The Penultimate Day...

Well it's New Year's Eve here at the barn and since the adults are enjoying the peace and quiet a little too much, Connor (Bridget and Joe's nephew for those of you not in the Mitchell gene pool) is here to provide you with all of you blogging pleasures.

Today is our last night and we just finished a lovely meal provided by family members of all ages.

Before...

... and After

But the main event of the day was the final trip to Whiteface Mountain for another frolicking day of skiing. The powder was thick, the ice was slick, and the injuries came quick(ly). Bridget was toppled by an out-of-control four-year-old, Clarke and I collided many time in the wooded glades, and Colin discovered the joys of skiing after a five-year absence due to snowboarding fever. Unfortunately, dear old Annie could not join us today for our day of merriment because of hip issues, but we missed her "wit" and "charm".

Well, I hope I provided a suitable substitute for Bridgie here tonight. Expect an update (very) soon and have a blessed New Year.

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. At Chez Barn, we had a leisurely sleep-in until 4:30 am. Oscar was kind this year in laying in bed for half hour before rousing us. We actually heard Clarke bargaining/begging him "Hey buddy, Merry Christmas, why don't you crawl in bed with me and we will wake up in another hour..." Wildly funny but Oscar was not to be deterred. Luckily, as organized parents, we had gotten to bed quite early on Christmas Eve, because there wasn't anything last minute that needed attending.... HA

I started the intravenous caffeine drip and gave the boys two options: lay around all day and watch movies, maybe play in the snow in the yard, and then have a huge feast or get up and out to the mountain for a day of skiing and a simple dinner. They chose the skiing and off we went.

The mood on the mountain was so festive and fun and we met some really nice folk, including a real life rocket scientist! Oscar skied with poles for the first time (Santa thought he was ready) and Clarke had new goggles for his ginormous teenage head.

The fun and frivolity is about to go into overdrive as grandpa and Oscar's friend Tess arrives today and the Bower family will be here tomorrow. I think we will have to go off the record for those days...

Picnic Anyone?

We are at the barn and everyone has breathed a collective sigh of relief. I think we all feel especially grateful and happy after a rough week. Anything for Christmas that hasn't gotten done, as of this evening at 6pm, will be forgotten, never to be worried about again. We have worked hard, (still finishing up a few work projects) sending off final packages, giving the barn a good cleaning, getting tree, and tonight we melt into holiday mode. And have I mentioned the skiing...

Sorry for the Cliffhanger

I had a post all ready to go about Roxy but then we received some much sadder news. First, Roxy is gone. We don't know what happened but think she may have escaped through a window. We are so so sad, especially Clarke, Oscar and Rex. We will tell the story of Roxy at a later date.

They boys hadn't even gotten to recover when, on Tuesday, we found out that Clarke's classmate and friend Frank Liu was in a car accident over the weekend and died on Monday. First, we are so upset to watch Clarke having to go through this and second, it just hits close to home. Mommas and Papas, hug your babies today. And say a prayer for Frank's family during this unimaginable tragedy.

We are going to services tomorrow before heading up to the barn for Christmas break -10 days. It can't come soon enough.

Increasingly Worried

We went to bed last night with 2 cats and woke up this morning with 1. Sometime during the night, Roxy disappeared. Mind you, this isn't in the wilderness of the Adirondacks where the cats roamed free all summer. This is our 800 sq.ft Manhattan apartment (!). It was at first amusing and now we are freaking out. We've double-checked windows and all her nooks and crannies. I truly hope this has a funny and happy ending from our quirky Roxy.

Ouch

I am starting to sound like a Whiteface commercial but conditions are so good, so early. It is wildly exciting. We had a fantastic ski day. The boys are in the groove and back to their old tricks of leaving me in their ski dust while they race down the mountain. It snowed all day yesterday, was fairly mild weather-wise and tons of trails are open. This morning, every joint and muscle is creaking. After skiing, we came home for a quick change and headed out to Morgan's 11 to watch our Marquette Golden Eagles Defeat the Mighty Wisconsin Badgers. What a lovely evening. We had pizza and beef and hung around the bar with the boys. We met a Saranac Lake legend named Dew Drop Morgan (yes, his name is Dew Drop). He was on the US Bobsled team (maybe in the late '40's early '50's?)and is in the Lake Placid Hall of Fame. I believe his children own Morgan's 11 and it is named such because Dew Drop has 11 Children!! He is a lovely man who lost his wife some years ago. He cheered with us for Marquette and was a lovely surprise to our night.

We need to get out of here early today as Joe has a board meeting this evening so holiday decorating will have to wait but it doesn't need much. The fluffy snow everywhere feels like a Christmas card.

Elf Yourself

Look what we did!!! Oscar
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1205998972

Plans Plans

As I've referenced in the past, we have felt quite conflicted about how much "restoration" or "upgrading" we wanted to do to the barn. After lots of thought, we've decided that we'd handle any additional needs (or wants - let's be honest) by building out our compound- think Waco. We would construct outbuildings and structures as needed.

Well we've started the planning process for "The Grotto", our first project. Our first pressing need was for more or larger or updated bathrooms so we came upon the idea of a bathhouse. Picture about 500 sq.ft with fancy shower, big tub (or hot tub), small sitting area which could also be used for extra sleeping quarters, and outdoor space of some kind. Our priorities are small, green, and more modern in design and features than the barn. My close friend Juli Kaufmann at Pragmatic Construction is taking on design and consulting and we have begun talking to a local builder who is interested in learning about green construction. The Grotto may also serve as the summer home to my mom if we can convince the stubborn Irish woman to take it on the road. We figure we have a better chance to see her in the country (and you can be sure my garden would be better) than making her come to the cold, cruel city (where she'd have to climb our 4 flights of stairs). Stay tuned as we move forward. Of course, understanding the budget for all of this will be priority #1. Once that comes through, we'll probably be considering an outhouse with a spray hose!

Joe has also dreamed about a screened, lean-to, serving as 3 season dining, and a high rise canoe rack/car port. Any other ideas?

Thanksgiving 2007

Happy Belated Thanksgiving to all. We had a lovely, relaxing weekend. It was the kind of Thanksgiving that you don't bother putting the green beans in a fancy serving bowl. Skiing was just enough to get us totally addicted for the year again. Down in the city, it is almost 60 degrees but at the barn we were stoking the fire to stave off the 10 degree temperatures. Here's a few choice pics:

Imagine

Pulling up to the The Barn after a 5 hour drive. Opening the car door to the freezing cold and dark and being greeted by the yard lights, a cleared path, a cute "Let It Snow" sign and a roaring fire in the kitchen woodstove. The kitchen was toasty, the whole house smelled terrific and we easily unloaded the car in minutes. That is Bill, our neighbor, friend, and general house helper.

