SARATOGA THE PEOPLE • THE PLACES • THE LIFESTYLE ™ Simply... Home & Garden Complimentary 2023
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OWNER/PUBLISHER
Chad Beatty
CREATIVE DIRECTOR/ MANAGING EDITOR
Chris Vallone Bushee
MAGAZINE DESIGNER
Kacie Cotter-Harrigan
ADVERTISING DESIGNER
Kelly Schoonbeck
ADVERTISING
Jim Daley
Cindy Durfey
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Samantha Bosshart
Peter Bowden
Colleen Coleman
Eric Czerw
John R. Greenwood
Carol Godette
Wendy Hobday Haugh
Charlie Kuenzel
Barbara Lombardo
Cynthia A. Lovely
Bill Orzell
Megin Potter
John Reardon
Theresa St. John
Jordana Turcotte
Ralph Vincent
PHOTOGRAPHERS
George S. Bolster Collection
Peter Bowden
Ken Friedman
Johanna Garrison
Wendy Hobday Haugh
Keeneland Library Hemment Collection
Fabrice Mabillot
Susan Owens
Elizabeth Pedinotti Haynes
Randall Perry
Paul Petrie
Paige Sara
Theresa St. John
David Straight Photography
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PUBLISHED BY SARATOGA TODAY 2254 Route 50 South Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 518-581-2480 saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com SimplySaratoga.com Simply Saratoga is brought to you by Saratoga TODAY, Saratoga Publishing, LLC. Saratoga Publishing shall make every effort to avoid errors and omissions but disclaims any responsibility should they occur. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written consent of the publisher. Copyright © 2023. Saratoga TODAY Newspaper. Simply SARATOGA THE PEOPLE • THE PLACES • THE LIFESTYLE ™ DIGITAL The Magazines are Just the Beginning! Search by AUTHOR Search by TITLE Search by TOPIC Rruatse a n t F e a tures. Recipes. Cocktails. Architecture. History SIMPLYSARATOGA.COM
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Save the Date!
On June 10, 11-5 p.m. a tour of houses and gardens in Round Lake Village will benefit the historic Round Lake Auditorium. Included are tiny cottages, large Victorian era and brand-new custom homes! Tickets are $30 and may be purchased in advance at RoundLakeAuditorium.org or contact Lydia.A.Hoffman@gmail.com.
from the editor
Chris Vallone Bushee, Creative Director/ Managing Editor
I was watching the news this morning and wondered… who thought it was a good idea to only report on the bad things that happen?
Good Google search when I have a free moment… the origins of “The News”
Luckily
I get to bring you THE GOOD STUFF, and in this issue, it’s not just good, it really is GOOD, as in responsible, sustainable, well thought out practices for improved home performance… good for you and the planet!
Homes that harness the sun, homes that are sourced locally and homes that became something better, versus something that just was. And yes, since this is a home AND garden issue, we have smart gardens too, but I’ll let Johanna tell you about that : )
Simply Saratoga is starting our ELEVENTH year with this issue… And I’m happy to report most (if not all !!) our writers and advertisers are still with us. (Thank You Everybody !!)
We don’t generally do TEASERS on the cover (speaking of COVERS
– Wait till you see that Phinney House on page 56) but…
Crafters, Farmers and Builders
Pollinators and the SoBro Conservancy
See the story on page 56
Publishers of...
Simply Saratoga
Saratoga TODAY Newspaper
Saratoga Bride
Saratoga Family
Saratoga Home & Lifestyle
Welcome Home
Equicurean
Saratoga Christmas
A Bungalow, a Barn, and a Chicken Coop!!
…and Fashion, Cocktails, and the Jazz Fest!!
Welcome to the Home & Garden edition ...
I hope you enjoy every article and leave these pages feeling inspired to live a good life.
...
• 518-581-2480 ext. 201
• saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com
Chris
cBushee@SaratogaPublishing.com
SimplySaratoga.com
Cover Photo by ELIZABETH PEDINOTTI HAYNES
As a follow up to my feature in Saratoga Bride, about the triLift “Mini Facelift” here is my “After” by Faces of Saratoga. Hair by Brandon Scott of The Company Salon & Spa : ) Scan to go to the triLift article in Saratoga Bride!
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SAMANTHA BOSSHART
Samantha Bosshart joined the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation in 2008. As Executive Director, she advocates for the preservation of the unique architecture and rich heritage of Saratoga Springs. Samantha previously worked at Historic Albany Foundation and Galveston Historical Foundation. Samantha completed her coursework for a Master of Arts in Historic Preservation Planning from Cornell University and received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Indiana University.
PETER BOWDEN
Peter has been the region's go-to garden guy for over 35 years. His knack for practical and concise explanations has served him well during his 20-year tenure as WRGB’s garden guy. He is an artist and avid photographer whose images have appeared in textbooks, magazines and travel guides. Peter lives with his wife, Sharon and their pets in an old house in the country.
COLLEEN COLEMAN
Colleen Coleman is the owner of CMC Design Studio LLC and is well noted by her clients for bringing high energy, attention to detail, organization and more to each project. Her collaborative efforts with clients, as well as others in the industry, translates to a comprehensive design to completion for her clients. Her unique approach to defining each space matured into what she has coined as “Creating Environments for Life” - reach her at colleen@cmcdesignstudio.net.
CAROL GODETTE
Born and raised in Saratoga Springs, Carol Godette’s fascination with neighborhood stores began at age 11 when she frequented Rowland’s. A passionate educator, Godette taught elementary school in the Saratoga School District for 31 years. Carol is a co-owner of the local Ben & Jerry’s franchise. Godette and her husband live in her childhood home where they raised their two children. She welcomes your comments and stories/photos on neighborhood stores via email: saratoganeighborhoodstores@gmail.com
JOHN R. GREENWOOD
John Greenwood is a leftover Saratoga Springs milkman who loves capturing stories about the people and places that surround him. John and his wife Patricia have been holding hands since high school. The couple recently retired and are looking forward to having more time to enjoy the nooks and crannies of the surrounding area. You can explore more of John’s writing at rainingiguanas.com, where you will find the glass half full and the weather mostly sunny.
WENDY HOBDAY HAUGH
Northville freelancer Wendy Hobday Haugh’s short stories, articles, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and regional publications, including Woman’s World Weekly, Highlights for Children, and WritersWeekly.com. Her stories have appeared in 15 different Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies. To learn more, visit wendyhobdayhaugh.com.
CHARLIE
KUENZEL
Charlie Kuenzel is a native Saratogian who spent 36 years as a Science educator in the Saratoga School District before retiring 6 years ago. Charlie, along with Dave Patterson are the co-owners of Saratoga Tours LLC who for the past 16 years have educated and entertained thousands of visitors to the city with stories to tell the exciting history of our great city.
BILL
ORZELL
Bill Orzell is a retired Geographic Field Analyst and Airframe & Powerplant Mechanic. A fervent sportsman, who resides in DeRuyter, New York, he has a lifelong appreciation of the economic, political, social, and sports history of the Empire State, with a special appreciation of the unique equine, human and geographic narrative which defines the Spa as the place to be.
MEGIN
POTTER
Megin is an expressive writer and artist with work published in books, newspapers, corporate communications and online. A resident of the region for over 20 years, she continues to discover anew the interesting people, places and products it has to offer. As a mother to her active young son, she is inspired to explore even more.
JOHN REARDON
John Reardon purchased Compliments to the Chef in July of 2004 and has enjoyed selling over 6,000 high quality cookware and cutlery items to his Foodie Friends ever since. His wife Paula - as well as being a college professor - helps out along with their son John and daughter Aubrey … and they fit right in to his Foodie Team! If you ask John or Aubrey to cook up a special dish, you’ll see a gleam in their eyes! John reminds us... “Life Happens in the Kitchen” and yes… “Anyone can cook!”
THERESA ST. JOHN
Theresa is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in Saratoga Springs. Even though history was not on her radar while in high school, she has a deep interest in all things historical now. She has been on assignment for several magazines and is published in both print and online venues. She is the proud mom to two young men and Nonnie to six rescued dogs, two chinchillas, and a bird. Life is good, she says.
JORDANA TURCOTTE
Jordana Turcotte is a lifelong New Yorker and a Saratoga County resident since graduating from RPI. After staying at home for a bit with her children, she decided on the “rest of her life job” as Professional Organizer. Starting Simply You in 2008 fulfills a passion for organizing. When she isn’t organizing, you’ll find her volunteering at her kids’ school, being Mommy chauffeur or hanging out with her two rescue dogs.
RALPH
VINCENT
Ralph Vincent is a lifestyle writer enamored with the Spa City. As an enthusiastic contributor to Simply Saratoga Magazine, he enjoys writing about a variety of topics including home entertaining, cooking, and cocktail crafting. His body of work also includes articles on subjects of special significance to him such as his experiences as a pet parent, gardening, and Yaddo. He resides locally with his partner Steven and their adorable Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.
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contributors Search for them on SimplySaratoga.com!
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Simply SARATOGA Home & Garden 2023 contents A GOOD READ 18 Join us… at Scallions Restaurant! 22 Johanna Garrison’s Passion for Pollinators Brought me to the SoBro Conservancy 26 Meet Aliza Pickering, The Day Dream Farmer 28 Preserving Saratoga 32 Artist Spotlight: Paul Petrie 34 Artist Spotlight: Janet Howard-Fatta H&G 37 Architecturally Speaking goes Vintage! 52 Colleen's Picks 56 Phinney Design Group is Building the Future 62 The Coop Contemporary 66 Charming, Retro, Cozy… I love this barn! 70 A Stone’s Journey… with Granite & Marble Works 72 “So, why don’t we want gas in our house?” Adirondack Alternate Energy explains 76 Locally Sourced isn’t just for food… Tall Pine Timber Frames 78 Jordana Turcotte + Simply You (Kitchen Organization!!) 80 In the Kitchen with John Reardon 82 Entertaining with Ralph Vincent 85 Welcome to Our Garden! 86 Biophillic Design? …YES! 90 Gardening… With Peter Bowden 92 The Heritage Garden Club 93 Soroptimist’s Secret Garden Tour FASHION (Six Shops - Starting on page 101!) Violet's of Saratoga, Pink Paddock, Saratoga Trunk, Spoken Boutique, Lifestyles and Union Hall Supply Company OUT + ABOUT 108 The 46th Annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival 110 Summer Concerts on The Great Sacandaga Lake HISTORY 113 Charlie Kuenzel 118 Carol Godette 122 Bill Orzell 126 John Greenwood 16 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | HOME & GARDEN 2023 saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com
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A Saratoga Staple
WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPGED BY THERESA ST. JOHN
Scallions has been a restaurant destination – since it opened on Broadway - way back in the late eighties. It’s a favorite of locals, as well as out-of-town visitors, with their unique yet approachable gourmet menu, offering more complex specialty dishes than might be typically found in a neighborhood eatery. Owners Liz and Eric Swoyer greet us at the door, inviting us into this bright, airy space.
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The furnishings throughout the dining area are colorful, warm, and welcoming. Chris Vallone Bushee, Editor of Simply Saratoga, sits across from me at a round table carved and painted with whimsical folksy images and the sweetest quotes. Having never asked about the origin of the artwork before, Chris is impressed by 'Sticks,' the American-made, womanbased company that created the made-to-order hand-drawn, wood-burned, and painted original artwork that captivates the 55 diners of the small and cozy restaurant (with the street side window view!) It’s safe to say… we both love the décor!
Every dish that makes its way to our table is mouthwatering. We start with the sesame-crusted sashimi-grade tuna seared to perfection and set on top of chilled buckwheat soba noodles. The salad is laced with julienne vegetables and arugula and drenched in a light sesame soy vinaigrette. Loving their nutty-earthy flavor, Liz tells us they're excellent in the summer!
Our citrus salmon is more than enough for the two of us. A fresh bed of greens lies under it, with a smattering of fresh seasonal berries, nuts, and goat cheese. I love salmon but will be the first to admit how skeptical I am about ordering it. I'm from Boston – where fish is plentiful and often 'just off the pier.' I miss that here in New York. Eric wanders over to ask what we think, and we let out a little sigh of delight. This dish was succulent from the first forkful, the greens and berries just add to the delight. "I bought this salmon from the Faroe Islands,” Eric states, “an area where salmon is renowned for its superior quality and taste."
His knowledge and passion are evident, as we learn that pristine clear waters, cool, steady sea temperatures, strong currents, and accessible fjords enhance the remote region of the Faroe Islands. Eric doesn't always buy from this location; it depends on the market, which he and his buyers pay close attention to. The same goes for the Kobe Flatiron steak served with garlic mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots, and a red-wine demiglaze. "I usually source this steak from one specific area in Japan. It is difficult to get right now, so you're eating American Wagyu." I'm quick to notice we don't have steak knives, just butter knives, and I am pleased to say they work just as well. Again, we’re well educated, learning that American Wagyu results from crossbreeding Japanese Wagyu with high-quality continental cattle breeds. The flavor is decadent, and this cut melts like butter in our mouths.
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Always one to ask the personal questions and get to the core… Chris discovers the couple met at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, dating for just over seven years before Eric proposed. They married in 2016 and have a 13-month-old son named Carson. We’re betting he's as cute as his parents! The couple compliment each other perfectly since Eric was born to be a chef (well groomed by his grandmother!) and Liz’s sunny personality is a natural for the front of the house. They both want it to feel like family and have every aspect of the business run smoothly. "We want to appeal to everyone with our menu offerings," Liz tells us. "We serve American fare, vegan dishes, and many Gluten-Free items. Our staff is friendly and welcoming, and we take our reservations the old-school way – we pick up the phone vs. making online bookings." Wow. The second noodle dish we sampled had the perfect bite; the heat was just right, lingering but not overpowering. It was a roasted vegetable ratatouille with chickpeas over linguine tossed with romesco and had an underlying pleasant lemony flavor. The mix of red peppers, toasted almonds, garlic, and olive oil made the piquant sauce sing. "I bet it's hotter tomorrow after it's sat a bit." I laugh. Eric nods in agreement.
Liz tells us the scallops came in fresh this morning, so they aren't on the dinner menu. The four of them are a creamy white color, perfectly seared and have a firm texture. They're light but succulent in flavor. Chris takes the first bite and swears she's died and gone to heaven. I must agree, I taste sweet, buttery, and nutty simultaneously. Underneath is an ample serving of risotto made with butter, parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and a lemony sauce. Mixed in the dish are corn, beans, and red bell peppers. It truly is marvelous. Eric and Liz explain how they feature a few items not on the menu every weekend – usually a steak, seafood, and lamb or pork dish. "It depends on what's out there and where our inspiration comes from.”
The menu is quite impressive – with two full pages for lunch and another two for dinner. They also offer a variety of salads, fried green tomatoes, wraps, crispy quinoa burgers, paninis, several seafood dishes, and slow-braised short ribs, to name a few.
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Speaking of paninis, next we had the Galileo – grilled chicken with melted Swiss and smoked mozzarella cheese, which oozes out the sides of the sandwich. It has roasted red peppers and garlic mayo, and this tasty treat comes out of the kitchen on grilled corn jalapeno bread. Can you say yummy?
When I ask if they've made many changes since becoming the new owners (only the third in 36 years!), Liz and Eric both grin. "Why fix something when it's not broken?" Eric goes on to say, "Of course, we've added new items to the menu, but many things have remained the same." Liz says it was a fantastic opportunity - to have this turnkey restaurant offered to them by previous owner Michele Morris. "She was very particular in who she wanted to sell to. She was adamant that whoever purchased Scallions would nurture, care for, and grow the business. I'd worked here as a waitress for over five years and loved it. Becoming owners wasn't on our immediate radar, but after talking it over, we realized it was good fortune that only comes once in a lifetime."
The couple purchased Scallions in November 2018. When I hear the year, I cringe. So many people with bright, shiny dreams pre-COVID folded during the pandemic. I remember walking through the streets of Saratoga in 2020. Everything was quiet, and many 'Sorry, we're closed' signs hung on the windows of once-bustling businesses. Unfortunately, some companies remained shuttered even when the governor lifted bans, and we could try to enjoy a sense of community again.
"We never closed during those horrible months," Eric offers. "We went from a seven-day workweek model down to five days. We set a long table outside for take-out orders and transferred our landlines to Liz's cell phone so she could answer when it rang. "We pooled all the tips together and split them between our waitstaff. They weren't working but stuck at home through the worst of the pandemic. It was important to help them in any way we could. They shared stories of how the community came together, ordering many meals from the restaurant to help keep them afloat." We talk about the last three years for a few minutes, noting how COVID brought out the best in people. We finish dinner with two desserts – a vegan cheesecake and a warm brownie cobbler with vanilla Madagascar gelato. There is no way you can tell the cheesecake is vegan – it's thick, creamy, and exactly what you expect. The brownie cobbler is rich, smooth, and chocolatey, with the gelato a perfect finishing touch.
In case you’re new around here, you may not know that not only did Liz work for owner Michele Morris before taking over Scallions, but Michele Morris worked for the original owners (Jim and Kerry Morris, no relation) before purchasing it from them. Wondering aloud if a similar scenario might happen again, Eric and Liz both laugh, "That's a long way down the road!" SS
…More Photos on SimplySaratoga.com!
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THE WAY FORWARD
THE
WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS BY JOHANNA GARRISON
In our changing climate, it is frivolous to design for aesthetics alone. By reclaiming the urban environment and transforming it into a collection of vibrant green spaces, we regenerate biodiversity, restore animal habitat, and increase abundance in vulnerable ecosystems.
