sensory ecstasy. A place where color vibrates so much that you can hear it. Or the peacock in Mexico which started out as an aerial rig for a local circus and then became a standalone sculpture, with its majestic feathers of blues and greens reaching for the warm sky. Dalabil’s devotion to Mother Nature and her constant reminder of our life and death cycle led him to a spontaneous construction on a beach in Costa Rica where his creation of a driftwood phoenix was experienced briefly for those in attendance. “I was staying on a beach in Costa Rica. After working the Envision Festival in 2012, I woke up one morning, collected the driftwood, built the sculpture and invited people to watch the phoenix go up in flames that evening. It was simply a symbolic ceremony representing a mythological bird that is born again.” With that one momentary, solitary, disappearing installation, Dalabil reminded us all, how important it is to take care of that which provides for us, while we are here in this space between birth and death. www.dalabil.com

Top: Symbosis Gathering Bottom Left: William Potvin, Art Park Right: Peacock Bottom Right: Detail of Wall in Art Park

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Heartsick Ronin by Daniel Lev Shkolnik Photos by Phillip Falcone

or many people in New Haven, Frederick David Watts was simply a homeless poet—a local character, but nothing more. Some knew him as a panhandler. Others knew he recited poetry. Some called him “The Professor,” because of the surprising lexicon with which he spoke. But almost no one knew his story. Those who did tried their best to help him. As I got to know David, I under-stood why.

My friendship with David began as a professional interest. I was a young reporter looking for color in the streets of New Haven, and David is nothing if not colorful. In our impromptu curbside interviews, he weaved a fantastic origin story for himself: one in which he had graduated from Yale and then gone to Harvard to study, write, and eventually teach poetry. As a journalist, I was wary. David wore rags, carried his life in bags, and roamed the sidewalks outside Yale—a beat few of its alumni walk. But as I began investigated his story, I realized he was telling the truth. David was born in Queens to Judith A. Stevenson-Watts and Frederick Watts Jr. He attended Ja-maica High School. There, he developed what would become a lifelong friendship with Sarada George. “He was brilliant,” George recalls. “The poetry he wrote then was excellent. … [He] seemed knowledgeable about literature, philosophy, poetry. … My expectations were that he would become a noted poet.” His friends weren’t the only ones to note his brilliance. David visiting his apartment 2017 with James Farnam In 1968, Yale accepted David into the class of ‘72 at a time when Black students made up a sliver of the pie chart. He went from pre-med to pre-law before settling on an intensive English major. He studied the Greeks, Shakespeare, Milton, Blake— influences that would have a lasting impact on his poetry. After tossing his cap, he entered Harvard Graduate School that same year to continue his poetic education. He hoped to earn his doctorate, teach poetry, and create it. But during his graduate studies, what David calls his “emo-tional illness” began. He was never able to finish. Over the following decades, David took on various jobs, from paralegal work to editing computer manuals for digital fossils like the Omega DOS, Starfixer, and Apple 2GS. He lived with his parents for two difficult decades, enduring emotional and physical abuse (particularly from his father), which only served to compound his illness. Eventually, he took his life into his own hands. Or as he puts it: “I ran away from home when I was 45.”

“The poetry he wrote then was excellent. …

[He] seemed knowledgeable about literature, philosophy, poetry.… My expectations were that he would become a noted poet.”

David visiting his apartment 2017 with James Farnam.

52 He returned to New Haven in ‘97 and took on odd jobs, shelving books at the Barnes and Noble in Orange, doing inventory at 10,000 Villages, and even standing in for the grim reaper at Party City. “Nothing is too small to do if you do it well,” David said. But by the time I met him, he was at a low. He lived on the street, frequently supported by the gen-erosity of friends and strangers. When he could afford it, he rented a motel room on the outskirts of town. After learning his story, reading his poetry, and speaking with those who’d known him for years, I published my article about David in the Daily Nutmeg. Overnight, hundreds of people learned about his story. People wrote in from around town, often in awe. They’d seen him around but didn’t know his talent, his intellect, or his history. The article was a success. But after publishing the piece, I wondered what good it would do David. I imagined he would continue to tumble from psyche ward to street, from street to court, from court to psyche ward, and out again. I saw no hope for him. But others did. Years later, while working as a journalist in Spain, I received an email from James Farnam, a friend and lifeline for David. He told me David was at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. “After a few months on meds he is quite cogent and conversational, but longs to get out,” Farnam wrote, en-couraging friends to write to him.

