INK MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2021

A guide to finer living in Connecticut & abroad November 2021

Vol 16 Issue 190

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3 NOVEMBER 2021 Vol. 16 Issue 190

Feature Stories

Departments

Black◆Jax Saloon

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Raising the "Steaks" on Good Eating

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The Red House

Known by the Company They Keep

The Way to Love Anything Can We Want What We Already Have

Bob Perlow

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Meet the Warmup Guy

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WHAT RULES?!

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Music Mirth & Mojo - The Packing House.

Ask Ashley - The Benefits of a Digital Detox Crusty Old Diver - Denizens of the Deep, Part One The Cheesemonger - Fall Seasonal Cheeses On the Vine - Ridge Winery

Welcome to the November issue of INK! The holiday season is now upon us and despite the circumstances that many have had endure over the course of the last few years, we here at INK have landed on “gratitude.”

In the presence of gratitude only the best can grow. With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, wether you celebrate that particular holiday or not, you can still celebrate the good things in your life. No matter how long or short that list may be. A good way to begin is by consciously noting them individually. Taking an inventory of what we like about our lives is something that more often than not, we need to remind ourselves to do. We get busy with having lives. We get on our bikes and keep peddling from Monday to Friday (if your lucky.) We raise our families, make our deadlines, fit in some fun when we can. It is pretty easy to stop noticing the things along the edges of your life. Winter is coming here in the northeast. Sweaters, cold quick walks into warm rooms. Winter is good, you can treat your senses when it’s freezing outside. You may be the hot-buttered rum type. You might bake bread just to make your house smell good and then give the loaf away to a neighbor cause your on a keto diet. Whatever man, just do (and keep doing) what it is you love the most. Winter is good because it means spring is coming. Hope springs eternal the say. In the meantime, be careful out there.

Beth Greene

Read No Evil, Part two We Had a Deal...

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Jeffery Lilly founder / publisher

Contributors Ashley Alt - ask ashley

Daniel Lev Shkolnik - editorial

Susan Cornell - editorial

Carolina Marquez-Sterling - design

Caryn B. Davis - editorial/photography

Paul Partica - the cheesemonger

Alison Kaufman - music mirth & mojo

John Tolmie - editorial

Art LiPuma - on the vine

Kate Tolmie - photography

Rona Mann - editorial

Joe Urso - ad design

Advertising

Contact us to receive our media kit with detailed marketing information.

Jeffery Lilly - Publisher 860.581.0026 Bob Houde - Advertising Director bob@inkct.com 860.303.6690

Rona Mann - Greater Connecticut six07co@att.net - 401-539-7762 Richard Malinsky - Shoreline richard@inkct.com - 215.704.9273

On the Cover: Photo by Jeffery Lilly / wall art by Beth Greene

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All content of INK Publications including but not limited to text, photos, graphics and layout are copyrighted by Inkct LLC. Reproductions without the permission of the publisher are prohibited. Inkct LLC is not responsible for images or graphics submitted for editorial or by advertisers which are not copyrighted or released for use in this publication.

Inkct LLC - 314 Flat Rock Place Unit F125, Westbrook, CT 06498 - email: submissions@ink-pub.com - visit www.inkct.com

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Raising ” on g the “ “Steak s” Steak ks” Good Ea a t ing at ting Bllack Jax Saloon Makes the Top Cutt

by Rona Mann/ Photooggra raphy phy by

by Jeff Lilly

T

he piece of raw beef sits on the cutting board. It’s not just Angus, it’s the best Angus you can get. It’s Certified Angus Beef, but that and that alone does not guarantee a great steak. Yo You have to know what you’re doing, really know. Like someone who’s been in the field for more than 36 years. Someone who’s highly trained in every nuance of every cuisine. But someone who continues to pay his dues night after night because that’s what you have to do to be a success.

Jack Flaws is an unqualified success in the culinary field and an unqualified success in Connecticut. But just because you’ve had success for years in five-star restaurants, hotels, resorts, and worked as sous chef with the best, you’re still only as good as your next meal.

That’s why Jack Flaws buys the best product, trains his staff the way he was trained, and doesn’t cut corners. Matter of fact, all his cuts aree top-of-the-line top of the line cuts of beef, always CertiCerti fied Angus. Why? Because Angus is known for its marbling, the little white flecks of good fat in lean beef that melt during cooking, basting the beef from within. And it is only Certified Angus that Jack Flaws buys from his

supplier and from which h he creates memorable meals like N.Y Y. Sirlo oin, Filet Mignon, Kansas City Strip Steak, R Rib Eye, a luscious house-recommended favorite Steak Au Poivre, and New w Yo York Steak ala Jax (with cipollini oniions, arugula, and Humboldt fog goat ccheese from California). All are hand--cut and “cooked to perfection,” says Chef Jack. “I like meats to rest under the grill. So my method is to grill, then broil, then let rest so the h heat can permeate the inside of th he meat without drying it out by further cooking, and then put it b back under the broiler for a miinute or so to bring it to temperrature. However you want it i cooked, it’s cooked becau use I believe that whatever th he customer asks forr, I give tthem.”

Unlike most steakhousess who “give give you a steak on a plate, and that’s all,” says Flaws, we offer one side with every entree.” That list of sides is both varied and delicious, and always prepared with that little extra. The potato au gratin, for example, incorporates

11 a blend of three cheeses, while the tater tots arre not the run of the mill but house-made, in nfused with gorgonzola and resting on a go orgonzola sauce. Mushrooms and onions an nd asparagus are all fire-roasted in one of Black Jax roasters; there are sauteed green beeans with smoked bacon; a classic coleslaw; an nd more. Nothing is pedestrian, Jack Flaws’ fo ood balances flavors and wakes up your taaste buds to an old - not new experience. It’s fo ood the way it used to be before restaurants sttarted cutting corners and taking shortcuts in preparation.

H How about a stuffie? Unlike the Rhode Island sttuffed clam of the same name, this is an ad dventure in eating because it is an adventure h customer t t The Th chef h f begins b i with ith th he creates. a large baked potato and then tops it with an ny combination of veggies, pork, smoked ch hicken, beef brisket, house-smoked bacon, or popcorn shrimp. This luscious concoction is th hen topped with tomatoes, scallions, queso saauce, and sour cream.

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Salad lovers w will not be disappointed d as there is a smoked beet and d crispy goaat cheese dish with crispy onionss and sherry y vinaigrette; a buratta mozzarellla with proscciutto; the ever-popular iceberg wedge, meesclun greens vinaigrette; we sim mply cannot listt them all, but Chef makes the ussual unusual with w his take on Beef Carpaccio and Tuna Carpaccio. Signature popovers accom mpany every dinner and set the tone for wh hat lies ahead.

If steaks are the star of the show here, the co-star is Black Jax Barbecue. We toured the kitchen which is whistle-clean and verry professionally equipped and marveled at tthe smoker where baby back ribs, pork, brisket, half chickens, and bacon cook and rest for hours. We would be remiss not to mention n the big greenhouse Flax and his staff maintain ns outback, growing many of the items found d on

your plate. Everythin ng here is FRESH! Lighter appetites can n make a meal out of starters like jalapenos wrapped in house- smoked baccon, grilled foie gras, popcorn shrimp with w remoulade, house wings with a variiety of sauces, burnt ends, even smok ked garlic bread. And there are several sandwich options incorporating BBQ B brisket grilled cheese on sourrdough, to pineapple habanero; pullled pork pepper slaw on toasted ciabatta, to a smoke Philly cheessesteak; prime rib sandwich, or o a New Orleans style Shrim mp Po Boy. Nothing is ordinarry here! But nothing is over-sa auced, made with too di t or overdone d i edients, many ingre needed. When you to impress. It’s not n have an excellent producct and a first-rate chef who knows how to pleasse guests, it is delicious food simply and peerfectly cooked that’s the star of the plate. n and raised in Jack Flaws who was born oung man that he had Trumbull decided as a yo a choice. “I was not highlly achieved in high with no real issues. I school, just a B student w decided that when I grad g duated, I could either choose cooking or become a truck driver or something.” Happily for many delighted patrons over the years in various locales from the Trumbull Marriott, to the Boca Raton Resort Club, to Atlantic City’s T Trrump T Taaj Mahal, 5-star Manhattan Restaurants, and Jack Rabbit’s and The Rabbit Hole in Old Saybrook, this graduate of the Culinary Institute of America honed his craft. Instead of driving trucks, he is now unloading them with the finest product he can bring to Black Jax. “I’ve been doing this for 36 years and at a very high level,” level, he reports.

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“I just want to bee a big fish in a little pond,” p “And to do thatt I need to keep reinventing nting myselff and get better.” .

While the pandemic hurt him as it did every W otther restaurant ownerr,, it also gav ve him the op pportunity to hire and train a staf aff who also deliver on that same high level. Jay ay y, the populaar mixologist, comes with an enviable viable resume th hat includes being voted “Best Bartender in Connecticut.” He works the bar as though C he hand five hands, always moving, never sttopping, creating cocktails that always have th hat little extra something while chatting up cu ustomers, and smiling. “I really wanted to make this a bourbon barr,” Jack says, and it m iss obvious because in addition to being well sttocked with spirits, wines, and beerr, there is a veery large assortment of bourbons to swirl in yo our snifter accompanying that steak.

