Daily Archives: June 7, 2012

Webb art students practice art of Native American pit firing

by Robert Fountain Town of Webb UFSD Art Teacher

Sitting on the dock from left: Lancy Frymire, Lindsay Payne, Jessica Menges, Haley Josephson. On the diving board: Tom Lindsay, Kerry Kipp, Nikki Redpath, Robin Yuckel, Allyson Brosemer, Mercedes Rice, Haley Bush. McKenzie Liddle, Jessica Hannah, Kevin Kress, Connor Rockhill. Standing back row. Gabriela Pedraza, Carlos Villareal-Montemayor, Autumn Townsend, Shelby McGill, Alexis Dolan, Mr. Robert Fountain

Art students at Town of Webb Union Free School District enrolled in my Studio, Ceramics, and Indepen-dent art classes performed a Native American Pit Firing and created Natural Sculpture builds on June 1st with the assistance of chaperone, Tim Leach.

This was the second year the trip was planned at Adirondack Woodcraft Camps.

Pit Firing is a Native American inspired method of ceramic firing that creates unpredictable smoke patterns on the works surface.

Haley Josephson, Jessica Menges, and McKenzie Liddle, and Jessica Hannah working on their sculpture involving all of the girls silhouettes created by different natural materials.

First, students completed the traditional coil building of their hand-sized pieces with Buff High Fire Clay as it is stronger than typical White Clay and can withstand the thermal shock involved in a quick burning pit fire.

Once the piece became “bone dry” or Greenware, Terra Sigillata was applied. Terra Sigillata generally is translated as, “sealed-earth”.

Terra Sigillata is similar to glaze, but different in a few distinctive ways. It consists of an incredible small amount of liquid plate-like particles that remain after days of water evaporation from a clay and water mixture. Continue reading →

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Talkin’ Code with Andrew Getty

Can you see me now? Everyone has opinion when it comes to signs

Do Signs Matter?

This year, seemingly more than other years, the use and display of signage of all kinds has attracted attention to the apparent lack of enforcement of the Town’s sign ordinance.

The numerous complaints received, not only here in the Code Office but by other Town Officials, have ignited a renewed concern regarding what seems to be uncontrolled use of signs.

There are many, many fine examples of signs that have been granted permits.

And equally so, there are many business owners who support the local laws governing the use of signs. Continue reading →

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Lamphear Fishing Derby nets largest contestant field to date

by Theresa Taylor

The Raquette Lake Fish & Game Club, Hamilton County Federation of Sportsmen Inc. and Raquette Lake Parks & Recreation hosted the 7th Annual Lamphear Memorial Fishing Derby on Raquette Lake on May 18 and 19th. annual spring fishing derby on Raquette Lake.

Thirty eight adults and seven junior anglers competed for top places in each division with four categories: bullhead, perch, lake trout and brook trout.

The contest began at 5 p.m. on Friday and ended at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

The weather cooperated and the black flies were nowhere to be found, which made for lots of weighed-in fish and plenty of contestants happy to have not donated their blood supply.

In the junior division, Ethan Bush of Long Lake won first and second place in perch with Bryce Hutchins of Indian Lake taking third place.

Bryce won first place and second in brook trout, with brother Garret Hutchins placing third.

Corey Andrews of Whitesboro won bullhead for reeling in a 14”, 1.8 lb. monster.

Garret Hutchins placed second with 14 3/8”, 1.4 pounder; and Nicholas Branch of Old Forge was close behind when he caught a third place 14”, 1.4 lb. bullhead bending the end of his pole.

In the adult division, Jamie Roblee of Blue Mountain Lake walked away with first, second and third in lake trout.

His largest was 23” and 4.2 lbs. with the second weighing in at 4.0lbs and 22 1/2”.

Lance Pierson of Raquette Lake ran away with brook trout, also winning first second and third places.

His largest was 17 3/4” weighing 2.6 lbs., with the second being 15 3/4” and weighing 1.8 lbs.

First place in perch went to Tom Beckingham of Raquette Lake with his son Wayne Beckingham of Old Forge weighing in for second.

Lance Pierson caught the third place perch.

