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DAHLIA SEASON Uniting the Upper Delaware River Region of PA, NJ & NY

Early Fall 2026

Two Great Places, One Location!

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514 RT 515 • VERNON TWP, NJ 07462 • (973)events! 764-6773 for all upcoming

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Top Rated Cafe and Coffee Follow us on Facebook Shop infor New Jersey all upcoming events! OPEN DAILY 6AM-6PM

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Come meet a wide selection of vendors in Vernon next to The Daily Bean. Gifts and Home Decor.

31 Jersey Ave, Port Jervis (845) 754-1808 Celebrating 18 Years!

Glenn Heller • Sept. 3rd Tropical Turbulence • Sept. 16th Artist Reception • Sept. 18th Nail • Sept. 30th

Saturday • September 12th “Splat” Party Saturday • September 19th Fall Artists Reception GROOVE-PORT PRESENTS: Savage-Smit Quartet Saturday • October 3rd • 7pm

LEARN MORE

GOOD TASTE. GOOD COMPANY.

401 BROAD ST. MILFORD PA 18337

Early Fall 2026

DAHLIA SEASON Uniting the Upper Delaware River Region of PA, NJ & NY

Early Fall 2026

Linda Grinthal of Sunset View Farms carries a bouquet of beauty from her dahlia farm. Photo courtesy of Sunset View Farms

Publisher & Editor

Amy Bridge publisher@milfordjournal.com

Associate Editor

Graphic Design

B’Ann Bowman

Maureen “Moe” Taylor

Editorial Readers Robert Bowman Amy Smith

Advertising Team Amy Bridge amy@milfordjournal.com David Dangler dangler908@yahoo.com

Nancy DeRienzo nancyderienzo33@gmail.com

The Journalists

Susie Shope Susan.shope@icloud.com

The Poet

Marta Hallett • Marlaina Donato Joseph Blanco • Marilyn Rosenthal Eric Francis

Paulette Calasibetta

Mission The tri-state upper Delaware River highlands and valleys are a place of rare beauty… Seeing the region and living in it almost aren’t enough. Such beauty should be captured on canvas or film so that one can truly appreciate it, glimpse it in the quiet of an art gallery or museum, or between the pages of a poetry book or literary sketch. The Journal Group’s mission is to capture these momentary snapshots of beauty graphically and through the written word. We celebrate our area and the uniqueness of the people who live and work in the tri-state region. From Pike to Wayne and Monroe to Lackawanna Counties in Pennsylvania, upriver to Sullivan County and on to Orange County in New York, and to the headwaters of the Wallkill River and

along Warren and Sussex Counties’ rolling hills in New Jersey, with quaint, historic towns and hamlets at the center, the Journal Group opens its doors to our communities, businesses and organizations, to serve as a communicative journal of all that we have to offer for those who live here and for those who love to visit us, too.

Publication Information The Journal Group publishes The Journal eight times a year and distributes it in eight counties in PA, NJ and NY. We assume no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts. Contents may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission. We reserve the right to refuse to print advertisements that we deem inappropriate. All rights reserved.

Contents

Early Fall 2026

12 • art • Marta Hallett 18 • food • Soup's On 22 • history • Bandelier 26 • life • Dr. Ginny Baro 30 • nature • Sunset View Farm

6 • journal entry 7 • poem 10 • around the towns 34 • signs

Journal Entry

I remember it well. It was a perfectly beautiful fall day. The sky a vibrant cerulean blue. Sept 11th, 2001. Could it be 25 years already?

93, en route from Newark Airport. He and all the others who worked in his office’s skyscraper had already heard the news, even though it was three hours earlier there.

My mother was at the tail end of a trip to Germany, Italy, and then Turkey and set to fly back home the next day. My sister was on a business trip in Chicago. Neither knew it that morning, but it would be days before the flight ban was lifted over the airspace in the NY metro area and they could return home.

As soon as traffic let up, I hightailed it to my son’s school in a suburban commuter town, a place where kids weren’t sure if their parents were still alive. I remember thinking that if the world was ending, I wanted to be with my son.

I was headed west on Route 3 in Secaucus, NJ, just this side of the Lincoln Tunnel. The morning traffic was at a standstill. Drivers parked their cars and stood on the asphalt looking back at the city, many with binoculars in their hands. I watched in horror as the second tower disintegrated into rubble and dust. I’d witnessed it with my own eyes; a sight I still can’t get out of my head. The frenetic newscaster’s voice came over my car’s AM radio station, 1010 WINS, alerting me that cell phone lines were overwhelmed across the country, but I got through to my brother in California on the first try. I wanted to warn him that there was a plane headed his way. It was Flight 6

Walking down the school’s somewhat narrow hallway, I noticed the classrooms were dark and empty. The PA system repeated eerie announcements telling the students that they could leave at any time, as long as a parent showed up at the makeshift sign-out location. Two thousand nine hundred and seventy-seven people were killed as a result of the terrorist attacks. Everyone has their own story of that day. Many are much more horrific than mine. But one thing I will never forget is the sense of unity and the feeling of community that we all felt for each other for months afterwards. It’s unfortunate that it took a tragedy of this magnitude to feel that way.

Amy

Poem

Autumn’s Song Leaves—garnet and gold Wrestle in the breeze, Whistle autumn’s song. A crisp symphony Played amongst the trees, Warblers sing in harmony. Fields in stubble sleep Wrapped in a misty haze, Safe from winter’s frost, Beneath the wine moon’s gaze. - Paulette Calasibetta

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THE ANTOINE DUTOT MUSEUM & GALLERY 2026 SEASON

Experience Authentic Indian Food

The Antoine Dutot Museum houses a historic collection of artifacts and memorabilia from the golden age of the Delaware Water Gap as the premier resort destination in the east. The Museum is located at 24 Main Street (Route 611) Delaware Water Gap, PA (570) 476-4240 Hours are seasonal: Memorial Day through Columbus Day Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 pm with art openings Friday nights from 7-9 pm www.dutotmuseum.org Follow us on Facebook: DutotMuseumandGallery 8

214 Spring Street • Newton, NJ In the Gallery:

(862) 275-7128

May 22-June 7

Andrea Levergood-Flaherty

June 12-28

Beth Halliwell & Khrystyna Khristianova

July 3-19

Photography group show

July 24-Aug 9

Linda Schwartz

August 14-30

Caren Shapiro (CJ)

September 4-20 The $150 group show Sept 25-Oct 11

Darlene Farris-Labar

HOURS: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 11:30am to 9pm Friday and Saturday 12pm to 10pm Closed on Tuesday

Fine Dine In, Take Out, and Delivery Order online: www.indianmasalanj.com

Come see our seasonal farm fresh produce 58 Sunset Inn Rd, Lafayette, NJ 07848

Catering Available

Delivery with DoorDash

Hours: Monday-Sunday 7am-6pm Hours: Mon.-Sun. 7am-6pm

973.300.0612 973.300.0612 WESSELHOF.COM WESSELHOF.COM WESSELHOF.COM WESSELHOF.COM

WESSELHOF.COM

Layton, NJ

rsValley.org • ete

LEARN with US

arn More at P Le

Dr. Sherri Talbot-Valerio

Weekend Workshops in Blacksmithing, Ceramics, Printmaking, and more!

rsValley.org • ete

and SHOP with US In-person or at PetersValleyGallery.org

Around the Towns Early Fall

Painting Painting Restoration Restoration

August 27th Thursday 9 a.m.

