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May 29, 2022

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

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Archives

Looking at the Masters: Florine Stettheimer    

May 26, 2022 by Beverly Hall Smith Leave a Comment

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Artist, poet, and feminist Florine Stettheimer (1871-1944) was born in Rochester, New York. Her mother Rosetta Walter was from a wealthy German-Jewish family. Rosetta and the girls moved back to Stuttgart, Germany, after Florine’s father abandoned them. Florine attended a girl’s boarding school where her artistic interests were supported with private lessons. Stettheimer educated herself in art history by visiting museums and galleries in the several countries where the family traveled: Italy, France, Spain, and Germany. When the family returned to New York in 1892, Stettheimer enrolled in the Art Students League and graduated in 1896. 

“Self-Portrait with Palette (Painter with Faun)” (1915)

The family traveled to Europe frequently, and Stettheimer saw three theatrical performances that greatly influenced her art: Strauss’s Salome, Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, and Debussy’s L’Apers-midi d’un Faun. The dance of the seven veils in Salome caused Stettheimer to remark, “she looked wonderful…bust absurd…” About Aristophanes, Stettheimer complained, “The play was written by a man who was completely anti-feminist…I concluded that they should have all the roles taken by men and the performance only for men—the way it was written, no woman could enjoy it.” Although Nijinsky as the Faun caused riots, Stettheimer wrote, “I saw something beautiful last evening…Nijinsky the Faun was marvelous—He is the most wonderful male dancer I have seen…” These performances left a lasting impression on Stettheimer who painted “Self-Portrait with Palette, Painter with Faun’’ (1915) (60” x72”). 

“Soiree” (1917-1919)

 Returning to New York before World War I, the Stettheimer women, mother Rosalie, Ettie, Carrie, and Florine took up residence in a luxury apartment in Manhattan. They would live together for the rest of their lives. The influence of the art, the opera, and the freer Parisienne life-style came with them to New York. Stettheimer decided to leave behind traditional academic art in order to create her own style. She celebrated the vibrant life in New York City as she saw it. It was the era of the Harlem Renaissance, Jazz, Dada, and Surrealism.  Among her many good friends were Marcel Duchamp, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cecil Beaton, Virgil Thomson, Carl Van Vechten, Charles Demuth, and Gertrude Stein.

The Stettheimers held Salons (gatherings) that were attended by mavins (connoisseurs) of the arts. “Soiree” (1917-1919) (28” x 30”) depicts the critic Leo Stein, wearing a gray suit and sitting in the center on the red rug. Talking with him is playwright Avery Hopwood, wearing a yellow suit. Also included are the Hindu poet Sankar, in black. One of Stettheimer’s sisters, in green, sits with her mother Rosalie. At the right, another of Stettheimer’s sisters, in a white dress, sits on the sofa and holds a bouquet of flowers. Last on the sofa, dressed in yellow, with her elongated feet resting on a yellow cushion, and wearing a black choker necklace, is Juliette Gleize, wife of artist Albert Gleizes. She stares in amazement at a painting on the back wall. Two men at the lower left observe a new Stettheimer painting on the easel. She preferred to exhibit her new work at her Salons.  

Stettheimer’s presence is represented by the painting “A Model (Nude Self-Portrait)” (1915-16) (48’’ x 68’’), prominently hung on the back wall of her studio. Historians credit this nude self-portrait as the first ever full-scale work of its kind by a woman artist. She looks directly at the viewer with a knowing smile. Stettheimer held salons from 1915 until the end of her life. They were a cultural highlight in New York, where guests of all races, religions, and sexual preferences were included.

A feminist before the term was coined, Stettheimer remained a staunch supporter of women’s rights for her entire life. She had affairs but never married, never thinking that a man was needed. In her poems, first published by her sister Ettie in Crystal Flowers (1949), she wrote, “Occasionally a human being saw my light, rushed in, got singed, got scared, rushed out, called fire. Or it happened that he tried to subdue it. Or it happened he tried to extinguish it…Out of courtesy, I turn on a soft, pink light, which is found modest, even charming. It is a protection against wear and tears. And when I am rid of The Always-to-be-Stranger, I turn on my light and become myself.”

