Woodstock CT Café

On November 16th in the year 1993, Mariah, her dog Lickity, and her mom and dad drove out of Palo Alto CA on their extended tour across the nation and back. Mariah had expressed the desire to see her Granny June and Grampy Peter in Woodstock CT and other friends and relatives scattered around the country. She also wished to drop in on Bill and Hillary at the White House. Thus we embarked (pardon the pun) on a four-week road trip chronicled here.

(click pictures below to enlarge)

We drove down through southern CA by Bakersfield and Barstow to Kingman AZ – then down past Tuscon and into NM to Las Cruces – then to El Paso TX to our first destination, Odessa TX. We arrived in Odessa on the eve of Nov 18th in time to see big sister Elizabeth (16 yrs old) inducted into the National Honor Society. Eliz obviously inherited her dad’s intelligence . Unfortunately she also shares with her dad the accomplishment of totalling the family car in her first year of driving.

The following night Elizabeth, Mariah, and mom and dad attended the way off-Broadway production of “Gloweena” staring Mariah’s other sister, Christina (13 yrs old). Christina played a budding holyhock in the production. The musical ended dramatically with Mariah entering stage-left to join her sister on stage. At that point Mariah’s parents adopted anonymity until the entire audience had left the theater. Several years later, as a senior at Odessa High, Christina went to the Texas state finals as the lead in her acting troup only to lose because they went over the time limit. Christina’s success is chronicled in “Friday Night Lights” in the left side-bar.

The next day, Saturday, Mariah, Lickety, and her mom and dad drove to San Angelo TX to see her brother Drew and his soccer team play the arch rival Purple Gang in a soccer tournament. After the game which ended tragically, we took Drew (left) and his teammate and mother to lunch. At this point, we sadly said good-bye to Drew and drove on to Irving TX near Dallas. A few years later brother Drew graduated from Plano High with the graduation ceremony taking place in Texas stadium where the Dallas Cowboys played.

The main event in Irving was Mariah having a much need bath with cousins Emily and Michael while mom and dad visited with Auntie Julie since uncle Andy was away on business in Colorado.
…
…

We saw cotton growing from CA to Tennessee. Mariah finally got to walk in a cotton patch (left) in western TN. After we got back into the car Mariah memorialized this experience with this illustration (right).
…
…
…
…
…
We then drove to Rowayton CT about 40 miles up the Long Island Sound. Dad grew up in Rowayton which is a wonderful beach town in Fairfield County. We stayed with auntie Phoebe and cousin Danielle. During this stay Mariah learned several new methods of impishness from cousin Danielle. Danielle later graduated from Woodstock Academy and Eastern CT State.
…
… Read the rest of this entry »

from Newcomer

I spent today at the WES attending both sessions of the 2010 Winter Olympics. I had not had a chance to attend them before, although my children have participated in prior years. I just have to commend the PE teacher, Mr. Lazur. No wonder he’s Woodstock’s Teacher of the Year. Based on what I saw today, I’d say that distinction is long overdue and richly deserved – and then some. Every event in the winter Olympiad was represented. The day was complete with opening and closing ceremonies, pop quiz questions about the different events, and the children even learned about several countries and their respective flags. There was even an Olympic torch to be lit at the opening cermony and extinguished at the closing ceremony with an explanation about the tradition of the torch. I can’t even imagine the amount of planning and creativity that’s required to develop such a day for the children. I would bet very few elementary school children are treated to such a fun way to learn about a historical sporting event and the other nations of the world that also participate. Amazing doesn’t even begin to describe what I enjoyed seeing the children actively learn about today.

So a huge heartfelt thanks to Mr. Lazur and to all of the parents and staff who also volunteered their time helping the children at each sporting event station. What a wonderful cultural and physical fitness experience for our kids!

by John

I had my first desk top computer in 1985 when I was a researcher at the Pauling Institute in Palo Alto CA. I first used the Internet in 1995 at the Air Force Academy where I was on the faculty for a year. Boy, have things changed since then … not to mention the Great Recession and Obama. So it’s no surprise that the cheese keeps moving and we’re continually adapting to change at what seems to be an ever accelerating rate. Likewise the blogosphere has been evolving with the emergence of newspaper and media blogs, Facebook and Tweeting. And, we do not want the Café to be perceived as left-wing or right-wing making it hard to fit into the statewide and national blogs – we just want to be local and have primarily local interest.

