Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Tasteful Folk Art



We hope everyone will join us this week for another taste-tempting Pathfinder Produce fresh fruits and vegetable market at the Village Commons, Thursday, June 25, from 1 to 5 p.m.  Our summer harvest is starting to roll in!

Thursday is also Graduation Day at Pathfinder School!  We’re very proud of all our students who are completing another year of learning including the four members of the Class of 2016.  Congratulations to all area high school graduates and their families, and best wishes for fun celebrations and happy memories. 

************
This past weekend, I got to spend an hour in the Pathfinder Art Studio, which always recharges my batteries and lets me enjoy the latest works by our very talented Village artists.  The “Over 21” landscape painting class, part of our adult education courses open to all, had gathered for its last session, and our Art Specialist Diane McNeil was working with two gifted folk artists, Anja and Doris.

Both were engaged in painting country scenes:  Anja was painting a winter barn, one of her favorite themes.  Doris’ painting was of a historic photo of the Ontario & Western roundhouse in Edmeston, which was used to direct trains on the proper spur during the heyday of train travel in Central New York.

Diane had brought in some of her paintings to share, including two hand saws painted with rustic scenes.  Our little group soon started talking about historic decorative techniques, and theorem painting came up.  Theorem painting is the art of making stencils to create paintings on velvet or heavy paper; it first came to prominence in England at the turn of the 19th century, according to Wikipedia, and was taught as part of young girls’ education and social refinement in the early 1800s.

To make a theorem, an artist creates a number of stencils, and by overlaying several stencils, the designs take on a three dimensional quality. Popular historic scenes focused on fruit and flowers, and there are many images to see on the internet.  More information is found in this article from Early American Life Magazine (Dec. 2009) at  www.gregorylefever.com.

Why were fruits such a popular subject?  I suspect because they are easy to render and model through the stencil technique, and that a bounty of fruit would speak both to being an industrious farmer and hopes for prosperity.  More on traditional symbol meetings can be found at Easy Oil Painting Techniques. 

Some art historians spout about how earlier Renaissance painters, like the flamboyant Caravaggio, would place fruit in paintings as fertility symbols; I say, sometimes an apple is just an apple.  While early American girls may not have known about Italian Renaissance art, the popularity of fruit themes from the 1400-1600s would’ve filtered into the decorative arts in 200 years.  (Also, there were many northern European Old Master still lifes of fruit that would’ve influenced American decorative arts).  The Purdue University School of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture offers an interesting article on the varieties of fruit Caravaggio painted.

Until next time, enjoy the best of summer fruits, appreciate some art, and enjoy!

Lori

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Pathfinder Community Trail now Open!

We hope everyone will join us at the Village Commons this Thursday, June 18, from 1 to 5 p.m., for our incredible fresh fruits and vegetable market, Pathfinder Produce.  Our summer greens and other items from the Pathfinder Hoop House are 100% delicious and are grown by members of our Vocational Program and Pathfinder School students. 

Special thanks go out to all who sponsored or participated in our 2nd annual Splash Path 5K and Fun Walk this past Saturday.  We had an incredible day of fitness running and walking, a rainbow of celebratory colors, great exhibits with our vendors, a very lively ticket auction, and lots of fun with Andrea Pickney, our DJ and Karaoke artist at the Pavilion.





This past weekend’s Splash Path marked the opening of the new Pathfinder Community Trail, which is now available for everyone--members of the public, Pathfinder families, staff members--to enjoy as a safe, fitness option (no cars to contend with!). The new trail ties into our Edmeston 5210 Wellness Committee goals as it encourages all of us to get at least an hour of healthful exercise each day. Several Pathfinder co-workers and friends had already tried the trail, and I was intrigued. I decided I’d go for a picture-taking tour to try it. In a word, it’s great! 

I am not in a training program, but like to walk, so I took the entire trail at a brisk pace. Carrying my 5 lb. camera bag, I left the sign for Grant’s Field, went past the new clinic building, and would stop every few hundred feet to take a picture. I completed the trail in about 30 minutes. It was a humid afternoon, and I could tell when I was done that I’d had a work out. 

Parking is available at the start of the trail, which is at the end of our new road, Turner Lane. I’d recommend taking a cell phone and some water, but anything you carry in you should carry out to help maintain this community resource. Dogs are welcome, but must be cleaned up after, kept on a leash, and not allowed to harass any wildlife or other people. The trail is open during daylight hours; no bikes or motorized vehicles are allowed.

The trail goes out past the old Turner Barn, and follows a nicely mowed path along a fence; there are also white wooden markers along the way. The path at this stage is flat (with one slope), and provides some nice views of the surrounding hills and the Wharton Creek Valley. There are plenty of wildflowers to enjoy, and song birds call as you make your way to the back of the meadow.

Between ¼ and ½ mile, there are some minor turn-offs into the woods, which offer some variety for walkers to enjoy. These paths are groomed and easily followed, and parallel the main path which rims the meadow. Runners will need to modify their pace, as there are more natural undulations in the slope of the trail.

Just past the 1/2 mile marker, the trail features a turn-around for the main Pathfinder Trail, as well as the start of the Challenge Loop, which winds through a wooded area, up-and-down the glacially sculpted terrain. (Those with knee- or hip issues may want to forego this section). The well-marked trail offers new views, with little streams, dense hemlock groves, and the new rustic bridge. Don’t be surprised if you startle birds or deer here – you may want to bring along your binoculars if you enjoy bird watching.
 
The Challenge Loop leads back to the main Pathfinder Trail, and given the humidity of the day, I chose to walk back along the main mowed path. This was also rewarding, providing new perspectives of Pathfinder Village as I walked back towards the trail head.