––––––––––––––––––––

Keller Williams Pocono Classic Golf Tournament. Glen Brook Golf Course, Stroudsburg, PA. Full day of golf & community. $125. Benefits Olsen Christmas Wish & KW Cares. Info: 570.421.2890. “Preserving heirlooms.” “Preservingfamily family heirlooms.” Custom Picture Framing Custom Picture Framing With a curated collection of over 3000+ choices from America’s best With a curated colection of over 5000+ Fine Art Prints & Antiquebest Prints choices from America’s Fine Art Prints from Island Arts International

Fine Art Prints & Antique Prints Painting Restoration Painting Restoration 19 Main St, Sparta, NJ • 973.660.0922 Hours: Design Design Consultations Consultations Tuesday - Friday 10-6 Hours: Hours:Wednesday Wednesday through throughFriday Friday 10-6 10-6By ByAppointment, Appointment, Saturday 10-5 Saturday Saturday10-5 10-5By ByAppointment Appointment&&Walk-Ins Walk-InsWelcome Welcome

Nicole L. Francoeur, BFA, CPF - Proprietor • Sparta, NJ 270 S. Sparta Ave • Ste. 19 19Main Main St, St,Sparta, Sparta, NJ NJ•107 •973.660.0922 973.660.0922

973.660.0922

www.rosecityframemakers.com

August 28th–30th Friday–Sunday ––––––––––––––––––––

Wally Lake Fest. Lake Wallenpaupack, Hawley, PA. Sailboat rides, bike ride, crafts, music, beer fest & more. Presented by Lighthouse Harbor Marina, Milford Animal Hospital, and Chamber of the Northern Poconos. Info: 570.226.3191, wallylakefest.com.

August 30th Sunday 4–6 p.m.

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Opera! Pike! Park! Ann Street Park, Milford, PA. Performances by Academy of Vocal Arts. Free general admission. Presented by Milford Borough’s Parks and Recreation Committee. Info: pikeopera.org.

September 4th–7th Friday–Monday ––––––––––––––––––––

Labor Day Family Camp Weekend. PEEC, Dingmans Ferry, PA. Outdoor adventures, hands-on activities, lodging & meals. $270. Info: 570.828.2319, peec.org.

September 5th Saturday 1–3 p.m. ––––––––––––––––––––

Music on the Lawn: Cold Sweat Band. Pedranti Pavilion, Milford, PA. Performances also on September 12th, 19th, & 26th. Presented by the Milford Community House. Info: Facebook: Music in Milford PA.

3–5 p.m.

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Opening Reception & Artist Talk. Catskill Art Space, Livingston Manor, NY. Artists: Brett DePalma, R.M. Fischer, Judy Glentzman. Info: catskillartspace.org.

September 5th–6th Saturday–Sunday 10 a.m.–4 p.m. ––––––––––––––––––––

Civil War: Under Fire and Flag. Museum Village, Monroe, NY. Demonstrations, exhibits, and hands-on activities. Info: 845.782.8248, museumvillage.org. 10

10 a.m.–6 p.m.

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Renaissance Festival. Camp Sacajawea, Sparta, NJ. Music, food, shows, vendors. Tickets: $10–$25. Also September 12th–13th and 19th–20th. Info: 908.917.7120, www.sparta njrenfaire.com.

September 6th Sunday 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. ––––––––––––––––––––

Scandinavian Fest. Vasa Park, Bud Lake, NJ. Nordic influenced music, vendors & food. Info: www.scanfest.org.

September 12th Saturday 9 a.m.–4 p.m. ––––––––––––––––––––

Arts & Crafts Fair. Bingham Park, Hawley, PA. Fine handcrafted wares, entertainment, food. Hosted by the Chamber of the Northern Poconos. Info: 570.226.3191, www.northern poconos.org.

Noon–9 p.m.

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Septemberfest. Milford, PA. Music performances around town, food, local artists. Hosted by Milford Presents. Info: www. milfordpa.us.

5:30 p.m.

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From Opera to American Masters. Grey Towers, Milford, PA. Flutist Allison Kiger and Friends. Concert is dedicated to Allison’s father, the late Bill Kiger, one of Milford’s champions. $30. Hosted by Kindred Spirits Arts Programs. Info: 570.390.8699, www. kindredspiritsarts.org.

September 13th Sunday Noon–7 p.m. ––––––––––––––––––––

Vets Summer Music Fest. Vasa Park, Budd Lake, NJ. Crafts, food, music, car show & more. Benefits Operation Chillout, Homeless Veterans Outreach. $20/Vets free. Info: 908.509.1462, vetssummerfest.org.

2–5 p.m.

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Wine & Cheese Festival. Waterwheel Farm, Fredon, NJ. $80. Hosted by Friends of Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice. Info: 973.383.0115, karenannquinlanhospice.com.

5–8 p.m.

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Awards Dinner. Cedar Lakes Estate, Port Jervis, NY. Honoring community leaders.

Hosted by Greater Pike Community Foundation. $150. Info: 570.832.4686, Greater Pike.org.

September 14th Monday 5:30–8:30 p.m. ––––––––––––––––––––

Taste of Newton. Spring St., Newton, NJ. Samples of local cuisine, music. $60. Hosted by Greater Newton Chamber of Commerce. Info: greaternewtoncc.com/taste.

September 15th Tuesday 7 a.m. & 1 p.m. ––––––––––––––––––––

Orange Open Golf Tournament. West Hills Country Club, Middletown, NY. $300. Includes two meals, raffles & more. Hosted by Orange County Chamber of Commerce. Info: 845.294.1700, orangeny.com.

6–9 p.m.

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Taste of Warwick. Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery, Warwick, NY. $75–85. Food, spirits & music. Sponsored by the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce. Info: 845.986.2720, www.warwickcc.org.

September 18th Friday 5–9 p.m. ––––––––––––––––––––

Bountiful Harvest Celebration. Education Center & 4-H Park, Otisville, NY. Farm to table dinner, hay rides, cow milking contest & more. Supports the Education Center & 4-H Park. Info: 845.344.1234, cceorange county.org.

September 18th–20th Friday–Sunday ––––––––––––––––––––

Ferry-Delaware Township Historical Museum, Akenac Park, Dingmans Ferry, PA. Visit with historical figures. Tours led by costumed tour guides. Hosted by the Dingmans Ferry-Delaware Township Historical Society. Info: dingmansferryhistoricalsociety.org. Junk in the Trunk. Goshen Historic Track, Goshen, NY. Community sale and craft vendors. Hosted by Auxiliary of Goshen Historic Track. Info: 845.294.5333, www.goshen historictrack.com.

September 21st Monday 8:30 a.m. ––––––––––––––––––––

Charity Golf Outing. West Hills Country Club, Middletown, NY. Reception & awards. $250. Benefits local charities. Hosted by Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan, Ulster. Info: 845.294.5124 x2010, www.cccsos.org.

September 25th–27th Friday–Sunday ––––––––––––––––––––

Oktoberfest. Hackettstown, NJ. Crafts, music, food & drinks, contests, activities. Free. Info: 908.850.5004, Hackettstownbid.com.

