Cambridge Buzz

Spoonful Catering is back in the INN!

2009-11-11T07:34:00.007-05:00

Spoonful Catering Local Foods Dinner Event
at the Rice Mansion Inn

featuring the Dave Cuite Duo
Thursday Night ~ November 12th 2009

Food & Music from 6pm- 9pm

Menue:

Savory

Braised Beef Brisket, Spiced Autumn Vegetables - $17
Coquille St.- Jacques, traditionally prepared with cream & mushrooms - $15
Butternut Squash filled Dumplings, sage, brown butter, autumn greens - $15
Roast Chicken Breast with bacon, brussel sprouts & figs - $17

Salad

Roast Beets, Goat Cheese, toasted Sunflower Seeds, Leaf Lettuce Vinaigrette - $8
Wedge of soft, bloomy “Kunik” & Murray Hollow bread $12
Leaf Lettuce Vinaigrette $4

Sweet
Apple Crumb Pie, vanilla ice cream - $6
Chocolate & Butterscotch Parfait, Whipped Cream & Pecans - $6

Help Yourself to Decaffeinated Coffee & Tea $2

$2 has been added to each savory plate to pay the band

sumptuous creative cuisine ~
traditionally prepared using the local and regional bounty of the earth

Spoonful Local Food Dinner Events and Sunday Morning Samplers

Dinner Events are monthly throughout the year and include live music
November 12th ~ December 17th
6pm-9pm

Sunday Morning Sampler: Weekly Breakfast throughout the winter
November 15th, 22nd 9am-12noon
December 6th, 13th, 20th extended hours 9am-1pm

Cash and Checks please

Contact:

Christine, The Rice Mansion Inn (518.677.5741) Christine@ricemansioninn.com
Sue, Spoonful Catering (518.692.9037) Sue@spoonfulcatering.com

Local Farms & Regional Producers

3-Corner Field Farm, Borden’s Orchard, Boyden Farms, Cabot Creamery, Crandalls Corners, Schaghticoke; Champlain Valley Milling, Dancing Ewe Farm, Elihu Farm, Garden of Spices, Gillis Acres, Ryancroft, Long Days Farm, Manx Station Farm, Pleasant Valley Farm, Reid Wetherby Farm, Saratoga Apple, Slack Hollow Farm, Sugar Mill Farm

Cambridge Food Co-op News

2009-11-06T08:53:00.002-05:00

Come shop with The Cambridge Food Co-op for three days of savings as part of our countdown to the move. The 20% discount regularly reserved for members will be extend to all shoppers on Thursday November 5th through Saturday November 7th in preparation for our move.

Shop the sale on Friday & Saturday (November 6 & 7) 10:00 - 6:00 at 25 East Main Street, Cambridge NY.

The Cambridge Food Co-op will be closed on Sunday November 8th and Monday November 9th as it relocates down the street to 1 West Main Street.

The new location opens on Tuesday November 10th. The expanded Cambridge Food Co-op is open to the public, selling local organic produce and products, like fresh goat, sheep and cow milk cheeses, Battenkill Valley Creamery milk, and fresh baked whole-grain breads. The Co-op carries a broad variety of delicious, natural, wholesome foods, wild fish, and pasture-raised beef as well as a wide selection of gluten-free products. You can shop bulk seasonings, beans, and grains to stretch your shopping dollars with our new self serve bins.

Visit us at www.cambridgefoodcoop.com or call (518) 677-5731 to find more information about shopping locally at the co-op. Remember, the public is always welcome!

We look forward to seeing you at the sale & the new store.

Photography on Canvas Show- John Carlson

2009-11-04T07:58:00.006-05:00

(Photo by John Carlson, copyright 2008)

I am showing a series of large photographs printed on canvas in a show called, "LANDSCAPE" at Kevin's Restaurant, in North Bennington, Vermont. I have always enjoyed the long compositions inherent in panoramic images. This is a series experimenting with that format. The show runs for the month of November.

So, please, go and enjoy a decent meal and let me know your impressions of the work. Thanks.

For more information about the artist, John Carlson, click here and scroll down to Treasures of Cambridge #22.

Scary Nights

2009-10-30T11:23:00.004-04:00

Halloween is fun,

Ghosts Make People Run…BOO

Ghosts and Goblins will reap havoc on the Battenkill Valley this weekend.

Come enjoy the hauntingly good fun!

The Cambridge Hotel is rumored to be haunted! Does the Lady in Red truly exist? Do Mr. and Mrs. Rice still claim the halls of the Rice Mansion Inn? Who commands the stage at Hubbard Hall in the after life? Do the Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Salem discuss battle strategies during a full moon?

To find out, come visit the Battenkill Valley.

If you dare !!!

Trash Bash at Hubbard Hall
Friday, October 30
7:30pm – 12 midnight
Admission 13.00 dollars – open to everyone ages 21 +

HHFeaturing:

Roadside Blues Band
Fantastic munchies coordinated by Spoonful Catering
Fashion Show with Prizes in a Clutter of Trashy Categories!