Plantings improve air quality, especially at busy intersections where pollution emissions are concentrated. Through evapotranspiration, plants mediate the urban heat island effect, reducing the need for high-energy use ACs in surrounding buildings. Plants also sequester carbon. Mature trees are masters at maximizing this superpower, each storing as much as 48 lbs. of carbon annually compared to every square meter of turf grass, that absorbs as little as 46 grams, said Johanna Garrison.
EVIDENCE IS IN... landscapes must be more than just pretty - they also need to support life.
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Photo: Common Eastern Bumblebee seeks cover from the rain
GROWING A PASSION FOR POLLINATORS
Characterizing herself as a pretty-plant purchaser with a head for hodge-podge design, Johanna’s perspective changed in 2015, with her family’s new net-zero home. Suddenly, she had a blank canvas.
With help from local native plant experts Jesse Peters, founder of Jessecology, and Dawn Foglia, of Wild Things Rescue Nursery, Johanna’s yard became a beautiful habitat and food source for pollinators, songbirds, and other wildlife. She began composting, leaving the fall leaves, and above all, learning.
“We need to stop villainizing insects. We don’t want ants in the pantry or flies at the picnic, but people should thank a fly the next time they eat chocolate because they pollinate the cacao tree,” she said.
Invertebrates are despised for eating crops and spreading diseases. Their benefits however, far outweigh these drawbacks, as they naturally regulate pest populations,
improve the soil, sustain larger wildlife, and provide protein to roughly 80% of the world’s population.
Native plants are essential because they have coevolved with native insects, and both rely on each other to survive. Without them, songbirds are in danger; it takes 7- 9,000 caterpillars to feed just one clutch of baby chickadees, she added, referencing Doug Tallamy, author of the acclaimed, Bringing Nature Home.
In 2020, Johanna, a teacher for 30 years, joined Sustainable Saratoga and has helped lead the organization’s efforts to educate others about the importance of pollinators. The initiative fits well with the organization’s other efforts, including the popular “No Mow May” and “Pardon my weeds, I’m feeding the bees” programs.
Johanna has also joined Tom Denny, and the nonprofit SoBro Conservancy of Saratoga to transform one of the city’s most prominent intersections, at 209 South Broadway (see page 118 for more on the parcel’s history).
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Black Swallowtail on Heliopsis helianthoides (False Sunflower)
Jack, beloved Rubythroated hummingbird, perches on Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Giant Swallowtail on Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower)
Hummingbird Moth on Asclepius incarnata (Swamp Milkweed)
Viceroy on Physocarpus opulifolius (Common Nine Bark)
Monarch on Solidago speciosa (Showy Goldenrod)
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Monarchs on Liatris aspera (Rough Blazing Star)
REGREENING THE GATEWAY TO SOUTH BROADWAY
This triangular .2-acre lot served as home to a gas station for 63 years before sitting vacant for two decades. Now, it is becoming a piece of a much larger network of fragmented green spaces being knit together throughout the city to create a wildlife corridor connecting Congress Park, Spa Park, Greenridge Cemetery, the YMCA, Railroad Run, Pitney Meadows, and more.
Last fall, Skidmore College students mapped the characteristics of wildlife foraging areas within the city and soil tests were conducted. The results drew a clear picture of how challenging the area would be to repopulate, said Tom. The soil has a high PH, very little organic matter, is heavily compacted, and sandy. SoBro has already begun working to improve and rebuild the soil quality.
With advice and inspiration generously provided by many farmers, educators, and organizations including the City Department of Public Works, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and others, SoBro is turning broad strokes into action. They have hosted two work days, with an estimated 25 volunteers coming out to help each day. SoBro’s core planning group also turned to Shanti Nagel, founder of Design Wild, for a pollinator-friendly planting plan, which includes wood mulch paths, informal boulder seating, and a variety of large shade trees, shrubs, flowers, and ground cover for year-round interest.
"In May, we will get connected to the City water supply. We can then plant some anchor trees, a red oak, a basswood, and a tulip, all of which mature to 60 feet or more in height. Plans are being formed regarding other plantings this summer and fall, and for Phase 2 in 2024,” said Tom. Currently funded through a silent campaign of private donations, SoBro has also applied for grants to help cover costs.
GO NATIVE
Every resident can help green the city with SoBro’s pocket park as inspiration. To attract pollinators, plant keystone perennials such as asters, goldenrods, and sunflowers. Fireflies require moisture and native grasses like Carex; wasps are drawn to mountain mint; and honeysuckle (sempervirens) beckons hummingbirds. Add height with redbud, viburnum, service berry, and spice bush.
With container planters, every patio, step, porch, and balcony can help in the cause. Try nectar-rich annuals like Tithonia, zinnia, Brazilian vervain, and native partridge pea.
For native blooms ablaze by August, Johanna recommends low-maintenance goldenrod, mountain mint, salvia, aster, ironweed, and little bluestem.
For more information about native plants, visit sustainablesaratoga.org/projects/pollinatorprotection-initiative
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Sustainable Saratoga’s 2nd Annual Pollinator Palooza will have a menu of 30+ varieties and 1800 native plants for sale on June 4th, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., at Oligny's Former Nursery & Garden Center, 390 Wilton Gansevoort Rd, Gansevoort. SS
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New
WILTON’S Corner Farm Market
Buying local gets more convenient with The DayDream Farmer CSA and Garden Center.
WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS PROVIDED
After growing annual bedding plants for more than 30 years, Pickering’s Greenhouse, a small family-owned farm in Arlington, VT has increased production to supply their daughter, Aliza Pickering’s new farm and garden center in Wilton. The DayDream Farmer, aka “The Corner,” is located at the busy intersection of Route 9 and Ballard Road in Wilton.
GROWING EXPERIENCE
Aliza Pickering started a CSA in 2012 on her family’s farm after realizing college was not her path. She also reached out to local growers for mentorship, including Clear Brook Farm and Mighty Food Farm, who both ran CSAs in Shaftsbury, VT. Aliza then spent three years as the Vegetable Manager at Pitney Meadows Community Farm in Saratoga Springs. In 2019, she created their young non-profits CSA program. “Their Pick-Your-Own CSA is great because the customers get to share in the hands-on experience
of harvesting their own vegetables - which physically connects them to the land. It gives them a greater understanding of how their food is grown, while also inspiring questions about our food system and how fragile it is.”
Until Pitney Meadows was able to complete the building of their propagation house, Pickering’s Greenhouse supplied them with field plants. While there, Aliza was instrumental in their farm-to-school program, and since 2019, helped them to stock local food pantries with approximately 46,000 lbs. of produce.
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FLOWERS, VEGETABLES, & MORE!
All of Aliza’s entrepreneurial spirit and practical experience shine through at The DayDream Farmer. “I’m so excited to have my own business again. I really love the creation process and am grateful to be so close to Saratoga Springs,” she said.
Beginning Mother’s Day weekend, a large array of bedding plants, including pansies, petunias, verbenas, colorful marigolds, and alyssum will be available. View hanging pot combinations and more online by visiting www. thedaydreamfarmer.com
There are patio pots bursting with beauties such as caladiums and calla lilies; succulents; perennials (ex. Rose of Sharon, daylilies, yarrow); and vegetable starters.
In addition to The Corner’s plant sale, two CSA programs are being offered as well as a farmstand (open weekends through the growing season).
Spring CSA memberships ($16/week) Weekly greens - like a hardier, crunchier Spring Mix that lasts up to two weeks in the fridge.
The Pick-Your-Own Flower CSA ($25/week), July and August. PYO flowers grown at The Corner lot in raised beds, includes cheerful zinnias, sunflowers, dahlias etc.
CSA members also get 15% off farmstand produce, as well as the opportunity to preorder an array of local meat, eggs, and other items for pick-up at The Corner.
Aliza continues her efforts to help with food security in the community by donating excess produce to the Greenfield and Wilton Food Pantries.
The Day Dream Farmer, 895 Route 9, Wilton, will open for the season, May 12th, (Mother’s Day weekend). Their hours are everyday 9am – 6pm, until July 4th, at which point they switch to weekends only until their Fall Plant Sale starting mid-September.
Beginning in May, The DayDream Farmer and 123GoKids will be offering kid’s gardening and fitness activities once a month, on Saturdays, through September. SS
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SARATO GApreserving
Henry Lawrence House 182 EXCELSIOR AVENUE
WRITTEN BY SAMANTHA BOSSHART, SARATOGA SPRINGS PRESERVATION FOUNDATION PHOTOS PROVIDED BY SARATOGA SPRINGS PRESERVATION FOUNDATION (UNLESS NOTED)
It is an eclectic mix of buildings – municipal, commercial, mixed-used, and residential – as one drives east on Excelsior Avenue from Marion Avenue. Set back from the street at the corner of Excelsior Spring Avenue is a yellow house. Sometimes it catches your eye as you drive by and other times it does not. I have long admired it for its Gothic Revival architecture –its steeply pitched center gable,
decoratively
patterned slate roof, and Gothic arched windows. It stands as a reminder of a different time.
The land on which it sits was known as the Valley of the Ten Springs, named for a group of springs that pioneer merchants John and Ziba Taylor discovered on their land in 1814. Within several years, the Taylor brothers built the Mansion House, a seasonal boarding house. In 1829, Henry Haydock Lawrence (1791-1861), a New York City merchant, acquired the Valley of the Ten Springs property.
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By 1858, Lawrence’s son, Henry Lawrence (1832-1882) had retubed and bottled the waters from Excelsior Spring and was selling them worldwide. He was credited with using hydrostatic pressure to pump water from a depth of 56 feet without compromising the quality of the water. In 1865, Henry retubed the waters from the Union Spring and sold it in bottles and 30-gallon barrels. The following year, A.R. Lawrence, Henry’s cousin and business partner, received a U.S. Patent for his “Soda-Water Apparatus,” which added a small amount of tartaric acid to the mineral waters to prevent sediments from forming.
Impressed with the success of John Clarke’s development of Congress Park — which included springs, a pavilion, walking paths, and lots for development — Henry created Excelsior Park in 1868. He laid out 100 building lots along Excelsior Spring Avenue, from Lake Avenue to the eastern shore of Excelsior Lake, today known as Loughberry Lake. Excelsior Park was described as “Saratoga’s most conscious attempt at a garden suburb.” It included a tree-lined walk through the Valley of the Ten Springs to his pavilion, a bottling plant, the Mansion House, and building lots.
In 1869, Henry constructed his large private residence on the corner, near his spring pavilion, bottling plant, and Mansion House. He and his wife, Caroline, raised their children – Marion, Frank, Caroline, Henry, and Alice – there. However, only a few of the building lots were developed.
In 1872, Sarah F. Smiley acquired a lot and built a small cottage at 166 Excelsior Avenue in the same Gothic Revival style as Henry Lawrence’s house. The house that Smiley constructed and later owned by screenwriter Charles Brackett was designated a City Landmark in 2021.
It is during this same time that the Village of Saratoga Springs needed to secure a pure water supply. On February 28, 1870, a 15-member commission was created to obtain a water supply for sanitary purposes and the fire department for the fast-growing village. In July, Henry and A.R. offered Excelsior Lake to be the source of the water supply as well as land to construct water works for the sum of $20,000. The commission unanimously voted to accept the proposition, purchasing 7.5 acres for $22,775. By August, the commission was under contract with Holly Company of Lockport to install the required machinery for the new village water works at a cost of $35,000. It was reported that the estimated total cost of the waterworks would be $80,000, equivalent to $1.9 million today.
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An illustration from the 1873 multi-page Excelsior Park brochure showing the rear of the 1869 Henry Lawrence House at the top right corner and the Smiley-Brackett Cottage at the top left corner with the Excelsior Spring pavilion in the foreground.
A description of the property from the multi-page 1873 Excelsior Park brochure.
An Advertisement for Excelsior and Union Springs.
An 1873 Excelsior Park multi-page brochure with a fold-out map described it as “delightfully situated on either side of the valley” and the “highest portions of this Table Land have been divided into large and small Villa Plots, many of which command views of the Mountains in Vermont and the Lake George Hills.” It also describes various springs – Excelsior, Union, Minnehaha, and White Sulphur; the “magnificent woods” with its wide and shady paths; and the Mansion House, where “many of the most refined and wealthy families of our great cities spend the Summer Months.” Excelsior Lake is also highlighted in the brochure. “Excelsior Lake, a beautiful sheet of water, one mile in length, also adds charms to this very desirable property.” The lake is “fed by trout streams of sparkling clearness” and “here are situated the Loughberry Water Works, made doubly interesting by their picturesque surroundings and by the famous Holly Machinery, by which water is raised.”
Sadly, Henry Lawrence died at the young age of 49 when he drowned in Lake George. The Saratoga Sentinel obituary dated August 10, 1882, states that he “devoted himself to the improvement and development of the Ten Springs property … Henry, after much labor and investigation, managed to find a way of shipping mineral water in tin-lined barrels, in which he soon secured a large trade … Besides working for his own benefit, in improving the Ten Springs property, Mr. Lawrence has shown a public spirit in looking after the affairs of the community ... His death is a loss to the whole community.”
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The fold-out map from the multi-page 1873 Excelsior Park brochure, showing the location of the building lots, Excelsior Lake (now Loughberry Lake), the 1869 Henry Lawrence Residence (bottome left), The Mansion House (bottom right), and Smiley-Brackett House (top).
A portion of an 1895 Map of Saratoga Springs and Excelsior Park showing the lake renamed to Loughberry Lake (below a photo today), the location the Lawrence Residence and the location of the water works, inset with a picture of the building (George S. Bolster Collection, Saratoga Springs History Museum).
Loughberry Lake (Schnabel Engineering)
Following Henry’s passing, Caroline, his wife, continued to own and reside at 182 Excelsior Avenue and was periodically listed in the city directories as the proprietor of Excelsior and Union springs. Active in the community, Caroline helped to organize the Saratoga Union Mission and served as president of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, president of the Bible Reader’s Society, and vice president of the Saratoga Humane Society, which sought the protection of children and animals.
On May 17, 1888, acting as executrix and trustee of Henry’s estate, Caroline sold her husband’s extensive real estate holdings to their son Frank W. Lawrence. Throughout the years Frank as well as other family members managed different aspects of Excelsior Park – Excelsior and Union springs, Mansion House, and Excelsior Spring Park Cottage. Prior to 1900, Frank W. Lawrence drilled the Quevic Spring, located near Excelsior Spring, and named it after Queen Victoria, whom he admired. It was advertised as the “Queen of Spring Waters.” Frank passed away in 1939. Following his death, his daughter Emily Lawrence Smith operated Quevic Company for 11 years. In 1951, she sold Quevic Spring to Carl E. Touhey.
The property at 182 Excelsior Avenue remained in the Lawrence family until the great granddaughter of Henry Haydock Lawrence, Emily Lawrence Smith, sold it to Stanley and Elsie Bogan in 1948. Since that time the property has had a series of owners and was made into a rooming house/apartments.
The current owner has listed the property for sale, and it is currently under contract. Initial plans by the developer proposed to remove all the historic structures from the lot and construct three buildings with 36 apartments. After learning the significance of the property, the developer has amended the proposal to include the relocation of the historic residence and carriage house, conversion of these buildings into condominiums, and subdivision of the property.
The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation submitted an application to designate the property a City Landmark because of its connection to the development of our city’s natural springs, Henry Lawrence’s role in providing our city’s water supply, and the building’s architecture to ensure the buildings are preserved for future generations. The City Landmark designation is currently under consideration by the City Council. If you want to learn more about the Foundation’s advocacy’s efforts for 1869 Henry Lawrence House, the Smiley-Brackett Cottage, and others, please visit www.saratogapreservation.org. SS
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paul PETRIE
EXPLORES THE WONDERS OF WOODTURNING
WRITTEN BY WENDY HOBDAY HAUGH | PHOTOS BY PAUL PETRIE AND SUSAN OWENS
Woodturner Paul Petrie of Gloversville is passionate about creating beautiful wood art and educating people about the craft of woodturning. “Mention woodworking, and people generally think of furniture,” he says, “but mention woodturning, and they’re often clueless. People can picture a table saw, but a lathe is pretty much a mystery.”
For thousands of years, woodturners have created utilitarian items like drinking goblets, bowls, and candlestick holders. Using chisels, gouges, and scrapers, a woodturner is able to shape a piece of wood as it turns on a lathe.
“With furniture making, you need large amounts of space and big pieces of wood,” Petrie points out. “But if you’re a woodturner, you can do it in a closet because you’re dealing with a small block of wood, a few hand tools, and a spinning lathe that enables you to remove pieces of the block to create the canvas. You don’t need a lot of expensive wood, either,” he adds. “Scraps work fine. You can even pick up pieces left on the side of the road by tree crews.”
Paul Petrie grew up in Gloversville and earned a degree in economics and math from Assumption University in Worcester, MA. After graduating in 1968, he joined VISTA—the poverty-fighting program created as a domestic version of the Peace Corps—and was stationed in Hawaii as a YMCA outreach worker. When that work ended, in need of a job, Petrie began training in Hawaii as a carpenter. “Afterwards, I basically worked my way back across the United States,” he recalls. “Over time, I was lucky enough to spend time with a woodturner in Vermont, which is how I became interested in this particular field.”
Artist Spotlight
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Spalted maple with 49 ebony beads and 7 cocobolo (7.5” tall, 2-3/8 diameter).
Mother of pearl and abalone inlaid in ash (10.5” tall, 3.5” diameter).
Maple fluted with sapele mahogany inlay (4” tall, 10” diameter).
