December 2012

E E R F he wind

as t

“A (Brain-Damaged) Sinner Saved by Grace” found CEO-turned-Pastor Bob Morris a miracle by accident Dickens Christmas schedule, page 40 The Deer Book Hunter A Wine Lover’s Shopping List

by Rebecca Hazen DECEMBER 2012

Hang Dang, DO Breast Surgical Oncology

Guthrie Cancer Center Welcomes Dr. Hang Dang as a Breast Surgeon Dr. Hang Dang is fellowship-trained in the latest techniques for breast surgery to preserve the breast’s natural look when possible.

She joins Guthrie offering women more choices for breast cancer treatment, including: • Ultrasound and stereotactic breast biopsy • Nipple-sparing and skin-sparing mastectomies • Breast cancer surgery with reconstruction

Guthrie Breast Surgery Team: Richard Damian, MD Hang Dang, DO Anthony Gillott, MD John Olmstead, MD Matthew Reppert, MD

Dr. Dang brings compassion and expertise to treating your breast cancer. She and the Guthrie cancer specialists will develop a team approach to determine the best treatment plan for you.

If recently diagnosed with breast cancer, have breast pain or would like a second opinion, consider Dr. Dang, by calling

570-887-2265.

www.guthrie.org

Volume 7 Issue 12

9

The Last Great Place

10

Saved By Grace

47

If Teddy Bears Could Talk

By Michael Capuzzo

Mountain Home welcomes new staff, expands into Williamsport, joins IRMA, and sees beyond our divided electorate.

By Rebecca Hazen CEO Bob Morris had it all, until an accident changed his life.

20

Heart of the Mountain

By Pat Davis

The Best Christmas Gift Ever!

20

The Deer Book Hunter

By Roger Kingsley

The hunter’s bookshelf requires classics such as The Still-Hunter.

24

By Cindy Davis Meixel Who doesn’t love a cute teddy? The fluff-filled companions have been in the hearts of children for, well, long enough to fill a museum. The Thomas T. Taber Museum to be exact.

The Lunker

By Fred Metarko

Fred has some bad days fishing, but they still beat good days at work.

26

O Little Town of Nauvoo

By Linda Roller

The old-school Living Nativity spurns electricity for fires, cooking smells, real folks, real animals, and a single savior.

34

Local Color at the Lodge

The newly renovated Penn Wells Lodge in Wellsboro decks the halls with a permanent collection of brilliant local photographs.

50

The Cuisine Family Howell

By Cornelius O’Donnell

Cooking school owners, Dick and Ginger, create the recipes and daughter, Holly, pairs the wine for the Finger Lakes.

66

The Icing on the Cake

By Derek Witucki To transform an empty house for Christmas, our managing editor dreams of a gingerbread house, then finds the magic of Mary Wise.

3

54

A Wine Lover’s Shopping List

By Holly Howell

Chic wine storage stoppers, corkscrews, decanters, and Finger Lakes sparkling wines top our critic’s wish list.

56

Editors & Publishers Teresa Banik Capuzzo Michael Capuzzo Associate Publishers George Bochetto, Esq. Dawn Bilder

A Present with Strings Attached

By Cornelius O’Donnell

A complete guide to classic apron shopping, including one emblazoned, “Kiss the Cook.”

64

Managing Editor Derek Witucki D e s i g n & P h o t o g r ap h y Elizabeth Young, Editor Staff Writer Rebecca Hazen

Mother Earth

By Gayle Morrow

Gayle’s Buddhist son loves all things, but Gayle draws the line at cluster flies.

78

Pop’s Culture Shoppe: From Play to Plato

By Rebecca Hazen

From game night to demos at Julian and Anja Stam’s wonderful Wellsboro shop, comics and games are fun, social, and educational.

Hauber’s Jewelry Diamonds & Quality Jewelry Bulova & Seiko Watches and Clocks Fenton, Charms, Trophies and Engraving

We buy scrap gold

We’re on Facebook!

Cover Artist Tucker Worthington Contributing Writers Sarah Bull, Angela Cannon-Crothers, Jennifer Cline, Barbara Coyle, Kevin Cummings, Patricia Brown Davis, Georgiana DeCarlo, Clint Decker, John & Lynne Diamond-Nigh, Lori Duffy Foster, Jen Reed-Evans, Audrey Fox, Alison Fromme, Donald Gilliland, Steve Hainsworth, Martha Horton, Holly Howell, David Ira Kagan, Roger Kingsley, Adam Mahonske, Roberta McCulloch-Dews, Cindy Davis Meixel, Suzanne Meredith, Fred Metarko, Karen Meyers, Dave Milano, Gayle Morrow, Tom Murphy, Mary Myers, Jim Obleski, Cornelius O’Donnell, Roger Neumann, Becca Ostrom, Thomas Putnam, Gary Ranck, Gregg Rinkus, Linda Roller, Kathleen Thompson, Joyce M. Tice, Linda Williams, Brad Wilson C o n t r i b u t i n g P h o t o g r ap h e r s Mia Lisa Anderson, Bill Crowell, Bruce Dart, Anne Davenport-Leete, Ann Kamzelski, Ken Meyer, Barb Rathbun, Tina Tolins, Sarah Wagaman, Curt Weinhold S e n i o r S a l e s R ep r e s e n t a t i v e Brian Earle S a l e s R ep r e s e n t a t i v e s Jae Zugarek Jesse Lee Jones Meghan Elizabeth Lee S pe c i a l T h a n k s t o O u r I n t e r n Eric Parks B ea g l e Cosmo Assistant B ea g l e

t o t h e b ea g l e

Yogi Training Rue

in

115 North Main Street, Coudersport, PA 16915 (814) 274-9825

Mountain Home is published monthly by Beagle Media, LLC, 25 Main St., 2nd Floor, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, 16901.

Copyright © 2010 Beagle Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

To advertise or subscribe e-mail info@mountainhomemag.com. To provide story ideas e-mail editorial@mountainhomemag.com. Reach us by phone at 570-724-3838. Each month copies of Mountain Home are available for free at hundreds of locations in Tioga, Potter, Bradford, Lycoming, Union, and Clinton counties in Pennsylvania; Steuben, Chemung, Schuyler, Yates, Seneca, Tioga, and Ontario counties in New York. Visit us at www.mountainhomemag.com.

Get Mountain Home at home. For a one-year subscription to Mountain Home (12 issues), send $24.95, payable to Beagle Media LLC, to 25 Main St., 2nd Floor, Wellsboro, PA 16901.

Sarah Wagaman Photo

by Elizabeth Young

Doings ’round the Mountain December Unbreakable Amounts of Fun Hot Glass and Warm Memories

The kids are home for the holidays and going a little stir-crazy. They know all of your holiday traditions by heart—it’s the same routine every year.

Mix things up and bring the family to the Corning Museum of Glass to enjoy the holiday break activities! Take your annual holiday photo in front of a 14 foot glass ornament tree or next to one of the giant glass snowmen that put Frosty to shame. Make your own glass ornaments, or take part in the You Design It; We Make It! feature at the Hot Glass Show. Who doesn’t love a good scavenger hunt? The museum offers downloadable scavenger hunt games on their website. When your day comes to an end, grab something to eat and check out the glass merchandise for sale. This will truly entertain your family and is an affordable way to make holiday memories together. Admission for area residents is just $6 and kids and teens, 19 and under, are always free. The Holiday Break Activities run from Saturday, December 22 until Saturday, January 5. The museum is open every day 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. but is closed on December 24, 25, and January 1. (The Corning Museum of Glass, One Museum Way, Corning, NY; 607-937-5371; www.cmog.org).

By Jen Reed-Evans You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out, Kid! Aim for Some Holiday Cheer

There might not be a leg lamp, but there is the opportunity for you participate in Ralphie’s BB gun shoot out! If you haven’t joined in the annual fun before, make sure to make this a family tradition! Home for the Holidays, in quaint Mansfield, features fun events for everyone in the family. Still feel as stuffed as that Thanksgiving bird you devoured?

There’s a 5K run to burn off those winter weather casseroles. There is great food available to pack the pounds back on. Shop at the vendors and pick up some holiday gifts. Let the kids go crazy at the children’s activities. When the tikes are done, make sure to get their photos taken with Santa. Warm-up the vocal chords and join in the caroling. Oo and ah during the tree lighting, and put on your St. Nick thinking hat and beat everyone at holiday trivia.

Home for the Holidays celebrates this wonderful time of year with the coming together of the community.

Put on your jingle bells and join the festivities on Saturday, December 8.

(Mansfield Chamber of Commerce, Mansfield, PA; 570-662-3442; info@ mansfield.org).

A Dickens of a Christmas Wellsboro’s Classic

If a Victorian Christmas is your time, then Wellsboro, Pa. is your place.

The small town dreamed up by Norman Rockwell puts on its 29th ever-popular Dickens of a Christmas festival starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1. You and 30,000 other festive folks are invited, and bring along this magazine with the full Dickens’ schedule on p. 40. Stroll the 170-vendor Victorian marketplace on the old gas-lit Main Street, browsing everything from home-baked apple dumplings to hand-carved Christmas trees. Enjoy strolling musicians and singers, dancers, and street-corner thespians—“The Dickens Players”— on the closed-off streets. Duck into the Deane Center black-box theater to watch Dickens’ The Christmas Carol performed by Hamilton Gibson Productions’ talented community players. Warm your hands at a free Gmeiner Art Center theater performance. Sing along with the apple-cheeked Wellsboro Men’s and Women’s Choruses. Find luncheons, concerts, and tours at the churches starting on Friday, and ride the Santa Express excursion train. (Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce, 114 Main St., Wellsboro, PA, 570-7241926).

All That Glitters in the Crystal City Corning Sparkles for the Holidays

Historic Market Street bedecked with Christmas lights, horse and carriage rides, strolling carolers, craft and food vendors, photos with Santa in his Crystal House in Centerway Square?

Right you are, it’s time for Corning’s 38 th annual Sparkle of Christmas celebration in the Gaffer District on Dec. 1, 5-9 p.m. The city’s Crystal City Christmas events that began Nov. 24 culminate in December with Sparkle, when the Gaffer District’s many fine shops and restaurants are all aglitter for Christmas shopping, and dining and other promotions. Drop in on Connors Mercantile, 16 East Market St., the Sparkle sponsor. Santa will hang around his famous Crystal House with afternoon and evening hours on weekends until Christmas, offering consultations with children and a 4x6 holiday photo in a seasonal holder for $5 (even Kris Kringle has bills).

Country music lovers don’t forget the Gaffer District added a holiday concert on Thursday, Dec. 13, when Nashville star John Berry performs at the Corning Museum of Glass, bringing his hit repertoire as well as holiday favorites. (For Santa’s schedule and more information, visit Corning’s Gaffer District at www.gafferdistrict.com).

5

Doings ‘Round the Mountain

MUSIC 5 Eileen Ivers – Immigrant Soul Concert – Irish musical talent comes to Wellsboro! Nine-time AllIreland fiddle champion Eileen Ivers showcases her awesome talent playing the fiddle. She has played with the London Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, and the Boston Pops. Eileen also is an original musical star of Riverdance, a founding member of Cherish the Ladies, and has collaborated with greats such as Hall and Oates and Sting. Don’t miss this fantastic concert on Wednesday, Dec. 5, from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. (Wellsboro Community Concert Association, Wellsboro, PA; 570-787-3499; President@wellsborocca.org).

7 Bowfire Holiday Heart Strings – What do you get when some of the world’s greatest fiddlers and violinists in many genres join together and perform awesome hits with a holiday twist? A ho ho ho down! Listen to The Nutcracker Suite, Sleigh Ride, Dreydl, Dreydl, Dreydl and more.

Stepdancing like you have never seen and added singing makes this holiday performance outstanding. Tickets are $25, $37.50, and $45. This must-see performance is on Friday, Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m. (Community Arts Center, 220 West Fourth St., Williamsport, PA, http://www.caclive.com/index. php/music/bowfire).

9 Messiah: A Community Sing – Do you love to hear talented singers with gorgeous voices? Do you secretly want to join it? Join this holiday tradition where you can listen and sing along!

The glorious sounds of the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah are sung by selected soloist…and you! Warm-

6

up your vocal chords and prepare for a musical night at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Sunday, Dec. 9. (St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Wellsboro, PA; 570-724-2079; hamgib@gmail.com).

9 The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes – Bring the family and join in the musical community holiday celebration as The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes presents the December Concert – Annual Holiday Concert. Music Director and Conductor, Toshiyuki Shimada, takes the audience on a musical holiday adventure. Listen as work from Handel, Mozart, and Delius delight your senses. Enjoy the special Hanukkah segment and sing along with the Children’s Chorus Christmas favorites. Tickets are $45, $35, $15 for adults, $10 for college students, and $8 for students under 18. Sway to the holiday harmony on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 4 p.m. (Clemens Center, 207 Clemens Center Parkway, Elmira, NY; 607-734-8191; http:// clemenscenter.com).

11 The Moscow Boys Choir – Founded in 1957, this talented and disciplined choir is one of Russia’s most prestigious all-boy choirs. The heavenly blends of soprano voices meshed with the rich resonance of bass, tenor, and baritone bring a distinct Russian feel to the choral experience. The Moscow Boys Choir boasts an international reputation for excellence and has toured in countries including South Korea, France, Germany, Italy, and Holland. Tickets are $5, $30, and $40. Hear the voices of angels on Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m. (Community Arts Center, 220 West Fourth St., Williamsport, PA; http://www.caclive.com/index.php/

music/moscowboyschoir).

13 An Evening with John Berry – Country music star and Nashville recording artist John Berry will be performing at the Corning Museum of Glass. The “Your Love Amazes Me,” and “I Think About It All the Time” singer, will light up the stage and give the audience a show they will be talking about for a long time. Tickets range from $10 - $25, depending on the section and patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets soon, as seating is limited. Hurry and order your tickets soon for Berry’s spectacular performance on Thursday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. (The Corning Museum of Glass, One Museum Way, Corning, NY; http://www. gafferdistrict.com/events/an-eveningwith-john-berry.html).

18 Williamsport Symphony Orchestra Time to Rejoice – This holiday concert features the touching opera, Ahmal and the Night Visitors by Menotti. The story follows a disabled boy dependent on a crutch to walk who is visited by the three kings.

This performance is semi-staged and also features local, talented singers.

What a fantastic way to celebrate the holidays. Tickets are $15, $40, $50, and students are free in the upper balcony and $5 in the Orchestra section. The delightful performance is Tuesday, Dec. 18, at 7:30 p.m.

(Community Arts Center, 220 West Fourth St., Williamsport, PA; http:// www.caclive.com/index.php/music/ williamsportsymphonyorchestra).

GALLERIES/MUSEUMS 1-16 Morgan Craig Exhibit – The Gallery at Penn College presents Morgan Craig’s All of Nowhere: Explorations in Architecture

and Identity. Craig believes that architectural structures influence culture and identity. His work deals with how identity can be influenced by specific architecture present in a landscape. Craig has exhibited nationally and internationally and has received numerous awards, including the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and the Elizabeth Greenshield Foundation Grant. Catch this exhibit before it’s gone! It opens at noon Dec. 1-16, every Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

(The Gallery at Penn College, One College Ave., Williamsport, PA; 570320-2445; www.pct.edu/gallery).

1-31 VESTA Exhibit – Throughout the entire month, VESTA members’ artwork will be on display. VESTA, named for the Roman goddess of the hearth and home, is a group of professional artists and craftswomen.

This showing will display works from eight members and a guest artist.

Enjoy oil paintings, bookmarks and ornaments, wooden animals, paper dolls, photographs, and more.

Perhaps you’ll be moved to purchase something for yourself or as a one-ofa-kind gift. The exhibit is housed at the Gmeiner Cultural Center and can be seen for free daily from 2-5 p.m.

(Gmeiner Cultural Center, 134 Main St., Wellsboro, PA; 570-724-1917; http://gmeinerartscenter.com).

1-31 Celebrating the Artists of West End Gallery – This month, West End Gallery celebrates its artists with an exhibit of their eclectic blend of art.

Whether you’re a fan of classic oils, like the soft lines of a watercolor, are drawn to the minimalism of ink on paper, or are just a fan of good art, this exhibit is not to be missed. Browse

Doings ‘Round the Mountain

the landscapes, still life, flora and fauna art, stoneware, and more – you may even purchase a piece for your home! Visit Monday – Thursday, 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Sunday 12-5 p.m. (West End Gallery, 12 West Market St., Corning, NY; 607-936-2011; www.westendgallery. net).

20 2300: Salsa – Spice up your holiday season with a hot evening of Latin glass and music. The Corning Museum of Glass offers a night full of beautiful glass, great music, and free, tasty hors d’oeuvres and soft drinks.

Heartier food and drink are available for an additional cost. Registration is not required. Join in the fun on Tuesday, Dec. 20, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. (The Corning Museum of Class, One Museum Way, Corning, NY; 607- 438-5500; www.cmog.org).

THE THEATRE 11-12 Shrek the Musical – Shrek and Donkey take center stage for the Clemens Center 2012-2013 Best of Broadway Series. When an unlikely hero rescues the beautiful princess Fiona, the traditional fairy tale gets turned upside down in this already wacky, magical world. This performance features a terrific score of 19 all-new songs, big laughs, great dancing, and breathtaking scenery.

The entire family will love watching as the characters learn that true friendship and love aren’t only found in fairy tales. Tickets are $59.50, $49.50, and $29.50. Join the heroic ogre on Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 11-12 at 7 p.m.

(Clemens Center, 207 Clemens Center Parkway, Elmira, NY; 607-734-8191; http:// clemenscenter.com).

15-16 Nutcracker in Motion – Watch as a family-friendly classic dances its way across the stage. New Heights Dance Theater, a resident dance company of Clemens Center presents Nutcracker in Motion, a classic with a twist. Join Clara, Magic Wisps, the Snow Queen, Mother Ginger, and more as they perform ballet, jazz, tap, and acrobatics. Pair the dancing ability with incredible special effects and this show is guaranteed to be a hit with everyone in the family.

Tickets are $18 for adults, $12 for seniors, $12 for ages 5-17, and $8 for children 1-4. Chasse your way over on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 15 and 16, at 3 p.m. (Clemens Center, 207 Clemens Center Parkway, Elmira, NY; 607-734- 8191; http:// clemenscenter.com).

27 Cirque Dreams Holidaze – Just because the presents have been unwrapped, it doesn’t mean that the holiday cheer has to end. Watch in amazement as Cirque Dreams Holidaze’s international cast over 30 multi-talented artists perform astonishing feats of disbelief.

Gingerbread men flip through the air, toy soldiers march on thin wires, and penguins spin. The original score and brilliant costumes and set top off the over-the-top show. A sneak peak can be seen on Cirque Dream’s website, www.CirqueProductions. com. Tickets are $59.50, $49.50,

and $29.50. Be dazzled on Thursday, Dec. 27, at 7 p.m. (Clemens Center, 207 Clemens Center Parkway, Elmira, NY; 607 734- 8191; http:// clemenscenter.com).

COMMUNITY EVENTS 7-9 Goodies for Our Troops –This holiday season, say “thank you” to our troops by donating homemade and store-bought goods to fill Valentine’s Day care packages. Although conversation hearts and lace trimmed hearts are sure to be loved, other items you might consider are toiletries like baby wipes, deodorant, hand sanitizer, or fun items like DVDs, books, Sudoku, and playing cards.

Letters, cards, and photos are always a favorite reminder of home. Send your thanks and Valentine’s wishes to our servicemen and women. Donations can be dropped off Friday – Sunday, Dec. 7-9, from 1-6 p.m. (87 Main St. (Main and Crafton) Lower Level, Downtown Wellsboro, PA; 570-6625601; Goodies@ptd.net).

14-16 The Nativity – Watch the story of the first Christmas come to life before your eyes at Three Springs Farm this holiday season. The first century Bethlehem village is full of animals, Roman soldiers, shepherds, and a blessed young couple who are about to become parents to a very special baby! Enjoy this beautiful nativity Friday – Sunday, Dec. 14 – 16, at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30, and 8:30 each night. (Three Springs Farm, Wellsboro, PA; 570-353-2155).

15 Pet Photos with Santa – Has your furry friend been naughty or nice this year? Don’t leave an important member of your family out of a treasured holiday tradition. Bring your pet to Hampson’s Wellsboro Agway for a photo with Santa! The cost is $5 for a 4x6 or $10 for an 8x10.

Children are welcome too. Bring your pet on Saturday, Dec. 15, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Hampson’s Agway, Rt. 6, Wellsboro, PA; 888-724-6188; secondchanceas@yahoo.com).

