life@home magazine, august 2008

august 2008

Saratoga Shangri-La

inside the Roohans’ dream home Plus: Things to do in Saratoga

Join the canning comeback • Make your backyard an oasis • Discover the allure of Albany • Decorate that dorm without breaking the bank • and more!

HOW TO FINISH OUT THE SUMMER WITH YOUR

“COOL FACTOR” INTACT… August is the hottest month of the Summer! Fall is around the corner...Expect that dreaded heavy humidity that lingers on forever in August...Don’t get caught facing your family in the toughest month of the summer with a faulty air conditioning system.

Call the family that cares about your family’s home comfort all year long - Family Danz

Summer Tune Up Special Purchase an Air Conditioning Service Agreement at our regular price & RECEIVE the 2nd Year FREE Call for details.

Expires September 15, 2008. *Some restrictions may apply.

The BEST BUY SEAL is a registered trademark of Consumers Digest Communications, LLC, used under license. BRYEN01

518-427-8685 www.familydanz.com

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Publisher Mark E. Aldam Editorial Janet Reynolds, Executive Editor Design Wes Bennett, Design Director Contributing Writers Molly Belmont, William Dowd, Kim Durant, Doty Hall, Kerry Mendez, James MacNaughton, Kim Messenger, Jill Montag, Bill Losey, Jessica Maher, Merci Miglino, Deborah Renfrew, Jackie Sher, Richard Stevenson, Andrea Lapietra, Copy Editing Bloggers, Laurie Freehafer & Michael Kusek

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Contributing Photographers Wes Bennett , Suzanne Kawola, Leif Zurmuhlen, Erik vonHausen, Benjamin Hodder Sales Kathleen Hallion, Vice President, Advertising Tom Eason, Manager, Display Advertising Craig Eustace, Retail Sales Manager Charmaine Ushkow, New Business Development Manager Lisa Michaud, Magazine Advertising Sales Circulation John DeAugustine, Circulation Director Dan Denault, Home Delivery Manager Marketing Allison Lauenstein, Director of Marketing Controller Tom Maginn, Resident Controller TimesUnion.com Paul Block, Executive Producer If you are interested in receiving, monthly home delivery of life@home magazine, Please Call 518.454.5454 For Advertising Information, Please Call: 518.454.5392 life@home is published by Capital Newspapers and Times Union, 645 Albany Shaker Road, Albany, NY 12212 518.454.5694 The entire contents of this magazine are copyright 2008 by Capital Newspapers. No portion may be reproduced in any means without written permission of the publisher.

Capital Newspapers is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Hearst Corporation.

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content :@home: 19 THE RECIPE GAME

Tips for keeping your recipes straight

21 WINDOW SHOPPING

Must-have items for your home, plus our bloggers’ favorites

24 SARATOGA SHANGRI-LA

The Roohans’ dream home

30 GREAT CAMP 2.0 A family retreat turns elegant

33 ALBANY’S ALLURE

Investing in history can be a smart strategy

37 WILD FOR WALLACE The colorized photos of Wallace Nutting

40 DORM DAZE

Decorating that dorm room without breaking the bank

44 SHARP FOCUS

Faux painting, murals and more

48 CLEAN GREEN

Clean your windows naturally

50 DON’T FORGET THE LEAVES Top workhorse perennials

52 PARADISE FOUND Luxurious outdoor living in Coxsackie

56 WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE

Create your own backyard oasis

58 LIGHT YOUR WAY Kivi votive candleholders

Still life from the Roohans’ Saratoga Springs home.

See story on page 24. Photo by Wes Bennett . timesunion.com/homes

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content :life: 61 STAYING PUT

How to enjoy a stay-cation

63 DOLLARS AND SENSE Wall Street secrets you should know

64 SWOONING IN HUDSON An eclectic couple puts down restaurant roots

71 THE VINEYARD Fabulous Spanish wines

72 LET THERE BE BEES ON EARTH Honey fresh from Albany’s Center Square

74 CAN IT!

The growing popularity of putting up produce

76 5 THINGS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT

David Griggs-Janower of Albany Pro Musica on his favorite things

82 PHOTO FINISH

Still life at the Gimmels’ home

“Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.”

— J. Howard Payne

The table at the home of Chef Jeff and Nina Gimmel. Full story, page 64

cover photo by wes bennett. photo (this page), by suzanne kawola

timesunion.com/homes

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contributors

Leif Zurmuhlen, Photographer: My favorite thing to do on a lazy summer day is to sink slowly underwater and watch the bright sun dance off the water and then eventually drift back to the surface, only to bob my head up for air when absolutely necessary. I also like a soft ice cream twist cone.

Jill Montag, Writer: If I still lived near the ocean, my favorite lazy summer day activity would be going to the beach.

That’s not an option here, but I really enjoy relaxing on our deck and having a barbecue with friends.

Erik vonHausen, Photographer: My favorite lazy summer day activity would have to be a backyard barbeque. The mere mention of grilling burgers, hot dogs and shrimp makes my mouth water. I might have to call some friends and declare today a “lazy summer’s day.”

Kim Sakrison Durant, Writer: My favorite summer pastimes are popping hot tar bubbles, and staring at those hot flickering points of winged magic called fireflies that hold riots after thunderstorms. I love the sizzling summer scent of charcoal burning fat burgers on the grill after kayaking with Johnny, who pulls all of my weight.

Leif & daughter, photo by Jill Anthony

life@home asks: “What’s your favorite lazy summer day activity?”

Merci Miglino, Writer: Doing absolutely nothing.

Nothing. Is that an activity?

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Molly Belmont, Writer: I love to barbecue in the summer, and the best thing about outdoor cooking is the lazy lingering at the table afterwards.

I like to hang around outside as long as the bugs permit, enjoying good conversation as night comes down around me. Long after dinner is through, you can find me lolling about, full of potato salad and satisfaction.

Meghan Rosebeck, Writer: My favorite lazy summer activity is relaxing by the pool with a glass of homemade lemonade and my iPod. This activity allows me to tan, nap, and catch up on some tunes, the perfect thing to do when I’m not doing a thing.

Jessica Maher, Writer: My favorite way to spend a summer day is in the park, walking around and around until I find the perfect spot, usually under a big tree. I’ll have a knapsack packed with a book, an iced tea, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I’ll stay until the sun sets or my dog gets restless, whichever comes first.

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online

photos CONTESTS

shopping & lots more!

GO TO: timesunion.com/homes

home decor 24/7

Get your design fix anytime at timesunion. com/homes where our bloggers do all the snooping for you. House Things — Goodies You Won’t Mind Dusting lets you know the best Web sites and Internet finds, while Home Decor@518 scopes out the best local shopping options. See their favorite picks at Window Shopping, pg. 23.

a look behind the scene...

Want to see more photos of the Roohans’ restored Victorian home? Go to timesunion. com/homes...after first checking out the story on pg. 24.

things we collect...

We’re looking for a few good collections to feature in life@ home. If you’ve got an interesting collection, send a photo and short description to jreynolds@timesunion.com.

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get your daily green ...everyday!

House plants do more than simply perk up a drab room. They also help remove certain harmful volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) from indoor air, and that’s good for everyone’s lungs. For more green living tips, check out timesunion.com/homes.

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editor’s note

Albany’s Appeal I

’m new to the Albany area, having come here for this job last October. But I’m here to tell you that Albany has it all over Hartford, Connecticut, where I spent the last 20 years in the newspaper and magazine business. Yes, I’ve heard all the comments from jaded long-time inhabitants, the Small-bany nickname ranking highest in the negative jibes. But the reality is that this is a city and region with a lot going on and, more importantly, hope for the future, this in an era in which hope, political hype aside, is in fairly short supply.

I remain amazed by the warmth and friendliness I encounter almost daily — strangers regularly say hello on the street as I walk around Washington Park! Unlike Hartford, which razed just about every historic structure ever built, cities in this region, notably Albany and Troy, still have fantastic architecture from the past, making them interesting places to walk through and live in. And the diversity of people living in these cities, with the resulting active neighborhood groups, is a mix Hartford only dreams of.

Now I’m no Pollyanna. Like everywhere else, the Capital Region could improve. The arts aren’t perhaps all they could be, and hardly a day goes by we don’t read about some act of violence. But the reality is that there is a lot here that is positive.

photo: wes bennett

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his month’s issue is an example of what the Albany area has going for it. The story on investing in Albany’s historic homes talks of the value of city living, while our locavore story is about Bees on Earth, a local producer of honey right in the city’s Center Square neighborhood. Who knew? Up north, we focus on the fabulous home of Tom and Kristie Roohan, who could have escaped to the country but instead invested in the town they grew up in and have loved for years by renovating a 19th century house. Finally, life coach Merci Miglino reminds us how to take advantage of the region in her column on page 61 about how to take a stay-cation.

It’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day hassles of where we all are and forget that where we are is actually where we want to be. (And if it’s not, that’s another very long story.) There’s a reason the saying, “There’s no place like home,” rings so true.

As always, let us know what you’re liking and what you’d like to change. We’ve already heard from some of you about your collections. See this month’s collector story about Wallace Nutting images on page 37. More are welcome, as are your success stories as DIY-ers. Just send me an email, jreynolds@ timesunion.com. In the meantime, enjoy! @

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Faux finishes, murals and creativity abound at New Sharp Studio. More photos and story on page 44. Photo by Leif Zurmuhlen

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essay

The Recipe Game by arthur s. rosenblatt

W

here, oh, where do they come from? How come there are so many of them? And why can’t you ever find the one you want when you want it? What is it about recipes that seem to make them respond to the Biblical injunction, “Be fruitful and multiply?”

Somewhere out there are a few great cooks who never consult recipes and still produce culinary magic. The rest of us rely on a hefty supply of recipes that we acquire at random moments and in random places — from a friend, a newspaper column, a favorite magazine, a TV show or a Web site. How many would admit that they had never surreptitiously torn a recipe from a well-worn copy of Redbook found in the doctor’s, dentist’s or hairdresser’s waiting room? Ah, yes, those instructive gems with only 16 egg whites and a dash of freshly ground coriander seeds. They seemed so…so “do-able” at the time.

And then there’s your very own cookbook collection. The only reason to keep those voluminous volumes is because each has one recipe you might make some day. If you can’t quite put your finger on its whereabouts, there’s the index in the back of the book. Copy it and get rid of the book? Never.

There might be others.

Thanks to the technology, the recipe glut is only growing.

Just about every magazine, from Real Simple to Everyday with Rachael Ray, has online recipe options galore. Some will even email recipes every single day right to your own inbox.

And then there’s Google. Type in the name, even “bananaliverwurst pie.” If it exists in this world, Google will find it, provide the recipe, and Wikipedia will tell you how it came to be.

But while you can find some sort of a recipe for anything at anytime, we all still covet those tried and true treasures that we have tucked away: the one and only apple cake that Great-

Aunt Mary made her signature, a recipe you copied while the rest of the family was outside drinking lemonade or the lo-cal cheesecake from an old issue of Good Housekeeping you first made 15 years ago and still follow to the letter.

T

he question is how to maintain this ever-growing stash. Is it still the little gray filing box with a solid stash of 3” x 5” index cards? Hah! They’re interleaved with oversized and undersized scraps with illegible oven degree marks and no cooking times. So what if that box is equally useful for telephone numbers, appliance warrantees, foreign coins and business cards.