Petrie started out making replacements for broken chair spindles and stair balusters. From there, he moved on to bowls, vessels, and other utilitarian items. “But in the late ‘60s and ‘70s,” he explains, “there were individuals, mostly in the U.S., who started to think: ‘Hey, if they can make this very artistic piece of ceramic or glass, why can’t we do it with wood?’ After that, some people–several of whom actually worked at GE in Schenectady—got involved in taking woodturning from a utilitarian endeavor to an art form. Involvement in woodturning really picked up when an organization known as the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) and a magazine called Fine Woodworking began providing interested individuals with a lot of useful information.”
A longtime member of the Adirondack Woodturners Association (AWA), Petrie meets monthly with group members to exchange ideas and demonstrate different techniques. “In turning, there are a million variations. You enter a rabbit hole and find there are a million passages instead of one, and you just keep exploring them. We all exchange ideas and help one another. Social media, Instagram in particular, has also led to a big influx of new ideas and shared information.”
Petrie was privileged to have studied and worked side by side with one of the world’s most respected and innovative woodturners. “In the early 2000s, while attending Arrowmont in TN—a huge, progressive art school with a massive turning building—I met and became good friends with instructor Binh Pho, a Viet Nam refugee from Chicago who had developed a piercing technique that uses high-speed dental drills to produce visual art on woodturned pieces.”
Today, many of Paul Petrie’s incredibly lacy designs revolve around negative space: the spacing, or airy pockets, left behind when the wood is removed. “The remaining solid areas form the design, but the background is the negative space. In a painting, the canvas is the background. But in much of my work, the air becomes the background.
“I was a purist to start, never touching the wood,” he reflects, “just enjoying the different grains and the unique beauty of each individual piece. I didn’t understand, at first, all that I could do. Today, I create shelf art: pieces that are valued for their aesthetic beauty rather than their functionality. I may spend three hours on the lathe, working a block of wood to create my canvas. But afterwards, I might easily spend another 30 hours working on the decorative aspects of the piece. When people at shows see one of my more intricate pieces with lots of cuts and holes, they’ll often tell me, ‘It’s beautiful—but what do I do with it?’ I grin and tell them they can always strain spaghetti in it.”
For most of his career, Paul Petrie worked in the construction industry, building big, beautiful houses. Today, however, he loves the challenge of taking scraps of wood, creating stunning pieces of art and, then, exhibiting his work at juried shows throughout the northeast. This past March he traveled to Baltimore. This summer he’ll exhibit at the Berkshires Art Festival, a gathering of 175 juried artists from across the country, running July 1-3 in Great Barrington, MA. Petrie participates yearly in the Northville Rotary Woodworking and Fine Arts Weekend, a non-juried show scheduled for July 14-16, and his award-winning wood art has been featured in several magazines, including Fine Woodworking, The Best of Fine Woodworking: Wood Turning Basics, and American Woodturner.
Because woodturning is still very much in its infancy compared to woodworking, ceramics or glasswork, Petrie takes every opportunity to educate people about the art form. Over the years, he has demonstrated woodturning in the Totally Turning event at the Northeast Woodworkers Association Show in Saratoga Springs, instructed at a Maine woodworking school, educated and demonstrated at woodturning clubs in PA, and taken on individual students in his Gloversville studio.
“By teaching, you educate yourself all over again,” Petrie asserts. “You learn from everyone, instructors and students alike. Teaching enables you to get out there and spread the word to interested people. I enjoy attending shows, networking, learning from others, and educating people. It’s the snowball effect. Year by year, interest in woodturning is only growing larger, and that’s exciting.”
Around 2010, inspired by Binh Pho, Petrie began using dental drills and piercing to create intricate wood art that incorporated geometric patterns, delicate butterflies, filigree floral designs, and elaborate spirals. He also started painting and accessorizing his work by adding materials like abalone shell, mother of pearl, beads, and gemstones. SS
To see more of Paul Petrie’s work, visit www.woodchuckwoodturning.com or call 518-725-6515.
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Pierced and airbrushed birch spiral with satin lacquer (14” diameter, 2” high).
"Time Immortal:" cocobolo wood with mother of pearl and 18 karat gold (7” tall, 3” diameter).
janet HOWARDFATTA
AN ARTIST WHO FINDS PASSION & PURPOSE IN LIVE EVENT
PAINTING
WRITTEN BY WENDY HOBDAY HAUGH PHOTOS PROVIDED BY WENDY HOBDAY HAUGH AND JANET HOWARD-FATTA
Throughout her illustrious career, artist Janet Howard-Fatta of Warwick, NY, has painted everything from landscapes and seascapes to figures and floral scenes. But in 2015, this talented woman embarked on an exciting new path as a Live Event Painter.
“I’ve always loved painting figures and landscapes,” she says, “and I really wanted to bring the two together. So one day, when a friend of mine was having a maple syrup boil, I set up my easel and began painting the event, putting specific people in place, including my husband and the dog. People gathered ‘round to watch me work. It was so much fun! That’s when I knew I’d hit on something I’d really enjoy doing.”
After volunteering to paint a neighbor’s wedding, word circulated and her new career was launched. Janet thrives on people and relationships and is honored to participate in events through her painting. “Telling a story in paint on canvas allows me to capture the emotion of a moment,” she says. “My impressionistic style captures the visual poetry of the event.”
Upon meeting this charming artist, it’s easy to see why she does what she does. Energetic, friendly, and eager to meet new people, Janet would make a sparkling addition to any event. She works with clients beforehand to determine backdrops, activities, and specific people they’d like portrayed in their paintings. And, on the big day, her artist’s station becomes a fun ‘added attraction’ at an already festive event.
“I try to be as unobtrusive as possible, but with my bright light and easel, I’m definitely visible. People enjoy stopping by to ask questions and watch me work, and they’ll often stop back periodically to watch a painting progress.”
Ever industrious, Janet worked 115 events last year, and 2023 was fully booked months before it even began. “There’s a snowball effect,” she points out. “One wedding often turns into five as people see what I’m doing and pass the word along.” April through October is her peak season for live events. During the winter, she’ll often paint commissioned scenes from photographs or videos. Janet Howard-Fatta studied illustration at the High School of Art & Design in New York City and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the Pratt Institute in 1991. She has exhibited extensively over the years and is heavily involved in community art endeavors. Just for fun, Janet runs a Tuesday morning group in figurative studies. “This is my weekly ‘playtime,’ when a group of artists hires a nude and experiments with figure drawing.”
When asked how she manages to juggle so much, she credits her daily regimen of walking, meditating, exercising, keeping a gratitude journal, and sleeping 7.5 hours a night. “I tell people I’m really an artist/athlete.”
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Artist Spotlight
Impressionist painter Janet Howard-Fatta captures the emotional tenor of live events.
Janet’s husband, Louis—also a Pratt graduate—is a metal sculptor, artist, and Rockland County art teacher. “We built a barn out back for Louie’s sculpture and, recently, he’s taken up painting. My studio is set up in the living room, and Louie has taken over the dining room. As a painter, his content is very different from mine. I’m more skilled, but Louie’s artistic voice is stronger.”
The couple has two children. “Luke, 23, is a talented diesel technician and welder,” Janet beams. “He could have been a sculptor, and still might be. Caroline is a Chemistry Major at SUNY Binghamton. She’s good at drawing but loves chemistry. Once, at an off-campus event, Caroline and her friends sketched portraits on paper plates. They charged a dollar a portrait, and made $95.”
That lively, entrepreneurial spirit clearly runs in the family. At one time, Janet seriously considered pursuing a career as a pancake artist. “Several artist friends and I took a booth at the Warwick Apple Festival. We hauled in a big griddle and made pancake portraits. It was so much fun! You use pancake batter to form the head, batter mixed with cocoa to draw the features, flip it—and there you are!”
Last summer, the Fattas purchased a rustic summer camp on Great Sacandaga Lake. “There’s something special about the Adirondack air, trees, and vegetation,” Janet reflects.
“It’s very different from the Catskills. My husband had always wanted a place on a lake, and my son is an avid fisherman. We wanted someplace that wasn’t too far a drive for us, and Sacandaga was a perfect fit.”
When they first visited the camp, the couple had no idea that it had been built and enjoyed for 65 years by two other married artists. “But the second I entered the camp,” Janet recalls, “I could tell by all the little artistic touches that an artist had lived here.” And, when she ventured upstairs— and saw the big windows overlooking the woods and lake, and the telltale flecks of cobalt blue paint on the linoleum—she knew her instincts were right on. “I love the yard, the rocks, the ferns, and all the native plants, and I absolutely love stepping out the back door on to the big, flat rock that serves as a stoop. Sitting in the kitchen or living room, I can see the water sparkling through the trees. Everything about the location appeals to me.”
Although Janet’s fair weather months are currently tied up with downstate events, she looks forward to spending a lot more time at her lakeside retreat in the future. “I’d love to be working more in the Saratoga/Lake George area. I’ve painted several scenes from the Hall of Springs, done an event at The Inn at Erlowest in Lake George, and have an event scheduled this June at the Sagamore. But I’d love to paint even more live events in our new, upstate location.”
Janet Howard-Fatta is thrilled to have found an artistic niche that combines her two greatest passions: people and painting. She smiles when asked if there are events she’d like to paint that she hasn’t already done. “I’d like to paint a funeral sometime . . . and a dog’s birthday party.” But, until then, her many weddings gigs will keep her busy enough.
To contact Janet or see more of her work, visit jhowardstudios.com.
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Live Event Painter, Janet Howard-Fatta. SS
A work-in-process in Janet’s Sacandaga studio. …More Photos on SimplySaratoga.com!
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H&G
Let Us Show You Around...
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Randall Perry Photography
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Architecturally
FOLLOW US AS WE EXPLORE SOME OF THE AREA'S unique spaces...
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Randall Perry Photography
Vintage Vibes
WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS BY RANDALL PERRY PHOTOGRAPHY
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Vibrant color, bold prints, and fascinating finds lift your spirits in this lovely Caroga Lake bungalow.
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Built in the 1950s, this bungalow was constructed to house factory families wanting a break at the lake after a hard week’s work. Today, it is an interesting blend of modern design and oldfashioned coziness, giving it a look that is overflowing with charm
THE WORKING MAN’S RETREAT
The small village of Gloversville was originally called “Stump City” because, after clearing the land, tree stumps were left everywhere. When it became an incorporated village in 1853, the name was changed to Gloversville because it had become well-known for its glove trade. Like so many others, Liane Schnur, a German immigrant who had been living in New Jersey, found opportunity in the factory town.
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Randall Perry Photography
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When Liane’s daughter was seven years old, they rented a small bungalow on Caroga Lake for six weeks. The lake’s sandy beaches and the lively Sherman’s Amusement Park’s rides, games and attractions nearby had been making dreams come true for families on moderate budgets since the 1920s.
In 2010, the amusement park closed but Liane never lost her love for the area or that little bungalow. After running a small dress shop, Liane directed her flare for style into renovating small homes. She was able to acquire a mobile home in the retirement community of Fort Myers Beach, FL, and another bungalow on Caroga Lake, but wasn’t going to give up on the property she would come to call the “Princess of the Lake”.
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Randall Perry Photography
Through much perseverance (and by plying the neighbor with blueberry muffins) Liane learned the owner of the Caroga Lake bungalow was willing to lower their original asking price. Eventually, after four years of sitting vacant, Liane’s offer was accepted, and now, she has brought this once-neglected gem back to life.
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The Princess Meets Prints Charming
Decorated with a grandmillennial aesthetic, the bright space feels like a breath of fresh air after the gray, neutral minimalist designs that have dominated the last decade.
“I love color. This is the most color I’ve ever used anywhere. It all comes from my heart,” said Liane.
Full of personality, glorious light, and bold, quirky choices, it feels like walking into someplace familiar.
“It makes me feel like I’m being hugged. It’s just the most comfortable place. It represents family, feeling happy, and loved,” she added.
Surrounded on three sides by flower gardens, the bungalow’s humble two-bedroom, one bath open floorplan maximizes the space.
Decorated with a tasteful mix of unpretentious floral prints and lush tropical designs, all types of flora are fair game among the home’s sherbet color scheme, making it feel welcoming, exotic, and comfy all at the same time.
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Randall Perry Photography
Randall Perry Photography
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Dishware Everywhere
Antiques exist everywhere here, from the fun enclosed front porch to the wisteria-covered backyard firepit. Among their backdrop of painted wainscotting, large salvaged furniture pieces make a statement. In the original kitchen, a workman’s bench is topped with a granite slab for an ample work surface. Throughout the house, and quintessential to granny chic design, antique dishes, plates, and crockery are a cost-effective way to add vintage vibes.
Glowing translucent cobalt blues, amber browns, pastel pinks, and light green dishes (known as depression ware) contain the colors that are a hallmark of millennial style. The mismatched sets add an eclectic flavor that makes bunches of baubles, trinkets, and more practical items (like candle holders) feel equally at home.
An old Coca-Cola bottle opener, tin containers, and other advertising memorabilia scattered throughout the house transport visitors to another time.
Liane’s crafty touch can be felt here too, not only in her paint finishes, but in projects, like the set of pillow cases she created from chenille bedspreads.
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Randall Perry Photography
Randall Perry Photography
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Randall Perry Photography
Just steps away, the private beach beckons, the silhouette of Sherman’s Ferris Wheel standing stoutly in the distance. The park’s bumper cars, carousel, and pavilion have been restored and are now available for private rentals.
The entire upstairs loft, bathed in brightness from several skylights, is a cute place for young kids. The Princess of the Lake, now an Air B & B, and a second building in the backyard that Liane will be restoring this year, are destined to host families looking to getaway for many more years to come.
“We can make our dreams come true even on a limited budget,” said Liane. “You can achieve your dreams if you chase them. You’ve got to go after them. Don’t give up.” SS
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Colleen's Picks
A Carefully Curated Selection of HOME DÉCOR ITEMS
WRITTEN BY COLLEEN COLEMAN OF CMC DESIGN STUDIO LLC
Summer is upon us! The delight of bright morning sunrises and cool New York evenings is the reason we all love Summer in Saratoga! We are so fortunate to have such a beautiful hometown full of history. Our Broadway shops, boutiques and eateries are bustling and the sound of evening music from gatherings in the park to our local pubs entice our very being to come stroll the streets and let the day wash away. I hope you have made plans for friends and family to visit soon. And just so you’re ready, here’s a few things I thought you may like to pick up before the entertaining begins!
DARK HORSE MERCANTILE
At DARK HORSE MERCANTILE, they have such creative racing keepsakes. Take for instance this 1930’s Horse Race Pocket Watch. A rare vintage gem for horse racing enthusiasts! Just turn the winder a few times and the pointer randomly spins around the dial until coming to a stop on the “winning” horse. I can see grandkids being occupied for hours on grandpa’s knee or even grownups placing their friendly bets over bonfire beverages in hopes for winning glory by night’s end! Another fun find is the Branded Saratoga Shoe crafted by local artist Bill Herrington. These real horseshoes, hung with braided rope, make a perfect gift for out-of-town visitors or proudly displayed for luck in your own home! And remember, in Simply Saratoga SPRING, I featured artist Melissa Crase and her “Colors of Racing”? Well, Dark Horse is hosting her artwork in a show on May 20th between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Be sure to stop in and meet the artist in person. Her vibrant colors and textures, usually achieved with anything but a paintbrush, are often “ordinary things painted with unexpected colors” as Melissa likes to put it! Just down the street, IMPRESSIONS OF SARATOGA always has that special home décor not easily found elsewhere. Like this full color Saratoga City Map Pillow made of 100% natural cotton with poly fill. At 18” x 12”, it’s a perfect lumbar or place to rest your head on a lazy afternoon! And if sprucing up your curb appeal is a high priority, why not put a little Saratoga flair at the end of the driveway with this stunning Post Mounted Copper Mailbox. Each hand embossed and polished copper plate is mounted on USPS approved black steel boxes. So many to choose from yet no two are alike. Visible from both sides, the polished copper would surely be a show stopper!
445 Broadway, Saratoga Springs ImpressionsSaratoga.com | 518-587-0689
IMPRESSIONS OF SARATOGA
368 Broadway, Saratoga Springs
ImpressionsSaratoga.com | 518-587-0666
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Colleen Coleman is the Principal of CMC Design Studio LLC located in Saratoga Springs. With certifications in Kitchen & Bath Design, Aging in Place and True Color Expert, her curated design extends into all areas of her field including new construction, historical and major renovations. Her passion is in designing & customizing hand-crafted cabinets for all areas of the residential market.
Susan Blackburn Photography
FINISHING TOUCHES HOME DECOR
450 E High Street, Ballston Spa
FinishingTouchesStore.com | 518-584-1490
ACCENTS AT ALLERDICE
2570 U.S. 9, Malta
Allerdice.com | 518-899-6222
Now for the inside, FINISHING TOUCHES surely knows how to complete a space! Want to add a bit of flair to your summertime feast? Check out these Hand-Crafted Bees Wax Candles poured in Connecticut. Each uniquely shaped stick adds a touch of whimsy. Mix and match colors and shapes to create your own chic setting. If you prefer candles in a container, they also have these playful Oyster Can Candles available in a variety of different labels, colors and scents. Each clever “oyster can” can be displayed individually or on a shelf collectively. It's a great gift for an oyster loving friend as well! Now, I hunt summer long for unique planters. They add interest to any garden or table top. So, naturally when I spotted the Owl and Hedge Hog Planters, I couldn’t help but take a few pics for this article. They are adorable for indoor or outdoor settings and add lots of charm to small spaces!
