"The windows are open, admitting the September breeze: A month that smells like notebook paper and pencil shavings, autumn leaves and car oil. A month that smells like progress and moving on."
— Lauren Oliver
Without using any specific reference, I recently asked a machine to define “Artful Connection.” Just a very basic prompt, as I did not wish to guide, steer, or be mirrored by the AI. My wish was to essentially avoid writing my own definition. It responded in the following way:
"Artful Connection" isn't a clearly defined term based on available information, but it likely refers to creating meaningful, creative, or emotionally resonant links between people, ideas, or experiences through art. It could involve using artistic expression—visual art, music, storytelling, or performance—to foster understanding, empathy, or collaboration. For example, it might describe initiatives like community art projects, therapeutic art programs, or platforms connecting artists with audiences.
Basically, it described the magazine that you now hold in your hand. In a world of ever-increasing artifice, since its inception in 2005, Ink has consistently centered itself in artful connection. A complimentary magazine that is in one-part beautiful dinosaur and three parts a human thread line. Having begun my graphic design career in the mid-nineties, I was blessed with experiencing both the old way, and the new one. I have watched as a “baby” internet grew up and then grew teeth. We sincerely believe that people who take in media will steadily gravitate towards what is real. Not exclusively, but increasingly. When people ask me for a copy of the latest issue straight out of my hands, dozens of times I have watched them put it to their nose and sniff it. Is that strange, or is it just real?
Fall is on its way. Enjoy!
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October 3 - November 1, 2025 Opening Reception Friday, Oct 3, 5-8 pm
Golden Light on the Dunes, Pastel, 12 x 12”
Summer Greens, Pastel, 16 x 20”
Wings, Pastel, 12 x 36”
Scent of Summer, Pastel,16 x 20”
By Rona Mann
hat is it that makes an artist exceptional? Is it the medium?
The surface on which the art is created? The subject? The colors?
The use of light? Or could it be the artist’s website with the phrase, “It’s Beautiful Out There” adorning every page? A phrase that guides not just her hand, but the way she lives her life.
Or maybe it was Uncle Gus.
At least it was in the case of Jeanne Rosier Smith, today a veritable giant in the world of pastel art, much admired, respected by her peers, and in high demand by galleries everywhere, both here and abroad.
Jeanne grew up in Columbia, Maryland where she would frequently visit the ocean with her family. “From the very beginning, my happiest memories were connected to the water,” says Smith who loved to swim and spent hours marveling at the motion and sheer drama of the waves. But summers were not her only passion, she loved all seasons. She also reveled in the observation that, “There is so much color in the snow. Like the sea foam, color and light just bounce off the snow. It’s very prismatic.” As a child, Smith loved to draw and paint mostly watercolors. Both parents were teachers, her father a math professor and her mother an English teacher. “I never knew you could make a living from being an artist,” Jeanne said, so I got a PhD in English and became a university professor for 10 years.”
But she was not fulfilled. “The pay was awful, but then I was offered the opportunity to teach adult education art classes. I didn’t think I could because I had never taken any classes in teaching art,” but she was told to take samples of her work to the community school,
Photographs Courtesy of Jean Rosier Smith
Wave Story, 20 x 40
and once they saw them, she became an teacher in the community adult ed program. It didn’t take long before she realiz “I’m never going back to college English
A pastelist. “Exclusively!” she says firmly art zed, h.” ged y..“It is my only medium.” pastelist creates art using pastels which are sticks of pigment r. . They appear to be brightly colored chalk, but a pastel stick is not the same as chalk. Although both
held together with a binder
Somewhere in all this, Uncle Gus chang the tide. It was 1998, and Jeanne was in her early 30s when her uncle sent her a of pastels. “He told me to try it, that it w r, , and you could work quickly y..”
ttithth and Intuitively smoother
So Jeanne opened the box, removed the contents, and a new kind of artist emerge along with the sticks. She realized she could create new colors on paper simply hih
eating new hues. W
putting one over the otherr, , changing wha she didn’t like, cr Waaterc ors? Instantly retired! Jeanne had become
they have dif n box was ed by at cole a
are dry drawing mediums in a stick form, ffferent compositions and uses. Pastel as a medium bridges the gap between drawing and painting, and when Jeanne opened that box from Uncle Gus and picked up her first stick, her whole experience as an artist changed. “Painting in pastels is a sensory experience. Hundreds of colored sticks spread before me, each with its own texture, weight, and feel. My process relies on instinct. Dissolving and blending colors, creating vibrations with layered pigments reflects a balance of heart and mind working towar y..”
d a moment of joy
Smith g little cr layer th Pastel s pastels pigmen fbid goes on to explain, “Pastels are rystals of pigment. When you hem, the colors visually mix.” sticks, which are normally soft s, are made from pure powdered nts mixed with a minimal count dd Thi idh
er of binder and water. This provides the vibrant colors and the texture; howevr, , the pigments are the same found in other media like oils and watercolors. Chalk, on the other hand, is composed of calcium carbonate mixed with silt and clay and is harder in texture, making for a lighter-colored stick.
There’s a photograph on Smith’s website that says it all, it is both compelling and unmistakable. The artist sits center-focus surrounded by a semi-circle filled with trays of colorful pastel chalks, colors
Dawn Radiance 18 x 24
Now all neatly fanned out in front of her. She smiles knowingly at the camera as if to say with assurance, “This is my world. I got this.”
academy
w, , with a whole new and exciting direction, it was time to take risks, to push herself and her art even further. She had always given art lessons, but now the pastelist was broadening her scope, sharing her talent for instruction and love for what’s out there in the world. Partnering with Epiphany Fine Art, an online art y, , she has amassed a large library ofinstructionalvideosForaverylow
son. “I am so lucky of instructional videos. For a very low monthly subscription fee, students can log onto her website and have full access to these priceless lessons. It’s a win-win for both student and teacher as Jeanne relates that the people from Epiphany leave the necessary equipment with her for a few days, she records her tutorials, then they return to retrieve the equipment, do the editing, and handle the business end of things. “I have about 150 subscribers.”
