Essex, New York Guide and Community Blog
‘Tis of the good ship Nautigal That I would tell a tale. The Lake was rough, The sun was hot, The north wind blew a gale. We gathered victuals, kids and worms And waited on the dock To hear the grave decision Of our Captain Harold Mock. At last he spoke the waited word He [...]
A Place to Unwind by Jillian S. Getman is another one of the stories entered in this round of the Champlain Area Trails (CATS) writing contest. If you haven’t yet, you should go vote in the contest! Getman writes about a vacation to the Champlain Valley that fills her with peace, and is an escape from the high-traffic stress of her life [...]
Another one of the stories entered in this round of the Champlain Area Trails (CATS) writing contest is Paula Castner‘s The Experiment. If you haven’t yet, you should go vote in the contest! I love the way Castner begins her aptly named story by actually introducing her tale as the parameters of an experiment! The grand experiment began six summers ago: Could [...]
Another of the stories in the Champlain Area Trails (CATS) writing contest is Coon Dogs of Westport by David Boucher. If you haven’t voted yet, you should go vote soon! Boucher writes about how his search for the perfect summer home ends in Westport, NY, after seeing the marvelous views on one of the CATS trails. The preservation of the Adirondacks attracts [...]
As if visiting the colorful crest of Whiteface Mountain in autumn weren’t sublime enough on its own, Chris Early captured an even more ethereal moment in his October 4th Borderless North post, “Surreal moment on Whiteface Mountain summit“. He’d ridden up Whiteface Memorial Highway with friends and then hiked down to Oktoberfest. But the soggy [...]
Barbara Kunzi lead a demonstration and workshop at the Whallonsburg Grange Community Kitchen last week on pressure canning green beans. I’ve wanted to learn about preserving vegetables and fruit ever since returning to gardening in the Adirondacks a half dozen years ago, but despite acquiring a pair of still-unread books on the topic, I’d made zero progress. Until a week ago. Kunzi’s workshop was informative and inspiring. She even sent us all home at evening’s end with a Mason jar of green beans that we had canned ourselves.
I recently had the good fortune of a leisurely afternoon luncheon in a handsome home at The Crater Club during which I peppered my host with questions about the seasonal enclave nestled along the shore of Lake Champlain between downtown Essex and Whallons Bay. If you are unfamiliar with The Crater Club, let this post [...]
I went to grade school in Plattsburgh in the 1970s and early 1980s. On many afternoons I walked past a mural painted on a building opposite the Strand Theatre that said something like, “Smile at the next five people you see.” I don’t recall whether the mural had been painted to promote an organization or [...]
Jen Zahorchak‘s essay “Turtle Crossing” is a humorous, informative and entertaining entry in the Champlain Area Trails Travel Writing Contest. Zahorchak and her family moved to the Champlain Valley to get away from the negatives of city life and get closer to nature. She remarks that a turtle crossing sign helped them make the decision that their [...]
“Patchwork Community” is another entry in the Champlain Area Trails Travel Writing Contest. In her essay, local Rebekah White describes some of the spectacular sights that can be seen while hiking Coon Mountain. She also mentions some wonderful places that are culturally unique to our Champlain Valley towns including the Depot Theatre, Sportsman’s Diner, Meadowmount School of Music, [...]
