ART | Sorting out an heirloom by Arthur Parton

This oil by Arthur Parton has been in my mother's family for 80 years or so. Though they aren't serious about it any way, shape or form, my parents have amassed a nice little collection of art that includes watercolors, oils, sculpture, pastels and prints — none all that expensive or valuable. Since my maternal grandfather's death in 1984, a nice little oil has hung in the front hall of my parents' house. He'd inherited the painting from some distant cousins in the late 1920s or early 1930s and my mother, his only daughter, kept it after she broke up his house. ...

HUNTING | The Reynolds Clan’s fall campaign begins

Brooks, Steve and Finn have begun their fall campaign. Here, they display a take of ducks. Fall is a holy time of year for the Reynolds family. Steve, Brooks and Finn — and soon, we hope, Thomas — take to the waters of the Adirondacks for bird shooting. In a recent dispatch, Steve shared the details of a spectacular duck shoot with longtime friend Chris Williamson of Jones Outfitters. The take was epic — as you can see in the gallery below: [nggallery id=129]

ARCHITECTURE | Exploring Don Hisaka

The Owen D. Young Library at St. Lawrence University. The main wing, designed by Don Hisaka, was completed in 1980. More than 30 years after it opened, the Owen D. Young Library at St. Lawrence University continues to be a polarizing building. Set amid a campus that developed in two bursts — the first between 1856 and 1915 and the second between 1925 and 1930 — the international-style, cement behemoth seems incongruous to many. Indeed, its brutalist exterior is a stark contrast to its gothic and neocolonial neighbors. Once inside, though, one can realize that architect Don Hisaka wanted the library ...

COCKTAILS | Rob Roy rallies

We had a couple of Rob Roys last night to warm ourselves from the damp chill that's been hanging over Cheever Country this week. The glasses are old Waterford coupes we scooped up at a junk shop in Hammondsport on Keuka Lake earlier this summer. Though we've made them before, it's been quite some time since we indulged in the company of the Rob Roy, the classic Scotch cocktail that is a perfect antidote to cool, damp evenings. Plus, it's made with Scotch, our house liquor. We turned to Dale DeGroff, whose recipe is simple — Scotch, Italian vermouth and Peychaud's ...

FISHING | The Reynolds explore the Salmon River

ejforbes.com Outdoor Correspondent Steve Reynolds poses with his father and a brown on Tuesday in the Salmon River near Pulaski, New York. I had a pleasant surprise just a few hours ago when Outdoor Correspondent Steve Reynolds ended a drought of correspondence about his exploits with a some photos and a note. Winter still lingers in the Adirondacks, but fishing is under way. Reynolds and his father, J.D., set out for the Salmon River in search of steelheads on Tuesday. It's an annual ritual, as we've noted before. Conditions were fantastic, Steve reports, though the river was rushing at about 750 cubic feet ...

SAILING | Braving the sound in wintry weather

Gear you'll want should you be brave enough to undertake winter sailing, as our newest correspondent, Edward Briganti, has. Edward Briganti ejforbes.com Contributing Writer If you’re a New Yorker (or live anywhere on the eastern seaboard for that matter), you know we're coming off what's proved to have been a long winter. As a lifelong sailor, however, I long ago swore off heading out on the water between October and late April unless it was in warmer climes. But after New York’s fourth major snowstorm, I was driven from my cramped, stuffy, over-heated apartment into the outdoors. I have begun “Frostbiting,” as ...

DEBATE | Baldwin and Buckley, 1965

Waiting for Mrs. F. to get home last night, I had a drink and watched Martin Scorsese’s “Public Speaking,” a documentary on noted New...

ESSAY | My Sept. 11

I wrote the following thinking I’d submit it to The Hill News, but I ultimately decided against it. My readers here may enjoy it: By Ed Forbes ’02 St....

TRAILER | “Downton Abbey,” Season 2

Hap tip to Will Briganti, who passed along this trailer for the second season of “Downton Abbey” earlier today. “Downton,” which...

UPDATE | Back in the saddle

We’re nearing the completion of the renovation of our guest bathroom, one of the many distractions that’s kept me away from regular blogging...

FRONT PAGES | The demise of Osama bin Laden

Newspapers (or at least those whose press deadlines weren’t extended to accommodate the news) across the land heralded the news in Monday’s...

FRONT PAGES | The Royal Wedding

The cover of today’s edition of The Times. So, as you might have heard, there was a little wedding at Westminster Abbey Friday. Prince William...

FRONT PAGES | Mubarak steps down

Quite obviously, I’m a few days late presenting this gallery. Still, I thought our readers might like to make sure we’ve noted the momentous...

FRONT PAGES | Mubarak may step aside

Though the situation in Egypt is considerably less clear than it was last night, major newspapers around the globe led today’s print editions with...

WHEELS | 1950 Crosley Hotshot roadster

Former New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller’s 1950 Crosley Hotshot roadster, left, on display in the Coach Barn at Kykuit. Last fall, as I wrote here,...

FRONT PAGES | State of the Union, 2011

President Obama’s State of the Union Address, in which he veered his agenda to the center of the American political spectrum, outlined a strategy...

COCKTAILS | A bouquet of Black Roses

The Black Rose, a variant of the Sazerac and the Jack Rose. I have been, and will always be, a Scotch man. But I like the Highland amber neat or on the...

COCKTAILS | Drop into the Stork Club

The Stork Club cocktail, a liquid relic of Old New York. A couple of evenings ago, deterred from going out to dinner by the arctic cold, we turned to Dale...