Rummage through your old clothes, recyclables, discards and just plain trash to create a costume to scare, amaze, horrify and sway the judges! Make a “trashion” statement!

Who will be crowned Queen or King of Trash Glam? Only the trashed will know!
Browns Beer & Wine Available!
Pumpkin Pie Contest
Don’t forget to bring a donation for the Cambridge Food Pantry – they need the clutter!
Call 518-677-2495 for detials

Haunted Fun at the Yellow HotelHotel
Friday, October 30
7:00pm – you turn into a Pumpkin
“swing with spirit’s and groove with the ghost’s”
Music by the originators of Hitchhiker Girl the Blackouts

A “haunted” Halloween costume party including:

The crowning of Prince and Princess of Pie
Prizes for 1st and 2nd place winners!

COME IN COSTUME AND STAY OVERNIGHT FOR $99!!
Call For Reservations
518-677-5626

The Not so Scary Stuff:

Cambridge Winter Farmers’ Market

The Farmers’ Market will continue through December at its indoor home in the Lovejoy Building located in the Cambridge Freight Yard on Sundays from 10a-1p.

Loads of fresh veggies, apples, cider & cider doughnuts, hand made gifts and floral, Original cards and artwork, Maple Syrup products, soaps, Colebrook wines, homespun alpaca products, baked goods, meats, pottery, horse drawn buggy rides and live entertainment! A GREAT place to shop for Christmas gifts, as well as fresh wreaths, swags, greenery, holiday terrariums & boxwood trees.

Painting Show Opens- Leslie Parke

2009-10-23T16:08:00.003-04:00

(Leslie Parke, Branches, 44"x66", oil on linen)

The show, Look Up/Look Down:

Landscape Painting of Washington County, will be opening on Saturday, October 24th at the Small Gallery- Valley Artisans Market, 25 East Main Street, Cambridge, NY 12816 518-677-2765. The show runs through November 22nd, 2009.

Opening reception is from 3pm-5pm tomorrow, Saturday, October 24th.

For more about the artist, Leslie Parke check out her website. Come down and look at her amazing works in person!

Movie Review: Capitalism: A Love Story

2009-10-19T17:15:00.007-04:00

I recently saw Michael Moore's latest film, Capitalism: A Love Story. I've seen all of Michael's films and this one may be his best. His "in your face" film style is toned down a bit, letting people speak for themselves. Oh the ambush interview is still incorporated and his placing crime scene tape around the banking establishment on Wall Street is very Michael Moore, and something we would all like to do.

There are no special effects or tricks (this is a documentary after all) but there is amazing stock footage research and editing. I am a script researcher and a documentary filmmaker and when I tell you that Moore's team is one of the best in the biz, I'm not kidding. How they find just the right old television sequence or film clip to play off of recent news interviews is amazing and so spot on. The editing puts these things together in a way that drives home the point and is humorous. It's rare to be able to bring humor into such a difficult subject as our failing economy. Moore does that effectively in the beginning and sets the tone for the film. His message is really driven home when Congresswoman Marcy Kapture (D - Ohio 9th District) speaks.

It does not matter if your a democrat, republican, conservative or liberal, this film crosses all those political boundaries and speaks to the one things the majority of us share, economic hardship within the present economy. Moore asks the question, "What price is America."

Here is the trailer for the film:

I recommend seeing Capitalism: A Love Story.

Peak Colors and Tasty Spuds!

2009-10-08T09:38:00.006-04:00

This is the weekend for fall colors. On Wednesday I hiked into base of Crane Mountain in the Adirondacks. The colors were breathtakingly beautiful. I don't remember a fall with such vibrant reds, yellows, golds, and oranges. But fall isn't the only thing happening here in Cambridge, NY.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11th is the 2nd Annual Freight Yard Potato Festival. I know that it's apple season so why the potato? Well here is some trivia for you: New York is ranked 12th in the USA for potato production. We produce 1.7% of the tasty spuds on 27,600 acres. In fact, potatoes were helped the Rice Seed Company establish itself as a premire seed source in the early 20th century.

In honor of Mr. Rice Potato, the Cambridge Freight Yard will be smashed, mashed, fried and baked in celebration of the Potato. Fun begins at 11:30 with the Potato Olympics, Potato Art, Potato Science (did you know that a potato can illuminate a light bulb?), Potato Storytelling Poetry, and of course, eating.

The Bread Oven Crew will fire things up to make delicious treats and just in time for dinner, baking potatoes from Double K Farm. Add your favorite topping (chili, broccoli (from Stanard Farm) and cheese. Traditional sour cream, bacon and chive are also available -- ALL FREE OF CHARGE!

We'll also have a potato swap. Yup, locally grown and ready for your larder. You'll find all sorts of potatoes with infomation on the soil and growing condition and if it's a starchy, waxy or fingerling spud.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE.... Locals know that the King's donut cart produces the best pastry delights. To honor the potato, they will be offering, free of charge, their famous Maple Glazed Potato Donuts. Super delicious does not even come close to the taste and texture of this specialty treat.

