Rosslyn Redux

Tag: Essex Inn

  • #ADK827

    Rosslyn Waterfront (photo by Betsy Bacot-Aigner)
    Rosslyn Waterfront in Essex, NY (photo by Betsy Bacot-Aigner)

    Are you social media savvy?

    Are you social media confused?

    On Saturday, August 27 social media stars from throughout the Adirondack region will gather in Essex, New York (@EssexNY) for an afternoon and evening of networking, learning, brainstorming and celebrating. It’s called #ADK827 and you’re invited!

    Meet the real people behind the avatars you know and love while enjoying the Essex renaissance! If you’ve never attended a social meetup, this is a great opportunity to meet and learn from your peers while enjoying a relaxing and enjoyable mini-vacation.

    Reserve your spot before it’s too late! Here’s a quick glimpse at Saturday’s events:

    Panel Discussion: “At the crossroads of writing, publishing and social media”
    11:00 AM, Essex Inn on the Adirondack Coast (FREE; limit 18; RSVP to @EssexNY asap)
    Panelists include:

    • Wanda Shapiro Adirondack-born, Los Angeles-based indie author of Sometimes That Happens With Chicken, Wanda Shapiro was recently called “the next avant-garde literary find” by The LA Independent. Since the debut of her first novel she has been compared to Hemingway, Salinger, Hitchcock, Burroughs, Marquez, and Calvino. The level of quality Shapiro is bringing to the literary fiction market combined with her indie business model has fans calling her a one-woman Random House.
    • John Warren A 25-year veteran media professional, John Warren (@adkalmanack) is a broadcast, print, and online journalist, author, and historian whose work has ranged from traditional to new media. He is the founder and editor of two popular online magazines, Adirondack Almanack and New York History, the author of two books of regional history and a weekly contributor to North County Public Radio.
    • Sarah Wilson Sarah Wilson (@swbizcom) collaborates with agencies, executives, and authors on how to navigate an increasingly fragmented media landscape with a targeted and effective approach. Current responsibilities include: Supervisor for Content, Public Relations & Social Media with AdWorkshop/Inphorm, New York’s award winning employee owned digital marketing agency; PR & Social Media Consultant with YouCast, a premiere NYC social media start up operating at the nexus of earned/owned/paid media campaigns; and Preferred Provider for marketing & PR for SheWrites.com, an online community of over 15,000 women writers.
    • Amy Guglielmo Amy Guglielmo (@amyguglielmo) is an artist, teacher, and co-author of the best-selling Touch the Art (@touchtheart) children’s series (Sterling 2006, 2009, 2010). After actively and successfully marketing Touch the Art with traditional techniques including: personal appearances, television, radio, and snail mail, she has adopted social media as her primary platform building strategy. Amy recently completed her first novel, and is using Twitter and Facebook to foster new connections in the changing world of publishing. Amy is one of the founders of the blog WhyNoKids.com. She lives in Plattsburgh, New York and Tamarindo, Costa Rica with her husband, a freelance writer.

    Social Media Luncheon
    12:30 PM, Essex Inn on the Adirondack Coast, $20/person (RSVP to 518-963-4400 by 8/25; limit 43) Join panelists and other Adirondack region social media friends for a delicious lunch at the recently renovated and reopened Essex Inn. Menu options:

    1. Herb Rubbed Grilled Salmon Salad Fresh salmon over a local farm fresh garden salad with honey mustard dressing.
    2. Grilled Portabella Mushroom Sandwich Topped with fire roasted red bell peppers and melted provolone cheese on a brioche roll, with lettuce and tomato.
    3. Archer’s Salad with Grilled Chicken Pecans, sunflower seeds, wasabi peas and sesame sticks with farm fresh field greens and a southwest ranch dressing.
    4. Bavarian Beer Burger Grilled Angus burger served on a pretzel roll with beer simmered onions, Dijon mustard and melted cheddar.

    Cookies and brownies tray included. All options include coffee, tea or lemonade. $20 per person Includes taxes and gratuities. Please call (518) 963-4400 to reserve your seat and submit your lunch option. Prepay reservations only; non-refundable. All reservations must be received by Thursday, August 25th.

    Guest Speaker: Triberr Founder Discusses Social Media
    1:30 PM, Essex Inn on the Adirondack Coast, Whether you’re new to social media or a seasoned veteran, Dino Dogan (@dino_dogan), the founder of Triberr (@Triberr), will stretch your skills and inspire your dreams! Dino’s DIY Blogger NET is a favorite go-to blog for online marketing, creative technology applications, social media pointers, creative web design tips and cutting edge social media resources and commentary. Triberr is an innovative platform for dilating the breadth and impact of your social media message.

