55 Plus CNY, #96: December 2021 – January 2022

CAN YOU PASS A CIVICS TEST? WE HAVE 10 QUESTIONS FOR YOU

55

NEW YORK’S

Top Winter Getaways

PLUS

Issue 96 – December 2021 / January 2022

For Active Adults in the Central New York Area

cny55.com

ALFRED JACQUES

The Stick Maker

To watch Alf Jacques make a lacrosse stick in his tiny Onondaga Nation barn is to witness an artist at work. Read what makes this long-standing tradition so important.

P. 32

n MUSIC

n ADIRONDACKS

n WORLD WAR II

Kerner and Merchant Pipe Organ Builders: in the business of making music sound better

William ‘Jay’ O’Hern has already published 17 books about the Adirondacks, and 10 more are on the way

Auburn native Mike Chamberlain donated his father’s WWII photos to Veterans History Project

P. 26

P. 14

P. 42

Had a Stroke.

Back on Stage.

Musician Todd Hobin KNOW THE SIGNS • CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY

Central New York music legend Todd Hobin knew nothing about stroke — but he does now. That’s why he’s raising awareness about stroke risk factors and its signs and symptoms.

F.

FACE DROOPING

A. S.

ARM WEAKNESS

SPEECH DIFFICULTY

Fact: Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. Important to know: Stroke can happen to both men and women — at any age.

Good news: Stroke is preventable by managing medical risk factors and healthy lifestyle choices.

What to do: Time lost is brain lost. So it’s vital to know the signs of a stroke — F.A.S.T. Four words to live by: Call 911 and say, “Take me to Crouse.“ When it comes to stroke, every moment matters. As one of just 10 hospitals in New York State tohave earned Comprehensive Stroke Center status, and with the region’s newest ER and hybrid ORs, Crouse offers the most advanced technology for rapid stroke diagnosis and treatment

Read Todd’s story and learn more: crouse.org/toddhobin.

T.

TIME TO CALL 911

The #1 hospital in Syracuse.

We are the only hospital in the region to be named a Best Regional Hospital 7 years in a row. Awards are great, but we strive to earn something even more valuable — the trust of the people of Central New York. Our doctors, nurses and specialists work hard to advance our practices and medical technology while providing the highest level of care — every day to every patient.

A HIGHER LEVEL OF CARE

| sjhsyr.org

© 2021 St. Joseph’s Health. © 2021 Trinity Health. All rights reserved.

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11/8/21 1:59 PM

55 PLUS | contents

CAN YOU PASS A CIVICS TEST? WE HAVE 10 QUESTIONS FOR YOU

55

December / January 2022

NEW YORK’S

Top Winter Getaways

PLUS

Issue 96 – December 2021 / January 2022

For Active Adults in the Central New York Area

cny55.com

Story ideas?

Information about advertising?

Email editor@cny55.com or call 315-342-1182.

To subscribe to 55 PLUS, please see coupon on page 45. It’s only $21 per year.

ALFRED JACQUES

The Stick Maker

To watch Alf Jacques make a lacrosse stick in his tiny Onondaga Nation barn is to witness an artist at work. Read what makes this long-standing tradition so important.

P. 32

n MUSIC

n ADIRONDACKS

n WORLD WAR II

Kerner and Merchant Pipe Organ Builders: in the business of making music sound better

William ‘Jay’ O’Hern has already published 17 books about the Adirondacks, and 10 more are on the way

Auburn native Mike Chamberlain donated his father’s WWII photos to Veterans History Project

P. 26

P. 14

P. 42

www.cny55.com

10 SAVVY SENIOR 6 GARDENING 8 DINING OUT 10 MY TURN 20 GOLDEN YEARS 23 AGING 24 DRUGER’S ZOO 44 55 PLUS VISITS 46 LIFE AFTER 55 49

LAST PAGE Meteorologist Wayne Mahar, 65, is retiring from CNY Central, ending a TV career of 43 years 4

26

55 PLUS 42

46

12 55 PLUS COOKS

30 GETAWAYS

• Robert ‘Bob’ Graves of Liverpool shares his recipe for noodles with shrimp and garlic cream sauce

• Check out New York’s top winter getaways (and try to get a good deal!)

14 ADVENTURE • Jay O’Hern has published 17 books about the Adirondacks. He has 10 more in the works.

• Alfred E. Jacques is an Onondaga Nation craftsman who continues a long-standing tradition: handcrafting traditional wooden lacrosse sticks.

18 TATTOOS

38 EVENT

• 16% of those 55 years old and older have been tattooed

• Quilt exhibit on display at Auburn’s Schweinfurth features 61 artists

22 SEASONAL

40 SNOW

• Portraying the Jolly Old Elf requires people skills, an engaging personality and a boatload of patience

• The tough job of snowplow drivers who clear the streets of Syracuse, one of the snowiest cities of its size

26 MUSIC

42 VETERANS

• Kerner and Merchant Pipe Organ Builders: in the business of making music sound better

• CNY man donates father’s World War II photos to Veterans History Project

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

32 COVER

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savvy senior

By Jim Miller

How Does Social Security Work When a Spouse or Ex-Spouse Dies?

I

f your deceased spouse or ex-spouse worked and paid Social Security taxes and you or your kids meet the eligibility requirements, you may be eligible for survivor benefits, but you should act quickly because benefits are generally retroactive only up to six months. Here’s what you need to know.

Under Social Security law, when a person who has worked and paid Social Security taxes dies, certain members of that person’s family may be eligible for survivor benefits, including spouses, former spouses and dependents. Here’s a breakdown of who qualifies.

• Widow(er)’s and divorced widow(er)’s: Surviving spouses that were married at least nine months are eligible to collect a monthly survivor benefit as early as age 60 (50 if disabled). Divorced surviving spouses are also eligible at this same age, if you were married at least 10 years and did not remarry before age 60 (50 if disabled), unless the marriage ends.

How much you’ll receive will depend on your spouse’s earnings that were subject to Social Security taxes made over their lifetime, and the age in which you apply for survivor benefits.

If you wait until your full retirement age you’ll receive 100% of your deceased spouses or exspouses benefit amount. But if you apply between age 60 and your full retirement age, your benefit will be somewhere between 71.5% – 99% of their benefit.

There is, however, one exception.

Surviving spouses and ex-spouses that are caring for a child (or children) of the deceased worker, and they are under age 16 or disabled, are eligible to receive 75% of the worker’s benefit amount at any age.

• Unmarried children: Surviving unmarried children under age 18, or up to age 19 if they’re still attending 6

high school, are eligible for survivor benefits too. Benefits can also be paid to children at any age if they were disabled before age 22 and remain disabled. Both biological and adoptive children are eligible, as well as kids born out of wedlock. Dependent stepchildren and grandchildren may also qualify. Children’s benefits are 75% of the worker’s benefit.

You should also know that in addition to survivor benefits, a surviving spouse or child may also be eligible to receive a special lump-sum death payment of $255.

• Dependent parents: Benefits can also be paid to dependent parents who are age 62 and older. For parents to qualify as dependents, the deceased worker would have had to provide at least one-half of the parent’s financial support.

But be aware that Social Security has limits on how much a family can receive in monthly survivors’ benefits — usually 150% to 180% of the worker’s benefit.

Switching Strategies Social Security also provides surviving spouses and ex-spouses some nice strategies that can help boost your benefits. For example, if you’ve worked you could take a reduced survivor benefit at age 60 and switch to your own retirement benefit based on your earnings history — between 62 and 70 — if it offers a higher payment.

Or, if you’re already receiving retirement benefits on your work record, you could switch to survivors benefits if it offers a higher payment.

You cannot, however, receive both benefits.

You also need to know that if you collect a survivor benefit while working, and are under full retirement age, your benefits may be reduced depending on your earnings – see SSA. gov/pubs/EN-05-10069.pdf.

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

55PLUS cny55.com Editor and Publisher Wagner Dotto

Writers & Contributors Deborah J. Sergeant, Steve Yablonski, Christopher Malone, Mary Beth Roach, Margaret McCormick Columnists Bruce Frassinelli, Marilyn Pinsky, Harold Miller, Jim Sollecito, Marvin Druger, Michelle Reed Advertising Amy Gagliano Cassandra Lawson Darienne LaPorte Office Manager Nancy Nitz Layout & Design Joey Sweener Cover Photo Chuck Wainwright 55 PLUS –A Magazine for Active Adults in Central New York is published six times a year by Local News, Inc.at 185 E. Seneca St. PO Box 276, Oswego, NY 13126.

Subscription: $21 a year; $35 for two years © 2021 by 55 PLUS – A Magazine for Active Adults in Central New York.

No material may be reproduced in whole or in part from this publication without the express written permission of the publisher.

How to Reach Us P.O. Box 276 Oswego, NY 13126 Phone: 315-342-1182 Fax: 315-342-7776 Email: editor@cny55.com Editor@cnyhealth.com

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gardening

By Jim Sollecito

These Are the Days

Hydrangea paniculate: Cherish the gift of today.

H

ow did the wonder years become the golden years without ever changing the channel? And really, should we worry about the years or should we relish the days?

I don’t look forward to my annual physical exam now as much as I did when I wore a younger man’s clothes.

I liked hearing that “atta-boy” I heard for decades, since my chosen profession involved a lot of activity.

And some rough handling.

8

Running a chainsaw or jumping into a skid steer without ear protection then means now I am into my third set of hearing aids.

Decades of hand-digging trees and installing landscapes means that it has become a little tricky drawing back my bow, necessitating archery technique over brawn.

Adjustments and recalibrations prevent an abundance of pharmaceutical intervention.

This is the time of year we might

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

reflect back on 2021, try to balance the positive with the not-so-great.

Adventures can be relived in those memories, including special places and times we hold in our hearts.

Looking back, with a little mental flossing, I can focus on the fish landed, not those that got away. I like that.

I doubt that high school was a 100% positive experience for everyone.

Maybe it is destined to be just a little uncomfortable at the end, forcing us at age 18 to move out and on into adulthood.

But back in the day I became class president at West Genesee High School, a gift that just keeps giving.

Currently in the midst of organizing our 50th reunion next summer and I am looking forward to it. Because the older we get, the more relatable we all become. I like talking and listening to people. I’ve evolved to actually hear what they are saying.

Not just nod my head. Or smile and wonder if they would go out with me or if I needed to study more to get a higher grade than them.

I used to try too hard to get it all in before it was over. And it ended anyway. Experience has taught me to do fewer things at a time with more focus. And like most folks, I am just calmer and more relaxed when among plants. I surround myself with a budding and evolving view, steered by nature. It’s a factor in my own personal maintenance that really just grew on me.

Nobody walks their life in a straight line. Sure, we mapped a route and destination. And thought we knew how we would get there. But life presents obstacles and opportunities.

The way we navigated the curves defines who we are now. Some people are suspicious about good things happening, fearing bad things will follow. I think that’s not the way to live.

And I have a few holes in my memory but I like that just fine. Selective memory is not all bad, you know.

Enjoy every gift and blessing this holiday season and then hold them in your heart. Because truly, these are the days.

Jim Sollecito is the first lifetime senior certified landscape professional in New York State. He operates Sollecito Landscaping Nursery in Syracuse. Contact him at 468-1142 or jim@sollecito.com.

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The duck at Brick-N-Barrel ($38) was seared perfectly. It was tender, flavorful, and everything you would want from enjoying such a fowl.

Dining Out RESTAURANT GUIDE

By Christopher Malone

Ravishing Plates on the River

T

Fine is emphasized at Brick-N-Barrel in Baldwinsville

here’s a restaurant sitting on the Seneca River that’s familiar to everyone who has been in the village of Baldwinsville.

The space went through different owners, had a few names — The Chef & The Cook, for one. Now, Brick-NBarrel, which opened last year in the midst of the pandemic, is occupying the exposed brick-walled, elegant space.

Because of the exposed brick, there’s no need to decorate too much.

It’s warm and cozy but not in the small and tight sense — feeling comfortable is important.

Speaking of minimalistic approaches: The farm-to-table focused restaurant has an eclectic menu of delectable items. Although a smaller menu, the offerings yield tough 10

decisions.

My foodie cohort and I kicked the meal off with fish tacos ($20), pork belly ($16) and the Nashville hot calamari ($18) as first courses.

The latter was surprising. I don’t recall ever getting such a quantity of fried squid from any place. Although it was a pleasant surprise, it felt inconsistent (price to quantity) with the dishes that would follow.

The calamari boasted that southern balance of sweet and heat. Even though the basket of fried squid was 100% rings — show us those tentacles!

— the creeping spiciness was delicious.

We tried to restrain from continuing to eat these, because there was a fear it might interfere with eating what was to come. However, picking at them throughout the meal was inevitable.

The tempura-coated sole fish

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

tacos were crispy and flavorful; it never showcased a fishy flavor. Sole is a pricier white fish, so the price of two tacos, which equated to $10 each, may be a deterrent. Still, this is a worthy choice for fans of fish and fresh ingredients — a hint of mint chutney, kumquat puree and avocado yogurt combine for a bright flavor profile.

