Dog Days of July

July at the Farm, with fresh-plowed fields:

L-R Brian Purwin, Josh Babcock, Kobayashi Maru Caldwell, Brett Goodman, Hunter Ciliberti, and Sadie Babcock

Loch Ness Monster sighting in Mosquito Pond

Brett Goodman (left) and Brian Purwin, surveying Mosquito Pond

Kobayashi Maru, Hunter Ciliberti, and Brett Goodman at Mosquito Pond

Bambi

Josh Babcock and Brett Goodman check out Paul's "camp" on the edge of Better Farm's property

Because one bonfire is never enough. From left: Hunter Ciliberti, Brett Goodman, Brian Purwin, and Fred Ciliberti

Better Renovations: Koala Room, After

The Koala Room will probably forever go by its former title as the Lilac Room, so called for obvious reasons. This room was pretty structurally sound to start, so it was just a matter of taking care of a few basics. Nils, Cigir, Tyler, and I got in there over Memorial Day for the first coat of paint. From there, it was a matter of tying up some loose ends:

• Clearing out a lot of unused items
• Slapping on a fresh coat of eco-friendly paint
• Patching a few holes in the floor
  
• Stitching curtains out of a pile of long-forgotten fabric and screwing in hooks for the curtain rods
  
• Reappropriating the steamer trunk we found underneath a defunct television. Upon turning it on its side, we discovered it was actually a mini bureau!
• Bringing the gem of a koala lamp in here (traded for the owl lamp, now in the Owl Room)
• Installing energy-efficient bulbs
• Installing bunk beds
• Tracking down some fresh linens from storage
• A thorough dusting, sweeping, and floor washing

"Smells Like Sawdust"

Came across and interesting article called

Down and Dirty: 5 Ways To Go Seriously Green

, and behold! The very first idea is a composting toilet.

In Austin, Tex., a group called the Rhizome Collective has built a commode that uses no water. Instead, when you're finished, you pour sawdust down the toilet.

"This is a great system for environmentally conscious individuals and families," said Jennifer Melia, a member of the collective. She and her cohorts try to live a sustainable, off-the-electric-grid lifestyle -- though the powers that be took four years to give their approval for the system.

"It was just a new thing," said Jill Mayfield of the Austin Water Utility, which finally gave Rhizome the go-ahead. "It takes a while to make sure it's something that would be safe."

The members of the collective say they may not have a solution that pleases everyone, but they're doing their part for the environment. A flush from a conventional toilet, they said, takes 3-5 gallons of water -- clean water that could be used for drinking or cooking, and is in short supply in many parts of the world.

Meanwhile, people who checked out the sawdust-powered outhouse said it smelled mostly of sawdust, and not much else. There are commercially made indoor versions as well.

"They save immense amounts of water, they create healthy soil, and they save energy," said Melia. "These are far beyond the latrines of olden times."

The article did list a few other ideas, but this seemed to be the only one that could be used on a household level...which is fine, since businesses and cities need to get in on the act in a big way...but another option or two for the individual would have been nice.

Regardless, this is exactly what Nicole was talking about adding up at the Farm, since there

is

currently only one toilet. Maybe a smoke signal to that collective in Austin on how they built their own on the cheap??

Fireworks!

Alexandria Bay does its fireworks on July 5 to spread the festivities of the Fourth out nice and big. The explosives are shot out all around Boldt Castle out on the St. Lawrence River. Dozens of boats gather on the water at sunset, waiting like little twinkling fireflies in a field of water. Quite the spectacle.




Then, the games begin.

Happy Fourth of July

Indian River Lakes Conservancy Remembers Steve Caldwell

Burn, Baby Burn: Better bonfire

Blazin' bonfire. What's better than that?


Plus, after all's been reduced to ash, it's great for composting and fertilizer. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Better Renovations: Sleeping Quarters, Part II

So...