19 Business Afterhours Mixer hosted by the Humane Society – Enjoy an afterhour’s mixer hosted by the Humane Society of Schuyler County.

Enjoy food, drinks, networking, door prizes and more, all while supporting a great cause. Call the Chamber today to learn more or to make a reservation.

The cost is $7 for members and $10 for non-members. Join in the fun on Wednesday, Dec. 19, from 5-7 p.m. (Katie Strawser 607-535-4300; Katie@watkinsglenchamber.com; www.watkinsglenchamber.com).

FESTIVALS/FESTIVITIES 1,2,8,9,15,16,22,23,24 Dickens Christmas Festival – Step back in time and enjoy the Victorian turned village for Skaneateles’ annual Dickens Festival! Actors in period costumes stroll Genesee, Jordan, and Fennell Streets performing interactive street theater. The cast sings the Twelve Days of Christmas, Dickens style, every day. Enjoy free roasted chestnuts, go on a carriage ride, watch the brass band, or warm up while watching a show in the library. The festival is every Saturday and Sunday 7

Doings ‘Round the Mountain

in Dec. (ending Christmas Eve) from 12-4 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 24, from 12-3 p.m. (Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce, 22 Jordan St., Skaneateles, NY 13152; 315-6850552; www.skaneateles.com).

WINERIES 7 Sarah and Joe Mull Free Live Performance – Join Ventosa Vineyards as they continue their free live music series. The no cover show features Sarah and Joe Mull performing contemporary hits with vocals and guitar. Sip on wine tastings during the performance so you know which bottles you want to purchase.

Be sure to order some tasty treats from Café Toscana to enjoy with your wine. Come to the no cover show on Friday, Dec. 7, from 6 – 9 p.m.

(Ventosa Vineyards, 3440 Route 96A, Geneva, NY; 315-719-0000; www. ventosavinyards.com).

8-9 Dosage Your Own Champagne – Ring in the New Year with champagne – that you made! Glenora Wine Cellars opens its doors for you to don an apron and head to the cellars. Create your own individual bottles that you specifically make to suite your own preferences and tastes.

Winemaker, Steve DiFrancesco, will teach you everything you need to know to create that dynamite, guestimpressing champagne. There is a six bottle minimum per person; $18 per bottle. Produce your bottles of bubbly on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 8 and 9, with appointments every hour from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. (Glenora

8

Wine Cellars, 5435 State Route 14, Dundee, NY; 800-243-5513; www. glenora.com).

OUTDOORS/SPORTS 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Animal Feedings – The Cayuga Nature Center lets you get up close and personal with the animals. Check out the snakes, turtles, birds, fish, and mammals.

They enjoy their lunch and you have an animal specialist available to answer all of your questions about the critters. This activity is free with your regular admission. The cost is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors and students, and $1 from children 2-11. Come out to the animal feedings every Saturday at noon. (Cayuga Nature Center, 1420 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca, NY; http://cayuganaturecenter.org).

3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 26, 31 Zen Meditation Practice – Relax and embrace your inner piece this hectic holiday season. Zen meditation practice, sponsored by Ithaca Zen Center, is a great way to unwind.

Prior sitting experience or attendance of an orientation session is required to participate. Feel free to call or email to schedule an orientation. Take a deep breath and mediate every Monday and Wednesday from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. (Anabel Taylor Hall, Founders Room, Ithaca, NY; 607-277-1158; izc.anabel.taylor@gmail.com).

E-mail listings@mountainhomemag. com to notify us of your events.

The Last Great Place

A New Mountain Home Elizabeth Young

By Michael Capuzzo

V

ery late one snowy December night, with Main Street dark and the Wellsboro Diner closed, too late and too cold for respectable people to be out, you may see an unusually bright glow shining from the windows of an old Victorian building across the street from the diner. About the old Jesse, Meghan, and Becca at Home. plaster castle perhaps you’ll even Reader, it’s our seventh anniversary. We hear faint echoes of laughter and howling raise the bubbly to you who so enjoy our dogs. Be not alarmed. It’s not a Stephen stories and our advertisers and distributors King movie set; it’s our magazine offices. who support them. Seven years ago this Some say the strange energy is the month, my wife Teresa and I published ghosts of Bliss Hardware, Doc Prevost, the first issue of Mountain Home in a small the lost realm of the fairy witches, or any house in Wellsboro by Kelsey Creek. Who number of small-town businesses that knew our mom-and-pop venture would have rattled through these high-ceilinged, win national recognition for zooming dark-wood spaces since 1885 (the date from zero to 100,000 readers? Who on our steam radiators). Others simply knew that any region in the U.S. would expect odd emanations from a creative so thoroughly embrace fine writing and staff of three dogs and nine artists, art in a free regional magazine devoted writers, designers, photographers, and to telling its story and plumbing its soul? exceptionally bright sales folks whose Who knew that local people creating laughter can be heard at all hours. words and images in our pages would But the truth is more prosaic. Our win forty-five prestigious state awards for staff is growing; we turned more lights on. writing, design, and photography? That

Rebecca Hazen just joined us as staff Teresa and I would be invited to speak at writer after a standout two years covering the University of Mississippi Magazine news and features for The Wellsboro Innovation Center with twenty-five other Gazette. Becca was editor-in-chief of “magazine industry leaders” from around The Flashlight, the Mansfield University the world, including the editors of Vanity student newspaper, where she met her Fair, National Geographic Traveler, and husband Derek Witucki, who also served the former publisher of The New Yorker? as The Flashlight’s editor-in-chief before (More on that in a moment). he became Mountain Home’s managing Second, Mountain Home is expanding editor. (Read more about Mountain its coverage and reach, already the Home’s dynamic journalism couple their widest in the region, down Route 15 friends jokingly call “Clark Kent and Lois into the Williamsport market, adding Lane” on page 65). Becca joins our two four thousand more copies this month newest advertising sales representatives, in Lycoming County with thousands Jesse Jones and Meghan Lee, recent more to come. I’ll keep you posted on graduates of Mansfield University and developments, but meanwhile look the University of Arkansas, respectively. forward to us giving you even more Jesse and Meghan continue our tradition events and stories from the Finger Lakes of multitalented advertising staff; Jesse is to the Susquehanna Valley, more reasons a graphic designer and photographer, and to explore the last great place north and Meghan, who studied southern literature south on Route 15. in college, speaks Italian. Please welcome Third, last month Mountain Home them to the Mountain Home family. was honored to be accepted into the With all this new talent, we’ve got prestigious International Regional more good news to share. First, Dear Magazine Association. We were invited

to join the country’s best regional magazines including Vermont Magazine, Blue Ridge Country, Pennsylvania Magazine, Delaware Life, Ne va d a Ma g a z i n e , a n d Arizona Highways.

Fourth, Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney to win reelection as the 45th President of the United States. That’s not news, you say. But this may be: our media colleagues got it wrong. They led us to believe the American electorate was divided by numbers—the 1 percent, the 99 percent, the 47 percent—and divided by labels and classes. Democrat and Republican, rich and poor, black and white, capitalist and socialist, red stater and blue stater, gay and straight, racist and reverse racist, bitter rural clinger and enlightened urbanite, maker and taker, religious and atheist, high brow and low brow.

Rubbish, we say. There’s just folks.

Be assured that at Mountain Home, we don’t see divisions between people. We see common bonds. We aim to tell stories that unite us, which only the very best stories can do, as writers and artists have been born and privileged to do since time immemorial. When we said as much at the University of Mississippi, as the small fry among the great and powerful magazines, we were honored to be called inspiring.

The young California editor of a “socially conscious” magazine devoted to Occupy Wall Street gave thumbs-up. So did the gray-haired editor of a Midwest magazine for farm wives. Others seemed puzzled, as if our stories were too good to be true. As if we came from some strange fairy realm, some long-hidden place of endless green hills and blue sapphire streams, of tiny brook trout in secret mountain pools, and wind blowing off deep glacial lakes to warm prized vineyards; of small towns and farms, newcomers and old, church spires and office towers, all working more or less peaceably under the sun.

“Yeah,” I said, missing home for a long moment, “You should just see it.”

9

By Gregg Rinkus

“A (Brain-Damaged) Sinner Saved By Grace�

CEO-turned-Pastor Bob Morris found a miracle by accident

By Rebecca Hazen

The sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church in Wellsboro, where the Vineyard Church of Wellsboro meets every Sunday night.

10

Elizabeth Young

O

Elizabeth Young

Photo by Tom Dorsey

n a brisk November Sunday, those who were early to the 6 p.m. service for the Vineyard Church of Wellsboro heard practicing in the sanctuary.

No, not the choir practicing Bible hymns, but a rock ’n’ roll band: a set of drums, two electric guitars, and two singers. These were not the sounds that I expected to hear in a church, where I came for the first time to meet Pastor Robert “Bob” Morris.

I was not sure what I was expecting of Bob, perhaps a traditional pastor in a suit and tie, or formal robes.

But here was the sixty-two-year-old preacher wearing blue jeans and well-worn sneakers, playing guitar with the band. This was my first clue that Pastor Bob was an unusual, even remarkable, man.

See Saved by Grace on page 12

11

Saved by Grace continued from page 11

After finishing practice, Bob warmly greeted familiar faces and new ones like me. He handed me a Vineyard church goodie bag because this was my first time at his church. Inside the goodie bag was a CD of worship songs, information about the Vineyard Church, and $5 worth of Wellsboro Chamber dollars.

Bob has handed out a lot of these bags, literally growing this church from his basement to a congregation of more than 130 parishioners.

Bob introduced himself to me simply as “Bob.” It’s not “Pastor Bob” to this congregation. It’s just Bob, a humble man.

Soon enough 6 p.m. arrived, and it was time for the service to start. That night’s topic was “Speaking of Jesus – Jesus and healing.”

Bob knows this topic like an old friend. As Christians celebrate the birth

Terry Wild

Bob Morris featured in the November 1994 issue of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine. The article, titled “Crash Course: piecing together the continuum of care,” was written by Kevin Lumsdon.

12

of Christ this December, the small-town pastor marks the eighth year of his new church and his own remarkable story of rebirth.

Back in 1994, Bob Morris was the CEO of Laurel Health System in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. He was a Wellsboro resident, married to his college sweetheart Debbie, helping raise their children Kristen and Rob. A driven executive, he was a brilliant man with the ability to coordinate the large needs and personnel of a hospital.

But all of this—and his life—were in jeopardy on a fateful day in August, 1994.

It was a Saturday, August 13, and Bob was riding his motorcycle to Emmaus, Pennsylvania, near Allentown. He was heading to an antique motorcycle show. All these years later, the end of that ride is still something of a blur.

Bob remembers a car turning in front of him. He swerved out of the way to avoid hitting it. He was lucky. But he wasn’t lucky. He got thrown from the motorcycle, and rolled through the street. The only indication that Bob had hit the car was a tire imprint on his leather jacket.

Bob began his slow recovery. The next eighteen months were the most confusing and painful time of his life.

Only now can he and his wife Debbie look back and thank God for where he is today.

Injured with broken ribs and a punctured lung, Bob figured that he had escaped the worst, and before long, he would be back to normal. But then unexplainable things, alarming things, started to happen.

The first strange occurrence came four days after the accident, while Bob was still in the hospital. “My little finger swelled and turned black and blue. I had a broken finger,” he said. “And I know I couldn’t have broken it while I was laying in bed. We were finding broken bones a month after I was home from the hospital. That seemed a little

bizarre.”

But Bob Morris hadn’t seen bizarre yet.

For nine months he found he couldn’t sleep.

“My body seemed to be in warp drive, and I would just lay awake,” he explained.

In the meantime Bob went back to work part-time in November 1994, just three months after the accident.

But he was still struggling and confused.

He sat at his desk supervising the hospital’s 1,200 employees, and couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t multi-task. He was in a fog.

One Friday stood out in particular.

“My secretary Jackie came into my office with some questions to ask me, and it was like she was talking in Greek,” Bob said. “I could not comprehend what she was saying.”

“I said, ‘You know what, I am not feeling too well,’ so I went home,” Bob said.

“He was very shaken when he came home that day,” Debbie remembered.

The next Monday, “I went back to work feeling fresh, and we tried again.

We banged those questions out in two minutes. I couldn’t figure out what had happened,” Bob said.

“We thought the pain medications were affecting his thinking,” Debbie said.

It was one step forward, two back.

Bob increased his hours to full-time in January, but discovered he couldn’t handle it. With coaxing from his coworkers, because they were concerned for his health yet all wanted him to stay, he went from being full-time to parttime CEO. In October 1995, more than a year after the accident, he was still struggling with concentration issues. Then came the next mystery: an EKG exam showed heart problems. But Bob’s heart was perfectly healthy. It just wasn’t beating right.

“I was put on a heart monitor. My physician called me down to her office,

Elizabeth Young

and she said to read my EKG strip. She said, ‘I want you to count how many seconds you went between beats.’ It was twenty-three seconds.” The average heart beats between a half and oneand-a-half times every second. “She said, ‘I don’t even know how you are standing upright. You have got to have a pacemaker.’ So I got one,” Bob said.

The pacemaker regulated his heart. But something else happened to Bob—not that there wasn’t enough happening already—that was life changing.

“My left arm started tingling and was very painful. I was starting to lose mobility in my arm and back.”

He was referred to a neurosurgeon in Williamsport. The neurosurgeon couldn’t do a magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI) because of Bob’s pacemaker. Instead, he ordered up an intravenous pyelogram (IVP), where radioactive dye was injected into Bob’s spinal column in order to take x-rays, Bob Morris, pastor of the Vineyard Church of Wellsboro, practices his message as he was suspicious of a disc problem before a Sunday service. in his neck.

The x-rays came back with good healing through Jesus Christ. “One of actual miracle, happened to his spine. news and bad news. The good news the deacons at the church called us and And he doesn’t want to find out; the IVP was that Bob would not have to have asked if he could come over and pray for was too painful the first time. surgery on his disc. The bad news was me,” Bob said. “They came and prayed.

He’s happy to take the good news, there would be no surgery because he They asked how I was feeling, and I his good health, on faith. had no disc. said I wasn’t sensing any difference, but “It wasn’t anything that I was “It had evidently been damaged in thank you. I didn’t expect anything to prepared for,” he said, “but I had been the accident and disintegrated,” Debbie happen, so I wasn’t disappointed.” healed. I did have faith before, but it explained.

The pain from the IVP eventually just didn’t include healing. That was an Bob would have to have a more wore off, and Bob had a second element that had been missing.” complicated surgery. A piece of bone appointment with the neurosurgeon.

Eighteen months after the accident would be taken out of his hip and made “He asked me how my pain level Bob saw a doctor in Williamsport, into a wedge. This piece would be put was, and I said it was pretty tolerable. and—finally—this doctor was able into his neck, and that would take the I was able to look over my shoulder to piece all of the strange occurrences pressure off of the nerves. and lift my arms up and move them together.

“The doctor told me that it would around.”

The motorcycle accident, all those reduce some mobility but give me relief The doctor had a puzzled look on long months ago, had injured Bob’s from the pain,” Bob said. his face. “He took the x-rays out again brain.

Bob’s pain had been intensified by to look at them, and he told me that I “Apparently when there is an the IVP. In fact, it was agonizing. should be in excruciating pain. But I impact, your head stops, but your brain “It hurt to blink,” he recalled. wasn’t,” Bob said. keeps moving inside,” Bob explained.

In the meantime, he and Debbie Bob decided to put off the surgery. “My brain was twisted inside my head, were attending a local church. He That was eighteen years ago. The surgery causing the injury. My autonomic believed in God, but his faith at the never happened. To this day, he doesn’t nervous system was damaged. That is time was in medical science, not know what miraculous thing, if not an See Saved by Grace on page 14

13

what controls your pulse, your digestive system, and all of the other things you don’t think about, the things that your body just does.”

Bob’s brain was forgetting to tell his heart to beat, was not sending signals to stay asleep, and was not receiving the proper signals when he had broken bones.

In April 1996, a year and a half after the accident, Bob realized he couldn’t be a hospital executive anymore. “He quit as CEO because he finally knew what was going on,” Debbie said. “That was a long eighteen months lived minute by minute. But God was so good.”

Bob had to learn all over again who he was, and what kind of a person he could be.

“I am a different person than I was back then,” he said. “When I was CEO, there were things that I could do easily that I thought everyone could do easily, which wasn’t the case. In fact, after the brain injury, when the psychometrician was evaluating me, they told me I was very bright and my IQ test was well off the charts. I never knew that.”

“The doctor said, ‘Your brain used to be a Maserati. The best of the best of cars,’” Debbie remembered.

Bob recalled the adjustment. “The doctor told me now you’ve got a Ford Taurus. Most people will be happy with that, but you will feel impaired.”

Bob found out that his upper brain stem was damaged. Fortunately for Bob, the upper brain stem is the only part of the brain that has a backup system. The backup system is the frontal lobe area.

“When your upper brain stem gets tired or overworked, it will kick over into the frontal lobe. When my brain kicks into the frontal lobe, the doctor told me I’m going to know it,” Bob said.

“The doctor said ‘You are going to feel like you are running through Jell-O. You will want to avoid that. Your body is going to go into warp drive and feel threatened. Then you get this chemical dump that is going to take a long time

to get out of your body. It’s not that multitasking can’t be done, but for you, it’s like doing calculus in the front row of a heavy metal concert.’”

Bob has altered his routine to his new brain circuitry, Debbie said.

“A CEO has to do many things all at one time and keep track of lots of different threads,” she said. “He cannot do that anymore. He works in a totally quiet environment of our home. He only does one thing at a time. Even when he’s in a crowd at church, there is only one thing happening. Either we are singing or a sermon is being given. The most difficult situations for him now are things like a cocktail party, a wedding reception, or a busy restaurant.”

Even though Bob had lost a large part of his life by no longer being a CEO, Debbie and Bob knew to be thankful for the things that were gained, even if they were not visible at first.

“He looked the same, sounded the same, but he wasn’t the same man,” Debbie said. “His personality underwent significant changes. His ability to function underwent significant changes.

It was like I had to mourn for the man that I lost, while simultaneously falling in love with the man that I still had. It was that radically different. We really had to readjust to life.”

Bob has learned to cherish his new self, a person more caring, more open to other people. “It seemed like my capacity to care about people enlarged,” he said. “I am much more emotional than I used to be. It has gotten to be that I love investing in people. God has given me a big heart, especially for kids.”

“It diminished your brain function, but it did seem to enlarge your heart,” Debbie said with a smile.

Fast forward to 2001. God had healed him, Bob came to believe. But for what purpose?

“We had been at another church in town for years, and then we really felt God leading us, that we wanted to be able to connect with people in the community who weren’t part of

a church,” he said. “It just became increasingly important to us, to be able to reach out.”

The Morrises started meeting with another family on Sundays to pray.

The first meeting was a picnic at Keuka Lake. The second meeting was at the Morris home.

“It grew. We weren’t promoting it at all. It spread just by word of mouth,” Bob said.

“We met down in our basement for a couple of years, and soon there was no more room for people to park,” Bob continued. Bob Greer, then the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Wellsboro, offered to let Bob’s fledgling group meet there on Sunday evenings, when the church wasn’t used.

“It was incredibly generous. We first met in the fellowship hall, but then we outgrew that as well and moved into the sanctuary. In the midst of all of that growth, we realized that we had enough people to maybe plant a church.”

Plant a church? It was a new idea to Bob. But, he learned, “churches all get started somehow.”

Who the pastor would be, Bob hadn’t a clue. But “I figured that there might be someone out there that would like to be a pastor for about half a dozen families,” Bob said.

See Saved by Grace on page 17

Photo by John Sibold

Saved by Grace continued from page 13

Debbie and Bob Morris 14

15

16

Saved by Grace continued from page 14

Debbie smiled as he told the story.

“You know where this is going now, don’t you?” she asked with a chuckle.

But Bob still didn’t know. He and other members of the group contacted different denominations to see if their gathering could find a good fit. Someone eventually recommended contacting the Vineyard church movement, a fast-growing Christian group that emphasizes music, Biblical teachings, and the love of Christ.

Bob called Vineyard Headquarters in Stafford, Texas, which referred him to a pastor named John Elmer in Syracuse, New York. In February of 2002, “Eighteen of us went to one of the services, and we all loved it. The more we talked, the more I thought that this would be a good fit,” Bob said.

After more communication, pastor John said, “I really sense that this could be the beginning of a Vineyard Church.

You need someone to pastor. Bob, I think you are it.”

Bob was shocked.

“I had to pick his jaw off of the floor,” Deb said.