Above Left: Venus by Frederick David Watts Lower Left: Eyes by Frederick David Watts Right: Sonnet Judith, 2014 p1, While at the Osborn Prison in Connecticut, David used an inmate request form to write-out “Sonnet,” a poem dedicated to his mother upon her passing in 2002.

“Nothing is too small to do if you do it well,”

Sonnet 2 Art by Frederick David Watts

I chose a postcard of a flamenco dancer and sent it to David’s ward. He wrote back. Even in his writing, I could tell something was different. When writing from psyche wards in the past, he sometimes signed his mail as “Prisoner #45521…” and referred to himself as having been “kid-napped.” Fiercely independent, David was also deeply suspicious of anything that felt like a “pro-gram.” Now, he had committed to treatment and was hopeful for his future.After returning from my travels, I came to visit David in his new apartment on Crown Street,

which rabbis James Ponet and Shmully Hecht helped him secure after his time at CMHC. I as-cended the twenty-odd steps from the street to his apartment—twenty steps that, for the old David, might as well have been Everest. When he opened the door, I barely recognized him. Clean clothes, trim beard, David was beaming and in high spirits. Before long, our conversation turned to our common love: poetry.

Over the years, my admiration for his verse had deepened (and his for mine). His poems are strik-ing—mighty and mercurial. He conjures unexpected symbols to great effect. He writes tenderly about love, nature, women. Sometimes all three at once: Brushing the last crumbs of sod from a white gardening glove she is a woman made better, not bitter, by Love. His words can be weighty and shrouded in veils, like those of a mystic. At other times, their sim-plicity bellies complexity: Carpenter bees guard but sometimes collide; two green seedling fight for space. Some of his lines are so layered with humanity that, as a poet myself, I feel a twinge of jealousy I hadn’t written them: … the empty rice bags, the

rusting sword, And the heartsick ronin without a worthy lord.

Top Left: Fish, 2017 Top Right: Insects and Flower, 2016 Bottom Right: Seascape, 2017

Because of his illness, David has been dispossessed nine times. It’s a miracle any part of his output remains. For each poem that exists, I wonder: how many are lost? I’ve imagined wind-blown napkins covered in poetry, or confiscated sonnets written on prison stationery. More poignant still, I suspect far more of David’s oeuvre was never written. In tallying the toll of mental illness, what could have been is just as much a part of the total loss.

In my first article about David, I’d written more about the illness than the man. Over the past five years, I came to know David as a friend. No longer drawn to him as a character, I was drawn to him by his character. We speak on the phone often, but when he calls, I’m still wary. I’m not sure which David will be on the other end. When he is staying the course with his treatment, David is well-spoken, insightful, understanding. At other times, I hear the ghost of the man who’d haunted the streets of New Haven. David hasn’t been “cured.” There may be no such category for his condition. He’s like a mariner, constantly dealing with squalls of psychic weather. These days, he’s reading the winds more skill-fully than ever. He has a steady crew of friends to help him bail water. He has a caring psychiatrist who helps him chart his course between the Scylla and Charybdis of his mind. At times, waves overtop his boat and send it spinning. But in recent years, these episodes have been relatively brief. Even old friends like George admit that this seems to be a new, more reliable kind of stability. Though it’s not right to say he’s a changed man. Rather, he’s once again becoming the man he al-ways was.

Frederic David Watts sitting in the zen garden at Beardsley Zoo, Courtesy of Phillip Falcone

The

Cheesemonger Paul Partica, The Cheese Shop, Centerbrook CT

New Arrivals at Centerbrook Cheese Shop We have a few new cheeses and a couple of old favorites back in stock that have become recently available again.

wheel with a natural rind. The small wheel enables the cheese to come to full ﬂavor in this time period.

Invierno (Vermont, cow and sheep milk)

Vermont Shepherd’s cheeses have won many awards. In 2019 their Aged Invierno won First Place in the “American Made/International Style Mixed Milk” categories. In addition, in 2000 they won the prestigious “Best of Show” award from the American Cheese Society.

Soon to become a fan favorite, this raw milk cheese is produced by Vermont Shepherd in Putney, Vermont. There are two choices available, both are made from a combination of sheep milk and organic cows’ milk. The younger version is approximately seven months old and it’s usually available by early winter. The cheese is noted for its full ﬂavor and spicy tang. The two-year offering is just a little sharper and dryer with the same great taste. The cheese is made in a small 6-8-pound

Ashbrook (Vermont cow milk) This is a beautiful raw milk cheese produced by Spring Brook Farms in Reading, Vermont. Many of you might remember French Morbier. That was a unique cheese that had a layer of ash separating two layers

of cheese, one made from the evening milk and the other layer from the morning milk. The layer of ash is used to stop the ﬁrst layer of cheese from forming a natural rind until the second layer could be added. When the cheese was no longer allowed in the United States because of the ash, they used a red vegetable ash that ran like ink and destroyed the popularity of the cheese so much that we discontinued it a few years back. Spring Brook Farms has created a nice rendering of that Morbier. It’s a semi-soft cheese, mild, but with character because of the slight washed rind finish on the outside. The cheese has won a few awards. The Good Foods Awards in California in 2016 and first place in its category at the US Cheese Championships in Wisconsin, in 2015.