Yo Y ou will notice that smiling is very much a part off this staff. It is not fake, not something they were w told to do. They just do it because they arre happy y.. They love working at Black Jax, th hey believe in the product they bring to the taable, and they know how to engage professiionally with their customers without being sttiff and cold.

“II just want to be a big fish in a little pond,” Fllaws says. “And to do that, I need to keep reeinventing myself and get better.”

We cannot leave Black Jax without a very siignificant nod to the ambiance. The walls are

adorned with large playing cards that were created especially for the restaurant. Spades are devils, hearts are angels, clubs are cowboys, and diamonds are gamblers. Every card dd up tto a ““natural” t l” or 21 d thi adds 21, and this th theme is carried throughout the restaurant from walls to servers’ tee shirts.

There’s an old saying in the advertising world, “Sell the sizzle and not the steak.” Black Jax Saloon goes one step further. They sell the steaks, then add the sizzle of g great cocktails,, giving g g customers exactly what they ask for every time, and always with a genuine smile and willingness to serve. Most of all they serve up consistency y, and that is the sizzle Black Jax delivers every night, every meal, to every customerr.

It’’s a “natural.”

Black Jax Saloon is located at 78 Main Street, Centerbrook (860) 662-4000 for reservations www.blackjaxsaloon.com

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The Packing House Moving Forward While Preserving the Past.

By Ali Kaufman

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eeting Tom Buccino and learning about The Packing House was definitely one of the best things to come out of a position I held many years ago while working for an arts organization in Northeast Connecticut. We have kept in touch through the years, and it has been wonderful to witness the continued commitment Tom has for supporting the arts, culture, and community as well as preserving the rich history of Willington. I am delighted to share with you the beginning, the present, and the future plans for this destination tucked into the bend on River Road, (Route 32), on the bank of scenic Halls Pond.

Tom’s father, a tool & die maker, purchased the large factory complex in 1962 after out-

Photos by Alison Kaufman

growing his garage. Tom, Senior’s entire operation fit inside what is now considered The Packing House performance area, leaving the majority of the brick factory known in its entirety as The Mill Works, unoccupied. The Buccinos lived across the street, and Tom Jr, an only child, grew up with this setting as his playground.

The facility was originally owned by the Gardiner Hall Jr. Company. From 1860 to 1954 the Gardiner family was known far and wide as the very first and finest manufacturers of spool thread in the entire country. There is much history that is today housed in the Gardiner Hall, Jr. Museum at The Mill Works.

They are proudly listed on the Connecticut State Register of Historic Places and have hours for visiting and also by appointment.

Before even stepping inside you will see a timeline of the many incarnations of this brick and mortar time capsule, a vividly painted mural by Artist Christopher Gunderson now graces the cement retaining wall out front.

21 come running. It did however go pretty well for Dad as his lease was getting paid! It was then that Tom Jr turned to the arts, first connecting with the UCONN Art Department. Being that their campus is a few miles away, it was a natural fit for faculty members to retain a studio, he ended up filling four spaces.

As time passed, Tom, Jr. went on to marry and left for a career in Great Falls New York, working for General Electric. In the late '80s, his Dad decided to sell his business but kept the property, officially naming it The Mill Works. About that time, Tom Jr. and his wife got the bright idea to lease the building from his father, fill it up with well-paying renters, make a ton of money, and retire at 40. Well, that did not go exactly as planned and the tenants that they dreamed of did not exactly

Photos by Alison Kaufman

Moving forward to 2010, it was time for Tom’s parents to step away from the day-to-day onsite helping and move to Florida, necessitating the decision to go all in if the property was going to truly come to fruition as a center for creatives and small businesses. Each lease was negotiated on a case-by-case basis. The available spaces are of different sizes and layouts, generally 150 to 600 square feet but all come with the original character that has been kept intact. It was a few years later in 2016 when, with the help of ECCHAP (Eastern Connecticut Center for History, Art, & Performance), that they became a 501.c.3 nonprofit.

EC-CHAP is now located on-site and operates the Gardiner Hall Jr. History Museum as well as the Dye & Bleach House Community Gallery located in another section of The Mill Works. They provide a platform for local and regional artists to showcase their works. As of this writing, the current exhibit “Reconnecting Heart Strings” runs through November 6th before a new one will be installed.

The Packing House began to come into its own as a true listening room, they are not a bar or restaurant. They do, however, invite guests to BYOB & F, beer and wine are allowed, as is food. They have also partnered with nearby Willington Pizza’s two locations whose sponsorship offers 15% off the total bill on the day of the show by presenting proof of ticket purchase to Packing House events. Eat in or take out to enjoy your meal at one of the tables set up during the program. This benefit

falls in line with Tom’s mission to create an affordable experience for guests as does the very reasonably priced admission which is available at the door, or save $5.00 by getting your tickets online. There are also discounts for EC-CHAP members and a Frequent Flyer Program available for regular attendees. Parking is free, and they keep guests safe by setting up cones and providing crossing guards.

The Packing House season runs from September to May with an eclectic mix of music, film, spoken word, and theater. This year kicked off with an acoustic/indie duo

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Bob Malone, Photo courtesy EC-CHAP

called Twice Around and popular local guitarist/singer/songwriter Curtis Brand also appeared. Keyboardist for John Fogarty, Singer/Songwriter Bob Malone made a repeat appearance for a grateful gathering as well.

Looking ahead, Eric Sommer will be coming up from North Carolina with his brand of Americana Blues on November 19th.

December’s calendar includes Tracy Walton, hopefully singing tunes from his latest release, Small Town America, recorded at On Deck Sound Studios, which he owns. GrammyNominated Artist, Nicole Zuraitis has a special holiday performance slated for December 18th as part of the Contemporary Jazz Series, an incredible chance to witness a world-class talent in an intimate setting. Winner of The 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition, Nicole has been heralded as a powerhouse presence by Downbeat Magazine and

Photo courtesy EC-CHAP

named in the top 40 under 40 in Connecticut Magazine’s 2020 edition among many other accolades.

meetings, showers, and parties. While they do not have a kitchen, they do have the capability to have your event catered. They also have a large inventory of tables and comfortable buffet chairs and can help with organizing your gathering.

Recently, spiritual medium, Maura Geist drew a capacity crowd to her appearance but don’t worry if you missed it, she will be back in the Spring! There is a Talent Showcase that takes the stage on the 2nd Wednesday of every month, running from October to May. This is not an open mic. The evening is scheduled with acts that are pre-selected by Tom to give a platform to those who want to try out new material, take a turn at performing live, or share a talent with the public. As far as criteria for securing a spot, Tom let me know with a smile that, “Most anything goes, with the exception of working with fire and large farm animals." (hope he doesn’t regret letting me print that)!

Their lofty mission is to become one of Southern New England’s premier cultural destinations.

While this is a big goal, it is not impossible, and “we keep moving forward incrementally," Tom added. One giant leap forward is the very sizable grant they were officially awarded in January of 2019. The grant comes from SHPO, State Historic Preservation Office, which is part of Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development.

The grant will allow for several large projects to move ahead. One is addressing the structural and moisture mitigation issues of the

The Packing House is also available for the public to rent space for events. They have hosted everything from weddings to business

Tracy Walton

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main building. Secondly, the standalone wooden structure that was the"paint and oil house” for the Gardiner Company will become a dedicated artisan residence and workspace. Thirdly, what was known as the “Drug House," the infirmary for the original factory workers, will be preserved as much as possible while being born again as The Artisan Café. I told you Tom’s fortitude and

Photos by Alison Kaufman

vision were impressive! The evaluation stage has already begun with an architect and the structural needs will drive the timeline.

Full details and calendar of events can be found by visiting www.thepackinghouse.us

There is so much that this lovely place offers to visitors. I hope you may find it as intriguing as I do and put it on your list of places to visit. They are adhering to all state guidelines for masking and continue to operate at half capacity for shows. 70 tickets are available for each show.

ID will be required for anyone arriving with beer or wine. If you are coming from a distance, you can find options for overnight accommodations on their website. They call this part of Connecticut the “Quiet Corner,” but I think The Packing House is bucking the trend and broadcasting loud and clear, “Come on over! We have a lot to share!”

Their physical address is 156 River Road Willington, CT 06279 Link to EC-CHAP by going to www.ec-chap.org Or give them a call at. (860)487-3827

You may phone them at (518)791-9474

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Anne McGrory Itoh Pastel, 16.25 x 11”

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Known by the Company They Keep The Art, Craft, and Prose of The Red House

by Rona Mann / Photos by Jeffery Lilly It was Aesop, that famed Greek storyteller known for his fables, who first said, "A man is known by the company he keeps." Now, if we modernize that just a bit to be politically correct, we should rightly say, "People are known by the company they keep." That's true of businesses as well because a business is more than just a name and an attractive sign. The success of a business is based on how they do business with others, with whom they work, and the quality of the product they sell. Welcome, then, into The Red House Cultural Arts Center in Salem, perhaps a bit off the beaten path, but once found, a permanent fixture on everyone's radar.