She also has traveled both here and abroad to places like France, Croatia, and Italy to teach others. The PhD in English was never wasted as Jeanne feels much of what she had learned has been invaluable to growing as an artist and business pery, , so grateful; the more I deep dive, the more I discover.”
wavesandhastwicewontheT dtoNovember1st.“W
Susan Powell speaks of Smith’s upcoming solo exhibition, “Songs of the Seasons,” that will be installed in her gallery from October 3r Wee’re thrilled to be exhibiting 30 new paintings that celebrate all the seasons – especially exciting since Jeanne is renowned for her Toop 100 First Place in the Pastel Journal competition. This show is a wonderful oppor-
eedomtomakemebetter tunity to highlight the full range of her award-winning work.”
The artist adds, “I really appreciate the ongoing partnership with Sue. She takes the time to know your work, asks for the story behind each piece. She has given me the fr r..”
Another glance at Smith’s website reveals an in-depth journey through her art, her blogs, a massive list of honors and awards, and one realizes early on, that the smiling
Something to Celebratte Pastel 2025 16 x 12
nt
artist in the photograph surrou this world of color is indeed She’s got this.
unded by correct.
Uncle Gus would be proud.
“It’s Beautiful Out There” www roosiersmith.com
. jeanner
Come enter her world and marvel at
t her work,
October3rdthr , “Songs of the Seasons” at Susan Powell Fine Art, roough November 1st. 679 Rt. 1, Madison, CT (203) 318-0616 y, , Oct. 3rd 5-8 PM
Opening Night Reception, Friday
Jeanne Rosier Smith
of Summer 16 x 20
Scen
Summer Greens 16x20
PARADIS STUDIO
“They spent considerable time with us, and the design elements that would bring us peace in our home. Every detail
to aesthetic and the outcome is true artistry.”
-Studio Paradis Client
Photo: Rise Visual Media
Photo by Elizabeth S. Mitchell
Love Letters to the Shoreline
by Elizabeth S. Mitchell
Summer of the Moonrise
This Summer I have spent in a walking boot cast, recovering from an ankle injury. Unable to drive or to properly walk, my morning beach walks that are usually an unshakable part of my Summer routine have been impossible. I so love the sunrise over the water, especially in Summer, that this bothered me greatly for a while. Until I realized I could focus instead on watching a different celestial body rise over the sparkling sound at a time of day when my husband would be home to drive me to see it. Enter: The Summer of the Moonrise.
What began as happenstance - glimpsing the moon over the water while coming home from dinner out or while taking a drive across the Old Saybrook Causeway as a passenger, became intentional romanticization of a less-than ideal situation. The planning began. What phase was the moon in that week? Which days would have clear enough skies in the evening to see the moon clearly? And which spot should we view it from?
At precisely the time of year I am inclined to be most active, especially the case this year while I was planning an early August wedding, learning to relinquish control and accept a more restful, inward-focused, healing-focused mindset and lifestyle was at first a challenge. But the moon-tracking started to feel perfectly metaphorical for the situation.
The moon is not always in her fullest state - but her power and beauty are not diminished during those times. I purchased a moon phase journal, and I found that I could find wisdom and calm in the quiet, solitary practice of witnessing nature move through her natural cycles and phases. I could no more control the rate of my recovery than I could control the changing of the moon, but both would occur in their own time; I could choose frustration, or I could choose to become an interested witness, feeling love, fascination, gratitude, and patience for the natural cycles I am part of.
A waxing half-moon isn’t broken. And neither was I. We were just re-filling.
So perhaps it was fully fitting that my wedding on August 3 (while I was still in a boot cast but feeling far too much joy to notice) took place during the waxing moon, a time generally considered to be about watching seeds you’ve planted grow toward fruition, about building energy and moving toward a goal.
And maybe most-fitting of all, we concluded our local “mini-moon”by attending a RiverQuest Full Moon Cruise out of The Connecticut River Museum in Essex, watching the full Sturgeon Moon rise over the river as we and the other passengers took in the informative commentary from the museum staff about wildlife, birds, and the moon itself. Did you know the Sturgeon Moon, the last full moon of Summer, is often associated with the spiritual ideas of trust, harvest, and completion? Well, neither did I. But I do now.
While the sun is the primary source of light and energy for us on this planet, the moon reflects the sun’s light back to us, even when the sun is fully set and nowhere to be seen, reminding us that the light is still there, and always coming back around for us. Reflection has certainly been the theme of my unrequested downtime - and watching the moon rise in all her phases, reflecting off of the waters of the Long Island Sound and the Connecticut River these past many weeks, has allowed me to remember that there is always light coming toward us, if we remember where to look.
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more than just a place to brant community where active living, and love of Now, our community even bett r. . nsion will introduce 54 g apartments, enhanced pose-built assisted living –ur retirement adventure.