So, try the Pathfinder Community Trail for a variation to your walking or running workout. The fresh air, the variety of views, the enjoyment of nature, and the avoidance of cars make the trail a real winner.

Until next time, get outside and play!


Lori



Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Down to the Splash Path Wire and Great Going Gilbert!



We hope everyone will join us at the Village Commons this Thursday, June 11, from 1 to 5 p.m. for another great Pathfinder Produce market.  Our Pathfinder Hoop House-grown greens are so delicious, and make a wonderful addition to any lunch or supper.

Also, don’t forget Splash Path is this SATURDAY, JUNE 13, which will support our vocational and agricultural programs.  Registration opens at the Gym at 9 a.m., with the Color Burst and Start in the School Parking Lot at 10 a.m.  We are eager to greet our friends and neighbors at the after-run party down by the Pavilion, which will feature lots of great exhibits, our friends from Andrea’s Karaoke/DJ Dance Bash, lots of vendors and a variety of foods.  We hope to see you there!


We would also like to extend a huge thanks to all our Splash Path Sponsors, who have really shown their true colors in making our 5K run and fun walk possible.  THANKS!


These past few weeks I have been so spoiled with my own fresh lettuce, spinach and kale that we’ve been enjoying at each family meal.  I really do feel better when I eat well, and there is nothing tastier than just picked produce.

Every now and again, I like to share success stories that highlight the efforts of friends who are eating

https://www.facebook.com/5210EveryDay?fref=ts
more fruits and veggies, and who incorporate more exercise in their daily routines.  That’s really what our Edmeston-area 5210 Committee is all about.  This week, I’m proud to celebrate the progress of the residents of Gilbert House, an Individualized Residential Alternative here at Pathfinder.

For the past year or so, my Gilbert House friends have really focused on moving more and eating right, and as a result have trimmed down about 50 pounds collectively.  One resident, Dave, got things rolling by purchasing one of the high tech blenders, which has allowed him to enjoy a delicious variety of fruits and vegetables.  Once Dave started enjoying these NutriBullet drinks, it wasn’t long before his housemates wanted to give them a try.

The members of the house now enjoy blended nutritional drinks regularly, and have developed a few favorites, according to House Manager Lisa Roper.  “They love their ‘monster drinks,’ which is really like a salad in a glass … we blend tomatoes, spinach, cukes, carrots, and non-fat yogurt.  We don’t add any extra sugars, because of all the natural sugars that are in fruits and vegetables.  Everyone prefers to drink their monsters cold.”

Lisa adds that fruit smoothies are another Gilbert House favorite.  “The USDA guidelines recommend 4 to 5 servings of fruit each day, so at least once a week we’ll blend up some mangoes, strawberries, bananas, kiwis, and yogurt.  If it gets a bit too thick, we just add some water, not juice, to get the drinks to the right consistency.”




“Another favorite is our ‘beet bullet smoothie,’ which combined purple beets, spinach for fiber, orange, and yogurt.  These are really dark red, and you don’t want to overdo the orange, as it can really make your mouth pucker,” said Lisa.  “We like to try new things and make up recipes as we go.”

My friends at Gilbert are also drinking more water, at least one full glass at each meal, with each snack, and all throughout the day.  And they are choosing to be more active by walking more, stair climbing (no fancy equipment, just up-and-down the stairs), and playing air hockey and other games.


So, raise your glass to my friends at Gilbert House!  Keep up the great work, and we hope your example helps others.

Until next time, enjoy!


Lori

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Summer Suppers



We hope everyone will join us at the Village Commons this Thursday, June 4, from 1 to 5 p.m. for another delicious Pathfinder Produce Market.  We’re rolling out a lot of great summer produce that’s sure to please your taste buds!

The following is a guest blog by Martha Spiegel, Development Assistant at Pathfinder Village.

***

With the flip of the calendar to June, summer has begun—at least in my psyche! Summer is my favorite season of the year. While summer as an adult does not bring the magical joy that summer vacation did to my schoolgirl self, it still raises my spirits when the temperature goes up, the flowers bloom, and just-picked produce re-appears!

As a child, we would often have what I have since dubbed “Summer Supper,” which meant all or most of it would come from the local farmers’ market, and there was very little cooking to do. Summer Supper always featured corn-on-the-cob (that was the cooking part), fresh fruit, and a salad bar of sorts. It made us feel rather fancy to have our own salad bar, and it also made Mom and Dad’s dinner more pleasant when we kids weren’t complaining about something we didn’t like in our salad. Summer Supper was generally eaten at our picnic table; we would still be in our bathing suits after splashing around in our little pool, which made it even more fun.

We continue the tradition of Summer Supper with our kids and grandkids. Watching a toddler conquer his first ear of corn is a delight. I still love to have an in-home salad bar. The older kids like to help assemble the fruit salads and always ask to eat the last bits of melon from the rinds. It’s a big family project! And what could be better for dessert than a bowl of fresh berries, or perhaps a frozen berry ice pop?

Summer Supper can be as simple or as complicated as you wish. Bowls of whole fruit and cut up raw vegetables on the table do quite nicely, perhaps accompanied by some grilled chicken or burgers, but if you want to fancy it up a bit, here are a few recipes that would make delicious additions to your table and feature items which can be found at Pathfinder Produce! They are either no-cook dishes or can be done on the grill, so either way you won’t heat up the kitchen.

·        Grilled Avocado Boats

When you are at Pathfinder Produce, remember to look for the items grown right here by our students. There are lots of tasty salad greens available now, and the selection will change with the season. The market is open from 1 to 5 p.m. for the summer months, so please stop by!

Until next time, eat well!

Martha