Fun Day Of Skiing

Hello. This is Clarke talking. I am blogging today, instead of my mom. As you might have heard, lately it has been icing. The rain is freezing on to everything! We couldn't open the car door, because it was frozen. We heard on NCPR (North Country Public Radio) that it will snow over night. We were very excited. Yesterday, my dad brought up the idea of skiing today. We really wanted it to snow that night. It did, so we decided to go skiing. We left the house with all our equipment at about 9:15. We had to go to Cunningham's Ski Barn to get my brother new snow pants. We left there at about 9:4o(ish). We got at the mountain at 10:00 to find out that the hills might not be open, and if they do open, it will open up a little bit later. We decided to go get some breakfast at Wilmington (the town that Whiteface is in). We found Mel's Diner. It was delicious. I got chocolate chip pancakes with sausage. It was delicious. After having an amazing breakfast, we decided to go to Whiteface to see if any of the runs were open. It turns out that there were a couple runs open. Me and Oscar got our season passes for the year(WOOHOO!), my parents got a bunch of tickets to last them for a while, and we were off to the slopes! When we were getting our boots on, a guy from the Lake Placid News asked if he could interview us on why we like whiteface. Me and my brother said that we like it, because it has nicely kept ski slopes, and that you can go at your own pace (unlike hunter mountain). When we got on the slopes, we were pretty shaky at first (having not skied in 9-10 months) , but me and Oscar got back into the swing of things in 10 minutes. We skied until 2:30, and we just chilled in the lodge until 3:30.
This was a great day

Over the River and Through The Woods

To the barn, of course, for Thanksgiving. We opted for a quiet, "us only" Turkey Day for the first time ever? I think. While I thought I'd miss having time with big family (either williams or mitchell), we decided to make it totally nontraditional by scheduling a 46er climb. This would be our 4th and we think Phelps Mountain is our target. The only conundrum is that it has snowed much more than expected. We all have snow shoes but if it's really rough conditions, we might end up with a Thanksgiving ski instead of a 46er hike. Either way, should be interesting day.

Dog of the ....Month?

I have been reprimanded by the boys for not keeping up with their favorite feature so today I present.....Doodle! Once again, I'm not sure if this is his official dog name but his owner and our great neighbor Bill calls him "Doodle". If you can picture a gruff, white-haired, extreme skiing guy, driving a John Deere Gator referring to a dog as "Doodle" or even better "Doodle Bug", you can just appreciate our neighbors. Doodle only comes by with Bill, much shyer and truth be told, better behaved then some of our solo dog visitors. His loyalty to Bill is endearing and makes the boys work really hard to win him over. Best of all, he sees our cats and casually yawns.

The Other Side of the Tracks

Holy Smokes. This weekend, serendipitously, a friend from the city needed a ride up to Lake Placid because they had traded their Vermont timeshare for a weekend stay at The Whiteface Lodge. This is one of those places that we had passed thousands of times on our way to the barn and sniffed our noses at these ridiculous fancy resorts and how they are ruining the feel of the Adirondacks. I am certainly glad I had never put those thoughts in writing because wowza, did we have fun. So as guests of our friends, we had full use of the facilities AND our friends were treating us to dinner at the restaurant. The boys ice skated at the private rink. They warmed themselves in the warming yurt with hot chocolate. They played pool and bowled in the private gaming room. They contemplated watching a movie in the...say it with me....private movie theatre. Meanwhile the adults hung by the incredible fireplace in the grandest of rooms and had civilized cocktails. The picture in the post is the outdoor lean-to where you can order cognac and cigars outside, next to the private rink. We then had a terrific dinner with great wine and ended our evening with s'mores (this was after four desserts btw) from one of the dozens of fire pits and bonfires throughout the property. My only regret is we didn't get a chance to swim in the heated, steamy outdoor pool. As my brother in law, Doug is fond of saying, "if rich people do it, chances are it's pretty fun." After our day of luxury and fun, we were still so excited to get back to our own estate, The Barn, with our private bathroom...which currently has a mystery leak. Neighbor Bill (and Doodle) to the rescue!

My Children are Weird

I mean, honestly.......every time i grab my camera, I am greeted by these faces, and I estimate I've deleted about 75% of them.! Sigh. Do girls do this?


So Clarke and Oscar, now the world can see what truly cherubic children you are. Love, Mom

The Best Chili Recipe

Not originally mine but I am loyal. You must have a tolerance for spicy.

From Epicurius.com: Although this recipe doesn't produce the familiar-looking red chili--it's more green than red--it does turn out a chili that has become one of our staff favorites.
Servings: Makes about 14 cups, serving 6 to 8.

Ingredients

2 canned whole chipotle chilies in adobo* or 2 dried whole chipotle chilies*
1 cup water, boiling hot if using the dried chilies
2 pounds fresh tomatillos (available at Hispanic markets and may supermarkets) or three 18-ounce cans whole tomatillos*, drained
2 large onions, chopped
8 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons ground cumin
4 pounds ground turkey
2 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons dried orégano, crumbled
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 green bell pepper, chopped
two 4-ounce cans mild green chilies, drained and chopped
1 tablespoon cornmeal
a 19-ounce can (about 2 cups) white beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
sour cream as an accompaniment if desired

*available at Hispanic markets, some specialty foods shops, and some supermarkets

Preparation

If using the canned chipotle chilies, in a blender purée them with the water and reserve the purée. If using dried chipotle chilies, stem and seed them wearing rubber gloves, in a small bowl let them soak in the boiling-hot water for 20 minutes, and in a blender purée the mixture, reserving the purée.

(bridget note: to puree the tomatillos, blanch them in boiling water for about 3 minutes. cool and squeeze excuse liquid out. Then food processor )

In a large heavy kettle cook the onions and 5 of the garlic cloves, minced, in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until the onions are softened, add the cumin, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the turkey and cook the mixture, stirring and breaking up the lumps, until the turkey is no longer pink. Add the reserved chipotle purée, the reserved tomatillo purée, the broth, the bay leaf, the orégano, and the salt and simmer the mixture, uncovered, adding more water if necessary to keep the turkey barely covered, for 1 hour. Stir in the bell pepper, the canned green chilies, and the cornmeal and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Stir in the white beans, the coriander, the remaining 2 garlic cloves, minced, and salt to taste, simmer the chili for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the beans are heated through, and discard the bay leaf. The chili may be frozen or made 3 days in advance, cooled, uncovered, and kept covered and chilled. Serve the chili with the sour cream.

The First Time

Usually when we are leaving the barn, even if I want more time, I am really quite Ok with heading home and knowing we'll be back soon. This time, however, was the first time it really hurt. I really really needed to stay longer.

The weather was just amazing - frost everywhere in the morning -windy. Leaves everywhere. Just a few weeks ago the mountains were fireworks of color and now just drab gray with streaks of bright yellow and the bright white of the birch trees. The town was wonderfully sleepy. We made chili and raked leaves. We hung out at Morgan's 11, drank beer, and chatted with the cooks and servers. I plotted out my Mega Garden for next year. I'm not sure what would have happened if I didn't know I'd be back this weekend for a long weekend -here's to Veteran's Day!

Truth in journalism

We are going to the barn this weekend...and after this week we really need it. It was the kind of NYC week that exhausts you to your toes. We were out at events almost every night, the business piled up, the homework piled on, sleep was minimal, oh....and we had to call the police to report harassment by the House of Pita....
Ok here's the story: So we live in a ridiculous building in a crazy part of the city (read cheap rent), with just 4 apartments and a restaurant on the bottom floor. It seems the House of Pita is having a dispute with our landlord. Why should we care you ask? Oh, because the restaurant owners decided to retaliate by turning off the water to the entire building....2 days in a row. "Oh no, they di-it." As is my curse, I decided I needed to confront this head on and let's just say the gentleman weren't interested in my impassioned pleas. So, NYC's finest arrived and saved the day, as the boys gleefully watched from our 4th floor window. It was like a scene from the Great Depression.