September 26th Saturday 9 a.m.–noon ––––––––––––––––––––

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September 19th Saturday 5 p.m.

10 a.m.–10 p.m.

September 20th Sunday 11 a.m.–4 p.m. ––––––––––––––––––––

Sussex County Day. Sussex County Fairgrounds, Augusta, NJ. Music, crafts, food trucks, magic show, classic cars. Free. Hosted by Sussex County Chamber of Commerce. Info: 973.579.1811, sussexcountychamber. org.

11 a.m.–4 p.m.

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Living History at the Museum. Dingmans

646-456-7169 @patriciawatwood patriciawatwood.com

10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Festival of Wood & National Public Lands Day. Grey Towers, Milford, PA. Handmade crafts, arts, programs, children’s activities, mansion tours. Info: 570.296.9625, greytowers.org.

Return of the Spirits of Lower Walpack Cemetery. Walpack, NJ. Hosted by Walpack Historical Society. Info: 973.362.5211, www. walpackhistory.org.

September 2026 Summer 2026

Bowling Fundraiser. Sparta Lanes, Sparta, NJ. Also bake sale, 50/50, door prizes. $20. Benefits Peace by Piece NJ with the goal of enhancing the lives of those with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Info: 973.500.8408, www.peacebypieceNJ.org.

Milford Readers and Writers Festival. Main Stage: Milford Theater, Milford, PA. Festival Passes $125. Free events around Milford. Info: milfordreadersandwriters.com.

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On View at Hotel Fauchère On Fauchère

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Festival in the Borough. Downtown Washington Borough, NJ. Music, vendors, food trucks, games & more. Hosted by Little Washington. Info: www.washingtonbid.org.

7:30–9:00 p.m.

––––––––––––––––––––

A Unique Crystal, Metaphysical, and Gift Boutique

973.945.6083

Large Selection of High Quality Crystals, Jewelry, Incense, Sage, Herbs, Statues & Much More Including Many Local Artists

Book a Session in our Comfy Salt Room!

Dry Salt Therapy (Halotherapy) Sound & Energy Healing, Readings, Classes & Gatherings.

Full Moon Hike. PEEC, Dingmans Ferry, PA. Hike under the Harvest Moon. $5. Info: 570.828.2319, peec.org.

September 27th Sunday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. ––––––––––––––––––––

Fall Foliage Festival. Front St., Historic Downtown Port Jervis, NY. Music, food, crafts, antique cars & more. Hosted by Port Jervis Tourism Board. Info: 845.858.4000, Facebook: Port Jervis Tourism.

At the Historic Upper Mill 149 Sawkill Avenue F Milford, PA www.earthlytreasuresllc.com 11

Somebodies: The Real New Orleans by Thom Gilbert. Photos courtesy of G Editions

Art

By Marta Hallett

A Publishing Journey

know that many of you out there have book ideas you would like to see as published books, or you might be interested in working in the publishing field, so I thought my experiences could offer some insight.

The thing about working in the book industry in any capacity, as an author, editor, or publisher, is that it can be one of the most rewarding careers known to man or woman. For people of curiosity, it allows an exploration into unknown subject areas. I should probably give a little of my background: I graduated from college in 1973 with a major in French literature. I’d always been a bookworm, and having a degree in French meant that I could work in French, if need be, and avoid needing to load up on science subjects as a college student. When I arrived in NYC after graduation, I started looking for a job. Having excellent secretarial skills that I had honed over my summer holidays working for corporations, I was a hot property. In those days no one was looking for editors, but they wanted someone who really knew how to use a Dictaphone, type, and be pleasant on the phone. I fit the bill. I secured a job at a Manhattan start-up called Beard, Glaser, Wolf that was headed by James Beard, the chef; Milton Glaser, the genius behind New York Magazine; and Burton Wolf, an entrepreneur who worked in the financial world in media and public reporting. They hired me immediately. Not only could I type, but I could operate a mag card machine and could type and speak in French to create the contracts for all the famous French chefs that were part of their Good Cooking School program. This

was a forward-thinking concept: teaching Americans about fine cuisine and wine, which was somewhat unknown at the time. We had fledgling chefs like Jacques Pepin under contract and luminaries like Paul Bocuse, plus everyone in-between who was a “name” in food. A sideline of the Good Cooking School proved advantageous to me—the creation of the book The Cook’s Catalog, which was the first introduction of restaurant-quality cookware to the American home cook. When the Production Manager for the book left BGW, I was nominated to become Managing Editor of the project. At the time, it had only one chapter written (and only a smattering of the photographs that displayed the implements in the book) and a six-month deadline to deliver the mechanicals to print the book to Harper & Row… who would actually print and distribute it. It was an awesome and exciting assignment. Creating editorial was easy for me, and I learned to lay out and assemble a book. This career launch hits some of the main points of working in publishing. Not only is the work exciting and mind-expanding, you meet amazing people along the way, both inside and outside the industry—some famous, some to be famous, and some just great talents—but as an editor or publisher, they all become friends. That’s because they are laying their work at your feet and trusting you, the publisher or editor, to love it as much as they do. So, my point here is that you get to work in a wide arena of subject matter, meet incredibly decent people, and flex your own creative muscles as you help them along in making sure their book is perfect. From 1975, for the next three years, I worked as an editor at Harper & Row. Continued on next page

Art More about the people: Because my books through the years covered many topics, I actually became the publisher/editor for people like Charles Schulz, for whom I developed a huge program. In year one of the book program, it included 35 Schulz topics from “Love” to “Lucy.” I also worked with the brilliant grande dame of the Villa d’Este Hotel on Lake Como, Giovanna Salvadore, who was famous in NY and all around the world. In my work with illustrated lifestyle books, I have become friends with an array of famous photographers including Howard Schatz, Sandro Miller, Chris Makos—all because in addition to The Cook’s Catalog, Burton Wolf had a proprietary business called The Double Elephant Press. It published limited edition portfolios of the most famous photographers at that time—Lee Friedlander, Garry Winogrand, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, and Walker Evans. And I was part of the process of all of them. Again, Burt was ahead of the craze for fine art photography, and I got in on the ground floor. I actually spent days with the great Manuel Alvarez Bravo in a dark print house on Houston Street, which was one of the best black and white printers in the world. I watched the artworks come off the press with the very dear Alvarez Bravo signing them. He was in his 80s at the time. Luck has a role to play in all of this too. I went on from Harper & Row to work for illustrated book publishers and producers, such as the Ridge Press. There as one of the editors, I was responsible for producing illustrated books on a variety of subjects, in color. Keywords here: in color. This was an era when no editors knew about printing in color except for a very few…and me! Having worked on The Cook’s Catalog, I was now an expert. So I could combine the inspiration gleaned from being an avid reader to producing incredible lifestyle, art, and photography books. Another important element of writing books and working in publishing is flexibility. I lived through the era where smaller publishers were being gobbled up by what are now the “Big Five” through consolidation. Since I was usually at small companies, I was constantly moving from one job to the next. After Ridge Press came Ziff-Davis where I was the Nautical and Aviation Editor for books and their book clubs. All those lovely elderly pilots who had flown in WWI made me an honorary member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. I only spoke with either sailors or pilots all day long. It was a joy. Next, I was on to Grosset & Dunlap as Senior Executive Editor. This was an esteemed historic publisher of books like The Pritikin Program. But they were purchased by GP Putnam soon after I arrived, and they cleaned house. There was a start-up New York City arm of an English lifestyle book producer who was looking for an editor, 14