Bob—who had tried a number of odd jobs after the accident and subsequent brain injury diagnosis, such as soccer coach, tutor, and even the headmaster at Mansfield’s New Covenant Academy—had obviously never thought of Pastor as his job title.

“It seemed as if this was going to be the most important thing I was ever going to do in my life, and I was totally ill-equipped. I said, ‘John, you know I’ve got brain damage. I can’t multitask and my passive memory is toast. What you suggested is just not in the cards,’” Bob said.

Pastor John told Bob and Debbie to pray about the offer. The next time they saw John was at a Vineyard conference in Gettysburg in July 2002, about five months after their first meeting.

Bob was still afraid of the call. “We really needed to hear from God. I was very fearful,” he said. “I was prayed for and encouraged at the conference.

John said to me, ‘Do you really think God would call you do to something you weren’t equipped for?’ I thought it made sense.”

“It’s not just, ‘I want to be a minister,’” Debbie said. “It is something that you have to be called into doing.

Learning to hear God when he talks to you, that’s a skill that you really have to work on.”

Bob trained for two years through the Vineyard Leadership Institute in Syracuse and in Ithaca. In 2004, Bob graduated and was ordained. The Vineyard Church of Wellsboro was born in November of 2004.

Me m b e r s o f t h e V i n e y a r d congregation have nothing but praises for Bob, as a person, and as their pastor.

“Bob is an extremely honest, caring, compassionate guy,” said Gordie Dunlap, a member of the Vineyard Church. “He loves people, and his main goal in life is probably to introduce people to the man who changed his life—Jesus. The Vineyard church in Wellsboro is his baby. No one would be more suited to be its pastor.”

“He loves this community and wants to see people helped and set free from their issues,” said church member Carolyn Ruth. “He is dedicated to serving our community and all the people in it, whether or not they attend our church, or any church for that matter. He truly wants to spread the love of Jesus to everyone. He has great compassion for the people in our community.”

Church member Lewis Brill said that “Bob Morris is one of the very few people who have had a significant, life-changing impact on me. After we started attending, he began investing time into me as a friend and mentor.

Bob is a person who walks through life with his eyes open for what God is doing, and when he sees it, he jumps in.

He looks for potential in others, and he invests himself into them to bring out the best that God has for them. I love him like a father for doing that for me.”

According to Bob, the Vineyard

Church has three purposes: “To be biblically thoughtful, culturally relevant, and spiritually powerful. We want to make sure that whatever we do is solidly Biblical and scripturally supportive. We want people to come as they are and be loved.”

At the Sunday night service, Bob taught his congregation about how and why Jesus heals.

Jesus heals people in four ways: with voice command, touch, inadvertently, and reluctantly, Bob taught.

Jesus heals people with compassion, to reward faith, and to illustrate the power and presence of God, Bob taught.

“In terms of why he healed me, my guess is that it is probably the only way I would have believed that it would have happened,” Bob said. “Why he chose me, I have no clue. I would have chosen someone else. I am just going to accept it on faith.”

Debbie sees proof of her faith in her husband’s life. “Jesus uses physicians, but we believe that Jesus still heals actively. Sometimes he intervenes, and he did for Bob,” she said.

The Vineyard Church of Wellsboro has grown so much that now they are in the process of finding land and trying to plant a church.

“We continue to seek what God wants for us,” Debbie said. “We really want to help people connect to God, especially people who don’t really know God. The dream for the future is to positively impact families in the area and that changes the next generation for the good.”

Looking back on the journey that she and her husband have been through together, Debbie added, “We really couldn’t see God’s hand in it until now.”

As the Vineyard Church of Wellsboro approached its eighth Christmas under its founding pastor, Bob insisted he was just a humble tool in larger hands. In an e-mail, he wrote: “I’m not some kind of hero, I’m just a (brain damaged) sinner saved by grace.”

17

Heart of the Mountain

“Best Christmas Gift Ever!”

By Patricia Brown Davis

A

sk a little kid where they want to be on Christmas—they’ll say “home!” Even when we’re older, we still say “home.” But over the years “home” can change its physical place.

Finally we realize “home” really means “a place with family.” This story is one about neither—with home or family, unless you count my best Christmas gift ever!

December 25, 1963: 5:30 a.m.

Our two young daughters tiptoed into our bedroom, whispering, “Mommy!

Daddy! Can we go and see what Santa brought?” What parent wants to hear this at such an hour?

It was to be a long day for them: first, it would be our own Christmas and breakfast, with the girls playing with their toys—then lunch, gift-giving, and small talk at my in-laws next door.

We’d work on trying to get hungry for the next shift at my family, also nearby—and more gift-giving. By then, the girls would be grumpy, exhausted, and over-stuffed. But, every family has their traditions, including food!

My daughters tried to bargain; “Can we open just one?” “No, go back to sleep; it’s still night!” I was the one that really needed the sleep; I was very pregnant, with a baby due in two weeks.

The evening before, parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles had been to our house—another tradition—to help put toys together for “Santa” One had asked, “What if you have the baby tomorrow?” My answer was quick; I’d had enough pregnancy. “That’d be great, as long as I get to eat my Christmas dinner and have some of Grandma Graham’s homemade black walnut cake.”

After my scolding, the girls trudged back to bed. They spent the next hour in very loud whispering. They shared not only a bedroom and a life, but a desire to get to that tree. “Shw-shw-shw-shwshw-shw.”

Finally, about 6:30 a.m. I declared loudly, “OK! But wait for me.” To show

my irritation, I swung out of bed and stomped loudly on the floor! Instantaneously, I felt warm water hitting the floor between my feet—and right after, the tugging insistence of hard labor. I hurriedly packed a suitcase. (The first daughter had been born in six hours, fourteen minutes—breech; the second came in two hours and forty-five min- Photo of baby Cindy (aka Cindy Davis Meixel whose writing appears on page 47) utes!)

I hurried to the tree, five days old, being held by sister near a little table-top Christmas tree. where the girls were having a grand time. The hoshomes without me. Alone all day, I had pital and doctor were called. Quickly I some time to feel a bit sorry for myself. opened my presents, and tucked a new Finally, that evening, my parents housecoat and a pair of slippers under arrived. Dad, with a big smile, handed my arm. My husband and I went out the me a huge present! Opening it, I found door telling the girls, “Grandma Davis is a large mailbox with all of our names coming to get you.” hand-painted by my dad on it—even It was a quick trip to the local hos- the baby’s, though she wasn’t yet named. pital. I checked in at 7:10 a.m. with I’d been toying with names that sounded strong contractions. It was a fast ‘prep’ Christmasy, like “Holly,” “Noelle,” and and a race to the delivery room. At 7:25 “Joy.” a.m. Dr. Prevost arrived, calling through When Dad found he had a new the door, “Do I have time to take off granddaughter, he unwrapped his gift, my coat?” A nurse replied, “Just about.” called the girls to ask them what the He hurried in, greeted me, winked, and baby’s name was. The girls, with their added, “Leave it to a musician to put on new-found power and authority, enthua **** production on Christmas morn- siastically replied, “Cindy”—after one of ing!” their best friends (and a student I’d had Honorable daughter number three in school). So it was this way I was inarrived at 7:30 a.m.—19½ inches, 8 formed of my newest daughter’s name, pounds, and 4½ ounces! The first words which we decided to keep. After all, the out of my mouth were, “She’s bald!” paint was already dry on the mailbox.

(The first two girls had had long dark Though I missed being home with hair.) I didn’t see the blonde hair which family, Mom did bring along a great big was all slicked to her head. She was the piece of black walnut cake. But, mornmost perfectly shaped baby. While not ing had brought me the best Christmas thrilled with spending Christmas day in gift ever! (And what a gift she is to everythe hospital, I was happy she was healthy one else who knows her!) and we were in a good place.

Patricia Brown Davis is a professional It was the quietest Christmas I’ve musician and memoirist seeking stories about the Wellsboro glass ever had. The hospital had sent home factory. Contact her at patd@ as many mothers as possible. Life and mountainhomemag.com.

Christmas was going on in our family

19

OU t d o Or s The Deer Book Hunter

By Roger Kingsley

M

any Christmas moons ago at a family gathering, I was handed a gift from a female relative. Trading names was traditional at this gathering, and one of my wife’s sisters had drawn my name.

Though the gift was wrapped like all others under the tree, the shape and feel was a dead giveaway. It was a book written by John O. Cartier, an expert on deer hunting who had written articles in virtually every leading outdoor magazine. The title of the book was How to Get Your Deer.

At the time, I only had a couple books written solely on deer hunting, so this one was a welcome addition. The title itself may sound a bit silly to some folks. Most would assume that all you have to do to “get your deer,” is buy a license, load your rifle, and go to the woods—easy as 1-2-3.

Well, that may be the way to go deer hunting, but it’s not always that easy to “get your deer.” I’ve gone deer hunting for over forty seasons now, and while I have no idea how many days I’ve spent hunting, I do know that I didn’t “get my deer” every time I went.

Having said that, I’m sure there

20

have been many times when I’ve returned home from hunting without ever seeing a deer, but wondered how many deer saw me. That’s what makes deer hunting the extreme challenge that it is. And that’s what makes Cartier’s book so great.

As he notes in the preface, Cartier has had the privilege to work with scores of deer hunters and deer biologists while gathering material for the articles he wrote. He filed the best of these deer hunting tips assuming someday he’d have enough to fill a book dedicated to helping deer hunters “get their deer.”

Chapters in Cartier’s book include; “Why Stands Beat The Odds,” and “How Weather Affects Deer.” But my favorite chapter, and quite out of the ordinary, is titled, “Are Deer Really Smart?” Cartier writes, “I think a wise old buck can be extremely clever, but I’ve seen a lot of them pull stunts that weren’t very smart, stunts that put them in somebody’s freezer.”

Receiving Cartier’s book that Christmas day was the beginning of a collection of books on whitetail deer hunting that has now surpassed one hundred volumes. One such

book, Hunting the Whitetail Deer, was published in 1960. It was written by Tom Hayes, a successful electronics businessman born in Dallas, Texas in 1909. A competent rifle marksman at the age of eight, Hayes’s entire life was marked by the love of guns, hunting, and the outdoors.

Though Hayes eventually earned the reputation as being one of the foremost authorities on deer hunting, his amusing comments get me laughing so hard my ribs ache.

Hayes writes, “My wife accuses me of spending all my time hunting. This is not true. I spend some of my time fishing, which goes to show how unfair a woman can be.”

In another chapter, Hayes made this remark; “I’ve hunted country so impervious to an animal’s passage, that a deer moving two hundred yards could stop and die of old age before a good tracker could come up to it, and I don’t believe that Sitting Bull and Hiawatha could collaborate and track a bulldozer through that country unless it were leaking oil.”

One of the oldest books in my collection—The Still-Hunter—was

Outdoors

naturally the hardest to find. I’d read excerpts of the book a number of times in magazine articles, and I desperately wanted one. One day while my wife and I were vacationing in Hew Hampshire, we drove by a USED BOOKS sign.

The building was a very old barn converted over to a bookstore. Not your typical quality Barnes & Noble, if you know what I mean, but they certainly had quantity. Thousands and thousands of books sat on miles of shelves built in every calf pen, every cow stall, and throughout the haymow.

After an hour on my hands and knees, crawling through the dust and swatting cobwebs, I went to the counter to pay for a couple of books I’d found. The proprietor asked if I’d found what I was looking for. I asked him if he’d ever heard of the book called The Still-Hunter. “I’ve got one!” he grinned. I followed him to the former milk house where he began pushing aside piles and piles of books that looked as if they’d slid out of a dump truck. He found the box he was looking for, and, sure enough, at the bottom of it laid The Still-Hunter.

Though it looked like it had sailed on the Mayflower, the publishing date was 1943, the ninth printing after its original issue date of 1882. I cringed at the price, but the look from my wife spelled Shut Up And Pay the Man. The price practically left both of us living off crackers and cheese for the rest of our trip, but at least I had the book.

Theodore S. Van Dyke was the author of The StillHunter. He was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1842. As a boy he spent much of his time in the woods where his fascination for whitetail deer began. After graduating from Princeton University in 1863, Van Dyke moved to a town along the Minnesota/Wisconsin border where he practiced law. It was there that his knowledge and enthusiasm for still-hunting whitetails continued.

In 1881, the first of Van Dyke’s deer hunting articles started appearing in The American Field, a prestigious sporting journal of its time. A year later, The Still-Hunter was published and continues to be one of the greatest classics in the history of American deer hunting literature.

Noted historian Robert Wegner describes the book in this manner: “Van Dyke uses the pen as skillfully as the gun. At times, the passages are so inspiring with their charming descriptions that they will send you to your deer shack at any time of the year, even if only in an imaginary sense.” Here’s a popular verse that Van Dyke penned.

“With whatever proficiency in still-hunting any mortal ever reaches, with all the advantages of snow, ground, wind, and the sun in his favor, many a deer will, in the very climax of triumphant assurance, slip through his fingers like the thread of a beautiful dream.” A serious deer hunter’s bookshelf would not be complete without The Still-Hunter.

I’ve picked up a good share of my deer-hunting library at bookstores and antique joints, but a lot of them—like

NEW!!

STEEL SALES In shop & portable welding repair and an fabrication Mig M - Tig - Stick B Brazing and soldering 2200 ton press brake Steel S and alumnium sales CNC Plasma cutting up to 1 1/4" C Bending B & shaping to your specifications

Aluminum, Diamond plate, Tubing, Bar, Sheet

See Book Hunter on page 24

21

11_MountainHome:Layout 1

Outdoors

12/7/11

8:19 AM

Page 1

Visit the Woolrich Flagship store, located in the village where the company was founded over 181 years ago!

Take exit 116 off Route 220 proceed 3 miles north, following the signs 570-769-7401 www.woolrich.com

SLATE RUN TACKLE SHOP

WOLFE’S GENERAL STORE

�llllll�lll�llllllll���ll�llllll�llllllll�ll�llllllllll�lllll�ll l�lllllllllll��lllll�l�l�l�l�l�lllllllll�lllll�l�llllll��l��lllll l�llllllll�l�llllllll

�lllll�l�l�lllllllllllll�l��llll��ll �llll�lllllllllllllll�llll�lll�llllll lllllllllllllllllllll�l�llll�l�l l�l�ll�l�ll�lll�llllllll�llllllllllllll�l ll�llllllll�llll�llllllllll�lllllll l�lllll�lllllllllllllll�l�lllllllll�ll �llllllllllllllllll�llllll�llllllll �llll�l �llll�lll�lllll�lll�lll��lll�l�l �ll�ll���lllll�l�lll�llll���llll��l ��lll�l�lllllll�ll�llllll�llllll�lll�l ll�lll�lllllllll�llllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllll��lll�llll llllll�ll�ll�ll�ll�l�l�llll��lllllll lllllll�ll�l�ll�llll�l�

Visit www.SlateRun.com

25% Off All Helios Fly Rods $50 off Black Friday Special lllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllll�ll��l��ll�lllll�l�lllllllll lllll�llll�ll��l��l

N ORTH CENTRAL PA’ S LARGEST ORVIS DEALER

�llllll�l�l�l�lll�ll�lll�l�lllll��llll�lll�lllllllllll�l �l�lllllllll�lll�llllllll�lllllll��lll�lll�llll�llllll�llll��

Great New Gifts Just in!

��lllll�lll�lllll We do mail order and free l�llll�l�llll�ll gift wrapping. �llll�l�lllll�ll GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE

�lllllllllll�ll lllllll�llllll��l lllll�llll�l�

LOCATED ON RT # 414 SLATE RUN, PA. 17769  1-570-753-8551 22

Outdoors Book Hunter continued from page 22

the one mentioned at the beginning—I find under the Christmas tree. It’s a standing order every year. When you can’t think of anything else to get Roger, get him another deer hunting book.

Several of the books in my collection published in the sixties and seventies have nearly identical chapters, yet each one reads differently because of the author’s unique flair for writing. Their personal experiences, be it success or failure, is what I find most entertaining in a good deer hunting book. Having such resources on the whitetail certainly doesn’t make me an expert on the animal or the art of hunting them. In my opinion, you can read every book published about deer hunting, but you would learn only a fraction of what you could from your own time spent afield. It’s like the old saying, “The person who thinks they know everything has got a lot to learn.

I have a number of books on whitetails that are much more appropriate to display on the coffee table rather than the bookshelf. That’s because those big, bright, glossy dust jackets they’re wrapped in and hinge on always have an extraordinary photo of a deer on the cover that guests can’t help but lock on to.

Whitetail Rites of Autumn by Charles Alsheimer is one such book. Alsheimer is nationally known for his writings and photographs of the whitetail deer. He has spent so much of his life around whitetails that if someone asked him how old he was, he’d probably have to check the wear on his teeth.

Seriously though, Whitetail Rites of Autumn is filled with incredible images and personal observations of what Alsheimer considers to be the crown jewel of North American wildlife. Understanding the behavior of whitetails fascinates and educates not only those who just enjoy watching them, but also those who pursue them.

Your knowledge of the whitetail world will certainly be enhanced through the pages of this book.

If you’d like to display an autographed copy on your table, write to Charlie at: 4730 County Route 70A, Bath, NY 14810. Tell him Roger sent you.

With the whitetail being so abundant, widespread, and adaptable, it’s no wonder that books featuring this magnificent animal continue to be bound. In his outstanding book titled, Whitetail: Fundamentals and Fine Points for the Hunter, George Mattis said it best: “To the hunter whose heart hungers for the sight of a bounding buck, the first snowfall to cover the sere woodland floor, or the somberness of a November woods, I dedicate this book.”

505 East Main Street Elkland, PA 814-258-7127 www.elklandchevrolet.com www.walterschevy.com

Roger Kingsley lives on a farm in Columbia Cross Roads.

A hunter, photographer, and writer, his articles and photos have appeared in Deer & Deer Hunting, Quality Whitetails, and Pennsylvania Game News, among others.

23

Outdoors

Ho...Ho...Low!

Holiday Loans Low-cost financing for everything on your holiday list!

APR*

This time of year, people charge purchases running up large balances and paying heavy credit card rates. But a Ho…Ho… Low Loan beats even the best credit card rates. It’s even a smart way to pay off existing credit card debt.

Apply today: Log on to www.fhfcu.org or visit any branch.

First for everyone...everywhere! *APR=Annual Percentage Rate. Offer expires 1/31/13.

Minimum loan amount $1,000. Maximum loan amount $5,000. Maximum term 18 months. Not eligible for other promotions or coupons. Approval subject to our credit granting terms and conditions. All rates and offerings subject to change or termination without notice.

New money only. We do business in accordance with the Fair Housing Law and the Equal Opportunity Act. Federally insured by NCUA.

24

The Lunker

Cut Me a Break

By Fred Metarko

I

t is said, “A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.”

At times I might have second thoughts about that saying.

Philip Bruce and I were in a tournament on Hammond Lake when things didn’t improve through the day.

Trying different lures and many spots, we found the bite to be tough. My line got wrapped around the prop and we raised the motor to cut it loose. While working on the line the wind, getting stronger through the day, blew us to the bank and we were hung up. I ran the trolling motor, holding it off the bottom, as Phillip used the landing net to push us free. Each time he pulled the net back he checked for a fish. Finally free and underway a nice smallmouth jumped near the front of the boat.

With about one hour left in the tournament the area near the dam by the buoys was our last hope. Putting the trolling motor down and stepping on the footpad the response was not in the right direction. The steering cable had become disconnected.

Wanting to keep fishing, I reached over the bow of the boat, held the shaft to align the prop, and pressed the footpad with my knee. That didn’t work; I couldn’t see where I was going.

Next we tried moving along using the big motor, which proved unproductive, and the wind pushed us along too fast to just drift. Phillip did catch one bass at 2.50 pounds and won back-boater for the day.

I repaired the trolling motor by reconnecting the cable and crimping

it in place. I was ready for the end-ofthe-season two-day Classic.

Day one on Cowanesque, fishing alone, the motor failed on the first try.

Drifting in a cove, I pulled the motor to stow position, tore it apart, and re-clamped the cable. After doing this breakdown and repair four more times during the day, and having only one fish, I called it a day. Handing the fish to Curt and Mary Sweely to weigh in for me, I headed home.

At home, in the basement, I tore the motor apart again. Trying to tap a hole, to clamp the cable with a set screw, the tap broke in the hole.

Drilling around the tap the drill bit broke and ended up in my finger.

Pulling the bit out the blood started to flow. I put my thumb over the hole and headed to the bathroom sink.

Blood was all over while washing it off.

I grabbed toilet tissue, applied pressure, and went upstairs. Linda was in the kitchen. Calmly, I said, “I need help.”

She washed it off, poured hydrogen peroxide on, then iodine and applied a pressure bandage. I gave her a kiss and returned to repair the motor.