Can you go wrong with smoked pork belly? No. Brick-N-Barrel proves this. The savory, small brick of pork belly sits in a puddle of sweet cider jus and is surrounded by shards of shiitake mushrooms, a halved shallot, and tiny brussels sprouts. The rough looking fatty cut of meat was easily halved, shared and savored.

The creole shrimp macaroni and cheese ($28) was noteworthy for reasons, some better than others.

Unfortunately, the size of the cast

iron skillet it’s served in is small; such a price tag for a mac-n-cheese meal is a bit duplicitous. If this was packed with shrimp — the pieces were actually difficult to identify — it could meet that price point. However, the incredibly smoky entrée didn’t match up for me. There were plenty of positives, though. The hearty dish was not watery or soupy, it was delightfully rich and cheesy (oh, that lovely smoked cheddar), and the creole buttered bread crumbs were a perfect topping.

The seared duck ($38) was propositioned to us. Because of this, the tough decisions were easy. How could a person deny the duck if it was that good? The duck was, in fact, seared perfectly. It was tender, flavorful, and everything you would want from enjoying such a fowl.

T h e o t h e r i n g re d i e n t s , t h e cranberries and vegetables particularly, ranged from cool to cold. I’m not sure if this was intentional, but there was anticipation that the other components of the dish would have been around the same temperature. Biting into a cold cranberry after eating a warm piece of duck was unexpected. Still, regardless of temperature, the flavor wasn’t affected.

With the addition of four beers, the total meal came to $159 and change.

To me, this is a little on the pricier side for casual-upscale restaurants. For the portions and type of food, especially the shrimp mac-n-cheese and fish tacos, it was definitely on the pricier side. But note the food was far from terrible. However, for a nice evening out — we all deserve one — Brick-NBarrel is absolutely worthwhile.

Nashville hot calamari ($18): southern balance of sweet and heat.

The tempura-coated sole fish tacos were crispy and flavorful; it never showcased a fishy flavor.

Brick-N-Barrel 7 Syracuse St., Baldwinsville, New York 13027 (315) 720-3859 | brick-n-barrel.com facebook.com/bricknbarrelny instagram.com/bricknbarrelny Sun.: 11a.m. – 2 p.m.

Mon. – Tues.: Closed Wed. – Thurs.: 5 – 9 p.m.

Fri. – Sat.: 5 – 9:30 p.m.

The creole shrimp macaroni and cheese ($28) was noteworthy even though the pieces of shrimp were difficult to identify.

DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

11

By Margaret McCormick

‘Bob’ Graves, Liverpool

Above Robert ‘Bob’ Graves’ cooks in his kitchen in Liverpool.

At least once a week he also cooks at North Area Meals on Wheels, where he serves as secretary of the board of directors.

12

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

Robert ‘Bob’ Graves’ cooking journey began in his early teens, when he made lemon meringue pies from scratch to donate to a local fire department fundraising dinner. (His father was a volunteer firefighter.)

In college, he recalls, his roommates were always hungry and loved to eat, but lacked cooking skills. He kept them well-fed. “They were willing to clean up, which was great,’’ he says.

In 1967, Graves joined the 174th Fighter Wing of the New York Air National Guard (formerly known as “The Boys from Syracuse”) as one of its cooks. Following basic training, he went to Fort Lee, Virginia, to complete the Army’s Quartermaster school, where he was trained in the logistics of feeding many soldiers, among other things. Following training, and for one weekend a month for the next six years, Graves served on the team of cooks who prepared meals for about 700 of the “Boys.’’

“Our two-week summer camp each summer was at some Air Force mess hall,’’ Graves says. “It was a great experience in quantity cooking.’’

In 2008, Graves began service as a volunteer cook for North Area Meals on Wheels. The agency provides homedelivered meals for people of all ages who are unable to prepare their own meals due to illness or injury. Graves is past president of the board of directors and currently serves as secretary of the board. He also cooks at least one day a week — or as many as three days — depending on need.

On the days he cooks, he is lead volunteer for the day’s hot entrée selections. He and other volunteers prepare and package nutritious meals as specified by the Onondaga County Office for Aging. About 60% of Meals on Wheels clients are participants in the state’s Wellness In Nutrition (WIN) program. Some days, he also delivers meals. “All my previous cooking experiences and training helped to prepare me for this great volunteer opportunity,’’ Graves says.

Cooking at home is something that Graves has mastered, as well. In March of 2020, as the pandemic raged,

Graves and his wife, Linda, moved Linda’s mother from assisted living to their Liverpool home. “She is 98 and has a great appetite,’’ Graves says.

Linda Graves, a retired nurse, provides personal care, while Bob has assumed “the position of head chef at our onebed care facility.’’

Preparing dinner each night with some dietary restrictions in mind has been a bit of a challenge — and so has cutting down the amount of food he cooks. Graves has learned to use an air fryer and Instant Pot and searches the internet for recipes designed for three or four, so they don’t end up with a lot of leftovers.

“Leftovers can be great,’’ Graves says. “But after the eighth day or so even my mother-in-law comments.’’

are my new best friends. They make it easy to incorporate all the necessary ingredients for a balanced diet.’’

What sounds good is what we go with (avoiding sodium overload, cheese, condensed soup, etc.).’’

Favorite recipe resource? “Laptop plus Google — stimulates the brain cells. I search based on what primary ingredient (generally meat) I have on hand, and a host of options appear.

Favorite place to shop? “Vince’s Gourmet Imports, North Syracuse, for the ‘real’ thing that enhances all Italian recipes. Routine shopping is done at Wegmans for convenience.’’

How would you describe your cooking style? “Freestyle or ‘last-minute wing it,’ unless baking. Baking requires attention to detail. Otherwise, the recipe is the guide with other ingredients always an option.’’

What are some of your favorite weeknight meals to prepare? “There are lots of easy-to-prepare, nutritious meals using an Instant Pot — meat, vegetables, rice, with a side of fruit.

Another quick and easy favorite: noodles with shrimp and garlic cream sauce.’’ (See recipe, below.) Graves says you can adjust the ingredients based on the number of people you are serving. “Trust me, it’s hard to mess up, easy to prepare and a delight to eat.”

What do you like to cook for more special occasions? “Home-prepared lasagna, after a multi-ingredient antipasto salad with crusty bread, followed by home-filled cannoli for dessert. Also, Cornish game hens stuffed with wild rice and pineapple served with an Asian sauce, side of asparagus with cheese sauce, eclair cake with chocolate drizzle for dessert.’’

What have you been cooking during the pandemic? Have you been experimenting more in the kitchen? “Being seniors ourselves and having my motherin-law come from assisted living to live with us due to the pandemic … yes, I have been experimenting.

Nutritious meals are critical to good health. The air fryer and Instant Pot

Noodles with Shrimp & Garlic Cream Sauce Recipe from Robert Graves (adapted from goodcheapeat.com)

Ingredients 8 ounces linguine or angel hair pasta, prepared according to package directions (drain and reserve) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 2 cloves garlic, minced ½ cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons sundried tomatoes, julienned ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (see note) Dried parsley, for garnish

Instructions Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for about a minute to allow the flavors to develop. Add heavy cream and sundried tomatoes and simmer gently. Add Parmesan cheese and cook until the cheese is melted.

Add shrimp and stir gently, until shrimp is pink and cooked through, about five to seven minutes. Add prepared pasta and toss with the shrimp and cream sauce. Garnish with parsley. Makes 2 or 3 servings, depending on size.

Nominate a 55+ home cook for this feature! Email details, including contact information, to Margaret McCormick at mmccormickcny@gmail.com.

DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

13

Jay O’Hern, a retired middle school teacher, grew up in the Fairmount section of Camillus. As a child, he explored the woods and farmlands near his home, packing a lunch and peddling off on his bike until dinner time.

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55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

55+ adventure Passion for the Adirondacks William ‘Jay’ O’Hern has published 17 books about the Adirondacks, a place he knows like no one else. He has 10 more planned

By Aaron Gifford

W

illiam “Jay” O’Hern spends most of his free time in the Adirondacks. He prefers to bushwhack his way into the deepest woods possible and camp in solitude.

With every trip, the first thing packed is a pen. For every day spent exploring, canoeing or fishing, at least three more days are spent researching and writing.

“It’s a wonder how I did it,” said O’Hern, 77, who lives in the town of Vienna in Oneida County, near the north shore of Oneida Lake. “I didn’t sleep a lot because I didn’t want to stop.”

O’Hern’s 17th book, “Moose River Plains, Life Around the Indian

above:

“Moose River Plains, Life Around the Indian Clearing” Vol. 1, was published earlier in 2021. Moose River Plains is located east of Old Forge, south of Blue Mountain Lake and northwest of Speculator.

Clearing” Vol. 1, was published earlier in 2021. He has 10 more titles planned, including volumes 2 and 3 of “Moose River Plains.” He uses his own publishing company, In the Adirondacks Outdoor Books.

They can be bought on his website, Adirondackbooksonline.

Much of the research for his latest book dates back to 1967.

“Father Time,” he said in a recent interview, “really does pick one’s pocket.”

O’Hern, a retired middle school teacher, grew up in the Fairmount section of Camillus, before it became a sprawling suburb. His father was a truck driver and his mother taught school. As a child, O’Hern explored the woods and farmlands near his home, packing a lunch, peddling off on his bike and not returning home until dinner time. Weekends were spent at his grandparents’ summer place on the Seneca River or camping with his family on Eighth Lake.

While completing a bachelor ’s degree from SUNY Oswego, working as a teacher in the Camden school district and raising a family, O’Hern still got to the mountains. Every weekend for a period of about 25 years, he explored new spots. Over the years he became friends with Richard Smith, an Adirondack enthusiast and historian. Smith, who was 30 years older than O’Hern, asked his friend to preserve the tales of interesting places, people, and the vanished way of life there.

“I still remember that day. It was our last paddle on the Chub River. He dropped a bombshell on me and said it has to be written,” O’Hern recalled.

“I wasn’t trained as a writer, but I also know as a sixth-grade teacher, you don’t tell someone they cannot do something.”

O’Hern was particularly intrigued by the area’s rich history of logging and hunting camps. He also took an interest in the man who was known as the last Adirondack hermit and the mayor of Cold River, Noah John Rondeau, who had also been a close friend of Richard Smith. His first book, “Life with Noah,” was published in 1997.

In addition to writing, O’Hern’s work on this title also gave him a taste of archeology and social anthropology.

When he went off the beaten path, he found artifacts from settlements that no longer exist, and met people who could help him piece together the history of those forgotten places. Town historians, museum curators, local publications and the descendants of the area’s early settlers lent him plenty of old photographs to supplement the pictures he took along the way.

Moose River Plains is located east of Old Forge, south of Blue Mountain Lake and northwest of Speculator. From the road, it appears to be very secluded. The area is about 40 miles long by 25 miles wide, dotted with lakes, ponds, streams and rivers. Much of it is heavily forested and without clearings. This country, O’Hern wrote, was once labeled “the land of deer” and was frequented by conservationists, rogue hunters and even a few vacationing millionaires.

One of his titles, “Spring Trout and Strawberry Pancakes,” is a cook book. All of the recipes were provided by Adirondack residents who only use local ingredients, like fresh-picked strawberries, venison or trout. Naturally, O’Hern had to try everything that was noted in the book.

“I put on 10 pounds that year,” he said with a laugh.

Recipes can be found in many of his other books as well. “Moose

DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

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River Plains” includes the ingredients and instructions for preparing one of O’Hern’s favorite family recipes, Fulton Chain beef stew and herb dumplings. He enjoyed this when camping with his parents at Eighth Lake Campground.

“This was another cast iron pan recipe,” he wrote. “Mom said it was a solid meal with feather-light dumplings. The ingredients cost $2 in 1953.”

In his author’s note, O’Hern pays tribute to the former Red & White grocery store in the hamlet of Inlet, which was owned by Gordy and Inez Rudd. The couple provided him several high quality black and white photos of the store and its stocked shelves dating back to the mid-1950s.

“Wide-eyed children peered through the glass display at a selection of hard candies, candy bars, chewing gum, and sparklers that added gaiety for children building their own campground memories spent during Fourth of July weekend. There are still a few old country stores surviving throughout the rural North Country, but now they are without the woodburning stove and a few sturdy rocking chairs around which once the weather, politics, local news, and hunting and fishing tips were exchanged,” O’Hern wrote.

“Buying and selling habits changed as roads improved, railroads became widespread, and motor vehicles became common place. Farm products could be transported by rail and truck.

The old-time Adirondack store may be for the most part a thing of the past, but nobody would deny how well it served its purpose and answered the needs of a growing mountain community.”

One of O’Hern’s earlier titles, “Adirondack Kaleidoscope & North Country Characters,” pays tribute to Glendon Cole, who published his own book in 1946 and wrote for North Country Life magazine for 37 years.