What happens when the box can hold no more? That smart three-ring notebook that is equally useful for driving directions, bank statements, and movie reviews? That gets filled to bursting, too, so what are your other options?

Simple, go modern. There are computer programs that let you put your recipes into an organized system. All you have to do is enter all your old treasures, painstakingly one by one.

(Remember the first slogan for computers: garbage in, garbage out.) It’s not a perfect solution, of course. You’ll have to make a zillion decisions. I have a friend, for instance, who has a surefire recipe for Sole Veronique, you know fish and grapes.

So how do you think she put it into her computer program?

Under “C” for Company since she only serves it at dinner parties. Where do you put tomato aspic? Under “F” for Food That Wiggles?

Having gone the merry-go-round of systems of recipe discovery and retention, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no surefire method for everyone. We’re all as different in our recipe addictions as we are in our cooking. So let it be. Rejoice when you find that recipe that works; laugh it off when you don’t and it doesn’t. @ timesunion.com/homes

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window shopping

Hand woven, Balinese root screen is wonderful as a room divider or a conversation piece. Consists of three, 21”x72” panels of natural root, woven on a metal frame. $699. Sutton’s Furniture, Rt. 9 in Queensbury, NY.

The Marietta Tub Chair is made for casual comfort. Great for use in a lounge or home library or for comfortable office seating. $1099. Stickley-Audi Furniture, 151 Wolf Road, Albany

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window shopping

Framed in leather. This beautiful beveled mirror with hand crafted leather frame, is an elegant choice for any wall in your house. $895. Mabou Designs at Gallery100, 2nd Fl, 462 Broadway, Saratoga Springs.

Industrial design time! Hand forged and hammered iron plates surround a copper face, $85. Designer’s Studio, 492 Broadway, Saratoga Springs.

A tea lover’s dream. Each model from this unique series of teapots has its name elegantly etched on the sides. A traditional style teapot, it becomes beautifully seasoned with the flavors you enjoy daily. This teapot is named “Plasticity”. $64.95. Spoon and Whisk, 1675 Route 9, Clifton Park.

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our bloggers shop Check out this month’s favorite picks from our local and national bloggers. Then head online to timesunion.com/homes to satisfy your design and decor itch 24/7. Who knows what they’ll find?

Home Decor@518 by laurie freehafer All summer long and into the fall, until the last twiggy, rootbound hydrangea loses its valiant fight for life, I skip merrily through the aisles upon aisles of flora in the area’s garden centers. I can’t drive by without stopping. I can’t stop by without buying. I recently had an electric-cart tour of Troy’s Landscape Supply in Latham and while I drooled at the abundance of beautiful plants, this garden statuary stopped me in my tracks. Made out of granite boulders, the official name is Rolling Stone Lantern. It reminds me of the cairns on Monhegan Island, Maine, the considerably smaller piles of stones that creative people erect to represent something — anything — they care about. I love this piece’s permanence and peaceful strength. To have something organic in the landscape that doesn’t die or go dormant is a sweet thing. $425, Troy’s Landscape Supply, 1266 New Loudon Rd., Latham.

House Things

goodies you won’t mind dusting by michael kusek

Oft on my blog, I’ve mentioned how I am blessed and burdened by my two cats. As any pet owner will tell you, they run the household as much as I do and have exacting and particular taste about their food as well as choice of cat litter.

When it comes to lounging, however, they will go where they please without much hesitation. I’ve always wanted to get them cat beds of their own — they certainly deserve it — but as I’ve wandered the aisles of my local pet store the choices have failed ito meet my design aesthetic.

I’ve spent some time making my home look a certain way and that big fluff y cat bed with the paw prints on it just doesn’t fit the big picture. The folks at Marmalade have come to the rescue with the Frank Gehry-inspired Sweet Lounge. Crafted from corrugated cardboard with sweeping curves this bed/ scratching post will meet the need of the most picky feline and match the design need of the most discerning owner.

Look for a list of online retailers at www.marmaladepets.com.

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@home with

Shangri-La in Saratoga Tom and Kristie Roohanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dream home by janet reynolds

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photos by wes bennett

Above: Tom and Kristie Roohan. Below: backyard & pool featuring a 10,000 pound boulder “diving board.”

S

ome people buy vacation homes and travel to them. Tom and Kristie Roohan of Saratoga Springs created their Shangri-La in the house they live in yearround. “We wanted to create a place where the kids will want to come for the rest of their lives and there will be room for them to come back,” says Tom of their choice. “This is our second home.” Adds Kristie, “We feel like we’re away but the kids can have friends over.”

It started with the Saratoga Hospital gala a few

years ago and a backyard pool/poolhouse/landscaping package the Roohans bid on and won. The original package included a pool by Concord Pools and Spas, landscaping by Bonnacio Landscaping, fencing by Afsco Fence Supply Company, stonework/paving by Darryl and Leslie Designs and a 10 X 20’ pool house.

“We went larger,” says Tom. Right. That would be as in four bedrooms, two full baths, three-car garage, kitchen, and gathering/entertainment area larger. The result is an escape just feet outside their restored 19th century home. continued on page 26

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@home with continued from page 26

Top: the kitchen, which was once two smaller rooms, and the dining room. Grantite counters are from Granite and Marble Works. Dining room set is from Ethan Allen. Below: at left, the music room. At right, details in a custom painting of Saratoga in bygone days by John Hudson Armstrong.

The interior includes a restored 1890 pool table that was originally in the Chicago Club, a well-known gambling hall in Saratoga. With seven children between them, Kristie knew she needed the option for extra seating at the holidays. Adding table pads atop the pool table creates an instant dining table for 14. The large open space, created in collaboration with Balzer Hodge Tuck Architects, means the cook can also converse with guests watching TV or playing pool. Other unusual touches include the specialty painting by Double Take Design, a sister duo who created the horseshoe print for the upstairs full bath.

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The attention to detail continues outside, where the Roohans opted for a 10,000 pound diving rock instead of a diving board.

“When they dropped it off the whole house shook,” Kristie says.

A gas firepit means easy fires without the mess. “The kids can still do s’mores on it,” says Kristie.

The pool is just the finishing touch on a house that has been a project since the Roohans bought it a little over six years ago. The home, most recently a summer residence, had been unoccupied for a number of years or, as Tom put it, “No money had

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@home with

Top: view from the diving rock. Center and bottom: the poolhouse entertainment and living area.

been wasted maintaining the house.” Photos prove that lots of family sweat equity went into transforming the space. “It was a family effort,” says Kristie.

And what a transformation it was. Walls were taken down and space was reconfigured. Tom says 300 cubic yards of demolished materials were hauled away.

Today the house is a mix of the past and the present, with a strong dose of the personal. The color scheme in the music room comes from a tapestry Tom and Kristie purchased during their honeymoon in Italy. A coffee table in the kitchen entry area features items under glass that were discovered as they renovated the house, everything from nails and tools to an 1875 Albany almanac.

“We like to find things that have some meaning for us,” Kristie says.

A mural in the dining room by local artist John Hudson Armstrong epitomizes this mix. Tom got the idea for the mural from a similar scene, painted by the same artist, at The Hub, a Saratoga hangout from his younger days.

Armstrong worked with Tom and Kristie to create a similar scene with a twist. The result is a slice of Saratoga history on Broadway, with cameos of family members, such as Kristie’s parents, Uncle Donald and all seven of their children, among others, all dressed in period garb.

They also added the Roohan building, which didn’t exist in the time period. “Otherwise it’s historically accurate,” says Kristie. @

For more photos, go to timesunion.com/homes.

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problem:solved

Great Camp 2.0 a family vacation home turned elegant retreat

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BEFORE

by janet reynolds

AFTER

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after photo by scott bergman

The Problem: The Lake George Great Camp had been in the family for generations. Now it was the “new” generation’s turn and they wanted to update the retreat without losing family history or the structure’s authenticity. “Sometimes that’s difficult to do when you’re still trying to hang on to the past,” says Erika Gallagher, co-owner with Denise Palumbo of Plum & Crimson Fine Interior Designs of Clifton Park.

Gallagher started with some TLC. She brought in Teakwood Builders of Saratoga Springs to clean up the fireplace and the wood paneling. The fireplace offers a strong focal point but the “before” seating was too spread out to bring the room together. Gallagher created more intimate conversational seating options by placing a coffeetable in the center of the room by the fireplace and placing four chairs, rather than the more traditional sofa or loveseat, around it.

As with many camps, this one was dark. “You couldn’t believe water was right outside the window because it was so cavelike,” Gallagher says. Now strategically-placed recessed lighting brightens the room and further showcases the fireplace. An area rug, rather than bland wall-to-wall carpeting adds to the warmth through its color and design.

Top Tip: Be selective. “You have to choose things that mean the most or have the most sentimental value or dollar value,” Gallagher says. And be open to new eyes and ideas. “When you do it one way for so long, you have to let go of that.” @

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city living

The Allure of Albany

Investing in history can be a smart long-term strategy by richard w. stevenson

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photo by amanda vitullo

W

ith gasoline hovering around the $4-a-gallon mark, more and more people who work in Albany are choosing to live in Albany, searching the city’s historic downtown enclaves to reclaim housing from an earlier era. “People make this choice for a variety of reasons,” says Tom Faist, who with his wife Eileen and two of their grown children owns Old Albany Real Estate, a Willett Street firm specializing in the various downtown neighborhoods. Faist cites short commutes via foot, bicycle or mass transit, easy access to parks, restaurants, cultural pursuits and events, and an appreciation of late 19th century and early 20th century architecture as part of the allure.

Realtor Brian Brosen, who with Reginald Monroe comprises the Capital Team at RealtyUSA, agrees with this assessment. The young professionals who arrive in town from bigger cities like Boston and New York “already have a brownstone mentality,” he says. They understand that historic preservation also helps preserve value, and they are drawn to the “Greenwich Village” type ambience that downtown neighborhoods offer.

Interestingly, prices for such dwellings rose even as sales decreased, according to local news reports. An April story in the Times Union noted that in Albany County “the median price of $199,600 in the first quarter was 5 percent higher than last year. The number of closed sales, meanwhile, sank by 28 percent.”

“Depending on a property’s condition, location and uniqueness, prices in Albany can run from a few thousand dollars to well over $1 million,” Faist wrote in an email. Prospective buyers look for the details that characterize 19th century architecture: nicely proportioned brick or brownstone facades, carved stone lintels, wrought-iron railings, hardwood flooring with contrasting wood borders, plaster medallions and crown moldings, fancy wooden door and floor moldings, cabinets or other built-ins, stained glass windows, skylights, and working or ornamental fireplaces with period mantels.

Houses like this abound in Albany. As the Web site for one neighborhood association notes with boosterish pride, “Center Square, located in downtown Albany, is an eclectic neighborhood where lively youth culture meets quiet old elegance. Center Square contains some of the most significant and beautiful architecture in the city. Our homes were mainly built between 1850 and 1900, ranging from charming wood frame cottages to huge brownstone mansions.”

V

ictorian America’s city planners doted on parks and downtown Albany offers a notable example. Washington Park is based on plans drawn up by Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of New York City’s Central Park and Montreal’s Mount Royal Park, and comprises 84 acres of flower beds, foot and bicycle paths, tennis courts and the striking timesunion.com/homes

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33

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city living monuments and statues so reflective of post-Civil War Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s towns and cities. All summer long the park is a center for a variety of cultural, civic, and recreational activities, including the Washington Park Concert Series and offerings at the Park Playhouse.