Day two, on Hammond Lake, the motor worked great! The fishing? Not so great. Two days, one fish weighing one pound.

The finger has healed and I’m ready for a day on the lake. Good or bad.

Fred Metarko, The Lunker, is a member of the Tioga County Bass Anglers (www.tiogacountybassanglers. com).

Outdoors

Lewis Homes Trusted Builder Since1952 Prime Building lots Project Management Services Modular & Manufacture Home Wellsboro, PA ~ 570-724-2161 ~ www.lewis-homes.net We now offer financing with rates as low as 2.79% to qualified customers.

(Ask about our Guaranteed )

Credit Approval!

Elkland Auto Sales, LLC. 401North Buffalo Street Elkland, PA 16920 phone: (814) 258-5328 fax: (814) 258-5022 owned by: Steve & Anne Parks 25

L i f e The majority of the 150 people involved in the entire production are members of Oregon Hill Grace Chapel.

O Little Town of Nauvoo

By Linda Roller

Photos by Dave and Laura Percy

T

here’s a camel in a caravan coming to a place near Nauvoo, Pennsylvania. King Herod will find this place for the first time, as he inquires about a child, spoken of long ago in prophecy. Though he finds the wise men in the caravan, he will not find this child. Roman soldiers will push and control the crowds, as the folks from Bethlehem and the guests of Three Springs Ministry experience together the sights and sounds of the first century in a faraway land and the ancient story of the birth of Jesus.

Jeff Rush, Executive Director at Three Springs Ministries, says that all the resources found here at Three Springs and its working farm “give people the opportunity to be immersed in the story of the birth of Christ.” In

26

this living Nativity, there are no electric lights. There are no communities nearby to spill light into the sky, so people experience the darkness. All is lit by fire—camplight, torches, and lanterns. Over sixty people will inhabit the village of Bethlehem, creating the sounds, sights, and smells of a 1st Century town. Folks walk through the town to a real stable, with cows, sheep, goats, and more—delighting children in particular, and giving all the guests a chance to experience the familiar story with all their senses.

For Jeff, his wife Deanne, and all the staff at Three Springs Ministries, this is a natural outgrowth of what they do every day. For this stately, Victorian home (with thirty-five rooms and 12,000 square feet) and farm have been

Joe and Silas Mickey as Bethlehem townsfolk.

Life

CHAMPION ORTHOPEDICS & SPORTS MEDICINE

at Charles Cole Memorial Hospital

Members of the Tioga County Honor Guard present the colors during a Veteran’s Day service in Mansfield, Pennsylvania.

Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus, played by Shannon Rupp, Lauren Martin and Hannah Owlett.

Stephen Bonnert plays a goat herder.

lovingly restored and re-purposed— both fulfilling a mission and realizing a dream that Jeff and Deanne Rush had twenty-nine years ago. Back in 1984, this farm, “The Fred Heyler Farm,” was owned by Abe Clemens, one of the founders of Hatfield Meats, as open land and recreation for his family and friends. Jeff’s dad worked for Hatfield, and newlyweds Jeff and Deanne approached Clements with a proposal: to restore the dilapidated house and outbuildings and create a camp & retreat center for seventh to twelfth graders.

For the Rushes, this became both a spiritual calling and a career. From small beginnings, where Jeff and Deanne lived in a couple of rooms while they began the renovation of the mansion, to the first youth camp with three campers in 1985, this center has blossomed into a facility that has ten full-time staff, and serves over 4,000 people a year for camp and retreats, primarily teenagers. Three Springs has room to house over ninety people, (fifty-nine in the mansion alone) with meeting and activity rooms sized for large groups.

But Three Springs is not simply a religious retreat. This is a place filled with activities designed to delight and engage young people. The facility includes a climbing wall, nooks to

specializing in orthopedics, surgery, sports

medicine, spinal care, physical medicine & rehabilitation.

Two locations: CCMH, 1001 E. Second St., Coudersport, PA 814-274-0900 3132 Route 417, Olean, NY 716-372-3212

charlescolehospital.com

FREE CONSULTATION CONSIDERATE ATTITUDE Brenda Dilly, Office Manager

Criminal Cases DUI Family Law Divorce - Custody And Adoptions Civil Cases Powers of Attorney

See O Little Town of Nauvoo on page 32

27

Our top local doctors and medical professionals answer your questions.

28

sPeCiaL aDVeRtising seCtion

FA M I LY M E D I C I N E

Q A

: Can a flu shot give you the flu? Who should not get a flu shot?

: Your question is one of the most common concerns about the influenza vaccine.

But, let’s start at the beginning. Influenza is a viral illness that includes a constellation of symptoms including fever, chills, muscle aches, runny nose and headache. The virus is prominent during the fall and winter seasons with colds, which have some of the same symptoms but is far less severe.

Lee Meyers, MD Dr. Meyers is a family medicine physician who has served the community at Guthrie’s Wellsboro office for the past nine years. Dr. Meyers came to guthrie from the Williamsport Family Practice residency Program. she is a native of northeast Pennsylvania and is an avid participant in the american Cancer society’s relay for Life fundraiser supporting Tioga County. appointments with Dr. Meyers can be made by calling 570-724-4241.

guthrie Wellsboro 110 Plaza Lane Wellsboro, PA 16901 • allergy and immunology • audiology • Cardiology • Family Medicine • Medical oncology • Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose & Throat) • Vascular & Endovascular Surgery

Of all the steps you can take to avoid the flu, a flu vaccine is the best protection option out there. They are recommended for a wide age range, from 6 months to the elderly. People with chronic illnesses or compromised immune systems should be vaccinated, as should caregivers and members of the health care profession. Those with chronic illness are at high risk of developing serious complications like pneumonia if they get sick with the flu.

The vaccine itself contains inactivated, or “killed” virus. So you cannot get the flu from the flu shot. What can happen to a small percentage of people are a low-grade fever and a bit of achiness following the vaccine. This is your body’s way of forming an immune response to influenza; it is not the beginning of influenza itself. The symptoms are mild and should end in a day or two. You may also be sore at the injection site, as with many vaccinations.

Every spring, the Centers for Disease Control determine what strains of influenza will be most prominent in the population the following fall. It is a bit of a guessing game, but for 18 of the last 22 flu seasons, experts have been correct in predicting the strains to include in the vaccine. Flu shots usually become available around October, which is the traditional beginning of our area’s flu season, stretching to about May. Getting the vaccine early in the season is preferable, as it takes about two weeks to reach its full strength in your system.

Multiple studies conducted over different seasons and across vaccine types and influenza virus subtypes have shown that the body’s immunity to influenza viruses (acquired either through natural infection or vaccination) declines over time. So, it is best to get the vaccine early in the season for maximum protection.

Who should not get a flu shot? If you have had an allergic reaction to the vaccine in the past or if you have a severe allergy to eggs, you should probably avoid it. If you are sick, it would be wise to postpone getting the vaccine until you are healthy again. People with Guillain–Barré syndrome should also not be vaccinated, but that is rare, at 1–2 cases per 100,000 people annually. Infants under the age of 6 months should also not be vaccinated.

It is estimated that, on average, approximately 5% to 20% of U.S. residents get the flu, and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized for flu-related complications each year.

Getting vaccinated is important, but it should be only one part of your defense plan this winter. Frequent hand-washing, getting plenty of fluids, rest and exercise, and avoiding people who are sick, will also go a long toward keeping you healthy into the New Year. To receive a flu shot at a Guthrie location, please call for an appointment. To find the Guthrie location closest to you visit www.guthrie.org.

sPeCiaL aDVeRtising seCtion

DIaBetes anD nutrItIon Care

Susquehanna Health’s Diabetes & Nutrition Care Center, located at Divine Providence Hospital, helps individuals of all ages with diabetes learn to live active and fulfilling lives by teaching them about the crucial relationship between lifestyle choices and good health.

Q A :

Why is it important for individuals with diabetes to regulate their blood sugar levels? Are there any new technologies that make tracking blood sugar levels easier?

: For people with diabetes, healthy blood sugar levels, also called glucose levels, are critical to feeling good and preventing long-term complications. High levels of glucose over an extended time can lead to severe health problems such as blindness, amputations, heart attack and/or kidney failure.

Kathryn McKernan, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator

The Diabetes & Nutrition Care Center has a two-fold purpose. our primary goal is to help people with diabetes live active and fulfilling lives. a secondary goal is to help people understand the crucial relationship between nutrition and good health. Learning how to eat in a healthy manner can provide a sense of well-being, promote weight maintenance, prevent some diseases and help people with chronic disease to live longer and healthier lives.

The Diabetes & Nutrition Care Center Divine Providence hospital 1100 grampian Boulevard Williamsport, PA 17701 (570) 326-8410

30

Keeping blood glucose levels in balance can be challenging. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is an exciting new tool that Susquehanna Health’s Diabetes & Nutrition Care Center uses to help patients gain a clear picture of the impact of their daily choices on blood glucose levels.

The blood glucose level is the amount of sugar in your blood. Glucose comes from the food that you eat and is transported through your blood to the cells and organs that need it. With diabetes, your body has difficulty regulating glucose levels. Your doctor or diabetes healthcare team gives you a target range, and you use daily checks with a blood glucose monitor to assure that your levels are on track.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring provides a picture of your blood glucose, the speed and direction it’s moving.

Changes in your health, diet, stress, medications and activity all play a role in your blood glucose levels. One of the greatest challenges for people learning to live with diabetes is to understand those relationships and make choices that keep blood glucose levels from spiking and dropping. CGM provides a constant reading of the blood sugar level in the interstitial tissue fluid under your skin which is very closely tied to blood glucose levels.

The CGM includes a glucose sensor, a transmitter and may include an external monitor to view your glucose levels. The device is easily concealed and worn for four to seven days while you maintain typical habits, good or bad. You also keep a daily log of two to four blood sugar tests taken on your meter, exercise, food eaten, medications and even your emotions.

Your healthcare provider uses this data, the glucose levels and your log to point out the impact of your choices. The information can help you achieve more consistent, healthier blood glucose levels.

CGM is just one of many services provided through Susquehanna Health’s Diabetes & Nutrition Care Center. Our certified diabetes educators and registered dietitians work with adults, adolescents and children with diabetes to provide individualized meal planning, medication counseling, exercise recommendations, education and instruction to help manage diabetes. To learn more, please call 570-326-8410.

Life

Three Springs staff member Nate Frey driving the team of horses.

Honor Guard continued from page 27

O Little Town of Nauvoo continued from page 27

WE’RE SUSQUEHANNA RESIDENTS. The Laurels Personal Care Home in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania blends the services and security of traditional residential life with the pride and privacy of living in an individual apartment. We provide a caring, nurturing environment for individuals aged 62 and older who may need help with personal care but still want to live independently. Give your loved one the gift of security—visit The Laurels today! Call (570) 723-6860 or toll-free 1-866-LAUREL3 for information.

“hang out,” and a farm filled with animals. Camp here includes hiking, canoeing, mountain biking, and camping in the wilderness of Tioga County, Pennsylvania. Camp here may also be a week of working with and riding the twentythree horses stabled at the retreat. Or, taking the Three Springs Motorcoach, young explorers can spend a week in Montana on a horse pack trip, or hike the backcountry of Colorado.

Not attached to any one church, Jeff describes the center as a multi-faceted interdenominational place, where people from many different Christian traditions and denominations can gather. Three Springs recognizes the rich history of various backgrounds and grows from them. And grow they have. Beyond the camps for young people, the ministry has also developed a college internship, True North. This nine-month program trains students from Lancaster Bible College for work in many different areas, serving people of diverse places and backgrounds. And Linck Hill, another large Victorian home close by, has been restored as a center for adult and small group retreats. Finally, there are field trips for younger students to the farm, and events like the Living Nativity.

The living Nativity will be presented December 14, 15, and 16. There are four shows each evening, with the 5:30 p.m. show for church groups who reserve this show in advance, and the general admission shows at 6:30, 7:30, and 8:30 p.m. Admission is free, and directions are available at their Web site (http://www.threespringsministries.org) or by calling 570-353-2155.

Mountain Home contributor Linda Roller is a book seller, appraiser, and writer in Avis, Pennsylvania.

32

Wellsboro

wellsboropa.com 570-724-1926

33

Ar t s & L e i s u r e

Laurel Butterfly by Tim McBride (top left) Wynken, Blyken and Nod by Tim McBride (top right), Autumn Road by Mia Lisa Anderson (bottom left)

S

Local Color

hawn Bryant and Ellen Dunham Bryant, proprietors of the newly renovated Penn Wells Lodge, transformed the homey, aging lodge into a new first-class regional hotel, a comfortable place for the fussiest tourist or business traveler.

Then, just in time for Christmas, they decked the halls, lobby, and guest rooms of this new Wellsboro showpiece with a brilliant dash of local color.

The gorgeous landscapes on these pages are just a sampling of the permanent collection by local photographers now on display at the Lodge. It includes works by Mia Lisa Anderson, Bob Blair, Angie LaCoe, Tim McBride, Heather Mee, Jamie Sue Parker, Frank & Kathy Rohrer, Sarah Wagaman, and Curt Weinhold.

“We wanted to show our guests the natural beauty that surrounds Wellsboro,” said Laura Reindl, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Wellsboro Hotel Company. “We also wanted to show off our many talented photographers.”

The hotel solicited photos on its Facebook page as well as face-to-face, and was deluged with more than 400 images. Each framed photograph has a card on it identifying the photographer, the title, and where the shot was taken.

The shooters’ business cards are available at the front desk for guests interested in purchasing a print.

~ Rebecca Hazen

See Local Landscapes on page 36

34

Forgotten Farm by Sarah Wagaman (top), PA Grand Canyon by Frank & Kathy Rohrer (bottom)

35

Local Landscapes continued from page 35

Spring Canyon by Mia Lisa Anderson, Crocus’s Are Here! by Sarah Wagaman (inset).

36

See Local Landscapes on page 42

Special Holiday Advertising Section

29 Hot Gift Ideas For her, for him—for everyone on your shopping list

Goats’ Milk Bath and Body Gifts; Pure Hart Soap, Wellsboro, PA; www.pureheartsoap.com PlayMobil 2012 Pirate Ship; Imagine That! Children’s Shop, Corning, NY; www.imaginethatkids.com

Facial and Ayurvedic Body Treatment Gift Certificates; Eye Look Good Skin Care Studio, Wellsboro, PA; 570-723-0957

Custom Jewelry and Artwork by David Ackerman; Gustin’s Gallery; 71 East Market Street, Corning, NY

Is it a glove? Is it a mitten? No...it’s a Glitten!; The Fifth Season, Wellsboro, PA; www.thefifthseason.biz

A variety of gifts for the cigar aficionado; Browns Cigar Store, Corning, NY; 607-962-2612

Funky Solmate Socks for kids and adults; Shabby Rue, Wellsboro, PA; 570-723-8809

Diamond and ruby necklace created by Charles Bailey Designs exclusively at Bong’s; Bong’s Jewelers, Corning, NY; 607-936-3032

Bake in me, chill in me, serve in me; The Fifth Season, Wellsboro, PA; www.thefifthseason.biz

37

Special Holiday Advertising Section

ARTS & LEISURE

Trollbeads; Connors Mercantile; Corning, NY; 607-937-4438

Rico’s Pizza Gift Certificates; Rico’s Pizza, Corning, NY; www.Ricospizza.com

Men’s, women’s and children’s Vibram Five Fingers in a variety of styles and colors; Wild Asaph Outfitters; 71 Main Street, Wellsboro, PA

Limited Edition 2012 Series Wellsboro Puzzles; Pop’s Culture Shoppe, Wellsboro, PA; 570-723-4263 Kala Ukuleles; Marich Music; 62 East Market Street, Corning, NY

Faery Couture Dresses “For the Little Ones”; Enchanted Hollow, Wellsboro, PA; www.enchanted-hollow.com

McKenzie Bourbon Whiskey; Finger Lakes Distilling, Burdett, NY; www.fingerlakesdistilling.com

38

Fine Jewelry by Gordon Gustin; Gustin’s Gallery; 71 East Market Street, Corning, NY

Necklace and earring set made in the USA; Pritchard’s Fine Jewelry, 84 Main Street, Wellsboro, PA Miniature original oil paintings by GC Myers; West End Gallery, Corning, NY; www.WestEndGallery.net

Special Holiday Advertising Section

ARTS & LEISURE

One of a kind gift baskets made to order; Barnstead Pantry, Troy, PA; 570-297-1015

Massage Gift Certificates; Bull Family Chiropractic, Elkland, PA; 814-258-5000

Delicious selection of freshly-roasted regular and flavored coffees; Market Street Coffee & Tea, Corning, NY; www.MarketStreetCoffeeAndTea.com

One carat total weight Vera Wang Platinum diamond ring; Gold Mine Jewelry, Watkins Glen, NY ;www. goldminejewelryjunctionofny.com

Men’s Heavyweight Crewneck Sweatshirt; Famous Brands Outlet, Watkins Glen, NY; www.famousbrandsoutlet. com

2012 American Silver Eagle Set; Blaze Services, Horseheads, NY; 607-215-0023

Tommy Bahama Flip Side Pro Half Zips; Garrison’s Men’s Shop, Wellsboro, PA; www.Garrisonsmensshop.com

Fenton USA Holiday Beads; Hauber’s Jewelers, Coudersport, PA; 814-274-9825

Connie Sickler “Tree of Hope” print; Settlement House Art, Sylvania,NY; www.settlementhouseart.com

Thinsulate Gloves in all patterns and colors; Pip’s Boutique, Corning, NY; www.pipsboutique.com

39

December 1, 2012 Wellsboro, PA Friday, November 30 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

Sales & Discounts

Area Merchants 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Professional Dickens Portraiture

Indigo Wireless 3:00 pm-8:00 pm

Indoor Craft Show

United Methodist Church 4:00 pm

House Tours, starting at Tioga County

Historical Society, Main Street 5:00 pm & 7:00 pm

Santa Express Train Excursion

Wellsboro Junction 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

VESTA Craft Show & Sale

Gmeiner Art Center 7:30 pm

Hamilton Gibson Choirs:

Dickens of a Concert

St. Peter’s Catholic Church Event sponsored by: Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce 114 Main Street, Wellsboro, PA 16901 (570) 724-1926 www.wellsboropa.com

Saturday, December 1 All Day

Sales & Discounts

Area Merchants 8:00 am - 10:00 am

Breakfast with Father Christmas

Trinity Lutheran Church 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Package Storage & Coffee

Deane Center for the Performing Arts 9:00 am

Wellsboro High School Dickens Choir

Arcadia Theater 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Indoor Craft Show

Wellsboro Senior Center 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Street Vendors open, Street Musicians,

Dickens Players 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

Indoor Craft Show

Fireman’s Annex 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Professional Dickens Portraiture,

Indigo Wireless 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Live Music & Indoor Craft Show

United Methodist Church 10:00 am

HG Productions, A Christmas Carol

This schedule brought to you by:

40

Arcadia Theater

10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Pony Rides

Wellsboro Riding Club 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

VESTA Holiday Art Show & Sale

Gmeiner Art Center 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Open House

Tioga County Historical Society 10:30 pm

HG Productions, A Christmas Carol

Warehouse Theatre 11:00 am

Santa Express Train Excursion

Wellsboro Junction 11:00 am

Pipe Organ Sing-a-Long

United Methodist Church 11:00 - 2:00 pm

Open House (w/ refreshments)

Green Free Library 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Open House (w/ refreshments)

Tussey-Mosher Funeral Home 1:00 pm

HG Productions, A Christmas Carol

Arcadia Theater 1:00 pm

Santa Express Train Excursion

Wellsboro Junction 1:30 pm

Pipe Organ Sing-a-Long

United Methodist Church 1:30 pm

HG Productions, A Christmas Carol

Warehouse Theatre 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Victorian Tea

The Laurels 3:00 pm

HG Productions, A Christmas Carol

Arcadia Theatre

3:00 pm

Santa Express Train Excursion

Wellsboro Junction 3:00 pm

Wellsboro Men’s Chorus

Arcadia Theater 3:20 pm

Wellsboro Women’s Chorus

Arcadia Theater 3:30 pm

HG Productions, A Christmas Carol

Warehouse Theatre 3:40 pm

Combined Chorus Sing-a-Long

Arcadia Theater 4:00 pm

Choral Evensong Service

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 5:00 pm

Candlelight Walk for Peace

Packer Park to the Green 5:00 pm

Santa Express Train Excursion

Wellsboro Junction 5:30 pm

Tree Lighting Ceremony

The Green 7:00 pm

Santa Express Train Excursion

Wellsboro Junction

Sunday, December 2 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, & 7:00 pm

Santa Express Train Excursion

Wellsboro Junction 2:30 pm

HG Productions, A Christmas Carol

Warehouse Theatre And much, much more! Impromptu performances, concerts, poetry, and skits will take place as the Christmas spirit moves throughout the community.