Continued

and it was a perfect job for me. I joined the Friedman Group, an offshoot of the Quarto Group/New York. What was that business? Quarto editors would identify and produce books in lifestyle categories and create books that would work in their home market and abroad. Another bonus of being a writer, editor, or publisher: It gives you an international perspective on what is going on around the world. It was totally avant-garde for American publishers to be creating lifestyle books for their own market and others. This opened a whole new world for me creatively—to publish books on subjects that needed a wide audience, a worldwide audience. After about three years, I felt that I had an understanding of not just the content, but the business acumen of an independent producer, so a friend and I left Friedman/ Quarto to start our own small company, which we called Running Heads, producing high-end illustrated books for big publishers. At Running Heads, we were providing beautiful and innovative books in the subjects of gardening, architecture, and photography, all at the highest (and most elegant) level, and selling them to Simon & Schuster, Random House, HarperCollins, and all the companies still morphing into the Big Five. We delivered the finished copies of the books to the publisher, and the publisher then promoted, marketed, and distributed them. As a producer, we needed to understand their part of the process to make the most successful books in the arena. Another incredible learning experience. For our small company, it was all to come to an end because, eventually, the illustrated books were so successful that the big publishers realized they should open divisions of their own to produce them. Suddenly, Running Heads was running low on customers! My partner retired and I started a new producing company called Packaged Goods with Quarto London. It was then that I was able to secure as one of my authors the amazing Charles Schulz. This happened through a long progression of interviews with United Features Media, who represented Schulz, distributing his weekly comic strips. They wanted someone to create a book to bring the master into the book world at a high level. Always the over-achiever, I came back to them with not one book, but a program for the first year of 35 Schulz books that ran the gamut of price points. Of course, Charlie Brown was the first! The program was ultimately sold to HarperCollins (formerly Harper & Row), and so I was back at my old (but entirely changed) stomping grounds of the 70s. But this time, I was hired to be the publisher of all illustrated products, except for juvenile and reference. That opened another world, the world of Hollywood…because Harper is a Fox company, and they wanted to expand books from Continued on page 16

Top: Cowboy Up! Photographs by Thom Gilbert. Bottom: Primates: A Kinship with All Creatures by Lanette Newell

Art

Continued

some of their best entertainment vehicles. For example, my division published the book to accompany the TITANIC movie. It’s at this point that I have to pause the resume and say that two years after Harper Collins closed all their divisions, except for new fiction, I was hired by Smithmark Publishers. It was the best job of my life. They were merely a distributor of books for other publishers; no proprietary books of their own. But they knew how to sell books, so they decided to start their own publishing division, and I was lucky enough to be hired for that job. My brief was to acquire and publish 200 books in the first twelve months. I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. Smithmark was run by financial people. They had no interest in designating what was published as long as it hit the financial marks they set. And I went wild. I had a 6-year-old daughter at the time, and the girl group the Spice Girls was the tip-top. I produced a series of five small, $4.95 books, one on each of the Spice Girls. Of course, the books were a New York Times bestseller. Anyone who had a child from five to fifteen knew of the Spice Girls and had to have a book. Unfortunately, Smithmark was purchased by a GE financial group and was about to be sold, so I was on the market for a new job. Rizzoli (at that time, the most prestigious illustrated publisher in the world) was looking for a new publisher, and I was hired. I shall finish with my final note. My last 23 years, after I left Rizzoli in 2001, have been spent with my own publishing company, G Editions. This has been so exciting, so difficult, so exhausting. G Editions is a full-fledged publisher. We conceive, acquire, produce, and work with our distributor Simon & Schuster. In this era, it’s not a simple thing to do, and it’s taken years to really understand the distribution process and how to best maneuver it for our books and our authors. We are a tiny company battling the big boys for space. But it has been a charmed life, working with some of the most notable authors in their fields. As a publisher, I still look at pop culture and see what is happening…and then try to devise books for that category from a new perspective. Sometimes, they are large, expensive photography books, but sometimes, they are small books at a more manageable price point.

So, the upshot here is that one should pay attention to the movement of the industry overall and identify what is important on a personal and professional level. There are opportunities, but the landscape is now so vast that taking into account where you want to go or be in the industry should be the number one priority. Make friends with The Literary Marketplace (free online at your local library), where a good roadmap to the companies and personnel to solicit can be found. And, finally, open yourself up to the potential of your life as a published author or luminary in the publishing industry and go for it. For more information, visit Geditions.com. 16

Covers of books published by G Editions

If aspiring to be an author, editor, or publishing professional, you need to consider important indicators in terms of the people, the content, the creative environment, and the financial viability of the corporate entity. Keep your mind open, keep moving if a new opportunity presents itself. Enhance your knowledge and experience.

Covers of books published by G Editions

Food

By Marlaina Donato

Memories Simmering

The Soulful Lineage of Soup

hether it’s a mug of Earl Grey on a misty September morning or a ladle of clear broth to soothe the sharp edges of a difficult day, bringing water to a boil promises comfort. The first reference to soup goes back six millennia to Mesopotamia, but it was the ancient Romans who turned this cultural staple into an artform by using spices, herbs, and other diverse ingredients. Even in our high-tech times, soup remains a nourishing thread of human connection, weaving together cultures and centuries. More than something that fills our bellies, soup is an archetype of belonging that provokes a cellular memory of being welcomed around a fire where rustic bowls are filled with both sustenance and stories. I was fortunate to be raised by a mother who knew how to wield a wooden spoon, and the only thing that called me inside at dusk was the promise of a hot bowl of something good. Her stews were hearty with earthy potatoes and sweet onions straight from the garden as well as a rainbow of legumes from the pantry. I can still remember being five years old, mesmerized, as my small hands combed through an open sack of pinto beans as if they were painted gems. There isn’t an autumn that goes by that my tastebuds don’t call back her velvety red kidney bean stew with bites of salty ham hock, the scent of wood smoke in the air, and

the staccato of russet leaves crunching underfoot on my way into the house. Even those who didn’t have a fairy godmother of soup in their lives can probably appreciate the memory of a Campbell’s soup lunch or pick-me-up after school: chicken noodle, creamy tomato, New England clam chowder, and chicken gumbo. I studied Mama through my early years, sometimes perched on the top step of our small but fully stocked kitchen in the Poconos or from the busy sidelines as she whipped up healthy gourmet meals at Clymer Health Clinic in Bucks County, PA. Her cupboards seemed magical with glass jars of rubbed sage and Hungarian paprika, aged tamari, slow black molasses, and imported dry goods, such as Moroccan couscous and millet, that would find their way into her steaming pots. I tagged along and watched her pick out long baskets of mushrooms at the Sunday farmers’ market and fat organic carrots from the food co-op where the rickety screen door would always bang shut behind me, catching the heel of my shoe. It was in these places, alive with the aroma of grains, fresh herbs, and early autumn bounty that I was inspired to make my first soup at age ten. I plotted my edible masterpiece for days, dreaming of my own bubbling cauldron of memories, scribbling a list of ingredients on a piece of paper torn from a marbled school pad. I dramatically ordered everyone out of the kitchen, Continued on next page

Food

carefully sliced carrots, celery, and onion, washed the snow peas, and, with smug confidence, threw in a dash of Asian flavors. My enthusiasm for my achievement, however, instantly evaporated when I tried a spoonful and almost spit it back into the bowl. I also burst into tears. So much for inheriting my mother’s talents in the kitchen!

venture into new territory: Herbs de Provence for buttery creamed potato soup, umami mushroom blends for burgundy beef stew, and smoked chipotle or applewood smoked salt for three-bean minestrone. Jazzing up the table with pretty new bowls or purchasing a few hand-carved wooden spoons for stirring adds a little joy to the task.