Albany offers a number of up-and-coming historic neighborhoods like Washington Park and Center Square, many of which are represented by active neighborhood associations. These include Hudson Park, Park South, Historic Pastures, Arbor Hill and Ten Broeck Triangle. Additionally, an umbrella organization called the Council of Albany Neighborhood Associations (CANA) regularly deals with the City of Albany and organizations like the Historic Albany Foundation on real estate, land use and historic preservation issues. Many of these groups offer Web sites, troves of information for prospective buyers.

The Faist family is committed to the downtown area personally as well as professionally. Over time â&#x20AC;&#x153;weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve renovated four oneand two- family homes and four multi-family or mixed-use buildings,â&#x20AC;? wrote Faist. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some residents are unhappy with the public school system, but all four of our children will be graduates of Albany High School [the last was in June] and have received a wonderful education.

Albany also has the highest number of charter schools, per capita, in the state, as well as a large selection of private and parochial schools.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Currently, there are a variety of buildings available in all neighborhoods,â&#x20AC;? wrote Faist, â&#x20AC;&#x153;single, two and multi-family dwellings, as well as condominiums and mixed-use properties.â&#x20AC;? Recent offerings on the firmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Web site ranged from just under $200,000 to just over $300,000.

Most of the downtown neighborhoods fall within a national or state historic district, which means that the historic facades of the buildings are regulated by law and must be maintained. Window replacements must be made with an eye to preserving the existing character of the home, that is wooden sash windows must be replaced with wood, not aluminum or vinyl. Even the exterior painting must reflect approved paint colors.

Additionally, as a posting on the Center Square Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Web site notes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Albanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Historic Sites Ordinance, which designates certain â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;areas, buildings, structures and objectsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; as protected, and which creates an Historic Sites Commission, was passed by the Common Council on February 2lst to take effect immediately. If our area cooperates responsibly, the property values, businesses and living arrangements of all of us could improve steadily with no fear of area deterioration.â&#x20AC;?

As the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chronicler, novelist William Kennedy has written, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Maligning Albany is a very old game.â&#x20AC;? The people of 21st century Albany are busily turning all that around.

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collecting

Wild for Wallace the colorized photography of wallace nutting by janet reynolds | photos by wes bennett

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Above: A country image typical of Wallace Nutting. Right: Michele Santoli holds the print that got her started (larger view on following page).

ichele Santoli and her husband, Rudy, didn’t know much about Wallace Nutting when they picked up their first colorized photograph in the summer of 1970. They just knew the walls of their new Altamont home were fairly barren and thought they might find something intriguing — and inexpensive — at an auction in the Catskills. “We wanted some interesting things for the wall,” Santoli says. “These were affordable.”

The first print cost them $19. Now the walls of their upstairs hallway are covered in Nuttings — most of them in their original frames and mattes — and most photos go for $300 and up. “As time went on we always managed to find one or two,” says Santoli of their collecting over the years. Now they’re much harder to find and Santoli is much more selective.

Santoli was first drawn to the art itself. “I love photography,” the retired schoolteacher says. As an oil painter herself, she was also drawn to the colorizing techniques. She soon became interested in Nutting himself.

A Congregational minister, Nutting, who was forced to retire from the ministry at age 43 due to ill health, first began taking photographs as he took long bicycle trips in the countryside in 1899. He opened his first photography studio in 1904, called Wallace Nutting Art Prints Studio and located in New York City. He moved to Framingham, Massachusetts a few years later, which is where he, and his colorized photographs, hit their peak in the early 20th century. By his own count he sold 10 million of these pictures and employed 200 istockphoto timesunion.com/homes

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37

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collecting

colorists, most of them women, at the peak of the photosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; popularity. Nutting also reproduced antique furniture and became quite the champion of American antiques, lecturing and writing about the subject extensively.

Nuttingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s images are mostly happy scenes, with landscapes and idyllic imagery of country life figuring large.

Today the photos have a hierarchy of worth, with indoor images with people valued higher than outdoor landscapes. Photos with animals are worth more than those without, according to Santoli, who at one point was on a mission to find a photo with sheep. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Once we found those we became choosier,â&#x20AC;? she says. Also important is looking for copyrighted or original signatures since Nutting had a slew of apprentices helping him with his work.

Nutting would have likely enjoyed Santoli and the secondary use his photos have found under her ownership.

Although recently retired after 40 years of teaching grades 2-4, Santoli often used the photos in her teaching. She would bring the pictures to school and ask the students questions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What do you notice?â&#x20AC;? she would say.

Other times the students would act out what they saw and imagine possible conversations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good way to bring history into it,â&#x20AC;? she says. @ To have your collection featured, send an email to jreynolds@ timesunion.com.

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dorm life

Dorm Daze decorate without breaking the bank by meghan rosebeck

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his is it! Your teen is (finally!) leaving the nest. You’ve made the first of many gargantuan payments to the college of his or her dreams. But before you put that credit card away, there’s one more expense you perhaps haven’t considered: decorating Sarah or Sam’s dorm rooms.

With college costs hitting unimaginable highs — according to Collegeboard.com, in 2007-2008, the average total cost for room, board, tuition and fees was $13,589, while many private schools, topped the $40,000 mark — parents might feel outfitting a dorm room is an unnecessary expense. But for freshmen, it’s an important rite of passage. It’s a chance to express themselves, to help set their persona as they begin their new lives. How people perceive their room is an important first step. It’s also a chance for them make themselves feel a little more comfortable as they set off on their own for perhaps the first time.

The good news is that you don’t have to take out another mortgage to help your teen start out on the right foot. Savvy shopping and creative thinking can leave you with money in your wallet and your teen feeling as if his or her room works.

“I found a lot of stuff for my dorm at the Dollar Store,” says Danielle Vitullo, a senior at Ithaca College. “There are a lot of little things you can buy to make your dorm room more home-like.” Vitullo bought colorful faux flowers, decorative vases and different types of vines and Christmas lights to hang around her room from the Dollar Store and spent under $25.

Vitullo, 21, from Schalmont, also suggests craft stores for decoration ideas. “I just looked around and found things that grabbed my attention. That’s why my dorm was so personalized,” she says. “I added things that were reflective of me.”

Mary Harney of Waterford helped her son, John, decorate his dorm room last year when he was a freshman at St. Rose College. “When we walked into the dorm all we saw 40

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life@home

istockphoto

was two beds, two desks, two chairs, and two dressers”, Harney recalls. She and John, now a sophomore at St. Rose, knew they had to do something to spice up the room. But St. Rose, like many college campuses, has certain rules and restrictions about dorm décor and furnishings. Most college campuses prohibit the use of nails or screws on the walls, for instance, preventing the hanging of heavy window fixtures or framed photos in rooms.

Michael Sass, director of residence life at the University at Albany, suggests spring-loaded curtain rods or shower rods to hold up window curtains and 3M hook products for hanging any pictures on the wall. “This way, students are able to decorate their dorms their own way without damaging the campus”, says Sass.

Air conditioners, heaters, refrigerators larger than 2 cubic feet, microwaves larger than 700 watts, toasters, tapestries, candles, and extension cords are also prohibited items on the St. Rose campus. “We had to go out and find the proper size refrigerator and microwave,” John Harney says, “and we weren’t allowed to nail or pin anything in the walls, so I used putty instead.” Bottom line: Learn your child’s campus dorm rules before making any purchases.

B

Bunk beds 101: Most dorm rooms are a blank slate waiting for the new inhabitants to create a home away from home.

ut even restrictive rules don’t have to mean boring rooms. Investing in a memo board to hold photographs is one way to organize photos without marring a wall. Memo boards are sold at Target starting at $10. Putting photos of family and friends on a desk or nightstand brings style to the room and helps prevent homesickness.

Another simple way to change a room’s stark, institutional look is to bring a colorful quilt or bedspread. According to Susan Johnston from iamnext.com, “Reversible, solid colored comforters are a good choice, because they offer twice as many design options and can be dressed up with lots of fluff y throw pillows, but patterns like leopard prints, sunflow-

ers, or stars are fun, too.”

John Harney and Vitullo agree. “The beds were longer than a normal twin size bed,” Harney says, “They looked like jail beds before I put my bedspread on it.” “My bedding really brought my room together,” Vitullo says, “because everything else in the room pretty much matched the theme of my bedspread.”

After the bedding was out of the way, the Harneys and Vitullo had another issue to tackle.

The lack of space in the dormitory forced the two students to invest in extra storage space.

Vitullo used hanging baskets in her closet for her excess clothing. “They really gave me that extra space I needed to ensure my favorite clothes weren’t swept away somewhere in a corner,” she says. “My mom and I decided to get bins to hold things neatly under my bed, which worked really well at keeping most of my clothes together,” John says.

Vitullo also shared a private bathroom with her dorm mate at Ithaca College. “In the beginning of the year, my roommate and I divided the cost of all the bathroom necessities, like a bath mat, shower curtain, shower hooks, tooth brush holder, and throw rugs for the floor,” Vitullo says.

Talking to roommates and working out a way to split furnishing costs is healthy for a growing relationship and an affordable way to complete the furnishing process. “Decorating my son’s dorm room was a breeze,” Mary Harney says. “After you get through the initial thought of ‘Oh my God this place is horrible,’ you can design a room that your child will love for cheaper than you think. There are a lot of good deals out there!” @ Dormbuys.com is a Web site college students use for décor and furniture ideas. The site has merchandise to assist in storage dilemmas, laundry, bedding and everyday decoration.

For other decoration ideas, check out about. com, which has a plethora of décor ideas in the interior decorating section. timesunion.com/homes

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41

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artisan

Sharp Focus

faux painting, murals and more by the new sharp studio by jill montag photos by leif zurmuhlen

Sarah Sharpe and Amanda Newman (left to right) bask in the brilliant colors of their work.

A

couple with a vacation home on Schroon Lake delights in the beautiful view of the lake from their back porch. They wanted that view painted on one of their walls, and Amanda Newman and Sarah Sharpe made it happen. That’s just one of the many decorating dreams these two artists have been able to fulfill since founding The New Sharp Studio in 2003.

Newman and Sharpe both studied art at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs during the same time period. However, they never connected until Newman’s senior year, when she found an internship doing decorative murals and faux finishes at an area mansion for a company based out of New York City. Sharpe 44

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was doing a paid apprenticeship there, having just graduated from Skidmore. “Neither of us knew this kind of field existed,” Sharpe says. “Growing up, both of us wanted to do something with art. People always asked us exactly what we wanted to do, but we never really knew. All of a sudden this job came about, and it was so perfect for both of us. It seemed like what I grew up wanting to do and just didn’t know it yet.”

After that project ended, Newman and Sharpe started their own business. They specialize in faux finishes, mural painting, decorative art and furniture restoration. Most of their work is residential, although they also do projects for offices, restaurants and commercial spaces. “Clients will call us and describe

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their project,” says Sharpe. “It can be as small as a bathroom or as big as an entire house. We will meet with them and take a look at their space and the colors, fabrics and design in their home. We want to get a feel for their taste, their budget and what they are looking for. There is a lot of collaboration with the client; we will go back and forth until we have designed exactly what they are looking for. An average project takes us between two days and a week to complete, but that varies depending on exactly what we are doing.”