And not too far down the road, ACCENTS AT ALLERDICE in Malta just brought in these spectacular Acacia Wood & Leather Folding Stools. This alternative seating quickly unfolds for extra guests or would be a warm welcome for an overnight companion to place luggage. Easily stored away, this item won’t be around long… so be sure to get over there fast! And while you’re there, ask to see the Thoroughbreds Pre-Lit Round Orb Light. A beautifully crafted soft light for a hallway or simply to add a touch of Saratoga charm to any room. Easily plugged in, this light is great as a gift for horse lovers!
THE FURNITURE HOUSE
1254 NY-9P, Saratoga Springs
TheFurnitureHouseNY.com | 518-587-9865
Out to the lake and THE FURNITURE HOUSE where they have the best assortment of Natural Edge & Acrylic Poured Wood Tops in the area. Looking for something extraordinary for your home? Well, look no further than this deep blue, swirled top, inlaid with a natural slice of tree trunk as if an island floating in water. Exceptional, I’d say! You could look at that for hours and still see something new each time. Truly a one-ofa-kind piece! But they don’t stop there, here’s another option of Smokey Clear Acrylic Wood Top with Inlaid Sticks and Rocks (finished by Mario’s kids Emily and Michael!). Just stunning to behold and adds a touch of elegance to a rustic setting. The small wooden inlaid “bowties” are purposeful in tying the wood portions together, but I think they add a bit of a panache to this smokey crown!
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Back in Toga, SILVERWOOD HOME & GALLERY is bringing the outdoors in with some of their store favorites…these Fern Paper Placemats and Table Accessories make any table shine! These fern table delights are not only beautiful, but make clean up easy too! And if your walls need a bit of a Summer lift, Fern Framed Prints add a soft touch of the outdoors, complimenting any color wall or décor.
Now onto what’s in store for party appliances! One of my favorite subjects! At MARCELLA’S APPLIANCE, they have the GE PROFILE™ OPAL™ NUGGET ICE MAKER, perfect for drinks when craving nugget ice over larger cubes. As a convenient countertop appliance, it produces up to 3 lbs. of ice per cycle with a maximum of 24 lbs. per day! And with WIFI capabilities, your party can move forward without worrying about the next round of chilling chips! WooHoo, bring on the frosty drinks!
And at EARL B. FEIDEN’S, wait until you see this…the Lynx SmartGrill! A WIFI grill that automatically cooks food based on user preference with a smart device or voice commands! The patented ProSear2 Trident burner is the secret; a variable infrared burner that produces efficient, direct heat. Starting with your selection of over 100 recipes via the SmartGrill app, the database will determine the optimal grilling time and technique for your food and where on the grill to place each item to ensure everything is cooked to perfection and on time! Now that’s grilling made easy!
Are you ready for Summer entertaining? Gardening, lake or poolside parties, firepit chats and long days of fun in the sun? Saratoga is glorious this time of year. Be sure to get out and stroll the streets, walk through Congress Park and bring a picnic lunch. Take the kids on a Carousal Ride or stop for eats at one of your favorite restaurants… It’s all so Saratoga!
Until next time my friends,
54 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | HOME & GARDEN 2023 saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com Colleen's Picks
Colleen Coleman of CMC Design Studio LLC AKBD, CAPS & True Color Expert colleen@cmcdesignstudio.net @cmcdesignstudiollc “Creating Environments for Life” TM SS
MARCELLA'S APPLIANCE
Clifton
MarcellasAppliance.com
518-952-7700
EARL B. FEIDEN APPLIANCE
U.S. 9, Clifton Park
518-383-2215 785 U.S. 9, Latham
EarlBFeiden.com
15 Park Avenue,
Park
|
SILVERWOOD HOME & GALLERY 398 Broadway, Saratoga Springs SilverwoodGalleries.com | 518-583-3600
1771
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| 518-785-8555
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Buildi the Fu
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WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH PEDINOTTI HAYNES
How forward-thinking, ecologically responsible construction empowers
ng ture
Sustainable design doesn’t have to scream, “I’m GREEN!”
It can be accomplished with expert knowledge, clever choices, and a holistic approach. As Phinney Design Group has proven repeatedly in the past 20 yearsgood design never goes out of style.
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Lake side elevation. The stone retaining wall and patio create a connection from indoors to outdoors that united the entire house.
Natural materials and earth tone keep the house united with the natural world surrounding it.
The curve of the great room window acts as a detail carried throughout the house including the timber trusses, the garage bay window, and the front door.
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Soap stone counters and floating walnut shelves make storage a focal point.
The fireplace acts a gathering point in the great room. Consisting of a custom stone pattern, reclaimed timber mantel, aged steel panels, and a handmade bronze door.
Every bedroom has vistas to the lake and the mountains.
Easy access to facilities allows more time outside on the nice summer days.
Riding the Environmentally-Aware Roller Coaster
Growing up in Lake George, Michael Phinney loved the outdoors. His grandfather was the Mayor of Essex County, his dad ran a marina, and he became the fifth generation of his family to enjoy hiking, camping, boating, and fishing there. In the 1990s however, as a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, he felt like an outsider. “I had this desire to explore how architecture could coexist with, and make, the environment better.”
Michael’s thesis project at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) was on ‘Environmental Awareness in Architecture.’ As the Principal Architect at Phinney Design Group, founded in 2003, he has ridden the sustainable design roller coaster. Its popularity ebbs and flows, but its pinnacle was reached in 2001when Governor George Pataki issued Executive Order 111 instructing the state to adhere to energy efficiency goals. Michael worked on both the state’s first LEED-certified building, The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) located at 625 Broadway in Albany, NY, as well as the first LEED-certified building in The Adirondack Park.
Why Going Overtly “Green” Isn’t Your Only Choice
The Phinney Design Group is headquartered in the same sustainable building as The Local Pub and Teahouse, at the corner of Beekman St. and Grand Ave. in Saratoga Springs.
With a second office in Troy, the firm has amassed an accomplished portfolio spanning residential projects; popular restaurants including PJ’s BarB-QSA, The Local Pub and Teahouse, 550 Waterfront, Walt & Whitman Brewing, and the Common Roots Brewery and Tap Room; public spaces such as The Wild Center’s educational biobuilding; as well as the historic preservation of behemoths including The Gideon Putnam, The Sagamore, Mohonk Mountain House, The Queensbury Hotel, and the Saratoga Race Course.
Although sustainable design is Phinney’s niche, their primary goal is to educate clients.
Currently, eighty-percent of their clients select designs including what Michael calls “common-sense” solutions that cost the same or slightly more than traditional techniques while minimizing negative impacts on the environment.
Ten percent opt for a slightly larger investment in windows, insulation, heating and cooling systems, appliances, and lighting, that will pay themselves off in energy savings within one to seven years. The final ten percent may choose to invest in greater energy saving technologies and more careful sourcing of all materials to achieve a net-zero energy building and/or zero-carbon construction. These investments can require eight years or more for a return on investment, but make a great impact on the environmental health of our world long-term.
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Poised for the Second Wave
As new sustainability measures are rolled out, Michael anticipates a second wave of increased demand for environmentallyresponsible design.
Currently working on a net-zero mixed-use building in Troy, its three stories will showcase best-practices in an urban environment by reusing the existing structure, featuring state-of-the-art glass, and an all-electric commercial kitchen. Located along RPI’s pedestrian approach, the project is bringing Michael full-circle.
“It is interesting that here I am, 30 years later, building an example of something I dreamed about then. It’s very special.”
Rather than being the star player, today, Michael sees his role as more akin to that of a coach celebrating where the firm might go in the future, adding, “It’s not just me that makes the magic happen.”
Contact Phinney Design Group at 518-587-7120 or phinneydesign.com
When Climate Change Came Calling
Construction began on this 5,971 sq. ft., 5-bedroom, 4.5 bath home in late 2019. Situated on a small peninsula in Lake George’s Northwestern hamlet of Hague, it has 456 ft of shoreline providing breathtaking views from every room.
A large screen porch and curved blue stone patio allow the family to enjoy their spectacular location year-round. Wanting generations to have the same opportunity, there are safeguards built-in to protect the property, which is prone to flooding when the nearby brook overflows its banks.
Struck by an epic “500-year flood” during construction, the Phinney Design Group salvaged the existing structure by moving it further inland (reuse reduces the embodied energy inherent in disposal).
The new structure was raised 3.5 feet higher, covered with poplar bark siding and granite stone veneer that was sourced locally from Champlain Stone. Etched in the rock (which deters mold and mildew growth) is the layered story of the region’s geology. The stone repels moisture and promotes drainage into a continuous perimeter “drip strip” consisting of a perforated pipe buried two-feet beneath the ground, covered in locally sourced river-rock cobbles. These trenches then direct the water into the zero-maintenance rain gardens whose flowers bloom all summer long.
Additional environmentally-responsible features of the home include clerestory windows utilizing stack effect and evaporative cooling through natural ventilation and passive air exchange; the use of reclaimed white oak timber beams, salvaged doors, and transoms.
“Tying-in the local aesthetic vernacular with sustainable design is a win-win for everyone,” said Phinney’s Senior Architect Brennan Drake, who managed the project through design and the entire construction process.
Phinney Design Group navigated both the epic flood waters and the pandemic’s strains on the supply chain to finalize construction by Spring 2022. SS
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100-year-old reclaimed white oak timbers create the structure of the great room. The juxtaposition of the clean white walls and shiplap ceilings allow for the natural wood tones to draw focus.
Copper light fixtures and a custom steel hood further tie in natural earth tones.
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MEGIN
| PHOTOS PROVIDED
WRITTEN BY
POTTER
The COOP CONTEMPORARY
Conspicuous because of its clean, contemporary coolness, this 2021 structure stands on the foundation of a chicken coop originally built in 1893.
Located on the fringe of the city’s greenbelt, 499 Union Avenue challenges the traditional notion that country = historic farmhouses at a spot blending the borders between the urban and the rural.
Here, the widened road shoulders and sidewalks have made the area more walkable. Homeowners Ardie Russell and her husband, Dan, enjoy taking an early morning stroll to Stewart’s Shops for a coffee in the morning or to dinner at the 550 Waterfront in the evenings. For Ardie, an avid nature lover, hiker, and rower, the convenience of having the state boat launch less than a mile away is nearly unmatched.
THE CALL OF THE WILD
Characterized by open green spaces and additional pedestrian access, this area, designated for low-density development, is teeming with the sounds of nature.
“It’s at the apex of Saratoga’s air quality,” said Ardie. Situated between Saratoga Lake and Lake Lonely, crosswinds coming off the water create a pleasant breeze that seems to be constantly blowing through the .86-acre plot. With the wind come the waterfowl, and the distinctive calls of an amazing number of eagles and blue herons, she added.
ART FOR ALL
Appreciating art and the environment is an impulse that Ardie has never abandoned. She is a Wheaton College graduate with a dual degree in American Studies (with a concentration in American Pop Art) and Environmental Policy. The disciplines have woven themselves into Ardie’s life throughout her 30-year career in art direction, marketing, and communications.
Built as a celebration of passion, beauty, and light, The Coop Contemporary is at home in a region that has embraced the arts since Ardie first moved here in 1994, she said. In the last decade, she has witnessed a surge here of art-related activities.
“The city has branded beyond the springs and the horses to include the arts, which has worked to everyone’s benefit and increased the quality of life for all.”
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CONTINUING THAT ‘CITY IN THE COUNTRY’ FEEL
With the knowledge she accumulated as an art curator and exhibition designer, Ardie created distinctive environments for organizations including American Farmland Trust, Land Trust Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, and Saratoga Race Course. This house however, is her first foray into envisioning a full living space.
Existing almost entirely on the original home’s footprint, the 1,200 sq. ft., 1 bed, 2 bath home has a natural pine wood exterior made from vertically hanging boards. Its floor-to-ceiling windows and open loft space allow light to flood into the bright roomsminimal by design.
“We spent years wanting to simplify. There are very few surfaces to collect clutter here and that is very much intentional, so all the attention is on the art.”
WHERE ART SPEAKS FOR ITSELF
The gallery-like space, with its white walls and grey concrete floors, creates a pure atmosphere free of distractions. This level of discipline directs the viewers to the interesting textures, sheens, and transcendent modern art on display.
Although she appreciates the work of the Hudson River School artists and other environmental movements, for Ardie, contemporary artists resonate most. An abstract landscape reflects the time it was created in, she said.
“The mind can interpret it any number of ways and you’re not cornered into one way of thinking. It’s a more expansive experience.”
In the bedroom, a soothing, serene, garden-like scene sets the mood, while the kitchen springs to life with David Gordon’s Poppy Series. The art of Betsy Krebs, Joanne Murphy, and Pat McEvoy also grace the interior spaces, while outside, Beverley Mastrianni’s substantial 30’ x 10’ x 5’ “Artspeak” sculpture tells the story of the genre out loud. Originally created for the engaging Tang Teaching Museum’s SOS – Scenes of Sound exhibit, the voice of artist Jackie Pardon plays through four motion-activated speakers, encouraging you to see the art, and the world, in a different way.
“For guests, it’s an introduction to another aspect of our lives. I just love it,” said Ardie. “Every time I drive up and see it, I feel so privileged.”
LIFE ON DISPLAY
Built on a scale inspired by larger institutional spaces in California and Brooklyn, a stunning green wall of philodendrons bring life to the space. Maintaining its vibrancy is surprisingly simple - it only needs to be watered every six weeks and trimmed every three months.
The indoor temperature is regulated with a geothermal heat pump, and the finished concrete floors hold in the heat. In the future, the Russell’s plan to convert a portion of their 60ft x 20ft garage into a Maker’s Space Studio powered by solar energy.
Here, Dan plans to make more artisan hardwood and epoxy resin benches and charcuterie boards from the black walnut, cherry, and American hickory trees harvested onsite during renovation. It will also be a space where artists can create, collaborate, share ideas, resources, tools, and materials. Find them at www.thecoopcontemporary.com SS
…More Photos on SimplySaratoga.com!
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“Artspeak”
30’ x 10’ x 5’ sculpture by Beverley Mastrianni
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CARRIAGE HOUSEDream
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KITCHEN DESIGN BY 2B DESIGN, LLC | PHOTOS BY DAVID STRAIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY
Nestled in the heart of Ballston Spa, NY, is the cozy Carriage House home of Rick and Cassie Annis. In 2005, Richard and Cassie were relocating from the Albany area and looking for a small town to raise their son, Ethan. They were impressed by the relaxed vibe they encountered in Ballston Spa, and the strong community feeling.
Richard and Cassie happened upon the Carriage House that had been converted into a home in 1996. The location on West High Street allowed them easy access to the village shops and restaurants, as well as privacy. The Carriage House was situated behind the original main house and off the street.
After living in the home for fifteen years, the Annis’ called upon the help of local designer, Michele Ahl, of 2B Design, LLC and her cabinet maker, Chris Reed of Ridgewood Cabinet Shop to fashion a custom kitchen with barnwood cabinets and a center island.
When arriving at the home, Michele took note of the several large original barn doors throughout the space, including one with an iron grate that closed off a wood clad stall, now the formal dining area. Up above was the original hay drop, now an overhead light with midcentury glass. The entire first floor is slate tile with radiant heat.
Richard and Cassie wanted to keep things simple to fit in with the existing floor plan and barn feel, while presenting a bit of mid-century details that they love.
The kitchen would be designed around their original Chambers gas range… a collector’s item for sure!
The only new “appliance” incorporated into the kitchen is the custom soapstone farm sink from Vermont Soap Stone, that melds perfectly with the new soap stone counter tops on the perimeter of the kitchen.
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When designing the island, Michele wanted to mimic the legs of their dining table, and Chris was able to accomplish this perfectly! The back of the island has large deep drawers that sit across from the range for pots and pans, a garbage pull on one side of the island and drawer storage on the other side, all finished off with tongue and groove beadboard. Michele suggested a blue green for the island, and they settled on a color by Benjamin Moore called “Waters Edge.”
The island top was the Annis’ dream… to have spalted natural maple. As it turned
out, Chris had just visited a friend in Duanesburg that had just the right amount of spalted maple! After drying out the wood, Ridgewood fabricated the island top and finished with wax. The island top couldn’t have turned out more beautiful.
The lower cabinets on the perimeter have rough barnwood inset drawers and doors, and Michele designed a few pull outs for the interiors to add additional storage. On the back wall of the kitchen sits a large antique glass storage cabinet which was incorporated into the overall design.
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With simple stools and schoolhouse lighting, the kitchen was complete and Richard and Cassie now fully enjoy their Ballston Spa “Gem.” SS
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…More Photos
SimplySaratoga.com!
on
A STONE’S Journey
WRITTEN BY COLLEEN COLEMAN OF CMC DESIGN STUDIO LLC | PHOTOS PROVIDED
Have you ever wondered what happens to your countertop stone once you’ve made your selection? It’s quite an interesting process from falling in love to installation. At Granite & Marble Works (G&MW), they have a 45,00 sqft showroom filled with natural stones and quartz ready to view. Once you’ve strolled through the aisles and made your final selection, it seems like the work is done. But, not so fast…it’s an art to take rough edged stone and create a personal masterpiece for each project.
Just a quick note before I go further, be sure to bring in your project layout so the G&MW team can give you an estimate of cost up front. Once final selections are made, the project is personally templated on site. Before scheduling, be sure to have any sinks or faucets on site. With a farm sink, this must be installed prior to templating as it’s part of the overall cabinet dimensions.
Granite & Marble Works ensures each stone countertop fits accurately by creating a replica using technology to precisely measure the space in which the stone will rest.