The Cambridge Farmers' Market will be a place to find other veggies and ideas for cooking your potatoes. Believe it or not, the potato is the fourth biggest food crop in the world, only maize, wheat and rice are bigger. Potatoes have been grown for more than 8,000 years and were a "New" world crop that was brought back to Europe (no the Irish did not invent the potato they just figured out some really tasty things to do with it). The Cambridge Freight Yard used to ship locally grown potatoes to points south. You can see a display on the local history of potatoes and the iportance on the regions economy in the LoveJoy Building.

Worried about rain...don't be. In case of inclement weather, the festival will be held indoors at the Historic Cambridge Freight Yard.

Fall image provided by June Mohan. Visit June's Gallery at the corner of Route 22 and Main Street in Cambridge, NY.

Mr.Rice Potato image provided by the Rice Mansion Inn. Visit their website ricemansioninn.com to book a weekend retreat, special event, or corporate get-away.

Goodbye to a Dear Friend

2009-10-03T21:01:00.005-04:00

(photograph by Roger Wyatt)

I am saddened to announce that we lost a good friend today and one of the founders on this CambridgeBuzz Blog, Hilary McLellan. She died peacefully at home with her husband Roger (also a CambridgeBuzz Founder)by her side, after an almost two year bout with cancer.

Hilary’s intrepid spirit, beautiful soul, and steady and sure disposition has been a joy for us to work with over the years. She was a great believer in the power inherent in the telling of our stories and she understood the mythic qualities in each and every one of our lives.

Hilary was such a deep inspiration to those around her these past months even as the cancer ravaged her body, her spirit grew brighter and clearer.

Hilary loved life, lived it to the fullest, and then left us with such grace and dignity. She will be missed.

Cambridge Life: Fall Is Upon Us!

2009-09-30T14:52:00.005-04:00

The landscape is changing and the colors are amazing. It looks like we may have one of the best foliage seasons in years. Did you know that New York is the second largest apple producing state in the United States. Here are some apple pickin' facts:

1. New York is the second largest apple producing state in the United States
2. New York State averages 29.5 million bushels of production annually
3. Apples are grown on 51,097 bearing acres in six major production districts throughout the entire state
4. There are approximately 694 commercial apple growers in New York State
5. New York State grows and markets more commercial varieties of fresh eating apples than any other region of the country, including 19 of the most popular varieties;
The New York apple industry provides employment for thousands of New Yorkers. 694 family farms, 10,000 direct agricultural jobs,7,500 indirect jobs involved with handling, distribution, marketing and shipping of apple exports and thousands of other indirect jobs including agricultural supplies (equipment, chemicals and services), financial services and apple processing.

and an Apple a day keeps the doctor away!

The Cambridge Apple Festival is a celebration of autumn. Join me in Railroad Park (across from the Cambridge Hotel) for a festive day dedicated to the Apple. Not only will you find apple pies, but there will be children's activities, prizes for pumpkin painting and apple eating, plus crafts and vendor booths. I'll be manning the Cambridge Food Co-op Booth from 10 am - noon. Stop by and try treats created from the Co-op's own Cookbook (also for sale at the booth)

CALLING ALL APPLE PIE BAKERS: Win bragging rights to the best pie in town and get your name placed on the menu of the Cambridge Hotel and your recipe used by the Hotel for 3 months, as the famous Pie ala Mode, plus other great prizes. Amateur bakers, budding chefs & chef wannabes, are invited to are invited to enter their favorite apple pie (no professional bakers or chefs please). Judging is by the public and our panel of "professional" judges. Pick up a registration form at many local businesses or on-line. APPLE PIE EATERS! Pie Bake Off entries will need to be delivered to Railroad Park between 8:30 and 10am Saturday morning.

IS PIE TASTING MORE YOUR SPEED? You can be an official taste tester of all of the pie bake-off entries. Public tasting is open from 11-2, with the semi-final results announced at 2 pm. The winners will be chosen by the professional judges at 6 pm.

Grin Mobile Laser Tag 11am will be set up in VARAK Park

In Railroad Park LadyScarecrow will be on hand to tell her stories "The Scarecrows Hat" and "Spookey The Legend of the Square Pumpkin"

For the adults, Black Dog Wines and Liquor will have a spirited taste testing from 12 noon - 3 pm at their shop at 63 West Main Street.

Pie Eating Contest sponsored by: The Cambridge Hotel, Stewart's Ice Cream and K Ward Realty scheduled for 4:00 pm during the festival. Whoever finishes their pie (ala mode of course) first wins! Prizes will be awarded for first and second place. Limited to 25 entrants $5 each..

Don't miss: The Bennington Beledi Dance troupe and local musicians playing throughout the day.