“Lake Placid” (1919)

Stettheimer’s unique style of painting presented colorful figures, mostly family and friends, on flattened white backgrounds. Between the years 1917 and 1919, she developed fully her stylized figures and captured the essence of each personality. On first viewing, Stettheimer’s paintings are full of fun, and slightly cartoonish, but they also include subtle references to the social issues of that time. “Lake Placid” (1919) (40” x 50”) (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) is a scene of apparent gaiety and pleasure among friends. Lake Placid was a restricted community, especially to Jews and Catholics. Private cottages such as the one owned by Stettheimer’s cousin on Moose Island were open. However, they and their diverse guests were not admitted to the inns, restaurants, and other public establishments of Lake Placid.

The painting contains a full cast of characters. At the lower left, mother Rosalie, dressed in black, stands on the balcony of the large cottage. Wearing a purple robe and a yellow hat, Florine sneaks down the stairs. Sister Carrie swims toward the raft on which sit two images of sister Ettie, one dressed in red and the other in black with a yellow parasol. On the diving board is the Marques de Buenavista, a Peruvian diplomat. Lying on the raft in the flowered dress is Marie Sterner, a staff member of the Knoelder Gallery. Resting his elbows on the raft is Polish sculptor Elie Nadelman. Swimming toward the raft is a third image of Ettie in a red swimsuit. Beside her is Rabbi Stephen Wise, a leader of the liberal wing of Reform Judaism. Maurice Sterne, an artist from Latvia, paddles the canoe. With him in the canoe is Elizabeth Duncan, sister of Isadora, and a modern dance teacher. In the motor boat is Edwin Seligman, a professor and president of the Lake Placid Shore Owner’s Association. The boats and swimwear are the latest models. The passenger and mail boat “Doris” steams by in the distance.

“Asbury Park South” (1920)

Throughout her career, Stettheimer maintained her unique style and subject matter: New York City and the nearby vacation spots enjoyed by her friends and family. However, her social consciousness caused her to include subtle commentary on the intolerance she observed within her own upper class. “Asbury Park South” (1920) (56” x 66”) depicts the fun that could be had at the beaches, boardwalk, and casinos of the very popular summer resort. Initially white and black people enjoyed the park, but increasingly white people began to resent bathing with the black people at the beach. The beach was segregated from 1893 until 1915. 

Stettheimer was a stickler for accuracy, and she carefully researched details for her paintings. Her research and close observation is evident in the varied colors used to represent African-American’s skin in “Asbury Park South.”   At the lower right, mother Rosalie wears her usual black dress, and she enjoys a ride in a fantastic swan cart with red cushions and canopy. She is pushed along the golden boardwalk by a strikingly tall African-American man. An African-American child in a purple swim suit happily waves two American flags. A well-dressed African-American mother and daughter walk across the boardwalk, over the shadow cast by a Ferris wheel. Three stylish young African-American women stroll in front of a poster announcing the Fourth of July concert by Enrico Caruso. 

At the center of activity on the boardwalk are Marcel Duchamp, in a pink suit, with the actress Fania Marinoff. To their left are the posts of a pavilion.  As if dancing, an African-American couple glide up the steps of the pavilion toward an elegantly posed woman who looks up at the red, white, and blue decorations on the balcony. On the balcony two women converse while Carl Van Vechten, arms crossed, surveys the scene. Van Vechten, writer and photographer, was a patron of the Harlem Renaissance, and husband of Fania Marinoff. On the boardwalk platform at the right, Stettheimer looks on from under her green parasol as a svelte figure in an orange dress stretches at the bar. Two figures dressed in summer white sit on a bench with their backs to the viewer. At the end of the bench, a fashionable woman, in purple, converses with a man in a white suit and boater hat leaning against the railing.