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Step 1
These measurements are then used to select the specific areas of your stone to be cut. Some clients choose to be a part of this process while others prefer to let the shop use their best judgement. Loosely applied tape denotes the areas to capture, then the precise computerized dimensions are applied to the stone for cutting. Think about the finished edge and corners you’d desire as well. If you’re unsure, G&MW showroom has multiple samples onsite to see and feel for your convenience. During the cutting process, some smaller pieces are cut and polished by hand while other larger stone project are submerged into a bath and cut with a water jet. More complicated edges, such as an ogee, would then be applied using the Titan. Final steps of polishing by hand ensures that each piece has been looked over thoroughly before delivery!
A real personal touch!
Now, the waiting is over! Your stone is finally ready for installation. With many stone slabs weighing in at 1000 lbs. (20lbs. per square foot for granite on average) giant clamps are required to easily move each piece onto the truck bed for delivery. However, upon arriving at your location, the installers carry this large slab by hand. I have specified some pretty large island slabs in my career…be sure to give the installers plenty of room to move about your project when carrying in your stone pieces. If there is a need for a seam, such as in a long run of cabinets, no worries…by book matching the slabs, you will hardly be able to tell it was necessary.
Now, your new countertop is complete. What started as a selection process of rough-edged slabs is now a jewel in your home forever! Enjoy the process… Granite & Marble Works will be sure to make your dreams…a masterpiece!
Until next time my friends,
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Colleen Coleman of CMC Design Studio LLC AKBD, CAPS & True Color Expert colleen@cmcdesignstudio.net @cmcdesignstudiollc “Creating Environments for Life” TM SS
Hand carrying stone into project
Ready for Transportation
Moving the heavy stone
The Titan for finishing more complex edges
Laying out stone for cutting
2 3 4 5 6
Stone Viewing
LOW ENERGY LIVING
WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS PROVIDED
“Some of these new requirements should have been instituted decades ago,” said Bruce Brownell, owner of Adirondack Alternate Energy.
In his April 22, 1970 speech, at the first Earth Day event in Flushing Meadows, Long Island, Bruce said, “Soon, we will all be living in solar homes and using windmills.” He received cheers from the crowd. Today, after years of delays caused by political discord and opposing business interests, the state is progressing toward the goal of low-energy living.
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In the coming years, New York plans to shift the way we have been building and using energy in our homes.
Haugh's Solar House #1, with sand mass heat storage.
SAY “GOODBYE” TO GAS
It comes as no surprise to Bruce that Governor Kathy Hochul wants to replace heavily-polluting gas in homes. When Bruce graduated from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 1964, he already felt an urgency to address the environmental impact rapid urbanization in the1950s had created.
With a loan from his father (who was, at first, skeptical of “alternative” building techniques) Bruce built his first passive solar home. Within three years, 130 people were invited to spend three nights there while their energy usage and the home’s performance was monitored. Six of the participants were so impressed with the results of the study, they hired Bruce to build them homes, too. In the sixty years since, Bruce has built nearly 400 more passive solar homes. In 2013, he won the American Energy Society Solar Builder of the Year award, and more than 5,000 students, engineers, and building professionals have attended his seminars and classes. Bruce also worked with organizations including the Brookhaven National Laboratory, NYSERDA, and Harvard University to conduct eight multi-year air quality studies. These revealed that the air inside homes with gas appliances was more polluted than the air at busy traffic intersections with a high exposure to automobile exhaust fumes.
“Testing local houses really opened everybody’s eyes,” said Bruce.
LET THE SUNSHINE IN
To eliminate the pollution dumped into the air from the thousands of gallons of fossil fuels that so many use to control the temperature of their homes, Bruce instead harnesses the sun for energy.
By orienting new structures to face south, the sun provides homes with huge amounts of free energy. Even in existing structures, maximizing the number of windows on the south side (made with glass that allows direct sunlight to permeate by up to 80 percent) is crucial, said Bruce.
Since 2008, the building industry has moved in the opposite direction, he added, instead mostly producing windows with special coatings that act like a mirror reflecting ultra-violet light.
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“
Testing local houses really opened everybody’s eyes,” said Bruce.
Bruce Brownell on site of house #383
Brownell House #383, showing pipes to be encased in concrete
POWER UP
Once the sun is allowed into the house, 'high thermal mass' materials, like concrete, act like a battery, charging up with heat during the day, and releasing it at night.
To maximize heat storage, Bruce builds an insulated slab foundation made of 12 inches of concrete in a crushed stone drainage bed atop an impervious membrane liner. A network of galvanized piping distributes circulating hot air heat from the battery through the house. By covering all six sides of the home with four inches of polyisocyanurate insulation, (a high-quality, but expensive water, vapor, and air barrier) AAE is making the home into a super-insulated cocoon, not only water tight, as all new construction should be, but humidity tight as well.
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
Air driven by a fan (that never stops running) is also drawn down from the ceiling and circulated through a high-efficiency filtration system that improves air quality while practically eliminating the need to dust. Because heat naturally rises, the second floor of a conventionally-built home can be as much as
12 degrees hotter than the first floor, unlike in Bruce’s buildings, where, over a 24-hour period, the temperature remains relatively constant (and upstairs can even be a few degrees cooler).
Wood, which absorbs moisture from the air, naturally moderates a home’s humidity. By using exposed wood for interiors instead of sheetrock, you won’t need to manually regulate the air’s moisture with machines, and you won’t have to water indoor plants as often, added Bruce.
BRINGING IT HOME
The passive solar homes’ combination of insulation, airtightness, and solar gain is so efficient, it attracted the attention of engineer Chuck Haugh. After attending Bruce’s six-week seminar at Union College in the 1980s, he incorporated these concepts into his own Burnt Hills home in 1991.
In 2020, while Chuck and his wife, Wendy, were designing their new passive solar home in Northville, they hired Bruce to design the thermal mass battery, insulation envelope, and air circulation systems.
“We’ve had no problems and have loved both homes!” said Wendy. SS
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Brownell House #383, Haugh's Solar House #2 with concrete heat mass storage
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From Forest to Frame
The environmental benefits of building with wood.
WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS PROVIDED
TREES ARE CARBON STOREHOUSES.
The leaves of growing trees absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Trees then keep the leftover carbon locked up, storing emissions for the long-term - even after they have been harvested. Wood is an environmentally responsible building material because that carbon is not released until the wood eventually decays or is burnt.
The environmental impacts of using wood differ however, depending on the tree species’ rate of renewal, how sustainably they are grown and logged, the distance harvested wood products travel, and by which method of transportation.
In New York State’s 19 million acres of forest ecosystems, carbon is also absorbed by downed woody materials and the soils’ organic matter.
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RESPECTING THE FOREST
“We must be stewards of the forests,” said Nick Russell, owner of Tall Pine Timber Frames. His business is rooted in the marriage of traditional building techniques with a healthy respect for our place in the natural world.
By hand-selecting trees and sourcing wood from local mills with eco-conscious practices, Tall Pine Timber Frames is taking a community-based, smaller-scale approach to construction centered around responsible forest management.
“We’re not just going to take a tree out of the forest because we want it, it has to fall within the guidelines of certain parameters. We must ask, ‘What impact will it have?’” said Nick.
“There’s a big juxtaposition between what we do and clearcutting a stand when you don’t know how many centuries it may take to grow back,” he continued. “We still have a very limited understanding of the complexities of forests.”
BUILDING TREASURED JEWELS
Timber frame building is a purposeful, methodic, labor-intensive method where large timbers are connected using hand-built mortise and tenon joinery and hardwood peg construction. This technique does not compromise the woods’ performance, giving these structures the enduring strength to last a very long time. Globally, examples of timber frame buildings remain today. The oldest known timber structure is the Horyuii Temple, built in Nara, Japan in 607 AD. These wooden treasures are jewels that have lasted for 1000 years or more.
“They were built with intent, purpose, and care,” said Nick. “I see Tall Pine Timber Frames as another link in that chain.”
In Norway, ancient builders utilized the trees’ natural resin as a preservative, boiling and applying it to the surfaces of the finished structure. Today, Nick uses oil-based protective sealants including linseed and tung oil, or high-quality, all-natural, nontoxic, penetrating Heritage National Finishes.
SHOULDERING THE ENVIRONMENTAL BURDEN
In a recently completed project downstate, Tall Pine Timber Frames scoured the resident’s 66 acres for the wood needed to add structural elements to an existing cabin.
By removing the insect-damaged portion of downed chestnut and red oak trees, they were able to salvage quality timber from existing resources. The hand-hewn logs were cut into posts, beams, and braces, and assembled in place.
“We are taking a raw material and applying the highest level of skill to it,” said Nick. “We are building a culture, not a commodity.” This is a stark contrast from the environmental burden of conventional methods where, from raw material to final product, heavily polluting fossil fuels are used for transportation. After softwood logs arrive at a standard mill, they are typically dried in kilns using wood and fossil fuels as heat sources. The USDA estimates the drying process consumes roughly 70 – 80% of the total energy required for producing lumber. The sawing process consumes the highest percentage of electrical energy.
By instead using minimally-invasive techniques, the most energy-intensive part of the building process for Tall Pines Timber Frames comes from the fuel it takes to drive down to the build site.
For more information about Tall Pine Timber Frames, follow them on Instagram or go to www.tallpinetimberframes.com SS
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Customize Your Space
WRITTEN BY JORDANA TURCOTTE OF SIMPLY YOU
New homes have the latest and greatest in design innovation. Who doesn’t love the new and innovative stuff! The kitchen is where you will see it most with custom cabinets to thoroughly organize specific things. Specialized spice cabinets, pull out trash and recycling bins, lazy- susans that pull out in hidden corners, drawer dishwashers and more. We are almost at Jetson’s level!
You may wish you could just sell your house and move into one that is “up to date.” But, that isn’t necessary with tools and retro-fit solutions for all types of things. You can customize your space to fit your needs and work perfectly.
First, you must identify trouble areas and systems within your home. Sometimes, just relocating an item to where it fits better or establishing a system somewhere else will just “work.” No space in your mud room for all the shoes? Put a cabinet in the garage just before the entry door or place a bin/cabinet on the wall closest to the mud room. Do you have your vacuum plugged in in a terrible spot? Hire an electrician to add a plug in the spot or closet you DO want it to be in. Just moving something can be life changing. From trip hazard to system organization.
When moving something isn’t possible, customize the space, cabinet, drawer or other with a tool to make it work. Rev-A-Shelf is a company that has every type of cabinet conversion you can think of. The best and easiest switch is making a cabinet into two pull out drawers – instantly solving the inaccessible/ hardly seen black hole in the back. The trash in a pull out cabinet is also a win. Many hate having the can out in the kitchen. They also have solutions for the bathroom vanity under sink area. That area is always problematic with the center piping.
A cheaper and almost as effective way of changing the functionality and use of a cabinet or drawer is to add bins to make pseudo pull out drawers. Dividing up “stuff” and putting like with like in bins and then putting them on the cabinet shelf helps with keeping things together but also not losing items within the cabinet. Dividing up a drawer with small bins helps visibility and keeping it all in order. It is much harder to throw something in a drawer when you can see exactly where it should be placed. And a lazy-susan (they come in varying sizes) is a game changer – and not just in a corner cabinet!
For the bin solution, first go through everything to let go of unused items or items that belong somewhere else and then measure the space to shop for bins that will work. Any liquids should be in plastic for easy spill cleanup. Most times, it is the extra unused stuff that is causing the problem. Just decluttering alone can feel like customization!
The power of a plain old hook for your bag when you come in can feel custom when you’ve never had one. Don’t be afraid to change things up, gut a space, or build something that only you want because it IS your home. It should work for you because you are living there with your stuff and your habits. Be brave and customize YOUR home! SS
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In the Kitchen JOHN REARDON WITH
Hello my Foodie Friends!
There is something delicious and nostalgic about strawberries. When I see them, my mom flashes into my memory. Growing up, I lived by a farm that grew strawberries. The last weeks of the month of May would bring the start to some beautifully ripe and delicious strawberries. My mom used to love taking all of us strawberry picking. Maybe it was her grand plan to tire out her three rambunctious boys or she just loved how happy it made us to accompany her on the strawberry picking adventure. We would race to fill our baskets and run them back to mom. My two sisters were diligent in looking for the biggest, reddest strawberries. However, my brothers and I preferred to create a “bug competition” looking for the most bugs and different bugs we could find. The other issue was when we did pick the strawberries, it was difficult not to take a bite out them. My mom would often find our buckets filled with little bites taken from several of the strawberries. I have to admit the best part of the day was eating the strawberries. During our strawberry excursions, my brothers and I, John, Danny and Billy, always competed in everything we did so we would split up to find our own patch. On one of our strawberry picking adventures my brother Danny who was usually the one who got into mischief, was kneeling on the ground talking to a very cute animal. Since we were about the ages of five or six, we had no fear of animals yet. I said “Danny, is that a cat? He then responded “yes, I think so and he’s wearing a mask!” He was saying “here kitty would you like a strawberry?” You know what happened next, the “kitty” took the strawberry and bit Danny’s finger. We were then off on another adventure to the emergency room where Danny saw a very big needle. That is also when the doctor told all three boys what a raccoon was and how much they enjoyed strawberries as well. We still talk about that day whenever we get together. Being involved with creating a garden or visiting one is a wonderful way to encourage eating fresh garden harvests. Although my mother and grandmother did not have strawberry fields, they did have beautiful vegetable gardens. One of my favorite memories is when my mother would ask us to gather rocks for her garden. Picking out the largest and coolest rock kept us three, highly energized boys busy for hours. Another favorite memory was plucking the fruits of my mother and grandmother’s gardens. Snacking on the garden vegetables was another challenge for us to avoid. We would play hide and seek in the garden while nibbling on some of the garden treasures. My brothers and I would try to hide and flatten our bodies close to the ground as soon as we heard either my mother or grandmother asking us what we were up to.
Getting children involved with gardening and harvesting fruits is a great way to create memories. Being involved with creating a garden or visiting one is a wonderful way to encourage eating fresh garden harvests. With picking strawberries, we get to celebrate having fresh strawberries and whipped cream. This is one of my favorite desserts and snacks. There are so many ways to use strawberries; you can eat them for breakfast and add granola for some texture, drizzle chocolate on them, or make strawberry cream pie or shortcake.
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Strawberry Pretzel Pie
INGREDIENTS
• 4 cups miniature pretzels
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1 package (6 ounces) strawberry gelatin
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled, divided
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
• 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
• 2/3 cup whipped cream cheese
• 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place pretzels in a food processor; pulse or use a manual chopper until chopped. Add butter and sugar; pulse or mix until combined. Reserve 1/3 cup pretzel mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture onto bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, add boiling water to gelatin; stir 2 minutes or until completely dissolved. Stir in lemon juice. Refrigerate 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Chop half the strawberries; slice remaining berries and reserve for top-ping. In a large bowl, beat 1 cup heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Beat marshmallow creme, cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk in-to cooled gelatin mixture until blended. Gently fold in chopped strawberries and whipped cream. Pour into crust.
4. Refrigerate, covered, until firm, 4-6 hours. Beat remaining 1 cup heavy cream until stiff peaks form; spread over pie. Top with reserved strawberries and pretzel mixture.
At Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place, we carry tools to help you with your strawberry creations. One item is the strawberry huller. A strawberry huller is a small kitchen tool used to remove leaves and the hull from the top of a strawberry. Lots of dishes call for it. The huller, which resembles a mini set of tongs with tips or you can get the one with teeth-like edges, allowing you to push the tips into the top of a strawberry (around the stem), grip, twist, pull, and you're done. The ad-vantage to using a huller is that you lose much less fruit than if you just cut the ends off of your berries. Yes, you could use a knife. However, the huller is much safer. Another item to have is a paring knife to help you slice up your strawberries. This spring, step into the strawberry fields with friends and family or stop by the Farmers' Market to pick up some strawberries. While you are creating your favorite strawberry dish, maybe even put on the Beatles and listen to “Strawberry Fields Forever” (oh! I am showing my age).
Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”
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Care, John
Paula SS
Take
&
Recipe by Taste of Home at tasteofhome.com
Entertaining
RALPH VINCENT WITH
Ideas for relaxed entertaining your guests will love …and you will too!
Plant based eating
continues to grow in favor, and I’m sure you will find at least a few folks who have adopted this style of eating on the guest list for your next party. In this issue I’m sharing some plant-based recipes that are perfect for a casual meal with friends, vegan and omnivore alike!
Of course, I’m starting with a new cocktail and this time it’s my Saratoga Sunshine Martini. This breezy little buzz maker can be enjoyed up straight or on the rocks.
Choices choices choices... there are sooo many new choices when it comes to plant based cocktail fare. Most local supermarkets now have plant based freezer sections with a great variety of party appropriate items requiring little preparation. Or if you want to serve something homemade and plantbased, guacamole is a great idea… your own version, or try my recipe posted on SimplySaratoga.com. Add some veggie dippers and or vegan tortilla chips and your all set.
Guacamole Recipe
Now for the meatless main course… Broccoli, Edamame and Peanut Slaw served alongside Korean Barbeque Sliders. This fresh and crunchy slaw can be made in advance. The yummy little sliders are filled with pulled jackfruit instead of pork or beef, and believe me, you won’t miss the meat! You can finish this meal off with something sweet like a little sorbet and fresh pineapple.
I hope you enjoy these recipes. As I always say, have fun in your kitchen cooking (and making drinks!) for the people you love, and always remember… it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to taste good!
Cheers!
Saratoga Sunshine Martini
• 1 ounce premium gin
• 1 ounce elderflower liquor
• ½ ounce Grand Marnier
• ½ ounce fresh lime juice
DIRECTIONS:
Pour all into an ice filled shaker, pop the lid on and shake like crazy! Strain into a chilled martini glass or ice filled rocks glass and enjoy!