The town of Woodstock has also changed for the better over the last few years. Now we have Alan Walker doing a fine job as First Selectman, a happier town hall, and happier town as well. Then, there’s the Villager which has improved its reporting with the fine work of Editor Stephanie Jarvis and ace reporter Matt Sanderson. Even the Reminder has cleaned up its act. And, the Green Team is transforming our local environment. Also, Anthony Walker has taken control of the BOE and curtailed their monthly newsletters. Finally certain negative types have been muted or have crawled back into their caves. So, the harsh reality is that we don’t have as much to talk about at the Café based on our past model. Nevertheless, our readership is still high even though we have little to complain about.

I learned recently that the ‘leading’ blog in Connecticut, CT Local Politics, has bitten the dust and many other older blogs have dried up. Even my friend Parlin who had a nationally recognized blog gave it up because he “got tired of talking to idiots”. Other more local blogs like the Pomfret Voice, Free Norwich, and the Canterbury blog closed down, and other local blogs that tried to start up just couldn’t get traction.  So, the Café may be the longest standing Connecticut blog that’s still truckin’ (I don’t have time to investigate this, though).

Of course, if something bad happens locally then we will jump all over it. And we still want to encourage the Café faithful to contribute in the same way they have in the past if they wish.

Becki and I see a need to change and, therefore, we would like to shift direction of the Café … just a little bit. We would like to be more upbeat. We would like to have more story-telling about our and your life experiences. It doesn’t matter if some aren’t interested. Our lives have changed dramatically over the last eight months leading us to experiment with two other blogs that for the time being will remain nameless. We’ve found great satisfaction in these other blogs that serve a real purpose in our lives and others. We would like to make this truer for the Café even though we have always enjoyed the Café activity. We’ll see how this works for us with the next article that I am conjuring up entitled “Roadtrip to Woodstock” . 

by Taxpayer

I thought that the meeting went very well. It was nice to see the new Headmaster of Woodstock Academy and I was glad that he saw the issue of Woodstock education funding as a mutual K-12 concern and not an “us vs. them” situation (WA vs. WPS). I asked a few questions and got some very solid answers. One is that the Woodstock Academy field expansion is on hold (pending some zoning and environmental issues) and will not impact this year’s education budget. Other concerns I had are longstanding problems that have haunted us and Ct. education funding for years, but nonetheless, are important to raise.

So pretty much the same old same old, but compounded by a terrible economy which will make for a “perfect storm”, as Headmaster Caron called it. As Kevin can attest, this year’s budget will thus be a tough one. The BOE will continue discussing spending priorities and budgeting strategies again on this Thursday’s meeting.

Sunday February 7, 2010
Woodstock East Congregational Church, 220 Woodstock Rd

Pot luck luncheon 12:30-1:30         
Business Annual Meeting 1:30-2:00

Program at 2:00 – Cordwaining:  The history and art of making shoes by hand

Sponsored by the Woodstock Historical Society
Free and open to the public

        About the Speakers:   Daphne Board, honorable cordwainer, and Lisa Davidson, honorable beginning cordwainer.  Davidson will provide a brief introduction (with photos) on the history of shoemaking in Woodstock, CT.  Board will speak about the process of making shoes by hand, and will bring along hand tools and examples of her work.

Board crafts custom-made shoes, from soft-rounded kitten heels to knee-length studded leather boots. Her mother taught her to sew when she was in her early teens.  Board spent seven months learning the almost lost craft of shoemaking from two theatrical shoemakers in Canada.  After graduating with a degree in Textile Design from Rhode Island School of Design, she spent several years making costumes for regional theatres in New England.  She also had a short apprenticeship with a milliner in London.  She now makes shoes by hand in her small studio in Holyoke, MA, under the name El Diablo Shoes.  See examples of her work online at zerkahloostrah.etsy.com. Davidson is one of Board’s students, and is also a resident and businesswoman in Woodstock.

Woodstock’s shoe manufacturing business began in 1833.  By 1845, it employed 9,825 men and women who produced more than 5 million pairs of shoes, according to The History of Windham County, CT, 1889.   In the 1930s and ‘40s, even factory-made shoes came in different widths, but modern shoes are now sized to fit a generic foot that seldom exists.  Board focuses on comfort and style that cannot be achieved on factory scale.  She values the process of creation — every shoe is made to measure for a client’s foot before a stitch of leather is sewn onto the last. The process involves cutting a pattern to fitting to a “last” (a wooden model of a foot). 

Douglas Zimmerman

Program Chair

Woodstock Historical Society

from Con

Unfortunately for supporters of Scott Brown I think because of several factors he is bound to disappoint or fail outright.

