French wine dinner

Be sure to save the date for an upcoming French wine dinner at Terrapin -- it sounds très fabuleux! The Rhinebeck restaurant will be posting the menu for Feb. 5 (a Thursday) event at its Web site soon... UPDATE: The event will now be starting at 6:30 p.m. (probably so you can savor the wine ...)

The presenter will be boutique wine distributor Serge Dore, who will be pouring four French wines paired with a four-course meal in the Terrapin dining room. $49/pp. Reservations are required as seating will be limited. Call 845-876-3330.

Here is more info about the wines from Terrapin. By the way, if you are interested in French wine (and I am guessing that if you have read this far, you are ...) the upcoming (February) issue of HVC magazine contains a super column about the wines of Bordeaux.

Domaine De La Renjarde
Origin: AOC Côtes du Rhône Villages
Producer: Alain Dugas
Vintage: 2004
Alc%/Vol: 13%
Varietals: 55% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 12% Cinsault, 8% Mourvèdre

By The Wine Spectator:
"Solid, with a focused beam of red and black currant fruit woven with subtle toast, cocoa and mineral notes. Nice bit of grip on the finish."
89 Points

By Robert Parker:
"An excellent Côtes du Rhône made by Alain Dugas, the administrator of Chateau de la Nerthe in Châteauneuf du Pape, this blend of 60% Grenache and the rest
Syrah, Mourvèdre, etc. is soft, fruity, deep plum/ruby-colored with nice, spicy berry fruit intermixed with some pepper and loamy soil notes. Round tannins add to the
overall charm and seductiveness of this wine."
87 Points

Domaine Du Grand Tinel
Alexis Establet
Origin: Châteauneuf Du Pape
Producer: Famille Elie-Jeune
Vintage: 2005
Alc%/ Vol: 14.5%
Varietals: 99% Grenache, 1% Others

By Robert Parker:
"Fruity and soft, the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Alexis Establet avoids the hard tannin character present in this vintage. This plump, attractive, opulently styled 2005 exhibits notes of figs, damp pine needles, sassafras, sweet currant and black cherry fruit, pepper, and spice. It is a delicious, broad, savory offering meant to be consumed now and over the next 12-15 years."
90 Points

By Stephan Tanzer's International Wine Cellar:
"Deep ruby. Seductive bouquet of red and dark berry preserves, fresh flowers and minerals. Clean and brisk, with suave redcurrant and raspberry flavors, medium weight and silky tannins. Gains sweetness on the finish but maintains a sleek, focused personality. This is balanced to age but compelling already."
91 Points


Château Tour De Mirambeau
Origin: Bordeaux
Producer: Thibault Despagne
Vintage: 2006
Alc%/ Vol: 12%
Varietals: 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Semillon, 20% Muscadelle

By The Wine Spectator:
"Rich for the appellation, with lemon, lime and apple pie. Full and balanced."
88 Points

By Robert Parker:
"An exquisite example of this over-achieving estate, the 2005 white exhibits plenty of honeyed apple as well as hints of cream, lemon zest, and grapefruit. Mediumbodied, crisp, dry, and refreshing, but obviously designed for near-term consumption, this is best drunk over the next several years."
90 points

Château Les Justices
Origin: Sauternes
Producer: Xavier Gonet
Vintage: 2005
Alc%/ Vol: 14.5%
Varietals: 90% Semillon, 10% Sauvignon

By The Wine Spectator:
"Aromas of apple tart, almond and spices. Full-bodied, medium-sweet, with a syrupy, spicy finish. Orange peel flavors."
91 Points

By Serge Dore:
"The AOC sauternes is special, the land, the river, the morning fog makes it all happen...the botrytis. Les Justices is a wine to be consumed in the early stages of its life...yellow color, clear and very viscous with aromas of apricot. The wine taste peach, apricot and sweet with some honey-like flavor...we personally enjoy it with prosciutto and
parmigiano on late Sunday afternoon...superb!"

History on sails

The Hudson River Ice Yacht Club will display up to 12 ice boats dating from the late 1800s outdoors in front of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library in Hyde Park this week. Included in the exhibit will be world-championship winning ice yachts owned by John A. Roosevelt and his Hyde Park neighbor, Col. Archibald Rogers.