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Plant Based Pizazz SS
Korean Barbeque Sliders
• One 20 ounce can of young jackfruit
• 1 cup of Korean style barbeque sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Plant based mayonnaise
• Dill pickle slices
• 12 slider buns -halved
DIRECTIONS: Rinse and drain the jackfruit and using 2 forks (or your scrupulously clean hands) pull the fruit apart as you would do with pork or beef. Add the oil to a skillet over medium high heat and when hot add the jackfruit, sauté for about five minutes. Add the barbeque sauce to the skillet, reduce the heat to medium and cook for a few more minutes stirring occasionally until the jackfruit is well coated and the sauce thickens a bit. Remove from the heat. Spread mayonnaise on the top and bottom halves of the slider buns. Divide the jackfruit among the bottom halves, top with a few pickle slices and cover with the top halves. Enjoy!
Broccoli, Edamame and Peanut Slaw
• One 16-ounce bag of broccoli slaw mix
• One 12-ounce bag of frozen shelled edamame, cooked and cooled
• ½ cup of chopped peanuts
PEANUT DRESSING:
• ½ cup of creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon light or medium miso paste
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup OR agave nectar
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce and more to taste
• 2 tablespoons water
DIRECTIONS:
Place all the dressing ingredients into a food processor and process still smooth. Place the broccoli slaw, edamame, and peanuts into a large bowl and stir in the dressing. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
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Welcome to Our Garden…
WRITTEN BY RALPH VINCENT | PHOTOS PROVIDED
again!
SSteve and I love spending time in our garden enjoying our little paradise with friends and family. On July 9th we will share our garden with more people than ever as part of the Soroptimist’s Secret Garden Tour (see page 93). We are excited about this occasion, and honored to support this benevolent organization that does so much good locally for women and girls. Being part of this annual event is a rewarding experience as we discovered in 2007 when the garden at our previous home was featured in the tour that year. We had surrounded our colonial style house with an interesting landscape that featured many perennials, as well as a formal rose garden. To prepare for the 2007 event, we met with Soroptimist members who helped us plan a tour route through our landscape. This included where the volunteers would be stationed on tour day to ensure our visitors did not miss any feature.
Steve and I wanted our garden to look its best, so we devised a plan to ensure everything would look fabulous on the big day. We added plants, and followed a continuous routine of dead heading perennials, weeding, watering. and fertilizing. Steve worked hard to beautifully edge each bed and border. Our efforts paid off and on the day of the event our garden looked better than ever!
Hundreds of people visited our garden that day and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. We met so many kind and enthusiastic garden lovers during the event and enjoyed sharing tips and ideas with them.
Fast forward sixteen years…
We are preparing to share the garden at our current home as part of this year’s Secret Garden Tour! This garden is very different from the one we shared in 2007, as it is designed to complement our contemporary style house. Once again, we have put together a plan to get our landscape in top shape, as well as improve on existing features and adding some new ones.
I will say no more, no spoilers here!
What I will say is…
Steve and I are as excited about this tour as we were in 2007 and hope to see you there! SS
See you in the garden!
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“The personality behind Entertaining with Ralph Vincent"
how to
Attract attention
WRITTEN BY BIO-FUSION DESIGNS’ ERIC CZERW | PHOTOS PROVIDED
BBiophilic Design is defined by Wikipedia as “a concept used within the building industry to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment through the use of direct nature, indirect nature, space and place conditions.”
In our modern world, incorporating ponds, water features, water gardens, etc. in the home or living space embodies the literal definition of Biophilic Design. This only works to its fullest potential when those who are crafting such work are specialists – artisans re-creating a slice of nature – building a living portal that attracts wildlife from the surrounding areas in to complement the design.
RECREATING NATURE
Bio-Fusion Designs has been able to fulfill many Capital Region residents’ dreams of having a water element of their very own (installed in their front, back, or side yard spaces - even inside the home).
Almost everyone can agree, one of the main benefits of the soothing sound of water is pure relaxation. Water, which is necessary for life, also draws the attention of numerous species of wildlife such as; birds, frogs, and butterflies (to name a few).
Incorporating indigenous plant material, in the right manner, next to water, not only adds to the beauty of the surroundings, but also provides a literal panoramic backdrop for nature to be on display in real-time.
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BRINGING THE OUTSIDE IN
Everyone’s reason is unique for choosing a pond, re-circulating waterfall, or a feature (on any scale) involving some element of moving water. Water has a healing benefit in its meditative effect. For some, the sight and sound just produce happy thoughts –a sense of well-being. Indoor water features can also have an air purifying effect.
The gold standard for indoor displays of nature are Living Walls. These planted wall structures are self- sustaining (for the most part). Whether architectural or artistic, they typically exhibit a regional display of specific plant species that co-exist (a Biotope).
At the 2023 Capital District Flower & Garden Expo, Bio-Fusion Designs took it a step further with a Custom Living Water Wall display. The tropical display was robust with plantings. The sight and sound of water streaming down the wall and the waterfall outcroppings (built in a 3D fashion extending from the wall) drew smiles from all those curious enough to get up close and interact with this living, breathing mural.
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Sometimes, pets are the reason people choose to have, or renovate, an existing water-filled display. There are animals that need to have an expanded or improved home that includes water. Over the years, Bio-Fusion Designs has worked with clients to create ponds for ducks or the optimal pond conditions for turtles. We have built animal enclosures, and habitats for indigenous species of fish (not just exotic or decorative fish such as Koi or Goldfish).
Most dogs have a certain affinity for a water-filled area of the yard. It brings a smile to my face every time I see a client’s dog perched on a feature rock around a pond, or actually wading, and exploring, the watery world.
Children also exhibit pure fascination for ponds and their living contents. A family pond, or natural swim pond feature, may be their earliest interaction with nature. They become personalized displays for enrichment and education. Tailored to the space, ponds and water features bring new meaning to the phrase “Fun for the whole family.”
Kids feeding the fish, parents enjoying the children’s harmless fun, pets frolicking around, butterflies and humming birds enjoying the flowers’ nectar (while also stopping for a drink), frogs creating a chorus. It paints a pretty nice picture, doesn’t it?
“Mother Nature is the best artist, modeling after her in our creations is what we strive for each and every time.” For more information on how Bio-fusion Designs may be able to help fulfill your pond or water feature dreams, contact them at 518-527-0426 or visit Bio-FusionDesigns.com. SS
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Gardening PETER BOWDEN WITH BlackHellebore
Made in the Shade
When most folks are buying a house, the last thing on their mind is gardening and landscaping. They want a nice shady yard that is cool in the summer. Here in the forested Upstate New York, most yards have that lovely shade since builders usually leave as many trees as possible.
Once they have settled into their home, people start thinking about planting flowerbeds. They’ll buy rose bushes, daisies, peonies, and other classic garden plants that they’ve seen in their neighborhood or in magazines. After a year or two, those plants are struggling and not performing as they hoped. This is simply due to an excess of wishful thinking when choosing plants.
In my 40 years of selling plants to people, I’ve realized that many are overly optimistic about how much light their yard is getting. They’ll read the tag on a plant and see that it needs “full sun,” and they can picture the sun hitting the spot they have in mind for the plant they want. That spot may only have sun for an hour or two during the entire day, but their wishful thinking makes that plant in their hand a perfect fit. In reality, “full sun” means that plant needs a minimum of 6 hours of unobstructed sun, and to be honest, most full sun plants like roses need 8 to 10 hours of direct sun a day.
What most of these yards have, is “part sun” and “part shade” which are interchangeable terms that describe areas getting 3 to 6 hours of direct sun a day. Less than 3 hours of sun is called “full shade.” The sooner the home gardener accepts this reality, the better their choices become and the more success they will have.
Since the choices of trees and shrubs for shade are quite limited, herbaceous perennials are often the mainstay of the shady garden. When visiting the garden center for shade perennials, you won’t find them available all at once since they tend to arrive as they come into season and look their best. Read the tags and ask lots of questions. While you will find most perennials will require full sun, there are many great options for shade…let me share some of my favorites.
White Hellebore
Jack in the pulpit
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Hostaflower
Hosta. Many folks reject hostas thinking they are boring or common. If you can shake off that prejudice and look a little closer, you’ll find that there are tiny hostas like Venusta that only get 6” tall. Kabitan, Ginko, Craig and Stiletto have slender, wavy leaves and stay under 18” in height. Then there are the large hostas that will have the size and presence of small shrubs in the shade. Sum and Substance, Montana and Krossa Regal are all present in my beds. These large hostas add a tropical feel to cool shade. All hostas will produce beautiful flowers in summer that are a treat to pollinators and a great source of nectar to the hummingbirds.
Epimedium have become popular and rightfully so. They produce drifts of tiny ornate flowers in red, pinks and yellows and the foliage will bronze at the edges adding interest even after the flowers are done.
Heuchera, heucherella and tierella provide interesting texture to shade beds and are available in lots of different foliage colors. They are wonderful for filling in among the larger shade plants.
Epimediumleaves
Bleeding Hearts are always popular with more varieties introduced every year. They flower early and can be cut back to flower again later in the season. Grandma loved them and so will you.
Ferns are a natural for shade gardens, and the colorful Japanese Painted Fern always catches the eye of anyone who tours the beds.
I could go on and on about primrose, Meadow Rue, Hellebore and other shade plants but I’ll let the images speak for them. The plants that make your shade garden stand out will be those with colorful foliage and interesting textures. Shade beds offer prolonged beauty with less maintenance and less watering. There’s a lot to love about shade gardening.
THANKS FOR THE READ!
SS
Hosta
Hosta PinkEpimedium YellowEpimedium
Heuchera
blueJapanesePaintedfern, ajuga,whitewoodruff
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BleedingHeart
Heritage Garden Club Cultivating Community
WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS PROVIDED
Again, this year, the Heritage Garden Club of Saratoga Springs has received a grant from the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust. The Club thanks the Trust for its gift, which funds the care of the healing Garden of Hope, at the entrance of the Saratoga Hospital’s RadiologyOncology Center, the historic Gideon Putnam Burial Ground containers, and the relaxing Saratoga Springs Heritage Area Visitor Center Garden (once the garden space and back patio reopens).
In addition, they have also taken on the care of a garden at the Knights of Columbus on Pine Street, where their monthly meetings are held. To improve the area, debris was cleared around their Statue of the Blessed Mother, an assortment of perennials and annuals planted, and mulch laid.
A dedicated and hard-working group of gardeners, this club spreads joy and creates beauty everywhere they go. While they remain active and busy tending to the many gardens mentioned above, members of the club are hopeful that the garden space at the Visitor Center will reopen soon so they can continue their gardening efforts there as well, and others can continue to enjoy this peaceful public space.
The Heritage Garden Club, established in 1987, is a member of the Federated Garden Club of NY District IV. This year, they are continuing their support for the Water for Sudan World Gardening Project. Through their donations, more than 100 wells have been dug to help those in underserved, conflict-torn countries access clean water.
The Club’s various member activities throughout the year include selling garden crafts during the Soroptimist Garden Tour and providing residents at Woodlawn Commons with floral arrangements and décor. They also support community organizations including Saratoga Adopt-aFamily, the Pitney Meadows Community Farm, and the Franklin Community Center. Two scholarships are awarded annually to BOCES students pursuing horticulture.
The 10th Annual Plant and Herb Sale will be held on June 10th, 9am until sold out, at the Italian American Center, 247 Grand Avenue, Saratoga Springs. Perennial plants and herbs, as well as garden decor and crafts will be available. New members are always welcome - you don’t have to have a green thumb to belong! Meetings are held at noon on the second Monday of every month (except July and August) at the Knights of Columbus, 50 Pine Street, Saratoga Springs. For information call 518-495-6309.
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SS
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28th Annual Soroptimist
SECRET GARDENS TOUR
WRITTEN BY BARBARA LOMBARDO | PHOTOS PROVIDED
When Paul and J’Lene Krass moved to the outskirts of Saratoga Springs some 25 years ago, they wanted a backyard where they could leave the world behind and escape into the unexpected. The massive windows in their beautiful house overlooked almost nothing but an equally massive lawn.
“Paul marched three landscapers through the front door and said, ‘We are looking for the wow factor,’” J’Lene said. The third, J’Lene said, “was a real visionary” who was just starting out. He produced a large sketch showing waterfalls, round patios, lots of trees, sitting areas and
surprising touches. “He thought we should use the unique yard to evolve a unique experience over time.”
The results can be summed up in the word Paul was looking for: Wow.
In phases over the past quarter-century, the vast lawn has given way to multiple mulch beds, colorful circular sitting areas with Adirondack chairs, stone and grassy paths, unique “Adirondack walls,” flowing water and a variety of flowers and other plants.
Don’t take our word for it. Come see for yourself!
The Krasses’ garden is one of a dozen in Saratoga Springs and Wilton featured on the 28th annual Soroptimist Secret Gardens Tour set for Sunday, July 9.
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Krass Garden
Most are indeed “secret gardens” not readily visible to passersby, in a variety of sizes and styles. You’ll find sprawling woodsy settings; spacious and colorful suburban yards, several with water features and one offering a commanding view of Fish Creek; and proof that downsizing and creative gardening can coexist.
The Secret Gardens Tour is presented by Soroptimist International of Saratoga County, the local branch of an international nonprofit service organization committed to empowering and improving the lives of women, girls, and their communities. This fund-raiser benefits programs and people locally and globally in keeping with the Soroptimist mission. The Saratoga club’s longtime beneficiary is Wellspring, the Saratoga County organization dedicated to preventing domestic abuse and assisting victims.
“The success of the tour depends entirely on the generosity of people willing to open their stunning gardens to the public for one day in July,” said Tymm Schumaker, co-chair of the Secret Gardens Tour Committee. “We cannot thank them enough.”
Gardens for each year’s tour are found primarily by word of mouth, recommendations from other
gardeners, and committee members driving through neighborhoods and knocking on doors.
One of this year’s amazing gardens is hidden behind the dream home of Steven Galime and Ralph Vincent, a regular Simply Saratoga contributor who shares his garden story in this edition on page 85. Other owners participating this year are Dave and Marlene Armstrong, Manny and Cindy Choy, Linda and Paul Church, Jean and Don Garrant, Paul and J’Lene Krass, Carl and Beth Jahn, Paula and Richard Masterpolo, Ed and Margaret Rogers-Meagher, Paula and Keith Schmid, Michael and Ruth Martin Staff, and Carol and Barry Webb.
Only two of this year’s gardens have been on the tour in years past, and both have undergone significant changes – after all, gardens are always a work in progress.
At the Krasses, first timers on the tour, Paul tweaks something every year to improve their enjoyment.
“Our favorite spot,” J’Lene confided, “are the aqua chairs next to the pond at the house. We find nature relaxing as the sounds of water falling and singing birds mute the crazy world.”
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Krass Garden
Krass Garden
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Meagher Garden
They recently added several “families” of huge rocks brought in from an Adirondack quarry, adding visual interest year-round. “The landscaper said we always must have a family, meaning a big father rock, medium mother rock, and then a baby rock to achieve a natural looking scene. We have a grandpa rock and a grandma rock too,” Paul said. “They really add a lot to the character of the yard.”
And, of course, Paul added, they love flowers, striving for “a sea of color that evolves with the flow of the summer season. We’ve learned that one or two of anything doesn’t work well. Now we only buy in lots of 10 or more to make sure each has a voice in the yard.”
One doesn’t need a huge yard, though, for a garden that makes a statement and brings joy.
Just ask Ed and Margaret Rogers-Meagher, who downsized almost a decade ago from a large property in Niskayuna to a then-new development in Wilton. Theirs and three other gardens in their neighborhood are on this year’s tour.
The Meaghers started with a blank canvas and acres of sand, and now have perennials, flowering shrubs, herbs and vegetable, hostas from their prior home, peonies that were Ed’s mother’s in Eagle Bridge, and hollyhocks inspired by the couple’s recent trip to Denmark.
Ed doesn’t consider himself a gardener with a capital “G” but enjoys learning through trial and error. Many of his plants have colorful or unusual foliage, which Ed considers important for providing interest between blooms.
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Meagher Garden
While several gardens offer multiple outdoor seating areas, many owners also prioritize being able to enjoy the view from indoors.
For instance, among the many birdhouses in Jean and Don Garrant’s gorgeous garden is a home for bluebirds placed right in front of their family room window. Last year they had three broods to watch; the parents let them peek into the house and watch the babies. And it seems as though every year, the Garrants, who have been gardening together for more than 60 years, start a new flower garden, in part because they make their own compost.
Paula Schmid, who started her Saratoga Springs garden only eight years ago, advises others starting from scratch to move or expand beds far enough into the yard so that you can see your plantings from inside the house. “Try to think about what you would like your entire property to look like and then work on it in phases,” she said.
“Outside, we love the patio and the lower pond areas the best,” Paula said of her secret garden on a little-traveled street. “Inside, the kitchen table provides a great view of the birds that come to bathe in the stream, and the office windows look out onto the spirea hedge and tree-form hydrangeas. And most of the front yard design was created specifically for the purpose of creating a view from inside the house.”
Paula loves flowers and color. “But I also appreciate beautiful foliage,” she said. “And I know the pollinators are in need of help to survive, so I try to be sure we are including plants that benefit bees and butterflies.”