Won’t you make Dickens of A Christmas your celebration? Plan now to join us...you’ll have a Dickens of a Good Time!

Indigo

41

ARTS & LEISURE

Local Landscapes continued from page 36

Hills Creek by Heather Mee (top), The Little Red Church by Heather Mee (left center) Turquoise Trail Curt Weinhold (bottom).

42

Corning’s Gaffer District

gafferdistrict.com 607-937-6292

“We are very pleased with the reach of Mountain Home magazine, it continues to be an important marketing vehicle for us to spread the word about all of the wonderful experiences available in Corning's Gaffer District. It's a pleasure to welcome Mountain Home readers to come and enjoy our downtown!”

-Coleen Fabrizi, Executive Director of Corning’s Gaffer District

7267

Services

ScopeDesign.com 877-567-SCOPE

•Website design •Website hosting •Social Media Design •Invitations •Posters •Displays •Labels •Logos •Stationery •Business reports •presentations •Animations •More...

43

Corning’s Gaffer District

gafferdistrict.com 607-937-6292

CORNING’S GAFFER DISTRICT PRESENTS

An Evening with John Berry THURSDAY, DEC. 13, 2012 AT 7PM CORNING MUSEUM OF GLASS

John Berry ticket pricing, shopping specials & information can be found at

www.gafferdistrict.com

STAY

IN THE SPIRIT

Have friends and family home for the holidays? Enjoy their visit by having them stay with us! Call us today for our special rates and packages available this holiday season.

CORNING-GAFFER DISTRICT • Radisson Hotel Corning 125 Denison Parkway East, Corning, NY • 607-962-5000 www.radisson.com/corningny • 800-333-3333 44

Welcome to Corning’s Gaffer District We carry an array of products to compliment your hair care and beauty needs.

There’s Always More at 171!

Our winter catalog is now online! Don’t hesitate to register for those classes you’ve always wanted to try.

The Mercy Seat A play by Neil LaBute

Saturday, December 15 | 8 pm $12 with reservation/ $15 without

171 Cedar Arts collaborates with The Reader’s Theatre of Ithaca to present this critically acclaimed drama, set on September 12, 2001.

Encourage your loved ones to delve into the arts this winter with a Gift Certificate! From fitness to fencing to foreign language, there’s something for everyone at 171!

www.171CedarArts.org 171 Cedar Street | Corning, NY | 936-4647

45

ARTS & LEISURE

46

B i ll t o w n

(Left) Williamsport residents Kimber E. Minier and Joan E. Knight pose with their beloved bears at the Lycoming County Historical Society’s museum.

Knight’s memorabilia also includes a 1944 childhood photo of herself, holding her bear, and her late mother’s bear.

(Top right) Kylie, the bear-stealing cat, is seen in a photo with her bear, Sally.

If Teddy Bears Could Talk

“I

must’ve loved all the fur off him!,” joked Joan E. Knight, as she gazed at her small, tan, balding bear on display at the Thomas T. Taber Museum of the Lycoming County Historical Society, in Williamsport. “Oh, I think he really needs a bath!”

Positioned next to “Little Teddy Bear,” in its display case, is an oval frame featuring a 1944 photo of Knight as a child, holding her bear. “(The bear) was just always with me,” recalled the 70-year-old Williamsport woman. “It was just one of those things that you don’t get rid of.”

Story and Photos by Cindy Davis Meixel Knight’s well-loved bear and over 100 bear buddies belonging to area residents are on display as part of a Teddy Bear Exhibit in the historical museum’s Community Room through January 19. Accompanying many of the stuffed friends are their own bear tales, submitted by their caretakers.

A Christmastime teddy, given around 1911 to Knight’s mother, Emma Alter, when she was probably 3 years old, is also included in the exhibit and Knight writes, “Emma discovered the bear high up in the Christmas tree.

Her sister Lavina, three years older, remembers their father lifting up Emma

in order that she retrieve Teddy. It was a custom in the family to place or hide presents in the tree.”

The museum’s Teddy Bear Exhibit follows on the heels of last year’s successful holiday exhibit of museum dolls.

“I thought, what can we do to appeal to the same childhood memory bank?,” said museum Director Gary W. Parks. With only one teddy bear in its collection, the museum placed a public plea for bear necessities and, delightedly, received an enthusiastic offering of loaner bears.

“We’re absolutely thrilled with the 47

BILLTOWN

response,” Park indicated, adding, “Times are tough now and I think bears take us back to our childhoods. Teddy bears always seem to provide some comfort and you can’t help but smile when you look at them - their faces are so appealing and they look so cuddly.”

A wide variety of bears are assembled in several white display cabinets decorated with miniature furniture. Among the themes are patriotic, athletic, and world-traveling bears.

A few local “celebrities” have loaned their childhood friends for the exhibition including bears beloved by the museum’s namesake, Thomas T. Taber III, a resident of Muncy; Karen Stotz Myers, of Williamsport, daughter of Carl Stotz, founder of Little League Baseball, and WVIA-FM Host Fiona Powell, who resides in Milton.

A variety of bear brands are represented including Steiff, L.L. Knickerbocker, Boyds, Russ, and Hermann. The work of local bear artist, Penny French, is also on display in the form of an euphonium-playing marching band bear commissioned by museum volunteer Susan Baker, of Williamsport, to celebrate her son’s appearance in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Some of the bears promote causes such as breast cancer awareness and endangered species conservation. Other bears have served exceptional service as comfort keepers including a “Molly Bear,” a memorial for a deceased child, and a “Hospice Care Bear,” made from the shirts of a Hospice patient.

There is even a little bear that was “owned” by a cat, complete with a framed photo of the duo. “Sally,” on loan from Melissa Keller, of South Williamsport, belonged to Keller’s sister until her cat, Kylie, abducted the bear and carried it around for her 17-year life.

“She would hunt it, hide it, kick it with her back feet, and keep it in her bed,” Keller shares in the bear’s tale.

See Teddy Bear Museum on page 49

Furry faces conjure up childhood memories at the Lycoming County Historical Society's museum in Williamsport.

48

Teddy Bear Museum continued from page 48

“Kylie passed away several weeks ago and I thought about burying her with Sally, but kept (Sally) instead.”

Another sweet photo in the exhibit shows one-year-old Malva Roberts, who received her handmade sock bear, “Wapsie,” on her birthday in 1900.

Malva’s daughter, Judith Cole Youngman, of Muncy, writes, “The bear has survived the loving onslaught of four grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren and numerous family pets. He is now honorably retired.”

Teddy bear fans can view the exhibit during regular museum hours: Tuesdays through Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is located at 858 West Fourth Street in Williamsport’s historical district. Admission to the exhibit and museum galleries is $7.50 for adults and $6 for children, with discounts available for families, seniors, military and AAA

members.

A Teddy Bear Tea Party will also be held at the museum on Saturday, December 15, with children invited to bring their favorite teddy bear and enjoy refreshments and finger foods. The tea party fee is $5 per person; admission for bears is free. Reservations are due

by December 10.

For additional information, call the museum at (570) 326-3326 or visit its website at tabermuseum.org.

A native of Wellsboro, Cindy Davis Meixel is a writer and photographer residing near Williamsport.

49

F i n g e r

l a k e s

The Cuisine Family Howell

By Cornelius O’Donnell

T

here is a culinary center that lies just north of the Finger Lakes, a mile or two south of the handsome village of Pittsford near Rochester. To reach that culinary destination you turn off the Bloomfield Road at a large green mailbox. The driveway wends its way through a heavily treed landscape and ends in a parking area adjacent to an expansive wooden ranch house. On the afternoons or evenings of a class you walk along a boardwalk and enter the kitchen of Ginger and Dick Howell. For forty years this spot has been the home of The Seasonal Kitchen Cooking School.

The room quickly fills with about twenty expectant pupils, some in their twenties, a few considerably older. They sit at the round table in a windowed corner; others perch on folding chairs with what we used to call “TV tables” suitable for taking notes and eating samples of the cook’s dishes. Sometimes it is Ginger and Dick who teach; sometimes it’s an area chef or cooking teacher. (I fall into that latter category at least once a year.)

The Seasonal Kitchen Newsletter

How did the students find the place? It’s mostly word of mouth, since many of the students routinely come to the classes (I suspect not only to learn but to have the best meal in town). However, I love to read the Seasonal Kitchen mailings because they are so well written; Ginger was a copywriter early in her career. Her witty, piquant class descriptions will have you salivating. Dick is a retired Kodak executive who loves to play tennis (they have a court on their spacious grounds), and ski. Did I mention he’s great at 50

grilling? There, I did.

What Ginger and Dick share are a discerning palate and an uncanny ability to produce delicious food that isn’t fussy and can easily be duplicated in the student’s home kitchen.

And that is exactly what their

book Finger Lakes Wines & Seasonal Cuisine is all about. I must admit that, as a cookbook collector, I have more than a few weighty tomes filled with hundreds of recipes that I use more for research than actual cooking. They make handsome doorstops, but this

KEN BUSCHNER

Finger Lakes

Ginger and Dick Howell, the king and queen of Finger Lakes cuisine. In addition to teaching, they have assembled their best and favorite recipes into the book, Finger Lakes Wines & Seasonal Recipes.

choice collection contains just twelve gems. The Howells have chosen their most popular dishes; things their students have told them are their go-to favorites.

Now factor in another member of the family, daughter Holly Howell. You know her as the writer of a marvelously informative and entertaining wine column that’s been appearing in these pages for several years and in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. She knows her stuff, and she is a respected Certified Sommelier, having taken the rigorous course offered by the Master Court of Sommeliers in England.

While good cooks and restaurateurs stress the enjoyment of wine with meals, most of us need advice in choosing the right wine to enhance different dishes.

Look no further than these informationpacked twenty-eight pages.

What Grows Together Goes Together

You may have heard that line before, and instinctively you know it is true.

As the book points out, “When you are cooking with great local ingredients, it just makes sense to serve it with great local wines.” And the emergence of world-class wines in our area is certainly a joy to see. The Howells started with absolutely foolproof recipes; Holly picked the perfect Finger Lakes wine to pair with each dish. The result is a surefire blueprint for a great party.

I’ve known and cooked with

the Howells for many years (I call us “the geriatric gourmets”) and turning the pages of this book I find recipes I recognize as “old friends.”

Their Antipasto Bowl has been a regular at my picnics and informal suppers. And Herman J. Wiemer’s Dry Rosé is an inspired accompaniment.

The Hummus recipe is served in a unique way and paired with Glenora’s Seyval Blanc. Once again their sublime Pumpkin Bisque was on my Thanksgiving table (and will reappear several times this winter) with Casa Larga Chardonnay. Now that I’ve made the Howell’s Sesame Crusted Pork Tenderloins, I’ll probably never make it any other way, and any number of local Rieslings will enhance your meal.

I’m having their Apple Cake right after I finish writing this. Look, everything in these pages has been tried and true.

Small is Beautiful

As I write this, I gaze at the great thick cookbooks on the shelves here in my writing room, and I realize what I want to cook now are the proven classics, and each recipe in this collection makes me want to reach for the pots and pans and paring knife. The color photographs by Ken Buschner are simply beautiful, and you really know how the recipe should look when you serve it.

Now all I need is to have the organizational prowess of Ginger, who pre-measures everything and puts the ingredients on a tray next to the stove—it’s goof proof, and you won’t leave anything out—and the knife skills of Dick, who can reduce a pile of parsley leaves to a gossamer green drift.

And to have Holly pull the cork on an appropriate elixir—well, that would be a cook’s heaven.

Any cook, experienced or new-onthe-scene, would appreciate this very special book.

For more information, or to purchase the cookbook, visit www. nyfingerlakesbooks.com.

Chef, teacher, and author Cornelius O’Donnell lives in Elmira, New York.

The New York Times bestselling true crime book

is now in paperback.

“Once again Michael Capuzzo shows he is one of our most brilliant storytellers. The Murder Room is a gripping page turner, masterfully drawn and full of truth, dedication and darkness.”

—Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author

Signed copies at Famous Brands, Watkins Glen!

on sale noW “The book is at once terrifying and satisfying” —The Philadelphia Inquirer “Compelling reading” —Booklist “Real-life Prof. Plums and Miss Scarlets: Plot your dastardly deeds at your own risk.” —The Washington Post

The Murder room

The Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World’s Most Perplexing Cold Cases

by Michael capuzzo

51

Watkins Glen

$5 of f any dine-in order of $35 or more with this ad

one per table

watkinsglenchamber.com 607-535-6243

400 N Franklin St. Watkins Glen, NY 14891 607-535-4254 Open daily from 11am-9pm

507 N. Franklin St. Watkins Glen, NY 14891 607-210-4254 and: 25 Liberty St. Bath NY 14810 607-776-3132 www.goldminewg.com

The Gold Mine Jewelry Junction

52

Retail Repairs Custom Designs

Harvest time: Grapes are plucked for the perfect wines.

scoped ad

9/7/07

12:06 PM

Page 1

C 2006 Judy McAdoo

COME FOR A VISIT. STAY TO DO BUSINESS. If you've fallen in love with Schuyler County, we can't blame you!

The county's beauty, unique character and abundant natural resources have brought many talented, successful and creative people to this area.

Find out more. Contact us today! www.scoped.biz • 607-535-4341

SO WHY NOT JOIN US? Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development (SCOPED) is ready to help you identify the financial and professional resources needed for business creation, re-location or expansion.

53

Finger Lakes

S

urrounding the sapphire waters of Seneca Lake, our 32 wineries invite you to experience a destination rich in history, beauty, and the production of world-class wines. Located in the heart of New York’s Finger Lakes Region, our climate supports not only the growth of hardy native grapes and premium hybrids, but also more delicate varieties, such as Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir.

Along the Seneca Lake Wine Trail, you will truly find a wine to suit every taste.

Finger Lakes Wine Review

June 8-10, 2012:

SMOKIN’ SUMMER KICKOFF November 16-18, 2012:

NOVEMBER DECK THE HALLS WEEKEND November 30-December 2, 2012:

DECEMBER DECK THE HALLS WEEKEND

By Holly Howell

H

http://gettag.mobi

877-536-2717 54

A Wine Lover’s Holiday Shopping List ere are a few suggestions for any holiday shoppers out there that might have a wine lover on their gift list. It may be a present for a family member or relative, a hostess gift for a party to which you’re invited, a secret Santa surprise for a co-worker, or (as in my case) a special treat for yourself during this season of giving.

As you are dashing through the wine shop, with a four-wheel open cart, keep your eyes peeled for these Yuletide treasures that are sure to make your spirit bright. It is all about the accessories, and wine geeks can never have enough of those.

Vacu-vins are the ultimate in wine storage gadgets. These devic-

es help to preserve wine once the bottle has been opened and not finished (if that ever happens).

A stopper fits into the top of the bottle and then you pump the air out to create a vacuum in which the wine can remain stable for a longer time. For a mere $15, this is a wine lover’s dream gift.

Speaking of stoppers, there are a slew of decorator versions in your local wine shops. Perhaps your wine drinker also loves cats, dogs, golf, tennis, etc. There is a stopper for all, and they come in nice holiday boxes!

Some geeks collect these. Or so I’ve heard.

If we are talking “collector,” keep in mind that corkscrews come

Finger Lakes

in various designs and many wine drinkers are proud to show off their collections. You can find standard waiter’s knives ($6), corkpulls ($6), wing-types (around $10), screwpulls ($18 or so), and rabbits (between $40 and $100). However, the crème de la crème of corkscrews is the Laguiole, which, like Mercedes Benz, can range in style and price. This is the gift that says “I just spent a lot of money on you, so you’d better share some of your best wine with me.”

For those same sophisticated wine drinkers, don’t forget the ever-popular decanter. These beautiful carafes are for serving older wines that have had the sediment removed (by a process called decanting). Carafes are also used to serve big young reds that need some time to calm down before they are allowed to come to the table. Decanters may cost you a bit, but they make a very elegant gift for your favorite aficionado.

Finally, the best gift is the fermented juice itself!

There’ll be parties for hosting and friendships for toasting, so give the gift of the grape and pick out a winning bottle.

Here are some great Finger Lakes specialties to consider for your favorite winos.

If you are not sure of your friend’s preferences, no bumble has ever been known to turn down a nice bottle of bubbly. Sparkling wines are always appreciated, no matter what your level of wine savvy, and they are so festive! Look for great sparklers from New York State wineries, including Glenora, Swedish Hill, Chateau Frank, Ravines, Hosmer, and Casa Larga.

I’m dreaming of a white Riesling. There must have been some magic in that summer of 2011, ’cause when they put it in the bottle, it began to break all sorts of records! Pick up a few of those lovely Finger Lakes Rieslings for presents and make sure to include a few for yourself. If you don’t have one on your holiday table, then you belong on the naughty list and will receive rocks in your stocking.

Ice Wine is not only a specialty of New York, but a purely magical serendipity of nature. Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel. The wine that resulted was a pure labor of love that will not only wow your out-of-town guests, but will pair beautifully with pumpkin pie and Indian pudding. Another local claim to fame for which we should be graciously thankful.

And so I’m offering this simple phrase, to adults from twenty-one to ninety-two. Although it’s been said many times, many ways, “Moderation in all things, and Merry Christmas to you.”

Have a safe and Happy Holiday.

Holly is a Certified Specialist of Wine (by the Society of Wine Educators) and a Certified Sommelier (by the Master Court of Sommeliers in England).

EAT LOCAL.

RED NEWT CELLARS WINERY

BISTRO

DRINK REGIONAL.

WWW.REDNEWT.COM 55

Food

&

Drink

A Present with Strings Attached

By Cornelius O’Donnell

W

hat could be a better gift for an avid cook than a new apron? You were maybe thinking tickets to the Barbados or a month in Italy? Well, let’s just say that a creative apron, costing anywhere from about ten bucks to, maybe $25, would at the very least make a dandy stocking stuffer.

Why am I so gung ho for aprons?

Because they can be such fun and bring a smile as you traipse around the cucina prepping dinner. Besides, your schmata (that’s a wonderful Yiddish word for garment) gets flecked without the protection an apron affords.

And a wardrobe of aprons (at least two) is a good idea. You need backup, as these stringed shirt- and skirt-savers so often find their way into the washingto-do basket, and then where are you?

As you add the garments to the sloshing machine, those dried bits and blobs that decorate the apron’s bodice bring remembrances of meals past.

56

Many of today’s aprons are of substantial size that fit men and women alike. I recall my mother, in full entertaining mode, tiptoeing from the counter to what we then called the ice box and on to the stove in a flounced organdy number that wouldn’t stop a plop from the tomato saucepot. On other, more family-friendly, occasions, she featured a series of things called “swirls.” You popped an arm into a sleeve and the whole number was swirled around your body and tied at the side. It fit right over the bouffant “company” dress.

Not Just Any Apron Will Do This apron article was prompted not by an apron but by a T-shirt featured on a young chef on the cover of Food Arts magazine. It was black with a white stylized drawing of a row of kitchen tools—a whisk, slotted spoon, spatula, etc., with a deathless line below it reading “Weapons of

Choice.” I thought “what a great idea for an apron.” Lo and behold I found something similar at the Cafepress. com site. Again, there is a row of kitchen tools and the line “Choose Your Weapon.” I might add there seem to be thousands of designs here, not all of them nice. Just plow through and you are sure to find the perfect fit for that someone.

I’ve found another apron with an illustration of an idea that’s been brewing in my brain for years—and someone has finally done it. It’s in the current Basbleu.com catalog and dubbed “The Kitchen Tips Apron,” priced at $16.95. As the copy says “With a playful illustration of some kitchen tools and veggies…is not only really cute, it’s pretty darn handy.” On the bottom half you’ll find a culinary “cheat sheet” printed upside down. You pull up the bottom half and there you’ll find measurements, conversion tables, cooking temperatures for different

FOOD & DRINK

foods—and lots more. The only problem is the “one-size” is listed as “petite. and it is 23” long. Clever as can be, though.

Over the years I’ve seen some real doozies in the illustrated apron category. I happen to own one that proclaims “Women Want Me, Martha Stewart Fears Me.” Yup, it was a gift. Then there are there are two totally diverse classics: the ever-popular “Kiss the Cook,” and the other less-than-reassuring sentiment: “When the Smoke Alarm Goes Off, Dinner’s Ready.” For those who love to cook outside, amidst all that fire and smoke on the barbeque, there’s “Come and Git It.” Gabby Hayes and Cookie and all those other chuck wagon heroes in old westerns wouldn’t be caught dead in such a rig.