The exhibit runs through January 3 but will be closed on New Year's Day. (It also may close during inclement weather, so they advise calling ahead to confirm exhibit hours at 845-229-9115 or 1-800-FDR-VISIT.) When the display is open, Ice Yacht Club members will be there to talk about their boats, their sport and the history of ice yachting on the Hudson.

More than 20 years ago, I was a passenger on one of those magnificent old wooden ice yachts when it sailed from Rhinecliff to Tivoli Bay. It was an exhilarating trip which took us the better part of a winter's day and included an impromptu lunch while sitting on the ice under the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. I sailed with some of the same Ice Yacht Club members who are helping out with this display, so you can ask them if the river has frozen solid enough in frequent years for them to be able to recreate that trip.

In addition to this just being a nice display tied with the season, it's also one that you can use to get into the spirit of things for the 2009 Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial. After all, ice sailing technology is of Dutch origin and FDR owned an ice yacht as a young man. FDR's uncle, Commodore John E. Roosevelt, started the club, which still exists today.

The Ice Yacht Display is sponsored by the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club in cooperation with the Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library , the Hudson River Maritime Museum, the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area and Dutchess County.


Poughkeepsie Journal photo by Darryl Bautista

Blow your own ornament

The December issue of Hudson Valley Connoisseur magazine features 72 ideas for wonderful (and local!) gifts. We've listed items for booklovers, fashionistas and foodies, among others. We included big gifts that will impress, small gifts that say "thank you" and many items that are unique to the region.

One suggestion that didn't make it into the article (only due to its timing) was this one: Blow your own ornament, with master glassblower John Gilvey at Hudson Beach Glass in Beacon. Wow, what a great idea for a unique present! It costs $25 (per) and the opportunity is taking place until the end of the year on Saturdays (from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and on Sundays (from 12:30 to 5 p.m.) Those ages 7 and older can participate. You must sign up in advance for a 15-minute slot by calling 845 440-0068 during the weekdays. Groups are welcome.
Hudson Beach Glass is located at 162 Main Street, Beacon.

A $15 steak meal?????

More special deals for folks who are watching their wallets but still want a treat ...

The manager of Shadows on the Hudson tells me they are still offering their fall special of a 20-ounce bone-in ribeye steak special, with garlic mashed potatoes and a mixed vegetable medley, and served with choice of house or Caesar salad, for $15 all day on Sundays through Thursdays. (Tax and gratuity not included.)

The beautiful restaurant is located riverside, at 176 Rinaldi Blvd. in Poughkeepsie (and has great views of the Hudson River and the Mid-Hudson Bridge.) Call 845-486-9500 for reservations and tell them you read about the special in the Hudson Valley CONNOISSEUR magazine blog.

Yum!

To laugh and to think

Another great Sunday event, with an old friend, no less. Oh, I'm torn between this and the free concert at Bard's Fisher Center ...

I highly recommend seeing this performance if you like to laugh and to think.

On Sunday, December 7, Inquiring Minds presents "Readings from the
Impermanent Collection," a reading/performance by Mikhail
Horowitz and Steve Clorfeine, at the Muddy Cup, 58
Main Street, New Paltz, at 5 pm. Horowitz and Clorfeine will
read/perform texts by Gertrude Stein, Samuel Beckett, Dylan Thomas,
and (a-hem!) Clorfeine and Horowitz, singly and in tandem, to breath
do them part. The event is free. For more info, call 255-8300.

Cheers, at 2008 prices ...

They've lowered the price (compared to last year's event) in recognition that many folks are evaluating their spending. That said, the 2008 version of the annual New World Champagne Dinner still offers a chance to spoil yourself (and your favorite friends). Hint, hint.

Feast on five courses of Chef Ric Orlando's "party peasant cuisine" and enjoy five bubbly wines selected by Michael Arthur Weiss (professor of wines at the Culinary Institute of America and HVC magazine's wines columnist.) It's a great party for $59/person, and Michael will also be signing his new book, Winewise.

It takes place at 7 p.m. Dec. 12 (Friday) at New World Home Cooking Co., 1411 Route 212, Saugerties. Click on the image above to see the menu, and call 845-246-0900 for more info. Cheers!

