"You Misogynistic Fool"

FPNL Program on Northern Copperheads

On Thursday, June 7, 2018, at 7:30 pm, Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands will hold its annual meeting and program in the Education Building at Mapleton Preserve/D&R Canal State Park, 145 Mapleton Road, Kingston. After a short business meeting, Tyler Christensen will give a presentation on the Northern Copperhead Snake. The event is free. Refreshments will be served and all are welcome. For more information, visit FPNL or call 609-683-0483.

The Northern Copperhead is a reptile of surprising docility, beauty and complexity, despite its reputation for aggression and perniciousness. It is one of two venomous snakes found in New Jersey (the Timber Rattlesnake is the other), both of which are endangered in this state The presentation will highlight an ongoing radio-tracking study of Northern Copperheads taking place in the Sourlands of central New Jersey. Their astonishingly cryptic pattern and behavior render them nearly invisible among the leaf litter on the forest floor, which makes their life histories difficult to study. Radio telemetry allows individual snakes to be traced over multiple seasons, which has revealed a great deal about the state's southernmost population of these remarkable forest vipers.

Tyler Christensen manages a radio-tracking study of the Northern Copperhead through his company, Piedmont Ecological Services, LLC. Tyler is also the director of the non-profit Wild Bird Research Group, Inc., through which he coordinates bird banding research on Nearctic-Neotropical migrants during the winter months in Costa Rica and Northern Saw-whet Owl migration and winter ecology in New Jersey. He is currently a Land Steward for Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space and a board member of the Washington Crossing Audubon Society.

Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands is dedicated to the preservation and protection of the historic, horticultural and natural resources of the former Princeton Nurseries Kingston site. Their goals include promoting restoration, development and interpretation of the site for the education and enjoyment of the public. As part of this overall goal, FPNL sponsors interpretive and educational walks and talks on history, nature and horticulture-related subjects. 

Photos: Tyler Christensen

"The Roebling Legacy" — KHS Spring Program

The Kingston Historical Society will hold its spring meeting and program on Tuesday, June 5, 2018. Historian and author Clifford W. Zink will present "The Roebling Legacy" at 7:30 pm at the Kingston Firehouse.

Spanning 200 years, the story of the Roebling family and their bridge engineering and wire rope business chronicles a legacy of innovation, endurance and exceptional achievement during a time of industrial revolution and technological advancement in America's history. Through landmark achievements like the Brooklyn Bridge—the "universal symbol of New York"—and the great cables on the George Washington and Golden Gate Bridges, the Roeblings and thousands of their employees in Trenton and Roebling, NJ, helped shape modern life, built one of America's best company towns—"a model in every respect"—and created America's first sports car, the Mercer Raceabout.

The free program will take place at the Kingston Firehouse, 8 Heathcote Brook Road (just off Route 27) in Kingston, NJ. All are welcome. For more information, visit KHSNJ or call 609-683-4711.

Happy Birthday, Stevie Nicks

KHS Walking Tour of Kingston Businesses

The Kingston Historical Society will host a walking tour of Kingston businesses tomorrow, Saturday, May 19, 2018, from 2 to 4 pm. The walk will start at the Kingston Presbyterian Church parking lot, 4565 Route 27 (Main Street), Kingston, NJ. It will end at the Kingston Lock area on the D&R Canal State Park, where there will be a display on Kingston businesses and a demonstration of Paul Kayne's models of the lock and former "A" frame bridge in the Locktender's House.

The walk will be led by lifetime Kingston resident George Luck, Jr., who will discuss some of the village's past businesses, their owners and history. These businesses represent a time when Kingston was dependent on local merchants to supply everything from groceries to shoes, to meet the needs of residents, travelers and emerging businesses in the automotive era.

This tour is free and open to the public. Rides will be provided for those not wishing to walk back to the Kingston Presbyterian Church parking lot. For more information, visit KHS or contact Robert von Zumbusch at 609-683-4711 or RLV12@columbia.edu.