Bring me the barn please.

PS. There, Jon, you happy? I'm posting regularly again. Have I won you back?

The Best Place for Halloween

See, just like any town in America.


Or maybe not......

Not Saranac Lake, Not NYC

Milwaukee! To totally go off-topic, Team Williams took a quick trip to another favorite city this weekend to attend the nuptuals of two of our favorite people. There was running and singing and dancing and laughing and sausage-eating, and Lakefront Brewery drinking. We are now collectively exhausted as we made the most of every minute in the city where we lived for 10 years prior to Manhattan. Our friends seem ageless in their pursuit of fun and frivolity... they didn't coin the term "Party Like a Reporter" for nothing. The great news is that we think we've successfully convinced the group to hold our Annual Ski Trip (12th year!) at the barn this year. Now we just need to ready the septic!

Last Call for Maze!

You saw some of the pictures from Oscar Fest but I had to post separately about the incredible people at Tucker Farms (who also grow some incredible taters). This is our 2nd year doing the corn maze and it is such a fun experience. You are first shown an aerial view of the maze and then given an outline of the picture showing the general location of a series of mail boxes which hold pieces of photos of the maze. It takes about two hours and after there is hot cider (bien sur!) The people at the farm are so nice and really get into the spirit. If you are heading to the Adirondacks to see some last fall colors, make sure to go to Gabriel's for the last few weeks of the maze this year.

Case in Point

So it's pouring rain and I've just run to Clarke's school to drop off a permission slip he lost/forgot to tell me about/needed in an hour (don't get me started). It's 11:45am and I haven't had breakfast so I decide to duck into a non descript Chinese restaurant on Eighth Avenue (one of about 20 within 10 blocks). I am the only one in the restaurant and I comment to the Vietnamese guy at the front (owner I think) that I can't believe he is Vietnamese and doesn't serve Pho on his menu, as it's my favorite soup. He then says "you want Pho?" and out comes the waiter to tell me they do make it! shhhhhh. He then excitedly tells me they make it the "real way" and it comes to my table 5 minutes later, perfectly prepared with fresh basil, lime, hoisin, rooster sauce and bean sprouts. Luckily it wasn't too authentic and I didn't find tripe, or other organs. I was out the door, warmed and spiced 15 minutes later, having paid the $6.75 check. Per my last post, this is NYC where any minute there can be a fun surprise. I have this same feeling whenever we are in the Adirondacks. In fact, i need to post on the Eat N Meet in Saranac Lake, as these guys are the embodiment of quirky, fabulousness.

PS. NYC being NYC, though, my fortune cookie had an advertisement! (?).

Saving America

Love my lofty title. OK, so I have been thinking a lot about our two lives lately and thinking lots about politics lately (maybe it has to do with Joe's 24/7 mission ) Though I often dwell on the differences in our apartment vs. the barn, I am convinced I love both these places because they have much in common. Rural and small town America has so much in common with urban living - not all cities but definitely NYC. What many folks don't realize is that living in nyc is the ultimate in small town living. You know your shopkeepers, neighbors know your personal matters, you know all your kids' friends' parents. Small towns and NYC are filled with rich characters. We both relish local and family run vs. convenience of big boxes. I love feeling connected and finding out the little secrets of the places to go and people to see. I love that the guy that knows the brother who's wife is friends with the lady, can help you with your problem.

My neighbors in NYC think I'd be crazy to live in Saranac Lake full time and my neighbors in Saranac Lake think my nyc friends are alien nation but when everyone meets, they realize we are all quirky non-conformists. Kumbaya!

Oscar Fest 2007

Nine kids, fifteen passenger van, one car vomit, dozens of foosball games, one day of rain, five movies, eight kids surviving the ski lift, hundreds of giggle fits, zero blood drawn, three episodes of inappropriate language, three jumbo pizzas, six acres of corn maze, forty-eight pancakes, one very happy Oscar Williams. I'd love to post all one hundred pictures as they are totally adorable but I haven't gotten sign off yet from all parents so here are a few authorized crowd shots until I can post slide show.

It's like exercise

You know when you are working out every day and you think "How could I ever not do this? I feel terrific. This is fun. I am going to work out every day for the rest of my life" And then you miss a few days....weeks....and somehow it becomes this dreaded thing that is so hard to start because you feel increasingly out of shape... and you dread the pain to get back into the habit. Wow I feel better just typing that. Anyway, that's what happened with my blogging this last month. So many things happened that I couldn't keep up on and I just didn't know where to begin! So I am beginning. I wasn't sure what I would write about but now I know. How about how freaked out I am that I am out of shape in the city. I felt so damn strong at the barn, between the hiking and biking and canoeing and gardening and lifting all those wine glasses. It was effortless exercise but now- ugh - it means getting up at 5am or heading out after dinner and it's just harder to pull off. I feel like I walk all day in the city between getting boys to school, getting home, getting to my client's office, running errands. Up and down subway stairs and up and down our four flights of stairs all day, but it's just not enough. I can feel it. Time to get a plan.

Week 2:Dog (s) of the Week

Like peanut butter and jelly, or red wine and anything, these two dogs have to be featured together. Lucy and Mac live at the Joanne and Dave compound, along with pigs, chinese pheasants, hens, a plethora of deer, and a sometimes bear visitor. Their sweet dispositions and playful demeanor are like a magnet to boys of all sizes, Oscar and Clarke included. Lucy is more passive but ready to run around or show off her dead squirrels. Mac, well Mac is "special." He is sort of like the Rain Man of dogs, obsessed with all things ball. You pet him and look at his deep eyes and you can almost hear him thinking, "just throw the damn ball." He is a beautiful giant.

Congratulations Mac and Lucy, you two are the the 46er Family Dogs of the Week

Yankee Highlights

Oscar's birthday Yankee game was a blast. The Yankees were losing until the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs when they rallied and scored 4 runs to tie it up. The crowd went crazy. The game went to the 14th inning....and then they lost. We road the subway home at 1 am with 20,000 of our closest friends.

In honor of Oscar, we upgraded our normal nosebleed tickets to 3rd base box seats. When Oscar saw the seats, his jaw literally dropped and he did his signature excited "wing flapping". For Oscar, the one part of the barn this summer that was a sacrifice was no TV for Yankees. Each day, he'd catch up on last night's game on the internet and than give Joe the highlights(gratuitous barn tie-in to stay within self-imposed blog rules). I have to say the "box seat" crowd was a bit more sane, not sure if that is good or bad. At any rate, I don't think the boys learned any new profanity which is a first.
Secret side note to my family. Go Tribe!

It's just us

here in the city, busy, cramped and ...dirty. We are all astounded at how dirty we get here. Ironic isn't it? We can sleep on the ground, climb a mountain, play in the garden in Saranac Lake and feel fresh as a daisy compared to taking the subway downtown.

It's Oscar's birthday today and we are getting ready to watch the Yankees! The plans are shaping up nicely for Oscar Fest 2007 for Columbus Day Weekend. Adirondack Residents, lock up your daughters. A flock of nine-year old cityboys will descend in a few short weeks!