All that jazz, for free too!

And another opportunity for exceptional (and free!) entertainment this weekend:

The 22-piece Vassar College Jazz Ensemble performs at 8 p.m. Friday (Dec. 5) in Skinner Hall of Music, Vassar College, Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie. Free. 845-437-7294 or music.vassar.edu/concerts

Chill out with the classics, for free!

There are so many wonderful holiday-themed festivals going on this coming weekend. It's hard to pick just one to attend, and I know we're going to be spending a lot of time walking around outside. ... I have a feeling that by the time Sunday afternoon rolls around, my family is going to need some down time.

Here's one option, featuring fantastic music in a world-class setting on Sunday (Dec. 7) -- and it's FREE!

The Bard Conservatory Orchestra, conducted by Guillermo Figueroa, will perform the Vaughn Williams Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, the Brahms Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra in A minor ("Double"), Op. 102, with violinist Laurie Smukler and cellist Joel Krosnick, and the Beethoven Symphony No. 4. The performance begins at 3 p.m. in the marvelous Fisher Performing Arts Center on the Bard College campus.

No tickets or reservations are required.

Gals Night Out

Jaymark Jewelers sells some gorgeous natural-colored diamonds that I saw in their recent ad in Hudson Valley Connoisseur magazine and have been wanting to check out in person. Here's a chance to do so -- while sipping Champagne and munching on treats!

Jaymark is hosting a fun, fabulous and free "Bubbles & Baubles" party for women on Thursday (Dec. 4) from 5-8 p.m. at its 3612 Route 9, Cold Spring store.

The shop is calling this "an evening out with friends, sharing complimentary gourmet treats provided by The Melting Pot, Champagne, tea and, of course, fittings of the finest jewels. Free of husbands, children and all distractions, ladies can spend a delightful few hours enjoying gourmet treats, good friends, a glass of Champagne or cup of tea, and the indescribable feeling of being draped in the finest jewels."

Wow, how fun is that? They also are offering some very nice door prizes.

Hostess gift in good taste

Oliver Kita (whose AMAZING artisanal chocolates are included in the upcoming HVC magazine Gift Guide) is making something special for Thanksgiving. Chocolate turkeys! $3.95 each -- and Oliver says that if you buy four, you get two extra just because you stopped into the store (at Astor Square on Route 9 just north of the Dutchess Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck.)

Now this would be a hostess gift in good taste!

Bond. James Bond. Hudson Valley style ...

Who does it for you? Sean Connery? Roger Moore? Or Daniel Craig? Tonight you have a chance to tell others just who your fave James Bond actor is, while enjoying a 3-course dinner and charity casino games -- and benefiting a good cause: the Dyson Center for Cancer Care.

James Bond Dinner and Charity Casino Night at
Terrapin Catering in Staatsburg, tonight (Nov. 21).

Evening schedule includes:
* 7:00pm – 7:30pm cocktail hour
* 7:30pm – 9:00pm dinner and gaming
* 10:00pm – 12:00am gaming and cash bar

All tickets are $29.95 + $20 donation for chips prizes for the big winners! Call 845-876-3330 for more information.

There's a train in the garden ...

The not-to-be-missed Holiday Train Show at The New York Botanical Garden opens on Sunday (Nov. 23) and runs though Jan. 11 in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. In the north Bronx, the garden is easily accessible from our area by car or train.

Here is the NYBG's description:

Wrapped in the glow of twinkling lights, model trains and trolleys zip along over bridges and on winding tracks past scaled replicas of New York landmarks. Orange slices, cinnamon sticks, poppy pods, pine cones and other plant parts make a festive brew as the materials used to create the more than 140 architectural reproductions. Among the favorites are the Empire State Building, the Little Red Lighthouse, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the borough’s own Yankee Stadium. The sounds and sites of locomotives with names such as Holiday Steam Engine and the North Pole and Snowflake Railroad evoke more magic than even Hogwarts Express.

New to the show this year are two famous gateways to New York: Ellis Island, the symbol of America to the 12 million immigrants who passed through its doors from east of the Atlantic, and the George Washington Bridge, the 75-year-old portal to New York for those west of the Hudson River.