Barry and Kim Ford opened The Red House over four years ago, and although they sell gifts for all occasions, they are not solely a gift shop. Although they have a gallery with ever-changing art installations, they are not a museum. And al-

though they give classes, they are not an art school. What The Red House is, is an original.

Calling themselves "a cultural arts center" they showcase art, craft, and the prose of local artists and artisans. They proudly display original art, pottery, silks and weaving, woodworking, soaps, candles, greeting cards and journals, furniture, custom framing, mirrors...and well, you never know what you will find at The Red House because their art, their crafts, their gifts just keep changing based on the coterie of fine artists who enjoy displaying their work here.

Barry felt that rather than pen a generic article about their shop, they should instead highlight and showcase some of the artisans whose work is currently displayed at The Red House just waiting for you and your holiday gift list to show up and browse. Yes, browse because "just looking" is what the Fords love to hear. This is a

place where you'll never find sales pressure, but you will find people taking their time to look, to study each piece that catches their eye, and then to decide who might be the lucky recipient. So let's meet some of the talented folks who make up "the company they keep."

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Kip Lockhart Kip Lockhart - Segmented Art Wood Turnings This is a man of great patience! By his own admission, "I spend many hours before what I'm working on goes on the lathe. Sometimes it's weeks and months before it's finished." Essentially what Lockhart does is woodworking, but don't call it a craft around Kip! "I consider what

I do an art." Before he retired, he went from a four-year apprenticeship as a cabinet maker to working in a union shop to doing custom architectural millwork...archways, curved walls, custom moulding. He did indeed work as a highly skilled artist. When Lockhart retired, he "put away my tools professionally and worked for myself." He took to the cellar where he had

Kia Barnett

"every tool imaginable and three lathes. If I see something different, I try to do it myself. I don't make a living from this, I do it for my own pleasure." And we might add for the obvious pleasure of others because what he has displayed at The Red House sells! Currently, his crisscross work is on display, a sample of which is visible on these pages, but to appreciate the

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Lori Neumann "art" in Kip's craft, go to The Red House, pick up a piece, examine it, appreciate it, buy it!

Kia Barnett - Handmade Designer Handbags Working under the label Jade Michael, Kia Barnett is a true artist. It was clearly in her DNA when she began making paper hats for her family at age six. She then got into painting and

sculpting and wound up sharing gallery showings with her father at the age of eight. "I am most proud of having shown my work at The Rose Farm Gallery in East Haddam," Kia adds.

In 2015 as her children were getting older and didn't need her as much, she decided to take a class in handbag making. She was more than a willing pupil, she fell in love with this form of art. "I approach bag-making like an artist ap-

proaches painting," Barnett says. "I make what I feel like making at the time." It is apparent that what she "feels like" is an unqualified success as she creates both functional and art pieces with her work. "Sometimes I even paint on fabric." She also likes working with thin leather and cork fabric, looking toward materials that are more sustainable, so important in a good handbag. Although Kia has two sewing

Jessie McCoy

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other times freestanding." She concludes, "This is not my whole focus, but it is a wonderful passion in my life." It shows, and it's on display right now at The Red House.

Lori Neumann Needle Felting

Rose Young

machines that she uses, she prefers handstitching because "the finished product is so much nicer."You'll find these artfully created shoulder bags, backpacks, and hand-stitched clutches at The Red House right now, so look for that Jade Michael label.

Jessie McCoy - Repousse´ Repousse´ is an ancient metalwork technique in which a malleable metal is shaped by hammering from the reverse side to create a design in low relief. Chasing is a similar technique although the piece then is hammered on the front side. Jessie McCoy, whose remarkable work is now being featured and snapped up by Red House customers, is a master of this art. "I draw on the back of metal, then use a ball-peen hammer to push the image out." Having practiced this exacting craft "on and off for about 40 years," McCoy loves finding objects that she can then incorporate into her designs: metal, wood, stone, bricks, granite have all found a place within Jessie's pieces which are each individually made - NOT cast - so no two pieces are ever alike. "I like to work with a blend of things," says the artist. "Sometimes mounted,

"It's a relatively new art form," Lori Neumann answered when queried about exactly what the craft called needle felting entails. "You use a special barbed needle a lot like a fish hook to pierce the wool over and over and then pull it through, entangling the hairs and matting them together.

It's a good deal like weaving."This is then put on an armature, a metal framework on which this decorative art 3-D piece is sculpted, much as another artist might sculpt with clay.

Neumann, who went to Lyme Academy and studied everything from painting to sculpture, applies much of her early education to her art except she enjoys building layers with wool instead of clay. Although needle felting may seem new to us, Neumann relates that years ago early tribes in different parts of the world made roofs for their houses out of wool fibers because it is both strong and water repellent. Felting needles were also part of the Industrial Revolution. Although she creates many different pieces, she prefers to do animals and enjoys teaching this craft online to students from all over the country.

Rose Young -"Roses, Wine & Murder" (In the City of Steeples) Wondering what to get your favorite local person who has everything?

How about murder? Yes, The Red House is featuring a wonderful mur-

der mystery written by local author, Rose Young called Roses, Wine & Murder whose subtitle is In the City of Steeples. This very engaging story takes place right here in southeastern Connecticut, and Young tells us that you'll recognize the towns, the locales, the history, the vineyards and all of the venues where this chilling story takes place. A landscape artist with a horticultural background, Rose has incorporated this as well into her tale. "I've always wanted to write a murder mystery and had been looking for 25 years for the right story, and I finally found it," she says. "Fine wine and food pairings delight...but death disturbs all tranquility in this modern-day mystery."

What a great stocking stuffer or gift for anyone on your list!

These very talented folks are just some of the many artists and craftspeople represented at The Red House, that very different shop just a bit off the beaten path and so well worth finding. It's a plethora of different arts, crafts, whimsy, but never anything mass-produced or commonplace. Why? Because at The Red House they are always known for the company they keep.

Take a drive. You'll see.

The Red House Cultural Arts Center is located at 22 Darling Road in Salem, just off Rt. 82 and behind Salem Valley Farms Ice Cream. wwwsalemredhouse.com (860) 608-6526

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“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously.

And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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“Can We Want The Way What We to Love Already Anything Have?”

By Daniel Lev Shkolnik

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“Joy is the simplest form of

Gratitude”

C

“Can we want what we already have?” asks psychologist Esther Perel. “That’s the million dollar question, right?” She was talking about being grateful for the romantic partner you have, but it applies to all forms of gratitude.

Why does gratitude matter? We know feeling grateful can feel nice, but it’s about more than that. According to psychologist Robert Emmons, “gratitude helps us recover from loss and trauma. It helps us to deal with the slow drip of everyday stress, as well as the massive personal upheavals…

Gratitude is…part of our psychological immune system.”

For some of us, gratitude comes easily, but that’s not true for everyone. In fact, it can be easy to let the problems of our life eclipse our relative good fortune. Luckily, there are ways to bring about gratitude, both in ourselves and in others, and I want to tell you about two.

The first comes from the most popular class in the history of Yale’s three-hundred-odd years: Psychology and the Good Life* taught by professor Lauri Santos. During reading week, the class overflowed the auditorium it was slated for and had to be moved to the largest lecture hall on campus. At one point, a full quarter of Yale’s undergraduate campus was enrolled, and the university was struggling to find enough teaching fellows to help staff the course.

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“gratitude helps us recover from loss and trauma. It helps us to deal with the slow drip of everyday stress, as well as the massive personal upheavals…

Gratitude is…part of our psychological immune system.”

Professor Santos is a leader in positive psychology. In recent decades, this branch of psychology is a relative newcomer to the field. Positive psychology researchers by and large don’t look at mental disorders and diseases but at what makes us healthy, happy, thriving human beings. Among the many things the class taught were research-backed strategies to improve mood, reduce stress, and better your overall quality of life.

For one of the class’s homework assignments, Professor Santos assigns a “gratitude visit.” Students were told to write a letter of gratitude to someone and deliver it—in person. “If you tell someone you’re thankful for them,” said Professor Santos in an NPR interview, “first, you have to have a social connection. Second, you’re doing something nice for somebody else…and you’re feeling the gratitude inside when you’re expressing it.”

If this sounds simple, it is. In fact, the biggest downside to this strategy might be that it sounds so simple we underestimate just how effective this act can be. We imagine that it might feel awkward, either for us or for the person receiving the note. As a result, we put it off indefinitely, or we simply don’t do it.

Nicholas Epley, another psychologist, said that in his team’s research on gratitude visits they found that “the letter writers consistently underestimate how positive the recipients are going to feel, that the letter writers underestimate how surprised the recipient will be about the content … They predict recipients will be happy. Recipients are even happier than that. They’re basically at the ceiling of our measure. And they overestimate how awkward the recipient is going to feel.”