Newman and Sharpe say there is currently a high demand for murals and decorative art in nurseries and children’s rooms. “I think mothers are really interested in decorating for their children,” says Newman. “A mural is such a unique and personalized way to decorate for a child, and it can last for years. When they get older, you can paint over the wall and create a new mural.

For example, if your little boy one day becomes more interested in baseball than he is in Curious George, we can replace his Curious George mural with a baseball mural.”

Imagination is the only limit to what Newman and Sharpe can do in nurseries and children’s rooms.

“Parents usually want us to surround the room with whatever their child is interested in, whether it is Disney princesses, Finding Nemo characters, toys, cars or anything else that strikes

their fancy,” Sharpe says. “One little boy loved playing with toy racecars, so we painted a mustang on his wall.”

T

he New Sharp Studio does not actually have a traditional studio space; all of the work is done on-site. Newman and Sharpe say that’s one of many aspects of their work that they relish. “It keeps things exciting,” says Newman. “I really enjoy going to different houses every day. No day is the same as the previous one.” “Each client is different too,” adds Sharpe.

“There is something really special about being invited into someone’s home and being able to create something just for them.”

Most clients have a general idea of what they want, but it’s up to Newman and Sharpe to take it to the next level and design something that fits the client’s space and taste. They are often surprised by what people ask for — from monster trucks to cherubs to Curious George — but they say the variety has been beneficial. “We enjoy painting regardless of what we’re painting,” Newman says. “I think working with so many different tastes has been good for us. It has taught us that anything can look good as long as you do it right.”

Most of The New Sharp Studio’s work is concentrated in the Capital Region and New England. According to Newman and Sharpe, there is a market here and across the country for this kind of art.

“Everyone who has a home decorates it,” says Newman. “This is just another way to decorate,

Someone’s unwrapped and nibbled the chocolate horse! New Sharp Studio’s decorated horse.

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and there is so much more possibility with this than with buying a pre-made border at a Home Depot.”

“People often think that it’s a very expensive way to decorate, but it’s often cheaper than wallpaper and also easier to change,” adds Sharpe. “Many homeowners go through phases and want to re-decorate every five or ten years, and wallpaper is such a hassle to take down.”

“I think anyone who wants their home to look nice should consider it,” says Newman. “Faux finishing might not be your taste, but you might want a border in your baby’s nursery. What we do is all-encompassing; there is something for everyone.”

Newman and Sharpe fondly recall a project they did for a woman in Rotterdam who had had an image in her head for years of her ideal room; they were able to create it. “She wanted a very Renaissance-style room,” says Sharpe. “We did a lot

of gold-leafing, clouds and cherubs on the ceiling. That would not be everyone’s taste, but it has a lot of detail and was very challenging for us. Plus, it was exactly what she wanted.”

“Several weeks ago a client of ours cried when we finished her project because she was so happy with it,” Newman recalls.

“She said she’d been waiting 10 years to do it, and the sight of it really affected her. That kind of response to our work is very rewarding.”

“It’s very satisfying to see a project through from beginning to end, especially when a client is that happy with it,” says Sharpe. “I guess it was fate that we worked on that mansion project together where we first met. It seems like it was meant to be.”

@

For more information go to thenewsharpstudio.com.

living green

Clean Green clean your windows naturally by deborah renfrew photo by wes bennett

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ny number of excuses exist for not cleaning windows — it’s too hot; it’s too cold; it’s Wednesday — but a desire to avoid polluting the environment with toxic chemicals or to safeguard members of the household from unhealthy fumes is no longer a valid one, thanks to the green window cleaners now on the market.

Whether you have just begun your journey on the green living scale or are fully committed, you can indulge your ecological consciousness and your pursuit of glistening windows at the same time.

Windex®, for instance, has an altered formula that the company assures consumers is environmentally responsible, according to the company’s newly established green scoring system.

Likewise, the Clorox Company has developed a glass and surface cleaner in its new Green Works™ line. And Seventh Generation, a socially-responsible Burlington, Vermont-based company, only makes environmentally-friendly cleaning products. Three lesser-known brands — Glass Plus, Target’s Clean Home Solutions, and Sun & Earth — do not make the green proclamation on their labels, but do state on their Web sites that their products contain no phosphorous, alcohol, bleach, or ammonia. This makes them a fairly safe bet for health and the environment as well.

Additionally, all of the aforementioned companies use recyclable containers and do not test on animals. No need to seek them out hither and yon, either; all are available locally, especially on the Hannaford-Price Chopper-Target-Walmart shopping circuit.

Let’s start with the most local company, Seventh Generation. The company, which has been around for 20 years, bases its socially responsible philosophy on the Great Law of the Iroquois and from which its name is derived: “In our every

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deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.” Seventh Generation plans to “save natural resources, reduce pollution, and keep toxic chemicals out of the environment,” according to President Jeffrey Hollender.

Martin Wolf, director of product and environmental technology at Seventh Generation, defines the company’s green product formulas further. Vegetable-based rather than petroleum-based, surfactants (surface-active substances) are used to promote sustainability. SG products will not contain any ingredient that has a suspected toxic effect. Butoxy ethanol, for example, is a blood and liver toxin that is allowed in conventional glass cleaners because it is thought that the level of exposure is so low that no harm is caused. Not at Seventh Generation. All its ingredients must be biodegradable or not bio-accumulate in the environment, and because most eventually end up in the water system, they must have minimal

did you know?

If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 32oz. solvent-based glass & surface cleaner with a solvent-free product, it would prevent 11 MLLION POUNDS of Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs) from being released into the environment? source: www.gaiam.com

aquatic toxicity.

Beware, cautions Wolf, the ubiquitous terms organic, natural, and non-toxic used on some labels. By themselves these terms can mean nothing, so consumers should always verify the claims by studying the ingredients list. He advises consumers to avoid those that do not have an ingredients list, a practice allowed by lax governmental regulations to protect confidential formulas. “Products that claim to be eco-friendly, but do not list all their ingredients cannot be adequately evaluated for their effect on humans or the environment,” he says.

SC Johnson, which produces Windex®, has established what it terms a Greenlist™ scoring system for its products and, according to its Web site, is tweaking all of its formulas to comply with list ratings. Three is best, two is better, and one is acceptable. Raw materials scoring zero will be used sparingly, if at all. Scores depend on evaluations of seven criteria, including biodegradability and toxicity.

Windex® has just risen to the top of the scale, with 1.8 million pounds of volatile organic compounds having been removed from its formula. It is now marketed with the Greenlist™ designation and the “Design for the Environment” seal of the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Containers are free of PVCs, while chlorine-bleached paperboard has been eliminated from packaging.

The iconic Clorox Company, meanwhile, has responded to the green movement with a selection of natural products, including a window cleaner made of plant- and mineral-based materials. The company Web site says the formula has no harsh chemical fumes or residues and is considered 99 percent natural by its scientists. All ingredients are biodegradable. Green Works™ has garnered the endorsement of the Sierra Club, renowned as the oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization in the country. The club’s symbol appears on the bottle.

Of course, green is fine and dandy but can these products get rid of the streaks and grime of winter? And are they affordable? Yes and no. I have tried all and, yes, they worked as well as the products we grew up polluting the earth with.

No, they will not blow your household cleaner budget. Prices vary according to which retailer you purchase from and any promotional sales, so you will pay in some cases less, the same for some, and overall just a dollar or so more for others. So no more excuses! Get (green) cleaning those windows! @

down the garden path

Don’t Forget the Leaves recognition for true garden workhorses by kerry a. mendez photos courtesy of walters gardens

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ast month I raved about flowering shrubs that anchor landscapes with both colorful flowers as well as appealing foliage. Now let’s step into the world of perennials with the same expectations. Why settle for just pretty flowers when you can also have sensational leaves? Many gardeners get sidetracked with flowers. I like to think of flowers as icing on the cake.

Foliage is there before, during and after bloom, contributing drama and beauty to the garden season after season. These poor workhorses never get enough credit. Well, I’m here to place laurel leaf crowns on some outstanding performers.

Probably one of the most gawked at perennials in my gardens is Heliopsis “Lorriane Sunshine.” She dazzles onlookers with silvery-white leaves marked by extensive green veining.

The piece de resistance are her bright yellow, daisy-like flowers that bloom all summer long, which can reach between 24” – 36” in full sun. A tough lady, she handles zone 3 winters just fine. Not to be outdone, the sedum family has seen a number of fabulous introductions that will have you yawning at the flowers. Sedum “Purple Emperor” has dark purple, almost black succulent leaves and gets about 18” tall. Its stature, like many sedums, resembles broccoli when in bud, giving it a fun architectural flare. Dusty pink flowers cover it in fall, as do monarch butterflies! Other flamboyant sedums include “Samuel Oliphant” and “Diamond Edge,” which have green, cream and pinkish burgundy variegated leaves with purplish-red stems. Both will grow to 24”-30” tall. The flowers? Who cares? Okay, they are pink in the fall. Another drop-dead sedum is sieboldii “Mediovariegatum.” It is a low growing plant at only 10” with blue, cream and pink corkscrew-like leaves. This one is a harder one to track down but I’ve seen it in some mail-order catalogs. All these sedums are hardy to zone 3 except “Mediovariegatum,” which claims to be a zone 6 although I challenge that. It thrives in my zone 4/5 garden. A quick tip for those of you sick of sedums that flop open in late summer. Pinch back each of the stems by 1/3 to 1/2 in early July. This will result in fuller, more compact plants that won’t slouch when in bloom.

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nother dazzler for sunny spots includes Heucherella “Stoplight.” “Stoplight” does exactly what its name implies — it stops you in your tracks with its neon red and yellow leaves.

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Heuchera Villosa Combo It looks very similar to a coral bell (it should since one of its parents is a coral bell). It has a tidy mounded appearance with sprays of pinkish-white flowers that can reach 12” in early summer. H. “Stoplight” actually does well, if not better, in part sun or dappled shade. Looking for a showy, low-maintenance groundcover combination in less than full sun? How about some “Stoplights” mixed among shiny, black, leaves of Ajuga “Black Scallop?” Oooh la la!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention ornamental grasses as foliage specimens. One of my prized sun worshippers is Japanese Blood Grass (Imperata). Most catalogs rate this as a zone 6. My experience says otherwise. I’ve grown this 15” tall Japanese Blood Grass in my zone 4/5 yard for years. I never provide it any winter protection. That would be unthinkable to me as a “tough love” gardener. If you feel persuaded to give it a little helping hand, then locate it on the southeast side of the house where it’s sheltered from western-blowing winter winds or site it near rocks or foundations that will share their stored heat, creating a microclimate that can be one zone warmer.

Most grasses do best in full sun but there are a few shade tolerant rebels in the pack. Peering into the shade, Hakonechloa macra “Aureola” has striking gold and green variegated leaves that have an elegant cascading habit. They look stunning planted along shady paths or sweeping over retaining walls. Carex “Ice Dance” is another grass that doesn’t miss a beat in low light. It has dark green leaves edged with white margins and forms attractive, vase-shaped 12” mounds. All of these grasses are hardy to zone 5.

Continuing with the shade theme, eye-popping coral bells

have swept onto the scene in recent years. Most people assume coral bells love sun. Au contraire.