I remember one scene where a perfectly-placed arrow interrupted the un-aproned chili stirrer.

From Magnet to Fabric Some of my favorite refrigerator magnet sayings have appeared on apron bibs. Here are just a few: “If You Don’t Like the Food, Have More Wine,” or “I Love Cooking with Wine, Sometimes I Even Put it In the Food.” Here’s one I spotted in the gift shop at Magnus Ridge Winery up on Route 14 north of Watkins: “Wine a Little…You’ll Feel Better.” You’ll find several other printed aprons up there and one might be just the ticket for someone you know. And there are a few with sentiments that I hesitate to use in this high-class magazine.

A well used apron of mine inspired by the 1980 “Preppie Handbook” is emblazoned: “Above All, the Right Fork.” I always accessorized this creation with a button-down shirt and my darkest horn-rimmed glasses.

A little bit of what we called “Long Island Lockjaw” or “Westchester Warble” fits right into the scenario: “But my deah, I made this ragooo with sirloin and free-range muzh-rooms.”

Sources When I decided to write about “aprons with attitude,” I jotted down a few favorites (see above), but I figured you might find just the right thing online. I wasn’t disappointed. Just type in something like “Funny Aprons” and Google will send you endless sources of such silliness. I went to Zazzle.com and typed in “custom aprons.” Voila, a plethora of choices appeared. Choose a “message” and you can have it in one of several colors and in a standard, long, or kids size (though some of the slogans are rated R). There are hundreds of possibilities.

Type in the search box “Bon Appetit” and check out the charmer “Bon Appetit in Many Languages” and that graphic is just that.

I liked the one that they suggest for “Mother’s Day.” See With Strings Attached on page 62

57

Food & Drink

Lakeview Lodge “The best kept secret in Cowanesque Valley�

The Lodge has:

Twelve modern motel rooms, each with private bath, a television and a phone. full-service restaurant with indoor seating for 165 in two separate dining rooms, a special function room with seating for an additional 100, a bar/lounge for up to 34 and a large outside deck that wraps around the south-facing wing of the lodge.

Make reservations for your Christmas party today!

48 Rolling Acres Lane Lawrenceville, PA 16929 (off Bliss Road)

(570) 827-2112 mail@lakeviewlodge.net www.lakeviewlodge.net

Located on the DownTown Historic Square Just minutes from the scenic Pennsylvania Grand Canyon and the beautiful Pine Creek Rails to Trails hike & bike riverside trail!

Three Charles Street Wellsboro, Pennsylvania 16901

58

1-800-661-3581 or 607-426-5898

info@wellsboroinnonthegreen.com

Food & Drink

Restaurants

Enjoy the region’s comprehensive restaurant listings. From our Finger Lakes wineries to Williamsport’s good eats to the fertile Pennsylvania heartland in between, we’re famous for our regional specialties and love to eat. For listing information please email Dawn Bilder at dawnb@ mountainhomemag.com or call (570) 724-3838. Bon appetit!

Pennsylvania Bradford County Canton

St.

}LAMBS

CREEK FOOD & SPIRITS

Lambs Creek offers sophisticated, down-home cooking seven days a week.

Every Tuesday there’s an Italian Night speciaI. Beautiful terrace overlooks gorgeous mountains. (570) 662-3222, 200 Gateway Dr, Mansfield, PA 16933, www.lambscreek.com

}DOC'S IRISH INN

Doc's Irish Inn offers everything from burgers and wings to seafood and fine steaks cut to order. All breads, desserts, and entrees are made from scratch.

Please call for hotel availability.

(570) 673-8033, 127 Troy Street, Canton, PA http://www. docsirishinn.com.

}KELLEY’S

CREEK RESTAURANT

}YORKHOLO BREWING CO.

Offers a selection of dishes made up of local ingredients paired with Yorkholo’s own fresh brewed beer, including “Bungy” Blonde Ale, “Pine Creek” Raspberry Wit, “Mountaineer” Pale Ale, “Summer of Love” Summer Ale, “Grand Canyon” Vanilla Porter & “Coal Miner’s” Black I.P.A. are the beers we have on tap and 2 rotating selections.

(570) 662-0241, 19 N Main St, www.yorkholobrewing.com.

SIDE

Kelley’s offers $4 breakfast and $6 lunch specials every day, and they are open for dinner Wed-Sun. They specialize in home-style cooking like their prime rib and serve homemade desserts like chocolate peanut butter pie and (570) 673-4545, muffins.

1026 Springbrook Dr www. urbanspoon.com

Lycoming County Jersey Shore

}BABB’S CREEK INN & PUB

Babb’s Creek Inn & Pub specializes in Seafood and Prime Rib, which is available every night, except Tuesdays when the restaurant is closed. Reservations are appreciated for parties of 8 or more. Located at the intersection of Rtes. 287 & 414, (570) 353-6881, www. babbscreekinnandpub.com.

}CLEM'S RIBS & BBQ

Stop by and check out Clem's wood-fired ribs, chicken and pork bbq. All prepared on our open fire pit and served fast 'n fresh. Hearty $5.00 lunch specials featured from 11am 2pm.Open Wed. - Sun., 11am - 7pm.Clem's - A Central PA Take-out Tradition For Over 20 Years! Located in the middle of the 4-lane at 9737 S. Route 220 Hwy., Jersey Shore, PA clemsribsandbbq.com

}

Tioga County Mansfield

}EDDIE’S RESTAURANT

Eddie’s offers home-style cooking with homemade daily specials. Their specialties include hot roast beef sandwiches and chicken & biscuits, both served with real mashed potatoes. They have homemade pies and serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

(570) 662-2972, 2103 S. Main

570-724-9092

wersteaks@epix.net www.thesteakhouse.com

SMOKE FREE ATMOSPHERE

Wellsboro

1905 Classic coffee house located in Dunham’s Department Store. Proudly serving Starbucks® coffee, espresso, Frappuccino®, Tazo® tea plus delicious freshly baked pastries, homemade soups, artisan sandwiches and ice cream.

Free wi-fi. (570) 724-1905, Inside Dunham’s Department Store, 45 Main St.

HAPPY ACRES RESTAURANT & BAR

29 Main Street, Wellsboro, PA

}CAFÉ

Waterville Every Monday is Bacon Night. Every Tuesday is Taco Night. Our menu offers seasonal specialties, and we have the best beer selection on the creek. Book your next event or special gathering at the Acres.

Located at 3332 Little Pine Creek Road, Waterville, PA (570) 753-8585, www. happyacresresort.com.

Morris

Your Hosts Chris & Geoff Coffee

}DUMPLING HOUSE

CHINESE RESTAURANT

}

Dumpling House specializes in Hunan, Cantonese, and Szechuan Cuisine. It’s family owned and operated and located on beautiful Main Street in Wellsboro. You may dine in or carry out. (570) 724-4220, 31 Main St. DUNKIN’ DONUTS America Runs on Dunkin’. 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

(570) 724-4556, 7 Main St.

}MARY WELLS ROOM AND PENN WELLS LOUNGE

Located in historic Penn Wells Hotel, full service restaurant and lounge feature an extensive menu of fine steaks, seafood, pasta,

West’s Restaurant & Lounge Breakfast 7am-11am Tuesday- Sunday Lunch special Tuesday-Sunday 11-4p Dinner special 7 days a week starting at 4pm Full Salad Bar

Friday dinner special: Homemade Fish Fry and Mac& Cheese

Friday nights : DJ and Karaoke

2850 S. Main Street Mansseld, PA 16933 570-654-5341 59

d . . r . a o b A l Al d i a l o y s H y p p Ha

THE SANTA EXPRESS

EXPERIENCE THIS HOLIDAY TRADITION

TIOGA CE NTRA L

RA I LROA D 60

Phone: (570)724-0990 Web: TiogaCentral.com

FOOD & DRINK

gourmet sandwiches, fresh burgers, desserts. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. (570) 724-2111, 62 Main St, www.pennwells.com.

THE NATIVE BAGEL The Native Bagel offers bagels made fresh daily, gourmet coffee, deli sandwiches, soups and salads, and homemade desserts.

Bagels are mixed, kneaded, rolled, boiled, and baked onsite. All soups, breads, and baked items are “made from scratch.” 1 Central Ave, (570) 724-0900, www.nativebagel.com.

PAG-O-MAR Pag-O-Mar offers subs, salads, and deli sandwiches at the head of the Wellsboro Junction Rail Trail, across from the Tioga Central tour train station. They also offer soft custard and Hershey’s hard ice cream.

And there’s a farmer’s market in season.

(570) 724-3333, 222 Butler Rd. (just past junction of Rts. 6 & 287).

}

}

Westfield

}ACORN #10 FEATURING SUBWAY

“Eat Fresh.” (814) 367-2610, 465 E Main St, www.acornmarkets.com.

Potter County Galeton

}ACORN #25 FEATURING SUBWAY

“Eat Fresh.” (814) 435-6626, 3 West St, www.acornmarkets.com.

}BRICKHOUSE CAFE & DELI

Features homemade soups, salads and baked goods daily, premium hot and cold sandwiches. Enjoy breakfast all day.

Located on historic Rt. 6 at the light, Monday-Friday 9am7pm, Saturday 9am-4pm. 4 W. Main Street (Rt 6), Galeton, PA (814)- 435-2444

}SUBWAY

New York

Steuben County Addison

}

“Eat Fresh.” (607) 359-2603, 121 Front St, www.acornmarkets.com.

Bath

“Eat Fresh.” (570) 724-1424, 63 Main St, www.acornmarkets.com.

TERRY’S HOAGIES Terry’s Hoagies makes the best hoagies in town. They specialize in both hot and cold hoagies, and bake their bread and potato, macaroni, and pasta salads fresh daily. Hoagie trays and meat & cheese platters available. (570) 724-7532, 7 Charleston St, www.terryshoagies.com.

TIOGA CENTRAL RAILROAD All aboard Tioga Central Railroad! Take a scenic ride while enjoying dinner on Saturday night or Sunday brunch.

Wine and beer available. See website for menu selection. (570) 724-0990, 11 Muck Rd, www.tiogacentral.com.

WELLSBORO DINER Wellsboro Diner, a famous Wellsboro landmark, serves sumptuous home cooked meals, fresh baked pies, cookies and cakes, and the very best prime rib on Saturday nights. They offer more than ample portions to all hungry guests.

(570) 724-3992, 19 Main St,

Wellsboro, PA 16901

}

}

}WEST END MARKET CAFÉ

“Globally inspired, locally sourced.” A

place of nourishment and respite,

celebrating local food & creativity. We

feature fresh, locally sourced ingredients

whenever possible & Fair Trade

coffee products. Monday-Friday 7:30

a.m. To 3 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. To 3

p.m. (570) 605-0370, 152 Main St, www. westendmarketcafe.wordpress.com.

}ACORN #11 FEATURING SUBWAY }RICO'S PIZZA

Rico's Pizza offers NY Style hand tossed pizzas with a variety of toppings.

The full menu includes apppetizers,

salads, subs, calzones, stomboli's,

and pizza by the slice. Dessert, beer, and wine are also available.

(607) 622-6033, 371 W Morris St, www.ricospizza.com

Corning

AND TAP ROOM

}THE GAFFER GRILLE The Gaffer Grille and Tap Room offers

fine dining, atmosphere, food, drinks,

and friends! We serve lunches, dinners,

meetings, or small parties up

to 30 individuals. Visit us on Historic Market Street in Corning’s Gaffer District. (607) 962-4649, 58 W Market

Street, www.gaffergrilleandtaproom.com.

}RADISSON HOTEL CORNING

Spices, Fresh Ground Peanut Buuer, Snacks, Candies, Gluten Free Items, Organics Items, Coffees, All of Your Baking Needs and So Much More!

7686 Route 6, Troy PA Phone: 570-297-1015

Open: Mon.- Frid. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Sat. 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Find us on facebook

Monday-Friday: 9AM - 8PM Saturday: 9AM - 7PM

7 Charleston RD Wellsboro, PA www.terryshoagies.com Fax: 570-723-8732

Grill 1-2-5 serves creative regional specialties: small plates, grilled sandwiches, and tender filet mignon.

The Steuben Bar offers appetizers, light meals, your favorite beverages, and is known for the best martini in the city!

125 Denison Parkway East, (607) 9625000, www.radisson.com/corningny.

TheWest End

Market Cafe Globally-inspired, locally sourced

152 Main Street Wellsboro, PA 16901

www.westendmarketcafe.com

570-605-0370

61

Food & Drink

With Strings Attached continued from page 57

The illustration is of a 1940’s mom with the line: “You’ll Eat It and You’ll Like It.” Sound familiar? Then there’s the “It’s Wine O’clock” model for the oenophile you know.

Log on to Wacky Planet.com and there are all sorts of possibilities for the wine lover. My favorite is the message printed over a stylized wine glass: “Sophisticated, Full-Bodied and Great Legs…and The Wine Isn’t Bad Either.”

More from Wacky Planet Funny aprons have to be chosen carefully. For persons who style themselves as a Gourmet with a capital G, how about this one: “I’d tell you the recipe, but then I’d have to kill you.”

Well, maybe that is a bit over the top.

Perhaps “Your opinion was not in the recipe” is a little more genteel.

This site also features aprons with the graphics of favorite baseball and football teams. There are the aprons they will personalize for you; “(fill in the name) King of the Grill” and (fill in the name) as in “Harry’s Diner.” For newlyweds-to-be there are two aprons: one says “Bride” and you can guess the other: your search for a shower gift is over.

Again, there are more styles suitable for wine mavens “If you don’t like the food, drink the wine.” Or, for the mature cook, “Age gets better 62

with wine.” Go to Aprons.com and you’ll find one that reads: “The most important kitchen utensil is the wine opener.”

For vegetarians I highly recommend the colorful “Veggie Modern Apron” at $22.50 from ApronWarehouse.com.

For a truly personalized apron at a good price, try E-cookbooks.net and click on personalized aprons. Choose the name and the message and the color and style of the type as well as the color of the apron, Keep searching and you’ll find a site called “Funny Apron,” and I might add there are holiday themed aprons here and all over the net including not only Christmas, but Kwanza and the Jewish holidays. But what is my favorite? Read on.

The British Butcher Apron I treasure my British butcher apron bought many years ago in London.

You’ve probably seen them on a few TV chefs. Jeff Smith always wore one. They are no-nonsense vertical white stripes on navy blue, and they have an uncanny ability to hide food blobs. Log on to British-Chefs.co.uk then scroll down to “chef ’s clothes” and then “chef ’s aprons” and you’ll find the classic that they’ll ship to you from the UK for about $15. I like it because it is all cotton, knee length, and has that wide pocket.

It also comes in bottle green and red.

A similar black and white classic-style apron from Chef Works is available on Amazon and is priced at about $13.

Speaking of things English, check out the apron from Zazzle.com emblazed with the now-famous British saying (coined in 1941) “Keep Calm and Carry On.” It has white type in a bright red box and a white crown above the saying. For someone who is pulling together breakfast, lunch, or dinner it’s perhaps the most appropriate apron I’ve seen.

A Choice Now that I’ve viewed these thousand or so possibilities, I’ve made up my mind. For me, I’m going to order a plain white cotton model (Apron Warehouse.com.), $16.50, bib-style with two pockets, no message, XL in size and truly professional-chef looking.

It’s made in the U.S.A. This has long strings that I can tie and then bring around to the front and tie again, letting me slip a dish towel into this “belt,” a la Julia Child. It’s so useful for wiping fingers free of the excess Hollandaise.

I think this is a look that’s—wait for it—on the cutting edge.

Chef, teacher, and author Cornelius O’Donnell lives in Elmira, New York.

Food & Drink

}SORGE'S RESTAURANT

Sorge's is located on historic Market Street, at the same location since 1951.

They feature homemade pastas as well as a complete selection of steaks, seafood, and traditional Italian dishes.

Open 7 days a week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (607) 937-5422, 68 West Market Street, www.sorges.com.

}RICO'S PIZZA

Rico's Pizza offers NY Style hand tossed pizzas with a variety of toppings.

The full menu includes apppetizers,

salads, subs, calzones, stomboli's,

and pizza by the slice. Dessert, beer, and wine are also available.

(607) 962-2300, 92 West Market St, www.ricospizza.com

Wayland

“Eat Fresh.” (585) 728-3840, 2341 Rt. 63, www.acornmarkets.com.

}ACORN #16 FEATURING SUBWAY

Chemung County Horseheads

}RICO'S PIZZA

Rico's Pizza offers NY Style hand tossed pizzas with a variety of toppings.

The full menu includes apppetizers,

salads, subs, calzones, stomboli's,

and pizza by the slice. Dessert, beer, and wine are also available.

(607) 796-2200, 2162 Grand Central Ave, www.ricospizza.com

Finger Lakes Hammondsport

}MALONEY’S PUB

Maloney’s Pub offers live music year

round. Come show your talent or view

other local talent at their open mics

on Thursdays, or lounge around and

play pool at their pool table. They also

have pub merchandise available.

(607) 569-2264, 57 Pulteney St, www.maloneyspub.com.

Watkins Glen

}CAPTAIN BILL’S

Discover the beauty of Seneca Lake.

Dine afloat aboard the Seneca Legacy or

on the waterfront at Seneca Harbor

Station. Saturday night dinner cruises

sail from 6-9 p.m. Open 7 days.

(607) 535-4541, 1 N Franklin St, www.senecaharborstation.com.

Yorkholo Brewing

Co. & Restaurant Artisan ales paired with dishes made up of local ingredients 19 N. Main St. Mansfield, PA 570-662-0241

}JERLANDO'S RISTORANTE

& PIZZA CO.

Enjoy lunch or dinner on the Patio!

Large selection of American and Italian dishes; savor the flavor of our famous Garlic Knots & we make the “Best Pizza in Town”.Bon Appettito!

400 N. Franklin St., Watkins Glen, NY 14891, 607-535-4254 Open 7 days a week 10AM -9PM, jerlandospizza.com

63

Food & Drink

Mother Earth

Fly Away

By Gayle Morrow

F

lies are gross. Cluster flies are especially gross. They probably have their own little niche in the scheme of things, but I don’t see why my living space has to be a part of it. If they have good qualities, I am unaware of them. They make it unpleasant to read in bed at night.

Deceased, their corpses collect on the windowsills and scatter themselves over the floors. Alive, they bizzle – sluggish and somewhat aimless, except when they rouse themselves to endlessly circumnavigate the light fixture nearest to me. House flies at least are quick. They dart about as if on a mission, even if that mission is just spreading germs (cluster flies aren’t, by the way, disease carriers).

In Pennsylvania there can be three or four or more generations of cluster flies per season. Their life cycle begins when the female lays eggs on the soil near the burrows of a certain type of earthworm (not the kind we like to see in our gardens or on the end of a fishing line). The larvae hatch and infest the worms, pupate, and emerge to begin the cycle again.

As summer wanes, the current crops of adults are looking for a protected, cozy place to spend the winter. Little cracks in your house—attic vents, roof and wall cavities, spaces around windows and doors—all serve as an invitation. On warm days throughout the fall and winter, the adults become active, thinking perhaps it’s time to get out and find a worm burrow.

When faced with a cluster fly infestation, your first impulse may be to blast them with chemicals.

Those made with pyrethrins, a 64

mostly natural form of chrysanthemum-derived pyrethrum, are somewhat effective and not horribly toxic. The exterior application of such an insecticide may be temporarily helpful, but, because insecticides are broken down by sunlight, the residual effect is limited. The experts also caution against trying to eliminate the worms as a way to get rid of the flies, as the site of the infestation may be some distance from the flies’ origination.

The best course of action is to seal up the cracks and crevices where the flies get in. There are also beneficial nematodes you can purchase which, when applied to the ground, parasitize the fly larvae (ha ha!). You can try flytraps—containers with finely crushed eggshells in the bottom—in your windows, or hang the sticky fly strips around lights at night when the flies are active. Don’t crush the dead flies, as the smell may attract others. A flock of free-ranging fowl will eat a lot of bugs, so your chickens may be a resource as well.

My son, the Buddhist, tells me that killing anything, even insects, does not generate good karma. A preponderance of cluster flies may be a cyclical occurrence—the population may crash and the problem may correct itself over time. Wait it out if you can.

Gayle Morrow, former editor of The Wellsboro Gazette, cooks locally, and organically, at the West End Market Café.

