Blues in the Bay

It's 106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses.

Hit it.

This year's Blues in the Bay Festival, a marathon of great blues in Alexandria Bay from Sept. 2-6, featured more than a dozen bands—as well as a few mysterious characters roaming the streets in Blues Brothers getups.

The five-day festival even included "blues cruises" aboard Uncle Sam Boat Tours, and a Blues Motorcycle Poker Run on Sunday to benefit Jefferson County Hospice.

Stay tuned to Alexandria Bay's main site for information on next year's blues fest, as well as other upcoming events.

Dining Alcove Goes from Boring to Bronze

Before

The dining alcove at Better Farm has always served its function in a straightforward manner without fuss. Sure, it was never particularly lovely; but the table could be stretched to accommodate up to eight at a time, the windows let in beautiful light, and Better Farm dinner conversation was (and is) second-to-none.

As renovations began in 2009, the patchwork wallpaper job in the dining alcove got stripped, cleaned up, and replaced with a coat of white, eco-friendly paint. When we scored some church pews off Craigslist from a soon-to-be renovated church in Calcium, N.Y., Better Farm's dining alcove felt like a a whole new space.

But we weren't done! When the single, hanging bulb over the table broke sometime around New Year's Eve, we were reduced to candlelight. Danny Ely came in at the end of May and installed new chandeliers for us, which left us with one final project: the ceiling.

The main part of the kitchen is graced with a gorgeous, original tin ceiling that's been painted white. We mimicked the style, buying faux tin ceiling in mass quantities from Lowe's and affixing it very carefully.

Only thing we've left to do is commission a custom table that follows the arc of the pews...

After

Caroline Reid and Kate Ryan: A more realized space

Caroline Reid and Kate Ryan spent the last week of August at Better Farm as artists-in-residence in our betterArts program. The two Brooklyn-based women play together in the band Frankie Rose and the Outs¸ which kicks off a fall tour Sept. 15 at The Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn.

Caroline is a multimedia artist and bass player who launched her first capsule collection of one-of-a-kind jumpsuits in 2009. In the process of expanding that line, she put her focus into designing stage clothes for Frankie and the Outs. She also used her time at Better Farm to expand her study of the tarot; which, she says, "will ultimately manifest as a video-tarot deck.

"I plan to create a series of vignettes that unpack and re-imagine the stories and archetypes of the tarot," she said, "with the ultimate goal of using technology to compile them in an order that responds to cues from the viewer, creating a cinematic experience that is different for every person every time it is watched."
 
Kate came to Better Farm to expand her body of writing—an opportunity that, she said, was stifled by a busy work schedule and day-to-day stresses in New York City.

"Writing and completing a substantial piece of work," she said, "[and] to work on the farm and be a part of the community at Better Farm, is one that I would value enormously. The theory behind Better Farm, to learn and grow from everything, to learn to love and work with whatever it is life gives you, is an important guiding principle in my life."

In their time at Better Farm, Kate and Caroline transformed the bus and barn into studio spaces complete with makeshift desks and chairs, dried flowers, and candlelight.

The women also contributed by running our farm stand and manning Better Farm's table at the weekly farmers market. We wish them the best of luck on their tour and with all their creative pursuits!

For more information about betterArts' residency program, click here. To see pictures of the bus and barn transformation, as well as other photos from this summer's residents, click here.

Found: Images of Better Farm's first float

Long before this generation of Better Farmers got involved in Redwood Firemen's Field Days in 2009 and 2010, some old, found pictures reveal the former generation shared our penchant for parades.

These shot appear to be from the late 1960s or early 1970s, and could have been taken in Ridgewood, N.J. on the 4th of July. Better Farm's founder Steve Caldwell is seated in the below photo at center in glasses.

Redwood Field Days 2010

The 2010 Redwood Firemen's Field Days were a flurry this year of junk auctions, live entertainment, beer and food tents, oodles of rides and games, raffles, prizes, and all the fried dough you'd ever care to eat.

Festivities were kicked off Thursday, Aug. 26, with a junk auction held behind the Redwood Fire Department's station on Stine Road. From there, the excitement built to culminate Saturday night in a parade down Route 37 in downtown Redwood, past hundreds of onlookers.

Better Farm's "float" in the parade—comprised of a banner draped across the front of Butch's pickup truck, CCR blasting on the stereo, Chris and Joel handing out cucumbers and fliers, and Corinne and I throwing bags of string beans into the confused crowd while Kobayashi Maru and Han Solo napped in the truck bed in their Hawaiian leis—took third place for floats. It was a major step up from Better Farm's "float" last year; which was really just Stacie Mae and I wandering down Main Street while throwing wildflowers at the crowd.