On the beach, several large beach umbrellas supply shade for those who want it. Others enjoy the warm sun and play in the sand. A swimmer emerges from the water, and a trapeze artist swings out over the water. The bright orange ball of the Sun completes the scene and forms the top of a triangular composition of orange elements that lead the viewer through the painting. 

Stettheimer thought this was one her best paintings and submitted it to several exhibitions. It is one of the earliest 20th Century paintings by a white artist that depicts African-Americans and Caucasians together. The Museum of Modern Art included “Asbury Park South” in the first exhibition of American art ever presented in Europe (1938). The only other American woman artist represented was Georgia O’Keeffe. 

During her life-time, Stettheimer allowed her work to be shown in over 40 prestigious museums in New York and Paris. She died of cancer in 1944. Her close friend Marcel Duchamp curated a retrospective of her work for the Museum of Modern Art in 1946. It was the first retrospective of the work of a woman artist at MOMA. The retrospective traveled to the San Francisco Legion of Honor Museum and the Arts Club of Chicago. In an article for Harper’s Bazaar in 1947, Carl Van Vechten wrote about Stettheimer: [She] “was both the historian and the critic of her period and she goes a long way toward telling us how some of New York lived in those strange years after the First World War, telling us in brilliant colors and assured designs, telling us in painting that has few rivals in her day or ours.” Stettheimer was a painter and poet, an ardent feminist, and a critic of the social world of New York.

Beverly Hall Smith was a professor of art history for 40 years.  Since retiring with her husband Kurt to Chestertown in 2014, she has taught art history classes at WC-ALL. She is also an artist whose work is sometimes in exhibitions at Chestertown RiverArts and she paints sets for the Garfield Center for the Arts.

   

 

   

 

Filed Under: Archives

Adkins Mystery Monday: What May Shrub is Blooming in the Forest?

May 2, 2022 by Adkins Arboretum 1 Comment

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Happy May Mystery Monday! Well, April showers certainly brought May flowers! What native shrub is blooming now in the forest?

Last week we highlighted the black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)! Black chokeberry is a native shrub that grows well in full sun and produces tasty and nutritious berries that are high in antioxidants. The foliage turns red in the fall for extra seasonal interest.

Adkins Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy and Adkins Arboretum. For more information go here.

Filed Under: Archives

Food Friday: Antojitos (Little Cravings)

April 29, 2022 by Jean Sanders Leave a Comment

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Sometimes I am in the mood for a multi-course meal. I love Thanksgiving. I love the many steps of preparation, the many dishes spread on the table, with gleaming accoutrements and candlelight. I love the ritual of sharing platters of holiday foods. I also love the indulgent concept of a desert island meal: appetizer, main course, and dessert. But there are some nights when enough is enough; when I put my sneaker down, and want something plain and simple. I want crunchy, and I want delicious. Give me chips and salsa.

As I sit here smugly typing in my sun-filled studio, I imagine my grown-up self, the more presentable me, laughing and waving away a bag of Doritos. This is total fiction. There is not a bag of Doritos that I wouldn’t just hoover up if I were alone on that desert island. But I try to apply an opaque veneer over my craven self, and mask my baser appetites. It is much more civilized to first roast some veggies, blitz them in a food processor, and deposit that mixture into a decorative bowl. The bowl can then be transferred to the coffee table, where it will join a bowl of gently warmed, locally sourced, lightly salted, artisan, organic corn chips. I will add a large cold glass of cheap white wine, a cloth napkin, and turn on “Julia”. Bliss.

Dinner with Julia Child. It is the perfect dinner. There’s very little fuss, a little muss, plus I am getting a serving of healthy vegetables, and am being kept company by a vibrant force of nature. Naturally, since it is Julia and my own adult self I am trying to impress, I can’t just tip a bag of chemically flavored Doritos down my maw. I need to get my chip fix in an elegant, epicurean fashion. Who really knows what is in those industrial vats from which Doritos emerge anyway?

