Recently a couple of young hikers were lost in the woods near Ray Brook. They were admittedly unprepared for hiking at night with only a dead phone for a light source. They did have the means to start a fire. Thankfully they got out safely with the help of a ranger who had originally directed ...

Puffball is the generic name for a large group of mushrooms with similar characteristics. They come in many sizes and are usually spherical or globular in shape.  Puffballs are distinguished from other mushroom groups by the fact that they lack many of the features or characteristics that ...

September brings the waning days of summer. It also brings lots of veggies: plentiful tomatoes and peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, corn. These veggies make great salads. When most people picture salads, they think lettuce — or maybe spinach or kale. But summer vegetables like peppers, ...

This past weekend, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise featured the many long-standing businesses in the Tri-Lakes area. It compelled me to reminisce about Main Street in Lake Placid when I was a child, and how it has transformed over the years and multiple generations of my family’s seasonal ...

The changing face of Saranac Lake is not always for the best. Last week with a review of photos and stories from the Village Centennial (1892-1992), it highlighted some of what we have lost. Many of the structures burned down, others were torn down, and some were “modernized.” Into ...

As I write this article, it looks like students will be physically returning to our schools sometime during September, with some schools beginning as early as the 8th while others not until the 21st. (Editor’s note: Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake and Lake Placid public schools begin classes on ...

We were all alone as we crossed the high, arcing bridge over the St. Lawrence River. As always, our tires made a lot of noise on the steel gridwork, but even so, we could actually hear the birds chattering on the riverbanks. That’s how quiet it was, except for us. Our car had been the ...

The past three-and-a-half years have not been kind to those who dream. For those who dream of a long arc of Hegelian progress, a kind spirit moving the arc of history ever upward toward justice, this period has been nothing short of a nightmare. With my apologies to you who read this, I ...

Every September, as if drawn by some psychic gravity, my thoughts turn to school. It’s only reasonable since my whole life, man and boy, was spent as either a student or a teacher. This week’s gravity drew me to my glorious student days at Potsdam State. I say “glorious” with a ...

The Adirondack Park is one of the world’s natural treasures. It is not only the largest state or national park in the lower 48 states, but a rare example of how people and wild nature can peacefully coexist. The Adirondack Park Agency was created almost 50 years ago to help maintain this ...

Last week, we brought our “Letters from the Porch” series to a close. It was a fun way to stay in touch during quarantine times. Now we are starting a new weekly article series called “History Matters” that will present history on a wide range of topics relating to the rich history ...

“We are about ten minutes’ walk distant from the village and beautifully situated upon the river upon which we look down.” That is how Margaret Stevenson started describing her new surroundings from Baker’s, in Saranac Lake, to her sister Jane Balfour in Scotland. The renowned ...

These are poems of faith in a world where so much happens that can try the faith of the faithful. Using dreams, persona poems based on biblical characters, and meditations of daily devotion, Queensbury author Kathleen McCoy explores, through poems vivid and visceral, her experience of ...

Democrats and Republicans convene every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president, and to prepare a platform of principles and goals. - The new Democratic Party Platform - The new Democratic Party Platform is available at ...

There’s something about the changing of seasons that tends to prompt reflection. As we’ve had our first few chilly nights of the summer, fall feels right around the corner now. Maybe I’m looking too hard for signs of it, but it seems that leaves are already changing, 8 p.m. darkness still ...

It seemed absurd that a sitting member of Congress would demand journalists take her seriously while berating a political rival for the “scandal” she manufactured last week. But U.S. Rep. Elise M. Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, needed an outlet for her feigned indignation over what she called ...

I’m not sure what is happening in everyone else’s backyard, but I’m tripping over a daily carpet of chipmunks. They have the audacity to take one bite out of a piece of fruit and then throw the rest at my feet like petulant children. Yes, I understand those sweet little striped-tailed ...

Chile rellenos translates to “stuffed peppers.” To make them, poblano peppers are first roasted, after which the skin is peeled. The peppers are stuffed with Oxaca cheese, coated with flour and egg, deep fried until golden brown, then covered with a rich salsa roja. This dish, common in ...

Driver mistakes play a role in virtually all crashes. That’s why automation has been held up as a potential game changer for safety. But autonomous vehicles might prevent only around a third of all crashes if automated systems drive too much like people, according to a new study from the ...

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise published a 32-page tabloid newspaper celebrating that centennial. There was a nice tribute to John J. Duquette, who authored a commemorative booklet on behalf of the Centennial Committee. John was a detailed, accurate historian of this area. I was ...