O’Hern considered Cole to be the finest steward of Adirondack history.

“I read that magazine growing up,” O’Hern said. “I told him to put his best stories together in a book. He said, ‘good idea, but I’m too old.’ So I did it.”

O’Hern and his wife, Bette, have five children, 14 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Bette also enjoys camping.

Beyond the Adirondacks, the couple has also visited Vermont 16

top:

“I’ll never be short on material — that’s for sure,” O’Hern says. “I just do it for the love of history.” right:

A view of Whiteface Mountain.

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

and the White Mountains in the Plains.

Adirondacks. O’Hern has also taken “It’s the least populated,” he said. on a keen interest in exploring the Tug “I’ve always been a loner. I always Hill Plateau. want to go to places where you won’t O’Hern reads a lot to stay sharp. find people.”

He also enjoys walking and snow O’Hern grew up in a family that shoeing. Although he does not get raised their own meat and grew and around as quickly as he used to, he canned their own vegetables. still enjoys being in the mountains He carried on that tradition when year-round, even in the dead of winter. he and Bette raised their children. In “I run to it,” he said. fact, the others would be on the hook O’Hern has climbed all 46 of the for maintaining their small farm when Adirondack Mountains’ high peaks O’Hern made his weekend trips up and has visited every area of the north. That holistic life style allowed Adirondack State Park (the largest him to maintain a relatively healthy state park in the nation). He’s always diet throughout his life and he has preferred the southwest section of the avoided fast food, though O’Hern park, which includes the Moose River admits that once their children were

grown and out of the house, he and Bette enjoyed trying the many outstanding restaurants located throughout the Adirondack Park.

With 10 unpublished manuscripts on his desk and a whole host of ideas for future books, O’Hern feels like he has plenty of passion to continue writing into his 80s and beyond. Even if it gets to the point where he can’t hike or snowshoe quite as far into the brush has he once did, he will never lose his desire to continue learning and writing about his favorite place on earth.

“I’ll never be short on material — that’s for sure,” he said. “I just do it for the love of history.”

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Free, easy, local access to information and assistance about long term care services and supports… regardless of age, income, or payor source. Get help with community services/supports designed to help people remain healthy and independent for Older Adults, Adults or Children with Disabilities as well as their Families and Caregivers.

of MADISON COUNTY (800) 697-5700 342-9871 (315) 427-3122 (315)

For answers to all your questions Contact us at 800-342-9871 or call one of the NY Connects partnering agencies at 315-697-5700 (Madison Office for the Aging) or 315-427-3122 (ARISE). You may also look for services and support at www.nyconnects.ny.gov

55+ tattoos Tattoos Later in Life 16% of those 55 years old and older have been tattooed

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

M

aybe you didn’t get a tattoo earlier in life because of professional reasons. Now, about 30% of Americans have at least one tattoo, up from 21% in 2012, according to a 2019 Ipsos poll.

Currently, 16% of those 55 years old and older have been tattooed.

Generations ago, tattoos were for military men, inmates and biker guys.

For the past 20 years, tattooing has made inroads into most other walks of life and people of many occupations. Even people working in professional environments such as medical, financial and legal can get tattooed without endangering their careers.

Since the social stigma surrounding tattooing has dissipated, you may feel freer to get inked to commemorate, celebrate or just enjoy art to wear. And even though you’re an older adult, there’s really no reason you can’t have a tattoo at any age. In some ways, it can be an ideal time.

Without the impetuosity of youth, you are more likely to select a design and location you will not regret. While tattoo removal is possible through lasers or, for smaller ones, surgery, it usually leaves a scar. Some people with regrettable tats, such as an ex’s name or a trend that fades, choose a “cover up” piece of artwork.

You also have the funds to choose a quality shop. Look for one with both a professional, hygienic atmosphere but also experienced artists who listen to their clients. Check their social media pages and sites such as Yelp to see how other patrons feel about their experiences.

As for the experience, the adage “age is just a number” seems to apply for most people receiving a tattoo.

“It varies individual to individual,” 18

said John Joyce, tattoo artist at Scarab Body Art Studio in Syracuse. “For the average client 55 to 65, depending on their personal health history, there’s nothing to worry about compared with someone who’s younger.”

If you have been a sun worshipper for years or have skin conditions that make your skin more fragile, that may make the process a little more painful and, for the tattoo artist, more challenging.

Medical conditions may also make a difference. Since tattooing is basically causing a wound by injecting ink under the first layer of skin, people who do not heal well will take longer to recover, such as insulin-dependent diabetics. The older people are, the longer it tends to take to heal, too.

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

“We ask about blood thinners or anything else that would affect healing, but that’s true of anyone in their 20s and 30s,” Joyce said. “If you’re much older you have to be careful with skin as people lose collagen. It becomes more of an experience with the artist.

Look for someone who has experience with older skin.”

He recommends that anyone with medical conditions affecting their skin or the healing process should check with their doctor first if they feel concerned about getting a tattoo.

Less elasticity can make it a little tougher to perform detailed work. If you are considering a tattoo, that is yet another reason to seek a skilled and experienced artist to perform the work.

Attorney Anne Ru Macke Dan Fisher with his wife, Lori Ruhlman, at their home.

Since completing my 35-year career at Welch Allyn, I have dedicated my time and resources to my growing family (grandchildren!) and the Central New York community.

When I began searching for a way to engage more deeply in my giving, I established the Dan & Colleen Fisher Fund at the Community Foundation in the memory of my late wife. We shared many interests in organizations that have benefited from this fund, including the Skaneateles Festival, the Seward House Museum and St. James’ Episcopal Church in Skaneateles.

The fund continues to grow and allows my giving to reflect my evolving life experience.

COMMITMENT TO GIVING: DAN FISHER

Read more of Dan’s story at cnycf.org/Fisher

I was lucky to find love again, and now my wife Lori and I share interests that include conserving the environmental health of the Finger Lakes and improving the social and political health of the country.

315.422.9538 | C N YC F. O R G

my turn

By Bruce Frassinelli Email: bfrassinelli@ptd.net

Can You Pass a Basic Civics Test?

A

s most of you, I was not required to take a citizenship test at some point in my life.

The mere fact that I was born in the United States made me a citizen.

No tests of any kind, no boundaries, no barriers. It didn’t matter how ignorant I was of our nation’s laws and history, I was in, and that was that.

For those seeking citizenship through the naturalization process, however, they must go through a complex system that includes the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services civics test, more commonly known as the “citizenship test.”

There are 128 possible questions that applicants could be asked. Each is asked 20 from among these and must answer at least 12 correctly to pass.

This is an oral exam and not multiple choice.

Applicants, however, are given a multiple choice practice test to prepare for the main event. I took this test, and scored 19 of 20, getting the final question wrong. Here was the question: What is the one duty required of all American citizens: A: Obey the law; B: Pay taxes; C: Be respectful of others; D: Serve on a jury.

I chose “pay taxes,” but the correct answer was “serve on a jury.”

You might think that 95% is great, but I was disappointed. Since I have a master’s degree in political science, I expected to achieve 100%.

20

I hate to whine or come off as a complainer, but I found the question I missed to be deceptive, because paying taxes is certainly a duty, even if none is owed. Remember the old adage: “Two things are certain — death and taxes.” One might even make a case for “obeying the law” answer.

I was surprised to find that it cost $640 to take the citizenship test this year. For some reason, I thought it was free. Silly me. When it comes to the federal government, it lives and thrives on revenues from fees.

When I taught political science classes at a community college, I was amazed at the lack of basic civics knowledge that students had.

On the first day of classes, I would ask them what I considered to be simple questions such as who is the president of the United States.

Everyone knew this answer, but when I asked who was vice president, only about 50% of the class knew the answer. Virtually none knew who their U.S. representative, their two U.S. senators, their assemblyman or their state senator were. I am happy to report that they did know them all by the end of the course.

I thought it might be fun for you to take a crack at some basic civics questions to see how you fare. These are not the same citizenship practice questions I took, but they are in the same ballpark. Good luck.

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

1. What are the two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

A: Life and death B: Life and right to own a home C: Life and the pursuit of happiness D: Liberty and justice 2. If the president can no longer serve, who becomes president?

A: Secretary of state B: Vice president C: President pro tempore D. Speaker of the House 3. We elect a U.S. representative for how many years?

A: Eight B: Six C: Four D: Two 4. We elect a president for how many years?

A: Two B: Four C: Six D: 10 5. How many justices are on the U.S. Supreme Court?

A: Nine B: 10 C: Seven D: 11 6. Who was president during the Great Depression?

A: Calvin Coolidge B: Harry Truman C: Warren Harding D: Franklin Roosevelt 7. Who is the commander in chief of the military?

A: President B: Secretary of Defense C: Vice President D: Attorney General.

8. What is freedom of religion?

A: You can practice any religion or not practice any religion B: You must choose a religion C: No one can practice religion D: You can’t choose the time you practice religion 9. What are the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution called?

A: Our inalienable rights B: Bill of Rights C: Guaranteed Rights D: They have no name

10. Who is considered the “Father of Our Country”?

A: Abraham Lincoln B: James Madison C: George Washington D: Thomas Jefferson ——— It would also be good to know answers to basic questions about New York state. Of course, these are not at play in any citizenship test, PULASKI & VICTOR, NY unless, perhaps, there is a question PULASKI & VICTOR, NY about which city is the largest in the United States. The answer, of course, is New York City, with a 2020 Census population of 8.8 million, more than twice as many people as there are in Los Angeles, which remained in second place.

In case you are wondering, Buffalo remains the second largest city in the state with 278,000 persons. Yonkers has slipped by Rochester into third place by a razor-thin 241 persons — 211,569 LAKESHORE HARDWOODS to Rochester’s 211,328.

PULASKI & VICTOR, NY Then come Syracuse in fifth place with 148,620, followed by Albany, New www.lakeshorehardwoods.com 315-298-6407 Rochelle, Cheektowaga, Mount Vernon www.lakeshorehardwoods.com 315-298-6407 and Schenectady.

Some other New York state fast facts: • There are 62 senators and 150 assembly members that comprise the New York State Legislature.

• There are three branches of government, just as there are at the federal level — executive (governor), legislative (the legislature) and judicial www.lakeshorehardwoods.com 315-298-6407 (system of courts headed by the chief judge of the Court of Appeals).

• There are 62 counties in which are located 1,530 cities, towns and villages and 1,185 special districts.

Kings County is the largest with 2.74 million people, followed by Queens County with 2.4 million, and New York County, with 1.65 million.

Monroe County is ninth largest with 759,000, Onondaga County is 11th with 476,500; Oneida County is 17th with 232,000; Oswego County is 24th with 117,500; Jefferson County is 25th with 116,700; Wayne County is 31st with 91,300; Cayuga County is 36th with 76,250; Madison County is 37th with 68,000, and Cortland County is 51st with 46,800. The smallest county is Hamilton with just 5,100 residents.

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(Correct answers to quiz: 1-C; 2-B; 3-D; 4-B; 5-A; 6-D; 7-A; 8-A; 9-B; 10-C) DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

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55+ seasonal Ho, Ho, Ho! Portraying the Jolly Old Elf requires people skills, an engaging personality and a boatload of patience

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

Kevin Pelletier, dressed as Father Christmas for Dickens’ Christmas in Skaneateles cradles a baby in his arms. “I love the smiles on children’s faces,” he says.

I

t takes more than a red suit and white beard to play Santa for children, or, at times, grownups.

As these professional Santas attest, portraying the Jolly Old Elf requires a few people skills, an engaging personality and a boatload of patience.

Kevin Pelletier, 57, has portrayed 22

Father Christmas for Dickens Christmas in Skaneateles for 22 years.

A resident of Enfield in Tompkins County, he also performs as a Scotsman at the Sterling Renaissance Festival. As his day job, he works as a computer support professional for GrammaTech in Ithaca.

Pelletier has played Santa at Fort

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

Drum and for private and corporate parties. He belongs to a Clan Claus, a worldwide Santa organization for people of Scottish descent who play Santa or Mrs. Claus.

The oldest of seven children, Pelletier watched all his younger siblings grow up and receive gifts at Christmas. Playing Santa extends that experience, as he has no children of his own.

“I love the smiles on children’s faces,” he said. “By ‘children,’ I mean everyone from 5-day-old babies to the lady who was 103. Just seeing their faces light up is what gives me that little rush to keep doing it.”

Pelletier wears his natural beard.

He uses make-up, so it appears completely white for a traditional Santa look, “but I’m getting closer to where I won’t have to,” he said.

Before he took on his role of Santa Claus, Pelletier contemplated how he would act when greeting children and their families.

“Kindness is your main focus,” he said. “I want to see a child smile, not cry or be afraid. I’m as calm and gentle and I read the faces of the children and try to interact with them in a way that makes them happy. I never force a child to do anything they don’t want to.”

He wishes that people would not pull his beard to see if it’s real.