Kingston Greenways Earth Day Cleanup

Celebrate Earth Day by tidying up our shared roadsides, neighborhoods and public lands. Join Kingston Greenways Association for their Earth Day Cleanup on Saturday, April 21, 2018. The morning session is from 9 to 11 am. This year KGA will clean up Laurel Avenue and the vicinity of Rockingham Historic Site, from just above the village of Kingston up to Route 518. Meet at the Rockingham parking lot, 84 Laurel Avenue. The afternoon session is from 2 to 4 pm. Cleanup includes trash collection in the Mapleton Preserve, Cook Natural Area, and in areas adjacent to Mapleton Road, Division Street, Heathcote Road, Ridge Road, Greenwood Avenue and Railroad Avenue. Parking for the event is along Railroad Avenue off Ridge Road.

Grabbers, gloves, orange vests and garbage bags will be provided. Wear sturdy boots and clothing. For more information, visit the KGA website or call 609-750-1821.

Barbara Bush

Barbara Pierce Bush

1925 – 2018

"I want to be known as a wife, a mother, a grandmother. That's what I am. And I'd like to be known as someone who really cared about people and worked very, very hard to make America more literate."

Photo: David Valdez

MLK50: Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

To honor the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s death, President Barack Obama and Congressman John Lewis participated in a My Brother's Keeper Alliance roundtable with students from Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in Washington, D.C. Watch as President Obama, Congressman Lewis and the students discuss Dr. King's legacy and how his mission remains relevant in today's world.

Courtesy of The Obama Foundation 

"I've Been to the Mountaintop"

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his last speech on April 3, 1968. The next day, Dr. King was assassinated.

Sinclair, You Make No Sense

"Yeah, nothing says, 'We value independent media,' like dozens of reporters forced to repeat the same message over and over again like members of a brainwashed cult."
                                                          — John Oliver, Last Week Tonight

National Poetry Month

Poetry

I, too, dislike it.

Reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it, one discovers in

it, after all, a place for the genuine.

— Marianne Moore

The 2018 National Poetry Month poster, designed by AIGA Medal and National Design Award-winning designer Paula Scher, celebrates typography and is suggestive of concrete poetry and Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass."

Easter

Giotto di Bondone

Resurrection (Noli me tangere)
Scenes from the Life of Christ, 1304-1306
Arena Chapel, Padua, Italy

Saint Patrick's Day

Saul Church, also known as St. Patrick's Memorial Church, is in the small village of Saul in County Down, two miles outside Downpatrick, in Northern Ireland. The church was built to commemorate the 1500th anniversary of Saint Patrick's first church in Ireland. The foundation stone records that it is on the site given to Saint Patrick in AD 432.
The slideshow below displays the work of a photographer in Northern Ireland, whose beautiful photographs of Saul Church show us what Saint Patrick's Day is really all about.

Photos: Ardfern

Spring Ahead

Remember to move your clocks ahead one hour tonight. Daylight saving time begins at 2:00 am on Sunday, March 11.

International Women's Day & RBG

How fitting that today, International Women's Day, brings the release of the official trailer for the critically acclaimed documentary film RBG about our beloved, iconic and notorious Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The film, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen, was one of the highlights of  this year's Sundance Film Festival. It covers Justice Ginsburg's life and career and features interviews with her, as well as Gloria Steinem and Nina Totenberg. The film opens nationwide in select theaters on May 4 and will appear on CNN later this year.

Ladies, don't forget to do your planks.

Screening of Bending the Arc

The Pantaleo family is hosting a one-time screening of the documentary Bending the Arc on Monday, February 19, 2018, at 9:30 am. The movie will be shown at the Princeton Garden Theatre at 160 Nassau Street in Princeton. Tickets are $11.00 and can be purchased through Tugg.com, a platform that helps individuals and organizations host screenings in their local theaters. You are also invited to join a discussion and coffee afterwards across the street at the Princeton United Methodist Church. Proceeds of the screening will go to Partners In Health, a four-star charity.

Bending the Arc is a powerful documentary about the extraordinary team of doctors and activists—Paul Farmer, Jim Yong Kim, and Ophelia Dahl—whose work thirty years ago to save lives in a rural Haitian village grew into a global campaign for the right to health for all. Epic yet intimate, the film is a compelling argument for the power of collective and personal vision and will to turn the tide of history.

The New York Times called Bending the Arc "a feel-good documentary that's literally about making people feel good." Salon said it is "one of the most life-affirming, optimistic films you might see this year." Watch the trailer here.

