Dog Days – A Real Dog Treat this Weekend!

Rufus, the 2006 Westminster Best in Show Champion Bull Terrier dressed in a Cat in the Hat outfit? You might be thinking – how humiliating! But this dog is a “cool cat.” As representative of the National Education Association’s Read Across America, Rufus dons the Cat in the Hat costume for his official duties. The weekend of August 28-30, Rufus is the celebrity guest at the first-ever Dog Days event at Mystic Seaport.

Meet Rufus this weekend at Mystic Seaport.

Museum visitors have a couple of opportunities to meet and greet Rufus. The first is during story time, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Museum’s Stillman Building. (For a nominal fee, visitors can pose for pictures with Rufus with all proceeds benefitting the Charles W. Morgan restoration.). Then it’s off to the playscape area where Rufus will meet visitors from 2 – 4 p.m. As a certified Therapy Dog, Rufus is obviously calm and friendly and used to greeting strangers.

Although 9-year-old Rufus brings star quality to Dog Days with an impressive 35 Best in Show titles to his name, plenty of other awesome dogs will amaze visitors with their skills and talents throughout the weekend. Take a look at some of the things going on:

 Special Friday events:

• Canine search and rescue demonstrations
• A visit from Connecticut Humane Society Therapy dogs

 Special Saturday and Sunday events:

• Newfoundlands demonstrate their life-saving water rescue skills;
• police dogs show their mettle; hunting dogs show off their special aptitudes;
• guide dogs for the blind demonstrate their remarkable abilities and intuitive talents;
• therapy dogs visit, epitomizing the gentle side of dogdom;
• a canine flyball demonstration introduces visitors to a fun and competitive sport for dogs.

During Dog Days, even menu choices will be dog-themed! Enjoy hush puppies, slush puppies, hot dogs and more.

So all you humans out there don’t need to whine or bark to enjoy this special weekend treat. Just visit Mystic Seaport during Dog Days this weekend, August 28-30. You’ll be happy as a pup!

Blog written by Trudi Busey.

Pick Your Favorite at Garden Days at Mystic Seaport

I must confess, gardening is not my strong suit. My attempt to grow herbs didn’t work; I’m nervous about dividing my humongous hosta plants come fall; my one healthy African violet plant also should be divided, but I fear killing it totally. You get the picture.

So….Garden Days weekend at Mystic Seaport, August 21-23, may provide just the inspiration and confidence I need. There are so many interesting demonstrations and talks to choose from, for novice gardeners like me as well as seasoned gardeners whose passion for getting down and dirty in the soil is their idea of heaven.

The Burrows Garden at Mystic Seaport.

Tovah Martin, a regular on the PBS series Cultivating Life, will be the featured speaker for Garden Days, talking about houseplants and terrariums. She will be available for signings of her authored books after her 1 p.m. presentation on Saturday, the 22nd.  

Who hasn’t enjoyed the sight of colorful butterflies? There will be a lecture on how you can create your own backyard garden that attracts these beauties of nature. It’s just one of the myriad of activities and presentations offered in the Demonstration Tent on the Museum’s Village Green.

Overall, an impressive roster of Master Gardeners, landscape designers, plant science educators and vendors knowledgeable in various aspects of horticulture, pest control and invasive plant species will all be on hand to answer questions and give demonstrations.

As always, there are activities geared especially to kids – like a garden scavenger hunt in the Children’s Museum. Also, the first 150 youth visitors each day during Garden Days weekend will be given a free sapling to take home and plant, courtesy of Sprigs and Twigs Landscapes.

For a complete listing of all the demonstrations and activities, log on to   www.mysticseaport.org/gardendays. Then plan your visit  – August 21-23. I suggest you come equipped with paper and pencil so you can jot down all the great tips from the experts on grounds!

Blog written by Trudi Busey.

Mystic Seaport’s Neverland

The age span of children having fun at Mystic Seaport’s playscape area sometimes surprises me. One would expect the appeal of climbing on the boats “anchored” there would be limited to the younger set – but not always.  I think of that song “I Won’t Grow Up” from the Peter Pan soundtrack. The lyrics start like this: I won’t grow up; I don’t want to go to school….

Whether pretending their playscape boat is being attacked by pirates; or that they are fishermen hauling in a net full of fish; or they are on the lookout for whales,  harpoon at the ready – it’s refreshing to see that outdoor play can once in a while  trump indoor video games. Childhood imaginations remain alive and well as boys and girls act out their own playscape adventures.