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F Frrom Closed M Mill to Hotel
sile A
e inside an wasrem nickel-co minder o art of a Compa
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By J Toor ma
lent 900-pound bell stands on display on the right side of YaanticFi Company No. 1 in the Norwich, Connecticut village at 151 YaanticRd. part of a memorial for its deceased veteran volunteer firefighters and reminder of an earlier time when it topped a bustling mill across the s
This nickel-coated brass bell announced the beginning and end of eve untilitw movedafterthe1938hurricane.Italsoalertedresidents was a fire inside and outside of the village with different fast-and-slow tones until a siren was installed in 1921.
tili
antic V Y Y Y
Ya Viillage’s story began in 1824. Located between Boston and New downtown harbor that could transport people by steamboat, Norwich w situated for many wealthy families - including manufacturers, merchan executives, bankers and lawyers, accor F. . Staley’s book, the Gilded Age – The Rose City’s Millionair Trriangle.”
haps that’s why Ship Captain Erastus W es’T ding to Patricia F
farm with a mill called “W
om the Mohegan Indian origin ‘Y enamed it “Y
Per Wiilliams opted to purchase t Weest Farms.” He promptly r Yaanti “was derived fr Yaantick,’ meaning ‘Lit according to an exterior firehouse plaque.
The entrepreneur renovated and enlarge Ya Wo y..”
ed the former cotton factory and t
tle River the T Y ire Engine It serves as a constant street. ery workday when there w ringing Yoork with a was perfectly nts, railroad “Norwich in Tiisdale ic,” which r,,’” transformed
oolen Company antic W it into the “Y
In 1918, the W Y Capt. W
Wiilliams also built mill houses fo Church in Yaantic. At its peak, 400 peop
or his workers, a store and Grac ple lived in the village.
Wiilliams Family sold its re
ebuilt mill.
NLif
CT New L
It seems T, , LLC is slowly focuses open at receptio guests) a Include 100,000ings, col
ea, fitness facility Y C of W
Y Life s Yaantic’s sleepy village is on the Wooodside, New Yoork purcha y transforming it into Hotel Ard on unique buildings with distin the end of 2026, the hotel will fe on/banquet ar y, , and four elevators, Project Mana
e – a Hilton T
salon (hair nct characteristics). T
e cusp of a resurgence. Mill Deve ased the five-story mill on June dmor Taapestry Hotel Teentatively sc eature 148 rooms, a restaurant, b r, , nail and massage ser ager Phil Biondo said.
bar
d on the National Register of H -square-foot structure will featu lumns and staircase.
Historic Places, this approximate ure exposed brick, as well as wo
ce Episcopal elopment 1, 2018, and (hotel line cheduled to r, , wedding rvices for e ooden ceil-
Bringing saving h Biondo workma
g historic buildings “back to life” i historic structures; but when they’
said it’s almost impossible to co anship and materials from the m
ost-ef
is “tremendous,” he added. “First re finished, the interiors are beaut fffectively recreate the craft mid-1800s.
t of all, you’re tiful.”
“for a re
veloper is also preparing the sta in the rear of the mill for an out eally nice restaurant,” Biondo sa
andalone brick building (former tside restaurateur to come in an aid.
tsmanship, r boiler nd finish it
of Slater Memorial Museum
om the Collection illage. Photo is fr i a
oolen o a
’ ocker oolen Mill by Artist John Denison Cr
o a Painting of Yantic W
1897 painting, “New England Mill” depicts the Yantic W Company in the middle of Yantic V The dev house) i
out of the way W Thinking of the people, cars and lugga the hotel will soon bring, Firefighter Frank Blanchard said, “It’s going to bri a lot of action down here into the villag We e kind of got used to it being quiet an y. . That’s going to change. ’llhit”
age ing ge. nd
Wee’ll see how it goes.”
“I think it is good for the village. Hope it works. They’ll be a lot of action around y,,” former Fire Chief Ron Stolz said.
History
operty in 1824, Capt. W Y T T W hopefully
Born in Essex, Connecticut in 1793, Capt. Wiilliams moved to 70 Broadway in Norwich when he retired. After his first wife died, the widower married Elizabeth Trracy of Norwich in 1829.
Hence, began the unus of a mill proprietor ow fir y, , which in of a shed in the mill ya “engine,” according to Co. No. 1 – 125th Anni Book – 1847-1972. In 18 replaced by a two-story space for equipment on and hall and recreation upper level – serving a fffairs of the
e company
Twwenty-three years after purchasing the Yaantic pr Wiilliams petitioned the Connecticut General Assembly in 1847 for a fire-company charter to protect his mill in case of fire and it was W thesocialaf
Y sual arrangement wning a volunteer nitially consisted ard to house the YaanticFire Engine iversary Souvenir 858theshedwas
858, the shed was y building with n the ground floor n room on the as the “center for all village.”
After graduating from Wiinslow leased the mi 1854 and ran it.
T
Trrinity College, E. ill from his father in
Conflicting records sta destroyed by fire in eith
te the mill was her 1864 or 1865
1866. Prior to rebuilding, received the mill’s title fr r, , who died in 18
“According to the census of 1860, ther were 110 people employed at the com ny (75 men and 35 women, according historian Frances Caulkins),” said Day Rugh, director of the Slater Museum inNorwich“Asthenewmillcomplex
in Norwich As the new mill complex became operational, it grew steadily over decades as demand for high-quality woolen fabrics increased. From the time it reopened in 1865 to about 1900, the number of looms nearly tripled to 88 and was producing over 2 million yards of fabric per year.”
YanticW Y .) W racy (W inslow T W d generation - E. W
A thir Wiinslow’s son, Wi Tr W..T Wiilliams, left Yaale College to take over the Ya Wooolen Mill when his father died in 1888. He also approved the same year.
Courtesy of
themill’
illiams i Capt. down, burned
inslow leased the mill fr i
r 1909. After he graduated fr
illiams i i Pictured, is WinslowTracy W omT College, W father, Captain Erastus W W stitleandW.T
Photo Courtesy of Y
Wiinslow
1858. Photo Courtesy of
in i Lydia Marvin and E. W
e Engine Company No. 1 antic Fir a
ed) married in
nslow McNulty (pictur Y hisfather
served as a fire company engineer and foreman (term used at the mill).