We plan to come out in full force next year and sweep the parade for first.

It was a great weekend of communing with locals, winning a few prizes, listening to some great music, and enjoying the last bit of summer.

Only another 362 days or so until the next field days rolls into town. Until then, better be.

Artist-in-Residence Mike Sperone Performs Compositions for Glockenspiel

Two weeks ago Better Farm welcomed composer and artist Mike Sperone to the betterArt residency program. Referring to sound as his medium, Mike's music runs the spectrum from short and simple to long-form, complex compositions.

"I am influenced by the physics of nature and mathematical formulae used to describe them," Mike told us. "But in such a strict and logical discipline, I also see the inexplicable, seemingly random, and beautiful occurrences which push my art in a likewise direction."



During his time at Better Farm, Mike helped out with finishing touches on our greenhouse, setting up the farm stand each morning, collecting crops from the garden daily, and taking care of our chickens Henrietta, Sissy, and Scarlet. He also proved extremely valuable as a Better Farm ally during Bill Johnston's Pirate Days in Alexandria Bay.

Mike's musical project during his residency was a series of compositions for orchestra bells (glockenspiel) and computer.  "I have used this combination of instruments to create pop music," he said, "but had not yet composed 'serious' or 'classical' music with it. With such a simple instrument as a set of tuned metal plates, and the limitless possibilities that lay inside the computer, I knew there was a lot I can say with this."

Say it he did! Last Friday Mike followed a sunset dinner on Butterfield Lake with an outdoor concert at Better Farm featuring his compositions. It was the perfect conclusion to a great couple of weeks having Mike on board at the Farm. Best of luck to him and his musical career!

To learn more about Better Farm's betterArt residency program, click here.

DIY Greenhouse

Inspired by a Mother Earth News article from last year, we decided in the spring to construct a greenhouse utilizing rough-cut local lumber, and recycled windows donated by people around town.

We further decided to go with a basic 10 x 10 size, A-frame roof, and a ceiling made of greenhouse plastic (donated to us by Krings 1000 Island Produce and Nurseries). All the wood we bought for the project came from Redwood lumber, and supplemented by the supply of an Amish family down the road in Pamelia, N.Y.


Next step was getting the crew together; a feat made far less impossible by the fact that people in the North Country are among the most helpful you'll meet. On the day of construction, no fewer than 12 people showed up on-site to lend a hand.

We laid 4 x 4's along the ground to form a square, leaving the center floor open so the greenhouse would have a grass carpet. We put the walls together with rough-cut 2 x 4's, leaving appropriate space for the windows (many thanks to Craig for being the mathematical wizard behind all of that). Next step was framing the walls out, and standing back as Craig and Jody figured out the roof.

Then, we found some old house stain in the basement of Better Farm. Presumably bought for the main house, it doesn't match and was most likely stowed away for use on something else. The day had arrived! We applied the stain to the exterior of the greenhouse, let it dry, and stood back to admire our work. A few days later, a team of us stretched the greenhouse plastic over the roof and tacked 1 x 2's down over it to keep it in place.

We used power drills to pop the windows into the structure; leaving four hinged so they could open for ventilation. Adhering those with 1 x 1's to the building, we then painted the trim to match the main house and screened in the hinged windows and roof.

From there, it was just a matter of constructing the ladder to reach our sleeper loft, putting in hooks and shelves for our tools and seedlings, and putting the door on the main entrance.

Click here to see the full photo album!

Please contact us if you're interested in purchasing the plans to build this greenhouse.

'Of the Earth' Art Show Features Pottery by betterArts Resident Jacquelin Dattisman

Jackie Dattisman arrived at Better Farm in the begin of July to focus her energy on clay. Helping to round out a summer of betterArts residencies which included a sketch artist, painter, dancer and choreographer, and composer, the 29-year-old school teacher spent her days at the Farm working with her pottery out in the barn.


Jackie also forged a relationship with our neighbors over at Dragonfly Pottery, Ann and John Donovan, who were endlessly helpful with their advice and gracious offer for Jackie to use their kilns.

In addition to the creation of many stunning pieces of work, Jackie became integral to the daily operations at Better Farm during her stay. She lent a major hand in the garden, ran Better Farm's table at a Redwood Farmers' Market, took charge of all composting and recycling at the Farm, and acted as a huge player in getting big, family style dinners together on a nightly basis.

She will be missed!

Her Aug. 14 art show, titled "Of the Earth", featured the work Jackie's completed in the month and a half she was at Better Farm. Photos after the jump!