Admission is $20/adults; $18/seniors and students; $10/children 2–12. FREE for Garden Members and children under 2. Buying tickets in advance is recommended, as this is a popular show. Info is at the NYBG Web site. The show is open during regular Garden hours.

Learn from a master!

Learn how to make classic Hungarian goulash in this video featuring Certified Master Chef Tom Griffiths, HVC magazine's food columnist!

Wine-ish weekend

I just received news about two local tasting events that sound like fine opportunities to discover some new favorite wines just in time for Thanksgiving ...

-- Madden's Fine Wine and Spirits, 65 Broadway, Kingston, will offer a champagne and wine tasting from 5-7 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 21). The new(ish) shop in the city's Rondout waterfront area will serve food and offer a 10 percent discount on all wines and champagnes tasted and purchased that evening. Madden's phone number is 845-340-WINE (9462).

-- Whitecliff Vineyard’s Red Wine & Chocolate tasting takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 22) at the winery at 331 McKinstry Road in Gardiner. An $8 tasting fee covers this "annual exploration of the wonderful, complex and complementary flavors of red wine and chocolate." Directions are available by calling 845-255-4613 or visiting www.whitecliffwine.com.

Here is more info:

Whitecliff’s Red Wine & Chocolate! tasting will offer a terrific line of Belgian chocolate by Newtree that made the “O list” in The Oprah Magazine in April. The chocolates combine unique flavor extracts with playful names, like milk chocolate Crave with apricot, or dark chocolate Sexy with ginger, and dark chocolate Renew with black current.

Whitecliff will pour some of its award-winning red wines, ranging from light bodied to full bodied, and dry to slightly sweet. With side-by-side sampling of chocolates with these different styles of red wine, people will experience a culinary adventure that allows everyone to get to know their own personal preferences.

Surrounded by 24-acres of vineyard, Whitecliff offers a great wine tasting experience: spectacular cliff views, fine Hudson River Region and New York wines, and friendly staff happy to share their knowledge of winemaking and grape growing.

Cocktails and Couture for NDH

The Northern Dutchess Hospital Mothers' Club annual fashion show, "Cocktails and Couture" raised more than $7,000 to benefit women's and children's services at the hospital. The event took place at The Rhinecliff Hotel and featured fashions and accessories from Rhinebeck-area businesses, including Changes, Pique, Winter Sun, Rhinebeck Department Store, Scruples, Haldora, Darryl's, Hudson Valley Footwear, Hummingbird Jewelers and Sugar Plum.
Thanks to NDH PR director Gina D'Angelo-Mullen for the following photos of the evening:

1) Haldora (center) flanked by two models wearing her designs.

2) Will Stanley, of WKZE radio, models an outfit from Rhinebeck Department Store.

3) Models showing designs from Pique Boutique.

4) A model dressed in fashions from Darryl's.

5) Several items were donated from area businesses for a silent auction and raffle- including FACE Stockholm, Basic French, Haven Spa, Phantom Gardener and Bella Fiore.

6) Denise George, President and CEO of Northern Dutchess Hospital, who modeled fashions from Rhinebeck Department Store, with James Chapman, owner of The Rhinecliff Hotel.

7) L to R front row: Mary Beth Pollis, Elizabeth Marvin, Ana Marvin, Marilyn Fitzpatrick and Stephanie Tucker
L to R, Back row: Joan Marvin and Joy Gross

Winewise opportunity!

Hudson Valley Connoisseur magazine's wines columnist Michael Weiss will be talking about and signing his new book, Winewise, from 7:30-9 p.m. Friday (Nov. 14) at Oblong Books, 6420 Montgomery Street, Rhinebeck. Winewise was published by Wiley, and was written for folks who "have an interest in wine but do not have confidence in their ability to select the 'proper' bottle. It will give them a basic introduction to wine: how to select different varieties and identify their flavors, how to read wine labels, and how to identify grapes from wine-growing regions all over the world." Michael wrote the book along with Steven Kolpan and Brian Smith. (All three co-authors are professors at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.)

Michael and his wife Jennifer Axinn-Weiss (who creates HVC magazine's wonderful Gourmet Giggles cartoon) will be at Friday's event. It's a great opportunity to pick up some personalized holiday presents!

Sharp shooters!