Writing and delivering a note like this doesn’t just make the recipient feel good. It has a tremendous benefit for our own happiness and wellbeing. According to Santos, not only will the recipient likely cherish that note, a study found that a gratitude visit can boost your own happiness for over a month. Apparently, these gratitude visits even work over Zoom, as long as you can see their facial expressions.

Gratitude visits follow a larger pattern for cultivating gratitude: the more gratitude we express, the more we tend to feel. And while actions can speak louder than words in terms of expressing gratitude, the research shows that we shouldn’t underestimate the power of a few well-chosen words, either.

The second strategy for cultivating gratitude I want to share is to remind yourself what you have is temporary. English writer and lay theologian G. K. Chesterton wrote that “the way to love anything is

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would consider all theirr “There are at least a billiion people on earth at this moment,...who w ith yyou.” with l it h places th could switch prayerss answeredd if they

t Grat . i . tude

grat·i·tude | \ gra-te-tüd - tyüd \ t(y)ood

o quality of being grateful or thankful; a warm 1. The state or and friendly feeling in response to a favor or favors received; readiness to show appreciation ffor and to return kindness. s appreciation, apprreciativeness, gratefuulness, thankfulness, s thanks. thankfulness,

atitude The meaning can varyy person to The gratitude ssymbol is used to represent the spirit of gratitude. t good in our lives. It can be used to remind person, but ultimately, it stands to remind us of the moment or genntly provoke a spirit of gratitude in your heart you to practice gratitude in that moment, when you feeel otherwise. It is a symbol to remindd you of all you have to be grateful ffor and to

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out, but to realize it can be lost.” It may not be pleasant to think abo it can help us recognize the value of what we have while wee still have it. ng at Sam Harris, the author and prominent atheist, recalled sittin oticed his dinner table with his family one evening. “I suddenly no y.. And how little joy we were all taking in one another ’s company opporo then I thought: If I had died yesterday and could have the oppor would y, I thought of how much I w tunity to be back with my family ve me savor this moment. It totally transformed my mood and gave itude instantaneous access to my best self—a feeling of pure gratitude for the people in my life.” ink of Another strategy Harris offers to cultivate gratitude is to think all the bad things that haven’t happened to you. “I haven’t been diagnosed with a fatal illness. I’m not caught in a warr-zone. And I think of all the people in the world who are suffering thosee sorts of dislocations in their lives. And … if I were in their shoes, I’d be desperate to get back to precisely the situation I’m now in: stuck in traffic, late for an appointment, but without any real care in the world.”

Consider this: if you’re taking time out of your day to read this You can read English, a w, you’re in a unique situation. Yo right now language millions of people around the world either wish they You have time enough in knew or which they are trying to learn. Yo your day to read it, and you likely aren’t a climate refugee or worr-y. “There are at ried about the immediate survival of your family least a billion people on earth at this moment,” says Harris, “who would consider all their prayers answered if they could switch places with you.” y, Hurricane Ida swept through Louisiana, and I had to Recently evacuate my home in New Orleans. The city’s levees held, but a week laterr, as I drove home through the surrounding areas, I saw fishing trollers on their sides and roofs ripped off like lids off sardine cans. Nearly everywhere, I could smell rot.

I walked onto a wharf that stood over the Mississippi and thought about how the rising seas and worsening storms might, in a few decades, destroy this city. It was a sad thought, but on its heels came a wave of gratitude. I had the good fortune to be alive. Not only that: I was alive in my favorite place in the world. There is

t “Gratitude is not only the t greatest of virtues but the others. parent of all others.”

Marcus Tullius Cicero

y,, I might be permanently displaced a real possibility that, one day from this land. But at that moment, all I could feel was gratitude.

Keeping in mind what we have can be lost is a powerful practice for cultivating gratitude. How many more times will you smell the first day of fall? How many more times will you get to go back home? How many more times will that raw feeling well up in your heart so you can say to someone “I love you,” and mean it with every fiber of your being?

In his poem, “Lasts,” Iain Thomas imagines that, in the future, they’ll invent a small light that follows you around and shines when something is about to end. He imagines that, if it goes off at your favorite restaurant, you can order everything on the menu you’ve never tried. Orr, if someone is about to buy your carr,, you can take it out for one last spin. “Maybe,” writes Thomas, “if you’re with a group of friends who’ll never be together again, all w, and then your lights will shine at the same time and you’ll know you can hold each other and whisperr, ‘This was so good. Oh my God, this was so good.’”

Well-Being,” for free * Yoou can take the full course, now called “The Science of We on Laurie Santos’s website.

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AskAshley

What Are The Benefits of a Digital Detox?

By Ashley Alt

Your brain will thank you for giving Instagram the Digital detoxes are on the rise, and for good reason. boot, if only for a week It’s no secret that social media — and technology in general — can be pretty damn toxic when consumed for hours on end. From mindlessly scrolling through Twitter at the dinner table to getting lost in a rabbit hole of TikTok videos when we can’t sleep, I think we can all relate to the social media overdose that leaves us feeling exhausted, inferior, and just plain

blah. Living in our phones 24/7 can’t possibly be good for our brains (not to mention our souls).

And seeing as the majority of the world is already stuck in front of a screen 8+ hours a day thanks to the work-from-home boom, I would be remiss if I didn’t doll out tips on how lessening our digital consumption makes us happier, healthier, (and probably smarter).

If you’re ready to give your overstimulated brain a break from poor connection zooms and mindless scrolling, I highly recommend a digital detox.

You’ve heard of wellness detoxes, juice cleanses, and the like in order to recharge your body and reset your brain. But have you heard of (or better yet, tried) a digital detox? The name speaks for itself: A digital detox is “a set period of time when a person voluntarily refrains from using digital devices, including smartphones, computers, and social media platforms.”

At the very least, the point of a digital detox is to unplug from the anxiety-ridden pings, emails, and texts that we’ve become hardwired to perceive as “urgent,” while the bigger picture is to evaluate what matters most in life... which I have a feeling isn’t watching TikTok dances, although to each their own.

In pursuing a digital detox, people are feeling the immediate benefits of living outside of their phones, including increased energy and focus, decreased stress and anxiety, and overall higher levels of happiness.

A study published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology showed a link between social media use and loneliness and depression. As writer

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Catherine Winter put it,“You might feel like you’re missing out on knowing all the details about what’s going on in everyone else’s lives, but ultimately, do you really need to know all of that?”

That said, if the first thing you do when you wake up is reach for your phone, it might be time to evaluate why you do it. If it’s to check the time or weather, that’s understandable. But if it’s to see what people are doing on Instagram or Facebook, that can cause unnecessary heightened levels of stress and anxiety.

As one wellness podcaster put it, “Clicking on Instagram as soon as you wake up is like inviting 100 people into your room while you’re still in bed.

You wouldn’t do that in real life. So why are you doing it in your mind?”

Here are four ways a digital detox can improve your life It eases anxiety.

We’ve gotten so accustomed to expecting dopamine hits from superficial things like multiple “likes” on a photo that simple pleasures in life, like breathing in fresh air and taking a bite out of a delicious sandwich, are taken for granted. And that is a real shame.

Luckily, we can reverse this backwards way of living simply by turning off our phones. It is incredible how much lighter we feel after unplugging.

Returning to nature, as hippie as it sounds, is truly healing for our minds and bodies. Simple things like cuddling with our dog or taking an outdoor workout class can rid our bodies of stress and anxiety instantly.

It makes you feel more creative.

You’ve heard that we get our best ideas in the shower, right? That’s because the shower is literally the only place we go without our phones. Our minds finally get a reprieve from the constant inundation of ads, meeting

reminders, and“sign up for my free webinars!”, making space for creativity.

When I’m in a creative rut, I know it’s because I’m spending too much time on my phone and computer. In order to snap myself out of it, I shut my MacBook and go for an hour-long walk. Not surprisingly, I return with a ton of fun ideas for both life and work. That refreshed, invigorating feeling can only be felt when we give ourselves a break from technology.

It improves your relationships.

There haven’t been studies on this yet, but Netflix and Chill could very well be the death of marriages. Obviously there is nothing wrong with watching tv with your partner. It becomes problematic, though, when that’s all you do together.

When you free yourself from the confines of technology, you realize in-person interactions are a much better way to communicate than text messages (and to live, in general). You will be amazed at how much better you feel about your significant other when you make the choice to be present with one another without your phones.

It gives you more energy.

Isn’t it ironic that we race to Google to find ways to GET MORE ENERGY NOW, only to feel more drained after the fact? That’s because being on the Internet is exhausting.

Instead of hitting up Amazon for energy drinks, just get off your phone.

Read a book instead of watching tv. Listen to music instead of scrolling through Instagram. It’s shocking how fabulous life can be when you give yourself permission to stop being a slave to your notifications.

In Conclusion...

The answer to most of our problems in life is simple: Drink more water. Exercise more. Spend more time with your family. Spend less time on your phone.

Good luck with your digital detox journey! Do let me know how it pans out.

To keep up with Ashley and her well living tips, sign up for her mindset health newsletter, SipSip, at https://ashleyalt.substack.com/welcome.

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“

“

Bob. Audience.

Au Go, Be Funnyy..

