Contributed by Laura Ponticello

Dear Friends,

Amelia Earhart said “No kind action ever stops with itself. One kind action leads to another. Good example is followed. A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.”

My heart was incredibly moved by this community’s gift of giving at the Summer Book Lover’s Party hosted by Laura’s List: Books for Women at Creekside Books & Coffee. Over 135 women and couples stood shoulder to shoulder, as Dr. Barbara Connor and Akuot Leek, a Lost Girl of Sudan inspired the audience with their personal experiences in the Sudan.

Leek’s brother is John Bul Dau, author of “God Grew Tired of Us”and a survivor of unsurmountable odds. During the civil strife in Duk Payuel, Sudan, Leek’s village was burnt to the ground, children abducted, and those that survived were forced to walk thousands of miles through alligator infested waters to find shelter in refugee camps. Leek now attends college in Central New York and serves as inspiration for women of all ages- that a resilient spirit can’t be broken.

As a result of this evening, funds were raised to help support the Duk Lost Boys Clinic. Together, we made a difference and for that I have tremendous gratitude.

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation tells us that health benefits exist when one performs an act of kindness to include:

- The health benefits and sense of well-being return for hours or even days whenever the helping act is remembered.

- An increased sense of self-worth, greater happiness, and optimism, as well as a decrease in feelings of helplessness and depression, is achieved.

Laura Ponticello,
Laura’s List: Books for Women

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Contributed by Sarah L. Padula

I am writing to express outside views regarding some of the Skaneateles population who are part of a movement to discriminate against certain people who use public roads in their area.

In a recent rally held in Skaneateles, a resident who claims she lives on the corner of Routes 20 and 41 proudly announced that she hits her breaks when a garbage truck comes up behind her so she can force the truck to go as slowly as possible. This woman is clearly unaware that she, in fact, is demonstrating road rage. Does she have a clue about braking distance in relation to load factor? This same woman said something to the effect that “one of these days, one of these trucks will kill someone.” Well, she could very well be the person who causes such an accident if she continues her road rage driving behavior.

Now, this woman certainly must recognize herself in the paragraph above , as well as should some of her friends and neighbors. It seems the local police might want to go have a chat with this woman about road rage and intentionally interfering with the smooth flow of traffic.

As punishment for her self-admitted road rage, I think this woman should have to ride with a garbage truck hauler for at least a month. (more…)

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By Christine Briel / Skaneateles Design

This past weekend my daughter and I had some energy to burn and were feeling adventurous, so we dusted off our bikes. We headed out with the intention of going a little further than we usually travel via bike - about 10 miles round trip. Our destination was Borodino Market at Schoolhouse Farms. The ride was a little more than we bargained for and actually about 12 miles round trip. We had a few sore muscles and ate everything but the kitchen sink when we returned home.

Three things made the trip worth it:

1. Spending the day with my daughter - nice and doesn’t happen that often

2. AMAZING blackberry jam purchased at Borodino Market at Schoolhouse Farms

3. Boomberry ice cream at Vernak Country Store - fuel for the return trip home

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By Christine Briel / Skaneateles Design

My parents took a bike ride on their new motorcycle this afternoon and gave us a surprise visit. It was nice to see them and a gorgeous day so we went into town for a bit to eat. Our one daughter was working her waitressing job at Bluewater Grill and the Manager, Chad, was nice enough to fit us right in at a table in her section. It was really busy, seemed like everyone was having a late lunch. We finished up with a little ice cream at Sweetwater and headed down West Lake Road for a ride. I can’t say it enough, what a gorgeous day!

As we were driving I remembered the buzz around town about Anyela’s Vineyards so we decided to stop when we saw the roadside sign. What a gorgeous building and lovely atmosphere inside and out! We looked around a little and then decided to do a wine tasting. Here’s an awesome value for your buck - pick 5 wines from a list of 9 and you get to taste each one of them while a lady behind the counter gives you an intimate description of each wine. Here’s the best part - $2. I chose the 2006 Pinot Gris, 2006 Reisling, 2006 Cayuga White, 2006 Rose of Pinot Noir and 2005 Petite Noir. The Rose Pinot Noir was really good with delicious berry flavors. We ended up buying a bottle of the 2005 Overlay (one of the one’s my husband had on his list - I also tasted most of his).

Patti and James Nocek are the owners of Anyela’s Vineyards and Patti’s Mom (Lucy) greets you when you walk through the door. They are really nice people and I’m sure they will do great in this new endeavor! They offer tours and tastings daily, Mon - Sat 10AM - 5PM and Sun noon - 5PM. They are located at 2433 West Lake Road, Skaneateles, NY 13152. If you would like more information you can call 315.685.3797 or e-mail events@anyelasvineyards.com or visit their website here.