In 1907, he built the current two-story firehouse at 151 YaanticRd.andtheRockclyffe Mansion in Yaantic, which has since bd
Y
esident W been razed.
250th anniversary in 1909, W dT
In preparation of Pr Wi i Howar Taaft’svisittocelebrat W..T replaced the wooden bridge th the Yaantic River to Sunnyside version the year before.
The W Y
Wiilliams Family’s granite
T ygg, Tuudor-styled firehouse and bridge with turret guardhouses are architecturally designed like an English village, former Fire Chief Raymond O’Connell said.
lliam te Norwich’s T. also hat crosses with a stone buildings,
Y YanticV W d times, W
tenement/boarding houses, Rockclyffe Mansion, barns, sheds and greenhouses.
Y
After enduring many mill ownership changes and some delicate situations, YaanticFire Engine Company No. 1 was able to purchase its building from the Rubenstein Family for $12,000 in December 1962.
Falling on har W. T Wiilliams sold Ya Viillage property to Kaplan Brothers Manufacturers of New Yoork for $250,000, according to the Norwich Bulletin on March 28, 1918, Norwich City Historian Dale Plummer said. The deal included the mill (renamed Liberty Wooolen Co.), fire engine hall, cottages, operty
Five years later
acquired a five-acre recreational field, which Firefighter Robert Ladd said is open to the public for fishing and walking dogs. “Permission is needed to hold social events.”
The mill ceased operation under the ownership of Hale Manufacturing Company in 1989. W
r, , the fire company added an addition. It also purchased surrounding pr y, , added parking space and
e Engine Company No. 1 YanticFir
Photo Courtesy of
oundin1909.egr oolen Company with a car in the for YanticW ed, is the Pictur
Engine Company anticFir
Engine Company No. 1 in parade aft anticFirYa
Photo Courtesy of Y
No. 1
photo after planting
PresidentWilliamHowardT Estate, owned by WinslowTracy Williams (far right in top hat). T
Photo Courtesy of Y
Y Love for Yaantic Firehouse Runs Deep
As one of the oldest continuous volunt fir y, , many m bers of Yaantic Fire Engine Company N go back generations.
e companies in the country
Y
theW
All members own shares in the firehouse and participate in fundraising activities, such as sponsored dinners, to help pay for upkeep and bills. Over the years, Woomen’s Auxiliary has raised over $100,000, which enabled the fire company to purchase a fire pole, the first Hurst Jaws of Life tool in the area, refrigerator and basement refurbishment, Stolz said.
orld W e W
ietnam W of V
Camaraderie amongst the crew and the adrenaline rush at times are a big part of why people join the firehouse, former Fire Chief Bill Eyberse said. “When I first joined the firehouse, most of the guys wer Wo Waar II, Korean and a handful Vi Waar vets, and I think that was their adrenaline rush.”
Howeverr, , not everyone wants to get up at three o’clock in the morning and step in thr w, , he said.
ee feet of snow
Members consider this firehouse their second home. Many began visiting as children, because family members worked ther y, , Stolz said being a firefighter “gets in your blood.”
e. For those that stay
Eric LaJoie is one of the fire company’s newest members. “I’m not like most of these gentlemen. I don’t come from a fire
familyy. . I’m the first in m the fire service.” The So tive, who “works in the said he always had an “ was younger “to be a fi
efighter outhW my family to get into Wiindsornae corporate world,” “inkling when he fir r, , but was
my way of serving the community
LaJoie’s wife, Sisakhone Seuavapy
encouraged to go to college first. “This is y..” y, , is the fire company’s newest probationary member and one of three women. She said she likes a challenge, learning new things and believes that being a firefighter will help her grow. y, , Seuavapy said she wants to “do something” for the community she lives in. Plus, since her husband joined the firehouse, she’ll
Additionally
Robert Ladd said. Photo Courtesy of Robert Ladd
obationary member) and her hu (pr
chief) who have given 295 combine
e ch e Bill Eyberse (former fir left, ar
ed with their 1891 Silsby St Pictur
ormay o
e Chief Paul O’Connell, Sisakhone Seuavapy
e Assistant Fir om left, ar
ed years of service. Kneeling fr
e e chief) and Ron Stolz (former fir , Robert Ladd, Raymond O’Connell (former fir
om Quinley o
om e Engine Company No. 1. Standing fr antic Fir a
e some of volunteer fir
eam Engine ar efighters with Y hief), T
usband, Eric LaJoie. Photo by Jan T
Photo by Assistan
ormay o e Chief Paul O’Connell with his helmet. ntFir y Jan T
efighters worked to contain an c fir
spend more time with him there, “ hfihd
get Me In ers Pre 1 c Th to “ Int ard bas mo and “W tak O’C
Y ts to enjoy the firehouse and me.” embers laugh.
addition to being mutual respond s for Bozrah, Lebanon, Plainfield and eston, YaanticFire Engine Company overs over 10 square miles in e volunteer firefighters are also “wrecks” on Routes 2 and 32 terstate-395, as well as to manage haz dous materials, medical events, sements, smoke alarms and carbon onoxide odors, which total between 750 y.
orld. W
“and he e.” ondld and pany No. Norwich. o called and age haz, flooded rbon ween 750 We e Raymond
anticFir e information about the Y rmor W d 800 calls annually
For Com
Wee’re the Dirty Harrys of the world. W ke every problem,” Firefighter Connell said smiling. re Ya re e Engine re rgg.
eco.or mpany No. 1, go to yanticfir
medical events, and safety alarms on Routes 2, 32, and Interstate 395.