Meett The Warm Wa mup Guyy,, Bob Perlow

by Rona Mann Photos Courtesy of Bob Perlow

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“

“

Bob Perlow is the best warmupp guy in the business. In a field

where most guys last 13 weekks before being fired or moving

on to another program, Bob waas with me for almost my entire run of The Tonight Show. w.” Besiddes, I couldn’t fire him, he knew all the secrets.

Jay Leno

B

ob Perlow is the kind of guy you’d want to haave as your friend because he’s more loyal than a d dog, and you don’t have to clean up after him.

Bob Perlow is a guy whose brain you’ll want to pick because he’s got such great stories for the picking. buy And most of all, Bob Perlow is the guy you’d want to b ow a lottery ticket for you because his whole life Bob Perlo always fell into it, and he really never even tried.

w“It” is the charmed life of a guy who started out in Paw tucket, Rhode Island, became a college professorr,, sold families over-priced baby pictures, was a tour directorr for a discount bus company in Los Angeles, and wound-up being b Jay Leno’s roommate and ultimately his “warmup guy” ” for some 15 years. And those are just some of the highlightss of a lif and life d career that th t Perl P low l simply i l calls, ll “serendipitous.” “ di it ” Rhode Islanders of “a certain age” will remember the popular Perlow Shoe S Store of more than half a century y ago but working with a Brannock device measuring feet was really never on Perlow w’s radar. What was on his radar as a young man was avoiiding the draft and staying far away way from V Vietnam, so afterr graduating from the University y of Rhode Island as an un ndergrad, he stayed on and earned ed a Masters in Business. H He then taught Marketing at Johnson nson & Wales Business Colllege before becoming a Professor or at the now-defunct Cham mberlayne Junior College in Boston. ston.

So what can you “fall into” from that? As they say in TV V,, stay tuned.

While in Boston, on a llark he answered an ad in the Boston wspaper that simply read, “Are you Phoenix alternative new he University of Rhode Island always funny?” The guys at th Tu urns out the told Bob he was so he figured, “Why not?” T ad was for an improvisational comedy group that was just starting up. Although Perlow had absolutely no aspirations for show business, he tthought it would be fun. Another Boston-area guy answered the same ad. Jay Leno was just dian then, then working $25. $25 a night jobs starting out as a comed p act. The two young men auditioned perfecting his standup and subsequently joineed the improv group touring around

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New England playin ng dates here and there. Little gigs like small clubs and college campuses, sometimes big ones like The Boston Playboy Clu ub, and “Once we were even the opening act for Soupy Sales,” Bo ob laughs.

Shortly thereafterr,, P Perlow had an opportunity to be a cruise ship director in the C Caribbean and “fell into” that for a while until the company o offered him a chance to be a tour bus guide and move to Los An ngeles where he and Leno met up again and became roomm mates. It was also where Bob signed up for an improv class with h classmates like Robin Williams and Paul Reubens who later b became Pee-wee Herman. Although Bob had never even been n to California, he jumped at the chance, making up things ass he went along. “There’s Doris Day’s home on your left,” he’d p point out. It wasn’t true, but Perlow knew the 90 or so people o on the bus who had flown in from New York wouldn’t know w. They also didn’t know when they bought their two-week vacaation package at a very deep discount that they’d be flying into o Los Angeles, then taking a five-hour bus trip across the deserrt back to Las Vegas where the tour actually

52 began. “They would complain like crazy,” Bob laughed, “but it was cheaper to fly into L.A. than Vegas, so I had to keep them happy and engaged by telling them the wonders of the Mojave Desert and how lucky they were to have the experience.” Clearly, Perlow had not only the gift of gab, but a gift of being quick, thinking on his feet, and doling out pure, unadulterated baloney that only chutzpah begets. However, he knew it was time to leave the tour bus life when on one sojourn a tiny, 82 year-old woman came up to him after seeing the flea bag motel they were staying in, rolled up her sleeve, showed him the horrific number branded into her arm in the concentration camps, and said, “Bob, I’m not a complainer, but my room in the camp was better than this.” Perlow quickly gave her his room for the night and decided it was probably time to move on yet again.

Next, a friend who owned a bar in St. Maarten in the Caribbean offered him an opportunity to buy into the place, so Perlow thinking this sounded good, decided to make the move.

Just before he packed for warmer waters he was playing paddle tennis with Marc Sotkin, one of his improv classmates. Sotkin was a TV comedy writer and asked Perlow to hold on for a couple of weeks before leaving town. The wait paid off...in spades. Sotkin became Producer of the #1 show in TV at the time, Laverne and Shirley, hired Bob Perlow as a writer even though he had no experience doing so, and once again, our boy had fallen into it.

This time, however, it wasn’t going to be as easy as making up stories on a bus tour. This was the big time, and the other writers who inhabited the Laverne and Shirley writer’s room weren’t so welcoming and resented the fact that the newly-minted producer had hired an

I hated laugh tracks so we only taped Newhart with a live audience.

“

“

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Because we often had to do 3-4 takes of the same thing, the audience knew the punchline, but we still wanted them to laugh. Bob kept up

a constant conversation with them, kept them laughing, never lost them. In addition to being personable and just plain nice, he was the best I ever used. Nobody was as good at what he did.

Bob Newhart

inexperienced writer. Bob did little to add to the ongoing patter and scriptwriting prompting one of the other producers to give him a tee shirt that read, “I’ll be funny soon,” a definite swipe at the guy who was learning the ropes as fast as he could but finding a dead end each time he tried to contribute.

One day about three months into this, Garry Marshall, the creator and producer of Laverne and Shirley, came into the writer’s room and uttered those now famous five words: “Bob. Audience. Go, be funny.”Marshall was a man who spoke shorthand, but Bob knew that meant warm the audience up. Most of the other writers were asked to do this from time to time and weren’t very good at it, now it was Perlow’s turn at bat. A warmup guy’s job is essentially to serve as a liaison between the live audience and the show, getting the audience feeling good and primed to cheer for the stars and the camera. The warmup comic opens the show, greets the audience, engages them, and usually asks, “So where are you from?”

Bob didn’t do that.

Was he nervous? “After working the bus tours with people who wanted to rip my head off much of the time, this was easy. It was really the same thing.” So he schmoozed them, made them laugh, and never once asked where anyone was from. What most folks don’t know is that a 30 minute show taping can take anywhere from 3-5 hours, more in some cases, so the warmup guy has to be good on his feet...kind of like improv, and very, very much like a tour director on a bus filled with unhappy passengers since the audience cannot leave. But Perlow’s connection with the audience was immediate. He was a hit, and Garry Marshall

loved him. Bob’s innate sense of taking a well-calculated risk, especially when it came to his own abilities, paid off for the next 35 years as he went on to work as a warmup guy on Full House, Growing Pains, Who’s the Boss?, Mork & Mindy, Friends, Cheers, and finally teaming up once again with his old friend, Jay Leno for a 15-year run as the warmup guy on The Tonight Show.

THIS JUST IN! Bob Perlow’s live show, Tales From Hollywood will be at The Granite Theatre in Westerly, RI on Saturday, November 13th for one night ONLY. Showtime is 7:30PM, and you’ll have a chance to hear the stories first-hand, savor the gossip, and ask your own questions about the stars and shows Bob worked with.

All tickets are $20. each and maybe purchased online at: www.granitetheatre.com or at the Box Office that night if not sold out.

Bob is now retired from warmups (“It’s a young guy’s business”), but it’s obvious he has no regrets. He lives on the beautiful coast of Rhode Island and engages everyone he meets. Several years ago he wrote a tell-all bestseller, The Warmup Guy, published by Pelican Books with a foreword by his good friend, the late Alan Thicke. Perlow’s stories are legend and nonstop. They are funny and genuine and unlike the locale of Doris Day’s house, they are true to life. Additionally, he is frequently in demand to perform his one-man show “Tales from Hollywood” which is not only autobiographical, but a closeup into what really goes on in TV, the stars who are primadonnas, the ones who became lifelong friends, and the ones who were just plain miserable.

Yes, at first blush it would appear that Bob Perlow fell into it, but the truth is you don’t stay in Hollywood if you’re not good. Hack writers had grudgingly handled the warmup duties previously, but when Bob Perlow came along, he turned the warmup guy into an art form, raising the bar to where it had never been before; and along the way, he made hundreds of friends, delighted thousands of audience members, and had one helluva good time.

Serendipitous indeed.

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“I’ve got to paint what comes out of me. I don’t need rules.

I don’t want to follow the rules. I never followed rules.”

RULES? WHAT RULES!?

By John Tolmie Photos By Kate Tolmie / Courtesy of Beth Greene

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L

Let’s watch a quick time-lapse video of a new home construction, from start to finish. Comedic chaos reveals a blur of craftsmen working at hyper-speed, who accomplish the job in less time than it takes to down a hot cup of morning coffee. Satisfying to watch, isn’t it? In real-time, the undertaking is an arduous and impressive feat, even for dozens of skilled professionals using today’s finest tools. Upon completion, the keys are ceremoniously presented to proud homeowners who can’t wait to tell everyone that, “We decided to build rather than buy. It was exhausting, but we did it!” Truth? Well, sort of. They did lend a hypothetical hand. However, Connecticut native Beth Greene, whose tongue never acquired a taste for figurative speech, can confidently say, “I built both of my houses from scratch.” She, together with her loving husband Ron, designed and constructed two homes in the Nutmeg state, each distant in location and decades apart.