An Open Letter to the Saranac Lake Grand Union

Dear sirs,
Are you nuts? Years and years ago, I stopped going grocery shopping in Saranac Lake. I always found more of what I wanted a few short miles away in Lake Placid at the fabulous Price Chopper. As people are prone to do, this became my habit and I dare say I hadn't walked into the Grand Union since. Any quick needs, we could find at Stewart's or Nori's if it was more esoteric.

That all changed yesterday when I decided perhaps I was being snobby and short-sighted by not supporting my local Grand Union. I needed just a bit to take us through yesterday and today and I needed junk food for Oscar's upcoming party.

When I entered the door, it was like I had time-warped into some bad 1970's movie. The lighting, the aisles, the lackluster staff, AND THE PRODUCTS. Awful, just awful. No selection, nothing looking remotely fresh. I had 2 different conversations with people about how awful it was while in your store. A stranger and I looked helplessly at your "gourmet cheese" display, trying to find something fresh and delicious. I helped a British tourist couple who just wanted fresh bread. I told them all their options.

Your prices are not even cheap. The bargains at Price Chopper are great. The PC check-out clerks are also nice. (mine yesterday was engaged in a conversation with her bagger about Myspace.com).

So what's the story? I am not buying it that there isn't demand for this. Between the village and all the surrounding 2nd home communities, there has to be enough to merit some investment. You are leaving money on the table.

Yours in shopping,
Bridget

More hilarity

So we just finished dinner at a very Manhattan hour. Joe's gig, which has become my gig this week, has sent our schedule into chaos. Regardless, "hilarity ensued." Everytime, and I mean every time, we have dinner, the boys show their appreciation by doing a dead-on impression of Bill Murray in What About Bob. "Oh Faye.... mmmmm... delicious...ohhhh.....mmmmm....is this hand-shucked corn (or hand plucked chicken, or hand-picked berries, or hand-killed beef, or hand-made pizza). It doesn't really matter the feast, the boys will send themselves into giggling fits EACH AND EVERY NIGHT. If i could find the video, i would of course share it but no can do. But let this be a cautionary tale to those innocents who think 2 boys vs. 1 boy and 1 girl will be the same family dynamic. There was a time that I said with a straight face, "I'm not really into comedies."

OK dinner: Local potatoes from Tucker's Taters (also proprietors of corn maize you will read about soon. Red, purple, and golden with balsamic, mustard sauce. Fresh heirloom tomatoes from Joanne (OK, go on, make me feel like a tomato failure) with fresh basil, fresh corn on the cob, and roasted chicken ( i wish I could say it was one of the local, organic, grass-fed, gently-massaged, yoga practicing, nap-taking, thermarest sleeping, manicured chickens from the Paul Smith's Farmer's Market) but I didn't have enough cash with me at the farmer's market and settled for the abused, half-vulture, chicken at the grocery store.

On yet another digression, the farmer's market at Paul Smith's College is another gem which could almost make me strap myself to the ladder stairs and not return to the city....ever (Linnea, don't read this, You are already in a dangerous place).

"She's short and skinny....but she's strong"

Whenever one of us needs to be tough, that quote (from Planes Trains & Automobiles) is always a winner. The propensity for inside jokes, notable quotes and witty banter is much higher at the barn. Why is that? More hang out time perhaps? less stress? As our clever young friend Angus would say, we get up to the barn "and hilarity ensues". Many have told us of the great karma this place has - all the fun and incredible characters that have passed through here in the last 50 years. I believe wholeheartedly in that theory and i feel a real responsibility to keep the good times rolling. To that end, please enjoy one of our favorite parts of one of our favorites movies which has been the basis of any number of re-enactments.

The People Have Spoken

I'd like to thank all 9 participants in our wall treatment poll. Thanks to an outpouring of good taste, it has been decided to take down the wall. "Mr. Carpenter, tear down this wall" (said in a Reagan voice). C'mon, history buffs.

I'd like to offer some consolation to the 3 brick and bottle loyalists (otherwise know as Clarke, Oscar and Joe). You will be heavily consulted. I'd also to like to give a shout out to Linnae who encouraged me to continue to look for an equally wacky treatment that is my own. She knows standard issue isn't my usual cup of tea. I will see her over the weekend to discuss a few ideas i am mulling.

There are....

spiders the size of small mammals in the house. It says something for my love of this place that i am STILL glad to be here. Painless drive once we made it past the 1.5 hour drive up the west side highway (that would be about 200 blocks). No plans tomorrow except maybe sleeping in.

Dog of the Week

(A new feature on 46er Family is an idea from the boys to pay tribute to the plethora of dogs that make their way, unaccompanied, into our yard each day. Mostly, we don't know their owners, and often, the boys assign the dogs their own names. )

Today, I'd like to introduce you to "Root Beer" (the rumor is that his real name is Kodiak but to us he's Root Beer). When not jumping in the pond and needing to be rescued because he's too fat and old to get out, he likes eating rotting food in the compost pile, chewing all our wiffle balls, and generally trying to eat the cats. He is also a "stick man" and can spend hours with the boys chasing and chewing. Congratulations Root Beer, You are a 46er Family Dog of the Week!

Architectural Antiques

Walking home from school with Oscar yesterday, eating our Tasti DLites, we stopped into an architectural antiques store (W. 24th between 7th and 6th ave). What fun! I can't help but think this kind of store with reclaimed lumber, lighting, fireplace mantles, tiles etc. would be a fantastic business for the Adirondacks. Not only that, it is "green"and would make me happy to allow builders and homeowners to use some of these recycled materials, in lieu of shiny new ones. I am the lazy environmentalist. When there is an easy option to be better, I tend to take it, but I certainly don't proactively change things that make my life less convenient. It astonishes me that there isn't more pressure up in our neck of the woods for green building. Surely, this should be one area in which people should appreciate protecting resources, yet cookie cutter log home after cookie cutter log home gets built. They are beautiful and I often yearn to be inside with a roaring fire, a nice port, and a british accent. Nevertheless, there seems to be no options to try anything differerent.

One of my very good friends (and one of the smartest, coolest chics I know), is having great success with her green technologies home construction business, Pragmatic Construction in Milwaukee. After living in Milwaukee, I know that it is a progressive city but geez, it shouldn't be that far ahead of upstate NY. If it can work there, it can work in the Adirondacks. Anyone, anyone?

This is one of the, oh I don't know, 673 business ideas I fantasize about opening up there. If you are a business owner in the Saranac Lake area, please don't steal my ideas until I get to open at least 459 of them.

Projecting?

One week. First, we need kitty Prozac (my sister thinks I am projecting). Roxy lays like this all day, not sleeping, just looking up forelornly. I've titled this pic "Sigh...nothing to kill." Second, it feels like we never left. Third, I have realized I've put zero effort into this apartment in the past year: my knives stink -they can't cut tomatoes, the rooms are unorganized, the walls need art, the boys rooms need a total redo, our towels are a disaster etc etc etc. I guess working 60 hours a week really takes its toll. I barely noticed the apartment while I was working. Fourth, this not having a job thing feels much weirder here -not bad, but really weird. Tomorrow I have a real business meeting and I have literally not worn heels since June.
In a week I certainly became re-indoctrinated. I got a pedicure, planned a dinner party, made sushi reserverations, went to the US Open, drank a lot of espresso. That's a pretty damn good city week. Nevertheless, I can not wait to get back up to the barn on Wednesday. I am dying to walk around the property, dying to see the people and the animals, dying to watch the sky.