eston. Their calls include managing hazardous materials, Bozrah, Lebanon, Plainfield, and Pr
gencies in esponds to emer emilesbutalsor
e company not only serves Norwich over 10 squar fir
.Thisvolunteer
eady to safeguard the historic building next door
otect his mill, stands r to pr
illiams i etir
e Engine Company No. 1, established in 1847 by r
anticFirYa
ed Ship Capt. Erastus W
efighter Robert Ladd said. Photo by Joe Shefer
e, Fir advanced attic fir
antic a e in the East Gr
Responding to a third-alarm fir eat Plain section of Norwich, Y
efig
Norwich, Connecticut on August 3, 2020, Fir
s Engine 3 supplies s anticFirYa e Engine Company’ ghter Robert Ladd said. Photo Courtesy of Robert Ladd
eeneville section of eintheGr water to tower one, during a second-alarm fir
antic logo. Photo by Paul O’Connell Ya
IMAGINE PEACE
ALBRECHT DÜRER: MASTER PRINTS
Sept. 6 – Nov. 30, 2025
Featuring over 40 woodblock prints and engravings by or after German Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), a pioneering printmaker renowned for his innovative techniques, compositional complexity, and striking naturalism.
Dürer, German, 1471 – 1528, Joachim and the Angel from The Life of the Virgin, 1504, ink on paper, Museum Purchase. Reading Public Museum, Reading, Pennsylvania, 1954.63.1.
Lyman Allyn
MUSEUM
Albrecht
Albrecht Durer: Master Prints is organized by the Reading Public Museum, Reading, Pennsylvania.
and Photography
By J Jan T Toormay
cluding the bull, cows, horses, donkey es, in fair eston, Connecticut, is a family af
ife at Broad Brook Acres farm in Pr ff r, , and each member has a role in caring for the vegetables they grow and the animals that roam the farm’s 16 acr n-y, , pigs, chickens, ducks, and turkeys.
Occasionally
y, , the silence is interrupted by hogs “quarreling” over food or a spot to lie down. Sometimes cows start mooing when one nudges another to move over - especially if she has horns. These “pecking order” sounds attract the attention of Owners Mike and Christian Swanson - one of whom will check to see what all the “fuss” is about.
Up by 7:30 a.m. daily
times, he hauls trailers and tr vary depending on the time of year
slaughter
y, , Mike said no two days are ever the same, and responsibilities r..Sometimes, he is making hay to provide some of the feed for their cows and horses. At other ruucks animals, including chickens and turkeys, to the rhhouse or picks up new ones. Mike l dittftht d also coo such as beef. If
S. Marine V ordinates most of the custom or ers, s a whole or half a hog or a side of something is broken, he fixes it.
The U.S hour sh for the in Grot
Veeteran also works two 24hifts weekly as a full-time firefighter Poquonnock Bridge Fire Department ton.
Christia lenging get thei to scho never k born.” O while h Christi and beg Resour Area, In provid farmsa olandchecksontheanimals.“Y
g. During the school year
, 9, and Corbin, 7, of ir sons, Connor
an’s responsibilities are also chalr, , she helps r, ff f Yoou know if there’s a calf that’s going to be Once, she helped deliver twin calves her sons watched.
an then heads to her home office gins working for Connecticut rce Conservation and Development nc., a non-profit organization that es technical service assistance to andsmall,ruralbusinessesthrough- farms a out Con days he resourc States D Rural D Resour
This som equipm Departm Grant P with the them, h grams,
helping to administer some of their pr Agricultur ment sharing hub (thr ces. W nnecticut. “Basically and small, rural businesses thr y, , I spend my elping other farms access grants and Wee’re a partner to the United Department of Agriculture, USDA Development, and USDA Natural rces Conservation Service.”
metimes involves promoting an roough Connecticut ment of ree’s Climate Smart Program), visiting farmers, or talking em on the phone, writing grants for rooreection.”
or pointing “people in that dir
Photo Courtesy of Broad Brook Acres
nating. In May
Depending on the dayy, , she cou handling retail farm orders an the animal husbandry aspects including castrating, breeding y, , she planted ve herfamilyandthefarmstand
uld also be nd managing of the farm, g, and vacciegetables for
bed, I’m back at work on the computer her family and the farm stand.
Thursday
“I put in as many hours as I possibly can before they (boys) get home from school, and then many nights after they go to r,,” said Christian, a New Hampshire native who has a degree in Animal Science from the University of Connecticut in Storrs. The Swansons believe it’s important tohave a balanced life. Monday through y, , they attend their sons’ baseball games (Mike coaches Connor’s team) and Cub Scout events (Christian is a cub master).
nor and Corbin outside their farm stand.
Broad Brook Acres Owners C Christian and Mike with their sons, (from left) Connor
Photo Courtesy of Broad Brook Acres
“As long as they’re doing something,” (we’re happy), Christian said. “They need extracurricular activities. I think sports are important for boys that are active.”
During the winter months, Mike and Christian plan for the next year (which includes expanding their haying operation) and fixing broken equipment.
In addition to cleaning their rooms and play area, the Swanson boys have other chores. Connor and Corbin collect chicken/duck eggs for the family, sometimes feed the animals, and help move them from one barn to another, chasing the “escapees.” They also clean out horse stalls and drive a utility vehicle to pick up firewood; sometimes, one of their parents is in the field.
When they can, the boys will carry orders from the farm stand to people’s cars and make change.
Connor also enjoys tractors and other equipment, as well as helping his father repair them. “This is my gearhead,” Mike said, referring to his older son. “He likes the mechanics…He likes to be out there seeing how things operate.”