OKTOBERFEST continues in the evening presented by The Cambridge Hotel. Featuring the Albany based band Sirsy to play under the tent, along with festive food and drink as the party continues until 11 pm!

Cheese Tour this Weekend!

2009-09-11T12:55:00.002-04:00

The Washington County Cheese Makers Guild will be holding its annual Tour of Artisan cheese makers, this weekend, Saturday September 12 and Sunday September 13 from 10am to 4pm.

This is a drive yourself tour through our beautiful landscape to local farms specializing in delicious cheese production. You will get to meet the farmers, see their facilities, enjoy their animals and of course, experience their cheeses.

If you are like me and love good food, don't miss this wonderful opportunity.

For information on participating farms and locations, click on CHEESE!

NOT TO BE MISSED: 8/27/09 Roadside Blues Band at the RMI

2009-08-26T09:50:00.005-04:00

Connecting People to Place One Bite at a Time

Spoonful Catering is back in the house THIS Thursday, August 27th for an evening of food, beverage and blues.

Join hosts Christine Hoffer (RMI) and Sue Quillio (SFC) tomorrow evening as they once again bring us together for tasty treats and blistering blues. It's our own House of Blues right here in Cambridge, NY.

Small Plate ~ Full Glass Event
Featuring The Roadside Blues Band
Food & Beverage from 6pm; Music from 7pm

On the menu will be Smoked Brisket, I literally dream of this entrée, plus a few other savory plates will be available. You can also expect to find "Local" Blueberry Pie among the deserts..

The Rice Mansion Inn is perfectly suited for dining, relaxing and listening to The Roadside Blues Band.

Seating for dinner available in all rooms, on the front porch and in BellaVino.

So come to our "House of Blues" this Thursday night.....See you There!

Cambridge Life: Circles of Influence @ The Clark

2009-08-24T10:30:00.011-04:00

The Clark: Circles of Influence

Cambridge Buzz friend and art critic Donald Goddard recently visited the Dove/O'Keeffe exhibition at The Clark. The show runs until September 7th. Here are his thoughts on the exhibition.

Dove/O’Keeffe: Circles of Influence

It's good to have Arthur Dove and Georgia O'Keeffe together again for a while, to the extent that it is hard to imagine how the art of either would have evolved without the other. This despite the fact that there was very little continuous contact between them. They were not lovers, not even close friends or associates. O'Keeffe first saw and was moved by a work of Dove's reproduced in a book in 1914, when O'Keeffe was 27 and Dove was 34. They were introduced to one another in 1918 by Alfred Stieglitz, who had recently become romantically involved with O'Keeffe and was a great champion of both artists. There are no photos that I have seen of the two artists together (nor in the catalogue for the exhibition), even by Stieglitz, who did at least one of his close friend Dove, and, of course, many of O'Keeffe. They acquired and owned each other's work, beginning with a pastel of a cow that Dove gave to O'Keeffe and Stieglitz on the occasion of their marriage in 1918. O'Keeffe recognized Dove as the artist who introduced abstraction into American art and as "the only American painter who is of the earth, . . ."

Arthur Dove, Sunrise, 1924--
Oil on panel, 18 1/4 x 20 7/8 in. (46.4 x 53 cm).
Milwaukee Art Museum. Gift of Mrs. Edward R. Wehr
Photo by John R. Glembin; Courtesy of and copyright The Estate of Arthur Dove / Courtesy Terry Dintenfass, Inc.

Dove made watercolors, beginning in 1930, based on the "burning watercolors" O'Keeffe exhibited in 1917. Their work appeared together in at least one group show during the 1920s, curated by Stieglitz, and they were linked by several writers at the time as avatars of the male and female principles, which seemed to rather appall O'Keeffe and bemuse Dove ("The bursting of a phallic symbol into white light may be the thing we all need," he wrote to Stieglitz in 1930). Though widely admired and recognized in the art world, Dove lived apart, modestly and spiritedly, from 1920 until his death in 1946, with the wonderful painter Helen Torr, sometimes on boats, in and around New York City, Connecticut, upstate New York, and Long Island. O'Keeffe moved to Abiquiu, New Mexico, in 1929, though she returned to New York regularly until 1946, the year Stieglitz also died. From 1933 to 1938, Dove and Torr lived in Geneva, New York, Dove's childhood hometown in the Finger Lakes region, and O'Keeffe visited them three times there. There were letters between them, but it seems they were few and far between. Still, it is true, they embraced one another; they parted and leaned together, curve to curve, like sand bending to the wind and water, or trees to the stars. Other than a series of watercolor female nudes O'Keeffe did in 1917, neither artist painted or drew the human figure--other species like the cow, of course, the clam, crow, jack-in-the-pulpit--but no human figures. Rather, they thrust themselves into nature to the point that, in paintings like O'Keeffe's Series I, No. 10 and No. 10A of 1919, and Dove's Penetration of 1924, looming forms suggest the human body and its sexuality.