“The majority of those are middleaged women who tug and say, ‘Oh, look, it’s real!’” he said.

Sometimes his wife, Tracy, dresses up as Mrs. Claus to accompany him, as some children feel more comfortable with Mrs. Claus.

He takes his role seriously, as for many people, meeting Santa and sharing their requests means baring their hearts. He has been part of wedding proposals, for example, by distracting the girlfriend while the boyfriend slipped down on one knee to pop the question.

“I said, ‘I was talking with the ghost of Christmas Future and he seems to think you have something good coming your way,’” Pelletier said.

During the Gulf War, he had several children whose parents died

in the conflict and asked him to bring them back. Others whose parents were sick ask for their return to good health for Christmas.

“Quite often, if the family appears religious, I’ll offer to pray for them,” Pelletier said.

He never promises anything to children, not even toys. Sometimes children ask for expensive items.

“I see the parents’ faces drop when the kids ask for a PlayStation,” Pelletier said. “Most Santas would say, ‘I’ll see what I could do.’ But I’ll say, ‘I’ve had a lot of people ask for that so if I run out, I’ll bring you something else you’ll like.’ I never promise them that gift. It would not be right to promise something their parents cannot come up with. I know what it means to do what you can. Some of the simplest gifts I got as a kid were my favorites as that’s all my parents could afford.”

Some children ask for nothing for themselves but want children in need to have something for Christmas. Some are demanding and some are shy. With the latter, Pelletier never pushes for an interaction, but waits for the children to come to him. He understands that mall Santas are often limited for time, but he usually has plenty of time to wait for bashful children to warm up to him.

“I try to give each a candy cane if they won’t come talk with me,” he said.

One girl was frightened of any Santa and would not approach him.

Pelletier engaged her in conversation from a distance and offered her a candy cane.

“I said, ‘Your mom would really like a photo of you on my lap,’” he said.

The family got their photo and the next year, the girl eagerly hopped on his lap and hugged him.

“Her father said I’m the only one she’ll go near,” Pelletier said.

He played Santa for a family a few years ago who had suffered a financial setback. Friends of theirs had purchased gifts and Pelletier delivered them on Christmas Eve. These interactions remind him of why he portrays Santa.

“I’ve seen children 5 days to a lady 103 years old,” he said. “She looked at a bunch of people scoffing at her for seeing Santa and she said, ‘If you can’t suspend your disbelief at Christmas to sit on Santa’s lap, why do you keep living?’”

golden years

By Harold Miller Email: hmiller@mcsmms.com

Living Until a Ripe Old Age

There are several lifestyle factors that will reduce your risk of dying prematurely

M

edical science has exploded in the United States during the last few decades.

Scientists have identified several lifestyle factors that will reduce your risk of dying prematurely. Each will lower your chances by up to 21%.

Some of the findings were revealed

by American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Austin, Texas, last February. Claudia Kawas, professor of geriatric neurology at the University of California, has spent the last 15 years with her research team tracking data on 1,700 people who were aged 90 or more in 2003.

It’s called the 90 + study. They have already published findings concerning frailty in this age group.

They have identified five factors that influence men’s lifespan.

• Weight: Being slightly overweight is best for this group. It reduced the risk of dying prematurely by half. Not only did modestly overweight people

not die prematurely – they actually lived longer.

• Coffee: Drinking between 200 mg and 400 mg of caffeine a day reduces the risk of death by 10%.

• Exercise: 15 to 45 minutes of moderate exercise per day reduces the risk of death by 11%.

• Hobbies: Believe it or not this can provide the biggest reduction in mortality rate – 21%. Professor Kawas also spoke of keeping the brain active with social interaction.

• Alcohol: Two glasses of wine or a couple of beers a day lowered the risk of death by 18%.

The lead author of this new research stressed that, “People should try to incorporate as many of these things into their day to give themselves the best chance of living a ripe age.”

While ago, I reached the 88-yearold mark. My secret to a long, healthy life: Someone to love, something to do, something to look forward to.

DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

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aging

By Marilyn L. Pinsky

The Lepers in Room 1005!

N

ear the end of July, my partner and I headed to Sarasota, Florida for a week.

We were fully vaccinated and had a box of 50 highly-rated KN95 masks, both for the flights and to wear around town.

Just before we left, we heard that the Delta variant was going to be big in Florida and even though vaccinated and feeling safe, we still planned to be extra careful. This was about a week before we had even heard the term “Breakthrough COVID.” The flight was fine; a lot of hand washing and keeping our masks on.

Upon arrival at the building where we were staying, a very friendly fellow handed us the keys to the room, took us up in the elevator and showed us around.

Two days later we got an email that he came down with COVID-19. Two days later, so did my partner. Four days later, so did I. As soon as we got the first positive COVID-19 result, we felt we had to report it to the building manager. The management, thus informed, went into total battle mode, as they rightly should have. What follows are my “Notes From the Battlefield.”

The building residents were informed that there was now another COVID-19 case, no names mentioned, and the management explained all the extensive measures being taken to limit the spread.

If we weren’t the lepers in this situation, we would have found those measures very comforting.

The first week was without a doubt scary; fever, coughing, headaches, too tired to get out of bed, not knowing if we should be going to a hospital or if that was a worse place to be. We were very grateful for having had the vaccines as they ultimately kept us out of the hospital and from more serious consequences, but at that point the effects of the delta variant 24

right:

A handyman in our Florida hotel had to be suit up in full protective gear to be near us. We had COVID-19 and our room had a defective toilet that needed to be fixed.

were unknown on the previously vaccinated.

It was a very stressful time as no one could tell us what to expect and we kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Prior to my getting sick, I was able to at least go to the drug store for a thermometer and a pulse oximeter and to the grocery store for some basic food, as we had a small fridge in the room, but once I was sick we were living on takeout.

Let me tell you, leftover crab Rangoon is not so great for breakfast.

The building management was very nice and felt badly, but they were responsible for the safety of the whole building, so they did not want us leaving our room, which we certainly understood. So there we were, 24/7 in

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

one room. By day 18 we figured that if we killed each other, the murderer would get off free, as in Florida it would probably go down as just another COVID-19 death.

But what to do with the garbage from all those takeout meals and the endless tissues from our colds when you can’t leave your room?

To walk to the garbage area by darkness of night, I would put on my mask and gloves. I would dress up like a hooker one night, a drug dealer the next, figuring no one would be as upset at seeing members of those professions sneaking around at night as they would be of the lepers being out of their room.

Around day 8 the toilet stopped working and for some reason, we

“I told the driver that I was sick and going for a COVID-19 test and he should be wearing a mask. He told me that COVID-19 was fake news so he didn’t have to.” had never thought to pack a toilet plunger. It took a while for someone to come to fix it because he had to suit up in full protective gear to be near us.

Then there was Fred. First he was an offshore depression. Then he was a tropical storm. Poor guy couldn’t make up his mind. But one day, suddenly Fred became an urgent figure in my life. The room we were in opened to the common pool area and every time a storm approaches, all the pool furniture has to be taken in. We got a call from building management that they had closed off two floors because we had been on them and therefore they couldn’t send anyone up to bring in the pool furniture unless I went for a COVID-19 test. And I had to do it immediately in time for the results to come back before the storm and while their staff was still working on Friday.

Not having a car, I had no option but to take an Uber to an urgent care center on a nearby island to get my test.

When I got in the car the driver was not wearing a mask, despite emails from Uber saying I could not be a passenger without wearing a mask and I had to check the online form promising I would. It also said on the app that all their drivers are masked. I told the driver that I was sick and going for a COVID-19 test and he should be wearing a mask. He told me that COVID-19 was fake news so he didn’t have to. When I asked, given the state of the spread of the disease in Florida, if he didn’t know anyone who had ever had COVID-19. He said “sure and some who died but they would’ve died anyway from something. And they wouldn’t have died if the government wasn’t withholding the drugs from the people to reverse COVID.” That shut me up for the rest of the trip.

Three and a half weeks later we were out of quarantine and though we had barely enough energy to get to the airport, we were determined to get home. Home sweet home.

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DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

25

55+ music The True Sound of Music Kerner and Merchant Pipe Organ Builders: in the business of making music sound better

By Carol Radin

W

hen we respond to the serenity of a Bach or Brahms chorale or a triumphant Handel chorus, we can marvel at the sense of wonder created by the chords of the pipe organ.

Ben Merchant understands how that sense of wonder happens from inside out—literally.

As president of Kerner and Merchant Pipe Organ Builders, East Syracuse, Merchant heads a company that has been providing maintenance and service for organs in religious institutions, concert halls and colleges all over the Upstate and Central New York areas for more than 40 years.

The company also builds organs and does re-builds and historical restorations.

A m o n g t h e m a j o r re b u i l d s displayed on its website are the organs in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse, the Franciscan Church of the Assumption Church, also in Syracuse, and the First United Presbyterian Church, Troy. They have restored organs for Syracuse University, Hamilton College in Clinton and the Unitarian Universalist Church in Canton, among others.

Merchant, 69, a Schenectady native, is also a musician. He plays the organ and the harpsichord and he sings. After his college years at SUNYAlbany and Syracuse University, where he earned his degree in music history, he started out in organ maintenance 26

by tuning organs.

He apprenticed with Leonard Carlson, a master organ builder, and Walter Burr, a harpsichord builder.

While at SU, Merchant met Rob Kerner.

Together they founded Kerner and Merchant in 1977.

While Kerner is now retired, Merchant continues in the business with three co-owners, A. Hawley Arnold, 55, Christopher Fuller, 31 and Stefan Merchant, 29, who is Ben Merchant’s son. They succeed as a team by collaborating across two generations, learning from each other and complementing each others’ skills sets.

Arnold, now the corporate secretary, has been rolling up his sleeves with Kerner and Merchant since 1980.

“I am the old quote-unquote grayhaired expert,” he said.

In his other life, he is also the choir director and organist for Jordan United Methodist Church in Jordan, where he’s been for 42 years and counting.

Arnold started playing the organ in junior high school. However, building an organ? No interest, he said.

Then, he met Merchant when his church employed the services of Kerner and Merchant. It was, Arnold recalled, “A whole other level of the pipe organ.” Soon after that, he started out with the company parttime, usually holding the keys for the tuner, since he has what’s known as a

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

good ear.

“I would just go around seeing bigger instruments than I’d ever seen,” he said.

He got hooked and gradually just “learned more and more on the job.” With degrees in music history and music education, he can also relate on an academic level to instructional principles and to professional development. He has done some demonstrations, attends conventions and enjoys collegiality with the teaching staffs at the colleges where the company maintains organs.

Ever the student, he approaches his work with an open mind. “I’m still growing into it!” he said. That’s a modest estimation from someone who is actually a mentor for Fuller and Stefan Merchant, who look to Arnold for historical knowledge, that good

Ben Merchant services the pipe organ at Crouse College, Syracuse University. left

Founding partners of Kerner and Merchant Pipe Organ Builders: Rob Kerner (left) and Ben Merchant at First Baptist Church, Hamilton. bottom left

Hawley Arnold (left) and Stefan Merchant assemble the internal components within a wind chest, recently restored for the Basilica of Sacred Heart, Syracuse. bottom right

A sketch drawn by Chris Fuller depicts a proposed facade design. below

DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

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Hawley Arnold wires the 61-note action rail. The wiring enables the electrical signal to travel from the organ’s keyboard to the corresponding note/pitch/pipe.

ear for tuning and general all-around support.

Fuller himself might say he’s still growing into it, though he has done so with Arnold by his side.

“I knew absolutely nothing about pipe organs!” Fuller admitted. His instruments are the trumpet, piano and guitar. His musical tastes are more inclined to the rock band Cold Play and the “honest music” of country singer Colton Wall. Growing up in Jordan, however, Fuller got to know Arnold through church and started helping out at the Kerner and Merchant workshop during summers while in high school.

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Like Arnold, he got taken in. “There’s a lot of woodworking and construction.

It really intrigued me. I had not had access to this different level of tools,” he said.

In college, he studied architecture.

“A pipe organ is similar to residential architecture. It has structure, design, building a façade, ergonomic design, electrical components. It is micro-skill building,” he said.

To master the specialized handson skills required for this job, though, Fuller looks to Arnold.

“We wouldn’t be in business if we couldn’t rely on that institutional

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

knowledge,” said Fuller. As the company’s vice president, Fuller looks forward to all opportunities to more fully engage in new ideas and to help the company’s strategy and structure continue to evolve.

For Stefan Merchant, 29, joining his father’s company full-time as a managing partner was not a stretch.

His is a musical family. Ben Merchant has instilled in Stefan an appreciation for the organ, religious music, and church architecture. Stefan’s mother, Julie Pretzat, is currently director of the Syracuse Vocal Ensemble, in which Ben Merchant sings. Stefan himself sings in a pop band. He likes to recall, that as a child, he would be allowed after church to climb the ladder up to the organ, where the organist “would let me operate the stops.” (the controls that operate sets of pipes).