I love the fresh cilantro in this Food52 recipe: https://food52.com/recipes/77387-roasted-vegetable-salsa

I usually stick with jalapeños, but you might want something with a little more heat: https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/roasted-tomato-salsa.html

With warm weather just around the corner , we will be grilling outside again, and will have extra ears of corn. This recipe is good for leftovers and the odds and ends you might find in the vegetable bin: https://spicysouthernkitchen.com/roasted-corn-salsa/

This is more work than I want to do tonight, but the garlic aioli is divine. I just love Thomasina Miers. https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/aug/30/thomasina-miers-recipe-charred-corn-and-bean-tostadas-jalapeno-aioli

As someone who would happily eat my way through the Frito Lay factory, it never occurred to me that there is a difference between salsa and pico de Gallo. https://www.tastingtable.com/844136/the-real-difference-between-salsa-and-pico-de-gallo/

And here is a handy concept: salsa in the freezer! Make it in bulk, so the next time you want your own evening alone with Julia, you’ll have a tub in the freezer. All you’ll have to add are the chips and the wine. https://vanillaandbean.com/roasted-tomatillo-salsa-verde/

Of course, if you want to make enough to share with someone other than your best imaginary friend, Julia Child, by all means, go forth and spread your deelish munificence.

https://top10best.how/organic-corn-chips?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2020/08/06/who-makes-the-best-tortilla-chips-we-tasted-and-ranked-14-popular-brands-to-find-out/

“I have brought neither book nor newspaper
since reading material is considered cheating.
Eating alone, they say, means eating alone,
not in the company of Montaigne
or the ever-engaging Nancy Mitford.”
– Billy Collins

Filed Under: Archives, Food Friday, Spy Top Story

Letter to Editor: Valley Proteins Proves the Need for an Environmental Human Rights Amendment

February 21, 2022 by Letter to Editor 1 Comment

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The Maryland Environmental Human Rights Amendment is a bill being heard this session in the Maryland General Assembly.  It is being sponsored by Delegate Wanika Fisher in the House and Senator Will Smith in the Senate.  Speaker Pro Tempore Delegate Sheree Sample-Hughes is a co-sponsor.  

The amendment would provide:

(A) That each person, as a matter of basic human dignity, has a fundamental and inalienable right to a healthful, sustainable environment.

(B) That the State, as trustee, shall protect, conserve, manage and enhance Maryland’s natural and cultural resources, including its air, lands, waters, wildlife, and ecosystems, for the benefit and enjoyment of both present and future generations.

If the bill passes in both the House and the Senate with a 3/5 majority, it will go by referendum directly to Maryland voters in the November 2022 election.  Polling shows that at this time, 76% of Maryland voters are in favor of the amendment.  If passed, it will amend the Maryland Bill of Rights in our Maryland State Constitution.

Many people assume that we already have a right to a clean and healthy environment.  Sadly, that is not true in practice.  Although in 1973, the MGA enacted the Maryland Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) which states “Each person has a fundamental and inalienable right to a healthful environment,” it is now all but forgotten.  The Maryland Environmental Human Rights Amendment gives us the opportunity to restore the original intention of MEPA and hold  state agencies responsible for enforcing it.  (It does NOT give private citizens the right to sue neighbors or businesses.)

The need for the amendment is plain from the saga of the Valley Proteins rendering plant in Linkwood, Dorchester County.  Dorchester Citizens for Planned Growth (DCPG) has been raising concerns about that plant since 2012.  The group knew from water sampling and testing that the Transquaking River was becoming polluted by the wastewater and sludge being dumped in the river and on the surrounding land by Valley Proteins, Inc.

The group held numerous meetings with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and the company’s executives to no avail. The situation grew worse:  the surrounding air smelled wretched and, about three or four years ago, the group became alarmed that the pollution might be seeping into the regional aquifer, tainting their drinking water. The group reached out to Delegate Sheree Sample-Hughes who did a legislative inquiry.  Still nothing.

The Maryland Department of the Environment continued to issue “zombie permits,” permits carried on for years beyond their expiration date without performing the required updates. Valley Proteins has been working under a permit that expired in 2006.