Mama graciously ate the entire bowl of bland hot water and was gentle with her words as she coached me through a few pointers for next time, emphasizing, “Don’t add too much water; you can always add more later.” I swallowed my pride and started new notes, eventually working up the courage to have another go at it. Heeding her advice—and learning the fine art of adding bouillon—not only worked but sparked what would be a lifetime obsession with one-pot-meals.

The best part of making soup is having a pot of leftovers for the week ahead. Adding a thick slice of warm crusty bread with Irish butter to sweet potato soup, a sweet drizzle of balsamic glaze over a bowl of mushroom bisque, or a hearty sprinkle of fresh garlic, shredded ginger, chopped cilantro and fresh basil to a noodle broth takes any meal from everyday ho-hum to gourmet status.

Autumn is the time for soup-conjuring, when that hazy slant of light comes through the house with an angle designed purely for poets and kitchen alchemists. It’s the time to get out the big cutting board, put on some favorite music, dive into a recipe, and plan a slow afternoon reading a good book while a soup simmers on the stove or in the crockpot. It’s also the perfect time to refresh the spice jars and even 20

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Soup is also wonderful for breakfast. The late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain’s favorite morning fix was Sarawak laksa, a Malaysian noodle soup famous for its exotic mélange of spices including lemongrass. As the seasonal wheel turns, it gives us an excuse to treat our friends to something memorable, perhaps an outdoor dinner by the chimenea or indoors by candlelight. My favorite autumn treat is throwing a Moroccan tagine dinner party, complete with a table dressed with exotic, colorful cloths. Following North African tradition, I use most-

ly what’s on hand—especially that last red onion at the bottom of the basket and my secret blend of twenty-five herbs and spices paired with fruit such as oranges, golden delicious apples, and dried plums or figs from the pantry. A bowl of fluffed, steaming couscous served family-style and sweetened mint tea are the perfect sidekicks. Somewhere deep in our bones, soup helps us to remember how to nourish ourselves, and, in turn, each other. It also makes it possible for us to go home again, transporting us to lost places where our unforgotten loved ones still come to the table. It is the intersection between the past and the present, reminding us that nothing is really ever lost, and the simple joys are what makes the journey worthwhile.

SOUPS FOR AUTUMN

At right: A basketful of mushroom bounty. Photo by Marlaina Donato

Autumn Mushroom Bisque (Serves 4) 16 oz package baby portobello mushrooms, cleaned and chopped or sliced 2 whole portobello mushroom caps, minced ½ cup fresh greens (dandelion, chard tops, or fresh baby spinach, chopped) 2 cups unsweetened, unflavored plant-based oat milk or whole cow’s milk 2 cups water ¼ cup heavy cream 2 tbsp unsalted butter 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon light brown sugar ¾ tsp applewood smoked sea salt 4 teaspoons dried or fresh chives Organic smoked paprika An extra tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Squeezable balsamic glaze (found in the vinegar section at supermarkets) • Melt 2 tbsp unsalted butter with 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium pot. When the mixture bubbles, add brown sugar and the chopped/sliced baby portobello mushrooms. Mix well. • Add water and plant-based oat milk or cow’s milk, stir, and bring to a boil before lowering temperature to a simmer on low-medium heat. Cook partially-covered with a lid for 40 minutes or until mushrooms are very tender. Then remove from heat, removing the lid and allowing to sit for 10 minutes. • While the soup rests, heat 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet, add minced portobello mushroom caps and sauté until soft (approx. 6 minutes or until soft). When mushroom caps are tender, add chopped greens for a quick sauté—no longer than 20 seconds. Remove everything from the pan, set aside onto a separate plate. Add heavy cream and entire pot of soup to blender, Ninja, or Vitamix and puree until creamy. • After blended, pour soup contents back into the pot and reheat for a minute or two. • Fill each bowl evenly with soup, and add sauteed greens and sauteed mushrooms on top.

• Drizzle balsamic glaze over each bowl and sprinkle generously with chives and smoked paprika before serving.

Smoky Black Bean Minestrone with Tortellini (Serves 4-6) 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed) 1 can Roman or pinto beans (drained and rinsed) ½ cup chopped carrots 1 large shallot, chopped 1 10 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes (without chiles or other flavorings) 1½ cups pasta sauce (anything but meat-flavored) 6 oz (half a 12 oz package) dried tortellini (cheese or spinach) 4 cups water 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tbsp light brown sugar 1 tsp. dried oregano 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp dried minced onion 1 tsp sea salt ¼ teaspoon dried smoked chipotle powder 1 tsp organic smoked paprika ¼ tsp ground black pepper tbs. olive oil • Add water, pasta sauce, carrots, and all spices, salt, and sugar to a medium-large size pot and bring to a boil before lowering temperature to a simmer and covering with a lid. Cook for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender or on the soft side. • When carrots are cooked, bring soup to a gentle boil and add dried tortellini, lower temperature to a simmer, and cook for approximately 10–12 minutes or until tortellini are tender/soft but not falling apart. • Remove from heat and add black beans, Roman or pinto beans, and olive oil. Stir gently. • Blend 1/3 of the soup in a blender and then pour back into the pot, stirring well with the unblended portion of soup. Serve immediately. Rustic, crusty bread is a wonderful accompaniment.

Climbing to Alcove House. Photos courtesy of Joseph Blanco

History

By Joseph Blanco

Our National Parks

Bandelier National Monument

he United States created the world’s first national park on March 1st, 1872, when President Ulysses S. Grant signed legislation setting aside Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Before the century was out, the country had four more parks: General Grant (now Kings Canyon), Sequoia and Yosemite in California, and Mount Rainier in Washington. By that time, the idea of preserving stretches of wilderness was spreading to other countries. Today, the United States has the finest, most extensive system of national parks in the world.