It's Just a Joke

MLK Day of Service in the Mapleton Preserve

Join Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands on Monday, January 15, 2018, for a cleanup in the Mapleton Preserve on the National Day of Service honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. From noon to 3 pm volunteers will be clearing small trees, brush, vines and trash in the historic Mapleton Preserve. You are asked to bring any tools you may have, such as saws, clippers, loppers and rakes. Be sure to dress appropriately for the weather—work gloves, sturdy shoes, warm clothing and hats are a must. For more information, visit the FPNL website or call 609-683-0483. Mapleton Preserve/D&R Canal State Park is located at 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston. (If using a GPS, use 145 Mapleton Road, Princeton 08540 as the address.)

First Day Hike in the Mapleton Preserve

Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands invites everyone to a First Day Hike in the Mapleton Preserve on Monday, January 1, 2018, from noon until 2 pm. For anyone who made a resolution to walk more, this is a great opportunity to start the new year off on the right foot with an easy 1.5 mile loop hike through the Mapleton Preserve. (The walk may be shortened if the weather demands it.)

The walk will start at the Mapleton Preserve/D&R Canal State Park Headquarters at 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston. Hot chocolate and hot cider will be served afterward. Dress for the weather, which may include high winds, so be sure to cover your ears, neck, head and hands. The walk is free and all are welcome.  For more information, call 609-683-0483.

Photo: Crabapple row in the Mapleton Preserve by Tari Pantaleo

Christmas Postcard

Sorry Not Sorry

The president won't apologize to women so Liz Plank did it for him.

The president won't apologize to women so I did it for him. pic.twitter.com/Y4GGnWu4FU

— Liz Plank (@feministabulous) December 21, 2017

Christmas Bird Count With Kingston Greenways

Kingston Greenways Associaton will host the Kingston segment of this year's Audubon Christmas Bird Count this Sunday, December 17, 2017. The count begins at 7:30 am at the Kingston Locktender's House and goes until noon. After a break for lunch at Palace of Asia in Kingston, the count continues in the afternoon until 5 pm. Join KGA for morning, afternoon or both. Experienced birders and novices are equally welcome to participate. Dress warmly and bring binoculars if you have them. To register, call Karen Linder at 609-683-0483 or email her at karen.e.linder@gmail.com. For more information about the history of the Christmas Bird Count, visit KGA.

Photo: Savannah Sparrow by Tam Stuart 

SNL: "Come Back, Barack"

"We didn't know just what we had. Now things are looking. Like really bad, like World War bad, like nuclear bad."

Come back, Barack.

Music: De-Von-Tré (Chance the Rapper, Kenan Thompson, Chris Redd)

Thanksgiving Day Walk in the Mapleton Preserve

Join Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands for their annual Thanksgiving Day Nature Walk in the Mapleton Preserve on Thursday, November 23, 2017, at 10 am. The program will begin at the main office for the D&R Canal State Park, 145 Mapleton Road, Kingston. Come work up a Thanksgiving appetite while searching for signs of what our local wildlife is having for dinner. Learn about the Osage orange (photo above) and enjoy the abundance and subtle beauty of late fall.

This walk is free and all are welcome, but preregistration is requested. Please call 609-683-0483 to reserve a spot. For more information, visit the FPNL website.

Photo: Laura Hawkins

Fall Back

Remember to move your clocks back one hour tonight. Daylight saving time ends at 2:00 am on Sunday, November 6.

KGA Fall Foliage Walk

Kingston Greenways Association and Kingston Historical Society will host "A Walk Through Kingston's Railroad History" on Sunday, October 22, 2017, at 2 pm. This leisurely fall foliage walk will be led by railroad historian John Kilbride. After 34 years with Amtrak, John is now the moderator of the Camden & Amboy Railroad Historians and Railroads of Trenton Facebook groups.

The walk will start at the Mapleton Preserve/D&R Canal State Park headquarters building at 145 Mapleton Road, Kingston, and will end at the Kingston Locktender's House. The Locktender's House will be open to participants, where there will be a small exhibit on the "Railroads of Kingston" as well as Paul Kayne's study models of Kingston lock and the "A" frame bridge (once at Kingston). For more information, visit KGA.

This event is free. All are welcome, but RSVPs are appreciated to ensure a sufficient number of handouts. If you plan to attend, please email tari@kingstongreenways.org using "RR Walk" as the subject.