“It was my version of the jungle gym!” he said.

What started out as play gradually seeped in and Stefan started working in the business during high school and college breaks. He left the area for the University of Colorado, where he earned a degree in arts and geography.

Self-evaluation, the appeal of the work, and years of guidance from his father led him to seriously pursue organbuilding and maintenance.

While the piano is his instrument rather than the organ and his listening preferences tend toward hard rock, like the rock trio Chevelle or the electrical music of Kiko, he does love the physical process of organ-building.

He breaks into a smile as he describes getting inside the organ chamber itself, working on the reservoirs (storage boxes for organ wind and for regulating wind pressure), restringing, and all the other intricate processes of “assessing and putting back together.” Though Stefan found that he knew more than he first realized when he came into the business, he discovered so much more on the job by working with his father and with Arnold and Fuller.

“We each come at it from a different perspective,” Stefan said. “My father is the jack-of-all-trades. He’s taught me about different types of pipes, families of sound, chest designs, how to diagnose problems,” among other aspects of building and restoration.

From Arnold, Stefan learned much more about wiring. He also counts on Arnold’s command of music history.

“If there’s something I don’t see very often, he’s the one I go to,” he said.

And from Fuller, who is regarded by all his colleagues as a great cabinetmaker, Stefan acquired essential woodworking skills.

The on-the-job learning is just that, more an intergenerational sharing of expertise, rather than a formal classroom experience. What makes it work is what the four share in common, a love of music and a talent for creating with their hands. Even in his spare time, Ben Merchant’s pastimes are tinkering with cars and restoring antiques. He is now building a harpsichord. For organ-building itself, fine cabinet-making is a core competence. That fine woodworking must be combined with wiring and fitting strings, pins, bridges and many other intricate components of manual construction that the average music listener has no idea of.

Nor do most listeners realize what goes into maintaining an organ season by season. Generally organists are advised to have organs checked twice a year. The company routinely maintains 150 organs. At this time of year, they will service 20–30 organs per week, with assistance from one additional full-time employee and as many as seven part-timers.

“Everyone wants their organ to sound good for Christmas,” Merchant said.

All sorts of questions and extra repairs will pop up and the company has been known to save the day.

“One time, I got an emergency call from a frantic organist. ‘The organ was ‘badly out of tune. Could I come and help?’ I rushed to the church on

Christmas Eve and climbed up into the organ and found a Hacky Sack on the organ chest. Evidently some teens were playing in the church and the ball had gotten kicked up into the pipes and knocked several crucial pipes out of tune!”

These are what Merchant typically calls “UFOs: unwanted flying objects, like insects, birds, bees, moths, bats, dust and dirt.”

As the veterans, Merchant and Arnold have seen the business change radically over four decades. Time and again, they have lived Arnold’s mantra, “You never stop learning.”

Design and specifications for rebuilding are now computer-aided.

Previously, organs operated with sets of electro-mechanical switches.

Today, those sets of switches have been replaced with microprocessors.

Computer cables have been replaced by fiber optics. How to deal with the learning curve? “We taught ourselves,” Ben Merchant explained, describing their calls to manufacturers, ordering manuals, and poring over them. While it can be head-scratching at times, Ben Merchant keeps what’s most important foremost in his mind, “What makes pipe organs good are the pipes and the acoustics and THAT hasn’t changed,” he said.

The business itself is adjusting to the reduction of organs in the area, as some church and temple buildings close.

Expanding their region to a three-hour radius was part of that adjustment. As vice president, Fuller is seeking to redefine the company’s strategy to deal with the diminishing role of the organ in religious and cultural life. Getting more creative is

not out of the question for him.

“We’re thinking of an organ in its traditional aspect, but what else can it be? Can it be something way more interactive? Can that be done?” he said.

He contemplates the possibilities of making the instrument more visible, more accessible in more venues and more interdisciplinary.

“How awesome would it be to open up these things?” Fuller said.

Conversations with religious groups, who can no longer keep their buildings, while becoming more frequent, are not just a business transaction for Ben Merchant, who values organ music as an important dimension in his own life.

“I hate it when there’s a beautiful organ in a beautiful sanctuary, but they can’t afford to maintain their sanctuary!” he said.

Fuller too admits developing an emotional attachment to this instrument that takes on a life far beyond the physical materials.

Rebuilding an instrument can take a year, so that’s a year of devoted commitment to one project. Most were originally built more than a century ago.

“You’re second in touching this,” Chris said. “There’s a part downstairs we’re restoring now. A person one hundred years ago signed his name inside and we wouldn’t have found that until we opened it up!”

So beyond the measurements and the materials, Chris and his colleagues touch a part of history and sustain continuity and reverence for something really beyond articulation.

And when they complete their work, we have music! Quite wondrous after all!

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DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

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55+ getaways

New York’s Top Winter Getaways Check the resort’s website for package deals and tips for what else to do in the area

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

W

hether to enjoy the snow or escape from the cold, you have many options for a winter vacation right in your own backyard.

Lake Placid is synonymous with winter sports and activities since hosting two Winter Olympic Games.

Skiing, ziplining over Olympic ski jumps, mountain coaster riding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, sleigh riding, ice skating, dogsledding, bobsledding, scenic gondola riding and exploring Ausable Chasm and Olympic Games points of interest: if you want to experience all or any of these, stay at Whiteface Lodge (www.thewhitefacelodge.com), which is near all the best of Lake Placid’s attractions and events. Whiteface provides a classic ski lodge experience with all the luxuries you would want in a resort: on-site dining, fireplaces, hot tubs, indoor pool, fitness center, spa, surround sound movie theater, 30

game room and more.

With views of beautiful Lake George, The Sagamore Resort (www. thesagamore.com) in Bolton Landing offers guests the option of a variety of lodgings, including a Victorian-style hotel, lodges and the castle. Relaxation is the word at The Sagamore, with a spa, whirlpool tub and on-site dining.

Plan to visit nearby Gore Mountain, West Mountain, Crandall Park and Adirondack Extreme-Adventure Park.

Serenity is yours to enjoy at The Point in Saranac Lake (https:// thepointsaranac.com), a tastefully rustic lodge that is adults-only (unless guests rent the entire facility). In addition to the Great Camp Era inspiration in the décor, guests can enjoy dining, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, skating, curling and ice fishing on the property.

W i n d h a m M o u n t a i n ( w w w. windhammountain.com) also welcomes children with a selection

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

of smaller snowmobiles for the youngsters. Windham offers 54 trails, an inn, spa, three restaurants, snowtubing, snowboarding and ice skating and kids. Equipment trial, rental and purchase are all available.

The Mohonk Mountain House (www. mohonk.com) lodges guests in its unparalleled circa 1869 Victorian-style castle or its cottages and guest rooms. Tucked in the middle of 40,000 acres of forest, Mohonk offers ice skating, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, tubing, swimming in the indoor pool, yoga classes and luxury spa treatments. Check the website for events in the area.

A blend of luxury and chances to play in the snow, Hunter Mountain (www.huntermtn.com) boasts a large enough facility to keep guests socially distanced with 67 trails (with a 1,600-foot drop), and skiing and snowboard lessons, both for adults and children; perfect if you want to bring grandchildren. At the lodge complex, relax at the spa, cafes, bars, coffee shops and restaurants. Guests may also try equipment before they buy it at the Demo Center.

Villa Roma Resort & Conference Center (www.villaroma.com) is an allinclusive resort that includes familyoriented activities both indoors and outdoors, such as snow tubing, b o w l i n g , c h i l d re n ’ s s l e d d i n g , racquetball, indoor inflatable area and more. Choose from among numerous options for dining and relax at the on-site spa. The resort offers shuttles to ski locations in the Catskills. The lodging includes traditional rooms and up to two-bedroom suites with a jetted tub. The Villa earned Trip Advisor’s certificate of excellence in 2018.

Take your grandchildren to Rocking Horse Ranch Resort (www. rockinghorseranch.com) in Highland, rated as TripAdvisor’s top all-inclusive family resort. With a little for everyone, families can find plenty of things to stay entertained, including ice skating, snow tubing, horse-drawn sleigh riding, skiing, soaking in the hot springs and joining in family activities.

All activities are included in the stay, making it perfect for groups that want to try a little of everything.

Wherever you take your winter vacation, check the resort’s website for package deals and tips for what else to do in the area, including special events.

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55+ cover

The Stick Maker Alfred E. Jacques is an Onondaga Nation craftsman who continues a long-standing tradition: handcrafting traditional wooden lacrosse sticks.

By Ken Sturtz

o watch Alfred E. Jacques make a lacrosse stick is to witness an artist at work.

It may seem strange to call someone who makes a piece of sports equipment an artist. It’s hard to imagine the factory workers who churn out football helmets or basketballs as artists. But Jacques is a factory of one and you can’t buy his lacrosse sticks at the local sporting goods store.

In a tiny workshop located in a nondescript cinder-block barn on the Onondaga Nation, south of Syracuse, Jacques sits at a bench, meticulously carving a piece of hickory with a drawknife. The air carries a hint of sawdust and the room is filled with sticks in various stages of completion.

With each pass, wood shavings land at his feet. When he finishes, the stick is so smooth it almost looks like it’s been machine cut.

“I’ve been at it for 60 years; I can make it look really easy, but it’s a lot harder than people realize,” he said. “Everybody would make their own stick if it was easy.”

Jacques is among a handful of people who continue to make traditional wooden lacrosse sticks. Making a stick entails a tedious 10-month process that involves hours of cutting, carving, steaming, straightening, sanding and shellacking.

The final product is a polished hickory lacrosse stick that shines like bone.

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55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

Over the years Jacques has gained a reputation as one of the craft’s finest stick makers. He’s known internationally and enjoys something akin to celebrity status in the lacrosse world. Jacques travels and lectures extensively on wooden lacrosse sticks. His sticks are prized by collectors, some of whom travel from other states to purchase sticks and see him work.

Jacques doesn’t have a website or social media page for his business and doesn’t advertise.

There isn’t even a sign to alert visitors to his shop, tucked away out of sight at the bottom of a small hill, that they’re in the right place. He relies on word of mouth, but says in recent years the internet has made his sticks more popular than ever. In addition to the media coverage he’s received, he says collectors flock to online forums dedicated to wooden lacrosse sticks.

OUT OF NECESSITY Each year Jacques produces approximately 200 sticks.

He has a waiting list of orders that will take him at least two years to fill. He regularly gets calls from people looking to purchase a stick, but usually turns them away. This year he’s refused at least 75 new orders. After 60 years of making sticks, Jacques says he’s content to take his time and get each one right.

one of the finest stick crafters

Ken Sturtz

Alfred E. Jacques carves a lacrosse stick in his workshop on the Onondaga Nation. After 60 years he pulls the drawknife effortlessly, leaving hickory shavings at his feet.

He makes approximately 200 highly sought after handmade wooden lacrosse sticks each year.

“I don’t even know if I can finish the list,” he said. “If I end up making 10 sticks a year, it’ll be 10 sticks a year.”

Jacques made his first lacrosse stick out of necessity when he was 12 years old. Growing up on the Onondaga Nation, he and his brother enjoyed playing lacrosse with friends.

With no stick of his own, he was forced to borrow his father’s or one from a friend.

Lacrosse sticks then only cost about $5, but he says his family didn’t have the money.

“Then one day my father just kind of popped up and said what the heck let’s make our own,” Jacques said.

H i s f a t h e r, L o u i s J a c q u e s , understood the design concept, but had never actually made a lacrosse stick before. Undeterred, father and son marched into the woods. They found a tree, cut it down and split it into pieces. Then they began trying to bend them into the proper shape. Their first handful of attempts produced “some pretty darn ugly pieces,” but they learned together through trial 34

and error.

In 1968, they went into business full-time making lacrosse sticks for $10 a piece. They eventually reached a production high of 12,000 sticks a year, all handmade by Jacques, his father and a handful of laborers. He says it’s mind-boggling to realize they averaged 250 sticks a week, more than Jacques makes in a year now.

“We worked every day, 24/7,” he said. “But you know when you love what you do it’s not so bad. We totally enjoyed what we were doing.”

If Jacques, who for most of his life either played or coached lacrosse, wasn’t busy playing or practicing, and his father wasn’t coaching lacrosse, they made sticks. Business was so busy that customers showed up at all hours. Many times, the family would be sitting down for a Sunday dinner together and customers would appear.

Someone would have to go talk with the people and sell them some sticks before getting back to dinner.

Jacques and his father were charging about $25 a stick in the mid-

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

1970s when lacrosse sticks with plastic heads and metal shafts became widely available. The shift from wooden to plastic sticks devastated their business, which fell off 90%. They were soon producing a mere 1,200 sticks a year.

Jacques eventually gave up making sticks full time and spent a 24-year career as a machinist, helping make rocket engine parts. He had other jobs over the years, but one constant remained.