Many newer introductions would prefer part sun to shade, although heavy shade is pushing it. Move aside â&#x20AC;&#x153;Palace Purpleâ&#x20AC;?; youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been replaced by H. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Caramel,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Obsidian,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Citronelle,â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miracle.â&#x20AC;?

These bodacious new cultivars will add color and excitement to the garden while slashing maintenance time.

Other show-offs for shade include Cimicifuga â&#x20AC;&#x153;Brunette,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hillside Black Beautyâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Black Negligee.â&#x20AC;? They have lacy chocolate leaves and incredible fragrant, creamy white flowers in August and September that seduce all onlookers. They soar to 5â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and provide elegant backdrops to spring and summer blooming perennials. Ligularias are another striking bunch, both for their foliage and flowers. L. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Rocketâ&#x20AC;? has yellow flower stalks in July that can reach 4â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;5â&#x20AC;&#x2122; with huge ragged green leaves and chocolate stems.

L. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Britt Marie Crawfordâ&#x20AC;? holds off until August to bloom, and has bright orange, daisy-like flowers that sway above huge, shiny chocolate-black, scalloped leaves.

Two other standouts for shade include a bleeding heart called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gold Heartâ&#x20AC;? and Siberian Bugloss, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jack Frost.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gold Heartâ&#x20AC;? resembles the traditional spring blooming bleeding heart that grows to around 3â&#x20AC;&#x2122; with arching stems and pink flowers. Where â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gold Heartâ&#x20AC;? differs is in its SCREAMING YELLOW leaves. Now I am not one to relish pink and yellow together but when you see this plant in bloom after a long, colorless winter, it puts a kick in your step. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jack Frostâ&#x20AC;? Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera) has stunning, heart-shaped, silver leaves and forms a neat 15â&#x20AC;? mound. It buries itself in delicate, gentian-blue flowers in spring, grabbing the attention of all bystanders.

All these workhorse perennials will add plenty of sizzle to your gardens without burning calories on your part. I wish everything could be so easy. @

Cimicifuga

Kerry Mendez is owner of Perennially Yours and can be reached at pyours@nycap.rr.com.

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outdoor living

Paradise Found luxury goes outdoors photos by wes bennett

With the warm weather upon us, who wants to be inside — ever? Pictured here and on page 54 are two wonderful outdoor “rooms,” proof positive that you don’t have to trade luxury or comfort just because you’re no longer inside. Take a look and then plan your perfect outdoor spot.

When Peggy and Hugh Quigley saw the panaoramic views of the Hudson and its surrounding mountains 37 years ago, they were sold. Since then, they’ve worked with designer Tim Albright and builder Shane Pilato to continue to expand their corner of paradise. The large sideboard piece in the poolhouse had its first life in a barn. The lamps on top of the sideboard are made from newel porch posts, while the glider sofa is from Country Casual. The coffee table chest was saved from demise

by Albright; Hugh replaced the top. Overhead hanging lights are from City LIghts in Catskill.

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A short walk from the pool is a wonderfully appointed outdoor kitchen and dining pavillion, built by Vermont Timber Frame of Cambridge. The stainless steel refrigerator and “kegerator” (aka beer tap for those who’ve forgotten their dorm years) are Viking Professional while the grill is a GE Monogram. All were purchased through Ackerman’s Appliances in Hudson. The pavilion features a table from Arthur Lauer (formerly called Wood Classics). Hugh built all the cabinetry in the pavillion as well as the Adirondack chairs that sit poolside overlooking the scenic view. Albright did all the design work and Pilato, owner of North Country Landscapes, constructed the pool building. Pilato also planted all the Quigleys’ gardens.

For another outdoor room, turn to page 54. timesunion.com/homes

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outdoor living

Ann Hughes’ outdoor living space: Fox 23 news anchor Ann Hughes knew she wanted teakwood furniture for her family’s outdoor living area, but wanted to avoid paying extremely high prices. After some online searching, she located a teak furniture dealer with the perfect living area furniture and accompanying dinner table and six chairs. “Having the stone wall built was much more involved than we had expected. Originally, we only envisioned two steps coming down from the patio area to the yard.” The hand-laid stone work in the patio, steps and outdoor fireplace, along with landscaping, required an entire summer to complete. Preferring to work with local landscapers, Hughes chose Ross Nursery and Landscaping, located in Earlton. Casey, the Hugh’s six-year-old yellow lab, is a big fan of the large cool slate stone in the patio and is often found relaxing under the table and taking advantage of the natural cooling effect of the stone.

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garden life

Water, Water Everywhere create an aquascape oasis in your backyard by kim durant

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hen French artist Claude Monet purchased a country home outside of Paris, the lily pond adjacent to his new bucolic property became his muse, inspiration, and setting for 250 subsequent paintings today known as his water lily series. Today, increasing numbers of homeowners are adding water features to their backyards and gardens, creating their own miniature Giverny here in the Capital Region, its beauty limited only by the homeowners’ imagination and pocketbooks.

“Everybody is doing it,” says Eric Czerw, president of BioFusion Designs in Clifton Park. “My clients want a pond, waterfall, or even an indoor aquarium that has been uniquely designed to fit their space, their vision, and their taste. Homeowners now recognize the importance of including a water feature in their overall landscaping plan.”

Along with selecting varieties of grass, shrubberies and flowers, the options for water features run the gamut from man-made ponds and waterfalls to pond-less waterfalls. “We use real field stone and rocks to create a natural look,” says Greg Kaladjian of Creative Aquascapes in Saratoga Springs.

“We can make [the pond, waterfall, or stream] look like it has been there 100 years and we even have the ability to install pond-less waterfalls for customers who want the beauty and sound of water flowing without the pond.” Homeowners can also decide what kind of sound they want to hear, depending on the materials used. “The use of wood versus stone will dramatically change the sound of your flowing water,” says Czerw.

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Fish a r e a popular option in today’s water features. Most pond owners populate their ponds with koi, a member of the goldfish family. This species adds color and supports the ecosystem by eating the algae.

When the snow begins to fly, koi essentially hibernate deep in the pool. “Naturally, it is important to aerate the water with a bubble machine to keep the water from freezing,” says Kaladjian.

Most if not all pond owners choose to add water lilies to their ponds for both aesthetic and practical reasons. “The water lilies are an important part of the overall eco-system because they keep the water clear and clean,” says Kaladjian. “The beauty of a water lily in full bloom is absolutely stunning and incomparable.” Consumers have “many choices when it comes to selecting water lilies in countless colors” says Czerw. “There are varieties of water lilies that open only at night,” he adds, emphasizing that water gardeners must select quality plantings along with a good variety of color and textures to augment their pond. “Choosing koi and water lilies is also essential to keeping the maintenance low, almost turn key,” says Kaladjian. “Our ponds are created as complete ecosystems.” Once the pond is in place the “fish eat the water plants, producing waste which is broken down by existing bacteria. These biode-

Backyard aquascapes can include hearty decorative fish. A babbling brook and local water plants help the biodiversity of the overall project and create a relaxing get-away for the whole family. Photo (above) courtesy of Bio-Fusion Designs, Clifton Park. Photos (opposite page and below), courtesy of Creative Aquascapes, Saratoga Springs.

graded materials are then absorbed by plants and the water lilies are fed, aiding their growth and development.”

Today’s acquascapes are meant to be enjoyed day and night. Subtlely placed lighting tucked between boulders or twinkling underwater can turn a backyard oasis into a stunning and welcoming space.

Lighting is Shane Fitzgerald’s specialty at Gallivan Corporation in Troy. “Proper lighting is necessary to make certain water features stand out,” he says. “I am a huge fan of lighting,” says Czerw. “A pond should be beautiful day and night. Placing lights properly is so important. I can’t stress it enough.” Fiber-optics lights can be placed underwater or behind waterfalls to help accent the moving water, while floating pond foggers can simulate morning mist dancing on a cold Adirondack lake. High tech water lily pad lights, meanwhile, can float among the real water lilies, shining a soft, diffused light downward illuminating the fish in the pond.

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wimming pools have come a long way from the days of cement rectangles surrounded by cement and fencing. Concord Pools & Spas associate John Coil says today’s aquascape consumer wants “aesthetics and longevity.”

Latham-based Concord Pools installs more than 300 pools annually and now partners with aquatic designers, stone masons, barbecue and fi re pit specialists, as well as lighting authorities in order to craft a backyard aquascape that becomes a dazzling and welcoming extension of the home. According to Coil, today’s pool customer is looking for backyard water fun with so much more, everything from natural looking manmade grottos and waterfalls to synthetic stone cliff s crafted to look like the real thing.

Fitzgerald points to a photograph of one collaborative project with Concord Pools & Spas. “We built these stone steps leading up to a platform where people can jump off into the deepest part of their swimming pool,” he says. Nestled within the natural looking rock cliff created by Gallivan Construction was a water slide, hidden for a natural look among the boulders. @ timesunion.com/homes

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design classics

Light Your Way kivi votive candle holders by kim messenger

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’m not going to pretend I can tell you who came up with the first decorative candle. Probably he had a name like Glug or something, and he stumbled into the cave with a lighted stick and stuck it in the earth and found, suddenly, that his wife was viewing him with doe-eyed fondness and that he suddenly felt within himself a desire for…something… to enhance that other corner of the cave and wondered if there might be, someday, something called brie.

I don’t know; that’s my fantasy. Certainly we have been using candles for about as long as we have been ambulatory, and for most of our miserable existence they were the only form of light. The great museums of the world are filled with bronze and gold bowls used to hold oil and to cast gentle light on the walls of Sumerian temples and dank Norman castles. Big chandeliers of candleholders dangled over the heads of the likes of Madame Pompadour and the Duke of Wellington, and made them look fabulous. Then, of course, technology came along and gave us the oil lamp, the gas lamp and then electricity, and there we were in our bungalows, with lights blazing and everyone listening to Jack Benny on the radio and feeling desperate.

Yes, we had abundant light, but where had the beauty gone?

Candlelight, as we all know by feel, casts a

certain calming air of romance and peacefulness on a room.

Most of us grew up in an age where candles were reserved for special occasions, like Christmas and Thanksgiving. They would be trotted out, stuck in their candleholders and put on the dining room table while the electric light overhead blazed away. In other words, we missed the point; we lost the magic of candles for a few decades.

How they came back I don’t know, but I am a big believer in the discrete placement of candles around a room, because lighting, as we all know, is everything. The other night I had, let’s say, a new friend over to dinner and I placed dozens of small votive candles around the veranda and in the room and in the kitchen while I cooked and burbled away, as though I always lived that way, in the glow of candlelight. Let’s just say that from the moment he arrived, he was perfectly delightfully open to whatever direction I had in mind.

I

f there is a Ferrari of the votive candle, it is the Kivi votive holder from Finland, designed by Heikki Orvola around 1988. The Finns have a long tradition of glassmaking, and trust the Finns, with their almost perpetual darkness for the winter months, to understand the magic of a little flame. The candleholders are made of very thick lead-free crystal. The original was clear, but now they come in a range of colors. The thick sides of the candleholders really make the little flame glow and cast a warm circle of light around them, and with the color options, you can place them in a strip down the center of a dining room table or around the room. Or just opt for one color and make that work for you.

What is particularly joyous about this design is the absolute simplicity. It does not draw attention to itself; rather it seems as though nobody thought of it all (although Orvola won awards for the concept). You don’t need to buy Kivi votive holders to get the effect you want, but they are hard to improve on.