Beth and Ron began building their first home in Thompson soon after tying the knot. “We had no money, so the only way to do it was to do it ourselves.

Every eight bucks we got; we bought another piece of sheetrock.” Beth says with an ironic chuff recalling her toils as a young adult. “We owned thirty-six acres of land where we built our house and a barn. It was just gorgeous when we finished!” Basic amenities, such as running water, would have to wait until the emerging structure was ready, while living in a school bus they temporarily called home. “It was also where our first child was conceived.” Beth says with a cheeky grin. Welcoming a baby added a bit of stress, especially to their finances, but the couple continued forth within their budget. The pair vowed a staunch agreement to forever remain debt-free. “We have never had a mortgage.” Beth says with pride. It had been a painstaking process, but progress never ceased as Beth tested her ingenuity with each new endeavor. Neither Beth nor her husband were tool savvy at the onset and relied on Ron’s cousin Dan to lend a hand.

“Dan built the plywood box, and we figured out the rest!” Beth recalls, “We built our first house long before the How-To Videos on YouTube. But we did it!” Through trial and error, the interior of the home began to come alive. “When Ron would travel for business, he’d come home to new kitchen cabinets I made while he was gone.” Beth recalls, “I wanted him to be surprised every time with another finished project.” It took over six years

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to complete the improbable task, with Beth surpassing even her own expectations. During this time, Beth also worked from home as a certified piano teacher and enjoyed those years raising her family tucked away in Connecticut’s peaceful Quiet Corner.

Noank had always held a special place in Beth’s heart, having cherished her memories of youth sailing the briny coastal waters. “Ron and I had bought a sailboat when we were in our twenties and moored it on the Mystic River. We had two young children at the time and had many adventures together on that boat.” Beth recounts with fondness. The shoreline became a respite from the young family’s innumerable projects up north, a tradition that would continue for several years. Time flew, as it always does when raising children, as Beth’s babies were suddenly off to college. “So, now I’m an empty-nester. What’s next?” Beth’s shrugs in remembrance. “After raising my children, I decided to retire from teaching piano and thought it was finally time to get a regular job.” Beth asked Ron if she should join the vanilla workforce, or would it be cool if she built another house instead? The love of her life simply asked where should they build? “We both wanted to be close to the ocean and began our search for property in Maine.”

Beth says, “But the logistics of building so far away was

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impractical.” They searched for property ever southward along the bold coast of New England finally landing in their beloved Noank. “My husband and I have traveled all over the world, but we love Noank more than anywhere, so why not try and build here?”, Beth smirks, “We drove down one day, turned left on Brook Street, saw a for-sale sign, and immediately pulled over.” The couple crooned in silence for an eternal moment, delaying time enough to flood their minds with fresh probabilities and promises anew. The agreement was unspoken as the couple turned to look at one another. Yes, this was where they had always belonged. The property was level as a camel spine, overgrown with thorny vines, covered in misshapen boulders, and occupied by an ancient barn that sagged in protest.

“So, we made an offer and bought it.” Beth says, “That day, I took a napkin and sketched out an idea for a home that we would ultimately build.”

Beth and Ron wasted little time after securing the Noank lot. “The only structure on the property was that little barn,” Beth says pointing to the left side of her home. “We wanted to save it, so my husband took a chainsaw, cut it free, and moved it over so we had room for a house.” The old-fashioned barn discovered a new life as Beth vowed to preserve its old-time craftsmanship with each adjoining structure. Her uncompromising adherence to mid-eighteenth-century architecture emulates in every detail from the red brink foundation to the functional wooden gutters.

“It’s very colonial. I wanted it to fit in perfectly with the neighborhood,” Beth says pointing, “See that house over

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“My husband asked if I wanted a diamond ring or if I wanted a house. I said I’ll take the house! I still don’t have a diamond ring and can’t wear one anyway because I run power tools all the time.” there? It was built in the early 1760s. I wanted this house to look like it had been here just as long.” She even hand carved a pair of pineapples into the trim surrounding the front door for good measure. “My husband asked if I wanted a diamond ring or if I wanted a house. I said I’ll take the house! I still don’t have a diamond ring and can’t wear one anyway because I run power tools all the time.” Beth says as she enters her home’s newest addition. “This is my Gallery! We just got approval from the building inspector so come on in!” Large and brilliant-colored paintings on canvass hang on the walls and dangle from the rafters of the warmly lit space. The fragrance of freshly cut wood and recently cured oil paint compliment and complete the welcoming vibe. “I decided to name it 64th Note Gallery. I’m 64 with not a lot of years left and the F note is my way of

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“We wanted to save it, so my husband took a chainsaw, cut it free, and moved it over so we had room for a house.”

saying ‘F The Rules!’” Beth laughs, “I’ve got to paint what comes out of me. I don’t need rules. I don’t want to follow the rules. I never followed rules.” Beth relents and is coaxed by her guests to play a song on the grand piano stationed in the heart of her gallery. She chooses a score by Yanni while her visitors peruse about and enjoy the culmination of her life’s work.

The gallery flows into the living spaces of her home via a dining area complete with an immense live-edge slab table. “We cut the wood from our Thompson property for the table.” Beth says, “We also used the same wood for the beams in our kitchen.” The cavernous multi-storied interior boasts handmade décor, all, of course, crafted by an industrious Beth. Each room has a mixture of both frugally repurposed and frivolously high-end accouterments. She even turned part of a chicken coop into a faucet in one of her guest bathrooms. After the whirlwind tour of her home, she

65 beckons back to the gallery to bid farewell. “This is a series of books I published.” Beth says handing over the glossy hardcovers, “Read them and let me know what you think!” They are all written to her grandchildren and perhaps to all children. Beth is a homebuilder, an artist, a musician, a publisher, a craftsman, and an adventurer. Beth has done all of this for her and her family, but her inspiration has found audience elsewhere. In Manchester, she painted a mural in the park to brighten it up for the local children. “A fellow from the Hartford Current wrote me a nice note one day that he was standing in the park with his granddaughter and that they both loved my work.” Beth recalls, “It’s just nice knowing so many people pass by the wall and are enjoying it!” You don’t have to drive to Manchester to check out Beth Greene’s artwork. She invites you to join her for the grand opening of 64th Note Gallery on November 14th, 2021.

If you ask nicely, maybe she’ll even play you a tune on her grand piano. You’ll find her at 44 Brook Street in Noank where the rules of art be not applied.

Beth can be contacted on Facebook at 64th Note Gallery or at www. bethgreenefineart.com

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Denizens of the Deep A Brief History of Humans Beneath the Waves. Part 1

by John Tolmie

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pproximately three quarters of the Earth's surface is covered by water with the salty seven seas staking a ninety six percent claim.

Since the dawn of human existence, humans have entered the ocean to harvest sustenance, so it’s impossible to trace the exact date or origin of diving. However, we do know that early Mesopotamians, nearly five thousand years ago had engaged in diving to collect pearls from deep-sea oyster beds.

Homer even recorded sponge fishermen diving to a hundred feet to gather their bounty

well over three thousand years ago. The most famous divers of antiquity were the Greek Scyllias and his daughter Cyana. The Persian King Xerxes commissioned them in the fifth century B.C., as treasure salvors during one of the numerous wars between the Persians and Greeks. The Spartans and Athenians were the first to employ combat divers, but history usually credits Alexander the Great in his famous siege of Tyre. He used demolition divers to remove obstacles from the harbor. In fact, Aristotle reported that Alexander himself made several dives in a crude diving bell to observe the work in progress. By the first century, a thriving salvage industry sprung up throughout the major trade routes of the Mediterranean.

The industry became so well organized that laws were enacted to mandate a fee structure for the services of diving salvors.

Collecting pearl oysters and seafood by diving was a common activity throughout the world by the first century. From the Ama divers of Japan and Korea to the Mayans of Central America to the Yahgan Indians of the Cape Horn region, freediving has had a

long and rich history. Interestingly, in all these cultures, the divers were almost entirely comprised of female pioneers. With the dawn of the Renaissance and the profusion of scientific inquiry, inventors experimented with various designs, including breathing tubes and diving

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bells. Leonardo da Vinci penned several drawings of diving systems and even sketched what could be considered the prototype of modern goggles and fins. By the latter half of the 18th century, crude but marginally successful diving systems were developed throughout Europe. In 1771, a Frenchman named Freminet produced what he called the “hydrostatergatic machine.” It consisted of a brass helmet with eyeholes. The air was supplied by a bellows into a small air reservoir, then pumped down to the diver. But because of the minimal air delivery capability, Freminet’s device was of limited use. In 1786, John and William Braithwaite developed an improved version of the helmet, as did a German named Klingert in 1787. Still, the advances in diving technology of the 17th and 18th centuries came from improvements in diving bells rather than helmets. Although their design was relatively haphazard and unsophisticated, diving bells did meet with limited success during the Renaissance. One of the first successful salvage operations using a one-person diving bell was carried out in Lake Nemi near Rome. As the bell carried with it only the amount of air trapped within it once it submerged, it provided only a short bottom time. In 1685, Sir William Phipps used a bell to recover nearly a million dollars’ worth of treasure from a Spanish galleon in the West Indies. In 1715, English inventor John Lethbridge invented the Diving Engine, a large, sealed cylinder with a viewport with holes for the divers' arms. Once sealed, a diver could remain submerged about a half-hour to a maximum depth of about sixty feet.