The boys are stellar when we are out and about, really loving the vibe of the city. We are checking this out this week. I've noticed when they are in the apartment, they are much more fidgety, Oscar especially. Clarke has his guitar, but Oscar needs to run. For Clarke, I am happy to be in the city. There are great arts in Saranac Lake, but I wouldn't have the foggiest idea how to get Clarke jazz guitar lessons. Anyone? We have stepped up and formalized his guitar here. In the last 3 years, he has had great, talented, young guys ( see Innocent Dee) who have come to our house to teach basics and rock and roll. After seeing his amazing talent and more impressively, his dedication and yearn to learn, we have signed him up at Greenwich House Music School. We'll see how it goes after hours of scales and drills!

Now what?

So I am trying to figure out what to do with this blog while we are back in the city. Lord knows we are going to be spending plenty of time at the barn in the coming months. We have slated next weekend, Columbus Day for Oscar Fest 2007, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and then it's ski season! I will for sure blog on all that and we have some great posts I have been holding for our return also. Other than that, I think I will try to refrain from blogging things that aren't at least indirectly linked to the Adirondacks, even if it is a compare and contrast from the city stuff.

Visual Cues

To encourage poll participation(left frame) I've uploaded picture of the current wall (you may not be able to see that there are actual liquor bottles sticking out of the bricks also)and the proposed treatment. River rock is sans giganto TV obviously. And remember, just because we are insane, doesn't mean our house has to reflect such (no one says a poll has to be unbiased)

The Difference a Day Makes

6:15 am: wake up
7:00 am: deadline to move car from street parking
7:30 am: breakfast at Galaxy diner
8:00 am: Clarke at school
8:30 am: Oscar at school
8:45 am: Forgot keys at diner
8:50 am: Parking ticket
9:00 am: Boxed into parking space by 2 cop cars and ambulance
9:30 am: Deposit car at long term parking garage 9:45 am: Incoming call for coffee with friends
10:00 am: Taxi to coffee shop.
10:15 am: Same coffee shop. Run into another friend with invitation to dinner party for this weekend
10:15 am: Incoming call to schedule meeting about consulting
11:00 am: Start of errands
11:30 am: Incoming call; request for lunch with former colleague
11:45 am: Incoming call; Clarke invited to play date.
12:00 pm: gulp....i'm not even working yet

Roadtrip Vistas

A picture is worth a thousand words

The Omen

So we woke this morning to loud tapping and flapping. I valiantly sent Joe into the back storage room and he reported blue jays pecking maniacally against the back wall of the barn. I went outside an hour later and found dozens of blue jays flocking all over our yard, dive bombing from the trees and totally freaking out our cats. Not sure what the story is here but I think it means its time to go home. I guess it's better than ravens.

Last Call

Golfing was great fun. Saranac Inn Golf Course is really the best. It is the perfect mix of beautifully maintained holes, but also very "Adirondackey." Clarke and I do this James Bond thing where I drive and he runs along the cart and hops in. We also drove through the sprinklers in the cart just to celebrate our last golf outing of the season.

We made it to Tail O the Pup for the last set of Blues Noir and Joe had not one, but two, beers spilled on him during dinner but it did not "dampen" his spirits. The mood there appeared to match ours, as they are readying to shut down for the season. Lots of regulars, and extended families. We chatted briefly with our blues heroes after their set and hear they may be playing more nights next summer. We think Clarke should take a night or two of course.

Last Outings

Yesterday was about pond dig out (taking advantage of the drought), yard clean up, and dinner with our friends from Rainbow Lake. Linnae brought a delicious pork roast from the Paul Smith's farmer's market, with a mustard/maple syrup drizzle, I made a potato/apple gratin, and a shrimp, tomato, fresh corn salad with mint and asian dressing. Linnae also brough the most incredible peaches which everyone had with ice cream. It was a great send off, as we are both leaving this week.

This morning was more pond clean out, and storage room clean out. We still have at least 2 feet to go of pond muck. Anyone have any other brilliant ideas besides shoveling? I know my roots are Irish dirt digger but this is getting ridiculous. Now, off to a last round of golf and Tail O the Pup.

The rhythm of our days

As Joe and I slip into melancholy, readying for our return to the city, I find myself not mourning the outings, canoeing, mountains climbed etc. but the daily rituals that symbolize the lifestyle up here: Waking up to Clarke strumming his guitar (going to bed to Clarke strumming his guitar, making breakfast, lunch, dinner to Clarke strumming his guitar...), Joe and I's nightly ritual of watching The Wire DVD's (thank you Charlie!), our early evening fires, the cats romping around outside with Clarke, my morning berry picking, Oscar's crab apple baseball, the wiffle ball, the Euchre games, the constant flow of Stewart's root beer (how will I go back to the no soda rule?), the lack of TV (how do I go back to a home with a TV?), the mailbox conversations with our great neighbors. I miss a lot about the city, but I don't miss the chaos and hyper-activity. This place is about living in the moment and lots of welcome interruptions.

Dichotomy

Yesterday...Fresh blackberry Caipirinha

Today... Bug infested pond muck

The Great Refrigerator Clean Out

So we leave Monday back to the city and we are trying to make it through without grocery shopping. I am not a freezer/defroster by nature but seem to have accumulated quite a bit. There were lots of plans dropped for impromptu fun which means meals were left uncooked. We have a few flank steak, shrimp, lamb and lots of chicken breasts so I will be doing quite a bit of defrosting during the next few days. Tonight, we had frozen shrimp. With it, I decided that I would make a heaping of pasta and Joe and I would have pesto shrimp pasta(a plethora of fresh basil in the garden, of course), and Clarke and Oscar would have shrimp pasta with a simple wine/garlic/butter sauce. Oscar declared everything not to his liking (harrumph) and he ended up with leftover bacon and bread. (I am not used to this persnickety eater thing and am trying not to make it a big deal but it is realllllly annoying. ) I wanted to add fresh tomatoes but unbelievably, my tomatoes are not ripe yet and I am saddened that I may be taking them back green to Manhattan. I am already researching cold climate gardening methods for next year...

Camping Trip - Day Four

Our last day. We all agreed we wanted more days but sadly reality called. We had a leisurely morning. Joe made bacon (bought at Donaldson's the night before), pancakes and we broke down the camp. We didn't hit the water until 11am and still had a fairly aggressive paddling day ahead BUT WITH NO CARRIES! Our plan was to make it through Follensby and have lunch at Donaldsons. Then head through Fish Creek Pond (also called Square Pond), take the Fish Creek through to Little Square Pond, continue on the creek and land in Floodwood Pond. Our car was parked about a mile from there, at the Long Pond parking lot. We didn't take lots of pictures, as our arms were pretty much paddling all day!