A single glass holder costs about $15, although it depends on the color. A set of 22, with all the colors now on offer, costs about $600 and can be bought through many design retailers on the Web. @ photos courtesy of iittala.

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life

family | food | wine pages 59-82

Flowers in the Gimmelsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; garden.

Read the full story on page 64. photo by Suzanne Kawola

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house blend

Staying Put how to enjoy a stay-cation by merci miglino

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ou don’t need a Siena poll to tell you higher gas and food prices are having a significant impact on your lifestyle. According to this recent poll, 69 percent of us are spending more on gas and 71 percent of us are spending more on food. Not surprisingly, we are also cutting back on many expenses, including entertainment and travel. And, according to a survey by AOL Travel and Zogby International, 60 percent of Americans feel they have less money to spend on vacations this year and plan to cut back on traveling.

Wait just a minute. CUTTING BACK ON VACATIONS? Not the time we look forward to all year? The very reward for our toil and trouble during those cold months faded behind us and coming right up on us sooner than we think?

Before we spiral into this state of deprivation and loss, let’s explore the possibilities. Let’s take a page from the Web, and think stay-cation. Instead of leaving town, stay home and live as if you’re on vacation. With a little creative thinking it can be a lot of fun!

Clean up your act. Call a maid service and schedule them to come before your vacation. This will make your home feel more like a four-star hotel. At the end of the vacation, call in the cleaning service again. Remember, you’re saving a lot of money by sleeping in your own home! You’re on staycation so you can ignore the dust and dirt knowing that the house will be clean and fresh before you go back to work.

Think resort vs. restoration. No projects! That means no fixing, no lawn work, no garage cleaning, and absolutely no construction! This is your vacation so think of your home as your resort; put your feet up and relax.

Embrace your inner tourist. Visit your own city like a tourist.

Go to the museums, theme parks, all those places that tourists visit when they come to your town. Act as if you are from another state or country — how would visitors experience your own backyard? Check out the places you’ve been driving past for years, but this time stop in.

Eat out. Visit some new restaurant in another part of town away from your usual haunts. To get some ideas, buy the local papers or visit local Web sites featuring fab eateries within the region.

Eat In. Lay in a good supply of your favorite picnic fare and easy meals or try one of those new make-a-meal, takeout places for a local culinary adventure.

Take a picture. It lasts longer. Teach yourself or your loved ones the art of photography. Have fun taking pictures of your stay-cation. Make an actual or online album and share with friends under the heading, “What I did on my summer vacation.”

Go fishing. Set up a fish tank and give your home that “visit to an aquarium” experience. Invite others to view the glow fish and other exotic species found in your local living room. Run an appropriate movie at the same time — Jaws, Whale Rider, Free Willy. Serve soda and snacks.

Visit friends and relatives. Choose wisely here. “Local” in this case is not always fresher, if you know what I mean. Take the opportunity to start a family history project. Record the stories they tell on tape or video to share later.

Send your kids away. Opt for some quality alone time or time with your spouse. For a day or two to do whatever you like or haven’t been able to do in awhile. Consider sipping coffee outside, meeting for drinks at 5 pm, lounging in a big comfy bookstore, going for a daytime movie marathon, taking up fly fishing, or staying at home for some afternoon delights.

Go fly a kite. Your stay-cation plans should include all the lazy, silly, nonsensical, purposeless things you love to do but don’t take the time to do.

Spend a day at the park, staring at the lake, lazily paddling a boat, reading a book in a beach chair, chewing on a blade of grass and contemplating the Law of Attraction.

Be a backyard bird. How many of us create a garden, build a deck, dig a BBQ pit and then never actually enjoy it? Challenge yourself to experience the sweet, sweet nature of your home. Resist making an inventory of everything that is YET to be done. Rather, take in what you have accomplished. You are the master/mistress of all you survey in this backyard, roof garden or postage stamp-size, grassy kingdom of yours. Rule with delightful benevolence. Take another sip. Ahhhh…Now this is @ an unforgettable (and cheap) vacation.

Merci Miglino is a certified professional coach.

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dollars and sense

Wall Street Secrets... investors don’t want you to know by bill losey

W

hat’s the best way to invest? Ten different investment advisors will each have their own opinion. Some prefer actively managed investments. Some prefer passively managed investments. Others, like me, prefer a three-tier combination of actively and passively managed investments called a “Skill-Weighted” portfolio. The point is you need to do some homework and decide what strategy resonates with you. Since neither active management nor passive management has superior performance in all market environments or asset classes (large cap, small cap, growth, value, domestic, international, fixed income, etc.), it’s smart to incorporate both strategies into your investing plan. Therefore, I’m a staunch advocate for using low-cost index funds, enhanced index funds and exchange traded fund (ETFs) from investments companies such as Vanguard, SEI and Barclays.

In tier one, the large cap area also called the “efficient core,” indexed investments are the most appropriate. They allow you to inexpensively “join the market” rather than pointlessly trying to “beat it.” An index fund, or ETF, has many advantages. First, it enables you to own a broadly diversified basket of stocks or bonds. This reduces risk by not having all your eggs in one basket. Because the goal of the manager is to replicate a benchmark and not actively manage these holdings, management fees and transaction costs are kept to a minimum. This cost savings could translate into thousands of extra dollars in your pocket over time. Additionally, because of lower turnover, these types of investments are usually more tax efficient, meaning less capital gains taxes for you.

While an index fund or ETF may cost less and be more tax efficient, an active manager can reduce risk and enhance your return potential through actively managed investments, especially in a down or sideways market, and in inefficient areas such as small cap, international, and emerging markets. For this “active” part of your portfolio, or tier two, actively managed investments and/or enhanced index funds typically include managed accounts or mutual funds.

A third component to a smart portfolio is what I call the “alpha” rim, or tier three. This is meant for special opportunities, using managers with highly specialized skills who can exploit highly specialized opportunities. Although I do not advocate market-

timing, a strategy where people buy in or get out of the market quickly to exploit the market’s volatility, there are times when a savvy manager can exploit market “misbehavior” to his client’s favor.

W

hen you match the type of management to market efficiency in this way, your investments costs (manager fees and expense ratios) become correlated to the manager’s potential to add value. For example, in the efficient core, your investments are essentially unmanaged in index funds so the fees are appropriately very low. In the “active” part of your portfolio, managers have the potential to add value so moderate fees should be expected. And in the “alpha” rim area, managers are expected to add a high degree of value and the fees here will generally be higher.

This three-tier structure also offers another big advantage as it conveys clearer, more realistic performance expectations.

In the indexed efficient “core” you can expect essentially the same performance as the broadly-held stock market. In the “active” part of your portfolio, your goal is long-term performance that is above a benchmark. And in the “alpha” portion you would expect long-term returns that are significantly better and somewhat independent of the overall market.

This three-tier structure is more fair, more cost efficient, and can help you earn more from your investments. It can make a dramatic difference in investment performance and can help grow your wealth faster. If you know what to expect over the short-term and the long-term, you can be a more patient investor, which is one of the keys to successful investing. And that’s something Wall Street doesn’t want you to know because it can mean less profit for them. @ Bill Losey, CFP® is the author of Retire in a Weekend! and can be reached at www.MyRetirementSuccess.com.

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@home with

Swooning in Hudson an eclectic couple puts down restaurant roots by william m. dowd | photos by suzanne kawola

J

eff and Nina are people of simple wants. Right now they want to bake bread at home. In their own oven. The one inside a brick enclosure attached to their 19th century house. The one that used to turn out bread products for workers at the nearby Pocketbook Factory that no longer exists for that purpose. Is that too much to ask?

Jeff Gimmel and Nina Bachinsky-Gimmel clearly have put down roots in quirky Hudson, the small riverside city that serves as the county seat of largely rural Columbia County. It is a place where the extremes of wealth and poverty are evident, where some neighborhoods are tumbledown ugly but others — particularly the main street, Warren Avenue — are prime examples of how to maintain and reenergize wonderful architecture by using it for a plethora of restaurants and antique shops.

Or in their modest section of the city, where the old Pocketbook Factory has been revived to create exhibition spaces to showcase artists and local arts events.

Indeed, it’s that sort of schizo-ambiance that lured the couple

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to town four years ago to open Swoon Kitchenbar in the heart of the antiques district, a neighborhood that draws its clientele heavily from New York City — often via Amtrak, which stops at the foot of Warren right along the Hudson River. After a year of living in temporary quarters, the Gimmels purchased their current house, from the outside an unprepossessing place but an eclectic gem inside. It has a fairly standard layout at the front, but visually expands into a wide kitchen that itself opens onto a great room/dining room. “This used to be the outside patio of the house before the house was expanded to encompass it,” Jeff says, gesturing at the painted concrete floor, the tin ceiling tiles, the two small sofas flanking a gnarled-tree coffee table, and the dining table set for 10.

The aforementioned bakery is attached to the back wall of the great room. (“We’re trying to figure out a way to get it up and running again,” Jeff says, pointing to the copper-colored tubing visible through a small window vent.)

Because the bakery is narrower than the rest of the house, it leaves room for a walkway to the terraced backyard and its

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@home with

flower and herb plantings. Jeff has his rotisserie grill set up on the walkway, chatting amiably as he brushes barbecue sauce on a brace of poulets, delicate little whole chickens glistening golden-brown and juicy. They would be served later with a rich, bacon-wrapped, layeredpotato pie and a salad of lovage, English peas, chive blossoms and a fresh goat cheese just made by Swoon sous chef Jamie Parry. He’s a veteran of Manhattan’s Montrachet, Tribeca Grill and other popular spots who is helping out in the Gimmels’ home kitchen for the lunch as well. Such is the world of restauranting when even on the one day of the week the business is closed the work continues.

T

Above: The original brick oven once used to bake bread for pocketbook factory workers. Below: Chef Gimmel bastes a brace of poulet.

he unexpected atmosphere of the house –- there’s even a tiny brick-floored wine cellar in progress, with entrance gained through a wooden trap door inside a walk-in storage area — is reflective of the eclecticism in the Gimmels’ lives. Take Swoon Kitchenbar, located just a few blocks from their house. Its atmosphere envelops you as soon as you enter what seems to be a rather small space before you realize there is plenty of room both before and after the 22-foot-long, steeland-wood-beam bar that gives the place its name and where some of the cooking is done. Intricate and intriguing plants abound. Numerous original paintings adorn the walls. An antique tin ceiling, swag draperies, tiny-tiled floors, marble-topped tables and an earth-toned color palette help complete the mood.

Or take food. Jeff is serious about it. The native of Gaithersburg, MD, near Baltimore, never wanted to do much else. “I barely got through high school — a little problem with attendance,” he says with a small smile. “I didn’t like it, didn’t want it. I just wanted to cook.” His love of food and his hometown are reflected in his choice of a “last meal” — “Perfectly seasoned Maryland crabs, the kind you serve with a mallet and a stack of newspapers to catch the mess,” he says.

Gimmel didn’t actually carry his distaste for school too far. He attended culinary school at highly regarded Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, and became a chef in nearby Newport before going off to study in France. That led to kitchen stints in Manhattan, at such spots as Savann Est and Michael’s.