Paglierino (Italy, sheep milk) This cheese is a great find for us. We have been having trouble sourcing great aged Pecorino Toscano and this cheese fills the void nicely. Pecorino means the cheese is made from sheep milk and it is from Italy. The small three to four-pound wheel is aged for three months. Its small size allows for it to become firm, dry and sharp in this short time period. The cheese is great as a table cheese, it can be ground for pastas and salads, and it’s great for dessert with a little Acacia Honey or an aged Balsamic.

Lakes Edge (Vermont, goat milk)

Oma (Vermont organic raw cow milk)

To be honest, this cheese is hard to get if available at all, but when I can get it, it’s marvelous for goat cheese lovers. In appearance it looks like a small wheel of Humboldt Fog. However, I prefer the creamy taste and almost vanilla ice cream appearance. The outer rind tends to be darker, almost black, which you might assume is overripe but it’s not. It has a nice goat ﬂavor with a good taste of ash. I thought the ash was supposed to be tasteless, oh well! As the cheese ripens you will see the inner core still a little ﬁrm but the outer layer, vanilla ice cream.

Oma has some unique characteristics worth mentioning. First, Oma, means Grandmother in German. The cheese is made by the von Trapp family in Vermont, and yes, that “hills are alive” Sound of Music Family. The small 2-3 pound cheese is made from raw milk mostly from Jersey cows. The cheese is also organic. It has a smooth silky texture with a buttery and earthy ﬂavor. Most important, the cheese is delightful and a favorite of mine when we can get it. The last two shipments were perfect.

The cheese gets its name from the shades of color and shapes of the stone surrounding Lake Champlain. The cheese is made by Blue Ledge Farm in Salisbury Vermont. Wine Spectator ranked it “One of the best 100 cheeses of the World”.

La Tur (Italy, cow, goat and sheep milk) This very popular cheese was the first cheese I ordered when we opened almost ten years ago. It had become a staple for us. Unfortunately, we haven’t carried La Tur for a long time because the packaging had changed and so did the condition. The cheese was over ripe and too soft to remove from the package. We threw out more than we sold. I’m happy to say the problem seems to be over. We have received several orders of perfect La Tur. The cheese is a soft ripening cheese blending all three milks. The cheese is made by Caseﬁcio dell’Alta Langa in the Atla region of Italy.

ofCenterbrook

LLC

Specialty Foods & Espresso Bar

A Man With No Fear and Spoke The Truth:

A Divers Tale

By John Tolmie

Photo by gdvcom

hen the name Captain T. A. Scott rolls off the tongue in the presence of a native Nutmegger, it is fair to say that the common-most response is ordering up a mess of fried clams and a lobster roll at New London’s very own Captain Scott’s Lobster Dock. However, the life of the man behind that name is far richer than any hot buttered lobster roll. Captain Thomas Albertson Scott was a respected Connecticut business owner and a master diving pioneer during the turn of the century. His underwater escapades are legendary and he left his mark along the coasts of New York and Connecticut that still remain to this day. Born in Snowhill, Maryland, a young Thomas Scott had an early and inherent business sense. By the time he was just fifteen, he had become a captain of his own vessel and crew. In the mid-1840’s he spent his time trading lumber with neighboring towns for oysters and clams. Then wanderlust tugged and Captain Scott beckoned his soon-to-be bride on an adventure to Barbados aboard the schooner Thomas Nelson, of which he owned half-stake. The year was 1855 and the trip abroad would begin on smooth and welcoming seas, but would sadly end in tragedy. Most of the crew fell ill with fever and the schooner soon found itself battered and windtorn from ravaging storms. Captain Scott’s fiancé, known as “The Slender Maryland Girl”, helmed the tiller and guided the schooner back to port as the remaining crew battled the unseen virus. The crippled vessel and crew made it back to port with the navigator succumbing to the strange illness just as the lines tightened dockside.

