By Dom Cioffi During the recess after my freshman year of college, several of my friends and I decided to head to Cape Cod to work for the summer. The idea was to rent a beach house for three months, get mundane jobs that catered to the tourist crowd and party as much as possible.…

THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON By Dom Cioffi Sitting directly on the border between North and South Carolina is an amusement park called Carowinds. It has all the usual trappings of a modern-day theme park with fun activities, incredibly over-priced food, and a host of rides for every level of thrill seeker.  Up until this…

Submitted James Lee Stanley I had never met James Lee Stanley nor seen him perform prior to interviewing him, but the conversation was like talking to an old friend. He is a very personable man with quick wit and vast musical knowledge. These traits will certainly translate into a great show at the Norman Williams…

I took a field trip last week to the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston to see the famed Samuel Adams brewery. I was in the city anyway, and it felt like an important beer-lover’s pilgrimage that I ought to make once in my life, in order to pay tribute to New England craft brewing’s wellspring:…

Vernal pools: Hatch, grow and get out By Barbara Mackay Three things happened this week: bluebirds and tree swallows returned, my road was graded, and the red maple buds popped. It’s time to search for vernal pools. Vernal pools are small areas of wetland that form in the spring and dry up during the summer.…

Fish go with the flow By Tim Traver There are times when fish appear telepathic. Consider the uncanny way a school of bait fish moves as one to avoid a predator, or the way goldfish in their lighted bowl turn towards the glass when someone walks into the dark room. Researchers often describe this ability…

Before you head to the multiplex to witness what many expect to be the summer’s biggest blockbuster—“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” which comes out on May 1—you may want to ask yourself one question: what, exactly, are Marvel’s “Avengers” avenging? The answer: nothing. They’re not avenging anything or anyone. Nothing about the Avengers’ formation or behavior…

Are you thinking that the ski season is ending and you don’t want to leave Vermont? Then don’t, if there is a way around it! For some people life in Vermont compared to a big city just can’t be overlooked. Since my husband, Peter Shaw, was recently reflecting on the path his life took when…

By Dom Cioffi It was an inexpensive, under-sized, tobacco sunburst acoustic guitar whose brand name is now long lost to memory. In essence, it was an incredibly forgettable conglomeration of wood and wire… but it was the catalyst for a lifelong obsession. The guitar was a hand-me-down from my mother who took at stab at…

By Dom Cioffi My son had a group of friends over this past weekend and as expected with any large gathering of boys, several arguments inevitably broke out.  I spoke with the “dad voice” on a couple occasions to try to contain things, but it only worked for short periods of time. Eventually tempers would…

Tasty teas (and more) from trees: black and yellow birch By Russ Cohen Scratch and then sniff a black or yellow birch twig, and the pleasant aroma will likely put a smile on your face. What you are smelling is oil of wintergreen (methyl salicylate). This chemical compound is present in the inner bark of…

What exactly is the state of sushi in American culture? Once the most cutting-edge, exotic style of foreign cuisine to reach American shores, it now sits humbly within mass-produced plastic trays at virtually every large supermarket in America. Today, “California Rolls” are about as edgy as “Pumpkin Spice Lattes,” but presumably there will forever be…

By Anthony Cotter WEST RUTLAND — Just past the Carving Studio’s main building in West Rutland  majestic sculpures lie among pieces of discarded marble and old machinery. Some were polished pieces with price tags, others were in various stages of completion. The Carving Studio and the nearby Vermont Marble Museum, which will open for its…

By Dom Cioffi Many years ago, just prior to my wedding day, I engaged in a ceremonial act that I assumed would bring closure to the preceding chapters of my life. The ceremony was of my own creation – a spur-of-the-moment act that was done initially to lighten the load of an impending residential move.…

This Saturday, April 18, do not miss the first annual Dazed and Defrosted concert outside the Umbrella Bars at Killington Resort featuring Max Creek, who are celebrating their 44th year in the music business. I first saw Creek in 1985 at Trinity College and I’ve been a fan ever since. Mark Mercier plays keyboard and…