Nina, who hails from nearby Saugerties, likewise is a professional foodie, but her first love was dancing. A knee problem ended that, although she has plenty to fall back on. She holds a B.A. in photography from Bard College and her resumé as a pastry chef includes work at such Manhattan gems as Union Square Cafe, Le Bernardin, 44 at the Royalton Hotel, and Café M of the Stanhope Hotel, a role she continues at Swoon.

In 2000, Nina and Jeff left New York City for Nantucket, where they spent a year as co-owners of a catering company. Then it was back to New York State for a course in cheese making at the Old Chatham Sheepherding Co. near Hudson, before traveling to New Zealand to soak up some vinicultural education at the Ata Rangi vineyard.

All this travel is reflected in the wide variety of food and wine served timesunion.com/homes

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67

@home with

at Swoon, which the Gimmels have made part of the region’s strong and growing sustainable agriculture movement, with its organic/ naturally grown produce, meats and poultry.

T

oday, in addition to her work at Swoon, Nina is a painter, photographer and food stylist whose work has appeared in print, on television and in film. One of the first things you see when you enter the Gimmels’ house is her studio.

“I suppose I’d have to say I’m more into photography (than painting) these days,” Nina says. “Food photography is a fascinating topic.”

Some of her photographs of dried vegetables — what Jeff jokingly refers to as “her Dead Food Period” — are so crisply defined and seemingly three-dimensional that at first glance they appear to actually be pieces of food laid down on glossy paper.

Another fixture in the Gimmels’ household is a television set tuned to a tennis match. “Tennis is very big in this house,” Jeff says. “If there’s a match on TV, we’re tuned to it.”

This was said, somewhat ironically, on the first day in six weeks he had been able to bear weight on a knee that had been arthroscopically repaired after a tennis injury. That’s a lot of forced inactivity for a chef used to being on his feet most of the day.

As Jeff tests the knee, with the support of crutches, while tending the rotisserie, Nina and several helpers glide around the kitchen finishing up a platter of gravlax, toast rounds and

capers to be served up as an appetizer accompanied by tall glasses of chilled, sparkling hard cider, a beverage making a gradual comeback in American households.

I

n addition to Swoon, art and tennis, technology affords the Gimmels another outlet. Their formal restaurant Web site (www. swoonkitchenbar.com) is cleanly designed and easy to navigate, but they also maintain a casual, conversational blog (swoonkitchenblog.blogspot.com) to keep customers, vendors and friends up on their goings-on. It’s a good place to get an insider’s view of how dishes are made, what the Gimmels look for during farm visits, what seasonal treats are coming up … and it also is a window into their sense of humor. Witness this entry: “In the cavernous depths far below Swoon Kitchenbar & Warren Street lies a secret cave. A cave so secret outsiders must be anesthetized in order to enter, very similarly to Batman’s. It is in this cave that we hang various cuts of meat to cure.” A slight exaggeration, perhaps, but an accurate indicator that things are not always as effortless, or as simple, as they first appear for the Gimmels and for Swoon. @ For more photos go to timesunion.com/homes.

THE PERFECT WINE PAIRING by william m. dowd

The Gimmels selected two light French wines to go with their luncheon menu of rotisserie-roasted chicken, spring salad of lovage, chive blossoms, English peas and fresh goat cheese, a bacon potato pie and hazlenut panna cotta dessert: a Domaine du Closel Savenniéres La Jalousie 2005 ($22), a classic dry Savennières chenin blanc with the signature oiliness of the expression, and provides herbal notes and touches of thyme, lemon and grapefruit; a Chateau du Rouét 2007 Chateau du 68

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life@home

Rouet Cuvee Reservee ($16), a blend of grenache, mourvèdre and cinsault grapes offering a lightly fruity flavor.

As an alternative for a meal of such mixed textures and densities, I’d suggest a red of medium-bodied structure, such as Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Cabernet 2004 ($7-$9), a fine Australian blend (53 percent shiraz, 47 percent cabernet sauvignon) with notes of tobacco, leather and oak along with forthright plum and berry nuances.

recipe

Bacon Potato Pie ingredients

1/2 lb. sliced bacon 2 1/2 lbs. Idaho potatoes 3/4 cup grated parmesan 3/4 cup grated gruyere 3 ea fresh bay leaves Salt & fresh ground black pepper

method

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange bacon in spiral fashion in bottom of 10-inch skillet, Allowing the bacon to drape over the edges. Peel the potatoes, rinse under cold water. Slice potatoes into thin rounds. Pat dry with a towel. Arrange 1/3 of the potato slices on top of the bacon, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheeses.

Repeat creating two additional layers of potatoes and cheese. Fold the overhanging bacon onto the potatoes.

Place three fresh bay leaves on top. Bake, uncovered 45-50 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the bacon is crisp.Allow to cool 10-15 minutes. Slice into wedges and serve.

Hazelnut Panna Cotta ingredients

3 cups heavy cream 1/2 scant cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 2 2/3 sheets gelatin* 1/4 of a lemon 1 1/2 cup hazelnuts: toasted in a 325 degree oven, then ground in a food processor while still hot

method Add hot ground hazelnuts, sugar & vanilla to the cream in a pot. Bring the cream up to a strong simmer. Once cream mixture is on the stove, soak the gelatin sheets in cold water to soften. Once cream mixture has simmered, turn the heat off. Remove softened gelatin sheets from water and lightly squeeze out excess water. Add softened gelatin to the cream mixture and whisk vigorously. Add salt, squeeze 1/4 lemon in and whisk again. Pass mixture through a very fine sieve or chinois making sure to press all the liquid out of the ground nuts left in the sieve. Reserve the cream soaked nuts for salad dressing, add to veal stock for a more complex meat sauce, add to mushroom sauce for pasta or another use. Pour into any mold of preference and chill until Jellolike in consistency. To remove form the molds, dip the mold in very hot water until the panna cotta starts to melt along the edges, or run a thin paring knife around the edges. Turn the mold over on to a plate and shake to release the panna cotta.

Serve with Saba and lemon butter cookies. Sold at specialty food stores, Saba is a fruity syrup from Modena, Italy, made from the same grapes that balsamic is made from, then aged in wood. It is also wonderful with an aged balsamic or a balsamic reduction. * Gelatin sheets are sold at www.kingarthurflour.com timesunion.com/homes

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69

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I Shall Never Reach Cordoba text and image by james macnaughton

S

pain. When I hear the word, I hear the trill of guitar, the unique quality of tragedy, romance, blood and violence that characterizes Spain and its remarkable history. I begin with Gabriel Garcia Lorca, Spain’s most famous poet, and his poem, “The Horseman,” and the line that goes, in translation, something like this: “Distant and alone. A black horse, the giant moon, and olives in my saddlebag. Even if I know the way, I shall never reach Cordoba.” And I know, too, that I shall never reach Cordoba. Whatever that means, I shall never arrive.

And then there is Franco. For most of the 20th century, Spain was governed by a fascist regime led by the Generalissimo, and so was out of step with Europe in the post-war period and reconstruction that began with the Marshall Plan and led to the European Economic Community. In fact, it was Franco’s fascist cohorts who took the great poet, Lorca, and shot him in a ditch. History, to paraphrase James Joyce, may be a nightmare from which we are all trying to awake. With Spain, the nightmare has had a longer lasting resonance than it has for much of the rest of Western Europe.

If there is an upside to all of this, it is that Spanish wines have remained somewhat off the charts. No matter how good they are, Spain’s comparative isolation means they have not translated as quickly to the international economy. And so, we are in general not as swift on Spanish wines as we might be, and thus the prices for excellent wines from Spain still lag.

Recently, in a heat wave, I bought a brace of Spanish whites and came to this conclusion: At the price level, they outclass Italian and American white wines, and while the best white wines in my view are still French, the Spanish whites offer something remarkable at prices that make them a premium buy.

H

ere are a few. The Albet I Noya, Xarel-Lo from 2006 is an organic wine. At $12 it is much better than any pinot grigio

in the price level. Like most of these wines, there is an earthy, palate-scraping acidity. The grape is traditional to the Pendes region, and has a light lime and melon quality, with mineral water and citrus, but unlike many pinot grigios, it does not have that battery stuck on the tongue acidity that can be too much.

Now to Las Brisas, also from 2006 and $11. Again, there is the palate-scraping acidity and the slightest hint of carbonation, although I could see no bubbles.

But this is characteristic. There is the citrusy fruit that follows on the cold, steely acidity and a clean, watery finish. Not a serious wine but delightfully drinkable and clean and refreshing, grown in the Rueda DO region northwest of Madrid in chalky, minerally soils. People talk about green grapes and melon and granny smith and grapefruit and lime and that is all accurate, but what sticks with me always is that snap in the glass when it is cold.

More fruitful, but also dry and tart is the Margues de Allela Pansa Blanca. The wine is fermented “on the lees,” which means that the skins are left on during the early fermentation process for additional flavor, and there are more spring flowers here, more blossoms in the glass. Almost greenish in color, the wine reminds me of orange blossoms but with the same strict acidity and unassuming finish. At $16, I’m not sure it’s better than the others, although it certainly has more fruitfulness than Las Brisas. Not a criticism — it is just a matter of taste.

The last one was the Cuatro Rayas, also from the Rueda DO and from the same year. This is entirely made from the Verdejo grape and is my favorite.

At $15 it will delight your guests without breaking the bank. Again, acrid, minerally acidity and that remarkably watery finish that all these wines seem to accomplish. This wine brought gooseberries to mind, with that particular mix of tart, bright and explosive fruit, aromatic, limish, clean, refreshing, bright but again a wine that having delighted the palate, leaves it without afterthought.

All of these wines would be more celebrated and more expensive if they came from a country that had been more organized at one time with the business of international capitalism. I am reluctant to thank Franco for that, but there is no doubt that the price on these excellent wines is a result of a tortured and sheltered history. I know, that I, too, will never reach Cordoba. Riding beside me with the moon at my elbow is something else: Time. But I can drink these @ wines and marvel. timesunion.com/homes

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locavore

Let There be Bees on Earth honey fresh from albany’s center square neighborhood by jessica mahaer | photos by erik vonhausen

S

tanding four feet from the bustling, buzzing hive 13,000 Italian honeybees call home, Cindy Barclay tries to put my mind at ease. “Standing behind it is okay,” she says. “The only place that’s an issue is standing in front of the hive.”

Barclay has a natural ease with some, but not all, insects.

On her aversion list are bed bugs, fleas and spiders. Bees top her “good” list, and how could they not? The two hives in the backyard of her Albany home provide honey and honey-related products for her ever-expanding business, Bees on Earth.

Barclay and her husband Ken, an environmental engineer, developed an interest in beekeeping five or six years ago. “Ken was interested in the entomology and the insects themselves, and I wanted the honey to use for holiday gifts,” she says. What began as a hobby gradually transformed into a popular booth at At the Warehouse, a weekend eclectic marketplace in downtown Albany.

Today, the gifts are sold year-round, and include everything from lotion to candles and, of course, honey. Called Center Square Honey because of the location of Barclay’s Albany home and hives, it is by far Bees on Earth’s bestseller. Sometimes called boutique honey because of the small market and locality, it is also 100 percent natural, as are half-a-dozen other honey-related products, including lip balm. “There’s nothing in these products you can’t pronounce,” says Barclay. “I tell everybody what’s in it; they can make it for themselves if they want.”