Above: View from Alcove House interior

The National Park Service is charged with overseeing all parks, monuments, and battlefields. It was created in 1916 and resides within the Interior Department. The Park Service now manages more than 400 special places, with at least one in every state and in several territories. Places with breathtaking landscapes like the Grand Canyon to urban beauties like the National Mall in Washington, DC. Places that recall our proudest moments as Americans like Fort McHenry to reminders of the more somber episodes we must not forget like Pearl Harbor and USS Arizona Memorial. For over ten years, I have volunteered as a park ranger, tour guide, and interpreter trainer at a number of national parks and park sites across the country. These included Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie in Charleston, SC; the Charles Pinckney Historical Site in Mt. Pleasant, SC; the Lewis and Clark Historical Park in Astoria, OR; Fort Vancouver in Vancouver, WA; among others. My Nation-

al Park “Passport” is peppered with stamped cancellations from nearly 200 places experienced since the 1970s. Most likely, you have visited many of these American treasures. National parks, I believe, express our character as Americans. Each one I visit, along with comments from visitors on my guided tours, brings to mind a particular quality that is part of the fabric that makes America so special. In this article, I’ll highlight one of those national parks and the theme it illuminates. “National parks,” historian Wallace Stegner said, are “the best idea we ever had,” an idea as extraordinarily American as the Declaration of Independence and just as unique. You see, never before in all of the world’s history had a nation’s most magnificent landscapes been set aside, not for kings or the well-to-do, but for all its citizens—and for all time. This powerful idea, which sprang from our soil and our ideals, has now spread to many countries of the world. OK, let’s feature a park. In the high, dusty brown desert of north central New Mexico, the Jemez Mountains rise toward the sky on a bright October afternoon. Within them lies the sprawling Pajarito Plateau where the air is thin and fragrant with pine and juniper and clear streams flow, even in the dry months. In a bright, blue sky, an eagle’s wings pump, spread, and take the wind, gliding in wide, silent arcs above the vast wilderness of Bandelier National Monument. Bandelier is one of my favorite park sites within the National Park system. And once you visit, it could very well Continued on next page

History become one of yours. Bandelier National Monument is the embodiment of “historic preservation,” the theme of this park site. It’s a maze of towering canyon walls and flat mesas in delicate shades of pink and buff. Down canyon from the visitor center, the bubbling creek flows into the Rio Grande as it passes through the ancient rift bearing the river’s name. Located near Los Alamos, New Mexico, Bandelier National Monument protects over 33,000 acres of rugged, but beautiful, canyon and mesa country, as well as evidence of a human presence going back over 11,000 years. Petroglyphs (ancient writings and images), dwellings carved into the soft rock cliffs, and standing masonry walls pay tribute to the early days of a culture that still survives in the surrounding communities. Bandelier was designated by President Woodrow Wilson as a National Monument on February 11th, 1916, and named for Adolph Bandelier, a Swiss-American anthropologist who researched the cultures of the area and supported preservation of the sites. The National Park Service cooperates with surrounding Pueblos and other federal and state agencies to manage the park. The Pueblo people have felt the pull of Bandelier’s abun-

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dant resources long before the presence of European explorers. Archeologists believe they are descended from groups of hunters and gatherers who came to the region thousands of years ago. The Pueblo people presently in the area say they have always been there. Early archeologists, studying the old dwellings around Bandelier for clues about their residents, adopted the Navajo term “Anasazi” to refer to the ancestors of the Pueblo people before the coming of the Spanish. Many Pueblo people today consider the term disrespectful, so now “Ancestral Pueblo people” is used. There’s lots to see and do at Bandelier. The park is unusual in that it has only three miles of public roads within its thousands of acres but over 70 miles of trails. This network of trails, both short and long, invites you to explore the park. There are Ancestral Pueblo dwellings within a short, easy walk of the visitor center, part of which is accessible for wheelchairs. Literally thousands of archeological sites have been identified at Bandelier, although fewer than 50 in the park have been excavated. Those that have are extraordinary and worth spending some time experiencing, along with the stone rooms and silent kivas bearing eloquent witness to

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thriving communities. A must visit is the Long House, an 800-foot stretch of adjoining, multi-storied stone homes with hand-carved caves as back rooms. It inspired Adolph Bandelier’s exclamation: “It was the grandest thing I ever saw!” Ladders give access to several cave dwellings perched along the canyon walls. Different skill level hikes, as well as guided and self-guided tours, are available to safely experience the wonder of this magnificent park. A favorite of mine and many visitors is the hike to the Alcove House. Formerly known as Ceremonial Cave, this alcove is located 140 feet above the floor of Frijoles Canyon. Once home to approximately 25 Ancestral Pueblo people, the elevated site is only reached by four wooden ladder-stairs and a number of stone stairs. In the Alcove House, you’ll see a reconstructed kiva and the viga holes and niches of former homes. Imagine Ancestral Pueblo people climbing these ladders and carrying needed supplies to this lofty home. Bandelier National Monument is open year-round except December 25th and January 1st. The busiest time is spring into fall, although attendance is much lower than the more popular western parks, such as the Grand

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Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yosemite. Winter time can be snowy and cold but offers more solitude. Visit nps.gov/ band for more park information. Since that bright October afternoon in 1880 when Adolph Bandelier followed his Cochiti guide down the steep trail to Frijoles Canyon, millions of visitors have come to appreciate the restorative powers of Bandelier’s natural beauty and to learn about its ancient peoples. How long this precious resource for study, quiet contemplation, and wilderness adventure remains depends on the commitment to preserve and protect it. Management at Bandelier continues the work of those who came before, including the Ancestral Pueblo. Today, the National Park Service and the present-day Pueblo people are leaders in the effort to ensure that the world of Bandelier, a world of ineffable light and sudden shadows, will survive and continue to draw us under its spell. Pike County resident Joseph Blanco, historian and author, has written books and articles and created videos depicting historical sites and people around the United States. He has also given multimedia presentations and talks about those people, interpreting the history of the areas in which they lived. Contact him at historian@outlook.com.

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Dr. Ginny Baro. Photos courtesy of Dr. Ginny Baro

Life

By Amy Bridge

Lead with purpose, live with joy!

Dr. Ginny Baro

After obtaining advanced college degrees and twenty-six years of business experience, Dr. Ginny Baro, a resident of Branchville, NJ, reflected personally on how she wished to reinvent herself. The questions were many. Should she stay on the corporate track or leverage her leadership experience? She realized that she wanted to make an impact on an intimate level. This is when Dr. Baro became certified as an executive coach and began helping leaders who desired to move to senior levels. Today, she has nine years of executive-level coaching experience under her belt. She speaks publicly; hosts a podcast, The Dr. Ginny Show; has published two books, Fearless Women at Work and Fearless Leadership; and is currently working on a five-book series, with the first book entitled Let it Rip: The Powerful Truth about Playing Small. Her TEDx Talk, From Invisible to Influential, can be seen on YouTube. Dr. Baro speaks with us about reinventing herself through the philosophies that she teaches in her coaching business.

What moments have brought about transformation for you? I’ve had many of those moments, such as when I came to the United States from the Dominican Republic at fourteen without speaking English and had to learn a new language, adjust to a different culture, find my footing, and begin creating a life in a country that was completely new to me.

myself. Sometimes that meant developing new skills or going back to school, and other times it meant doing the much harder work of doing the inner work.

I knew my parents didn’t have money. But they always gave me good advice. I learned from them that it’s important to have a flexible plan, to have a purpose, a focus, and to be honest with myself. We give away our power by not believing that we have it. Always ask for help; having support gives you confidence.

As far as learning goes, I’m always listening to a podcast or reading a new book. That is so important to me.