Lethbridge and his son traveled throughout the world for nearly 30 years, successfully salvaging wrecks for sponsors. He is credited by many as the forerunner of the modern commercial diver.

In 1820 John Deane went into business producing a fire-fight-

ing apparatus, which was patented in 1823.

But John had a grander vision for his invention. He believed it could be used for diving,

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salvage Russian warships at the age of 56.

German instrument-maker, Augustus Siebe refined the Deane design by sealing the helmet to the suit and improving the exhaust system. By 1840, the “Siebe Improved Diving Dress” became the true predecessor to the famous deep-sea diving dress familiar today.

and by 1828 the original fire-fighting apparatus evolved into “Deane’s Patent Diving Dress.” He modified a fire helmet design by adding larger viewing ports and countered the effects of buoyancy with weighted shoes. A heavy fabric suit was worn to protect the diver from the elements, but the helmet did not attach to the suit. It merely rested on the diver’s shoulders and was secured to his waist by straps. This, however, was the system’s major flaw, as the diver had to continually remain in an upright position. Still, Deane’s system was very successful. In 1836, he also produced the first diving manual. A truly remarkable man, John Deane continued diving for many years, even diving under the ice in the Black Sea to

The British warship Royal George sank in a freak accident and in 1842. The task of salvaging her fell into the lap of a British Royal Engineer named William Charles Pasley whose efforts brought diving into the modern era due to the vast number of innovations that he implemented during the salvage operations.

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He selected the use of the Siebe Improved Dress and recommended its adoption as the standard for the Royal Engineers. This certainly was another reason the Siebe design went on to become so universally popular. It is also the first time underwater explosives were used. Incredibly, the exploding devices were made from lead-encased oak barrels filled with gunpowder that were detonated by a wire from a battery on deck. Of interest to recreational divers were the numerous historical milestones generated from the Royal George operation. For instance, one of the rules Pasley invoked was that his divers had to operate in pairs. This became the first recorded use of the buddy system for diving. In addition, the historical record is replete with the exploits of one particular diver, Corporal Jones. On one occasion, Jones’ umbilical became hopelessly entrapped in a load of pig iron ballast as it was being loaded in a cargo sling. Miraculously, Jones managed to cut free from his umbilical, kick off his weighted boots, and ascend back to the surface from 60 feet (18 m) while continuously exhaling. He thus became the first person in recorded history to make an emergency swimming ascent in a full diving dress.

In 1871 Jules Verne penned the first fictional book on exploring the vast underwater world.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea sparked the imaginations of people from all over the globe. The book was translated for good measure and made its way into the hands of the young and the old. It is a misconception that his works sparked the fruition of

the diving systems. They had already existed long before Jules authored the quintessential novel. Before the invention of electricity, divers took to the depths with communications, lighting, and pneumatic tools. Truly the divers of yesterday were individuals who, like their gear, were made of steel and sprinkle of that true grit...

Continued Next Month with Part 2

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The man grinn ned again, but meekly. “You’r o e not going to likke it. Eggheads like you aren’t as smart as you think. Yoou can think at it for a thousand years— —you’ll never get it. Yoou have to come to wheere thinking ends, that’s where things begin.”

By Daniel Lev Shkolnik Illustrations By Mon_kee

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E

ver since his wife’s murderr,, something had been stalking Professor Lucas L Rhine. As he drove to ychiatric Hospital, he gripped Beacon Heights Psy with pale knuckles and glanced the steering wheel w into his rearview ass often as his windshield. For the second time in his life, he felt the primordial fear of a prey animal. x was on the seat beside him.

The Lockhart Codex The centuries-old book lay open to one of its three hundred pages, eacch filled with an indecipherable language. Under the book was the photograph the detective had given him of his wife’s final words, written in that same mysterious script. Just before she died, Rachel had cracked it.

But how?

When he reached the psych hospital, the night roiled with wind and the trees danced like demons. Dr. Childs met him at the door. “I’m so sorry to hear about Rachel, Lucas.”

“Y You’re sure she came to visit this patient before she died? Did she say anything about the codex?”

Dr. Childs shook his head.

“Y You’ll have to ask him.”

Professor Rhine found the patient seated at a table t in the visiting room. He rocked gently back and forth in his seat yebrows curled like grey surf seat. His ey and his beard fell down his chest like rapids.

“Do you know why I’m here?” said Professor Rhine as he took a seat.

75 “T To be admitted?” The man grinned at his own joke, but did not look up.

“Three days ago, a woman—a professor— came to visit you. What did you tell her?”

The man put his finger to his lips and continued rocking.

Professor Rhine slammed his hand on the table. “This is serious. Someone has died.”

“Is that why you’re here?”

The hair on his neck stood up, up and his heart tightened. Out of the corner of his eye, Professor Rhine thought he saw something looking in at him through the room’s barred window w.. He tried to fix his eyes on the shape, but it disappeared.

With i a bent fingerr,, the man pointed at Professor Rhine’s briefcase. “Y You have it there, don’t you?” Thirst had entered his voice.

“Let me see it. Just a page. Just a line.”

The professor stiffened. “First, tell me what you told her.”

“W We have a deal?”

Professor Rhine nodded.

The man grinned again, but meekly y. “Y Yo ou’re not going to likee it. Eggheads like you d years—you’ll never get aren’t as smart as you think. Yo You can think at it for a thousand b i ” it Yo it.

You have h to t come to t where h thinking thi ki ends, d that’s th t’ where h thi things begin.”

“Y You haven’t told me anything.”

“I told you what I told her. But you can’t expect to get something for nothing, Professor.

First, you have to give something up.”

“What’s that?”

The man tapped his knuckles against the side of his head. “Y Your mind.” d.

Professor Rhine stood up to go.

“W Wait!” cried the man.

“The book—we ok had ad a deal!” dea

Professor Rhine pulled the photo ph of his wife’s e’s final message from om his briefcase i fcase and tossed it on the table. Thee man snatched s atch up thee picture. pi “What is this?” His H eyes searched the strange letters it depicted. d picted. “This isn’t from om the codex.” ex ” He looked llook oked up p at a Professor Rhine and lunged at his suitcase. suitca “Give it to me!” me The orderlies leapt on him like bobcats.

Dr. Childs pulled Professor Rhine back ck toward thee door do as the man thrashed, thr thra hed, screaming: scr crream eaamin “Let me see it. We had a deal. deal

WE E HAD HAD A DEAL!” D ”

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A

fter his visit to Beacon Heights, Professor Rhine could no ot sleep. He wandered his home, turning lights on and off. Now and then, he heard a ringing in his ear as if a phone were going off in a room he couldn’t get to. Trry as he might, he couldn’t shake the sense that someone was following him.

In the dead of night, he heard a knock at his door. Hot fear ran through his veins. He went over to his desk and, from the bottom drawer, pulled a small handgun.

When he looked out the peephole, he quickly hid the weapon. Steven Baxter, his colleague from the cryptography department, was on his doormat.

“I brought that analysis you asked for—of the codex.” Steven Baxter handed him the pages.

Professor Rhine blinked for a moment. “Oh! Yees. I’d forgotten n about that.”

“Lucas, what did he say—that y man at Beacon Heights?” g “Yo ou were right.” Professor Rhine spun his finger around his temple. “Insane.”

“Listen, Lucas, the detectives have been trying to reach you regar e ding your wife’s case.”

“The detectives? I haven’t heard anything from them.”

“I think it would be best if you cooperate as much as possible with their investigation.”

“What do you think I’m doing? I’m practically solving their caase for them. The translation is everything. And besidess,” s, he lowered his voice and tr trieed to stifle a smile, “I think something is finally starting to som o click, Baxter.”

P

rofessor Rhine jolted upright. He was at his desk,, pap apers strewn about.

Dishes of half-eateen food had piled up on the flo oor aaround his office, over each, flies traceed black holes. He was unsure how w long ago he’d seen Baxter. Thr Three ee weeks? Wiith the windo ows dr d drawn, rawn it was hard to tell.

At long last, it had hap ppened: the translation o of the Loc ockhart Codex had begun. Th he breakthrough came all aat once, and when it did, he hopped upon hiss table, howling like a banshee. But under cover cover of his excitementt, whatever had been follo owing him had entered hiis home. Now he was bein h ng hunted.