Both boys said they like living on a farm and being around animals all the time,
Connor Swanson, 9, spends time with the young pigs.
Andre (white bull standing) with herd at Broad Brook Acres farm in Preston, Connecticut.
in addition to their four dogs: Moxie, Karma, Jett, and Tulla.
Some of the farm cows and pigs are raised for breeding, “but much of it is raised to finish” or “go for food,” a concept Connor and Corbin understand. Sometimes, if they want to keep an animal, they’ll ask their parents. Occasionally, the family decides to keep a heifer when it’s born.
More People Care Where Their Food Comes From
Christian said their meat, pork, and poultry are of better quality compared to what is sold in most stores. “I think a lot of it has to do with our management practices. Our animals are raised antibiotic-free, on healthy food (and) balanced diets. They’re out, moving around in the sunshine and fresh air. They have a very good life until it ends. They have a fairly stress-free life, and I think it shows in the products that we sell.”
This year, they’re leasing about 75 acres of hay fields, as well as their annual 15 to 20 acres nearby when their cows “go out on pasture,” at which point they haul 1,000 gallons of water to the top of the hill every three days.
One neighbor doesn’t want anything out of the deal, Mike said, adding he loves to pet and feed their heifers and “they come back like puppy dogs.”
“This makes it easier when the cows give birth…to get closer to the mother and the calf when there’s an issue, because they’re more used to humans,” said Christian, explaining that they no longer see you as a threat. “They’re very protective of their newborn calf, especially in the first couple of days until their hormones kind of ‘chill out.’ Just like any new mother, hormones are all over the place, and cows aren’t any different.”
Chickens on Broad Brook Acres farm eat grass and grain, and pigs are fed grain and whatever they find rooting around in the woodlands. Cows gain nourishment from grass and hay.
Cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys (sold seasonally) only receive antibiotics “therapeutically, like if they’re truly sick,” Christian said. “We don’t let animals suffer. But it’s never close to slaughter. The most likely candidate for an antibiotic is a newborn calf that might have gotten sick, she said.
Pigs have plenty of room to roam about inside and outside.
Connor Swanson drives a Kubota tractor.
Christian pointed out that the USDA no longer requires packaging to state where food originated. “So it could be shipped in from Brazil, from China, from anywhere, and it’s brought in as a whole carcass or a half carcass, and then because it’s cut in this country, they can sell it under a U.S. label. It comes in refrigerated, but we don’t know what their practices were (while) raising the food to begin with....We don’t know whether they pumped it full of hormones and antibiotics and God knows what, or what they were eating. You don’t know.”
Additionally, the USDA regulations require removing the spine of a cow over 30 months of age before it is slaughtered to help prevent the transmission of Mad Cow Disease, Mike said. However, in other countries, there is no way of knowing if this is happening.
Christian believes their sons are very healthy and rarely get sick, even though they’re “out in the dirt” much of the time, because they’re eating nutritious food. “We know where the vast majority of their diet comes from.”
By regularly attending the Stonington, Colchester, and Ledyard Farmers’ markets over the years, she said their customer base and reputation have continued to grow, and they have had to put less effort into marketing.
“It’s amazing. The first thing people ask is, ‘How do you raise your animals?’ ‘What are your practices?’ Or, ‘Just tell me about your farm.’ They want to know how their food is being raised…People want to know what they’re eating.”
When people ask if they can visit, she said they’re happy to show them around the farm by appointment (since they’re not always there). “That’s huge for a lot of customers because they want to know, like, ‘Will you allow me on that farm to see that this is true?’”
“I think that’s important,” Christian said. “If you don’t allow the public to have the opportunity to interact, then they’re less likely to believe where their food is coming from.”
She compared it to the “whole fallacy” of cage-free eggs. In many places, “they’re still inside of a building and never see the light of day, and they’re packed right into those houses.”
Their vegetable garden (tomatoes, greens, cucumbers, peppers) has doubled its size from last year, and Christian added blueberry bushes (which will take at least one more year before they can be harvested). All are grown without the use of pesticides or chemicals. “We’re not organic certified
Clockwise: Grain bins, Farm Stand Open, Photo Courtesy of Broad Brook Acres From left, are Corbin and Connor Swanson behind the counter of their family’s farm stand.
(an expensive, three-year process), but we follow organic practices,” and use organic products to deter insects.
Love Story
Mike, a Montville native, graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, with a degree in Culinary Arts. While working as a Montville firefighter, he met Christian Martel in 2010, who was then working as a Montville Animal Control
Officer. Eventually, they started dating and married in 2013. The following year, Christian suggested buying the farm to raise animals naturally and provide their family with high-quality food. “He loved the idea.”
From the beginning, Mike’s mother, Donna Swanson, has been an integral part of “growing their business,” Mike said, by helping wherever she is needed, which includes cleaning, childcare, and “manning” the farm stand. Helping on
the farm is “fun” and helps her stay fit, said Donna, adding that she has learned a great deal about animals and plants from her daughter-in-law. She also admires how hard Christian and Mike work, 365 days a year, rain or shine.
Broad Brook Acres Farm is located at 408 Old Jewett City Rd. in Preston, Connecticut. For more information or to order beef, pork, chicken, or turkey, please visit broadbrookacres.com, email broadbrookacres@gmail.com, call/text 860-389-2323, or follow them on Facebook at Broad Brook Acres. You can also purchase their products at Herb’s Country Store in Montville.
Owners Mike and Christian Swanson with their sons, (from left), Connor and Corbin inside Broad Brook Acres farm stand, where they sell beef, pork, chicken, turkeys (seasonally), vegetables, eggs, honey, maple syrup and more.