1) The pendulum always swings, it’s only the speed which changes – now it’s really moving fast. A month before election he had ‘no chance’, but Voters are fickle and demand instant gratification. This can all backfire on him – if Voters are that tough to predict and change so much so fast, what’s to prevent them from pouncing on him at first screw-up like they do with Sox players who fail?

2) More importantly, he represents something that is too big for him. That is, just like Sarah Palin, he rode to the national stage faster than most any national political figure – that is not an equation for success. He would have to be both brilliant and perfect just to live up to expectations and NOT fail. He’s neither (no one can be that perfect). Like Palin, he’ll have a lot of very smart journalists and ‘pundits’ intent on tripping him up – I would not want to be in that position. How can he win?

3) There is another team of smart and highly effective investigators who are ‘vetting’ him and his past. Again, I would not want that! Who would be comfortable – especially in this information age – knowing that every single aspect of your life and your past is under the most intense scrutiny literally in the world? The Party does not want to be surprised by some bad fact coming out; opponents would love it – BOTH have huge incentive to dig deep and find absolutely anything that exists. Again, only someone perfect could survive this.

Most Senators get to that position slowly and they learn the game through years and years of it, each year getting incrementally more challenging and both obstacles and rewards growing apace. Brown has arrived at ‘Year 12? without having gone through 12 years of ‘Senator School’ AND he is not someone like Obama who basically set out at age 3 to be President and knew what to do and what not to do.

Too much has been placed on Brown’s shoulders or coat-tails and he’s not the type to be able to handle it. November is 8 months away – that is 10 times as much Time that Brown needed to go from obscure little fish in little pond to Hero for an hour. Voters, with their tiny attention span, will turn away from him in droves and in exactly the fashion with which they turned TO him…

from Con

Thanks Con, We will heed your advice. What you say below regarding Taxpayer’s behavior is bothersome to the admins who enter the Cafe more than anyone else. It’s come down to the fact that when readers see Taxpayer’s obnoxious statements, they just pass over them with out reading them. Unfortunately, we have to read them for liability sake. Taxpayer submitted a long winded rant which he asked me not to post. This meant that we were relieved of the responsibility of having to read it. Since he said not to post it, it’s gone. You’ve said everything that is needed to be said below. Admin

To Admin, I object to your proposed action regarding Tax – you state: ” (In your typical back handed way you are mis-characterizing people. Keep it up and you will no longer have a voice at the Cafe. Admin)” [Parenthesis are sic]

It may well be that Tax mis-characterizes people, misquotes statements and otherwise manipulates the truth, but what you threaten smacks of prior restraint and I find THAT far, far more objectionable to anything Tax can offer. Of course, the answer to what Tax is accused of is to EXPOSE his actions at every turn – to challenge Tax relentlessly if he is doing any of those things. By doing so, it is the ‘free exchange of ideas’ which will expose him, punish and correct him because his credibility will drop, his ’standing’ will diminish like the shrinking man and soon his comments will not be taken seriously by ANYONE. Allow us to take care of it. Read the rest of this entry »

from Kevin

I’ve for many years struggled with a similar question (to Newcomer), how to get people to the polls? I believe that a democracy works best when the full measure of the people express their will. I don’t think that has to have anything at all to do with political parties, indeed I have never been a great fan of them.

I occasionally think on the Australian system of compulsory voting. They may not be able to force anyone to submit a valid ballot, but they have to show up at the polls. Part of me thinks this is a great thing for democracy. But the other part, the one based in strong civil libertarianism, says “Nuts to that!”

I’m left with the real question of how do we bring people to the polls to express their views? As many as we can. I’m still working on that one but no one else has it figured out either… If you come out and vote, you’re alright in my book. I know Taxpayer does and I bet we don’t always vote the same but his voting makes him OK in my book too despite our other disagreements. But I don’t think any particular party affiliation is nessesary.

I do think there is the reality that in order to be elected to any type of high office that you most likely will need to be a member of a party and Mr. Brown saw that. Even at our town level it is the town committee’s that select the people that have the best chance of winning. So in that I can see Taxpayer’s point. But at the end of the day I’m just happy to see people come to the polls and become involved, party affiliation not required.

In less than four years my service to the town will be over; you can always run for my seat then But even if you don’t that’s OK, I just hope that you continue to make your voice heard, and of course vote. I’m 100% for my political opponents voting, in fact the true test of a democracy is to let them speak and all of us decide who is right. I’ll of course be shouting out that I think they are wrong all the way…

Thanks,

Kevin

This post represents my personal opinions and in no way should be considered an official act of the BoE or that I am speaking on behalf of the BoE in any way.