Breaking In The Bandstand

All summer the city of Norwich has been full tilt in remodeling their park. What a lovely job! I have played the farmer's market there now at least the past 6 years in a row. Here's a few shots taken by my friend Patrick Mill's daughter, Lorraine Emma. I felt like a needle in a haystack to say least. It's a very large bandstand that could stage an orchestra. Honestly it wasn't my best performance as I had hardly any sleep the night before and cut my index finger on a knife while washing breakfast dishes in a makeshift black canning pot I was using as a sink after having no power. I got through it with the help of my son Nick acting as my roadie. My next large purchase will be Bose. I'll never be to old to play and perform...just to old to haul the heavy equipment.

Catching Up In The 10 Year Kitchen

The day before Irene made land fall I emailed Bill's family who live in Ocean City and Washington DC inviting them here to the Country Side in South Hamilton should they be ordered to evacuate. Ryan and Julie in Ocean City did leave driving inland to stay with friends while Kelly and Steve held their fort down in DC. Both families had no trouble with Irene and here in Sunny South Hamilton we lost power for six days! I should of evacuated to their houses! The lights here wavered and went black last Sunday morning as I was heading to the shower to get ready for my Sunday shift at Michaels. I angrily drove to work (because Michael wouldn't give me the day off) in a typhoon of rain squalls, over downed power lines on top of Williams Rd but made it to work where the rain was coming in to the building through the front windows of the bar. Thad and I unplugged the bar lights and pulled out the tables and chairs and put towels and bucket on the floor in an attempt to soak up the rain water. Little old ladies who don't know any better than to stay home in a freaking hurricane, were pulling up in their impalas for a luncheon and getting beat up by Irene in their 6 step walk from the car to the front door. Then bitching at us like it was our fault there was a hurricane to begin with! A large limb broke from a silver maple onto the back deck off the kitchen just missing chef Michael Martin by a few seconds as he was just standing in the same spot where the limb landed talking to his wife on his cell phone. Not having any business what so ever in the bar, it was agreed that I wasn't needed that day and could go home. Which I knew ahead of time. Whatever.
Sunday night, Mom had a house full celebrating all the August and September birthdays of our family with no power and a boat load of dirty dishes and no way to clean them. So, we just scrapped them and put them in a large cooler until the power came back on and had another glass of wine an watched Irene spout off for another half an hour or so before heading home. Mom got her power Tuesday night. Bill and I didn't get ours until last night around five. I was doing a happy dance to my apple radio next to lamp oil light with a dirty martini in salute! I didn't rough it as bad as Bill, driving over to mom's to shower, while he was heating water on the gas stove to sponge bathe in. Bill gets the Anne La Bastille award. But I'm in a close 2nd catching up on canning marinara. Everything organic, tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, oregano and parsley from our garden. The only thing store bought is the tomato paste to thicken it. I've canned 15 jars of marinara and 6 jars of pickled beets. The ten year kitchen is back in business and with power! Life is good again here in Sunny South Hamilton. I was able to stay on line with my iphone and did catch some video of towns to the north and south of me totally devastated by flooding. Town's pretty much washed away. Such a tragedy. My heart goes out to them and then again fills with pride to see how these small communities pull together in these troubled times to help one another out. All I can say is good night f--king Irene!

West Of The Wind

I was reading the August edition of Adirondack Life and stumbled across an article written by Annie Stoltie entitled Wordswoman, a take off of the Woodswoman series chronicling the life of environmentalist and author, Anne La Bastille.
Having a three summer long gig at the Big Moose Inn, I was unleashed into the large mountainous and wooded park within the blue line filled with the rich history of this magical area. I can't really recall the first time I heard Anne La Bastille's name or even which book of hers I read first. But like many, many others…I became greatly inspired by this blonde haired, beautiful woman who lived her life in a rustic, home made cabin in the woods, hiking trails with her beloved german shepherd dogs, totally dedicating her life to the health of the Adirondack Mountains. I read and collected every book I could get my hands on as her life's story greatly resemble mine once upon a time. Had I read her books sooner I would have (with no doubt) changed my life's course and would have attended Paul Smith's or some environmental program somewhere. She made it VERY COOL to be a woman in the woods and this reminded me of all the camping trips and time spent hiking around in the woods and the forts I made as a young girl, living next to a large wooded area and saddled with a great imagination. Anne was not only a sight for sore eyes with her pink lipstick and pig tails, but highly educated as well. With two Ph.Ds in her back pack, she also taught at Cornel University, worked for the Adirondack Park Agency, and spent seven years on the remote Lake Atitlan, Guatemala working to save the habitat of the endangered grebe, a large, flightless bird nearing its extinction. Sadly this war, she did not win.
After reading, Wordswoman, I found the email address for the letter's to the editor and sent an email thanking them for the story on Anne being a great fan and told them about the song I had written for Anne which, was on my website if they wanted to give it a listen.
Anne died July first. Stoltie must have written the story before she died even tho the story was in the August edition.
Two Sunday's ago I got an email from Doris Herwig, saying how much she loved my song Ode To Anne and invited me to perform it at Anne's memorial. I was stunned to say the least! I emailed back right away thanking her with a, YES I'D BE HONORED! The very next day I received the next issue of Adirondack Life and taking a break from housework, grabbed a cold beer to sit on my deck to relax and read. Flipping through the first few pages of the magazine and in the letter's to the editor section was the printed email I had sent after Stoltie's story and with the link to my website. I was ecstatic!
Saturday, August 20th, Bill and I got on the road around 7:30 am to Eagle Bay to catch the first of two days of memorial shuttles and headed out to Twitchell Lake. There I met Doris Herwig, a most wonderful woman, who told me the story of the first time she met Anne, next to a lovely shrine of Anne's books, photos, paintings, and other priceless tokens. Anne was Doris's best friend and the last thing Anne said to her was that she loved her.
After telling my story of how I came out to the Twitchell Lake boat launch one stormy day about three years ago with my little zoom hand held recorder that I put up in a ranger box to record the storm in which I edited and used to open Anne's song. I played my song Ode To Anne with out a hitch or a tear. Bill, my not-so-great-camera-man husband did video tape it. Its a shaky video, with bad sound quality. I may not post it...
Also attending Anne's memorial was her german shepherd dog Krispy Kreme. Knowing the gallant names of her previous dogs, Condor, Pitsi, Chekika and Xandor, I asked a Twitchell Lake resident how Anne came to name her dog Krispy Kreme? He replied, "She was eating a Krispy Kreme doughnut when she was searching for a name, and I guess she just really liked the doughnut!" After chatting some more, I finally asked just where is Anne's cabin? Bill and I have kayaked Twitchell Lake several times but never came to know where it was as many of the camps are hidden in the woods from the lake. This Twitchell Lake man, whom's name I won't reveal, looked at me and asked, "Would you like me to show you Anne's camp?" That was my blessing. So off we went in an aluminum boat up Twitchell, on the most beautiful blue sky day, to walk the sacred grounds of Anne La Bastille. Thank You Anne. And thank you Mr. Twitchell Lake resident for the tour of a life time I'll never forget.