After not a few more adventures on the high seas, Captain Scott married his love and children soon followed. With his newfound responsibilities, he decided to relinquish his share of the Thomas Nelson and moved his family to New Jersey, settling in Coyotesville where he opened a general store. He ran the successful business for two years until Mother Ocean called once again. A cargo ship had caught fire and sank to into the deep. The contents of the sunken ship were of substantial value and it was here Captain Scott first donned a diving helmet and surveyed the wreck as it lay ruined on the seabed. Finding himself adept at working beneath the waves, he then found himself under the employ of a submarine wrecking company based out of New York City where he would further hone his diving and wrecking skills.

59 In 1869, Captain Scott was tasked with clearing an immovable navigational hazard off the coast of New Jersey. Sandy Hook Bay narrows into a shipping channel where the steamer Scotland and its cargo had gone down. Resting at a depth of six fathoms, the massive iron ship had remained a maritime menace for years, as all previous attempts at breaking up its hull with explosives had failed. Captain Scott once again donned his copper and brass diving gear and descended into the cold and briny depths. He surveyed every inch of the Scotland and devised a solution to clear the channel of the sunken and stubborn steel steamer. Acquiring thirty large wine casks, Captain Scott packed them with blasting powder and sunk them at strategic locations along the Scotland’s ruined hull. He then connected the homemade bombs with copper wire so that they would detonate in unison. In his rowboat and at a safe distance, the Captain made the connection with a rudimentary battery.

Sparks flashed as the copper wires connected and the massive blast caused a plume of seawater to gush overhead which darkened the sky for a brief and thrilling moment. After the boiling seas calmed, Captain Scott splashed over the side and was lowered to the seabed. There, he witnessed the fruits of his ingenuity. The iron behemoth lay in jagged chunks with its cargo laid bare for the taking, which was immediately salvaged. The Captain was paid handsomely; eleven thousand dollars would be deposited into his bank. The operation took nearly six hundred hours to complete and Captain Scott broke the record for the longest working dive to date, spending nearly eight hours on the bottom. He also saved the Scotland’s parent company over a

Right: Two T.A.Scott Divers in Full Diving Gear Left Above: T.A.Scott Business Directory

Above: T.A. Scott Plant in New London Courtesy of Custom House Below Left: T.A Scott Diver with the Amtrak Bridge over the Thames

hundred thousand dollars, with the salvaging the Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cargo. His impossible feat made him an overnight legend in the diving community and his expertise would be consistently called upon along the entirety of the eastern seaboard. With his wrecking and diving skill sets now in high demand, the Captain formed the T. A. Scott Company in 1872, with its home of operations based in the affluent city of New London, Connecticut. His burgeoning business brought with it immediate challenges. A lighthouse atop Race Rock, just off the western coast of Fishers Island, New York, had been proposed in 1838. The jutting rocks, powerful currents and harsh weather at Race Rock had been a consistent risk for marine traffic since the initial colonization of New England. The proposition lingered for years, but the plans for a new lighthouse remained stagnant. Over time, various efforts had been made to make the shallow reef visible with marker buoys and wooden spindles. However, the angry seas consistently ripped and splintered away every attempt to warn passing vessels. Work at the site seemed an impossible task or rather, the perfect challenge for the industrious Captain Scott. First, the T. A. Scott divers arranged a sub-base of granite riprap that was laid in place beneath

the waves. It was a tried, true, and effective footing. Captain Scott then devised a solution to build a level concrete foundation atop the granite substratum. The timing was everything on the project as tides, currents and foul weather constantly hindered progress. As the daily tide moved out, Captain Scott and his team moved in and stacked fabricated steel hoops atop the riprap. The iron hoops were massive, at fifty-seven feet in diameter and nine feet high, when in place. As conditions allowed, the T. A. Scott crew poured concrete underwater and into the metal rings until the upper surface of the concrete had breached the waves at eight inches above high tide. A third and final stone foundation was engineered, which served as the base for the lighthouse to be constructed above. The trio of massive foundations took nearly seven years to complete, while the light-keeperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quarters and the tower were constructed in a mere nine months. The lighthouse remains in operation to this day and continues its goal of guiding mariners around the dangerous shallow reefs. Currently, Race Rock Light is maintained by the New London Maritime Society and is accessible to the public via informative and guided tours. Captain Scott passed away in 1894 and left his son a sole owner of the business. Less than