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Thinking of the big picture, regardless of your square footage, is one of the key garden landscaping philosophies of Paul and Linda Church. Paul Church is a longtime friend of Soroptimists, having recommended and worked on many gardens that have been on the tour over the years. Finally, his own garden – a mix of traditional and eclectic on barely half an acre, and only three years old -- is on the tour. His advice to gardeners starting anew is to drive and walk around, talk to people, and see what works in your area.
“Take your time. Build the staples, build the anchors to start,” he said, suggesting designs that incorporate groups of three. “For example, a stand of conifers or evergreens, specimen trees and shade trees, maybe pine spruce, maple or oak, dogwood.”
Special touches in the Churches’ garden include espaliered trees, which produce abundant fruit in limited space. Ornamental trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses, fruit trees and berries create a welcoming
environment for pollinators and a source of yearround food for the Churches and friends.
Linda is among many of the gardeners on the tour who find the hands-on work rewarding in its own way. “Even the time spent weeding and planting, connecting with nature, is really lovely,” Linda said. Gardening, she added, “is really about creating beauty and a sanctuary to be able to spend time in. Beauty, peace, and joy. No matter where you look, there’s something beautiful.”
Tickets for the July 9 Secret Gardens Tour are $25 in advance and $30 on the tour day. Descriptions of all 12 gardens, a map and suggested driving directions are provided. The gardens will be open to visitors from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. The tour is selfguided and you go at your own pace. The tour is geared for adults, but there is no charge for children 12 and younger; pets are not permitted. Visit soroptimistsaratoga.org for information about purchasing tickets and to learn more about Soroptimists. SS
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Galime and Vincent Garden
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Artwork by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan
PGS. 102-107
Broadway, Saratoga Springs
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494
518.584.4838 VioletsofSaratoga.com
358 Broadway, Saratoga Springs 518.587.4344 PinkPaddock.com saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com HOME & GARDEN 2023 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | 103
DESIGNER PAUL WESOLOWSKI
Come and meet Paul at our 2nd Annual "Tribute to Transforming Lives", Sunday, August 20, 2023 benefitting Living Resources and Building on Love.
For more information call Natalie at Saratoga Trunk: 518.584.3543
"Where Your Style is Our Pleasure"
493 Broadway, Saratoga Springs 518.584.3543
SaratogaTrunk.com
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27 Church Street, Saratoga Springs 518.587.2772 SpokenSaratoga.com saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com HOME & GARDEN 2023 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | 105
lifestyles b r o a d w a y s a r a t o g a s p r i n g s n e w y o r k 4 3 6 518.584.4665 @lifestylesofsaratoga A simple wardrobe. A sustainable life.
5 1 8 . 4 5 0 . 7 0 2 5 @ u n i o n h a l l s u p p l y c o 4 3 7 b r o a d w a y s a r a t o g a s p r i n g s , n e w y o r k
THE 46 TH ANNUAL Freihofer’s Saratoga Something To Talk About:
2 DAYS,
And 21 Electrifying
2 Stages
Artists! Jazz
Cindy Blackman Santana
Bonnie Raitt.
Photo by Ken Friedman
Snarky Puppy
Samara Joy Angelique Kidjo.
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Photo by Fabrice Mabillot
festival Returns In June
-All About Jazz, Freihofer’s 2023
Get into the rhythm as the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) welcomes back the 46th Annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival on Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25. Load up your cooler, grab a blanket or beach chair, and enjoy the laidback atmosphere of one of North America’s premiere jazz festivals, set in the idyllic 2,400-acre preserve of Saratoga Spa State Park. With twenty-one genre-bending acts on two stages playing jazz to roots, funk, blues and beyond, there is something for every music lover in Freihofer’s 2023 line up.
“The 2023 jazz festival features ‘A-list’ artists from start to finish, on both stages, all weekend,” says Danny Melnick, the festival’s producer, and President of Absolutely Live Entertainment. Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of SPAC agrees, “from our stellar line up to the unparalleled setting that our beautiful grounds provide, it is the ‘can’t miss’ weekend of the summer!”
Making her highly anticipated return to the festival for the first time since 1988 is thirteen-time GRAMMY® winner, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, and GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement recipient Bonnie Raitt. Known for her unique blend of blues, R&B, rock and pop and hits like “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” and “Something to Talk About,” Raitt’s appearance follows the success of her critically acclaimed album, “Just Like That…,” which won three 2023 GRAMMY® awards including the title track’s win of Song of the Year. The explosive 19-piece megaband and four-time GRAMMY® winning ensemble Snarky Puppy headlines on Saturday, joining returning jazz icons like 20-time GRAMMY® winner and NEA Jazz Master Pat Metheny; global music superstar Angelique Kidjo; R&B and funk group Tower of Power, Afro-Cuban jazz legend Chucho Valdes, and more.
“TheMusic wasBliss.”
Among the 11 artists making their festival debuts this year is jazz and funk guitarist Cory Wong; eight-piece psychedelia and funk fiery band St. Paul & The Broken Bones; jazz and rock drum dynamo Cindy Blackman Santana; and “Silky-voiced rising jazz star” (New York Times) Samara Joy, fresh off her 2023 GRAMMY® win as Best New Artist.
In addition to two non-stop days of great music on SPAC’s Amphitheater Stage and the more intimate Charles R. Wood “Jazz Discovery” Stage, fans can mill about the fine arts and crafts fair full of local and artisan made items, get their posters or albums signed by their favorite artists, and enjoy this year’s new and diverse food offerings like the oyster and seafood bar, New Orleans cuisine, and traditional BBQ.
Tickets are available at www.SPAC.org where you can also find the full festival line-up. Children 12 and under receive 50% off tickets in the amphitheater and are free on the lawn. Performances begin at 11 a.m. on the Charles R. Wood “Jazz Discovery” Stage and 12 p.m. on the Amphitheater Stage on Saturday, June 24 and 11:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., respectively, on Sunday, June 25. SS
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St. Paul & The Broken Bones.
Photo by Paige Sara
summer CONCERT SERIES
WRITTEN BY CYNTHIA A. LOVELY PHOTOS PROVIDED
Cynthia A. Lovely is a freelance writer in upstate New York. She has over sixty articles and stories published in several periodicals along with national magazines. Cynthia has also written for newsletters and anthologies. Current works include Peace and Promise, a devotional eBook and an upcoming women’s devotional, co-authored with two other writers through Bold Vision Books. www.cynthiaalovely.com
Tucked away in a corner of Broadalbin, New York, Sacandaga Bible Conference is a beautiful 100+ acre property with a variety of seasonal camps and activities. When the sweet strains of music begin to filter across the grounds, we know summer has arrived and along with it, the popular summer concert series.
The concerts are held every Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. in the tabernacle and offer a wonderful array of musical talent. The series kicks in the last weekend of June with a full staff celebration choir. Following the opening, every Saturday through September 2nd there is a free concert, open to the public. Yes, FREE: a summer evening, complete with soul stirring songs in a pine-scented Adirondack atmosphere… a win-win situation!
The concerts feature several family groups: the Bontrager family, the Siler family, and the Lindsey family. The Bontragers lean towards a bluegrass/ gospel mix and divide their time of touring with running a Midwest livestock and crop farm. The Lindsey family boasts 11 siblings who travel with their parents throughout the US and Canada. They desire to “share hope and purpose in a world that has lost its sense of simplicity and family togetherness.” The Siler family also ministers across the U.S. and on the ocean for Gospel cruises. These groups are a good choice for your entire family.
The 2023 lineup also includes a solo artist, quartet, and a brass ensemble. Dave Pettigrew is a worship leader and recording artist who shares the message of hope. He supports the “There is Hope
movement,” for those struggling with addiction. Pettigrew and his band have opened for and toured with Mercy Me, For King and Country, Michael W. Smith, Tenth Avenue North, and many others.
If you enjoy quartets, you will love listening to the Ball Brothers. Brothers Andrew and Daniel keep up a sibling banter, along with brother-in-law Chad and newcomer Rhett. They seek to bring forth a good balance for young and old. Recognizing their audience is usually comprised of all ages, they produce a tight four-part harmony which is message driven and biblically sound to encourage others.
If you have ever listened to Canadian Brass, you will truly enjoy the music of the King’s Brass. The brass ensemble consists of nine musicians playing songs that range from strong and vibrant, majestic, and powerful, to sweetly mellow, all with a gospel and Christian focus. Their professional performance showcases their love of music along with a quirky sense of humor often including narration, costume, and skits with their stellar presentation. Director and Trumpeter Ted Zimmerman leads the group with smooth expertise.
For those who would enjoy a full evening out, dinners are offered at the camp for $15.00 per adult. Truly a bargain. Each dinner follows a theme: Steak night, Italian night, Surf & Turf, Farm to Table and BBQ. Dinners are served from 5:00-6:30 in the dining hall. For the concert and dinner schedule, please view at sacandagabibleconference. com/2023/02/16/2023-summer-concerts
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HISTORY
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GEORGE S. BOLSTER COLLECTION
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WASHINGTON SPRING C. 1875
Saratoga’s BEGINNING
WRITTEN BY CHARLIE KUENZEL | IMAGE COURTESY OF THE GEORGE S. BOLSTER COLLECTION
Saratoga Springs has a tremendous history laced with many interesting stories that have woven a tapestry of legends and lore about the city. As a boy my grandparents always enjoyed being the story tellers of Saratoga history and entertained me with many stories of old Saratoga that today are almost forgotten. The majority of my articles have been focused on one topic or location. This is a new approach with a variety of short stories from Saratoga’s historic past. Here are just a few of those stories.
CAVES OF HIGH ROCK
My memory makes me think the most interesting and most demanded story by me to be told, was about the Caves of High Rock. A short walk from our house was High Rock Spring and the mere thought that the brave warriors of the Iroquois Nation walked those grounds made me wonder about the adventure of the times. I was told that members of the Mohawk tribe came to Saratoga every summer from their “castles” on the Mohawk River. They planted crops, fished in Saratoga Lake and Fish Creek as well as prepared these foods for transport back to their longhouses to feed the tribe during the long winters. The story that I loved to hear was about the caves that were found near the High Rock Spring and were rumored to connect with an underground system of caves that took the Mohawk to the area of Glen Mitchell that today are the grounds of the Maple Avenue Middle School.
The opening to that cave has long been gone from our view. In the 1950s the opening was too inviting for people who wanted to explore these famed caves and the city put a series of steel bars over the opening and eventually filled the entry so there would be no chance for personal harm to those wanting to enter the site.
As a young boy that was such an interesting story and I always wondered if in fact the cave system was real. As a young teacher in the Saratoga City School District, I was asked to set up a system of nature trails on the site of the Maple Avenue Middle school prior to construction of the buildings. As I mapped and planned for those trails, I continued to wonder about the cave system. One day will working on the site I found another opening in the rocky ground and noticed water running from it. Was this part of the cave system? Now retired from that long teaching career, I continue to wonder, is this fact or fiction?
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A VIEW OF CONGRESS SPRING IN THE VILLAGE OF SARATOGA
THE DREAM
When speaking of stories of the High Rock Spring it’s difficult to forget that we believe the first European to visit the High Rock was Sir William Johnson who came during the summer of 1771 with the Mohawk. Sir William was the Agent for Indian Affairs representing the British Government in North America and lived among the Mohawk in the area known today as Johnstown. Sir William’s success in this position was grounded in his communication with the tribe as well as being accepted by the tribe as a “brother.” His close relationship with Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant was further enhanced when Johnson married the chief’s sister Molly. The story of Chief Brant and Johnson that always interested me the most was the “Dream Story.” The story tells that one morning Chief Joseph Brant told Sir William that he had a dream the night before and had dreamed that he was given a beautiful red wool coat with shiny brass buttons. As the chief described the coat Sir William knew he would need to present the chief with one of his officer’s coats that matched the description. The coat was given, and Brant was very happy. One morning about a week later the chief awoke to tell Sir William that he had once again had another dream. In this dream he was given a very beautiful highly polished tomahawk. He described the way it shone in the sunlight and how wonderful it was to behold. Sir William immediately spoke up and said, “It shall be done.” A few moments later Sir William informed the chief that he also had a dream last night. Sir William told the chief in the dream he saw a piece of property that was five miles square of beautiful land that would be his farm. The chief bowed his head and very reluctantly said while shaking his head, “It shall be done.” He then looked up and said to Sir William, “From this day forward neither of us will dream ever again.”
NATION’S BIRTHDAY
Saratoga Springs has always had a great sense of patriotism on our nation’s birthday. In modern times we have had wonderful communitybased celebrations that usually include
fireworks displays in the city, Saratoga Lake, and Congress Park. In our early years the celebration was somewhat different. In the 1830s, John Clarke who was the first to commercially bottle the mineral springs for widespread distribution, had a novel way to celebrate. Clarke purchased much of the land that today makes up Congress Park and built a big house on Circular Street. At the top of the hill in Congress Park, near Circular Street and Union Avenue, Clarke displayed a cannon. He used that cannon on the top of the hill during the 1830s to fire a powder charge every dawn on the 4th of July to announce to residents that the “birthday” celebration was beginning. In a more solemn way, for many years the village arranged for the public reading of the Declaration of Independence by a descendant of a Revolutionary soldier. This process was started in 1830 when Judge William Warren, son of Captain John Warren, read the Declaration for the first time. By the 1840s the trend was for residents to spend much of the day on Saratoga Lake. On July 4th, 1864, a firecracker thrown too close to an open window started a fire on Broadway that burned down 14 buildings.
On a happier note, July 4th, 1865, celebrated the end of the American Civil War and the dedication of the new Leland Opera House at the rear of the Grand Union Hotel. The dignitary that dedicated the opera house was General Ulysses Grant, the hero of the Union Army.
LIGHT THE NIGHT
Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb in 1879. In August of that year Edison had the light installed in the courtyard of the Grand Union Hotel for guests to witness this marvelous invention. The lamp was placed over the courtyard dance floor and when the orchestra would take a break the light was lowered closer to ground level for inspection by the interested crowds. Why Saratoga for this exhibition? It demonstrates that Saratoga was the number one summer destination in America for the rich and famous. This exhibition would raise awareness of this invention among possible
investors who might help to fund the company that would produce this light for public distribution, later to be known as General Electric.
THE PARADE
During the majority of the 1800s the big meal of the day in the hotels was around 2:00 PM. This pattern was followed until the widespread use of electricity allowed easier meal preparation in the evening. After these very lavish meals in the middle of the day, many people took strolls or carriage rides to let their food digest.
Eliza Jumel was a very successful businesswoman who owned a house on Circular Street and was always immersed in the summer social scene of the day. In the 1840s Jumel was a regular member of the carriage parade each afternoon with her four black horses pulling a beautiful gold colored carriage to Saratoga Lake. In the summer of 1849, she had asked her coachman to maneuver her carriage to the front of the parade each day. On one day she took her position at the front of the parade and led off the parade down Broadway to Lake Avenue on route to the lake. As Eliza waved to visitors on the sides of the street, she noticed that they began to laugh. After a few minutes of this continued crowd reaction, she turned around to see a former slave named Thomas Camel dressed in a dress and hat with a parasol, riding in a small cart pulled by a donkey. Thomas was mimicking Jumel by waiving to the crowd and blowing kisses. This was so embarrassing to Jumel that the next day she lined up in the front of the parade and before starting, displayed two loaded pistols to the parade participants. She smiled as she displayed the pistol as if to say, “Are we ready?” The social scene was a tough arena at Saratoga, but Eliza Jumel handled her time in it very well.
These are but a few of the legends and lore of our great city. History is sometimes thought to be only dates and facts for memorization. I like to mix those items with legend and lore and always remember they are still part of the fabric of the city’s history but sometimes we are not completely sure if they are fact or fiction. Enjoy them Saratoga! SS
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Rarely Seen Photos of Old Saratoga Springs
HIGH ROCK SPRING
This image depicts the famed High Rock Spring after its renovations in 1876. The addition of the large Eagle cover gave this spring a very prestigious look for visitors and locals coming for their water each day. Rumor has it that the cost of these renovations came close to bankrupting the owner of the spring.
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WRITTEN BY CHARLIE KUENZEL | PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE GEORGE S. BOLSTER COLLECTION
SARATOGA | HOME & GARDEN 2023
HAMILTON SPRING
The Hamilton Spring was discovered by Gideon Putnam and served to supply a bathhouse on this site. The Hamilton Spring was located on the north end of Congress Park near the present-day Carousel and is not in use today.
COLUMBIAN SPRING
This is an image of the Columbian Spring in Congress Park during a pre-Civil War summer. A version of this cover exists today near the Broadway entrance to the park. People in the image are thought to be mostly southern visitors. The original spring stopped flowing and attempts to restart it in the 1970s failed. Today the water flowing is water from the city water supply and not mineral water.
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The first car crash that happened in Saratoga Springs at the intersection of Broadway, Ballston Avenue, and Circular Street in front of the Julius Jackson house. This angle of the car crash looks down Ballston Avenue. Photo courtesy of the George S. Bolster Collection. 1912.
On SPOT. This
209
SOUTH BROADWAY
WRITTEN BY CAROL GODETTE | PHOTOS PROVIDED (UNLESS NOTED)
THE TRIANGLE-SHAPED PARCEL OF LAND AT THE FIVE-POINT INTERSECTION OF SOUTH BROADWAY, CIRCULAR STREET, AND BALLSTON AVENUE HAS HAD MANY REINCARNATIONS, EACH DEFINING AND MIRRORING AN ERA IN SARATOGA'S RICH HISTORY.
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Aerial view of the land.
Saratoga had been inhabited by the Algonkian people known as the Mohicans for over 10,000 years. The Iroquoian-speaking Mohawks arrived around 1500 years ago, and the Algonkian-speaking Abenaki arrived about 1600. But we have no record of their early activity on this triangle before their forced removal.