The last meeting with both MDE and Valley Proteins executives took place at the Linkwood Fire Hall on November 16, 2021.  MDE had finally proposed a new permit, after several local nonprofit organizations threatened legal action.

About 100 people were in attendance.  Some residents testified that their water tasted “funny.”  Others said that they frequently could not open their windows because the smell was so bad.  One man testified that his dog would not  go outside on bad days.  The owner of Higgins Mill Pond lost two much loved dogs who had seizures and died two hours after they were allowed to swim in the pond.

A month after the hearing, Matt Pluta of ShoreRivers sent MDE some drone photos of Valley Proteins illegally discharging polluted wastewater in the Transquaking River in Linkwood.  MDE closed the plant — for only two days!  The company was up and running again on Christmas Eve, apart from a temporary requirement that its wastewater be disposed of elsewhere.  

Clearly, any environmental rights we assume we have are not being enforced.  That is why we need a Maryland Environmental Human Rights Amendment.

Susan Olsen
Sierra Club of the Lower Eastern Shore
Cambridge

Filed Under: Archives

Adkins Mystery Monday: What Keeps Green Leaves in the Winter?

January 24, 2022 by Adkins Arboretum Leave a Comment

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Happy Mystery Monday! Do you know what herbaceous perennial has kept its green leaves despite the winter weather? Hint: this picture was taken in the floodplain, though this plant tolerates a variety of soil conditions.

Last week, we asked you about the pinxter azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides)! Azaleas have characteristically long stamens that can be double the length of the petals. These native azaleas will bloom in April and May before they leaf out. If you are walking in the Adkins Arboretum woods in the spring, keep an eye out for pinxters blooming along Upland Walk and Blockston Overlook.

Adkins Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy and Adkins Arboretum. For more information go here.

Filed Under: Archives, Food-Garden Homepage, Food-Garden Portal lead

 ESEC Hosts Zoom Call on Agritech Between Maryland and the Netherlands

January 20, 2022 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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The world trend toward more locally-produced food requires a fundamental shift in how global food supply chains are organized and puts new demand on the technology needed to produce sufficient, high quality, diverse and healthy food. This topic and more will be explored in an upcoming webinar titled Growth Opportunities for AgriTech between Maryland and The Netherlands on Jan. 27 from 9 am-10.30 am ET (Maryland time) and 15.00-16.30 CET (The Netherlands time).

Both Maryland and The Netherlands focus strongly on local food production and ways to benefit from their central locations with easy access to densely populated areas. In 2019, the Memorandum of Understanding was renewed between the Maryland Department of Commerce and InnovationQuarter, the economic development agency for the Rotterdam-The Hague area in The Netherlands, to drive innovative collaborations between the two regions in several focus areas of mutual interest. The Jan. 27 webinar is part of a new initiative to connect the Dutch AgriTech sector with leading Maryland companies and organizations.

“In this webinar, both regions will highlight the commercial opportunities for innovative companies in the fields of agritech and aquatech,” said Mike Thielke, executive director of the Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center, who is the moderator of the webinar and part of the planning team. “Our organization, which includes F3 Tech and CyberAg, in partnership with the state of Maryland, is ready to help soft land Dutch companies interested in entering the U.S. market.”

In addition to highlighting opportunities for collaboration, the webinar will focus on timely topics like controlled environment agriculture and cybersecurity in agriculture.

“Progressing the Dutch AgriTech sector by working with Maryland companies is mutually beneficial, especially when looking at the crossover with cybersecurity,” said Rolf Karst, Project Manager Internationalization, InnovationQuarter. “The Dutch AgTech sector has a strong track record but is also evolving rapidly. For the sector to support current levels of R&D expenditure it is crucial to scale up the national and international activities. The U.S. is seen as a growth market and Maryland is well positioned to attract further investment in AgTech and food production in general. By supporting the collaboration of companies from both regions we want to stimulate this opportunity for more sustainable and healthy food production.