It was a windy day, so Clarke needed a break from the kayak after Follensby. I took over and had a great time. The weather was just beautiful. In fact, it was beautiful and perfect all three days, which is an Adirondack miracle. We had sandwiches at Donaldsons and finished our journey through the creeks. Once we got back into Floodwood, it felt like an old friend. No navigation or maps required. It's amazing how a pond that looks just like the other ponds, can feel so familiar and unique. The boys and Joe took a swim to cool off while I hiked the mile to our car. We ended the trip with Donnelly's ice cream and dinner at Casa Del Sol.
The trip was tremendous. Between the loons and the moon and the chance to relax with my favorite people in the world, it was really quite perfect. For those whole like the outdoors, canoe camping is the way to go, as you can be a bit more luxurious in your packing because you don't have to haul everything on your back (except for the carries of course) The entire St. Regis/Floodwood canoe area is the best of unspoiled, spectacular beauty. In most of the ponds, there are no motor boats allowed, no development or private houses, and very few people. Because this draws a certain type of enthusiast, the camp sites are left super clean, and well stocked with firewood. "if you carry it in, carry it out". There are no reservations, you just paddle up and see if there is a tent set up. The sites typically have a fire circle, a clearing for tent and/or eating, some have picnic tables, and some have been accessorized with hooks and nylon lines etc. We did hang our food high in th trees away from our site, and some use bear cannisters, as there is plentiful wildlife throughout. We saw three blue herons, dozens of loons, ducks, chipmunks, fish, but thankfully no bears. There is no accessibility to any of this land unless you paddle in. Can't wait for next year. Joe and I have our eye on a lighter, bigger canoe!
Now, we start organizing for our return to Manhattan. GULP.

Camping Trip - Day Three

"Up and At 'Em". We jumped up at sunrise, downed some great coffee, and got to work, breaking down camp. Our goal was to be on the water by 9am. Over the fire the night before, I had made muffins in tiny cake pans, wrapped and tented in tin foil. They were "eh" but I think would work with some tweaking. They fit the bill for the boys as they scoooped them out with spoons and had fresh oranges. We loaded up and shoved off...on time! This was going to be a challenging day, as we wanted to get all the way to Follensby Pond which meant paddling all of Long , Slang, Turtle, and Hoel. There were some carries, some long, some short, in there, which would be the hardest part.


Long Pond was a beautiful paddle - it is long and narrow and really quiet. The carry to Slang was short and we managed quite well. We each made two trips with Joe and I handling kayak and canoe. Clarke did a great job kayaking through Long, Slang, and Turtle. Slang to Turtle was happily accessed by a stream and before we knew it we were at the end of Turtle looking hopefully for a waterway to Hoel. No such luck, as there was one under the train tracks which was way too shallow. It was a funny thing because the ponds were about 100 feet apart, but between them was a steep hill up to a train track and then a steep hill down. Annoying but quick and relatively painless. Oscar took over on the kayak through Hoel Pond, while Clarke took a break. Our thought was to have lunch at the boat launch at Hoel before we made our big carry to Follensby.
I won’t lie to you, things got a little rocky here. While we had lunch, Joe took the gigantico backpack and decided to scout out the carry. He came back gamely trying to keep us having fun with some "good news and bad news". The good news was that the trail was really lovely and the bad news was two-fold. The carry was longer than anticipated and we couldn't find the Follensby trail so we'd have to portage to Polliwog Pond and then do another very short portage to Follensby. The boy shrugged, picked up some stuff and were off down the trail. I, on the other hand, may have shown slightly more emotion....ahem. The carry was about a mile and all I could think of was carrying first a canoe, then a kayak, then our dry bags each a mile, after paddling all morning. Gulp. During our first trip across, Oscar cheerfully told me I shouldn't think of it as a carry but more like a little hike. Adorable and wise words. Joe shouldered the canoe solo for most of the trail, we managed the heaviest stuff, and for our last trip, I put Oscar's socks on my hands and we carried the kayak through. Joe was patient as I made many many rest stops. The boys were really amazing grabbing camping chairs, gear etc. While Joe and I made the last trip with the kayak, the boys swam at a beautiful beach at Polliwog. We then made the short Polliwog paddle, found the carry and before we knew it, we were in Follensby Pond, looking for our next camp site. Follensby was a beautiful pond with lots of islands and great, beachy camp sites. Our camp site was huge with pine trees everywhere and lots of clearing. We set up in the late afternoon and Joe had a great suggestion to canoe another 45 minutes to a real store, to buy treats, meat for dinner and some cold beer. With those incentives, we treked to Donaldsons in great spirits ( right under the Route 30 bridge before entering Fish Creek Pond-also called Square Pond) and then ended the day with a sunset swim back at our site in pristine, beautiful water. It was totally rejuvenating. For dinner, we cooked potatoes seeped in olive oil, fresh basil, lemon juice. I couldn't figure out the formula to cook them without burning on the fire and the results were not great. We also roasted corn on the cob over the fire, which was fabulous and we split steak and italian sausage on rolls. The boys fell asleep in about 30 seconds and Joe and I hung by the fire, listened to the loons, and watched another great moon.

Camping Trip - Day Two

One of the best things about setting up camp at nightfall is waking up and discovering the site in the morning. No matter how exhausted I am, I always wake up around sunrise because I am so excited to see what is around me. When we fell asleep Sunday night, the caucophony of animal sounds was almost comical. The loons taking off from the water sounded like hordes of splashing teenagers, the loon calls went on for hours, and there were lots of unidentified howls and chirps and rustles. When I woke up, it was almost silent, except for the bird calls, and the mist was still on the pond.

Today was just about relaxing at camp with no plans so I took a quick early morning trip around in the kayak (ironically, I stumbled upon a waterfall. I swear it wasn't planned). After a breakfast of oatmeal and stewed apples with cinnamon, lemon juice and sugar ( a winner), the boys and I headed out for a bit more exploring while Joe had some down time. We headed into the swamps and found a small pond called Pink. We deemed it not up to snuff and headed back. We then had our lunch (cured meats, french bread, cheese, peanut butter, chocolate etc.) and the afternoon was for swimming, napping, reading. Heaven. A tribute to Oscar's conversational prowess is that Joe found him happily chatting with me in the tent, while I was dead asleep.
The chipmunks became our nemeses and they literally stole a serrated knife from the site. It was quite a scene seeing Joe chase down the cute furry creature with a huge knife in his mouth. Oscar was aiding the effort and threatened "i'll make a sandwich outta you, chipmunk". I'll call the therapist when we return. For dinner, we had spanish rice with grilled quesadillas and homemade salsa ( a winner). The boys had their special root beer treat and marshmallows, and Joe and I had a great pinot noir and some dark chocolate. At nightfall, we were treated to an amazing site, a beautiful full moon. I mean, we couldn't have planned it better! I wasted hordes of digital camera space trying to capture the beauty but Joe wisely suggested it was of no use. I'd have to try to remember. It was huge and literally lit up our camp site with no artifical light needed. We all went to bed early, as the next day was going to be our big paddle day.

Camping Trip - Day One

Sunday afternoon, the plan was a quick dinner in Saranac Lake, get to Long Pond launch in the early evening and canoe to a camp site before nightfall. Of course, we were running a bit later than planned and when we put in, the sun was already lower then the trees. We knew the camp sites we were aiming for and then passed one, two, three sites that were full, the sun was officially set, and we were just starting to stress it, when bingo, we found a great site. Joe lit the propane lantern, we quickly set up, and then relaxed for a bit before heading to our tent ( you'll notice the singular here. We opted for one large tent for the family.)

