Adirondack Family Time™

By Diane Chase Tucked in the lower level of the Saranac Lake Free Library is “the finest collection of Adirondack animals ever gathered in one place.” These animals are not wild anymore or even tame for that matter. The   Charles Dickert Wildlife Collection   is a one-room museum dedicated to the works of taxidermist, Charles Dickert. Read more 

According to this 12/5/10  New York Times article  , " Figment.com   will be unveiled ... as an experiment in online literature, a free platform for young people to read and write fiction, both on their computers and on their cellphones. Users are invited to write novels, short stories and poems, collaborate with other writers and give and receive feedback on the work posted on the site." 

My little nugget is now on her second dose of antibiotics for Strep. To keep her busy we've been making paper chains. Above is template I made if you need something to occupy your own children. We just used recycled newspaper but anything will do. Here is the Adirondack Family Time tutorial . Enjoy!

My daughter is convinced I grew up in "the olden days." If so, I am afraid to ask what prehistoric era her grandparents enjoyed. She is confused during a family movie night when an actor plays an album on the turntable. To her a record player is a DJ's scratch pad. She hears all about keeping things simple and I now realize I have set myself into that cliché. She believes I grew up in it, that simpler time in her mind, where people sang for no reason at all and danced to the orchestra in their head. Read the rest of my post

The entrance to John Brown Gravesite   John Brown's Farm in Lake Placid, NY • 244-acre historic grave site of militant abolitionist John Brown • " John Brown's Body Lies A-Mouldering in the Grave"  song lyrics   • John Brown moved to North Elba after hearing about the work Gerrit Smith was doing providing land to freed African-Americans.  Statue of John Brown • Gerrit Smith differed from John Brown in one significant way, he was a pacifist.  • Gerrit Smith sold a parcel of his property to Brown.  At that time Smith was selling land to free African-Americans for $1/acre. * Brown acted as a mentor/teacher to these free men but had a frustrating experience trying to farm the land around Lake Placid. John Brown Farmhouse •  John Brown and 21 followers (5 of whom were African-American) seized the armory at Harpers Ferry,VA (in what is now West Virginia) in hopes to capture arms to aid in their quest to end slavery. At