Event speakers include:

Signe Pringle — Deputy Secretary, Maryland Department of Commerce
Rolf Karst — Project Manager Internationalization, InnovationQuarter
Eric Egberts — CEO, Dutch Greenhouse Delta
Bert Feskens — Senior Programme Manager, Security Delta (HSD)
Steve Connelly — Assistant Secretary of Marketing, Animal Industries and Consumer Services, Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA)
Ewing McDowell — Maryland Department of Commerce
Chris Hlubb — Program Director, F3 Tech
Andrew Rose – Managing Director, CyberAg
Nina Lamba — Assistant Director, Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET)
Mike Thielke (Moderator) — Executive Director, Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center (ESEC)
The webinar is an initiative from InnovationQuarter, Maryland Department of Commerce, F3 Tech, Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee, Netherlands America Chamber of Commerce Washington Metro (NACCWM), CyberAg, IMET, Rotterdam Partners, Security Delta (SD) and the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

To register, please visit: https://events.innovationquarter.nl/MDNLwebinar

This is the first of several webinars the group plans to host in 2022. Webinar topics are expected to include cyberag; controlled environment agriculture; water management and responding to rising seas, unpredictable weather and climate change; row crop automation; best practices in multi-generational adaptive and resilient structural design.

Filed Under: Archives

Senior Nation: Using Posture Power by Susan Covey

December 3, 2021 by Susan Covey Leave a Comment

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Even in poor lighting or at a distance when all the details are fuzzy, you probably could recognize your friends simply by the way they stand or walk.  Posture is quite possibly the most unconscious expression of ourselves.  However, posture is so much more than how we sit, stand and walk; it includes all of our movements from dancing, shopping, getting dressed or playing an instrument.  Posture is not only interactive but reactive, responding to our feelings and perceptions of ourselves; to the way we want to present ourselves; to how others respond to us; and to the physical and emotional environments in which we find ourselves.

Posture can be clinically defined as ‘a state of skeletal and muscular balance and alignment that protects the body’s supporting structures from progressive deformity and injury’. (Freeman, S.)  Many of us realize the impact of good posture on appearance, but fewer may realize that good posture is vital to overall health and well-being.

GOOD POSTURE not only impacts the musculoskeletal system, but also breathing – giving the diaphragm and lungs more room to expand; digestion – keeping the internal organs in their natural position; concentration;  cognition – more oxygen to the brain;  energy levels; and confidence.  Even more significant to many of us, good moving posture – where the body is balanced over its base of support, plays a critical role in fall prevention.

POOR POSTURE on the other hand contributes to pain, discomfort, muscle imbalance, shallow breathing, limited energy flow and diminished functioning of our internal organs.  It can also cause stress on ligaments and joints which over time will ultimately lead to low-back pain, muscle knots, headaches, plantar fasciitis, bone spurs osteoporosis and respiratory problems.  Sitting in a slumped posture weakens the core muscles preventing maximal chest expansion which limits breathing capacity.  Poor posture also changes the position of internal organs causing faulty digestion/constipation.  Moving in poor posture, where the body is not balanced over its base of support, is what increases the chance of a fall and poor posture also “affects cognitive health because the brain uses 20% of the body’s oxygen and a misaligned spine negatively impacts the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain”. (Ratey, J.J.)

A few keys exercises to improve your posture:

  1.  Place interlaced fingers at the base of your skull, elbows out, then push the skull into your hands (visualize your ears moving back over your shoulders) Hold for a few seconds.

  2. Roll your shoulders up and backwards squeezing your shoulder blades together ten times.

  3. Arms at your sides, squeeze your shoulder blades together behind your back, hold and release.  Then hold your arms out in front at shoulder height and squeeze shoulder blades together as you bend your elbows pulling your arms and shoulders back.  Squeeze and release ten times.