Top: T.A. Scott - Merrit Chapman Left: Advertisement for the T.A. Scott Company Courtesy of the Tradewind Gallery in Mystic. Right: Race Rock Light Foundation Courtesy of Custom House Bottom: Diver Working at the Sub Base in Groton

a decade later, The T. A. Scott Company was incorporated in 1903 as Captain Scotts’ son continued to expand the business of salvaging ships from the deep and building underwater structures along the eastern coastline. The famed deep-sea diver had a posthumous autobiography written about him in 1906 titled, “Captain Thomas A. Scott Master Diver”, by author and marine-engineer F. Hopkinson Smith with the subtitle, ‘A Man With No Fear and Who Spoke The Truth’. Captain T. A. Scott dove headlong into the sea and built stunning and everlasting structures that have tested the rigors of time and that rival today’s modern engineering. Before the automobile had been invented and prior to electricity becoming a common household convenience, Captain Scott tamed the savage seas with his brutish will and his cunning resourcefulness. He was uneducated and came from humble beginnings, yet his life’s work and creativity confounded the learned engineers of his time. In 1922, the T. A. Scott Company merged with the Merritt Chapman Derrick & Wrecking Company. From this conglomeration, the Merritt Chapman Scott Corporation was formed and matured into an international marine engineering company. Known as the “Black Horse of the Sea”, the divers and wreckers of the Merritt Chapman Scott Company continued to answer the call of the deep until the company’s dissolution in 1971. On a clear day, one can spy Race Rock Light in the far off distance from the shores of Groton and New London. The lighthouse is located due south from the mouth of the Thames River. Head over to Captain Scotts Lobster Dock someday and grab a hot buttered lobster roll. As you bite into the soft and tangy meat, remember the person behind the name. He was a true iron man and a pioneering denizen of the deep whose efforts, over a hundred years ago, continue to positively impact the residents of Connecticut and the tri-state region. For more information on the life of Captain T. A. Scott, please visit the New London Maritime Society’s Museum at the Custom House in New London Above: Race Rock Light House Workers Courtesy of Custom House Bottom: Diving on the Thames River

By Art LiPuma, General Manager SeaSide Wine & Spirits, Old Saybrook

Little State, BIG Grapes! Oregon Wine Country

regon is a small, but surprisingly growing region which is shadowed mainly by California and partially by Washington State. They have been producing wine since the mid-1800’s but didn’t really receive the recognition they deserved till at least the 1960’s; however, their real popularity did not come until the ‘80s and ‘90s.

For the most part, Oregon’s wineries are family owned and have been that way from the start since finding out that California wasn’t the best area for some of the growers. That brought them to Oregon to be the first growers in this state to produce a particular style of wine. There are only a few major growing areas which are: Rogue, Applegate & Illinois River Valleys, Umpqua Valley, and Willamette Valley. Willamette Valley, the most admired of the wine growing areas, is noted for their excellent quality Pinot Noirs and Pinot Gris. This area follows a lot of the wine practices of Burgundy, France and is why their Pinot Noirs and Pinot Gris are more similar in the taste profiles than anywhere else in the world. Willamette is also, by far, the biggest growing area in Oregon with over 65% of the wineries coming from this AVA (American Viticultural Area, a designated grape-growing region). Some of the more prominent vineyards are Elk Cove Vineyards, Domaine Drouhin, Ken Wright, Argyle Winery, Amity Vineyards, Archery Summit Winery, WillaKenzkie Estate, Willamette Valley Vineyards, Ponzi Vineyards, and Panther Creek Cellars. Within this area are many single vineyards with their own distinctive terroir (natural environment of climate and soil profile), which in turns helps them produce their own particular wine profile. These favored wineries are best known for producing superb quality Pinot Noirs and Pinot Gris. Due to the cool and wet climate, these grapes flourish. Rogue is the major part of this AVA, while Applegate & Illinois River Valleys are the sub regions. These areas being closer to the south have less rain and warmer weather. Rogue, and the sub- region, Applegate are open to growing a wider range of grapes like Syrah, Sangiovese , Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc for reds. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier, are also white grapes grown from these two regions. However, the sub-region Illinois River Valley grows the cooler varietals Pinot Noir Rieslings, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Gris. This is due to the influence of being closer to the ocean as well as more rainfall in this area. The Umpqua Valley is between the two other AVAs, Willamette and Rogue; this being said, they are still experimenting on which grapes will be best for growing and producing great wine. For now, Umpqua Valley is growing Albari o, Viognier, Syrah, Tempranillo, Dolcetto, Malbec, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. These wines have developed into rich full flavor wines. It seems that the climate enables this area to be more flexible for growing less common grapes of Oregon, specifically the Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris of Willamette Valley. Oregon is indeed that small state tucked between Washington and California, yet producing great wines of many varietals, focusing on Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Having many well known vineyards, a must-try are the Burgundian style Pinot Noirs pairing well with any light meat dish such as pork and turkey. Cheers! Art LiPuma Seaside Wine and Spirits

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