Per Joe's planning, here is the route we are going to tackle. It centers around the Saint Regis Canoe area. Joe has pretty much canoed every pond around here and it seemed every camp site we passed he had camped at one time or another so we were in good hands.

A Frenzy of Activity

I will post some pics and updates from our weekend with Joe's dad later but we are in the midst of chaos over here getting ready to shove off on our 3 day canoe trip tonight. I am heading to trusty Price Chopper to try to find last minute camp friendly food for our finicky Oscar. He doesn't suffer casseroles, soups, noodly or rice concoctions or cheese...and he doesn't like peanut butter, which pretty much rules out the entire genre of camp food. We've decided the cooler can't fit which rules out proteins or anything needing refrigeration. Meanwhile, Clarke is asking if we can figure out how to make red Thai curry noodles, so this is like some kind of Top Chef Challenge.

Joe is heading into his Eagle Scout treasure trove finding useful camp tools and trinkets and Clarke was thrilled to see Joe's actual Boy Scout issued swiss army knife with "Joey" written in nail polish. The boys are making the claim that if Joe and I get red wine (which is not exactly canoe friendly), they get root beer. hmmmm. Deal with the devil.

Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner

We were lucky enough to meet up with some good friends from the city who have an annual vacation at Brant Lake in the lower Adirondacks through the University of Michigan Alumni Association. They go to "family camp" at a tony girls camp call Point O Pines (one of those Manhattan kid places that scare the pants off me.)

Anyway, they have 2 boys exactly the same ages as Clarke and Oscar and the boys were just thrilled to see their good buddies. First they came up to the barn, we waterfalled, hung around the barn, and then...we Tailed (I refuse to type out the name of that restaurant again!). Then their boys slept over, and the next morning, I drove everyone back down to Brant Lake for some camp fun. What a great day. Oscar and Clarke played bocci ball, took a tennis lesson, watched a euchre tournament, played some hoops and went to the horse farm to meet the horses. I got some tennis in with Robert, who kicked me around the court. Janet and I hung by the lakefront with our books...but never cracked them open as we chatted the afternoon away. The boys are begging to go back next year already. It's not something Joe and I would naturally plan but it sure was relaxing and fun.

Back home exhausted, I am fighting a bad cold and expect to lay low today. Tomorrow Joe's dad comes and Joe returns from the city for a fun weekend.

Late Afternoon Sunday

After our work day, we decided we had time for 9 holes of golf. Joe has been dying to get all of us out together. We went to the Saranac Lake Golf Club and 4 of us golfed with 2 carts for less than it would cost 4 of us to have lunch in Manhattan. And, we just walked on. The clubhouse is super low key and the golfers were wearing tevas, work boots, jeans, fleece; and there were more pick-ups than BMW's in the lot. And that is why we love Adirondacks golf- just the love of the game without pretension. Not to mention the stellar scenery -it was a beautiful afternoon, sunny and cool with the backdrop of the mountains. I played the best golf I have ever played (of the dozen times in my life), Joe had his worst round "ever" ( I intimidated with my skills, clearly)and the boys amazed us with the skills they learned at Sunday golf this year. Oscar had a birdie on the last hole. On our way home we had to pass Tail O the Pup and heard our favorites, Blues Noir, so we decided to have an outdoor dinner and some blues to end a great day. They played our favorite "Big Fat Momma" ("Big fat momma. She's as wide as she is high. When I make myself a chicken...I'm lucky if I get a thigh") and the waitresses came up on stage to sing backup! That's a first for us. BTW, Joe and Oscar can now unequivocally recommend the Big Kahuna burger (bacon, red onions cheese, BBQ sauce, tomato, lettuce).

Work, Plebians!

Barn Quote of the Day (Oscar): "It feels good to hold a hammer. Like I have all the power"


After a hearty Blue Moon Cafe breakfast, Team Williams is tackling the next round of carpet squares. If I haven't mentioned, the entire house (some walls included) is paved in carpet squares, which at some point was probably hip, practical, cheap, and warm. Not now. Tomorrow, we are having new, cheap, clean carpeting put in the bathroom and guest room which means squares come up today! And yes, at some point, we'd love to refinish those lovely wood floors.

Recipes

From the pig roast. Here you go, folks. In case I haven't been crystal clear, if I post a baking recipe, you can pretty much assume monkeys could have made it successfully. I am no baker but I sure am having fun trying this summer. Pix of both dishes are below in slide show.

Peach Blackberry Tart
Make oatmeal-cookie crumbs by blending cookies in a processor until finely ground.

Crust
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups oatmeal-cookie crumbs (made from about 32 crispy oatmeal cookies)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling
2/3 cup peach or apricot nectar
5 tablespoons sugar
5 teaspoons cornstarch
2 2/3 cups coarsely chopped peeled peaches
1 1/4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cups large blackberries

For crust: Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 10-inch-diameter fluted tart pan with removable bottom with nonstick spray. Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter in medium bowl until moist clumps form. Press dough evenly over bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Bake until dry, about 10 minutes. Cool crust completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover tightly with foil. Let stand at room temperature.)

For filling: Whisk nectar, sugar, and cornstarch in heavy medium saucepan until smooth. Add half of peaches and lemon juice. Using potato masher, mash to coarse puree. Simmer over medium heat until mixture is thick, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Fold in remaining peaches. Spread filling evenly in crust. Arrange blackberries around top edge of tart. Refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 6 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving. Makes 8 servings.

Bridget Notes: I pushed extra peach parts through sieve to get juice for nectar, as the peaches were really juicy. For crust, I added extra butter as the crumbs didn't seem to be staying together. In tasting, the crust was a bit too buttery (Not by joe's standards) so I'd go back to regular. I omitted 2 TBL of sugar in filling as I don't like tarts that sweet and the peaches were already very sweet. I added vanilla to filling. I used wild berries which were tiny so I just polka dotted the top. I added some fresh whipped cream. Shockingly I didn't have time for proper chilling so I threw in freezer for an hour and it worked like a charm. I didn't have tart pan so I used regular spring form

Pecan Bars (Cook's Illustrated)
Crust
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup, packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup toasted, chopped pecans
6 TBL unsalted, cold, butter, cut into small pieces

Filling
4 TBL unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBL Bourbon
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 3/4 cups pecans, toasted and chopped coarse

1. Heat oven to 350. Spray 9 inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. Fold two 16 inch pieces of parchment paper and lay in pan perpendicular to each other. Spray them and push into corners.
2. Place flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and pecans in food processor. Process until it resembles course cornmeal. Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles sand. Pat mixture evenly into prepared pan and bake until the crust is light brown and springs back when touched (about 20 minutes)
3. For filling: While crust bakes, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, bourbon, and salt in a medium bowl until just combined. Add egg and whisk until incorporated
4. Pour filling on top of hot crust and spring the rest of the pecans over the top. Bake until the top is browned and cracks start to form across the surface 22 to 25 minutes. Coon on wire rack, remove from pan and cut into square

Bridget's Notes: I added fresh rasberries to the top of the filling before I baked and in my opinion, they made the dish great. A bit of tart with the uber-sweet and looked pretty. i also goofed and used dark corn syrup -didn't notice big problem. We didn't have bourbon ( sorry Barb and Jason, we left in the city!) so I used Jack Daniels. I used 2 TBL as I like the boozy taste -per CI instructions :-). I didn't have square 9 inch pan so I used my 13 x 9 pyrex. was worried but all was well. We don't have food processor here (but we will after this recipe) so I used the blender on crust. Not so fun. Not recommended.