Susan S. Covey is the Director of Health and Fitness at Acts Bayleigh Chase, Easton

Filed Under: Archives

Mid-Shore Food: A Chat with Banning’s Food Pioneer Steve Mangasarian

November 19, 2021 by The Spy 1 Comment

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It’s hard for Steve Mangasarian to forget the early days of high cuisine on the Eastern Shore. After years of training with some of the top chefs in the New York City area and a few years in Vermont bringing a new brand of American food to the rural communities along the Connecticut River, a mixture of a love of sailing and dislike of snow, Mangasarian relocated to Easton to replicate his haute cuisine mission in Talbot County.

With fine dining restricted to places like 208 Talbot in St. Michaels and the Tidewater Inn in Easton, the opening of Columbia on Washington Street was the birth of a new era for the Mid-Shore. Rather than having to cross the Bay Bridge, diners could discover how our extraordinary local ingredients could be used to produce an exceptional dining experience.

After years of success and high praise from customers as well as accolades from critic forums like Zagats, Steve retired with plans to leave the kitchen pursuing other passions, but that plan didn’t last long. Within a year, he was back with the management of the beloved Hill’s Drug Store sandwich shoppe and the opening of Breakfast in Easton, the popular, cash-only morning grill. And eventually, he and his partner decided to open Banning’s Tavern to recapture the fun and comfort of a traditional English pub.

The Spy talked to Steve about his remarkable culinary history in Talbot County as well as the challenges he and his fellow restaurateurs are experiencing as he slowly brings Banning’s back to life after suffering through the pains of the COVID pandemic.

This video is approximately five minutes in length. For more information about Banning’s Tavern please go here.  For Breakfast in Easton please go here.

 

Filed Under: Archives, Food-Garden Homepage, Food-Garden Portal lead

The Eastern Shore Gets a Preview of Floods to Come by J.E. Dean

November 3, 2021 by J.E. Dean 1 Comment

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The news reports were ominous—high tides on parts of the Eastern Shore would be four feet over normal. Not good. And there isn’t much to do about it other than moving whatever looks as though it could float away or be destroyed by water to a safe location if you are lucky enough to have one.

The two high tides of the “weather event” occurred while I was out of town. I monitored the news closely and activated a few security cameras to see if my yard was now a lake. I was relieved not to find someone’s boat in my backyard. All seemed well, but there is no substitute for looking at things directly.

On Saturday morning, I returned home from DC. From bridges, I could see that water levels were high, but the roads on my route, 50, 322, and Oxford Road, were clear. No water and, more importantly, no signs that there had been flooding.

After getting home, I loaded my goldendoodle into my car to see what was going on in the town of Oxford. The worst of the flooding was now more than 12 hours ago. How bad could it be?

The answer to that is that there were signs of flooding everywhere. A family was canoeing near the tennis courts. Several roads were closed with cones. From a distance, you could see that parts of some streets remained under water. You also could see evidence of “high water marks” on several buildings. The water, I learned, had been at least two or three feet higher than what I was seeing.

The flooding was nothing like 2012, when Hurricane Sandy left much of Oxford underwater, but was a reminder that Oxford, like most of the Eastern Shore, is vulnerable to flooding.  As I looked at the minor flooding this year, I thought, “What will we be seeing ten years from now?”

I took my dog to the Strand. The beach was underwater. Several people were walking the strand, not only enjoying the pleasant weather, but also curious about what had happened. From talking to a couple of them, I sensed they were relieved. “We dodged a bullet,” one of them said.

Interested in documenting evidence of the flooding, I shot a few photograph. In reviewing them for this story, I found them sorely lacking in the sensationalism one expects in any article that references climate change.   By themselves, the photographs are not especially alarming.  But taken together with this year’s bizarre weather nationally–“bomb cyclones,” massive fires in Oregon and California, and an unusually high number of hurricanes—suggest that more trouble is on the way.  Viewed from this perspective, our recent flooding is another prelude to “a big one,” a weather event devastating our region. 

That thought is depressing; hopefully I’m wrong.  But, if you believe the weather scientists, our vulnerability to flooding and hurricanes is increasing.  We should be worried, but many of us are not, at least not enough to take action.   Some continue to question the scientists.  Others, even some that accept Climate Change as serious risk, doubt anything can be done about it.  