Home & Garden

Seasons Greetings

And a Hearty Thanks to our Clientele Chair Manufacturing and Showroom Located just South of Morris 1.3 Mi. off of Rt. 287 54 Windsor Lane Morris, PA 16938 570-353-2735 wwwmorrischairshop.com Hrs. M-F 8-5 Sat. 9-3 Closed Sunday

Morris Chair Shop

"Santa we've been good, can we have our own printer to copy our favorite biscuits?"

Stop into Tioga Office Products to make copies of your favorite things!

65

Ho m e & G a rde n

The Icing on the Cake

By Derek Witucki

Photos by Elizabeth Young

L

ast December 10th was a great day in my life—our life. Rebecca Hazen and I got married at the First Baptist Church in Mansfield, just a week before I graduated from Mansfield University, where I had met Becca, a 2010 graduate, while working together on the college newspaper, The Flashlight.

As if that milestone wasn’t enough, we also faced our first big challenge as a couple: how to pull off a Christmas wedding and reception on a budget.

With friends and family pitching in, handmade magic carried the day.

Sixteen wreaths lined the walls of the Mansfield Fire Hall, snowflakes be66

decked the ceiling, candlelight shone on a classic three-tier wedding cake and on jingle bells ringing in our honor. Three tall blue spruce Christmas trees glittered with lights and the ornament favors for a hundred guests.

Yet now as we look forward to our first anniversary, December has given us another daunting decorating challenge. We closed on our first house the day after Thanksgiving, and before my head even hit the pillow in the new master bedroom, I became a nervous wreck, haunted by unanswerable questions. How to furnish our first home, a sprawling three-bedroom affair, almost overnight, with our sparse apartment

belongings? How to make a large, empty house cluttered with cardboard boxes a beautiful and memorable place in time for Christmas?

Okay, maybe I was asking for too much, another fairy-tale Christmas.

Maybe that’s why I had the sudden urge to make a gingerbread house. I knew this time I needed help from an artist, a pro. I needed Mary Wise.

Mary’s handmade Christmas ornaments are a prized keepsake sold during the annual Dickens of a Christmas celebration in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. Her gingerbread houses are intricate works of confectionery art.

See Icing on the Cake on page 68

Home & Garden

Now Offering Layaway!

18759 Route 287 Tioga, PA

20% off all in-stock Carhartt and Western Wear clothing (excluding Jeans and FR) Large selection of Mens, Womens, and Kids available!

570-827-2127

• Western Wear and Work Wear • Flame Resistant Clothing • Hardware and Building Materials • Excavating and More

Mon-Fri 7:30am til 6:00pm Sat 8:00am til 4:00pm Sun 9:00 am til 3:00 pm

Put your family’s comfort in the hands of the area’s most trusted remodeling company.

Let Bright Ideas by Martinec install new windows in your home helping your family enjoy warm winter days and lowering your energy bills. Call to meet with our window expert today!

607.562.7333 martinecbuilders.com 83 canal street, big flats, NY 14814

67

Home & Garden Icing on the Cake continued from page 66

I tracked her down at the meeting of the Wellsboro Art Club, and Mary, true to the Christmas spirit of generosity, was overflowing with good ideas. Here are a few: BRING THE OUTSIDE IN “You can fill in your tree with dried things, like I use hydrangeas. Get pine cones—they’re laying around outside—put a ribbon around them and hang them,” Mary suggested, joyously laughing with her friends in the club.

She also suggests ribbon, hung and twisted, for a traditional style of decorating along with lights, which add ambience to a room.

THE APPLE-CINNAMON ORNAMENT A simple recipe of applesauce, glue, and cinnamon can make great smelling tree ornaments. Prepare dough by adding a bottle of cinnamon and two tablespoons of an Elmer’s-type school glue to a jar’s worth of applesauce until formable, roll and form on excess cinnamon to prevent sticking and breaking, cut into shapes, use a straw to cut a ribbon hole, and either dry for one to two days at room temperature or bake at 200 degrees for an hour.

Add more spices, like nutmeg and cloves, for different scents.

A HOUSE FOR YOUR HOUSE To start making a gingerbread house, begin with a pattern. These can be drawn and cut out from paper or found online. Make sure that the pieces of the pattern fit together after they have been cut out.

Now you’ll need to prepare the dough. Any gingerbread cookie

recipe and mix will do; follow the mixing and baking instructions.

To roll the dough out evenly, especially with children, Mary uses two schoolhouse rulers positioned alongside the dough as tracks for the rolling pin to quickly roll it to an even thickness.

Once the dough is ready to cut into shape, place the pattern pieces on the dough and use a pizza cutter to trace the pattern because, unlike a knife, it won’t drag through the dough, Mary instructs. Mary cuts the pieces out directly on the baking sheet, because they are difficult to move without misshaping or breaking at this point. For a simple house, you’ll need two roof pieces, a front and back, and two sidewalls. If you want a chimney, decide now how it will look and if it will require holes or reshaping to the roof pieces.

Bake your dough and when it comes out of the oven, before it cools, retrace the pattern to cut off any misshaping or rising that happened during baking. Then let the gingerbread pieces fully cool.

Time to make the icing! But gingerbread houses can’t use just any icing, since it will be the glue that will hold the house up.

THE PERFECT ICING Mary’s recipe for a fast-drying and strong icing is: three egg whites, half of a teaspoon of cream of tartar, and one pound of confectioner’s sugar. Whip the mixture until smooth, and keep in a covered bowl to prevent premature drying.

Add food coloring to batches if you want to add any special colored icings to your house. Mary recommends starting with white and not

(Top photo) Mary Wise with one of her gingerbread houses. This one is topped with M&M’s and Resse’s Minis candies. The base is made of Rice Krispy Treats, and the snow drifts are icing that was poured over the Rice Krispys. (Center) If short for time, kits are available for gingerbread houses, but Mary advises to be choosy about what the package includes. (Bottom) Mary’s homemade gingerbread dough. She keeps the dough fresh by wrapping it in plastic wrap and storing it in a refrigerator.

68

Home & Garden

(Top left) Nonpareils make a sturdy siding that can be applied to a wall early in the decorating process. When decorating the walls, Mary applies two rows, leaving the top empty since the roof will cover it. (Right) For roof pieces, Mary draws a shingle pattern with icing. Shingles can also be made purely out of candy, like chocolate chips and squares or crackers. (Bottom left) Not for decoration, this icing will eventually hold the last roof piece.

mixing colors early on because, as any cake decorator can tell you, it hides your mistakes.

When the gingerbread pieces are cool and firm, Mary miters the sides of the gingerbread pieces that need to fit together by using a knife to shave off those edges at a forty-five degree angle. “It’s not just the Home-Ec part of it,” she said, “you have to know the construction part of it, too.”

If you’ll be icing the side of your house, do that now, and place any decorative candies into the icing. Wait to add more elaborate decorations later, as the assembly process can ruin them.

Place a strip of icing on the bottom of a sidewall piece. Stick it to a sheet of wax or parchment paper (it will lift right off when dry!) and

prop it up with whatever you have on hand—canned goods work wonders.

Do the same for the front and back pieces. To secure the corners, add a copious amount of icing and smooth it out with a knife or your finger. Add a pretzel stick or a candy cane for extra support and/or decoration, especially on taller houses.

Continue those steps until all four walls are up, and wait for the icing holding them together to fully dry. While waiting, decorate the roof pieces. Roof decorations can be a thick topping of “snow,” shingles made of icing and candy, or whatever else your imagination and candy buckets provide.

When the house is sturdy enough for the roof, add icing to the exposed

edges and attach the roof pieces one at a time. If you forget to remove the cans, you can lift the house over them when it is dry.

Now finish off the decorating!

With the right icing applicator, you can create icicles very simply by applying a dab, then pulling the applicator down until the icing comes off in a point.

Hit up a local candy store to pick up small amounts of neat looking candies to add to your house. And while you’re in town, look for me. Because this Christmas, the house on the bend will be dark no more. And maybe, if you look closely enough, you’ll see a gingerbread house through the window atop all those cardboard boxes.

69

www.npennrealestate.com

Real estate

FIRST

Chris Gilbert �������������������� 570-404-1268 Gwen Heyler �������������������� 570-854-8528 Joan Miller ����������������������� 570-439-4313 Wynnette Richardson����� 570-439-1841 Kim Case ������������������������� 570-404-0794 Scott Bastian, Broker ����� 570-662-2200

18 North Main St, Mansfield, PA 16933 • 570-662-2200 mansfieldremax@yahoo.com • www.twintiersrealty.com

Serving Tioga, Bradford, & Potter Counties, and Surrounding Areas RE DU CE D PR IC E

9.90 Acres - $89,900 117.51 Acres - $359,900

3.12 Acres - $99,900 1.50 Acres - $49,900 1.60 Acres - $54,900

TIOGA TWP

106.30 Acres - $599,000

CHATHAM TWP

10.16 Acres - $55,000

Attractive Split Level Home in the Country!

Gas fireplace in first floor family room with marble hearth. The 2 car attached garage was converted into 2 BR. Upstairs bonus room. Great country setting with views of the countryside fronting on paved road. Easy commute to Corning, NY. Only $209,900 M123245

DEERFIELD TWP

33.60 Acres - $79,900 SULLIVAN TWP

85.71 Acres - $212,500

LAND Liberty Twp

2.36 Acres - $34,000 16.30 Acres - $87,000

15.99 Acres - $39,900 80.97 Acres - $239,900

DELMAR TWP & WELLSBORO BORO

6.78 Acres - $114,900 9.29 Acres - $155,900

Great Home!

3 BR, 2 BA raised ranch with convenient in town location. 2 car detached garage.

Only $139,900 M123215

LAND Ward Twp 23.82 Acres - $74,900 50.78 Acres - $159,840 71.47 Acres - $221,910 120.69 Acres - $362,070 147.54 Acres - $442,620 176.96 Acres - $545,880 197.54 Acres - $600,120 200.78 Acres - $617,340 245.19 Acres - $750,570

WELLS TWP

LAND

1.00 Acre - $19,900 1.50 Acres - $32,900 1.66 Acres - $35,900

RE DU CE D

12.80 Acres - $59,900

Home is a Treasure in Private Wooded Setting! Located in a gated recreational community near State Lands where you will enjoy the wildlife, 4 wheeling, and snowmobiling.

While this home is compact is has many great features. Call today for a showing.

Only $134,900 M123252

WELLSBORO BORO

Great Location!

Double lot with 3 BR home in outskirts of Blossburg. Large living & dining room downstairs.

Large master BR & a small study nook in the dormer off the 2nd BR. Lots of parking with a driveway and both on street & off street parking.

Only $81,900 M123251

OSCEOLA TWP

PR IC E

LAND Jackson Twp 13.07 Acres - $39,900 16.57 Acres - $49,900 18.84 Acres - $65,000 25.59 Acres - $74,800 29.64 Acres - $84,800 31.36 Acres - $99,900 35.41 Acres - $109,900 42.16 Acres - $119,700 48.48 Acres - $144,800

2 Homes for One! Spacious Main Ranch Home & Income Guest Home. Mountain Views. Privacy. 3 BR 2 BA features Sun Rm, Living Rm w/Fireplace, Large Kitchen, Jacuzzi, Large Deck, 2 Car Garage w/ Heated workshop, 12x24 barn & 2 BR Guest House. 7.4 acres. Field & Woods.

Now Only $242,900 M122394

LAND

PINE TWP

Great Country Location!

2 BR newer home on block foundation. Located in rural PA on 30 acres with great hunting & lots of wildlife. Nice views from your covered or open deck.

Just $199,900 M123243

FARMINGTON TWP

20.74 Acres - $39,900 RE DU CE D

LAND

CHARLESTON TWP

WELLSBORO BORO

52.63 Acres - $249,900

2.50 Acres - $45,900 2.60 Acres - $45,900 5.11 Acres - $85,900 7.92 Acres - $89,900 11.80 Acres - $49,900 19.72 Acres - $129,900

Beautifully Landscaped!

Enjoy this renovated 3 BR, 3 BA home with open floor plan. Master suite with walk-in closet. Great front porch & large covered patio to enjoy the outdoors. Paved drive. Heated oversized two car garage. Located close to Mansfield & the New York border.

Now Just $199,000 M122442

LAND with OGMS

CERES TWP

LAND

DELMAR TWP

PR IC E

Spectacular Views!

Stunning 3 BR, 1¾ BA completely renovated log home! Hardwood floors, wrap around covered porch, custom cherry kitchen, granite counter tops, propane stone fireplace, & more. Fully finished basement. Situated on nearly 17 acres.

Just $359,900 M123130

LAND Liberty Twp 4.55 Acres - $39,000 4.80 Acres - $36,000 6.29 Acres - $39,900 7.49 Acres - $54,900 8.04 Acres - $45,900 11.01 Acres - $44,900 12.76 Acres - $39,900 51.04 Acres - $127,600 117.14 Acres - $499,900

LAWRENCE TWP

3.55 Acres - $34,900

COVINGTON TWP

21.62 Acres - $99,900

Cozy Cape Cod Home!

Real hardwood floors. Open kitchen/dining room area. New hickory cabinets. Oak staircase to upstairs living space. Conveniently located to all the amenities.

Just $119,900 M123248

COMMERCIAL LAND CHARLESTON TWP

7.32 Acres - $240,000 72.90 Acres - $1,750,000 RICHMOND TWP

5.00 Acres - $199,900

TIOGA BORO

0.16 Acres - $19,900

ATHENS TWP

30.13 Acres - $69,900 44.43 Acres - $139,900

Excellent For Your New Camp!

Upgraded 2 BR mobile home situated on 18.56 acres. Mix of open & woods with a stream. Easy commute to Mansfield, Troy, or Elmira.

Now Just $79,900 M122448

Each Office Independently Owned & Operated

LAWRENCE TWP

17.35 Acres - $1,750,000 TIOGA TWP

25.00 Acres - $2,500,000

www.npennrealestate.com

Real estate Convenient Downtown Location 78 Main St., Wellsboro, PA 570-724-5921 FAX 570-724-8077

SCAN TO VIEW ALL OUR LISTINGS

Email: c21wd@yahoo.com Visit online: www.century21wilkinsondunn.com

S TA B IL IT Y — S ERV ICE — S UCCES S

Wilkinson - Dunn Company

Log cabin tucked away with woods as your back drop! Tongue & groove interior, modern kitchen & bath, 2 bdrms, lazy day front porch. All on 1.5 acres in Potter County.

Ulysses

MH-122892

Wooded 3.13 acre building lot with rights to Buck Lake, a private lake for fishing and recreation. Lot is perced, surveyed & electric available Jackson

MH-122915

$32,900

$139,900

Commercial land at NY Border just off Rt 49 and future I99 N/S Corridor. 22.77 level acres, public water, public sewer and public utilities are available. 1444 frontage on Rt 49.

Stunning woodwork from Era’s gone by.

Spectacular stairway, pocket doors, ornate fireplace, wood floors, plus 3 bdrms, 2 baths, modern kitchen and attractive exterior. Corner lot, new 2 car garage with finished upstairs living space.

Lawrenceville

Wellsboro

MH-122977

$1,821,600

MH-122963

$237,500

No one around! Seclusion on end of private road on wooded 24.65 acres in Potter County. Cute Cape Cod. 3 bedroom, 1 ½ bath, fireplace, plus sunroom to enjoy wildlife.

Attractive Cape Cod in Northern Tioga County. Vinyl exterior to limit your maintenance. Interior is adorable, hardwood floors, ¾ bdrms, 1 ½ baths, 2 car garage with 2nd story for storage.

Pike

Jackson

MH-122844

$215,000

Great starter home or mountain get away. Home features modern kitchen, nice dining room, comfortable living room, 3 bdrms & new furnace in 2011. Large lot includes an oversized garage for extra storage plus a carport. Heated workshop and garden shed that provide ample space for all your needs.

Morris MH-122952 $89,500

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

MH-123019

$154,900

Picturesque Cape Cod in Wellsboro. Home features large living room with brick gas fireplace.

Formal dining room, eat in kitchen, den could be first floor bedroom plus 3 upstairs bdrms & 1 ½ baths. Garage has a family room that needs to be finished for extra living space. Home is nicely landscaped and easy to maintain.

Wellsboro MH-122953 $159,900

www.npennrealestate.com

Real estate

Call the office at 570-723-8484 477 Tioga Street, Rt. 6 West One mile west of the Wellsboro Diner Wellsboro, Pa. 16901

www.mountainvalleyrealtyllc.com NORTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA’S CHOICE FOR: COMMERCIAL, HOMES, ACREAGE, FARMS, CABINS, & RENTALS “Professionals working hard for YOU”

OUTSTANDING POTENTIAL FOR YOUR HOMESTEAD ON) 10 ACRES! – This setting is very private and ideal as farmette. Hefty log home overlooking the valley and mountains! Cozy, rustic interior, sunroom, wraparound porch and deck.

Short drive to Wellsville, NY, located between Mills and Genesee. Property has subdivision pending from larger parcel. $289,000 #122913

LOG CABIN ON 33 ACRES WITH 100% OGMS – VACATION, HUNT, SNOWMOBILE! Here’s your dream property with 33+ acres, unleased 100% OGMs! Log cabin offers secluded setting in the PINE CREEK VALLEY with long views, ROW to State Forest, great solitude for relaxation. Short drive to PA Grand Canyon and Wellsboro. Call for pertinent details!$299,000

LIKE ON VACATION YEAR ROUND – This unique home/camp on 1 acre is surrounded by woods and EZ drive to State lands or Pine Creek! A must see home offering 3 bdrms., 2 bathrooms, rustic refurbished kitchen and living room. Two level covered deck and full length rear screen porch!

Efficient and low maintenance. $129,000 #122598

EXCEPTIONAL VIEWS -SECLUDED SETTING2.87 AC – This Potter County attractive comfortable home offers a long list of wonderful amenities including attached 3 car garage, central vac, central air, concrete driveway, lg. composite deck, maintenance free exterior, etc.

2-3 bdrms. 1.5 baths. EZ to Wellsville, NY or Coudersport,Pa.$219,000 #122599

VACATION RENTAL OR PERMANENT GET AWAY – Here’s your opportunity to get your secluded mountain home on 13+ acres with OGM’s! This unique property currently is a vacation rental,or use as a home. Property is in excellent condition with open floor plan, finished basement, carport. 2 acres currently receiving royalities. $249,500 #122647

COZY & SECLUDED LOG CABIN -10+ ACRES – This cabin sits in private setting in the woods and would be ideal for a hunting camp or family retreat! Home was built in 2007 andhas a finished basement for extra living space. Won’t last long.

Buy before hunting season starts! $164,900 #122761

QUIET & SECLUDED HOME - POTTER COUNTY – Secluded home with many updates including new roof and new furnace. Also features loft area, fireplace, 2 pellet stoves and is within walking distance to Lake Lloyd with unlimited fishing rights on the 42 acre lake. $159,900 #122763

179 ACRES WITH 3 BEDROOM HOME AND 100% OGM’S – Here’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase a 179+ acre farm with 100% OGM’s! Property also has a completely renovated 3 story home along with a restored barn as well. Property is currently leased and 100% OGM’s convey to buyer. EZ drive to Williamsport/ Wellsboro. $1,350,000 MLS 122872

YOUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME – Short drive to Wellsboro, yet tucked in the wilderness. Cabin on 2 acres, borders state. Features wraparound deck, woodstove, with spacious rooms for large family or hunting club members. $85,000 #122946

VICTORIAN 4 BEDROOM HOME - WELLSBORO – This home is one of the oldest homes in the town of Wellsboro with gorgeous hardwood floors, fireplace, attached garage, stream, great floor plan, historic charm and all of your updated modern conveniences! Own your piece of history for just $174,900 #122986

STUNNING LOG HOME-PRIVATE 39.94 ACRES – Newer 3 bdrm log home offers spacious loft, 2 baths. Lower level with walkout provides a sophisticated master suite with bathroom which leads to private porch and hot tub. Cathedral ceilings in kitchen and living room. Attached lg 2 car garage and lg 3 car detached garage/ workshop, $477,000 #122992

NICE GETAWAY LOCATION - CLOSE TO WELLSBORO – Perfect for hunting or a family getaway on 1.73 acres! This camp features 2 first floor bedrooms, open floor plan, a large loft on the second floor and is close to State Game Lands.

Priced to sell at $79,000 #122998

REMODELED 3 BDRM COTTAGE IN WELLSBORO – Home offers new roof, dormers,windows, siding, new front porch,flooring,carpet, completely new kitchen and appliances, new bathroom and fixtures, heaters & hotwater heater. Large rear deck. Walking distance to hospital, Park and Main St. amenities.