I was outside scrubbing down some more bunk beds with a steel brush, and discovered stickers designating the beds' original stomping ground:




Somehow, this is perfectly fitting.

Better Kayaking: Millsite Lake

One of the nicest parts about the Thousand Islands region is, go figure, the water. With a kayak and paddle you have an almost infinite number of locations to choose from, including the St. Lawrence River itself.

Fred and I headed out a couple of days ago for my inaugural ride of the season. We decided to pay a visit to Millsite Lake, which is just two miles down the road from Better Farm. We hit the water around 9:30 a.m., just after I discovered a whole nest of pink, newborn baby mice in my kayak. Nice.

Take it in, folks:

Biker Rally: Alexandria Bay, June 26-28

Just when you thought the area surrounding Better Farm couldn't take any more excitement...

Alexandria Bay from June 26-28 held its annual River Run Motorcycle Rally, which was a lot of fun until some poor fool revved too hard and flew head-over-handles off his bike, knocking several other parked bikes over in the process and forcing some cops to throw on their patrol lights. But you know what they say: If you can fall off your horse without spilling your beer, you're alright.

Featuring a kick-off block dance, The Vertical Outlaws motorcycle stunt group, Mom and Pop custom bike show, ladies' and men's tattoo contests, dirtiest bike contest, a ton of live music, and a poker run, this event brought more people to the Bay than last year's Pirates' Week.

The rally featured amazing bikes, such as these:







River Run also had quite the crowd. See for yourself:




And the views of the St. Lawrence River! Gorgeous:



Just around dusk, one of the bikers decided to peel out all dramatic-like in front of the crowd reveling on Main Street:



At first, everyone was pumped:



Then, disaster struck as Dude peeled off, and revved a little too hard into some parked bikes on the side of the road. Cops sprang into action, the crowd gathered hard on the scene, and I got out of there—headed for greener pastures seven miles away, to continue painting the front hallway...





All in a day's work. Better be.

Owl Room, After

We've finished our first complete room, top to bottom. Talk about gratifying! What began as Jordan's bedroom has turned farmhouse chic under its newest incarnation as the Owl Room.

This room was in the worst structural shape to start, with a gaping hole in one wall, spackle along another, a beat-up door and frame, and lots of trinkets and dolls being stored in the space.

Here are a few shots of the room before:



Lana and Mike started the process by emptying the space. Then, Corinne and Butch got in there over Memorial Day Weekend to install new sheet rock, spackle, and paint. The tan color they used on the walls was "reclaimed" paint — that is, instead of being thrown out, we eked out the rest of it on the walls of this room. The sheet rock was scrap from another house project. After Corinne and Butch finished up, it was just a matter of a few final details:

• Installing the bunk beds we got from a nice man in LeRay, N.Y.
• Reappropriating some shelving from the library
• Hanging fresh curtains, courtesy of Laura Caldwell's basement (antique lace looks amazing in farmhouses, by the way)
• Sanding and painting the doorframe and door
• Bringing in an area rug we found downstairs
• Applying fresh linens to the bed (also taken from elsewhere in the house)
• Creating the theme: Moving the owl lamp from the lilac room and fitting it with an energy-efficient bulb, hanging a piece of art depicting an owl, and bringing in an owl bell

And, drum roll please:






Viva Better!

Thousand Islands Express Offers Hitchhikers a Plan B Between Better Farm, Syracuse

Breaking! A new shuttle between Better Farm and Syracuse began making daily trips June 1. Hitchhikers everywhere, relax! News 10 Now has reported Caz Limo & Tours and the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority have teamed up to provide Upstaters an easy shuttle service between the Thousand Islands, Watertown, and Syracuse. Your transportation situation to Better Farm just got a whole lot simpler. Now you can just cruise up to Alex Bay, and we'll pick you up at the bridge!

The shuttle, coined the Thousand Islands Express, comes fully equipped with food and wireless Internet access, and will connect to the Syracuse Airport. Check out the full schedule here, then let us know what time to grab you.