More than just nature’s nutritive sweetener, honey’s other health benefits derive from the pollen. Exposing yourself to pollen can help acclimate a body so that it doesn’t react as strongly to seasonal allergies. In order to receive those benefits, though, the pollen must come from a local source – within 30 miles. Bees on Earth isn’t 30 miles from where it’s sold; it’s three. “If you’re taking a teaspoon of honey every day from Missouri or Arkansas where the major honey producers are, there’s no point,” explains Barclay. “You’re not being exposed to those same sources of pollen.

D

epending on the weather, Barclay — who happens to be allergic to bees — dons her hat, veil and gloves to harvest 72

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honey five to six times a year.

Harvesting is a process that involves removing the frames inside the box, or “super,” which encases the hive. Each super can produce as much as 60 pounds of honey. The supers contain ten frames comprised of hundreds of tiny cells in a honeycomb pattern that the bees pack with honey and then cap with wax. When full, Barclay uses an electrically heated knife to get rid of the wax caps and places the frames into the extractor, a large metal cylinder that acts as a centrifuge.

The smell is the best part of the process, she says — a wind of honey whirling through every crevice of the house.

She separates the honey by harvest because of each season’s distinct taste, influenced by the bees’ menu that season.

Bees on Earth usually sells two harvests at a time. The spring harvest, for example, is usually small and wildly popular, tending not to stay on the shelves for long. My visit to Bees on Earth saw autumn and summer harvests lined up for sale and samples. Neither tastes like store-shelf honey, and the differences between the harvests stun the palate when tried back to back. The darker autumn harvest is rich and leaves a hint of toffee in your mouth. Summer is lighter in color and feeling, more delicate and mild.

Barclay is also more than willing to answer any questions patrons or just passersby have about the honey, the bees or any other aspect of the process. “I could talk about bees for hours,” says Barclay, “I’m such a bee dork.”

Julie Weidman, Barclay’s cousin, initially didn’t share the en-

“Like bees to honey” Cindy Barclay, owner of Bees on Earth, and Julie Weidman enjoy the honey business.

Above: bees at work. Right: Despite an allergy to bees, Barclay loves what she does.

thusiasm, until she began to man Bees on Earth once a weekend. “It’s easier to sell something you really like, so I started to get into the products,” she says, adding that her personal favorite harvest is autumn.

Both women consider the work they do at Bees on Earth an appealing option for working mothers, which was one of the business’s initial aims. A sous chef and wedding cake designer, Barclay found regular working hours impossible to keep after the birth of her son, Buzzy (a family name, no bee relation). More ideas include expansion, but don’t count on see-

ing Center Square Honey in your local supermarket.

“To wholesale to places means other people would sell it and then there’d be no point to me standing there selling it for the weekend, and that’s something I really like,” says Barclay. @ Bees on Earth can be found at At the Warehouse, 20 Learned St., Albany, every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. For more information on Bees on Earth products, visit www.beesonearth.com or www.centersquarehoney.com.

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73

good food

Can It!

the growing popularity of putting up produce by molly belmont

H

ere’s an old joke I heard as a child and didn’t understand: A city dweller visits a peach farm, and impressed by the bumper crop of fruit he asks the farmer, “What do you do with all these peaches?” And he answered, “We eat what we can, and what we can’t, we can.”

At the time, I didn’t know what canning was. My mother had to clarify this old-fashioned part of home economy with me, and explain that fruit and vegetables were always available yearround, and that people had to make special provisions, putting up jars full of tomatoes, green beans and even peaches in the summer so that they had food in the winter. The whole thing seemed ridiculous to me, but with a child’s unerring ear for expressions, my only question was, “Shouldn’t they call it jarring?”

Canning was invented in the early 19th Century to help feed the French army. In the beginning they used jars, but quickly moved to metal canisters, and the term “canning” stuck. At first, canned foods just fed soldiers, but in time, and with advances in the technology, canned foods soon fed the world. Many farmers continued to home can with jars, but the majority of the population bought their

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istockphoto

canned goods at the store. With World War II, Americans turned again to home canning, adopting it as a way to support the troops. Victory gardens sprang up across the country, and cellars and pantries soon overflowed with pretty jars of homegrown fruits and vegetables. With the proliferation of packaged foods during the 1950s, home canning all but disappeared again, slipping out of practice for pretty much everyone but farmers’ wives and epicureans.

Joan Fix, a farmer’s wife for 51 years to one of the Fix Brothers of the eponymous Fix Brothers Fruit Farm, cans all types of fruits including raspberries, peaches, and sour cherries every year, but she remembers years when she and her mother-in-law, Marguerite Fix, would fill the cellar with tomatoes, green beans, carrots, and pickles as well as these fruits and jams. The two spent hot days in the kitchen, talking and working away, and Fix believes this practice will return. “People are going to start if they haven’t already because of the food prices,” Fix says. “It’s just getting too expensive.”

I

In the old days, nothing beat Grandma’s home grown, canned veggies for a hot meal on a cold winter night. Today, it’s a healthy, budget-savvy option for feeding a family.

ndeed, thanks to increasing food prices and growing interest in healthier (read unprocessed, mass-produced) foods, canning is making a comeback, according to Elizabeth Andress, director of the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia. In 1999, the center conducted a national telephone survey and determined that about 27 percent of the population canned in the previous year. That percentage stayed fixed in 2005, Andress says, but in the years since then, the center has seen a steady increase in the number of emails from people canning for the first time. Andress also reports that whereas in the 1990s, when people were interested in preserving gourmet items and gifts, today more people are focusing on “basic putting up,” i.e. preserving fruits and vegetables for daily meals.

Andress attributes the overall increase to concern over food

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75

good food safety. Food contamination stories always set off the public, she says, especially recent scares about spinach and tomatoes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then we heard more people saying, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I need to learn how to do this myself.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

According to the IRI Times and Trends special report, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Competing in a Transforming Economy,â&#x20AC;? this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spike in grocery prices shifted shopping habits, prompting consumers to buy fewer conveniently-packaged goods and do more fromscratch cooking. Some say the belt-tightening is also leading to more backyard gardening, with people growing their own produce to trim their grocery budgets. With the recent rise of fuel prices, the idea of getting fruit from Ecuador, Peru, and parts further south makes less and less sense.

Diane Whitten, nutrition resource educator with the Saratoga County Cornell Cooperative Extension, believes the proliferation of backyard gardens will lead to more shelves full of home canned goods. Whitten teaches a home food preservation course at the extension, and hopes that attendance will be up over previous years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m hoping. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m just thinking there may be an increase,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People put a lot of time and effort into their gardens, and they want to save their harvests.â&#x20AC;?

For the past several years, the Albany County Cornell Cooperative Extension in Voorheesville has offered home canning classes, and Instructor Sandra Varno, a registered dietician and nutrition educator, expects this summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two classes to be very popular, especially among younger people.

Varno became interested in canning in the 1970s as a way to get back to the land, and taught herself the rites that were passed down mother to daughter in other families. Today she teaches students the intricacies of pressure canning, the differences between a hot and cold pack, and how to get a good seal on their jars of tomatoes and peach butter.

Canning has a reputation for being a grandmotherly activity, but over half of last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s students were women in their 20s, Varno says. More young people are conabout food safety and want to develop a

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their food and where it comes from, Varno says.

Nate Horwitz, membership coordinator at the Honest Weight Food CoOp, agrees, saying that the older practices have become the new trend for many of his customers and that more people are moving away from over-processed foods in favor of all-natural choices. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think a lot of people are really looking at old ways of doing things,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They appreciate it more.â&#x20AC;?

T

o can, fruits and vegetables are prepared using various methods, and then transferred to sterilized jars. Then, depending upon the contents, they have to be

processed, or boiled, in a water bath or pressure canner.

Home canning is not complicated, but the steps are orderly and very strict. Improperly canned goods can lead to food spoilage, and potential health risks, so processing steps have to be strictly followed, Andress says. She advises canners to follow guidelines published by the USDA and available through the Center for Home Food Preservation Web site.

Home canners will need to invest in some equipment, including a pressure canner for non-acidic foods, which runs about $69-$200, pint jars, which run about $9 a dozen, and other incidentals such as a funnel and ladles. Andress advises against using old canners or guidelines published before 1988. Canning doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take long, but Andress suggests budgeting at least half a day for each crop.

And canners say the time invested is worth it. Not only does it taste better, Varno says, but it feels better. Varno is not just teaching her students long forgotten skills; sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acquainting them with the satisfaction of having a pantry stocked with their hard work. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I totally admit that I just love to see all those jars lined up,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Varno says with a laugh. @ The Albany County Cornell Cooperative Extension will hold a canning class on August 28. Please call to register at 765-3547.

The fee is $10. For a list of pick-your-own farms, go to timesunion.com/homes. You can check out comprehensive canning guidelines at www.uga.edu/nchfp.

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personal picks

five things i can’t live without

by doty hall

doty hall interviews david griggs-janower,

artistic director and conductor of albany pro musica

“My refuge on a deserted island.” Treasury of Great Poems, volumes one and two, are on David’s list. Poetry is music, with tempo and beat, sans sound.

These poems have lived for generations, they are survivors. Chaucer no longer breathes, but his words go on. Maybe that’s why David would be inspired to take them to his imagined island. Calm in the midst of chaos, or coconuts, whatever the case may be.

“My father’s concert watch; he wore it only when he sang.”

A gold Hamilton watch, it’s one of the few possessions the tenor owned. Things weren’t that important to the man who died when David was just 21. It means something not because of monetary value, but because of who cherished it…and because of who is left behind. It is now David’s concert watch.

“I got it for FREE! (and then spent thousands of dollars restoring it!).” David’s 1935 Knabe was a resident of the church he belongs to and one day someone decided to excommunicate it. It was going to the YMCA, he was told; they said

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they would take it in…not unlike the souls that find refuge there when the world tires of them. David stepped up and offered it a home.

“It’s the ‘teacher’s version’ of the Ipod.” David has just recently discovered the joys of music “to go.” His MP3 is loaded with everything from Tom Paxton to Bach. This super-duper model also has a built-in radio to keep up with what’s happening in the world. So when the news is not to his liking, it’s back to Bach!

“It was taken in the Dominican Republic at a time when my kids still liked me.” At the moment this photo was taken, Katy and Michael filled his arms and all was well with the world. His wife Paige completes this beautiful family. David admits that although this photo captured a golden moment, NOW his children are teens and @ he is more used to taking shots from them than with them.

marketplace

Beautifully crafted tiles and many other works of art can be found at the Designerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Studio, 492 Broadway, Saratoga Springs,

where to go and what to do in

saratoga springs

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Great Great food food is is always always a sure sure bet bet at at Fortunes or the Garden Buffet!

I-87 Exit 13N Right on Crescent Ave. (800) 727 - 2990

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to go

saratogasprings

Must be 18 to play video gaming machines or wager on horses, 21 to enter Vapor. Please play responsibly.

Fine dining, Saratoga style.

518-584-7988 Open Wednesday-Monday One Nelson Ave., Saratoga Springs Owned and operated by Saratoga Gaming and Raceway. Must be 18 to play video gaming machines or wager on horses, 21 to enterVapor. Please play responsibly.

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American Cuisine 51 Front St. Ballston Spa

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Re-potting plants and protective welding gear.

An interesting mix of tools in the work area at the home of Chef Gimmel. Read the story on page 64. See more photos online at timesunion.com/homes Photo by Suzanne Kawola

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