I wanted to become the best version of myself. One of my mentors says, “Take the island and burn the boats.” That became one of my mottos. Why is learning important? As I got older and began building my career, I realized pretty quickly that if I wanted to keep growing, I had to keep investing in myself, and graduating from college was only the beginning. I continued my education for another sixteen years while working, eventually earning several graduate degrees, including my Ph.D., and at the same time, I was building a twenty-six-year career in technology and financial services. That career required me to continually grow because every time I moved into something bigger, there was something else I needed to learn and another way I needed to stretch

My dad always told me to keep putting keys in my pocket; no one can take them away from you. What he meant was to keep learning; no matter what you do, time will go by, so go for it.

You believe in investing in yourself. How does one invest in oneself? I struggled with imposter syndrome and questioned whether I was ready for certain opportunities, and I had to learn to raise my hand even when I didn’t feel completely confident. I invested in my development in ways I hadn’t even known were possible, and over the years that development became as much emotional as it was intellectual because I had to understand the beliefs I carried about myself, recognize where fear or self-doubt might be influencing me, and continue what I call peeling my own onion. And all of that was happening while I was living the rest of my life. Life happens. Things change. I became a mother and went through a divorce, and I learned how to navigate co-parenting while raising my son and continuing to build my career. Later, I transitioned out of my corporate career and began building ExecutiveBound from scratch. Although I knew how to be a Continued on next page

Life

Dr. Baro giving a TEDx Talk

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corporate leader, building a business required me to learn an entirely different set of skills, and I once again became a beginner in many ways. Now my son is in college, and I’m an empty nester, and that has brought another transition as I think about what I want this next season of my life to look like and who I want to be within it. The details of my story may be different from someone else’s, and yet I think the experience underneath it is something most of us understand because eventually life puts us in a place where what we know, what we did, or even who we were in a particular season has to evolve. You use the phrase “continuous elevation.” What does that mean? Someone may have worked in the same profession for 30 years, and, suddenly, technology, such as AI, is changing the way they do their job, while someone else may be thinking about retirement and wondering what comes next. Another person may be caring for an aging parent while still supporting their own children, rebuilding after a divorce, starting over financially, learning something completely new later in life, or realizing that what they wanted ten years ago isn’t necessarily what they want anymore. No matter what we do for a living or what stage of life 28

we’re in, life happens, and things change. Our children grow up, relationships change, we lose people we love, we change jobs or retire, we care for aging parents, we experience financial setbacks, our priorities shift, and sometimes we simply reach a point when we begin questioning what we want the next part of our lives to look like. Whether someone is an executive, a teacher, a nurse, a contractor, a small business owner, a farmer, a stay-athome parent, or retired, the circumstances may look different, and yet all of us will have moments when life requires us to adjust, learn, and decide how we are going to move forward. When I look back across my own life, I can see that every one of those transitions required something different from me, and I couldn’t keep showing up exactly the same way because the person I had been in one season wasn’t always fully prepared for what the next season required. That is what continuous elevation means to me. How does one do this? It isn’t about constantly accomplishing more, earning another degree, getting promoted, or having a bigger title, because elevation can look very different depending on where we are in life. It may mean learning how to use technology that didn’t exist when you started your career,

asking for help when you’re accustomed to handling everything yourself, rebuilding your confidence after a setback, taking better care of yourself, changing your mind, learning a new skill, or acknowledging that you don’t have the next chapter completely figured out yet.

Stroudsburg’s Best Kept Secret

Over the years, I’ve learned to ask myself, “What is this season of my life asking of me?” and the answer has changed many times. What is the C.A.R.E.S. practice that you write about in your book? I began looking at the different transitions in my life. I recognized some of the practices that helped me navigate them, and those experiences eventually helped shape the C.A.R.E.S. framework I use in my work today: Connect, Align, Rise, Envision, and Seek Support/Serve. Underneath that framework is something I’ve believed and said for years: “You have to lead yourself powerfully before you can lead others powerfully.” And when I talk about leadership, I don’t only mean leading people at work. We are leading ourselves all the time and influencing the people around us. We make decisions for our families, raise our children, care for our parents, run businesses, show up for friends and neighbors, contribute to our communities, and decide what we are going to do when life doesn’t unfold exactly as we expected. You want people to understand that they have choices. I’d like anyone reading this to be able to see something of their own experience in mine, even if our lives look nothing alike. They don’t need to have my career, education, or background to understand what it feels like when life changes, and you find yourself wondering what comes next and what this next season may require of you.

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I’ve been in that place many times, and what I’ve learned is that we can’t control everything life brings our way, and we can continue to learn, elevate, adapt, seek support, and make choices about how we want to move forward. That’s ultimately what this philosophy means to me: Change is the catalyst. Elevation is the choice. C.A.R.E.S. is the practice. Self-leadership is the engine. How do you define success? I believe that the universe has your back, and you are being prepared to take advantage of opportunities. Luck is a combination of opportunity being presented and being prepared to take advantage of it. Follow your own light, say yes to yourself, learn how to manage people, manage projects, and solve problems. You must learn what makes you shine. We’re here to support each other. Success, to me, is how much you do for others. I believe we have the power to create. Reflect on how you create, and let’s create together. I call this emotional intelligence—self-awareness. Together we rise. You are not alone in this life journey. With support, I think people can reach their potential; from a place of love, not scarcity. Check your mindset and how you think about yourself and others. I believe in owning the gifts that we possess. Each of us has a responsibility to share those gifts with the world. Everyone brings something to the table, and if we don’t share our gifts, we are not serving humanity at the level we could. My mission has been to help people understand they have a choice. For more information, visit www.executivebound.com.

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Photos courtesy of Sunset VIew Farms

Nature

By Marilyn Rosenthal

Sunset View Farms

Dahlias

n the Garden of Life, be a dahlia—strong, beautiful, and resilient.

ber. But these flowers don’t grow from seed. Propagation is from tubers planted underground after the winter frost.

People are obsessed with dahlias. There are more than 350,000 dahlia fans on social media plus large numbers of other people who love the flower, such as gardeners, growers, and hybridizers.

Growing dahlias is labor-intensive because the tubers, which resemble a sweet potato or the rhizome ginger, must be handled gently and with care. Tubers have to be planted, weeded by hand, and washed by hand for the fall harvest.

Dahlias have been wildly popular, especially since the 1500s, in their native country, Mexico, where the Aztecs used them for food and medicine. Because of the climate, some of these dahlias had stems large enough to transport water. Their popularity has waxed and waned over the years, making a comeback in the Victorian era and also more recently, as they were gently promoted by the efforts of the global lifestyle personality, Martha Stewart.

The obsession with dahlias isn’t restricted to plant lovers or farmers. Dahlias have been an inspirational force in art and literature. Claude Monet’s painting Dahlias (1883) is a brilliant study of color and light. Paul Gauguin and Eugène Delacroix also gave us distinctive dahlia paintings. Writer Virginia Woolf frequently mentioned dahlias in her diaries. In Tom Stoppard’s play Arcadia, potted dahlias serve as physical tokens of the human desire to shape, cultivate, and design natural beauty. Symbols ascribed to dahlias such as loyalty, elegance, and dignity make it the perfect choice for a wedding flower.