For more information on Better Farm's betterArt residency program or to apply, click here.

Bill Johnston's Pirate Days

Thousand Islands' most dreaded pirate was the notorious smuggler and War of 1812 privateer Bill Johnston. Dubbed the man the British most wanted to hang, fortunes were blown on the pursuit of Johnston as he was hunted by United States and Canadian authorities.

His most notorious project was the May 30, 1838, attack on the passenger steamer Sir Robert Peel (which was docked at Wellesley Island on the St. Lawrence River). Johnston ordered his men to loot the ship and burn it, which they did while chanting "Remember the Caroline." Johnston eventually surrendered to United States authorities.

So of course it stands to reason that almost 200 years later, we'd create a holiday in honor of this guy.

Hey, it worked for Christopher Columbus.

Bill Johnston's Pirate Days is a 10-day holiday held in Alexandria Bay which features two pirate invasions, two block parties, sword fights, puppet shows, public drunkenness and mayhem, magic shows, parades, and more.

The folks at Better Farm rose to the occasion, donning swords and hooks and pillaging Alexandria Bay. Our own Brian Purwin performed at Top of the Bay, Cavallario's Steak House, and The Dancing Dog; while others stopped in at the invasion, worked behind-the-scenes at local businesses (Corinne at Singer Castle, Chris at Riley's, Joel on Wellesley Island), and danced and boogied while the bay burned.

Quite an epic week! Don't throw that pirate gear away just yet—Bill Johnston's Pirate Days will be back next year around the same time. Keep up on scheduling at VisitAlexBay.org.

Artist-in-Residence Reporting: Better Farm, betterArts

By Mike Sperone

Hello! I am writing from the beautiful location of Better Farm in Redwood, NY!

I am in my second week as artist-in-residence at the BetterArts program here. It is great! I have written about 10 minutes of music and plan to write at least another 10 minutes, for glockenspiel and computer.

Yes, I have done quite a bit with that set up, but before this residency I hadn't written any serious, fully composed pieces for this particular instrumentation. This Friday will be the premier of all the music I have/will compose(d) during these two weeks, I hope to get a recording so I can share with you. If not, then I will do a "studio" recording after I get home.

I'll post pictures as I get them "developed."

Building a Better Birdhouse

One of the many birdhouses on Better Farm's property has been roofless for years. Long-since deserted by its many feathered guests, the structure has sat birdless far too long.

We decided the other day to do something about it, and began brainstorming what materials would work best for a replacement roof. Thatched hay? Sticks and mud? Glass? Tin? We liked the idea of reappropriating some of our aluminum recyclables, but figured we'd need a base to affix said cans to. Off to the wood shed we went, where we found scraps from the tongue-and-groove pine used for loft flooring back in May.

After scrounging up a few more materials found around the house, we were ready to get started. Directions on how to build your own birdhouse roof, along with photos, after the jump!

Materials:

• Tape measure
• Hand saw
• Staple gun and staples
• Hammer and nails
• Wood (we used leftover scraps from tongue-and-groove flooring in our lofts)
• Emptied and cleaned aluminum cans
• Scissors

Directions:

1. Cut the wood to fit. Hammer into place.
2. Cut apart the aluminum cans, then cut them into a scalloped shape.
3. Starting at the bottom of the roof, staple the cans to the wood in a row. Work your way up, staggering the cans so the scallops overlap nicely from row to row.
4. After you've stapled the top row, take a few cans and cut them into rectangles. Staple the rectangles along the top crease of the roof so moisture doesn't leak in.

betterArts Presents 'Of the Earth' by Jacquelin Dattisman

Better Farm has a Farm Stand!

It was only a matter of time before our garden outgrew the appetites of the 12 people who called Better Farm home in the last month. Even hauling cucumbers down to Knorr's to sell wasn't satiating the garden, which has been producing zucchinis, string beans, summer squash, radishes, kale, and lettuce (oh, the lettuce!) like crazy.

So our powerhouse-of-an-intern Tiyi took it upon herself to organize, plan, stock, paint signs for, and execute a farm stand on the edge of Better Farm's property. She researched reasonable prices for organic produce, spent days painting sign after sign so there was no chance of anyone missing the spot, and got up each morning to pick produce and set it out. At the end of each day, Tiyi helped transform whatever we didn't sell into dinner.

We've divvied up Tiyi's work since she left on Saturday (never do you realize how much someone does until you try to take on their workload yourself), and have been enjoying all the people who stop to tell us their Better Farm stories, pick up some fresh local produce for their families, and ask us questions.