The artists were themselves the human figures; actors, perpetrators in a world that already had a structure of form, function, color, and light. As Debra Bricker Balken observes in the show's catalogue, "Dove began by declaring his dependence upon nature, which he deemed inseparable from art. . . . he engaged in a . . . rigorous investigation of nature by tracking its myriad holdings of flora and fauna, growth patterns, and interconnected systems.

Georgia O’Keeffe, Jack-in-the-Pulpit No. VI, 1930
Oil on canvas, 36 x 18 in. (91.4 x 45.7 cm)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Alfred Stieglitz Collection, Bequest of Georgia O’Keeffe
Image courtesy of the Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

According to Helen Torr, 'he spent much time in the woods analyzing tree bark, flowers, butterflies etc.' near the family home in Geneva, New York." O'Keeffe's forms were always from nature--flowers, shells, seaweed, lakes, trees, bones, hills, clouds--even in her abstractions of the 1910s and '20s, in their biomorphic and radial motility, and her New York skyscrapers of the 1920s, which are as much subject to night and day, the energies of the cosmos, as anything else. For both, art is revelatory, the revelation of nature, as it had been for Thomas Cole, the Luminists, Thomas Eakins, and other Americans before them, rather than of immediate human existence, which seems to be at the center of European art, of Impressionism, Expressionism, and even Cubism, with their insistence on human perception and levels of conscience and consciousness. As Balken points out, the movement toward pure abstraction in the work and writings of Wassily Kandinsky and others, which seem to me like antidotes to the exigencies of existentialism, was known to Dove and O'Keeffe in their formative years (rather late for both artists). O'Keeffe especially was impressed by Kandinsky's book, Concerning the Spiritual in Art, particularly with the idea of music being the form of abstraction toward which art should strive.

But probably "Dove came to abstraction quite naturally. . . . Kandinsky was very showy about it, but Dove had an earthy, simple quality that led directly to abstraction." Kandinsky's colleague at the Bauhaus, Paul Klee, with his interest in children's art, probably would have been more appropriate for Dove. He painted like a child, in that he understood the boundaries of everything in view--the sun, the moon, and everything else--that the picture already existed and that everything could be rearranged to make new pictures. O'Keeffe was like his little sister who understood and completed the grandness and continuity of Dove's universe.

--Donald Goddard

Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute is located near the grounds of Williams College in Williamstown, MA. For more information about "The Clark," visit their website at clark.edu

All images provided by the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute-- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Simon's Cat

2009-08-21T12:35:00.006-04:00

I feel like Simon has a window into my house and sees just what my cats are capable of. Here's his latest video about furry felines. Enjoy!

Cambridge Cooks: Choco-Zucchini Cupcakes

2009-08-04T09:15:00.006-04:00

Are you looking for something new to do with all the zucchini ripening in your garden? Here is a recipe that my neighbor Mary came up with. I made some additional alterations to make them Weight Watcher friendly.

Choco-Zucchini Cupcakes:

BATTER:
2 cups shredded zucchini (8 oz)
3 eggs OR 3/4 cup egg substitute
2 cup granulated sugar OR 1.5 cups Splenda
3/4 cups cooking oil OR 3/4 cups applesauce
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup milk chocolate pieces (optional)

FROSTING:
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup softened butter
1 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

PREPARATION:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 24 2.5 inch muffin cups with paper bake-cups or lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Stir together zucchini, eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla.
3. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and chocolate chips (if using)
4. Stir to combine
5. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each cup half full.
6. Bake about 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool in pan on wire wrack for 5 minutes, remove cups from pan and cool completely

Frosting Prep:

1. Beat 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/3 cup softened butter, 1 Tbsp milk and 1/2 tsp. vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
2. Gradually add 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar, beating until combined.
3. If necessary, stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons additional milk until desired consistency

I eliminated the chocolate chips and did not frost the cupcakes and they still were wonderful. They're great with coffee, as a desert with vanilla ice cream, or in the morning as a snack. If you use the alternatives of egg substitute, applesauce, and Splenda they're also low calorie and low points.

They freeze well too!

Cambridge Life: Doing the Turkey Trot

2009-07-30T09:25:00.000-04:00

A sure sign that the seasons are moving along far to quickly. This rafter of turkeys, knowing it wasn't turkey season, came by to see if the bugs were better on this side of the road. Running to grab a camera, I managed to catch the gang as it crossed to the other side of East Main Street.

Is It Real or Is It Memorex #2

2009-07-28T17:13:00.000-04:00

Siete Punto Uno (7.1)

"By weaving the powerful story-telling abilities of the narrative mural into the engaging impact of the life-size trompe l'oeil illusion artist John Pugh has created a stimulating and enlightening venue for both public and private art. His murals have been instrumental in revitalizing the trompe l'oeil genre as a vital mode of artistic expression that is both aesthetically and intellectually challenging."

That's what illusion-art has to say about Trompe L'oeil artist John Pugh. My friend Roy sent me this amazing image. Believe it or not, this is a mural that Pugh painted on a building in Los Gatos, CA.