77 It had cut off all forms of communication with the outsid de world. The phone was useless. Repeatedly he’d tried to leave, but it made escape iimpossible. He went from room to room with his handgun close to his chest. Discovering g that it hated light, the Professor had kept every lightbulb in his house blazing for day ys. Now, half the bulbs had gone y g out, and the house had become a patchwork of safe and d dangerous zones. But when he was not fighting for survival, he poured his being into th he manuscript.

During those days of terror and ecstasy, the translation unfolded before his eyes like a revelation. He understood why it had taken so long to understand the text: it was not a dead language. It was a living thing.

F

or two days, his hunter paced back and forth in the dark corridor outside his office. The lamp on Professor Rhine’s desk was now the last light in the house. Only seven pages of the codex remained to translate, but as he worked, it seemed as though all the black spaces of the house pressed upon his shrinking island of light. The walls of the office had already disappeared in darkness. Soon, his enemy would be upon him.

“You’r o e too late!” he called out as he worked. “I’ve nearly done it!” He held the handgun with his left hand so he could continue translating with his right.

“Baxter, the detectives—they’ll find the translation. They’ll see what I’ve done. The name of Lucas Rhine will go down in history..” His laugh was of the gallows. “They’ll

write books about b t me. Fil Film movies. i Dedicate libraries. I will forever be known

as the man who did what no one elsse could—the man who solved the world’s great riddle. Lucas Rhine: translator of the codex!”

He came to the final line, and finishing, held up the page in triumph. But as he looked at the words he’d written, horror throttled his heart. “It can’t be.” He snatched up one page after another from his desk. It was the same for all of them: the words he’d written were not English but the same unreadable script that filled the codex.

As he thrashed about, seaarching for one readable page, he knocked the lamp onto the floor. The bulb shattered. As the darkness rushed in upon him, he fired his gun blindly. “Stay back!” By the flinching light of the blasts, he saw this darkness was made of millions upon millions off crowded letters, thick as pitch. In all directions, the codex extended without end. H He felt powerful hands take hold of him and twist his limbs unttil his body contorted into o one of those letters. In the darkness, to the right and left, he saw w other letters, other bodiess—mummified in ink. He could not read the sentence he’d beeen placed in, nor the story h he helped tell, but he knew this was his end. And like a book off countless pages, he felt etternity t it close l it its weight i ht upon him. hi

The End

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The

Cheesemonger Paul Partica, The Cheese Shop, Centerbrook CT

Fall Seasonal Cheeses Swedish Tegel Cheese I love the story of this new cheese I recently learned about from Sweden. It will also be nice to add a new country to the list of countries we carry cheeses from.

The first thing that catches your eye is the small footprint of a child imprinted on the rind of the cheese. The story told is that of a brick manufacturer in Sweden called Almnäs Brick Factory which made bricks from the 1750’s through 1976. In its early production the farm workers children would run over the bricks that were drying in the sun, leaving their footprints behind. From that time forward every brick produced had a logo of a child’s footprint imprinted on it.

When the factory was converted to a cheese production facility in 1976, they decided to keep the tradition going so every wheel of Almnäs Brick Cheese has the logo stamp of s child’s footprint.

The cheese weighs close to 60 pounds. It’s made from raw milk from Holstein cows. It’s enhanced by a washed rind finish causing a rustic red color. This is similar to many Swiss cheeses such as Gruyere, Appenzeller, or Red Witch. The cheese will vary in age from 18 to 30 months which is plenty of time to create this hearty, robust cheese. You will also find hints of butterscotch and crystals present.

Tegel might be a little hard to find but worth the effort.

English Stichelton This is a great cheese, unfortunately very difficult to come by. Not one of the suppliers that I know stock this cheese. It comes from Neals’s yard Dairy in England. It has to be special ordered and then you wait a month or so for it to arrive.

What makes it so special? You might know of an English cheese called Stilton. I always new it as the King of Cheese. It’s a beautiful blue cheese made with penicillium roqueforti. The cheese is known for its external rugged earthy appearance, mild cheddar undertone and its shape, a wheel about fifteen pounds. It used to be made from raw cow’s milk but because of a health scare in the nineties about raw milk cheese causing a problem, all of the stilton

manufacturers agreed that going forward the cheese would only be made from pasteurized milk. It was never proven that the raw milk Stilton was the cause of the outbreak.

A new cheese was created about a dozen years ago. This new cheese is made from raw milk on a new dairy built on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire, located at the edge of the Sherwood Forest. This new cheese, created by Neal’s Yard Dairy, is made from the same starter culture formerly used for the original Stilton. Because of the nineties rule, they were not allowed to call this new raw milk cheese Stilton, so they called it Stichelton. As far as I’m concerned, this new Stichelton is the real original Stilton.

If you find it, I highly recommend you try it. As with almost all cheeses, raw milk tends to have more flavor.

French Mimolette Cheese I remember first learning about this cheese because it was referred to as French President Charles de Gaulle’s most favorite cheese. I later learned the cheese existed because Louis XIV was jealous of the success of Hollands Edam balls so he wanted something special made in France. I don’t know if this is true or not but it made me remember the cheese.

Mimolette is a small, round, ball shaped cheese weighing about five pounds. It will remind you of a cantaloupe melon. In fact, you can cut it the shape of a wedge of melon and it looks great on a cheese tray for decoration. It’s made from pasteurized cow’s milk with a heavy use of natural annatto coloring.

This results in a very bright orange appearance. It can pass for a pumpkin in appearance. We decorated one last month for Halloween.

The cheese is offered in three stages: three months, six months, and over one year. When the cheese is young the rind is smooth and very orange. It has a mild Parmesan taste at this point. As the cheese ages the outer rind becomes less orange, more grey in color and the rind becomes rough due to the cheese mites that work on the cheese to enhance its flavor.

Because of these mites the cheese is often detained by the Food and Drug Administration or not allowed in period.

LLC

ofCenterbrook

Specialty Foods & Espresso Bar

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By Art LiPuma, “The Wine Seller” SeaSide Wine & Spirits, Old Saybrook

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Ridge Winery...

Every Sip is an Award Winner B

ack in 1885, the Ridge winery was born. Dr. Osea Perrone purchased land in the upper range of Monte Bello in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. He then cultivated the land and started to grow grapes. Monte Bello is first and foremost a wine of place, and that place high atop the Santa Cruz Mountains produces a wine like no other.

The first wine to be produced was Cabernet Sauvignon from the Monte Bello Vineyards.

Unfortunately, the wines didn’t have the best of success. Ridge Vineyard was eventually abandoned until 1940 when William Short purchased the winery and replanted Cabernet Sauvignon in some of the small areas of the vineyard named Torre Ranch.

The most recent purchase by David Bennion, Charles Rosen, Howard Zeidler, and Hewitt Crane was the official beginning of Ridge Winery as we know it today. The famous Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon was then produced in 1962 for commercial use.

David’s next project was to produce a great zinfandel from the existing wineries that they had bought. He then went on to produce a zinfandel in 1964 from the vineyard named Picchetti, followed a couple of years later by producing zinfandel in their Geyserville Vineyard.

Although the Ridge winery produced a fantastic Cabernet Sauvignon which arguably developed into the best wine of the winery, the driving force was wine produced from the Zinfandel grape with a diverse selection of zinfandels from different regions in California, Geyserville being their first. This was then followed by ones produced from Lytton Springs and York Creek.

These wines are typically blended with grenache, syrah, carignane, and petite sirah, from a variety of parcels of land that they own with each zinfandel having its own taste profile due to the soil, weather, and particular blend of the individual vineyards.

Up until 1969 David Bennion was producing the wine after purchasing the vineyard. At that time, Paul Draper was hired as winemaker and head of operations.

A few years later in 1972, wines were produced from the vines in Lytton Springs with grapes picked from vines that were 71 years old. Even older were the vines from Geyserville that were planted in1882. Of course, we can’t exclude mentioning the wine contest, "Judgment of Paris” where reds and whites from California beat out the wines from France. The red that came in 5th was Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon which is also blended with small percentages of Merlot, Petite Verdot, and sometimes Cabernet Franc, arguably the best wine of the winery. This honor was bestowed in 1976.

There are also a variety of wines made with white grapes under the Ridge name. However, due to limited quantities of these white wines, some are just available at the winery or to club members. Some of the whites are produced from Falanghina, Picpoul, Roussanne, Viognier, and they also make an Estate Chardonnay. With their great wine portfolio they created the first American wine club.

Another key figure in the Ridge history is John Olney who was first hired as a helper in the Monte Bello wine cellar in 1996 and in just a few years, became assistant winemaker. In 2006 on the 30th anniversary of the “Judgment of Paris," the Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon came in 1st place for the 2000 vintage and the original vintage of 1971.

Paul Draper retired in 2016. Taking his place was John Olney who became head winemaker while overseeing all wine-making operations. Ridge has always been one of the well-known wineries of California, producing great structured wines. These wines will pair well with your Thanksgiving meal so whether it is the Zinfandel blends, Estate Chardonnay, or Grenache Blanc, enjoy the great selection of Ridge wines!

Cheers!

Art LiPuma

From Our Garage to Yours

ANTONINO AUTO

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