“No matter what I did, no matter where I was working, no matter what happened, I always made sticks,” he said.

The reason was simple. Lacrosse is such an important aspect of life that it’s considered sacred by the Onondaga people. It’s a common tradition for baby boys to receive a miniature stick at birth and for men to be buried with their stick so they can play in the spirit world, explained Jacques, who is a member of the Onondaga Turtle Clan.

Tradition holds that the game was a gift from the Creator and that the spirit of the tree in the stick connects

above, from left

Jacques uses a bandsaw to cut a handle down to size, taking care to cut with the grain of the wood to give it added strength; Jacques uses a drawknife to carve a lacrosse stick; he signs each stick he completes; sticks in various stages of completion are stacked up across his workshop.

the players to Mother Earth as they play for the Creator. The game is so important that it’s said to have healing power, which is why it’s also known as the Medicine Game.

“And to actually play the game you have to have a wooden stick,” Jacques said. “There is no plastic in this, so somebody always has to keep the sticks rolling.”

This spread and next page: Ken Sturtz

EXERCISE IN PATIENCE To actually make a lacrosse stick to Jacques’s exacting standards is an exercise in patience.

The process begins by selecting and cutting down a tree, preferably shagbark hickory. It generally needs to be at least a century old and must be straight without any bends, twists or knots. On a recent visit to a woodlot with about 200 hickory trees Jacques chose just five.

The logs are split into eight pieces using a wooden mallet and an axe.

They’re cut into smaller pieces and carved. The wood is still green and

won’t bend well, so it’s left to dry for a month.

Then the stick is steamed in a giant drum until it’s pliable enough to bend around a shaping frame. It’s wrapped with wire to hold the shape and left to dry for at least six months. Later it’s steamed again and a smaller reverse bend is completed before the stick is allowed to dry for a week.

Jacques cuts the stick down with a band saw, taking care to cut with the grain instead of cutting straight. That makes it stronger. Then he carves and shapes the head by hand. One last steaming and the handle of the stick is straightened between two pieces of pipe and left to stabilize.

Finally, the stick is cut to the proper length and the handle cut into an octagon shape with a band saw.

Jacques drills the holes in the head freehand and belt sands the stick before giving it a finer hand sanding.

He burns his logo into the stick, signs it and shellacs it. The last part is fitting the pocket of rawhide and nylon. The rawhide string is made by hand. A

DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

35

Jacques burns his logo, which he designed as a child, into each stick. One of the final steps is outfitting the head of the stick with genuine woven rawhide and nylon.

signature purple shooting string is included.

“Everything you do is purposed to the end product,” Jacques said. “You don’t just cut, you don’t just drill.”

One of the benefits of not making thousands of sticks each year is that Jacques has the time to focus on the most minuscule details of his process.

He says he thought the sticks he made 25 years ago were very high quality. He discovered that as good as they were, there was still room for improvements.

“I slowed down and I tweaked this and tweaked that and made this better and made that better,” he said. “So, I improved myself by making less.”

His high standards are evident from a pile of dozens of sticks leaning against the wall in a corner of his shop. These sticks, in various stages of completion, represent the discards.

Some broke during bending. Others have knots in them. Nearly all appear fine to the untrained eye. Some might be salvageable. Most will end up as kindling.

What exactly constitutes a great stick? It turns out, is somewhat subjective. An experienced lacrosse player will often pick up a stick and 36

feel it in their hands first and foremost, Jacques said. They’ll be interested in the weight, the balance, the precise shape of the handle and head. They might look at 15 or 20 sticks, carefully scrutinizing the tiniest details in each.

“And that one that’s talking to him, that’s the one he’s going to get,” he said. “And they could all be of the same quality, but by being handmade they all have these little differences in them.”

‘HONOR YOUR STICK’ When Jacques first began making lacrosse sticks, almost all of them were used for their intended purpose. But today the opposite is true. Lacrosse has exploded in popularity over the last half century. It has largely left the wooden stick behind in favor of its plastic counterpart.

After raising his price over the years, Jacques now gets at least $350 depending on the stick. While some people who purchase sticks use them, most are destined for a wall somewhere as a decoration. Jacques says he could make an imitation stick similar to the real thing, but not meant to be used.

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

It would be far less work, but he wouldn’t think of doing such a thing.

While he has no illusions about where many of his sticks end up, he does make a request to his customers when they purchase one. He urges them not to leave it stuck on a wall forever and to take it down once in a while and play catch with it.

“Honor the stick for what it was made for,” Jacques said. “Use it a little and then put it back on the wall.”

Whether they’re used in a game or hung on a wall, making lacrosse sticks is physically demanding work.

Jacques plans to make sticks as long as he’s able. He enjoys the work and admits he can’t sit still and always needs something to do. But at 72, he’s slowing down a bit.

“I’m getting old,” he said, laughing. “My hands hurt, everything hurts. So, I’m not making as many as I used to make.”

In addition to arthritis in his hands, wrists and shoulder, Jacques lost his mother in 2016 at age 87. A month later he noticed blood in his urine and learned he had an aggressive form of kidney cancer. He had a kidney removed and recovered. Not long after that he had a mild heart attack and had several stents inserted.

“It took a lot out of me, so I’ve slowed down,” he said.

Of course, there’s slowing down and then there’s slowing down. He used to rise every day at 5:30 a.m. Now he sleeps in until 7 a.m. and sometime after that arrives at his workshop to feed his black and white American Shorthair cats, Michelle and Obama, and start the day.

Jacques has an adult son who helped him make sticks since he was a boy; but, he has his own career as an engineer and he’s too smart to do this work his whole life, Jacques said. Over the years many people have expressed interest in learning how to make lacrosse sticks, but most quickly gave up when they realized how difficult it was.

It took a long time, but Jacques finally found an apprentice who stuck with it. He’s been learning for six years and Jacques expects him to carry on. There’s also another man on the Onondaga Nation who makes sticks.

“It’s not going to die with me,” he said. “Someone else will take the helm.” ■

Chuck Wainwright

Jacques knows that, for most customers, his sticks are collectibles and decorations more than they are lacrosse sticks. For this reason, he has a simple request whenever one is purchased: “honor the stick for what it was made for. Use it a little and then put it back on the wall.”

55+ event

Quilt Exhibit on Display at Schweinfurth Those with an image in their mind of what a quilt show is like will be pleasantly surprised

By Mary Beth Roach

T

he main gallery at the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn is an explosion of color and creativity, the perfect way to brighten up a cold and dreary Central New York winter day.

The “Quilts=Arts=Quilts” annual exhibit, marking its 40th year at the Schweinfurth, showcases more than 70 quilts created by 61 artists from across the world, from Syracuse and its eastern suburbs to Europe and Australia. Being a juried show, these in the exhibit were selected from the more than 300 entries that had been submitted.

The title of the exhibit is a comment on how quilts are viewed, according to Donna Lamb, the director of the art center.

When the exhibit first opened in 38

1981, she explained, it was mostly traditional quilts. Over the past four decades, it’s grown from there to “be primarily innovative or what we call art quilts.”

For those who only imagine quilts as bedcovers, this exhibit will surely alter that thinking.

When visitors “come to this show, they have an image in their mind of what a quilt show is going to be like, and many people are pleasantly surprised,” said Lamb.

It has opened up the definition of quilt, with some of the quilts shaped as opposed to the typical rectangle or square and some have three-dimensional elements, she noted.

Take, for example, the acrobatic figure in mid-flight, in the piece titled “Ryan Stephenson” by Canadian Fuzzy Mall, which measures 10-1/2

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

feet high. Or the bright “Kimono #3 Winds Flowing for Charity” by another Canadian, Lynne Lee; or “Heritage,”

by Lena Meszaros from France. Her quilt is in the shape of coat, with a suitcase and boxes dangling below.

While “Heritage” represents a shaped quilt, it, like so many quilts, tells a story.

According to a media release from the center, the piece represents Meszaros’ family’s nomadic life in Europe. Her father, a Jew of Polish origin, survived World War II in a ghetto in Budapest, Hungary. Her mother had lived in Siberia before marrying him and moving to Hungary.

According to the artist, a coat is the most practical item when you have to leave your house. It can protect you from the weather, she had said, can serve as a blanket, and you can put food in the pockets and can hide valuables in its lining.

Canadian Bill Stearman began his quilt, “Finding Comfort in the Unknown,” just weeks before treatment on his liver. In his artist statement, he said that he was so filled with emotions; he “needed to find a way to be rid of all of that and to focus on finding comfort. Making this piece brought comfort and it continues to bring me comfort as I settle in with its softness.” Today Stearman is cancerfree.

The exhibit also boasts quilts that represent issues in today’s society, especially since the pieces need to have been completed within the past three years, said Davana Robedee, program director. One of those topics is the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on people.

Kathy Suprenant, of Kansas, had been a cellular and molecular biologist and professor at the University of Kansas. Her piece, titled “CELL-fie,” is from three lab coats with different textures. It features drawn and stitched cells and DNA strands in shades of blue. In her artist statement, she noted that “Months of COVID-19 isolation led to a disorienting array of drawing, painting and stitching directly onto the quilt surface.”

Quilts often respond to what the current political climate is, Lamb said.

“It’s a way to send out messages that are quietly accepted and not challenged. There’s something about the medium that is not as threatening for people,” she said.

Ward W. O’Hara Agricultural & Country Living Museum Mon.–Sat., 10am–4pm, Sun., 11am–4pm Wednesdays in July & August open till 8:30pm

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In the artist statement for her “Dora Creek: Twenty-Eight Sketches,” Australian Judy Hooworth explained “sometimes it is the small-scale aspects of the surrounding bush that captures her attention ... the complexity and diversity of fragile ecosystems threatened by urban encroachment.”

Closer to home, Rachel Ivy Clarke of Syracuse wrote that her “What Is Essential Is Invisible to the Eye” shows professions that are “consistently ignored, under-resourced and scorned, yet arguably essential to a functional society.”

Two other local quilters with works displayed are Liz Anderson, of Fayetteville, with “Sweetie Pie Guy” and Julia Graziano, of Manlius, with “Don’t Cross Me.” The quilt movement has also seen changes in the quilters and the techniques they use have changed.

One of the biggest changes in the last 20 years is that quilters are designing or printing their own fabric, Lamb said. Robedee pointed out that within the last five years, many are digitally designing their fabric.

Traditionally, quilting has been done by women and while the majority of the pieces displayed have been created by women, there are several created by men.

Kevin Womack of Virginia won Best in Show for his “Equilibrium.”

For Lamb, a quilter herself, the exhibit allows her to appreciate all of the work that goes into these pieces,

and Robedee loves the deep and very rich history behind the tradition of quilting.

“It represents a lot of different facets of America. In its craft form and in its fine art form, it sort of tells a story about us as a people,” she said.

In the Davis Family Gallery on Schweinfurth’s second floor is an exhibit titled “Marks Made,” featuring the work of Christine Mauersberger.

The exhibit closes Jan. 9.

Admission is $10 per person; members, participating artists, and children 12 and younger are admitted free.

For those interested in history, the art center has partnered with the Cayuga Museum of History & Art next door to offer a $15 joint admission ticket that offers a $5 savings. The center is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. They will be closed Christmas Eve day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. For more information, check out www.schweinfurthartcenter.org.

If traveling to Auburn, visitors might consider also taking in some of the historical landmarks in the area, including the Equal Rights Heritage Center; the home of William H. Seward, a leading politician of the 19th century who spearheaded the purchase of the Alaskan Territory in the 1867; and the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park.

Advertise in the most effective media for reaching 55-plussers in Central New York! www.cny55.com

DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

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55+ snow Snow Fighters The tough job of snowplow drivers who clear the streets of Syracuse, one of the snowiest cities of its size

By Mary Beth Roach

W

Don MacLachlan climbs on a payloader used to dump salt into the plow trucks used by the town of Marcellus. above

Tony Crowder, left, and Tom Ely, right stand in front of some plows at Syracuse DPW. opposite page

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ith an average snowfall that often exceeds 100 inches, Syracuse has the dubious distinction of having won the Golden Snowball Award 14 times since the winter of 2002-2003, beating out Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo and Rochester.

The award is presented to the city that receives the most snow in a season.

To make this kind of weather bearable are the snowplow drivers working for the various municipalities throughout the area, such as the city of Syracuse and the town of Marcellus.

The sign over one of the doors at the Syracuse Department of Public Works sums it up pretty well. “Through these doors pass the best snow fighters in the U.S.A.” The DPW crews are responsible for plowing 406 miles of roads to cover, from the multi-lane major thoroughfares to narrow one-way roads. Those miles equate into 800-plus lane miles, since the plows need to do both sides of a road, according to Tom Ely, superintendent of street cleaning and snow and ice for the city.

Together Ely, 58, and Tony Crowder, 60, have a little more than

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

45 years of experience plowing city streets, and while in their respective jobs right now, Crowder is a foreman, they don’t do as much plowing as in earlier years, Crowder will jump in when needed.