The mural Siete Punto Uno is located on Main Street in the town of Los Gatos, California. Los Gatos was one of the communities that suffered the most significant damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

Considered the propitiator of earthquakes, the Mayan jaguar god (as represented in the mural) is grafted with the "cats" of Los Gatos to become one of the key metaphors of this concept.

To read more about and see all of Trompe L'oeil artist John Pugh's amazing murals, visit his website at Illusion Art.

An American Journey

2009-07-26T11:01:00.003-04:00

David Kaczynski sets out to tell the story of turning in the most sought after criminal in US history, his brother Ted, the notorious 'Unabomber'.

David's journey intersects with three others, Gary, Bud and Bill, who together put a face on the death penalty and unexpectedly place the American justice system on trial.

Follow these four men as they travel from New York to Texas, from Oklahoma to California on a road that takes them beyond crime and punishment and into their hearts and minds in An American Journey.

Cambridge -based filmmakers Debra Pearlman and John Carlson are producing this film with Videos For Change owner and the film's director Mike Camoin.

You can become a fan by visiting our Facebook page at An American Journey ...OR
Join their journey ~ make a tax-deductable donation to help complete this film: http://www.qofj.com/wmm.htm

Cambridge Life: Is it Real or is it Memorex?

2009-07-24T10:23:00.007-04:00

Following the antics of my two cats brings me endless amounts of fun. This morning, I could not resist taking some photos of my zucchini plants when McGillacutty stopped by for a visit. Here's my question to you...Is this where I found my cat or is this something else?

Just look at that sweet face, so crunchy and cute....but in my garden?

Give-up? Well, you probably guessed that this is a combination of two images. We used to call it a double exposure, now we call it Photoshop! Many of the wonderful images you see on the Cambridge Buzz are taken by professional photographers that have transitioned into the digital age. They generally start with a quality image and then may or may not manipulate that imges, just as they would in a darkroom, with the use of digital tools.

For the most part, what you see is what is real, but sometimes, when a shot seems too good to be true, you need to ask yourself, "Is it real or is it Memorex? (For those of you too young to remember the commercial for Memorex audio recording tape....well, let's just say they claimed you could not tell the difference).

Onto my shameless self-promotion....

For the past 3 months. I've been working on a series for Animal Planet called Wild Russia. The six part show took three years to shoot and three months to edit. The series premiered last night at 8 pm and will be shown several times throughout the following month. So tune in and enjoy.

A Taste of the Blues

2009-07-23T10:14:00.005-04:00

Dateline: Cambridge, NY - Thursday Night ~ July 23rd This reporter has learned that there is something a foot in the Village of Cambridge. Even though it's racing season, all bets are off when searching for great food and entertainment. Now you don't have to go all the way to Saratoga to hear great music and eat good food. You can go to our own "house of blues" at The Rice Mansion Inn.

Spoonful Catering is supplying the eats, and Sue and Tim pride themselves on preparing the finest foods gathered from local farms and regional producers. Roadside Blues Band is handling the music. In the spirit of full disclosure, the menu (with pricing) and farm sources are listed below. What can I say....Baby Rock on!

Spoonful Small Plate ~ Full Glass Event at the Rice Mansion Inn
appetizer style plates paired with wine & beer
Food & Beverage 6pm- 9pm
Music 7pm-9pm

MENU:
Savory
Smoked Brisket, Red Beans, Cilantro $11
Malbec or Cotes de Rhone $5

King Salmon, lemon-shallot butter, warm Green Bean & Potato Salad $11
Sauvignon Blanc $5

Buckwheat Crepe with Summer Vegetables, Caramelized Onion & Bronson Hill Bier Meck $11
Heffe $4

Omnivore Salad Plate or Herbivore Salad Plate $10
Roast Chicken Salad or Sesame Quinoa Salad Roast Carrots, Beets, Mixed Greens, Red Wine Vinaigrette

Mixed Greens Vinaigrette $8
wedge of soft, bloomy “Kunik”, bread

Sweet
Blueberry Pie, Ice Cream $6
Cornmeal Cake with lemon verbena, raspberries, whipped cream $6
Help Yourself to Decaffeinated Coffee & Tea $2

Details
Payment can be made by check or in cash ~ $2 per plate has been added to pay the band

Farm sources for this menu
3-Corner Field Farm, Shushan; Boulderdash Farm, Greenwich; Cabot Creamery, VT; Crandall’s Corners, Schaghticoke; Champlain Valley Milling, Westport; Moses Farm, Eagle Bridge; Ryancroft, Greenwich; Slack Hollow Farm, Argyle
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Spoonful Catering and The Rice Mansion Inn: Connecting People to Place One Bite at a Time

Looking for a good Weekend Get Away?