Photo: John Kilbride on the Rail Trail, Kingston

National Public Lands Day at Mapleton Preserve

Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands and Kingston Greenways Association will host the annual National Public Lands Day work session in the Mapleton Preserve on Saturday, September 30, 2017, from 2 to 4 pm. National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands Americans enjoy. FPNL and KGA invite the public to play a part and contribute to the restoration of the Mapleton Preserve, the former home of Princeton Nurseries and a significant historical site in Central New Jersey.

FPNL's focus this year is clearing brush, vines, invasive saplings and shrubs, and collecting litter. Volunteers are asked to bring their own loppers, pruning shears, saws, rakes and shovels. Sturdy shoes, work gloves, long pants, long-sleeved shirts and hats are also recommended.

The entrance to the Mapleton Preserve/D&R Canal State Park is at 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston. For more information, visit the FPNL website or call 609-683-0483.

Still No Information

Yesterday a longtime resident of Parcel 1 posted a comment about the questions we've raised regarding the Parcel 1 litigation. She is concerned about the lack of information on its current status. Here's what she said:

OK, I think it is time for somebody to question the management and request information on Parcel One's ongoing problems for 20 years.
How can we all get together and demand answers?
We pay what we have to pay, we get Nothing.
We live in miserable conditions.
Just stop by Parcel 1 and you will see.
And yes I will not be anonymous. I am proud to stand and voice what is not right!
Nevena Chernev

It is inexcusable and frustrating that the Princeton Landing Board of Directors and FirstService Residential have failed to keep everyone informed about this. They should make a thorough report to the community about what is going on.

Shikantaza at South Brunswick Jazz Café

Shikantaza (left to right): Bernhard Geiger, Doug Miller, Brandon Lewin.

The musical trio Shikantaza—Doug Miller on piano, Bernhard Geiger on acoustic bass, Brandon Lewin on percussion—will perform with featured vocalists Tanya Saunders and Ron Orlando at the South Brunswick Jazz Café on Friday, September 8, 2017, at 8 pm. The evening will also include special guest performances by Laticia Lewis (violin), Phillip Geiger (cello) and Barbara Saunders (vocals). Shikantaza explores the jazz canon and songs from "The Great American Songbook." They make familiar works uniquely their own, as well as offering original compositions developed improvisationally. Their music draws inspiration from many genres. The word shikantaza, translated literally as just sitting, refers to a form of Japanese Zen Buddhist meditation. To read more about Shikantaza and to listen their music, click here.

The South Brunswick Jazz Café is located at the Herb Eckert Auditorium in the Senior Center, South Brunswick Municipal Complex, 540 Route 522 in Monmouth Junction. Admission is $6 at the door. Doors open at 7:30 pm. This performance is a BYOB event. For more information, call 732-329-4000, ext. 7635, or click here.

Other Homeowners Ask for Information

My opinion piece about the Parcel 1 "Litigation Fee" and remediation work, below, was originally posted more than a month ago. Over the last month, people have expressed concern about the Board's and the management company's lack of transparency and communication with homeowners, some commenting on the post. Still no word from the Board of Directors. It's also worth noting that two members of the Board, Bill Hart and Mary Ryan, live in Parcel 1.

This problem is costing homeowners throughout the community money and limiting their ability to sell or refinance their property. This is a serious issue and requires the Board's immediate response. Parcel 1 homeowners need answers.

Information Please

Parcel 1 homeowners deserve an explanation from the Princeton Landing Board of Directors. Throughout 2015 and 2016, homeowners in Parcel 1 were required by the Association to pay a quarterly "Litigation Fee" in addition to their monthly maintenance. Homeowners were notified that lawyers had been hired to go after contractors who left substantial damage during a previous attempt at remediation. Numerous times the homeowners were told the lawyers representing the parcel were working on contingency. Homeowners were eventually informed that three settlements for large amounts of money were made. During all this time, homeowners were never given any clear explanation of what their fees were used for, nor has there been any accounting of how much has been spent so far or how much is left. There has not been any mention of a schedule for the remediation work to begin. This lack of communication is unfair to homeowners and shows this Board of Directors in a very poor light. Parcel 1 homeowners deserve to know what is happening.