Shots From Anne La Bastille's Memorial

Anne's Favorite Things

The Hat she wore in the many shots of her first woodswoman book.

This drum belonged to Anne's mother who was also into music and the arts.



Krispy Kreme Anne's Dog

Stillwater Campsite 46

My favorite cousin David got campsite 45. We were neighboring campers for three days of bliss on Stillwater reservoir. As much as I love the peace and quiet and nature filled sounds of the north woods. Its quite a job organizing and packing all the necessary gear to make the camping experience as comfortable and easy as possible. I wonder how my mother did it with four kids all those years ago. I must say that the only things we lacked on this trip was a few folding tables, a door mat for outside the tent and that collapsable bucket that I should of bought at Mountain Man in Old Forge. Other than that I give Bill and I an A on camp life. Leaving first thing Wednesday morning after getting my Tuesday night shift in a Michaels. I packed the waiting pile of camping gear and headed north. Having secured campsite 46 the weekend before. We already had the tent, hammock and make shift counter built out of an old beat up picnic table rotting away in back of Marian's camp, up and our cloths and coolers already hauled out. So Wednesday was just a matter of getting the baby Taylor, Lou and new ice to replenish the coolers. I pulled into the Stillwater parking lot which was in it's usual summer frenzy with campers, boaters and tourist milling around making their last minute plans before retiring into the wooded arms of Miss Adirondacks. Pulling into a parking space, my car all dusty from the 20 minute trek down the Stillwater road, I opened up the door and Lou bounded out as he KNEW what was at the end of that bumpy dusty ride. RASCAL! Marian Labradoodle! Rascal is 100 times bigger than Lou and to see him gently play with Lou is heartwarming. Rascal actually lies down on the deck and lets Lou play on top of him! This time however Lou hightailed it down to the pavilion down by the shore where the map of the reservoir is and all the campsite that surround it. The sign up book is under on the other side. Camping is free on Stillwater. You just have to sign up and get there.Two summer ago when Jen and I went out for a girls camping excursion. We loaded the kayaks, luckily got site 45 and got out there. After setting everything up and getting the site under control. Jen poured us each a glass a wine and we waded over to the large boulder for our Stillwater happy hour. After a toast Jen looked at me an asked me how much I did I pay to rent the site? A hundred dollars? I said No Jen! It's free! You just gotta get here. She was a riot all during the time we had out at site 45 opera singing FREE! FREE! FREE! Over and over again. It was that night we skinny dipped and both my celtic rings fell off my fingers to be swallowed up by the lake. Everytime I go out to 45 I'm subconsciously looking for my beloved silver rings shining in the sandy water.
So back to the pavilion! After catching Lou the little varmite, I walked over to the sign up book and flipped through to the most recent pages looking for my cousin David's name as he came in the night before and was so happy to see he got site 45!
Awesome. Another Stillwater camping memory made!

The Brown Boy's Of Summer

Lisa, Aurora, John and Nick

Jack Brown age 12


Dylan Brown age 8


Will Brown age 10

The temps have reached 100 degree's here in sunny South Hamilton. Julie and Ryan and their great kids are here on their summer visit. Coming all the way from Ocean City Maryland, we've all decided to make our lives easier and just set up a campsite down at our fire pit instead of hauling the kids another two hours or more into the Adirondacks. The foot hills here are Adirondack-y enough for them plus it comes with wireless and showers, refrigeration and ice which is fine with me.
On with summer!

The Wait

My youngest sibling Lisa and her fine husband have rented a camp on 1st Lake...the pond in Old Forge for this independent holiday. I'm so excited to get up there but have to put in my Saturday night shift at Michaels tonight. The anticipation of being in the Adirondacks is killing me!
So here are a few shots of Billiams garden. It's the nicest garden we've had in years as there is time this summer to become one with it. Bill bought a new leaf blower that came with a leaf mulching attachment and its just the ticket for keeping the weeds down. I'm on a mission this summer to can and freeze anything I can get my hands on.
Nick has been working up at Reverend Ross's property. Thank God for the Rev! Nick is working his butt off and making some sweet money right up the road. More to come on this later.
Last weekend we drove scenic 17 down through the Catskills to Olivia's graduation. It's hard to believe the red headed tornado is out of high school already. I finally got to meet Lisa's Maine Coon cat Chester. What a cat is all I can say!