Brian Connor of East Fishkill is the first winner of the Poughkeepsie Journal's monthly Hudson River photo contest. His photo, "Guardians of the Hudson," shows a seagull resting on a Battery Park City dock with the Statue of Liberty in the distance.

Elisa Shaw of Red Hook won honorable mention for her photo, "As the fog lifts at Bard Rock," depicting an early morning scene along the eastern bank of the Hudson at the Vanderbilt Estate in Hyde Park. The newspaper's staff photographers selected the winners. You can see the photos here.

Congrats to both of them!

Frugal and fantastic!

How about great live music in a beautiful venue? The best part -- it's free!

Bard College's Conservatory Orchestra, conducted by Melvin Chen, will perform Verdi's Overture to Nabucco, Debussy's Premiere rhapsody for clarinet and orchestra, selections for clarinet and orchestra drawn from the Klezmer musical tradition, and Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2, at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Sosnoff Theater at Fisher Performing Arts Center, Bard College, Red Hook.

Clarinetist David Krakauer will be the guest faculty artist.

The event is free and open to the public and no tickets or reservations are required. This is on my weekend agenda -- I hope someone saves me a seat!

For more information, visit www.fishercenter.bard.edu

On the road (again)

I'll be on the road today in Dutchess County, blogging about the election for the Poughkeepsie Journal newspaper. This is a nice return, of sorts, as I spent almost 15 years working as a journalist at another newspaper (the first 7+ years as a reporter covering government) before moving into lifestyle magazine publishing. As much as I love my current job, there's nothing like spending Election Day working in (or for) a newsroom.

In addition to checking in at polls throughout the day, I'm going to try to get to a few Election Day community/social events, and a dinner or two. If there is something interesting going on, election-wise, in your Dutchess County neighborhood, send me a message and I'll try to mention it.

The car is gassed, the laptop is charged and the GPS is turned on. I'll be heading out as soon as I send my daughter off to school … come visit me at the newspaper's Web site.:-)

Time is running out!

Today is the deadline for the first contest in the Poughkeepsie Journal's year-long Hudson River photo competition, held in conjunction with the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial celebrations and the planned opening of the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge pedestrian walkway project.

The contest began on October 5 and ends on Sept. 30, 2009. A winner and runner up will be selected monthly, with one grand prize winner chosen from the monthly winners when the contest wraps up in the fall of 2009. For more information on the contest, and to see the photos already entered in the contest, visit www.HudsonHappenings.com. There are some impressive entries so far.

You can also find a link there to my Quad Updates blog, which has information about the ways our region (and elsewhere in the world) is commemorating this event!

Auction features Hudson Valley artists

UPDATE: Save the Date! The Fine Art Auction at Locust Grove has been rescheduled for Sunday, April 26, 2009.

Four studies that had been made for the historic Poughkeepsie Post Office mural are among the works that will be sold during Locust Grove’s first-ever Invitational Fine Art Auction. Originally cheduled for early next month (see update), the auction will also include work by contemporary painters, graphic artists, sculptors and photographers of the Hudson Valley. Visit www.LGNY.org or call 845-454-4500 ext. 17 for more information.

“As we move toward the Quadricentennial celebration in 2009, there is no better way to celebrate our valley than through the vision of its artists,” Locust Grove Executive Director Kenneth F. Snodgrass said in a press release. During 2009, the region will mark the 400th anniversary of European exploration of the Hudson River and Lake Champlain.

“Locust Grove and fine art are a natural pairing,” Snodgrass said. Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie was the 19th century country estate of Samuel Morse, who founded the American Academy of Design and was a celebrated artist before gaining even more fame for patenting the telegraph and inventing Morse code. The Young family, subsequent owners and founders of the museum, collected art in Europe as well as from the Hudson River School and this collection can be seen in the mansion today.

Locust Grove will team with gallery owner James Cox, a regional art expert and the force behind the annual fine art auction at the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum (WAAM), to present the auction, online catalog, pre-sale exhibition and preview gala. A portion of every auction sale will benefit Locust Grove, supporting free public access to its gardens and hiking trails, educational programs for school children and preservation of the 40-room Italianate mansion.