“We do whatever it takes to get it done,” Ely said. His job is to dispatch the trucks and give the drivers their routes, prioritizing the emergency and rush routes, the hills, and the neighborhood streets. During a storm, Ely said they like to have 22 trucks on the streets, and if possible 25.

But at the end of a 12-hour shift, when he sees that the streets are wide open, Crowder said, “It’s a good feeling.”

“It is rewarding when everyone comes in and everything’s rolling,” Ely said.

The challenges of the job are the black ice, the hills, odd-even parking, and the illegally parked cars on the streets, especially those on steep hills.

As the plows navigate down a long, steep hill, and come upon an illegally parked car, they often are not able to get around it, so they need to back all the way up that hill, while contending with an eight-foot-long plow in the

front of the truck and a wing on the side that measures about 10 to 11 feet.

“That’s the importance of a wingman. Now you’ve got somebody watching the right side of you,” Crowder said.

Today, Crowder and Ely are sharing their experience with a younger crop of drivers.

In the town of Marcellus, the oddeven parking is not an issue, but the hills there can be tricky.

“Everything around us is hills,” said Jim Rossiter, 59, who has been a part-time plow driver with Marcellus for four years, having worked at the County Highway Department for 33 years.

The drivers for its highway department have well more than 100 years of experience behind the wheels of those plows. While some have been with the department for many years, others came in after having worked for the Onondaga County Highway Department.

Three drivers alone, Don MacLachlan, Jim Rossiter and Tim Aherin, have more than 90 years combined.

MacLachlan, 58, has been plowing

for the town for 34 years, taking over as superintendent in 2005. As such, he is responsible for making sure that 42 miles of roads are cleared, with his crew of five full-time and one part-time operators. He also is in charge of the fleet. Tim Aherin, 59, has been plowing for the town since 1994.

Because the crew is small, there are no split shifts for these drivers, which can sometimes mean extra-long hours.

This, MacLachlan said, can impact the drivers’ down time with their families and their diets, since much of it is grabbing food on the go; and sleep. Depending on the weather and snowfall accumulation, he might send drivers home at 9 p.m. to get some rest, but tell them to be back at 3 a.m.

The technology over the years has changed substantially. Automatic transmission gives lot more control over the truck and their salting systems have been computerized, MacLachlan said, so it puts down so many pounds of salt or salt and sand mix per square mile. The department switched to a belly sander, he said, which puts the salt and sand in front of the rear wheels as opposed as out the back, giving the tires more traction. He also

has his crews fill up with more salt when they are only half-full instead of waiting until they’re empty. The maneuverability of an empty truck is worse than a car, he said.

The worst storm for Crowder, MacLachlan and Rossiter agreed was in March 1993, when the area got clobbered.

According to Syracuse.com, the storm had slammed the area with more than 3½ feet of snow between March 13 and 14. Wind gusts caused significant drifting and whiteouts.

Rossiter was still with the county at the time of the storm. He recalled, “They call you and tell you to bring a sleeping bag, pillow and change of clothes.” He didn’t, he said, regrettably, and he didn’t go home for several days.

At Syracuse DPW cots were set up in the breakroom. And after plowing through the storm, Crowder came home to find the door to his apartment buried in snow and had to dig it out by hand since his shovel was inside.

Fast forward to today and the crews are well underway preparing for the winter ahead.

“There’s nothing like putting the steel to the road,” Ely said. r

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55+ veterans World War II History CNY man donates father’s World War photos to Veterans History Project

By Steve Yablonski

M

ike Chamberlain, 65, is a native of Central New York, now living in Auburn.

His father, Sgt. Carl, was a paratrooper in World War II, serving from late 1942 to 1945. Carl Chamberlain would have turned 100 this past July.

As a volunteer in the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (82nd Airborne), he was deployed to North Africa (1943), and “did combat jumps during the invasions of Sicily, Italy and southern France,” Chamberlain said.

“He also saw combat during the battles at Alta Villa, Mount Sammucro, Anzio and Battle of the Bulge.”

After the fall of Rome, he was reassigned to the 334th Division and was part of the invasion of southern France. His unit supported the 7th Army’s pursuit of the German army up the Rhone valley to the Battle of the Bulge. He was discharged at the conclusion of the European hostilities in the fall of 1945. He returned to Central New York that October.

Although his father ’s service wasn’t that different than other GIs’, Chamberlain said, what set his time in uniform apart was that he carried a camera with him.

The result is that Chamberlain has more than 900 photos from his father’s time in uniform.

“While there wasn’t time for snapping photos during combat, his photos document army life, the people, cities and countryside that soldiers encountered in Italy and France as well as scenes of the aftermath of war,” he 42

explained.

The photos provide a unique and personal perspective on ‘life in uniform’ during war time.

On Sept. 21, his collection of photos was delivered to the Library of Congress for archiving as part of its Veterans History Project.

Veterans History Project The Veterans History Project was created by Congress in 2000 as part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to “collect, preserve, and make accessible the firsthand accounts of American war

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

veterans so that researchers and future generations may better understand the realities of war.”

“A donation-accession ceremony, recognizing the donation of my father’s photograph collection, along with his letters and other documents, will take place at the Library of Congress in Washington DC,” Chamberlain said. “According to my contacts at the VHP, this is one of the largest photo collections ever donated to the Veterans History Project. We will be delivering the photos and papers to the VHP at that time.”

He said he wants to highlight the VHP.

“The photos provide a unique and personal perspective on ‘life in uniform’ during war time.”

Mike Chamberlain of Auburn recently donated several photos of his father’s experience in World War II. opposite page

Sgt. Carl Chamberlain was a paratrooper in World War II, serving from late 1942 to 1945.

He is pictured above with a friend, Bill Robertson. Chamberlain would have turned 100 in July of 2021. above and left

As one of the only institutions dedicated to capturing the personal stories of U.S. wartime veterans, the Library of Congress’ VHP serves as one of the few repositories for individual veteran’s stories, letters, photos and papers, he pointed out.

Currently, the VHP houses the stories, letters and documents from more than 110,000 veterans.

While most of the World War II veterans have now died, there is an entire new generation of aging vets, especially those from Vietnam, whose stories are worth hearing and saving before they too are gone, he said.

Oral histories Before the age of smartphones, most serving in uniform didn’t carry cameras. So the vast majority of the VHP collection is the oral histories of wartime veterans.

The value of these oral histories was evident in the recent resurgence in interest in the “code girls” and the untold story of the American women code breakers during World War II. Liza Mundy, author of the 2017 New York Times best-seller on this topic, cited the 40 oral histories she accessed from the VHP collection as an important source for her book. The

story of these code girls was also the subject of an episode of the “American Experience” program on PBS. “My sense is that the donationaccession ceremony for a Central New York World War II vet would serve as newsworthy event and an opportunity to talk about the VHP through the lens of my father’s World War II experience and our journey to find a permanent home for his photographs and papers,” Chamberlain explained.

These materials can be accessed at www.loc.gov/vet.

Information on how to donate materials is also available from the website.

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druger’s zoo

By Marvin Druger Email: mdruger@syr.edu

Evolution of a Grief Support Group

E

xperiencing the death of a loved one is not a pleasant experience.

My dear wife, Pat, died from metastatic lung cancer at 3:10 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014, at Francis House, Syracuse.

I was at her bedside when I experienced the energy suddenly disappear from her body.

After 56 years of a wonderful marriage, the love of my life was gone.

I was in total shock and I was at a loss about how to cope with this tragedy.

Pat had managed the household and I knew little about handling money, doing the laundry, cooking and doing the little things in life that made life livable. Although Pat was the head of the household, she also was an administrator at Syracuse University and was involved in numerous other activities such as sewing, quilting, being a docent at the Erie Canal Museum, an AARP tax consultant, a member of the Friends of Jowonio Preschool Board, an active member of Women of the University Community and other involvements.

I did not fully appreciate Pat’s contributions to my life and to the lives of others until she was gone. The family was very supportive, but they were also in a state of grieving. I was 44

a lost, helpless soul.

I discovered that Hospice of Central New York offered free counseling for the bereaved for a year. My optimistic belief has always been that “free is good.” So, I made arrangements for personal counseling at hospice. This was a major step for someone who has grown up believing that real men don’t cry and that it’s a sign of weakness to seek psychological help from a counselor. I met with the counselor once a week. At the sessions, I cried buckets of tears, as I talked about my relationship with Pat. The counselor suggested that I join a support group that consisted of others who had lost a spouse. The group met on Monday afternoons and I decided to give it a try. The group consisted of a handful of men and women from all walks of life. We sat in a small circle and each week, everyone reminisced about their lost loved one.

There were lots of tears.

Despite the diversity of backgrounds, there was a strong, hidden bond among members of the group. We all shared the same deep feeling of emptiness and grief. Each person reviewed their loss each week, each story was heartbreaking. None of us could really believe that our spouse had actually died and each person was

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

emotionally still tightly bound to their spouse.

Talking about our loss did help ease the pain. But, after a number of meetings, I began to see a new role for myself in the group. I wanted to help the others cope more effectively with their loss. I started telling jokes and bringing articles and poems to the meetings. I felt good when everyone entered the room with depressed facial expressions and tears, and left the room laughing. By trying to help others, I helped myself. My grief became refocused on their grief.

This was true for others as the group evolved and grew larger with new additions of grievers.

Then, my granddaughter wrote a profile and registered me on an online dating service. Her comment was, “I didn’t lie about you, but I’m just not saying things about you that people wouldn’t want to hear. I’m making you marketable.” Then, she said, “Grandpa, I’m tired. I have to take a nap.”

She lay down on the sofa and went to sleep. I was flattered to see that a number of women almost immediately contacted me and wanted to meet me. I arranged to take these different women to lunch and, at one time, I was dating about seven women. Even though friends had warned me that there are weird people on online dating services, every woman I dated was friendly and nice. The commonality was that each woman was alone and seeking companionship. I wrote several articles for 55 PLUS magazine about my dating adventures. You can find them online at www.cny55.com — then type “druger” in the search menu. They were intended to provide insights about this modern, online dating phenomenon.

At the weekly support group meetings, I began to tell stories and joke about my dating experiences.

Everyone seemed to enjoy these dating tales, except the counselor leading the group. One day, after a meeting, she took me aside and said, “Marvin, don’t talk about dating. These people are here to grieve.”

My feelings were hurt. After all, I was just trying to be funny and cheer up people. I had no intent to hurt feelings or offend anyone.

After each meeting, the group had started to go to Dunkin’ Donuts to continue our interactions on a

cheerful note. After the counselor scolded me, I went to the gathering at Dunkin’ Donuts and announced, “I’m not coming to the meetings anymore.

The counselor said that you are there to grieve and not to laugh at jokes. So, I don’t want to upset the goal of the meetings.”

Unanimously, the group objected to my leaving. One woman looked me in the eye and said, “You’d better be there next week.” So, I continued to attend the meetings. Whenever any new woman joined the group, there was always laughter when I would announce to her, “Do you want to go to lunch?”

Once, I came late to a meeting.

The group was arranged in a circle.

There were two empty chairs in the circle. One empty chair was between two women; the other was between two men. Of course, I sat in the chair between the two women. Everyone laughed. They had made a bet about where I would sit.

At another meeting, I arrived late, and there was a circle of the group and one chair in the far corner of the room with a large sign on it saying, “Marvin.”

Everyone seemed to agree that laughter helped relieve grief. There is humor in everything. Laughter does alleviate the pain, even if for a brief interval.

By this time, the support group had grown to more than 20 people who had lost a spouse. Dunkin’ Donuts became known to the group as “Hospice II.” We assembled there after each official meeting. We started having official meetings every other week, and we all went out to lunch on alternate Mondays. Social activities became more prevalent. I had several all-day potluck sessions at my house near Owasco Lake. Members of the group played poker, went to casinos, had local get-togethers, and even played pickleball. This game is a combination of tennis, badminton and ping pong, but wooden paddles are used and the ball is plastic and perforated like a Wiffle ball.

Romances sprung up within the group. I was sitting next to one male participant at a lunch and he was talking on the phone to a female member who was in the hospital.

“Yes, honey. Miss you. Love you.” I had no idea that this relationship had

developed, as well as others.

One of the main points of this article is to demonstrate that new friendships can develop, even when we are older. The members of this support group have become close friends, and we feel like the group is an extended family that has been together for about seven years.

Everyone sincerely cares about the others in the group. If someone becomes ill, that person is besieged by reassuring phone calls and visits.

I didn’t think I could make new friends at my advanced age. Yet, I feel close to each member in the group.

The group has evolved from a small cluster of mourners to a large social group with happy activities.

I think what bonds the group together so closely is the common loss and grief that we all share. That grief is embedded in each of us; but the need to express this grief aloud no longer seems as necessary.

I don’t miss the meetings where, each Monday, each member relived their loss and became depressed. Now, we are all good friends, coping with a tragic loss, but moving forward to new adventures in life.