What will it take for voters to agree that climate change is an existential threat? That is the question that comes to mind as I read in The Spy and elsewhere about new real estate developments on the Eastern Shore that, if some scientists are to be believed, will be subject to regular flooding in as little as 20 or 30 years.

It’s not clear what the Eastern Shore and dozens of other places in the U.S. that face the threat of routine flooding and “super storms” can do to prepare. Building new sand dunes in Oxford to stem erosion of the shore is not a solution. It’s a Band-Aid—a welcome Band-Aid—but only a fool would suggest it is anything other than a Band-Aid.

The tougher question for Eastern Shore counties, the State of Maryland, and, yes, the Federal government, is whether its time to stem development in areas that face the greatest vulnerability from flooding and worsening extreme weather. Until the trend towards worsening, life-threatening weather has been stemmed, development in vulnerable areas is foolhardy. When that new development gets destroyed or damaged in the next storm, who is going to pay the bills to compensate for the damage?

Is it appropriate to view the recent flooding as a wake-up call? I would argue yes, although for anyone regularly reading about this year’s weather, it was the 100th wake-up call. Will we respond to it? And if we do, how do we find the national resolve to respond in a meaningful way?

If you have not watched the Spy’s short video documenting some of the flooding in Oxford, you can watch it here. 

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, birds, and occasionally, golden doodles. 

 

Filed Under: Archives, J.E. Dean, Top Story

Possibilities by Angela Rieck

October 7, 2021 by Angela Rieck Leave a Comment

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Weddings are back! COVID-19 postponed weddings and scheduled weddings are everywhere. Who doesn’t love a wedding? They are such happy occasions because they are filled with love.

Credit Karena Dixon Photography

A few weeks ago, we got to be a part of my nephew’s wedding. In addition to the usual hiccups, they encountered an unexpected one. My grand-niece, the youngest flower girl, couldn’t decide if she wanted to be a flower girl or a shark.

Fortunately, as you can see from the picture; she chose to be a flower girl.

And that is one of the great gifts of childhood…the belief that everything is possible. A child can believe it is equally possible to be a flower girl or a shark.

When my daughter was her age, she wanted to become a jumping house painter. She could combine the things that she loved doing most—helping us paint the house and jumping.

But as children get older, they learn that their options are more limited. Transfiguration is only possible in the movies. It might be difficult to make a living as a jumping house painter.

These learnings are an important part of growing up. But children also learn about other limitations that are not acceptable.

Because of the color of their skin, their socio-economic status, their religion, their gender, their ethnicity, or their sexual preferences; they see roadblocks instead of opportunities.

When I was young, I was told that women could only be teachers, nurses, or mommies. Our generation dedicated itself to breaking this barrier. We have not fully succeeded; there is still a wage gap, and we haven’t attained the position of leader of the free world, but we have come close.

It has been a long journey. After I earned my doctorate, I had many job offers and I was able to set conditions. One was that my husband had to be offered a job as well. Bell Laboratories was happy to oblige, but I was surprised to discover that my husband was offered a higher salary. As they explained to me, he would be the primary breadwinner; so, he was entitled to a larger salary (try to understand that circular logic).

We have come a long way.

Our generation has made great strides with sexual orientation as well. When I joined the workforce, gay and lesbians were not allowed to be teachers, clergy, adopt children, and many had to hide their orientation. Now they are afforded most of the privileges that heterosexuals enjoy.

We have made progress on race; but we had a long way to go, and racism is still sadly present. (If you need any proof, stroll around the Talbot County Courthouse grounds.)

Socioeconomic status remains a persistent barrier. Children living in poverty are rarely able to see past their current circumstances. They see only limited opportunities, and a learned helplessness philosophy can take hold. There is also work to do on ethnicity, religion, and transgender. But we continue to make strides through the courts and awareness.

So, I am hoping that when this little girl grows up; all barriers will be down. And she can be anything that she wants to be.

Just probably not a shark.

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

Filed Under: Angela, Archives, Top Story

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