Store Freezer stocked with different meats. Photo Courtesy of Broad Brook Acres
Mike Swanson with his mother (on left) Donna Swanson and his wife, Christian, on right.
Vacuum Packed Bone Beef Rib Steak From Broad Brook Acres Photo Courtesy of Broad Brook Acres
Photo by Gregory Post
What is Greg Drinking?
Outward Wines 'Cuvée Dandelion' Central Coast Blanc (2024)
September is a blended month. Truly, it represents that which separates the dog days of summer from the crisper elements of the fall. One minute, you are applying sunscreen in the parking lot of your town beach, and the next thing you know, the grocery store has Halloween candy on display. It can be jarring to see time fly by so fast. Have no fear, Outward Wines 'Cuvée Dandelion' Central Coast Blanc (2024) is here.
First off, cuvée as a term should be addressed as it can be tricky. It is derived from the French word cuve, basically a tank used in wine production. There is no finite definition of what constitutes a 'cuvée per se, other than that it was selected and blended into a tank for the purpose of making these tasty adult beverages. There is a temptation to assume that all of these are sparkling due to the fact that the process of making traditional sparkling wines involves a 'cuvée step post initial fermentation. Yet while it can be said that all traditional and tank methods of making bubbly wines have an initial cuvée step, not all sparkling wines do. Ultimately, the important information you should have when you see this term on a wine label is that it was blended into a tank, oftentimes with grapes chosen for a finished product highlighting a better-thanaverage harvest.
This is a marvelous breakdown of two juggernaut noble varietals: 65% Sauvignon Blanc-35% Chardonnay. Versatility is the name of the game with this particular offering, and as such, it can be perfectly poured for a wide variety of culinary and social pairings. The nose upfront is a salty sea breeze blowing your cares away. Another inhale should invoke pleasant apple and pear with just a hint of peach, your classic orchard class. Citrus pops abound as you take your first few tastes. I found that as I sipped the namesake flower-colored contents, rose petals added themselves to the guest list. Flint is an olfactory note that often draws skeptical looks from the less obsessive wine enthusiasts, but I assure you it is a real and delightful takeaway. This wine has a lot of that interesting minerality and smokiness that the descriptor is meant to invoke. The idea being obviously that something about the wine reminds you of the presence of a freshly struck match. There
are lovely notes of pineapple sage all throughout the glass that are tied up nicely by the orchard occupants earlier referenced.
The backstory for this particular bottle is as endearing as the contents are enjoyable. Outward Wines, a California Central Coast producer, chose these particular grapes to pay homage to a dog named Dandelion (who is a mainstay on one of the sales routes that the collective Ungrafted Selections out of New Haven operates). The latter‘s goal is to connect independent producers like Outward and to get them into shops like Universal Package Store in Noank, Connecticut. My ‘nephew,’ and local legend, Conor Ferguson, helps run the community staple and is no stranger to the allure of a cute pup or a great bottle of vino. Wine is a big tent with room for all pallets under it. It exists in the best form when it finds ways to highlight people and places that share real common threads of values and lifestyles.
This wine being found at a shop under the 85th Day Food Community umbrella that encapsulates such New London County heavyweights as Oyster Club, Engine Room, Port of Call, and Haring’s Noank, is no great surprise. This is a wine that pairs well with all of the quintessential Block Island Sound bounties: from salinity-laced oysters to both acceptable clam chowders (New England’s creamy and Rhode Island’s clear versions, sorry to New York’s tomato version)! A kale Caesar salad with Stonington scallops would be my thesis statement! If your garden is still churning out copious amounts of tomatoes and basil, look no further for a complement to your caprese.
Outward Wines is the result of a partnership between Natalie Siddique and Ryan Pace on a few heavenly acres along the San Luis Obispo Coast. What they don’t grow themselves, they source from organic farms that hug the Pacific Ocean in their same growing zone. They insist on French oak and natural yeast in fermentation. The wines they make are personal and purposeful.
Do yourself a favor and follow the four-legged Dandelion’s leash to a store that stocks this amazingly crafted cuvée!
it as much as I love day-hikes. W
On vacation last summer the miles? W get up again day after day and walk Waas I more of a fair-weather walker and would have a meltdown in cold and rain? Deep in my heart, I thought I’d love it.
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I’d wanted to walk a long-distance trail for years, often wondering if I’d love Woould I have enough energy and strength to om Glasgow) northeast to Fort W
foot of Ben Nevis) This is Scotlands oldest long-distance path. When we returned home, I looked up the WHW to find that National Geographic lists this iconic long-distance walk as one of the world’s 10 best trails. I was sold.
visit and hike as they might just take you up on the
r, , my husband and I met a delightful couple from Scotland. They suggested a Weest Highland Waay (WHW), which stretches from Milngavie (not far fr Wiilliam (at the footofBenNevis)ThisisScotland’soldestlongdis all “suited and booted” … to visit and walk with our e in Scotland …
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flew from Bradley to Dublin to G used with our friends for a day of lvingrove and Riverside were bot uld spend a full day at each. Y
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Day 1: Glasgow
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oof everything (coat, pants, socks) because esist and/or compr ous and packing a bigger bite) and epellent for midges (a Scottish version of gnats, e enjoyable the trip will be. -jock to succeed, but the better consecutive 10-mile days with backpacks. 6-7 miles when time allowed and then worked up to we practiced, practiced, practiced. W eak in your footwear you Y d. W We e started with dt ba Yoou don’t need to be a super cee shape you’re in, the mor njoy And by all means br r, , purchase bug r aSc but more numer pac blister-r mp ession socks, and pack waterpr (c ekking
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ay 2: Milngavie to Drymen
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the village of Drymen. By the end of the was pretty sure I could handle this.