Dahlias have eight sets of chromosomes, which can produce an almost infinite variety of colors, sizes, and shapes. Growers win prizes for engineering the most unusual flower or the biggest one, or the most vibrant. Dahlia sizes can range from a tiny quarter size to a large “dinner plate,” which is a type of dahlia that can grow from eight to fourteen inches across. They typically bloom in our area from mid to late July until the first fall frost, usually in Octo-

In the rolling hills of the New Jersey Skylands area, in Andover, Sussex County, NJ, there sits a unique farm called Sunset View Farm. This is a multigenerational family-owned flower farm and community garden. In 2004, Andy and Linda Grinthal brought their corporate skills Continued on next page

Nature

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with them to start a twenty-acre flower farm where they rented out 15 x 30-foot plots to local growers. They quickly became passionately involved in farm life and raising flowers, mostly zinnias. In 2019, they transferred their passion to dahlias and devoted five of those acres to raising this species. Son Dan and his wife Emma help out on the farm, where they now sell about 10,000 dahlia flowers a year and about 60,000 tubers. There is a tremendous amount of work involved, and many local people volunteer to work on the farm. They are happy to tend to the dahlias in exchange for tubers. The Grinthals value education and offer blogs and a free newsletter to their patrons. One of the things that makes their farm special is their events. With Linda’s marketing and event planning background, they can offer unique events—sometimes even affairs for fifty or more people, all in an effort to facilitate learning about dahlias. September is the best month for the events and online courses. In early September, there will be a sunset garden tour. Linda will give a presentation on the life cycle of dahlias along with a tour of their farm. There will also be Saturday picnics in the dahlias, where folks can bring their own food and enjoy the ten thousand dahlias in bloom by having a picnic in the actual flower fields. For those who’d like to learn more about growing dahlias, a hands-on workshop is scheduled to teach all of the steps that it takes to grow dahlias such as planting, pinching, and disbudding. If you would like to pick your own dahlias, you can do so on a few select dates in late September and early October. One of the Grinthals’ favorite events is their Petals and Pasta dinner. Linda, an Italophile, will be showing participants how to make pasta from scratch, which will then lead to a relaxing lesson in beginner Italian, accompanied by a glass of wine and some bread and cheese. As the dahlia obsession grows, so do the number of clubs, guides, and organizations that provide support. Dahlia.org is the home of the American Dahlia Society, and it is considered the leading North American authority on dahlias. There are a huge number of dahlia clubs in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, such as the Country Gardeners of Hawley, the Dirt Road Dahlias Club, the Syme Family Farm, Gateau Garden, and Dahlia Growers. Dahlia growers are usually very willing to connect, swap, and share. Their ethos is almost as beautiful as the flower itself. A more detailed description of Sunset View Farm events is listed on their website, as is registration and ticket information.(www.sunsetviewfarmdahlias.com) 32

Top: Farm at dusk. Center left: Dan, Emily, Linda, Andy Grinthal. Bottom left: Tubers. Center right: Rosie. Bottom right: Dahlias in bloom

Signs

Planet Waves by Eric Francis

Aries (March 20-April 19) – From a spiritual perspective, the human ego presents a vast, illusory barrier to self-understanding and witnessing existence truly. Even under ideal conditions, it’s challenging to get past the ego’s defenses of fear, guilt and self-reproach. Neptune in your sign presents the ultimate paradox. It’s an opportunity to fuse with your spirit and your true inner-God nature; and it can be a fountain of endless self-delusion and self-deception. Many forces, inner and outer, will be confusing and distracting you. Therefore, stay busy and emphasize what is both fulfilling and productive.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) – You can have a strange effect on others. This will be redoubled as you move through the weightless, polarized, delusional digital environment that has spilled into the commercial and industrial world. The insanity of what was once known as “the internet” and is now one endless hallucination seems to have infused all of existence, every relationship, and basically everything but animals. Therefore, only one thing matters, which is how you feel. Monitor that closely, and learn to make inner adjustments as necessary.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) – It can be difficult for you to tell the difference between what you think and what you feel. You tend to be physically oriented, and strive to be grounded in your body. Or at least think you are. The mind of a Taurus when it’s running out of control is usually an emotional phenomenon, not mental. It sounds like inner chatter, but there is neither reason nor rationality involved. The planetary setup does suggest: get out of your head and into direct physical experience.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) – Scorpio is the sign of the cosmic orgasm, and the personal one. The seeming paradox is that no matter how much one may desire another, or be driven toward them, the only way to have a fulfilling experience is to submit to existence. However, here in our digital universe, the name of the game is control. Sex plays into this; the gender-neutrality of digital space is washing away the essential desire that humanity needs to grow, prosper and procreate. Not everyone feels this way, but the eew factor is undeniable.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) – You’re still getting accustomed to the legitimately strange conditions of Uranus in your energy field radically shifting your sense of reality. You may be feeling pushed, pulled, stretched and disrupted — as if you cannot think or move fast enough to keep up with the pace of so-called reality. Meanwhile, Sedna in your sign is calling on you to take your perception deeper and study life from beneath and behind. The truly meaningful information is coming from what is normally unseen and invisible.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) – With Virgo as the highest sign in your solar chart, the true nature of Sagittarius is about service. With Chiron as the figure depicted in the iconography of your birth sign, your highest calling is service. That means taking the time and the care to ensure that everyone around you is well attended to. The example that we need in the world, and that the world needs from you, is total devotion to the greatest good for all concerned.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) – Mars and Ceres have entered your sign — perhaps the ultimate reminder that you are what you eat and what you eat influences how you feel. You might say this principle describes your existence: that you must be true to who you are. There is also a message about resolving your persistent struggles. When it comes to food, avoid sugar highs and stick to food that you make yourself. Think carefully about what your grandparents ate and how they prepared it.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) – If it’s true that you’re the wealth manager of the cosmic scheme, you must be pretty busy right now. To make the most of your gifts, it’s essential that you focus on flow and not concentration of resources. Once the flow is gone, you are living in the future and not in the present, where your attention is needed. While time is progressing slowly within your personal space, you need at least one dimension of your life where time moves quickly. You need a fast lane.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) – You prefer to be the master of your own destiny, and you often succeed. But now you know there are forces outside of your control that you have to contend with. One is represented by Pluto in your opposite sign Aquarius. You will need a whole new basis for figuring out who is your friend and who is not; for determining which of these humans is right, who among them is clueless, and who is aware of what is happening around them.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) – I reckon that most people engage in partnership out of some combination of need and habit. Your best encounters with others will be born of preference, desire and shared happiness. For that to work, you must take pleasure in the things that make other people happy. There are some who would say this comes at the cost of self-neglect. Yet the other side of the equation is that if you take pleasure in the joy of others, you have unlimited potential for happiness.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) – The recent eclipse of the Moon in your opposite sign Pisces will help you unravel your deepest neuroses and self-defeating tendencies. You are looking right at them, experiencing them directly, and perhaps even wondering why you would want to have a self-defeating thought in your life. Let’s just say it’s time to no longer keep peeves as pets. You have too much to live for to set yourself up for frustration or failure because you look at the world through narrow blinders.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) – A recent eclipse of the Moon happened in your birth sign. This is your help letting go of sticky emotional patterns. Think of the eclipse as benevolent solvent for your personality. If you can get to the ocean, do it. Otherwise you might get an extended recording of waves on the shore and leave it playing at a low volume in your environment, which needs to be kept as tidy as a beach house the first night you arrive.

Read Eric Francis daily at PlanetWaves.net. 34

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