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The Place to be this weekend:

The Battenkill Valley, Washington County, New York

Look at all you can do in and around Cambirdge, NY:

Thursday, July 16, 2009

The Georgi Museum in Shushan
7:00 pm - Kevin Warren’s Origainal Chamber Music
Tickets $5 per person, $10 per family

Friday, July 17, 2009

The Georgi Museum
Noon - Children's Native American Class (Holito!)
FREE performance

L.Wicks Fine Art Gallery
468 Broadway, 2nd Floor - Saratoga Springs, NY - Tel: 518-573-8017
Gallery opening featuring Cambridge Artist Adriano Manocchia

Curiosity Forum
7:00 pm - Hubbard Hall
Hubbard Hall Beacon Feed Building (behind Hubbard Hall)
25 East Main Street, Cambridge
Tel. (518) 677-2495
Hearing is Seeing: Synesthesia and the Arts
Presented by Hubbard Hall's Curiosity Forum and Music from Salem
Do you see sounds, taste words or hear colors? Join Dr. Mark Buckholtz and a cross-disciplinary panel of artists for an introduction and demonstration of synesthesia and how it affects artists and inspires the creative process.
FREE - No reservations required.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Wine Reception
5:00 – 7:00 pm
Rice Mansion Inn ~ 16 West Main Street, Cambridge
Tel. (518) 677-5741

After a day on the road, share notes with fellow travelers over a glass of wine at the Rice Mansion Inn in Cambridge.
Sponsored by Glens Falls National Bank of Cambridge and the Rice Mansion Inn.

MfS GALA at Gallery 668
4:00 p.m.
$30 per person.

In partnership with Gallery 668, Music from Salem invites you to a festive art opening celebrating the connections between music and art. This unique fundraising exhibit will highlight work by over 40 artists inspired by Franz Schubert's String Quintet in C Major, D. 956 and will include live music, a beautifully catered buffet, and an open bar.

Please R.S.V.P. by July 13 to MfS, 25 East Main St. Cambridge, NY 12816.
For more information: info@musicfromsalem.org or 518.232.2347

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Battenkill Books at the Cambridge Farmers' Market
10:30 am & 1:30 pm
Elizabeth and Barton Cockey
Meet-the-Author and book signing event
The Cockeys will discuss their recent book "Upstate New York: Towns That We Love".

All Weekend Events:

Washington County, New York is home to a rich, vibrant artist community. Farmhouses, barns and old factories have been converted into studios where artists paint, sculpt, weave and create works of art that are exhibited throughout U.S. as well as internationally.

Open Studios Tour
July 18 & 19, 2009 (Saturday & Sunday)
Our renoun professional artists will once again open their doors for the juried biennial Open Studios of Washington County, offering a glimpse into their creative lifestyle, and the unique opportunity to purchase great art and fine craft directly from their studios.
MAP

ARTISTS
Cambridge Buzz post from July 13th

Fort Salem Theater
CORN! The Musical
July 17-18-19
Friday, Saturday at 8 PM / Sunday at 2 PM.
World Premiere of locally inspired original story of an established farm family struggling with the economic issues of twenty-first century farming, with a book by Al Budde and songs by Jay Kerr, the team that created last year's Breakfast Epiphanies.

Explore Our Area:

During the Open Studio Tour be sure to stop and enjoy the tastes of Washington County. Gardenworks and Sheldon Farm located in Salem have a selection of locally grown and produced food products perfect for a picnic along the Battenkill. Pat at Sheldons tells us they even have Corn! Yum. Stop by Green Pea Market in Greenwich your hometown, downtown local market and café providing organic, natural, and local food. Including dips and spreads from Spoonful Catering.
On Sunday a great starting point for your Open Studio Tour is the Cambridge Farmers' Market. Open 10a-2p

Cool off with a float down the Battenkill with Battenkill Valley Outdoors and don't miss out on a stroll through the Towns and Villages of the Battenkill Valley. Our Main Street retail shops and galleries await you with interesting and unique gift items, treasures and original handcrafted items.

This weekend is overflowing with events including theater, music, art, tours, meet the author and corn is in at Sheldons!

Life is good in the Battenkill Valley. You should come check it out!

For a full rundown on area happenings visit The Towns and Villages of the Battenkill Valley

All Images courtesy of TVOBV

Cultural Wealth

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WASHINGTON COUNTY, NY – The second Open Studios of Washington County Tour will take place Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19 from 10am-5pm.

Tucked away in farmhouses, barns and old factories throughout the rural villages of Salem, Cambridge and Greenwich, NY, twelve of the area’s finest professional artists invite the public into their studios for this free, self-guided tour. Carousel-style rocking horses, fine gourdwork, bronze sculpture, textiles, mixed media constructions, folk art, paintings and pastels highlight the cultural wealth of this vibrant artist community.

New to this year’s tour is renowned folk artist Will Moses, painter Jeri Macdonald and multi-media artist Hannie Varosy. Returning artists are Joan Duff-Bohrer, Ed Hepp, Serena Kovalosky, Adriano Manocchia, Anastasia Lee Nute, Leslie Parke, Leslie Anne Peck, Virginia McNeice, and Gyula Varosy.