John Bevan's c1850 map labels the area of 209 South Broadway, which was at that time part of the vast urban estate of Dr. John Clarke, "Indian Camp." Margaret Bruchac's educational guide for the 2019 Saratoga Native American Festival elaborates on the term in this excerpt:
Saratoga Springs and Ballston Spa became popular destination resorts for American and European tourists who came to stay at the grand hotels, drink the spring waters, and promenade around the towns and parks. With encouragement from residents, "Indian Camps" were set up in town parks, and Native artisans - mostly Mohawk, Mohican, Oneida, and Abenaki - began regular jaunts to these locales every spring to publicly market their wares through the summer and fall.
Native American researcher Gerry Biron's blog identifies an 1848 encampment "located where Broadway and Ballston Avenue meet."
Historical accounts of the smell of ash splint baskets filling the air; the sight of colorful beaded souvenirs, bows, and leather moccasins displayed in the wooden booths; and the sounds of rifle range competitions leave me longing for time travel!
The parcel appears to have been vacant decades after the encampment moved to Congress Park.
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This late 1800s lithograph illustrates the Indian Encampments that were popular tourist attractions.
Bevan’s c. 1850 map illustrates the five point intersection of 209 South Broadway. Note the label of “Indian Camp.”
WAITING FOR REBIRTH
At the turn of the century, Saratoga was the go-to destination for wealthy tourists. "The Broadway/ Ballston Avenue corner was a particularly desirable residential location." Area businessman Julius Jackson capitalized on this trend by hiring architect R. Newton Brezee, known for his Queen Anne-style homes, to construct a three-story cottage on the site. As a result, the Jackson family could enjoy a panoramic view of tourists motoring by, either on their way to Saratoga Lake, the county seat in Ballston Spa, the world-famous racetrack or the grand hotels of Broadway from the home's wrap-around porch. The heralded red-shingled, green-roofed cottage with stables was the "show place" of its surrounding residential neighborhood in 1902. The iconic home was featured in the 1905 Souvenir edition of The Saratogian.
After the 1915 opening of the Lincoln Baths, the neighborhood's character changed. Hotels and boarding houses replaced elegant cottages. Mr. Jackson died in 1919. When his widow tried to sell the property in 1935, she was only offered $15,000 for a $26,000 assessed house. Her most viable option came from Sinclair Oil Company, which was interested in leasing the property. However, their offer required rezoning the parcel of land. Heated arguments from neighbors ensued. Jackson's attorney argued, "The property ceased to be of value as a residence after the erection of a boarding house with projecting 'sleepers' on the property adjoining Mrs. Jackson's residence."
Nearby St. Peter's Church and hotel owners banded together to protest the rezoning. Dense traffic, property devaluation, and development were their primary concerns. Finally, in 1935, after much debate, the City rezoned 209 Broadway. Sadly Brezee's iconic home was razed, setting the stage for commercial development in the surrounding neighborhood.
ANOTHER REBIRTH
In the mid-30s, few people had cars, so filling stations were not profitable. However, oil companies felt they paid for themselves due to their "advertising value." So, regardless of profitability, in 1936, the South Broadway corner became a Sinclair Filling Station. Over the next fifty years, many owners and gas companies operated out of the service station… Bigsbee's, Perry's, Gentile's, Sousa's, and Crown Oil. Finally, with the advent of several nearby gas stations, Crown Oil decided to close the station in 1999. The gas station was razed, tanks removed, and successful remediation of the pollutants under DEC supervision was completed.
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R. Newton Brezee was architect for 50 beloved buildings in Saratoga Springs. He built this for Julius Jackson in 1902. It is one of his two structures that were demolished.
The Sinclair Filling Station took over 209 South Broadway in 1936.
Photo courtesy of the George S. Bolster Collection, Saratoga History Museum
WAITING FOR A NEW LIFE
In 2012, Sustainable Saratoga's Urban Forestry Project was working on a tree inventory to donate to the City. It hosted a public brainstorming session on greening our city landscape with large trees. They asked Saratogians to identify locations where large-growing shade trees would have the most significant beautifying impact. What was the winner? The barren former gas station parcel at 209 South Broadway. At the time, Tom Denny, chair of Sustainable Saratoga's tree effort, recalled that "people asked why one of our prominent intersections needed to look so bad." But little could be done as the parcel was privately owned.
In 2016, Mayor Joanne Yepsen persuaded the landowner, David Eshaghian of Crown Oil, to give this property to the City. The Mayor brought Eshaghian's generous offer to the City Council but could not get a majority vote to accept the donation. It remained vacant.
As Saratoga continues to develop rapidly in the 21st century, particularly after the isolation experienced during the pandemic, residents increasingly value the small green spaces scattered through the urban core. During the pandemic isolation, Tom Denny began to think 209's desired transformation could be achieved through private efforts.
In late summer 2021, Yepsen and Denny contacted landowner Eshaghian. He agreed to donate the land to a non-profit if the Saratogians could form one. SoBro Conservancy of Saratoga was incorporated in the fall of 2021, was approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity in the Spring of 2022 and took ownership of 209 South Broadway at closing on July 14, 2021.
The vision is to transform this barren, compacted land into a vibrant green habitat for pollinators and songbirds while beautifying one of Saratoga's most critical commercial gateways. "The green space will create both beauty and native habitat," says Tom. "The habitat will benefit the area's bees, butterflies, and birds, which benefit humans, while beauty and educational efforts will benefit neighboring businesses and schools. Gardens were once only planted for beauty. In the 21st century, we ask them to contribute to the food web, to help stave off the extinction of insects on which the world depends, and to educate about these issues."
The SoBro Conservancy board and their passionate team of experienced pollinator gardeners are excited to meet the challenges of remediating this degraded site. They are confident that more and more people will join the project to bring success. Already the project has attracted collaborations with our local Department of Public Works, students from Skidmore and the high school, staff of local non-profits and the State Park, members of the City Council, and a broad range of talented volunteers. This spot should have a long life in its newest form. Fortunately, the generous donation requires that this parcel remain a green space for 99 years. Therefore, the latest incarnation of 209 South Broadway will ensure this spot will thrive for many years!
Follow SoBro Conservancy's efforts on their website: sobroconservancy.org
Many thanks to Mitch Cohen for his research contributions. SS
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Shanti Nagle’s of Design Wild’s plans for SoBro garden.
Ribbon cutting at the site on September 29, 2022
for even more info!
SoBro Conservancy was one of Ben & Jerry’s nonprofit partners on Free Cone Day. The organization received half of the day’s tips and enjoyed the opportunity to share with others their vision of a pollinator green space.
See page 22
A Complementary JUXTAPOSITION
WRITTEN BY BILL ORZELL
The special arrangement in which things are placed and the way they are drawn together, along with the spontaneous and natural liking of this relationship, may explain some of the affinity many have for the Saratoga Race Course. One long time presence, in desirable contiguity to the race course is the mansard capped brick structure on Nelson Avenue at Crescent Street known as Race View. The propinquity between building and track extends far back in time, although neither occupies their original location.
The race course laid out by John Morrissey and his partners in the Saratoga Association in 1864 needed to fit the property they had recently acquired on the south side of Union Avenue, after demonstrating the success of their venture across the street the year before. The track was a one mile circuit, yet many horsemen felt it fell short of that published distance. The racing plant bordered against what would become the Trask estate of Yaddo on Union Avenue and the Gridley Farm, and several smaller properties on Nelson Avenue. Robert Gridley operated stocked trout ponds in the picturesque dell, which during the winter furnished ice for domestic purposes, and Gridley Avenue extended to the east across Yaddo.
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Also on the east side of Nelson Avenue, and north of the road leading to the Gridley ponds, Levi S. Noyes improved his nine acres with an attractive masonry threestory residence. The Noyes House was of the Second Empire Style with its ubiquitous mansard roof and heavy ornamentation, veranda and bay window. These elements made the dwelling very noticeable, and a waymark in directions to the ponds or race venue. Newspaper accounts in 1869 describe Noyes and his family in residence, stabling race horses in their barn.
Global financial instability occurred in the early 1870s and the property changed hands several times, coming into possession of the Fuller family in 1876. Isaiah Fuller was for many years warden of the State prison at Dannemora, and the building was his summer home.
By 1890 all of the original investors in the Saratoga Race Course had passed away, and the track was operated by a single shareholder, Albert Spencer, rendering the Saratoga Association an association in name only. Mr. Spencer was an avid art collector, with a strong desire to retire and travel, and rumors abounded about a change in ownership. A much anticipated deal, with a consortium of noted racing men of unlimited capital, fell through. Mr. Spencer accepted a subsequent deal brokered in August 1891 by Paul Grening, originally from Germany and the proprietor of the Kensington Hotel on Union Avenue, which installed fellow émigré Gottfried Gottlieb Walbaum as owner. Many shuddered to learn the disreputable “Dutch Fred” Walbaum had taken over Saratoga, as his operations at the Guttenberg Race Track near Weehawken, New Jersey were notorious.
The new owner moved quickly in planning improvements. In November 1891 he contracted with Boston architect H. Langford Warren for a new clubhouse and grandstand complex. Warren’s design included elements similar to the South End Grounds baseball pavilion in Boston, and made the Saratoga track an easily recognizable landmark for generations, into our time.
However, G.G. Walbaum’s operations kept many horsemen away. Traditional stakes events were not run, and his discomfiting operations seriously imperiled many financial interests at the Spa. It took the sagacity of Richard T. Wilson to form a syndicate of interested sportsmen, including the politically astute William C. Whitney as President, to buy out Walbaum’s interests in late 1900 and oust his misguided management.
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The relocated Second Empire Style structure, Race View, at the corner of Nelson Avenue and Crescent Street
Saratoga Race Course in the early days of operation. This image shows the original grandstands and racing surface before they would be reconstructed in 1901.
The Whitney and Wilson-led Saratoga Association began their operation of the track in 1901, with the majority of this collective also involved with the operation of the Sheepshead Bay track in Brooklyn. During the winter of 1901, extensive changes were made at Saratoga by track designer Charles Leavitt, increasing the size of the oval and repositioning its orientation on the grounds. The increase from eight furlongs, or one mile, to nine furlongs mirrored the track in Brooklyn and required more property. The reconfigured track included two chutes (straightaways tangent to the oval) for starting races. The one-mile chute allowed for a start into the clubhouse turn, and the seven-furlong chute truncated the eastern extension of Gridley Street. The racecourse redesign required moving all the buildings on the property, relocating the clubhouse, grandstand and betting ring to the reoriented trackside. To accomplish the rearrangements, the grandstand was separated into three sections and reset as separate units, with the areas between becoming major additions which increased the overall length of the structure. Contractor Pennell & Oliver of Yonkers began building the new track in October. The contract for moving all the structures to new locations was extended to
Saratoga Springs resident Miles Bradley, who specialized in rigging work and relocating houses.
In 1901 William C. Whitney ambitiously purchased real estate bordering the race course, acquiring land across Union Avenue to build the Oklahoma Training Track, and property to the east from Spencer Trask for expanding the Horse Haven stables. Closing Gridley Street east of Nelson Avenue was an important lever in the negotiations with Mr. Trask, removing an undesirable rear entrance to Yaddo. Additionally, Mr. Whitney purchased the Isaiah Fuller house on Nelson Avenue, which then stood in the space between the reconfigured clubhouse turn and the new seven-furlong chute. Conjecture took place as to how Mr. Whitney, a recent widower, would use the house built by Levi Noyes. At Sheepshead Bay, Mr. Whitney bought Garretson's Mill and furnished the historic building and grounds as a racing lodge, with the same use expected at the Spa. William Whitney hired Saratoga resident Joseph Morrissey to act as his agent when he was away. In 1902 Mr. Whitney purchased several large tracts on the west side of Nelson Avenue (portions of these properties are the present harness raceway), and the trusted Joseph Morrissey would manage what was known as the Whitney Farm.
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William C. Whitney. From Frank Leslie Quarterly March 4, 1893.
The New York Sunday Telegraph of March 9, 1902 published Charles Leavitt's general plan for the reconfigured Saratoga Race Course scheduled to open that summer, with the phantom line showing the location of the original track. The red star denotes the original location of Race View, with the green star at the present location.
The rebuilt Saratoga Race Course was a huge success when it reopened in 1902, and in subsequent seasons minor changes were made. One modification widened the turns, and Mr. Whitney turned the Second Empire Style house over to Joseph Morrissey, on the condition of it being moved. Mr. Morrissey owned a lot across Nelson Avenue at the corner of Crescent, and his neighbor down the street, Miles Bradley, specialized in that type work. William C. Whitney died unexpectedly in early 1904, before permission could be secured from village officials to move the house. By opening day of the 1906 race season the house, which was rotated 180 degrees during its journey, was in place at its new location. It appears in the City Directory as a boarding establishment for the first time that year, at 75 Nelson Avenue. This project further enhanced the reputation of Miles Bradley as a trustworthy rigger, and he would later be called upon to relocate the 77th Regiment sculpture from its original location on Broadway to the present site inside Congress Park.
Joseph Morrissey continued his employment with Mr. Whitney’s son, Harry Payne Whitney, and had rented the brick house for the season. These were turbulent times in Thoroughbred racing, not only in Saratoga, but across the country. There was a hostile battle between the Jockey Club and those who operated “poolrooms,” which were not billiard halls but off-track wagering facilities. The Jockey Club’s strategy was to suppress all racing information; entries, scratches and changes, prevailing odds and especially results from going over telegraph and telephone wires to the poolrooms. Seemingly each day that August, the Pinkerton detectives representing the Jockey Club would eject poolroom operatives from the track, forcing them to develop novel schemes to acquire the sought-after information. Mr. Morrissey’s boarding house had been leased to those providing communication to the poolrooms, who used the upper stories and roof to peer across Nelson Avenue into the racing grounds.
Pinkertons stretched a broad canvas between two tall poles erected alongside the mile chute. Their grafter foes next erected a pole beside the Morrissey boarding house, with a man at the top. The Pinkerton tarpaulins grew in size, forcing a new pole in response that was said to resemble a tall ship mast, complete with crow’s nest. Conjecture was that an operative on the track infield was using a British Naval device known as a heliograph to flash information to the elevated observer, who then conveyed this to a network of poolrooms via telephone. The men on the pole provided much amusement and distraction to those in the grandstand between races. The Saratoga Association appealed to Joe Morrissey with an inducement of $500, and purchased the exclusive right, privilege and authority to disconnect both telegraph and telephone wires from his house for five years.
Joseph Morrissey continued to lease the house at 75 Nelson Ave to others, who ran it for boarding and occasionally as a restaurant, until 1919 when he sold to the Dingman Family. While under the management of a lessee, issues arose. In the early morning hours of August 15, 1920 Deputy Attorney General Wyman S. Bascom, without the knowledge of the Saratoga Springs Police, led a raid at 75 Nelson Avenue where he found an illegal bar, roulette wheels and a faro bank in operation. The Dingmans sold the property in 1928 to Mary Malone. Originally from County Cork, Ireland she operated a boarding and restaurant facility under her new name for the operation, Race View. Mary Malone and her heirs operated this facility, catering to summer guests for many decades, and the handsome brick structure is a familiar sight to many. If only those walls could speak! SS
Saratogian advertisement from August 9, 1928, Dr. E.E. Emons developed an instrument to determine quality of a thoroughbred's vision. He claimed visual acuity should be considered in breeding, and offered a demonstration without charge at the Race View barn.
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The
Stable grooms await the completion of morning works at the Saratoga Race Course circa 1905, showing the structure later known as Race View, in its original location. Courtesy of Keeneland Library Hemment Collection.
Saratogian advertisement from August 14, 1930.
Raking SOUND That
WRITTEN BY JOHN R. GREENWOOD | PHOTOS PROVIDED
There's something about the sound of a metal rake when it hits the ground for the first time each spring. For me, it "is" the sound of spring. Those metal tines whisking up winter's leftovers are like a starter's pistol signaling, "GO!"
Autumn raking is like putting the kids to bed. Leaf piles are a sign it's time to sit back, relax, and let winter drive for a while. Spring raking, on the other hand, is summer's kickstart. I've been itching to pull out the Ace Hardware "Special Buy" rake since Easter. It practically jumps from the shed wall into my hands. March winds have left my hands with chapped knuckles and blister ready.
I head out to the edge of the property where the lawn ends and Waller Road begins, spit a "Let's Do This!" into each palm and start the raking sound of spring. A robin watches from a bud-less maple hoping I'll unearth brunch for her and the kids. A frantic squirrel searches for a misplaced stash of acorns, his routine never changing from one season to the next.
The morning sun warms the back of my neck; I breathe in a big whiff of leaf mulch, bring the rake back, take a healthy swipe like Tiger chipping at the 2019 Masters, and smile. Life is good. Rake on.
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Musty smell of melted snow now gone Green metal rake poised against the white siding Rests ready to pile winter's shed into Mounded heaps of maple and stick Awaiting strong arms and time
Saturday mornings run fast In April's rush to bloom May flowers Tall brown bags stuffed full Parked obediently at road's edge
Spring birds refreshed seem sharper in song Bee and bug visits - singular and erratic Unsure what cloudy afternoons have in store
Dry leather gloves hide shyly In back corner garage darkness
Tulip bulbs long neglected Poke up defiantly in places years forgotten
Life's reminder
That flower tender, nor weakest child, shall be discounted, nor counted out, nor given up
Each spring, each returning flower, each corner yard-surprise discovered
Pushes skyward One year more.
Yard Work,
By John R. Greenwood
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