Owned by PA licensed Realtor. $124,900 #123015

PRIVATE LOGHOME RETREAT – Attractive log home features a 2 sided stone fireplace with wood insert. Cherry steps to the second floor loft which offers 2 bdrms & bathroom. Spacious great rm offers cathedral ceilings & slate floors. Home boasts beautiful master suite. All this on 32 private acs!EZ to Wellsboro.$435,000.#121313

SUBSTANTIAL COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITYOWNER OCCUPY – Historic Comm location at Rt. 6 & Rt. 449, Potter County-Opportunity to owner occupy on property on 2.8 ac with a multitude of commercial endeavors including Gift Shop, Gs Industry use, etc. 2 levels of store/office and living space with 2 car garage. Pertinent details available. $498,000 #123190

OUTSTANDING EXECUTIVE STYLE HOME-24 AC – 100% OGM’s! Majestically overlooking the valley! 4 bdrm home offers exquisite spacious open interior with list of tastefully designed amenities. Property also offers a full raised finished basement for family entertainment area with 2nd kitchen.EZ to NY, Mansfield, & Rt.15/I-99 $440,000 #122338

www.npennrealestate.com

SO LD

Real estate

50 ,8

75

$1 00 $6

25 $1

25

Chicken coop was $775

,0 $3

,3 $2

SO

10’ x 12’ Cape Cod was $2000

10’ x 12’ Mini Barn was $1650

25

10’ x 14’ Mini Barn was $1750

8028 Rt. 414 Liberty, PA 16930

8 x 8 Villa with Vinyl Siding was $2100

8’ x 10’ A frame was $1500

,5

75 ,5

LD

LD SO

8’ x 12’ Deluxe potting shed was $ 2700

$1 12’ x 20’ Deluxe Cape Cod was $4500

10’ x 20’ Cape Cod was $2750

$1

$2 8’ octagon gazebo with belle roof was $3700

SO LD

SO LD

10 x 12 Mini Barn was $1650

,3

25 ,4

25 ,3 $3

$1

,5

25

Close out pricing on all in-stock storage sheds!

www.blackcreekent.com 10’ x 16’ Cape Cod was $2250

8’ x 8’ Mini Barn was $1250

Don’t see what you’re looking for here?

Order your custom shed now to lock in this year’s pricing!

10’ x 16’ A Frame was $2500

10’ x 16’ Deluxe Classic was $3370

Hurry in to take advantage of these deals, because when they’re gone, they are gone!

Phone 570-324-6503

Immaculate, upgraded 3 BR ranch in the Boro of Coudersport on 2.5 acres with Mill Creek frontage—a rare find! New ceramic tile counters in the kitchen and baths, large (finished inside) party garage with 1/2 bath & kitchen area, offering seclusion with access.

MTHDLM 122165 $119,000

Beautiful, secluded 5 BR log home or lodge on 315+ wooded acres; scenic pond w/swimming area, log bunk house, miles of 4-wheeler trails, food plots, large equipment barn, complete solar energy system, high speed internet, new underground electric, timber value.

MTHDLM 122808 $995,000

Outstanding 4 BR country home with stone fireplace and flagstone floor; vaulted ceiling in living room, large master suite, huge attached garage w/kitchen and laundry room, great outbuildings, income from mobile home, close to State Land, walk to Pine Creek, 4-wheel and snowmobile from home.

MTHDLM 122993 $229,000

Borders State Forest at the top of Denton Hill— snowmobile and 4-wheel right from your front door! This neat as a pin camp/home on 3+ acres is secluded, yet only minutes from Route 6. Most furnishings included.

MTHDLM 123072 $139,000

www.npennrealestate.com

Real estate WWW.PENNOAKREALTY.COM

65 Main Street, Wellsboro, PA 16901 l (570) 724-8000

PA Certified WBE

Elegant Wellsboro home with history – “The House That Love Built.” Original woodwork inside and out; 5 BRs, 6 baths, spacious living area on 1st floor, manicured court yard plus off street paved parking area and traditional front porch. Bonus areas in full basement are heated, previously utilized as living space and finished for storage, office or studio.

MTH 121625 $499,900

Beautifully restored 3 BR Victorian style farm house within minutes of Coudersport, with cozy eat-in kitchen, covered front and side porches, large heated garage and shop, small stream meanders through property, nicely landscaped.

MTH 121321 $159,900

Spacious, carefully remodeled farmhouse in Richmond Township features new windows, kitchen and bathroom in ‘09, large remodeled laundry room and entry area; den could be 1st floor BR. Attached 2 car garage, rear deck, landscaped yard, concrete driveway and mini-barn.

MTH 121631 $158,900

Two BR doublewide in a well established park just outside of Wellsboro. Updates include new tilt-in windows, 30 gallon hot water heater, gas furnace. Lot rent is $290/ month, includes public water, sewer, trash pick up. Park owners must approve Buyers; won’t last long—schedule an appointment.

MTH 123236 $28,500

Excellent investment opportunity with this flexible office/business space. Up-to-date facility in a desirable location at the outskirts of Wellsboro with a high traffic flow. This property could also be suitable for a homebased cottage business, with modifications to the upstairs for living quarters. Also available for lease.

MTH 122885 $249,900

30 acres with long views and a mix of open and wooded ground. Located on township road in northwestern Tioga County, a short drive to lakes and other public lands; perc approved. Build your vacation home or permanent residence.

With OGM’s (MTH 122911) $174,900 Without OGM’s (MTH 122910) $134,900

SCAN TO VIEW OUR LISTINGS

50.83 acres with a nice mixture of open and wooded portions. OGM’s are included on this not yet leased parcel. Beautiful lot for a dream home, recreational dwelling or nice camping site.

MTH 122870 $315,000

8+ acres in Boro of Blossburg with 3 main buildings connected by walkways, attached gymnasium, along w/maintenance garage and other outbuildings. Total square footage above grade of main building complex is 51,758 sqft. Currently vacant, recently used as residential youth treatment facility and health care system administrative offices.

MTH 123207 $750,000

Commercial Sales & Leasing

FIRST

Chris Gilbert - Realtor chris.gilbert@remax.net direct: 570-404-1268 office: 570-662-2200 18 North Main St., Mansfield, PA

Wm. P. Connolly Real Estate Co. www.connollyrealestate.com 570-324-3000

Unique home in Liberty Township Built in 2008, this 2 story, 3 bdrm, 2½ bath home situated on 12 wooded acres has handcrafted woodwork thru/ out, cathedral ceilings, and Adirondack siding. Inside there is oak and ceramic flooring. Kitchen has hickory cabinets and a breakfast bar. Great amenities: Large covered wrap-around deck w/ handcrafted railings, full basement, 20’x30’ 2-story garage, and a small barn. Oil/ HOME #1218 gas rights currently leased and included.

PRICE REDUCED! Great Commercial Location!!

3.94 acres featuring a 3 BR ranch home with 1800+ sq ft & attached carport. Located on business Route 15 just south of the Covington exit.

Now Just $419,900 M121895

Great Investment Opportunity!

3 fully rented mobile homes on this property. This provides $2,100 income each month. Hurry won’t last long!

Only $115,900 M123145

For Lease!

Commercial shop & yard offering 96’x60’ bldg with 4 O/H doors & 38’x60’ heated bay with 2 offices, 1/2 bath, & mezzanine storage. Additional 2-4 acres available.

Just $8,000/month M123227

For Lease!

Great newly constructed 44x77 metal building. Easy access located on Route 249 and close to Route 287. Large overhead doors to accommodate larger vehicles.

Only $3,500/month M123079

$259,900

EACH OFFICE INDEPENDENTLY OWNED & OPERATED

All-Sys All-Sys SlickSlick #: #: MA3.625x2.25_CutDownonBills_013113 MA3.625x2.25_CutDownonBills_013113

www.npennrealestate.com

Real estate

Trying Trying to Cut to Cut Down Down on on Bills?

Bills?

to see to see howhow we can we can savesave youyou money! money!

True Blue Name Satellite Systems Retailer’s Retailer’s Name 699 Karr Valley Rd, Almond, NY (607) 276-2817 000-000-0000 000-000-0000 truebluesat.getdish.com

Restrictions Restrictions apply. Call apply. for Call Details. for Details.

107 Main Street Wellsboro, Pa. 16922

570-723-1600

Potter County, PA – 17 wooded acres that adjoin State Forest Lands!! Gently rolling, wooded, close to fishing streams and snowmobile trails, perfect for a hunting cabin!

Electric to land, surveyed with painted boundary lines, good road access. Keating Summit area. $72,900. Owner financing to qualified buyers. 800-668-8679.

www.wellsboroparealestate.com

Pleasant Valley Rd., Harrison Valley Country Contemporary on 136 beautiful acres with stocked pond, a creek and 3800 sq. ft. of living space!

There are wraparound lower and upper decks, hot tub, covered porch, basement summer kitchen plus a garage/workshop. There is too much to mention so call to see it today!

REF#10602

Cameron County, PA – 7.7 acres with incredible stream frontage! Land is wooded, partly flat/part hillside, borders state forest, electric, perc approved, surveyed. 6 miles north of Emporium near the Sizerville State Park. $59,900. Owner financing to qualified buyers. 800-668-8679.

$679,000

Out of the mold, into the wide-open…

Magnificent home sites

Four to thirteen acres Build-to-suit option Have your dream home SundanceRidgeLiving.com 570-724-5575

Inspired by Nature

www.npennrealestate.com

Real estate

Open

www.npennrealestate.com

Real estate “Your Real Estate Connection to the Finger Lakes!”

Burdett, NY. Have you ever though about owning part of an airstrip? Unique opportunity to own 10.96 Acres with panoramic views extending three counties and Seneca Lake. Build your dream home with partial ownership of the 2800’ grass Eagle Ridge Airstrip. Private drive, installed electric & well on property. $95,000

Burdett, NY. 22+ Acres located just minutes outside the Village of Burdett. Village water accessible. Subdividable land with uninhabitable home on the property. Build your dream home and take advantage of the Valley and Seneca Lake views! $112,000

Cabins to Castles on Seneca Real Estate 317 N. Franklin Street Watkins Glen, NY 14891 Office: (607) 535-2586 Fax: (607) 535-7526

www.CabinstoCastlesRE.com

Rock Stream, NY. 100 Acres with distant Seneca Lake views! Mostly wooded with building site ready to go. 2 drilled wells and 1 dug well with septic area prepped with materials. Prime land for hunting or other recreational uses. Mineral Rights are negotiable. $295,000

Watkins Glen, NY. Rare opportunity to own a lakeside business in the heart of the Finger Lakes tourism. 5 Unit Seneca Lake lodging with comfortable 3 bedroom owners home on site. Two 2 Bedroom units with kitchen and living areas and three cabins.

210’ of Seneca Lake front with 2 Docks and plenty of deck space on natural beach. $698,000

Hector, NY. Located just off the Scenic Byway of State Rte 414 in Hector is this 3 Bedroom 2 Bathroom home surrounded by trees for privacy. 24.18 Acres of Spectacular land with a large stocked pond, fruit trees, and vineyard. Heated outbuilding with bathroom and walk-in cooler. Attached 2 car garage. Great place to start your homestead! $180,000

Burdett, NY. 3 Bedroom, 1.5 Bathroom Ranch home features a spacious addition with wooden cathedral ceilings. Beautiful updated kitchen. Hardwood floors. Cozy living room with fireplace. 1 Acre lot boasts a huge 3 bay garage set up for a bathroom, radiant floor heat, loft, and office/workshop.

Would be a great place for an at home business! $139,900

Reading Center, NY. 40+ Acres with over 1700’ of road frontage on 2 roads.

Mostly wooded, with access trails throughout and cleared area for building! Mineral rights will convey with property. This is a beautiful property to build on or use as a recreational area to enjoy the Finger Lakes. $106,000

Burdett, NY. 73 Acres Surrounded by the National Forest! Mostly wooded with appx 6 cleared acres with breathtaking views.

A-Frame cabin with bath, kitchen, and loft sleeping area. Prime recreation property or to build your dream home!

Prime Wellsboro Properties Land and Commercial

Historic Church on 2.5 Acres

This large church is one of Wellsboro’s most historic buildings, the second-oldest in Tioga County, and mentioned in the National Register. Short walk to downtown, 5,000 square feet if made to two floors, plus 2.5 acres zoned for many uses including grand house, public uses, and a townhouse development with 33 bedrooms.

Drawing by Land Services Group completed. The last big investment opportunity involving downtown Wellsboro lots and land.

Residential

Highland Street Treasure

Spacious rancher overlooking beautiful downtown Wellsboro, one block walk to town, 4 BR, 2.5 bath, fireplace, solid maple floors, spacious kitchen with new appliances, attached garage, and a full, large basement. 1.71 acres, fenced yard, perfect for a family, children and animals.

Call Mike (570) 439-1190

MarketPlace

Shop Around the Corner

Pop’s Culture Shoppe: From Play to Plato

By Rebecca Hazen

Pop’s Culture Shoppe 2 East Avenue Wellsboro, PA 16901 570-723-4263

Photos by Elizabeth Young

“Y

ou can learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” So said the Ancient Greek philosopher Plato, and so reads the back of a T-shirt for sale at Pop’s Culture Shoppe.

“We think it is true because people really open up over a board game,” said Anja Stam, who, with her husband Julian, opened the new shop in downtown Wellsboro earlier this year.

With a mission statement “To promote social interaction through hands-on-learning and fun,” Pop’s Culture Shoppe is not your average game store. With original comic book art lining the walls, and games, toys, puzzles, and art supplies filling the shelves, there is something for everyone here. Julian describes it as “hands-on learning and fun.” “[The shop] is combining all of our 78

loves, so it is kind of hard to put it in a nutshell,” Anja explained.

Pop’s Culture Shoppe was born out of a passion for comic books and board games. Julian has been playing board games all his life. As a kid, he would even resort to bribery to get a game going.

“I would pay my sister a quarter to play bingo with me,” Julian laughed.

Anja added, “I enjoy playing games too; I’m just not as competitive as he is!”

In 1988, when the Stams were purchasing their first home, Julian’s parents found his childhood collection of comic books in the attic and returned the stack to him.

Afterward, Julian attended a comic book convention with his rediscovered collection, and soon grew to love trading and selling them with fellow collectors.

The demo library behind the cash register in Pop’s Culture Shoppe.

MARKETPLACE

The Stam family moved to Wellsboro in 2004 after deciding that the big city of Boston was not the right fit for them, and, soon after that, the hobby of selling comic books evolved into selling game pieces when the game Heroclix came out, which is similar to a chess game, but with superhero pieces.

Julian made it into a full-time online business called Woolverine Games.

But Woolverine Games soon outgrew itself, and Julian and Anja planted their roots at 2 East Avenue last April with a new name.

“This all started with comic books, and those are sort of the epitome of pop culture. It’s also Pop’s culture, because I’m not necessarily into things that are popular today. People ask what is Pop’s culture, and I tell them it is anything that I think is cool,” Julian said.

“We have very positive feedback from the community. Usually on Friday nights we have more than forty people in the store playing games. The chess club is on Mondays. We have a number of families playing during our Saturday game days,” Julian said.

That is one of the wonderfully unique aspects of Pop’s Culture Shoppe.

At the store, your options are not limited to looking at the products on the shelves, picking out one to purchase, and hoping that you like it once you’ve opened it and tried it out at home.

Behind the cash register is a whole demo library of games available for people to try. Julian loves the demo library—it is his favorite feature of the store.

Anja and Julian are even hoping to expand it into a lending library, so that if people want to, they can take the games home to play.

Game nights provide the setting and the activities for family and friends to unplug from their computers, televisions, and video games. Game night, Julian said, “brings people together who might not otherwise have known each other.”

“A lot of people are saying it is a great gift shop, but also, it is great to have a place for people to do something

Scott Walker, 570-295-1083

See Pop’s on page 80

79

Mountain Home

A peek into the game room of Pop’s Culture Shoppe, where people can meet to play games.

Play continued from page 79

in town,” Anja said.

“People come to the store sometimes and say that they love games, but they don’t have anyone to play with,” Anja continued. “It is great to have an environment for people like that. We hope to facilitate more of that in the future.”

“When we see kids learning from them—that is one of the reasons why we like games. There are kids who are math phobic who are adding, subtracting, and multiplying. Because, in a non-threatening situation, it is much easier for them to do it. They can then translate these skills,” Julian said.

Quarto is, for this reason, Anja’s favorite game. For Quarto, a player needs to get four game pieces in a row on the board, and they have to have one attribute in common— for instance, all square pieces or all hollowed-out pieces—even though the shapes and colors are different.

“I am a very visual person. It gets the brain going,” Anja said.

The Stams also have art-related items in the store, such as paintbrush and paint sets.

“We also focus on imagination, so that is why we carry art supplies.

We think it is so important for people to be creative in their play

80

and thinking,” Anja said.

The Stams believe their success is partly due to their ability to bring their strengths together, plus the help of their fabulous staff team.

According to Anja, Julian, who was the Preservation Librarian at Boston College, has a natural business sense and keeps his finger on the pulse of the collectibles market and runs the Internet business.

Anja’s experience with the arts and education (she volunteered as a parent helper in schools) and in the clerical field helps her focus on growing the inventory of creative toys and educational board games while keeping things organized.

“We were very excited when Tara Gordon agreed to join our team because she has the retail experience that neither of us had before. As a mom who is very involved in the community, Tara also is great at recommending appropriate games for different ages and learning styles,” Anja said.

The Stam’s daughter, Kristin, also helps out as much as possible.

(Older daughter Maia is a dance administration major at Goucher College in Maryland.) Anja speaks of Kristin as an “efficient and careful packer” and says she comes in handy whenever the store needs posters and decorating.

Jacob Hallead rounds out the staff by helping part-time with sorting, shipping, and many other odd jobs that often crop up at the store.

T h e St a m s a re c u r re n t l y developing a Web site, so their items will be available to purchase online. Check it out soon at www. popscultureshoppe.com.

“We just want to share joy. There is something for everyone. We want to make sure that adults don’t stop playing,” Anja said.

“A store is one thing,” Julian added, “but a store that is part of the community makes it more meaningful for us.”

Shopping

Service Directory

Marketplace

Beneath The Veil, The Realm of Faery Awaits

Mind…Body…Spirit An Enchanting Gift Shoppe Est. 2000 6 East Avenue Wellsboro, PA (570) 724-1155 www.enchanted-hollow.com

Games

Imagination

Fun

Fun Gifts for all ages!

Check out our facebook page for events.

2 East Avenue Wellsboro,PA 16901

570-723-4263

Evolution Arms 5 South Main Street, Tioga, PA 16946 Mon-Sat 10AM - 7PM

Gun & Ammo Sales Class III Weapons Dealer Weapon Accessories Suppressors, Builds Tannerite,Targets Firearms, Ammunition Phone 570-418-8042 Fax 570-418-8043 evolutionarms@yahoo.com

Professional Services

Sporting Goods

Lodging

5610 St Rt 414 Hector, NY 14841

SPORTING GOODS

For all your sporting good needs!

Reloading supplies, guns, shells, clothes, and much, much more!

See Special Weekend Hours for Deer Season!

Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 9am-6pm Fri. 9am-8pm Sat. 9am-5pm

570-662-3429

15 W. Wellsboro St. Mansfield, PA

JOHN’S SPORTING GOODS Guns bought, sold, and traded!

Visa, Mastercard & Discover 90 day Layaway & Gift Certificates 814-435-3544 johnmzeigler@verizon.net 27 Whispering Pines Ln. Galeton, PA 81

B a c k o f t h e M o u n ta i n

Christmas Vignette Photo by Mia Lisa Anderson

The Christmas tree at the Wellsboro Green glows against a snowy night.

82

Get Xtreme Internet!

It’s time to hit the refresh button on both your home and business internet experience.

Try it risk free to compare!

And the first 30 days are on us!

Now available in Wellsboro & Mansfield 570.787.7000 or www.indigoxtreme.com

I’M A SUSQUEHANNA CANCER SURVIVOR. “I was blessed to be treated at an amazing comprehensive cancer center, right here in Williamsport. I knew I was in good hands the moment I walked into the Susquehanna Health Cancer Center, with its bright, airy and modern facilities. They treated my breast cancer with the latest technology and therapies. Throughout it all, I was impressed by the skills and compassion of the doctors, nurses, nutritionists and social workers who treat you – body, mind and soul. They provided comfort and guidance for me and my family every step of the way. Now that my cancer is cured, I’m exercising regularly and have already dropped 30 pounds. I’m healthy, strong and feel like a new person – and I appreciate every magical moment of life.” – Sue Danneker, Linden To learn more about our Cancer Center and Sue’s story of survival, visit SusquehannaHealth.org/Cancer