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We e noticed that for the number of people on the trail, it never felt crowded. It is estimated that 35,000 people walk the entir y. And, despite what we read on WHW Facebook pages, there was very little trash.
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Day 4: Rowardennan to Ardlui (11½ miles with 1,400 feet of ascent)
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ou can check th gy was a d ks s, h ho Y dgey however hough less ascent, this was a tough day
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At t loch
the northeast shore a ferry took us across the h, to Ardlui, where we stayed at the Ardlui tel for two nights.
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dlui to T g Day 5: Ar Tyynd (14 miles with 2,150 feet of a re-crossed the Loch on the ferry h and began to really travel into r. . ellent views south over Loch Lo side of the small hill of Cnap M ent up Glen Falloch took us past
, as much of the W easier pp Falloch. Near the top of the pass, w the first time, an 18th century milita rock road. From this point on the w r, Waay follows t road almost thr Wiilliam
ough to Fort W
W
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n so many y decided opped at an Weelly for ch ss, w p
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y to rejoin the othehills e wer omond from Mor. A gentle Falls of we joined, for ary dirt and walking was this militar m. , in hills ion, feature species, to tr r-surroundsmall village became he spoil hill slopes.
this point in the trip, we’ve seen ep day after day that I’ve finally We e sto ient cemetery and then the Gree ew souvenirs.
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ay 6: T Tyyndrum to Inveroran (9 miles with 1,050 feet of ascent)
. W Rannoch Moor ay of the whole W ar orld W W W W We e walk military r up over icent most an short o the rth before pping down to Inveroran.
ked mostly along the good tracks of the y r y. . Fr Tyyndrum we headed f-
nd craggy slope. W r the top of the pass to face the magnif om T oad today
ynd ad mo r t chy
( dropp n for v o nt thr ch 00 of Or ein the wi
einn Dorain, an imposing hill rising al000 feet from the valley floor in a single We e enjoyed walking to y.
Wee, and our luggage, moved on to Alltshellach, a property owned by HF Holidays and used by those on guided and self-guided trips in the area (not just the WHW). Alltshellach was built in the early 1870s by the widow of a former Bishop of Argyll of the Isles. During the Second Wo War, , the house was used as a military hospital. Being able to stay in one location for the next four nights rather than living out of a suitcase made the HF House feel like home.
Day 7: Inveroran to Kingshouse
(9 ½ miles with 1,080
This was the longest and most exposed stretch Way, , reaching an altitude of almost 1,500 feet amongst the open country of r. We e walked over a landscape of wildopenmoorlandEventuallywereached
ascent through forestry took us out open for views of the mountains to the efored pingdowntoInveroran ach cap ry ch o andour op nor into i sh A Bridge o dge steep an most 3 3,0 nt Be d ver e feet of ascent)
Day 8: Kingshouse to
Kinlochleven 8 ½ miles with 1,360 feet of ascen
T wild, op The Kin of what oldest li (8 Tooday w about (t lan n t a pen moorland Eventually we rea ngshouse Hotel, newly built on t is believed to be one of Scotland icensed inns.
was one of two days I was most n the other was Conic Hill): the “D th ac ached the site d’s nt)
nervous Devil’s
ee ex hr e We highest point of the point of 1,850 at th track which win and uphill and r deal (it wasn’t a lit name, “Devil’s Sta the highlights of th case” climb Stair ( W ay est Highland W ighest W e the WHW case” climb day () y. . This walk is also one of W. . Despite the sinister ame, Staircase” was not a really big eal (it wasn’t a little deal either). It is steep ocky but it is also a zig-zag track which winds its way upwards to the high oint of 1,850 at the Staircase summit, also the We Way.
l’sStaircasego
e heard thr explanations for how the Devil’s Staircase got its name. One says it is because of the challenges of carrying building materials up that stretch of road. Another attributes the name to the British military who were referred
to as the “red d the road to sup perpetuated wh Blackwater Dam their wages had proved to be to would “claim h
oo dif
Day 9: (15
Kinlochleven to Fort W
Wiilliam
½ miles with 2,230 feet of ascent)
On the last day
W
We e started the
y the sun finally came out.
day off with a steep but short climb out
Kinlochleven. T sides before a fi above Glen Ne Britain’s highes to the end of th
st mountain at 4,414 feet. W estry
W
devils” because they wore red coats and used ppress the Scots. The third says the name was hen some of the Irish workers building the m chose to travel to the nearest pub after d been paid out. When the journey back ffificult on a cold winter ’s night, the devil his own.”
There were magnificent mountains on bo final ascent through for y, evis, with spectacular views of Ben Nevi We e then continued Wiilliam
esting and r he walk in Fort W
The end of the W “Man with Sore his sore feet. It s ing the entire W a fantastic feelin
seems everyone who has accomplished walk
WHW is marked by a bronze statue called e Feet,” depicting a walker r ubbing k-
WHW has their photo taken with the statue. It’s ng to have finally made it.
Last Day: Edinburgh
We e bussed fro hours of more s dieval fairy tale for the night be
m Fort W
Wiilliam to Edinburgh, four beautiful y, , and then covered as much of this mee city as we could squeeze in before crashing efore our morning flight home.
From Highland h
W
ov ver di din ym w ng ked tinue eez en Nevis, , bringing us out y ntt mountains on both wit nfi s w och n” n p sp short climb out of s ose n a ho om scenery
ders to haggis to hiking, we loved just about
om all over the world made the W everything Scotland. W We e could have done with midges and the moisture, but the incredible vie walkers fr Weest Waay one-hundred percent worthwhile. And, of we’ve got that sense of achievement for conque miles of this famous trail. 6 e, ghl ws hou hout the ews and t Highland f course, ering all 96