The first Open Studios event took place in 2007, drawing visitors and art collectors from as far away as New Zealand. “People were visibly inspired by the beauty of our rural landscape and impressed with the quality and professionalism of the artists on the tour,” says artist and Open Studios director Serena Kovalosky. “The relaxed atmosphere and intimacy of each studio made it easy for visitors to fully appreciate the artwork and strike up conversations with the
artists.”

“When we opened the doors to our studios two years ago,” says painter and co-director Adriano Manocchia, “we were rewarded by the genuine interest of collectors who were eager to get an intimate view of the creative environment typical of a certain artist. What they took back from this visit was an insight into an artist’s technique and personality.

What they left behind was a renewed creative energy in the artist spurred by their enthusiasm and encouragement. Their fascination with the diverse artistic expressions they encountered in the tour, was equaled only by the discovery of the picturesque beauty of Washington County, a little gem hidden in the heart of New York State and jealously guarded.”

The Open Studios Tour is funded in part by a matching grant from the Washington County Tourism Association. “The Open Studios event helps put Washington County on the map as a cultural destination,” says executive director Marge Mohn. “It's the perfect day trip/weekend excursion, where people can enjoy a quality cultural experience in a rural atmosphere, and also discover the area's fine restaurants and cozy inns.“

Also included in the tour's cultural offerings is a free pre-tour lecture on the creative process, Hearing is Seeing, scheduled for Friday, July 17 at 7pm at Hubbard Hall in Cambridge. On Saturday, July 18, after a day on the road, visitors are invited to share notes with fellow travelers over a glass of wine at a free Open Studios Reception from 5- 7pm at the Rice Mansion Inn, Cambridge. Sponsored by Glens Falls National Bank in Cambridge and the Rice Mansion.

The Open Studios of Washington County Tour will be held from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday, July 18 & 19, 2009. Brochures and travel information will be available at the Rice Mansion in Cambridge prior to and throughout the tour. Order a brochure online or download a map from the Open Studios website.

For more information, visit: www.OpenStudiosWashingtonCounty.com or call (518) 282-9202

Cambridge Life: 7/13/09

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Photos by John Carlson and June Mohan

Wow! What a weekend. It all started with the visit of my sister (with her new puppy) and my cousin John (from the other Cambridge, Cambridge, Mass). Now you all know that I have two very large cats, BW & McGillacutty. They were none too pleased with me for allowing a dog into our feline domain.

BW made it perfectly clear who was the alpha animal, and the puppy learned that if you play with cats, you may get swatted....hard!

Peace was established and we enjoyed a weekend of family, gardening and an unbelievable concert at Hubbard Hall.

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of hearing Music From Salem in concert, I urge you to try to see them this summer. Saturday they played the remarkable program of the Haydn - Piano Trio, Pärt - Spiegel im Spiegel (an amazing duet with piano and cello that brough my friend Katy to tears), and my personal favorite, Schubert - String Quintet in C Major, D. 956. I'd never heard the Schubert performed live. Boy what a treat. Here in little ol' Cambridge, NY....world class chamber music performed in a small intimate space. You'll have three more chances to hear MFS at Hubbard Hall, July 26, August 8 and August 16.

So we went to the concert, saw old and new friends, and then went home to wonderful berry cobbler...thank you very much! Sunday saw us pruning trees and going to the Farmers' Market. The weather was amazing and walking about was the way to enjoy it.

I hope you all had as wonderful a weekend as I did here in Cambridge, NY.

HAPPY JULY 4, 2009

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Just in time for our nation's birthday, the tiara of the Statue of Liberty has been re-opened. If you've never made the climb to the top of Lady Liberty, I say...Go for it. To be able to climb inside an iconic statue for 354 stairs and then get that view...AMAZING! You will never see New York Harbor's magnificence anywhere like this.

Ever wonder why her crown has those spikes? The Statue of Liberty tiara or crown actually consists of seven spikes that represent the seven continents and oceans that we have on this planet.

Not going to Lady Liberty for this July 4th? Me neither. My plans are to hope we don't have any more rain so the grill can be fired-up.

Hamburgers, chicken, kabobs, hot dogs, brats...whatever you choose it's always tastier on the grill. July 4th seems to be a time for neighbors and friends to gather together and celebrate. But remember what we are celebrating and let's hope the rain holds off so we can watch some nice fireworks tonight.

Rain or shine, Cambridge, NY will be celebrating our collective Birthday!

Happy July 4, 2009.....

Happy July 4th

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Cambridge Life: Another Day in Paradise

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I'm sitting looking out my patio door at the wondrous display that nature is putting on. It's been an amazing June and the thunder and lightening has put the exclamation point on the month. I'm hoping that this Fourth of July weekend will bring us lots of sunshine and great fireworks. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the fireworks display going on right now.

Even on a dreary, rainy day life in Cambridge, NY is a show stopper!