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55+ visits

A view of Lake Clear, named for the 940-acre section of the original Seven Carries canoe route.

EXPLORING FRANKLIN COUNTY

N

Northern New York county — home to Saranac Lake village — attracts people looking for a place to enjoy the great outdoors away from the hustle and bustle of urban life. By Sandra Scott

amed for Benjamin Franklin, Franklin County is home to many lakes and forests offering year-round fun and adventure. It stretches from the top of the Adirondack Park to the Canadian border.

The area was once the homelands of the Mohawk Nation and later became renowned worldwide as a health retreat. Now it attracts people looking for a place to enjoy the great outdoors away from the hustle and bustle of urban life.

Here are 10 things to do and see: 1. WILD CENTER: Walk on the wild side. The Wild Walk is a trail of bridges to the tree tops affording panoramic views of the Adirondack forest. Located in Tupper Lake, the center is open seven days a week.

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Start with the indoor nature trail to learn about the area by starting in the Big Wolf Great Hall with the glacial ice wall to learn how the Adirondacks were formed and continues to develop.

Watch the otters and other wild life.

The center offers several programs, guided walks, nature-led canoe trips, along with many areas visitors can explore on their own.

2. NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY: Before the Europeans arrived, the land was the territory of the Mohawks, one of the six nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy). Learn about the life, history and culture of the Mohawks (Akwesasne) at the Six Nation Museum in Onchiota. Along with numerous artifacts, there is an amazing collection of wampum, each of which tells a traditional story.

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The center often has lectures dealing with traditional legends. Or visit The Akwesasne Cultural Center in Hogansburg, which has a large collection of native ethnographic objects and photographs. It is located in the library on the St. Regis Reservation, which spans the international border.

3 . S A R A N A C L A B O R AT O R Y M U S E U M : The laboratory was established by Dr. E. L. Trudeau in 1894 to study tuberculosis and later other lung diseases until it closed in 1964; but research continues at the modern Trudeau Institute. It was the first laboratory of its kind in the nation. Besides bed and plenty of fresh air, the Trudeau Sanatorium offered groundbreaking occupational therapy. Many who took advantage of the therapy become accomplished

Winter brings the snowmobilers, skiers, ice skaters and snowshoers. Places like Lake Clear offer scenic sleigh rides through the snow-covered forests.

DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

47

artists and writers, including R. L. Stevenson and Stephen Crane. Some patients stayed in the sanitarium while others stayed in “cure” cottages similar to “Little Red,” on the grounds of the Trudeau Institute.

4. SARANAC LAKE: The village is one of the most idyllic villages in New York state and a great place to visit any time of the year. There are plenty of shops offering a variety of locally produced item. Walk back in time following the self-guided historic tour. Brochures are found in many locations. Pick up one of the Walk of Fame brochures that honor the many famous people who either lived or visited Saranac Lake, including Faye Dunaway, Robert Louis Stevenson and Albert Einstein.

For a time the village was home to the Philadelphia Eagles training camp. The village is renowned as the home of the Ice Palace.

5. WILDER HOMESTEAD: Laura Ingles Wilder wrote many books about life on the prairie but her second book was “Farmer Boy,” about her husband, Almanzo Wilder ’s life in the little house in the foot hills of the Adirondacks. Today his boyhood home, just outside of Malone, has been restored to the days when Almanzo grew up. It is a time capsule of the mid1800s rural America in Northern New York. Take a guided tour of the house, farm buildings and school house or explore on your own. The large maple outside the house was there when Almanzo was living.

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above, from left

6. TRAILS: Any season is a good time to head to the trails. The 14,000-acre campus of Paul Smith’s College is one of the nation’s largest campuses with plenty of trails. The visitorinformation center has many informative displays and telescopes by the windows to search for birds to enjoy before heading out on one of the trails. The energetic will be rewarded with a beautiful panoramic view of the Adirondacks at the end of the 3.4 mile (one-way) trek up the St. Regis Mountain trail.

7. ARTS AND CRAFTS: The majestic scenery has always inspired artists.

There are several places in Malone featuring the arts, including Downtown Artist Cellar, Pouring Light Studios and the North-Adirondack Arts Council. In Saranac Lake visit Adirondack Artist Guild and NorthWind Fine Arts.

The iconic Adirondack chair can be purchased in many locations, in all sizes.

8. YEAR-ROUND FUN: Summer is the time of hiking, swimming and enjoying the out of doors. Visitors flock to the area in the fall for the brilliant fall foliage by driving along Franklin County’s portions of the Adirondack Scenic Highway. Winter brings the snowmobilers, skiers, ice skaters and snowshoers. Some places offer scenic sleigh rides through the snow-covered forests. The Winter Carnival in Saranac is a must-do. It will take place Feb. 4-13.

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A variety of quality arts and crafts are to be found at places like Adirondack Artist Guild and NorthWind Fine Arts in Saranac Lake; Mascot Titus Teddy at Titus Mountain Family Ski Resort; The iconic Adirondack chair can be purchased in many locations, in all sizes.

9. PLACES TO STAY: There is a place for everyone including primitive camping, glamping, hotels, motels and rental cottages. Looking for a place with history nestled among the pine? Then check out White Pine Camp, once the summer White House of President Calvin Coolidge.

It is a restored Adirondack Great Camp. For the ultimate in Adirondack luxury The Point, built by William A. Rockefeller II, is the only Forbes Five Star accommodation in Upstate New York. It is one of Relais & Chareaux accommodations.

10. UNIQUE: While in Saranac Lake village take a ride on The Adirondack Carousel with 24 hand-carved carousel animals indigenous to the Adirondacks and rounding boards painted with regional scenes. Stop by Donnelly’s ice cream stand where they make one and only one flavor fresh each day.

Enjoy a meal in a 1920s speakeasy at Lake Clear Lodge which was as stagecoach stop in the late 1880s. They offer a special meal where each course represents one era of the Adirondacks.

They also offer sleigh and stagecoach rides.

life after 55

AUTHOR’S NOTE Dear readers,

By Michele Reed Email: bazanreed@hotmail.com

Since the “What a Journey!” column ran, I have received many emails, cards and letters of condolences from readers. While I tried to answer everyone individually, if by chance I missed you, please accept my sincerest thanks. Whether you wrote, called, said a silent prayer or sent good thoughts our way, Thank You from the bottom of my heart.

Your kindness means a lot to me and my family.

Bookshelf of Dreams

I

n the hallway of the old family home, where my son, Mike, now lives, there’s a bookshelf full of memories. Third bookcase from the left, second shelf down. Twentytwo worn hardcovers line the shelf, their bright yellow spines bearing the portrait of a girl peering through a magnifying glass, above numbers in black type, ranging from 1 to 55.

The titles will be familiar to many readers, “The Secret of the Old Clock,” “The Hidden Staircase, The Bungalow Mystery,” and so on, up to “The Ghost of Blackwood Hall.”

If you haven’t guessed it by now, it’s my daughter’s Nancy Drew library, painstakingly collected by Katie and me, scouring flea markets and yard sales, library fundraisers and used bookstores together.

It was a labor of love. Katie comes by her passion for mysteries naturally.

My mother was a “Dragnet” and “Perry Mason” fan. When I was 10, you could always find me curled up in an easy chair or under the boughs of the cherry tree in the side yard, pouring over the adventures of the “Girl Detective.” I’d hand over my worn library card to the clerk at Carnegie Library in Amsterdam, New York, and she’d check out my latest treasure, which I’d carry back up the hill to home, anticipating a night of reading under the covers by flashlight.

And while I’m sure, like most girls my age, I fantasized solving crimes just like Nancy, Bess and Ned, I harbored a secret dream: I’d be like their author, Carolyn Keene. One day, I promised myself, I’d write mysteries myself.

Third-grade me wrote my own little newspaper, complete with a cartoon of two elephants, Bimbo (the boy elephant) and Bimbi (the girl.)

Later I’d try writing plays depicting the lives of the saints, since that was the only kind we could put on at St. Stanislaus.

Books now in print carrying Michele Reed’s short mystery stories.

In college, I studied journalism, and got a degree in English and medieval studies. I’d work for my hometown newspaper, and later get jobs in advertising and public relations. For a dozen wonderful years, I had my dream job, editing SUNY Oswego’s alumni magazine.

For 40 years, those jobs and a busy family life kept me occupied. But as the years ticked by, I’d keep telling myself: “Someday, I’ll write mysteries.”

When I retired in 2013, I reached into a desk drawer in my little home office and pulled out a stack of yellowed papers covered in type.

Some pages had handwriting in the margins and others had none. Many had corners folded over and most were stained with coffee rings and smeared ink.

This was the novel I had started more than 15 years before, when I took a mystery writing course at SUNY Oswego.

Since then, I’ve worked on it, little by little. It’s yet to be published, but I’ve been trying to work at learning how to write mysteries better.

I joined writing groups and took some online writing courses, one of which sent me in a whole new direction. A class on short stories hit a

chord with me — here was something I could actually finish! In short, instead of novels, I started penning short mystery stories.

I owe the inspiration for my main character to my late husband, Bill. As we were walking our son’s 16-yearold rescue hound dog, Jerome, who plodded along looking miserable, Bill turned to me and said, “You should write a children’s book about a hound dog — Harry Jerome, the sad-sack detective.”

The children’s book never came to be, but when a publisher in England put out a call for detective stories, Harry Jerome, P.I., was born. Harry is a private investigator in ProhibitionEra Syracuse, working in shabby offices on the fourth floor of a building overlooking South Salina Street. He loves hanging out at the speakeasy around the corner. And some of his cases are inspired by true events from newspaper archives.

I could hardly believe it when that publisher accepted the story, “The Lady in Black,” and since then, two more Harry adventures have been published, and another couple are set to appear this autumn or winter. A few other stories, including one with a senior sleuth and quilter based on my mother, have appeared in different anthologies.

Now, in my little apartment there’s another bookshelf. And on it is a handful of books, each of which has one story by me. When I see it, I think back to a little girl growing up in 1950s Amsterdam, and her dreams of becoming a mystery author. And I smile, because it may take a long time, but some dreams do come true.

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55+ last page

By Mary Beth Roach Wayne Mahar holding little furry Gabby, one of three dogs he and his wife, Dianne, have. He has been at CNY Central TV stations for 37 years and on television for 43 years. He is retiring in December.

years and years ago, advance Doppler radar and ways to get word out about storms. It’s such a social media, digital type of age and everyone’s got their phone, and you send out weather alerts, and push notices on the phone.

When I started in weather on TV in Maine back in 1977-78, there were no computer graphics. It was pieces of cardboard and magic markers. I’m probably the only one in Central New York that has literally seen it all, going from magic markers and cardboard maps to the incredible computer graphics we have nowadays.

Wayne Mahar, 65 Meteorologist retiring from CNY Central; entering a new phase in life Q: Do you have any specific plans yet for your retirement?

A: I call it semi-retired. I’m still going to be working. I’m just not going to be working so much. My last day on TV, full-time TV will be Friday, Dec. 3.

Q: When you say “your last day on TV full-time” what does that mean?

A: I’m still going to have my private weather business. I have a lot of clients in New York, around Central New York and Syracuse. I have clients all over the world. I do a lot of work for events all over the world, like the Academy Awards, MLB All-Star Game and Super Bowl concerts. I’m still going to do my work with the legal cases. I work with lawyers on court testimonies. I’m still going to be heard on radio locally. I’ll be on TK99 and K-Rock every morning starting in 50

January. Basically, instead of working 80 hours a week, like I’ve done since I’ve been a teenager, I’m going to work 35 hours a week.

Q: What has been the least favorite part of the job?

A: The hours are not really conducive to a lot of family time. If you work a shift like me, I’m getting in here [to the station] at 1 or 1:30; I’m getting home at midnight. And beyond that, I have my private business so I’m up early in the morning doing the forecasting in my home office.

Q: In the past three decades, what are some of the biggest changes in meteorology, and especially weather, as part of the broadcast industry?

A : T h e re ’ re s o m a n y m o re computer models now than there were

55 PLUS – DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

Q: You have been a big hockey fan all your life; you’ve played as a practice goalie with the Syracuse Crunch and joined the Syracuse Gray Wolves, a senior recreational hockey league, at the age of 50 or so. Do you still play with the Gray Wolves?

A: I try to play once a week. And hitting the gym three times a week, that’s my down time.

Q: Animal welfare has always been a particular passion for you. You established the Priscilla Mahar Animal Welfare Foundation in honor of your mother. Is that something you’ll continue to be involved with in your retirement?

A: Absolutely! Absolutely! That will continue. I have hired two years ago Galaxy Media Events. They and I work together and are going to continue Canine Carnival. We’re going to continue that every year. We’re going to continue making donations.

Q: Is there anything you want to add?

A: We’ll get to do a little more traveling. We’ll see the kids and the grandkids a little more often. [He and Dianne have two daughters and two grandchildren.] I’m looking forward to it.

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