    Triberr is a reach multiplier which tweets your blog posts to not only your twitter followers but to all of your Tribe’s twitter followers too. (deepinmummymatters.com)

    Social Media Networking and Watersports
    2:30-5:30 PM Rosslyn Waterfront (FREE; RSVP to @RosslynRedux with numbers, questions and interests) @virtualDavis invites you to experience the siren call of summer on Lake Champlain! Meet your Adirondack social media “neighbors” while experiencing the inspiration for Rosslyn Redux, a transmedia memoir of exurban flight, eco-historic rehab and marriage testing misadventure. Water skiing, wakeboarding, swimming, windsurfing, volleyball, bocce, volleyball, and house tour (4:30 PM). Beverages and snacks will be served throughout the afternoon.

    Social Media Banquet
    7:00-9:00 PM Rudder Club at the Essex Shipyard (RSVP to Rigel at 3zombies@gmail.com (preferred) or call The Rudder Club at 518.963.7700 by 8/25; limit 20) Get inspired by several Adirondack region social media leaders while enjoying a delicious meal (menu options below) at the Rudder Club at the Essex. Menu options:

    1. Pan Seared Salmon with Citrus Butter with a Summer Vegetable Medley and your choice of Jasmine Rice or Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
    2. 12 oz. Grilled NY Strip Steak with a Mushroom and Brandy-Peppercorn Demi Glace with a Summer Vegetable Medley and your choice of Jasmine Rice or Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
    3. Linguine Primavera with Summer Vegetables Sauteed Vegetables tossed with Linguine in Marinara or a White Cream Sauce.

    Dinner includes Family-style Appetizers, a House Salad and Dessert. *Cash Bar. $30 per person Taxes and Gratuities NOT included. Please reserve your seat and submit your dinner option by emailing Rigel at 3zombies@gmail.com (preferred) or call The Rudder Club at 518.963.7700. Payment information can be given by email, or you may submit a contact number to pay-by-phone. Prepay reservations only; non-refundable. Due to the restaurant being open for public business, space is limited to a total of 20 people for the entire party. All reservations must be received by Thursday, August 25th.

    #ADK827 Late Night
    7:00 until the sand man gets you! The Old Dock Restaurant For the late-nighters, the #ADK827 fun continues with live music, cool cocktails and stunning views of the ferry, Lake Champlain and Vermont’s Green Mountains. This is the perfect bookend to a day in Essex!

  • Rosslyn Roundup, June 27

    Rosslyn Roundup, June 27

    Lilies, August 2014 (Source: Rosslyn Redux)

    It’s time for another Rosslyn Roundup to share everything Rosslyn-related that I didn’t get a chance to post this past week. Summer in the Champlain Valley has a way of inching along slowly, slowly, slowly and then suddenly galloping off! This summer was not exception, but the transition was even more apparent because of protracted Lake Champlain flooding. With almost two months a record breaking high water, the flood delayed the normal spring/summer transition. And once the water did finally drop, everyone hustled double-time to catch up!

    This has been especially evident in our fair hamlet by the lake. Essex is undergoing a veritable renaissance! Despite early concerns that The Old Dock Restaurant and the Essex Shipyard and Rudder Club might be unable to open for the season due to severe flood damage, both are racing a July 1 opening date. And that’s only part of the Essex renaissance. Nary a storefront in the village is empty, and the offerings are exceptional. In fact, there’s so much activity that a new website has been born to tell the Essex story called Essex on Lake Champlain; it will serve as a digital bulletin board and community blog for Essex, New York. I’ve included a parade of blog posts from the website in my roundup below, so I hope you’ll take a moment to discover why Essex is such a grand place to live and visit.

    In addition to the Essex stories, I’m starting with a post about the now ubiquitous Adirondack chair courtesy of Wanda Shapiro (@WandaShapiro), the author of Sometimes That Happens With Chicken. Although this chair proudly announces its Adirondack heritage wherever it is enjoyed, not many know that it was actually invented in Westport, the next town south of Essex. You may be surprised about its history!

    Without further ado, I offer you the June 27 Rosslyn Roundup:

    • The Adirondack, Burnell, Westport or Muskoka Chair: Westport Chair was the original name for the Adirondack Chair… There is in fact a small town populated by about 1500 people called Westport, New York, on the western shores of Lake Champlain. It is on the very eastern edge of the Adirondack Park, and is quite a picturesque vacation destination. In1903 one Mr Thomas Lee set about to build the perfect chair for such a spot, as all his relations had taken up those in his mountainside cabin.
    • Travel Writing Contest Hosted by Champlain Area Trails: Get your pencils sharpened, your laptops powered, and your cameras ready, Champlain Area Trails (CATS) will soon launch its first Travel Writing Contest. It’s your chance to write about your travels in New York’s central Champlain Valley—to share your favorite experiences on the Champlain Area Trails–whether it’s hiking, walking, skiing, snowshoeing, birding, tracking, picnicking, or a little bit of each…
    • Provisions and Paparazzi in Essex, NY: “Essex is alive with both new and well-established businesses, opening up, dusting off and getting ready for the season…” So opens Sue Cameron’s “Provisions and Papparazzi” post on LakePlacid.com on June 14. Essex is alive! It’s incredible how much is going on in Essex these last couple of weeks. Essex businesses have proven that even a record breaking flood can’t drown the Essex spirit. Residents, businesses and friends of both are pulling together for what is shaping up to be the best summer in decades.
    • Longtime Residents Recall Essex Inn Years Ago: Last Sunday Alvin Reiner at the Press-Republican ran a fascinating story about the Essex Inn and the fusion of past and future in this historic landmark recently renovated by the Daltons and now open to the public. “We are reaching out to bridge the gap, as there is often a lot of knowledge that gets lost,” she said. (via Press-Republican.) Essex has long represented an important bridge back into history, but the Dalton’s Essex Inn revitalization is one of many new bridges forward toward a bright and shiny future.
    • Summer Arrives in Essex on Lake Champlain: Kim Rielly posted an enthusiastic blog post about summer in Essex celebrating flood recovery, exciting new businesses and the timeless charm that has drawn visitors and residents for decades. She asks, “could it possibly be true that the recently-submerged businesses were planning to open THIS summer? It’s true. In fact, the community is not only ready to welcome visitors for the summer – it is veritably BUZZING with activity.”
    • The Neighborhood Nest: A Gathering of Art, Nature and Antiques: Now in its 16th season, The Neighborhood Nest is one of the oldest businesses in Essex, NY but remains forever surprising! Open daily between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm, The Nest features a treasure hunt experience that spills into a wildly beautiful garden.
    • Pantouf’s Celebrates Summer with Beautiful Glassware: Yesterday I visited Helen Goetz at Pantouf’s in Essex. If you’ve never seen her beautiful glass work, now’s the perfect time to swing by before she gets swarmed with visitors… In addition to showing me her colorful glass serving platters and pitchers, Helen graciously toured me through the home, explaining how it had been configured and functioned when occupied by the Essex town doctor.
    • Live Well in the Champlain Valley: Another new addition to the Essex wellness scene is blooming on Main Street with the opening of Live Well. The beautifully remodeled space offers a wide range of health and healing services, and represents the collaborative genius of three Champlain Valley holistic health and wellness practitioners…
    • Full and By Farm, June 23, 2011: We took advantage of the beautifully sunny weather spell to make hay. We cut about 22 acres starting last week, and successfully baled 19 of it. The rain caught us in the middle of raking the last small field and we had to abandon the project. Once the grass and clover is cut rain begins to leach away the nutrients. Four straight days of rain is enough to ruin the hay as winter feed. It’s always a sad defeat, but part of making hay with an ever changing weather forecast.
    • The Old Dock Restaurant: The Old Dock Restaurant is a seasonal restaurant and bar located in the Historic Hamlet of Essex, New York. Guests arrive by automobile, private boat or on the Charlotte-Essex… Slips are available for our guests who arrive by boat. Passengers on the Charlotte-Essex ferry have the option to leave their automobiles in the free parking lot at Charlotte and when they arrive in Essex stroll a few feet to the Old Dock.

  • Sherwood Inn Remembered

    A copy of an vintage Sherwood Inn postcard which I recently received as a gift from a Crater Club neighbor.
    A vintage Sherwood Inn postcard received from a Crater Club neighbor.

     

    Without a doubt, one of the greatest rewards of living at Rosslyn is the parade of people I’ve met (and the stories they tell) simply because this house and boathouse have touched so many over the years.

    [pullquote]”Everyone’s so busy nowadays,” Lila said.[/pullquote]A couple days ago I answered the front door midday. A smiling, well dressed lady introduced yourself. Lila and I had met a couple of winters ago at the Essex Inn, and she reminded me that she had spent many enjoyable afternoons and evenings at the Sherwood Inn a half century or so ago.

    She presented me with a color copy of a Sherwood Inn postcard she had received from a friend long ago. The rear side of the postcard said, “My summer home for June – September 1953. Old looking, eh?” Lila explained that she had been meaning to bring this postcard to me ever since we first met.

    Lila’s Sherwood Inn Memories

    Lila told me stories about the glory days of the Sherwood Inn, a once popular place for a drink and lakeside lodging in the property where I now live. She named several of the friends with whom she’d wiled away pleasant afternoons in the tavern and on the porch, and several were names that were familiar to me.

    Lila also told me about playing tennis at the Crater Club where she still spends the warm part of the year. She lamented the fact that younger generations in her family (and all families perhaps?) seem to spend less and less time relaxing on Lake Champlain during summer vacation. “Everyone’s so busy nowadays,” she explained.

    When she shook my hand to greet me and then again when she left I was amazed with her firm grip.

    “Tennis,” Lila reminded me. “I played lots of tennis for many years.”

    I hope I’ll have another chance to catch up with Lila this fall, another chance to hear about slower times in Essex when friends stopped for drinks at the Sherwood Inn and played endless tennis and vacationed all summer long on Lake Champlain…