Lance came away with another first and tied with Ben Harrington of Indian Lake for second and third place bullhead with 14 1/2”, 1.4 pounder.

Many thanks to The Raquette Lake Hotel & Tap Room for letting Fish & Game hold the weigh-in and contest at their establishment.

Penny and Sandy even weighed in a few early Saturday morning fish!

Thanks to Fish & Game President Wayne Kavanaugh for organizing the event this year. Thanks to Parks and Recreation for taking care of the plaques and donating towards the prize money.

And a special thanks to Tom Beckingham who drummed up so many extra contestants that we had our largest number of participants in the history of the event.

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Motorcyle event recognizes area Wounded Warrior couple

The Thunder in Old Forge motorcycle event held last weekend was presented in support of the Wounded Warrior Project, a sponsored program of the Old Forge American Legion Post 893.

The project helps to raise money to bring several Wounded Warriors and their families to Old Forge for a weekend of relaxation and fun.

At a flag dedication ceremony on Saturday, June 2, legion member Bill Ransom and Commander Brad Birnie introduced honored guests and Wounded Warriors, Gerry Esposito, 10th Mountain Division Army Specialist and his wife, Elaine Esposito, an Army Reservist, who were both injured in Iraq. Continue reading →

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Growing up Adirondack

Trying to decipher the banter of the birds in the wild

It was the middle of June in 1976 and the school days just dragged. And for a ten year old boy looking out the window at trees dressed in fully bloomed green leaves and day dreaming of an after school hike, the day seemed unending.

Humid air filled the Inlet School classroom and made me groggy.

I fumbled with my pencil to make it look as if I was working on some math problems. But my eyes continued to wander outdoors.

I caught a glimpse of a nesting bird feeding her young in the crotch of a poplar. I pulled a piece of clean paper from my desk and sketched the scene.

My math work would have to wait as I explored the shapes and lines that defined the birds.

Continue reading →

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Just Call me Mrs. Lucky by Jan from Woodgate

What has a beginning, an end, but no point whatsoever?

There’s absolutely no doubt about it—we are a Point driven society. Early on, in our most formative years, we are taught that Points rule the world. Points can be earned and just as easily taken away.

We stockpile Points with our parents by completing chores and displaying good behavior.

We accumulate Points with our teachers for extra work assignments and/or over-achieving in the classroom.

We constantly count Points during all phases of game and sport playing.

By the time we’re three years old we know in our heart of hearts that POINTS COUNT.

As we keep rolling through our lives the Point counting continues, only the stakes are much higher.

Now the gurus of consumer spending tease and tempt us with the gathering of Points where it now matters the most: our wallets.

Spend more cash, earn more Points. And yes, we the people, (or the sheep, or really the sheeple now) are hopelessly addicted to racking up tons and tons of Points—we are Point junkies. Continue reading →

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Gary Lee’s Daybreak to Twilight

Puddling yellow Swallowtails

Be on look-out for puddling butterflies, dropping fawns

I’ll bet a few of you ran for cover this week as thunderstorms rolled through the area on Tuesday.

I parked under a big tall white pine to protect my windshield from the larger than mothball-size ice balls that were falling from the sky.

I saw some on TV that there were bigger than golf ball-size in the Boonville area.

These could put dents in your vehicle and even bust a windshield if you were driving into it at 60 miles per hour.

There was a big change in temperature when this storm went through of about fifteen degrees.

I was down by Squaw Lake in the Plains and I just found some Garlic Mustard in the campsite there.

I pulled these plants after about the fifth storm blasted by.

I would like to talk a little about Garlic Mustard as I’ve seen it just about everywhere in Inlet and Old Forge.

The plants by Squaw Lake came from some seeds in straw that was used by campers as mattresses.

When they were done with it they just scattered it around the site. Now there are Mustard plants all around the site.

Since the seeds from these plants are viable for up to 14 years you are in for a long battle when pulling the invasive plant.

It takes over an area by killing all the other wild flowers and plants growing there.

There have been some studies done that show that the plant even affects the tree growth in areas where it  covers the landscape.

One large plant can probably produce several thousand seeds so you only have to miss one plant and you are in for the long haul. Continue reading →

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