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By Cary Briel / Skaneateles Design

I secretly admire people who have a simple name (read, normal). I wish I had a simple name, such as Joe, or Tim. Steve, John, Hank, Bill… anything simple! Or, just anything that wouldn’t need to be spelled out. It’s not only the first name that’s the problem. C-A-R-Y  B-R-I-E-L. C-A-R-Y  B-R-I-E-L. C-A-R-Y  B-R-I-E-L. AHHHHHH… !!! Do you feel sorry for me yet? I didn’t think so. Lately with all the angry earth stuff going on in the world (devastating storms, tornadoes, earthquakes, and wildfires), as well as economic issues here in the US (rising oil prices, high foreclosure rates, declining US dollar, ongoing war), my needing to spell out my name when asked doesn’t seem to be a hugely important issue. But, then, there’s those times when I am asked for both name and address. For example, when I need to place an order for some totally unnecessary mail order item over the phone. Then it’s the full, C-A-R-Y  B-R-I-E-L, 1570 Coon Hill Road, S-K-A-N-E-A-T-E-L-E-S, New York. If you live in Skaneateles, you know the drill well. It doesn’t matter if your name is Joe Smith, you’re still spelling out Skaneateles to every non-local. You may also notice that whenever Skaneateles is in print, you will often see a pronunciation key (such as, skan-ee-AT’-les), so that people outside of the area don’t suffer a brain implosion trying to pronounce the word. Today I found a pronunciation key on Newsday.com, but not in a good way. The article was detailing the William Milham sentence, a story apparently sensational enough to find its way to AP syndication. Read the article here, despite the unappealing promotion of Skaneateles, including a pronunciation key, to be sure that people will pronounce our town name correctly when talking about the issue.

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By Christine Briel / Skaneateles Design

Most of my life I have tried to keep a journal. I believe in the importance of writing down your thoughts and commenting on the events in your life. I recently crossed paths with a really nice local woman, Mary Gardner, she teaches about memoirs, journals, and keeping a written record of your life. She sells a lovely book that is meant to be a place to record your life for 3 years. Click here for more info.

My husband read a poem the other day and said it immediately reminded him of how he feels when he walks into the room where I am writing in my journal. Mind you, I know I’m a little impatient when interrupted while writing down my thoughts, but I’m not sure I’m this standoffish. Here is the Edna St. Vincent Millay poem “Bluebeard”. Apparently it is pertinent to the unapproachable attitude that I convey while writing in my journal. All in good humor

Bluebeard

This door you might not open, and you did;
So enter now, and see for what slight thing
You are betrayed … Here is no treasure hid,
No cauldron, no clear crystal mirroring
The sought-for Truth, no heads of women slain
For greed like yours, no writhings of distress;
But only what you see … Look yet again:
An empty room, cobwebbed and comfortless.
Yet this alone out of my life I kept
Unto myself, lest any know me quite;
And you did so profane me when you crept
Unto the threshold of this room tonight
That I must never more behold your face.
This now is yours. I seek another place.

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By Christine Briel / Skaneateles Design

Skaneateles Design recently launched a new website for Claire Affleck Training. It’s based on the WordPress framework so that Claire can add pics and articles at will. She also has a blog section “Tack Room”.

Claire purchased Skaneateles Equestrian Center almost a year ago and specializes in Training and starting young horses under saddle. Claire has a very exciting event coming up the week-end of May 28th - 29th in Devon, Pennsylvania. For the first time Claire will be showing a horse (I Am Lucia) in the Devon Horse Show. This horse show is a very prestigious show and entails an application process and approval process. Claire made it through the process and will be there with bells on

(more…)

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By Christine Briel / Skaneateles Design

My half way break during my bike ride this morning was at Anna’s Rose Hill Florist & Greenhouses. The nice lady working there gave me a tour and took the time to get me some information about Anna’s and their setup. The 2 owners, Vaughn and Colleen Anna, live right on the premises. They reside in the house next door. If you happen to stop by during their off hours and are in need of something, they encourage you to come to the house and knock on the door. If they are home they will assist you with your floral or greenhouse needs. It sounds like a very home town operation.

(more…)

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By Christine Briel / Skaneateles Design

Went for a nice bike ride this morning and brought my camera along for the ride. There is a very cool collection of trees that I happened across a few weeks ago. They remind me of the children’s game Mr. Potato Head. If you are familiar with the Skaneateles area I wonder if you have seen these characters. If not, maybe you will happen across them in your travels around town someday.

(more…)

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By the Pickup-Krauter Team

This excerpt was taken from the Pickup-Krauter Team’s blog on SkanTalk:

Today, next to the Sherwood, Governor Paterson announced that large non-local trucks would be required to stay on the roads built for them—-Route 81 and the Thruway. Will this help Skaneateles and the other beautiful towns of the Finger Lakes region? What do you think?

Read the rest of the Pickup-Krauter Team’s blog post on SkanTalk here

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