But as the carefree days of summer vacation draw to a close, it will probably get a little quieter and less raucous outside our office window. The toddlers and preschoolers will reclaim the playscape boats for themselves  until one day they, too, will grow up and have to go to school. Peter Pan’s followers shouted – “Not me! Not me! No sir! Not me!” But alas, we all do.

The sound of children at play is music to my ears and a reminder of just how sweet those childhood years are.  I hope I never grow up past the point of vicariously joining the children at Mystic Seaport’s playscape.

Blog written by Trudi Busey.

Five Questions with…Museum Carpenter Aaron Bulger

This week Aaron Bulger put down his hammer long enough to tell us a little bit about himself. Aaron is a Facilities Department carpenter, although his workday isn’t necessarily limited to plying his carpentry skills. This ex-marine comes across as friendly and self-assured and pleased to be on staff at Mystic Seaport.

1.  How long have you been employed at Mystic Seaport?
AB:  Two and a half years. Prior to coming on staff, I was building houses in the area. However, I saw the writing on the wall when all we were building was a couple of houses a year. It was time to make a change.

2.  What’s the best part of your job?
AB:  Definitely my co-workers. There’s a wealth of experience in our group electricians, plumbers, carpenters, grounds keepers, cleaners they’re all great. I really respect all the experience wrapped up in these people. It’s a learning experience working with them, and they deserve to be mentioned. (Robert Erfe, Ron Lemar, John Crane, Steve Sisk, Josh Barrett, Jack Yates, Ron Wiggins, Mr. Brown, Brian Banning.)
 
3.  What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?
AB:  Getting the most bang for our buck in maintaining 30 plus acres of buildings and grounds. It isn’t like building houses, where the builder or potential owner dictates what he or she wants, regardless of cost.

4.  What’s the funniest or most notable on-the-job experience you’ve had?
AB:  It’s not exactly an on-job experience, but during my first month on staff, I tagged along with a school group to learn more about the Mystic Seaport village buildings, etc.  At the Hoop Shop, the interpreter was a little taken off-guard by a student’s question of why belts were used to drive the machinery. The interpreter answered because gears were not invented yet! The teacher just looked a little surprised. I had to stifle a laugh.

5.  What’s your favorite thing to do outside of work?
AB: Top of the list is spending time with my two-year-old son, Ben. I’m lucky to have quite a bit of quality time with him. I’m working on my Liberal Arts degree at Three Rivers College in Norwich, but there’s always time for a little special fun with Ben, like trying our hands at painting pictures, going to the beach, etc.

 Aaron was interviewed by Trudi Busey and photographed by Dennis Murphy.

Who Doesn’t Love a Clambake?

Mystic Seaport food festival season is right around the corner. Our 2^nd Annual Wine & Food Festival kicks it all off August 14 -16, is quickly followed by our Fish & Ships Seafood Festival during Labor Day Weekend and capped off with our annual Chowderfest in mid-October. Until all that tasty goodness, here’s a classic Summer clambake recipe (currently featured in the latest issue of Mystic Seaport magazine) to whet your appetite…

 
Butter-Poached Stovetop Clambake

You don’t need to serve butter alongside. The butter (and no, the amount below isn’t a typo!) gives a velvety, buttery taste as the ingredients poach in the mixture. You can also strain and freeze the cooking liquid so you can use it again. It’s a messy meal, so have lots of napkins on hand!

• 1 ½ quarts water
• 3 cups clam juice or seafood stock
• 1 cup white wine
• 3 tablespoons sea salt
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 shallot sliced
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 2 sticks of butter
• 8 small new potatoes, washed
• 1 cup chorizo, chopped
• 4 new shell lobsters
• 4 ears of corn, husked
• 1 ½ pounds littleneck clams, scrubbed

1. In a large enameled stockpot or Dutch oven, bring water, stock and wine to a simmer.

2. Add garlic, shallot, thyme and butter. When butter is melted, add potatoes and chorizo, and return to a simmer for 5 minutes until potatoes are partially cooked.

3. Add lobsters, bring back to a boil and cook for 5–7 minutes.

4. Add corn and layer the clams on top. Return to boil and cook another 8–10 minutes or until lobsters are bright red and clams are open. Discard any clams that do not open. Serve all ingredients on a large platter and garnish with fresh herbs, lemon slices and a nice loaf of crusty bread.

Serves 4.

Jean Kerr is the author of Mystic Seafood: Great Recipes, History, and Seafaring Lore from Mystic Seaport, as well as Union Oyster House Cookbook and the forthcoming Windjammer Cooking. She is the editor of Taste of the Seacoast magazine and co-owner of Smith Kerr Associates Publishing.