Joanne had some great recipes, including a BBQ sauce that the men in my life can't stop talking about so I will try to post those later.

Live Hot Pig Roast Action

Great times were had by all today at Joanne and Dave's pig roast. The pix were shot by Oscar which means they are mostly focused on animals and food. And really, that was a great portion of our day. We had a blast - not knowing another soul except the hosts. Great people, great food and great fun. On another day, we will post about the great compound that Dave and Joanne have built. We have outbuilding envy. And...Happy Birthday Dave MacDowell!!

The Favorites

Wednesday night we went out to dinner at one of our favorite places in Saranac Lake, Casa Del Sol. (our other favorite is Eat 'N Meet which deserves its own story). We've been coming here for a decade (joe longer). It's one of the places that feels like home. The owners, Harry and Diane (yikes, I think it's Diane) are always there and seem to know everyone. The food is always good, with mixes of ambitious stuff and standards. Don't expect fancy new ideas or lots of changing menu items but it's always solid. The margaritas are stellar and the prices are great and the service is always lovely. I sometimes have the baked tortilla soup which is a twist on french onion soup. I also like chipotle shrimp, which is really simple, just shrimp in chipotle sauce with fresh tortillas. Joe always has chimichangas, and Clarke is all over the menu (which is quite extensive), depending on how STARVING he is. They accommodate Oscar's finicky tastes too. The decor is just great with open windows and great art. There is a patio with picnic tables for waiting and drinking margaritas (sometimes the wait can be extensive). The owners are Mexico enthusiasts, have travelled there often, and have brought back flavors and art...and the laid back attitude. It is one of those places where we go when we are all in a great mood. I'm kind of smiling just thinking about it, as we've had so many memories there over the years. (after we hiked Cascade and Porter, we showed up freezing, wet, dirty, starving and dehydrated. We chugged gallons of water and then gallons of margaritas and the boys had appetizers, entrees and then a few side dishes. Is it hyperbole to say that Casa saved our lives?!)

New Heights of Kitty Hunting

So we came upon Roxy today in her self-satisfied lounge position, which means she has been on the prowl. We started to look around for mice when we noticed she was laying right next to a snake! He got away but not without sustaining some damages.

Folie a Quatre- We found Split Rock Falls

So we picked Joe up from the train station and then broke the news that with just a slight detour we could find the fabled Split Rock Falls to which we had been searching. Joe was of course, up for it ( even though he was wearing black socks and khakis- city slicker!) , and we made our way to Route 9, toward 87, through New Russia. Our previous foibles were related to following intersection of 73 and 9N, not 73 and 9. We heard the rush of waters from the road and found them easily...and they were worth the wait!
It was not the warmest day and the water was f f f freezing but the swimming was incredible. I liked the multiple levels of swimming holes with each successive fall. The site hosted some tragedy through the years and was the only place we visited with a chain link fence. Just as we were leaving, a guy did a double summersault flip off the top of the falls into a narrow hole. It literally took my breath away. I am torn between the love of the local know-how and past-time to the realization that if he was off a few feet from his quest, we would have witnessed another tragedy. Nevertheless, for us city chickens,was a thrill just to splash around at the base of the falls and enjoy the pristine beauty.

Perhaps I have a disorder

After we finished the pump house, we were looking for a small adventure...and again we decided to go on a waterfall hunt. Yes, I have an obsessive, compulsive disorder regarding waterfalls and the saddest part is I have sucked the poor innocent children into my disorder. It's Folie A Trois. Armed with our trusty book, we decided to check out the falls of Wilmington, just NE (I think) of Lake Placid. First we stopped at Monument Falls, right at roadside 4.3 miles from 73/86 intersection on 86. These were nice, small, lovely for a few hours of wading. Sadly, we are becoming waterfalls snobs and moved on. We went further on 86 ( about .9 miles after High Falls Gorge) to the Wilmington Notch falls. Holy Cow. Scary. So Scary. No fences, warnings or anything and you are on cliffs looking down on a raging, huge, rocky waterfall. Really awesome. The most amazing we have seen. I kept screeching at the boys to stop throwing sticks and I kept hugging the nearby trees. The setting is weird. It is a public campsite, run by the state. You pay $1 and then basically head down this gulge- no real path. You just follow the sound of soul shaking crashing water. After that, we headed about 1.1 miles further on 86 to the Wilmington Flumes. You park in a designated area, just over a bridge on the left, cross over to the south side of the bridge and head down a path which takes you next to multiple falls and cascades. We continued further and landed at the Grand Central Station of swimming holes. About 30 people, swimming in an olympic sized swimming hole, at the base of a falls - very very deep. Of course, there was the requisite cliff and rock jumping which Oscar immediately jumped on (and Clarke joined later.) People were swimming under the falls and riding the current. Water was crystal clear and freezing cold. What a fantastic scene. We met folks from Montreal, Toronto, Virginia, Colorado...and Long Island of all godforsaken places. I practiced some french with the little Montreal kids who had the words for rabbit and frog mixed up. The thought of a large, green "rabbit", trapped under the rocks was almost too much for me to bear. Great day. We ended at tail o' the pup because we were too dirty and ugly for anyone else.

Side note, we have yet to pay for the commercial attraction of High Falls Gorge, though we have heard it is worth it. We thought perhaps when Joe's dad comes it would be nice, as it's not quite as rugged as the other hikes.

Little Pump House on the Prairie

The boys earned their keep this morning staining our pump house and our picnic table.

Why The Children are Well Behaved This Summer

So I've always believed that you have to run boys like dogs but today was a fascinating science experiment. We did NOTHING - almost nothing. We ran to the library, ran an errand at the printers, and then came home and lounged. The boys played video games, watched YouTube, played guitar, did some light reading, homework etc. We had a lazy dinner, I didn't make them help with dishes...and then we attempted to play Yahtzee. I never realized Yahtzee was a full contact sport. The boys were in perpetual motion during the game. They twirled the dice cup, rolled dice from their ears, did the "Yahtzee dance" and wrestled over the score. They dropped things all over the floor and ran around the table. They threw cookies at each other and made bizarre loud noises. Clarke screamed "Smack Daddy" whenever he rolled a good turn. In my finest parenting hour, i just yelled "STOP....MOVING" They are now in bed and sound like they have hours of energy left. Suffice to say, tomorrow we return to the rigors of mountain living. I have them slated to stain our Pimped Out Pump House, followed by an afternoon hike. I hope they are limping to their bedrooms with exhaustion tomorrow night.

Tip a Canoe

Quick note: Before Joe left today, we grabbed lunch at a restaurant in Keene, called Tip a Canoe. I think it's been recently re-opened. What a great place. Nothing fancy but everything was well thought out and prepared. Really nice service and good prices. I told Joe I had to remember to blog this because they seem like they are trying hard and it's not easy for new restaurants to make it around here. It's right on route 73.