The mural studies that will be sold were created by Charles Rosen, who was chosen to participate in a New Deal program administered by the US Treasury Department. Rosen died in 1950, and the studies were only recently discovered by his estate. There is an interesting article here on the Poughkeepsie Journal Web site about the Poughkeepsie Post Office and its historic mural. And if you're interested in learning more about the upcoming Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial, be sure to drop by Hudson Happenings -- the Web site created by the Poughkeepsie Journal to share info about the Quad and the planned opening of the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge linear park project, Walkway over the Hudson.

Tea thoughts

A nice cup of tea, preferably in good company, is one of those things that just makes life better. We in the Hudson Valley are lucky in that we have a wonderful tea purveyor, Harney & Sons, in northeast Dutchess County. You can buy their teas at lots of shops across the country, including Barnes & Noble, but nothing beats going to their tea shop and tasting room in Millerton and sampling their teas onsite.

I was in Millerton recently to explore the Harlem Valley Rail Trail by bike, so, of course, we stopped by Harney & Sons. I noticed they were selling something new -- the book Harney & Sons Guide to Tea, written by Michael Harney. I haven't read the book yet, but some more exploration on my part turned up a new blog written by Michael all about the tea world. It's quite interesting and I'm sharing a link. Thoughts on Tea

Foodie news

Patrick Decker, who is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and now lives in Ulster County, is one of Rachel Ray's on-air chefs. (Patrick was featured earlier this year in a Hudson Valley Connoisseur magazine article about local folks who knit as a hobby.)

Here's a great new video clip with Rachel preparing a recipe for "Fancy French Cheese Puff Fake-Outs" created by Patrick. Look for him in the video!

I could definitely see using this recipe for get-togethers with friends, and around the holidays. I'd probably use the delicious grated cheese I've found at Leonardo's, an upscale Italian food market in Rhinebeck.

High School Musical 3 premier party!

The Associated Press reports that Disney's "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" topped the box office and brought in $42 million for its opening last weekend, a record for a song-and-dance film.

My daughter and her 8 BFFs were in line Friday evening to see HSM3 as part of her 10th birthday party. She'd been wanting to combine birthday celebration & this movie premier ever since she learned last winter that the movie would open near her birth date.

We started with dinner for everyone at Uncle Chippie's Gourmet Burgers in Red Hook (near the Lyceum movie theater on Route 9.) The restaurant serves freshly prepared, quality, casual food for kids and adults (they use local beef -- be sure to try the slider) and has a great fun atmosphere! Uncle Chippie let us bring in our HSM-themed cake from Hannaford to complete the meal. My daughter's friends gave her several presents with HSM themes, like this popular board game in the photo.
Then off to the movie at the Lyceum – thank goodness I bought the tickets earlier that week because there was quite a crowd (even tho the HSM3 movie was showing about every hour.) Popcorn for everyone (the theater has real butter now, just like at Upstate Films in Rhinebeck!) Then the film – these girls were so entranced by the entire movie. It was a sweet, family friendly film. I think even all the adults with us liked it.

Thumbs up – to Uncle Chippie's, Hannaford, the Lyceum & HSM3 for making this a super birthday party!

Did anyone else have a HSM3 party over the weekend – or see the film???

Voices of the valley

Poets Will Nixon of Woodstock and Matthew J. Spireng of Lomontville (an old friend and former co-worker of mine) will read from their work inspired by the region at 4 p.m., Saturday at the Olive Free Library on 4033 Route 28A in West Shokan. Their books will be available at the reading to buy (and have signed), with a portion of the proceeds to be donated to the Olive Free Library.

Here is more info:

Will Nixon, who grew up in the Connecticut suburbs and lived in Hoboken and Manhattan, moved to a Catskills log cabin and now lives in Woodstock. He is a widely published award-winning poet, journalist and essayist. His books of poems are My Late Mother as a Ruffed Grouse (2008), the award-winning The Fish Are Laughing (2001), and When I Had It Made (2001).

Matthew J. Spireng still lives in the house in Lomontville in which he was raised as a child. He is a widely published award-winning poet and journalist. His books of poems are Young Farmer (2007), Out of Body (2006) winner of the Bluestem Poetry Award from Emporia State University, Encounters (2005), Just This (2003) and the award-winning Inspiration Point (2002).