Death Announced of George Moore, Lyme Land Trust Director Emeritus

George Moore

LYME — The death of Lyme Land Trust Director Emeritus George Moore has been announced by Lyme Land Trust Executive Director Kristina White.

In an email sent March 25 to Lyme Land Trust members and friends, White states with “deep regret” that Mr. Moore, “… passed away recently.”

She notes, “He leaves behind his wife, Rosemary, two sons, John and Chris, daughter Joanna and their families. George and Rosemary were planning to move shortly to Chester Village, and Rosemary is living there now.”

Commenting that, “George’s love of Lyme and its people will always be remembered. He gave his time to something he deeply believed in and dedicated his last 17 years to making the Land Trust what it is today.”

White gives a history of Mr. Moore’s involvement in the Lyme Land Trust, explaining, “He was elected to the Land Trust Board as a volunteer Director in 2003. In 2007, he was elected Board President, and in 2013 the Board appointed him as its first Executive Director. Through his vision and effective management, George has helped transform the Lyme Land Trust into one of the most active and successful in the state.”

She says, “Among his many accomplishments – in addition to the day-to-day management of the Land Trust – are:

  • building the Land Trust’s membership to comprise half the households in Lyme; assisting in acquiring numerous preserves, including Chestnut Hill, Walbridge Woodlands, Banningwood and Brockway-Hawthorne;
  • assisting with securing the coveted national accreditation from the Land Trust Alliance;
  • initiating the President’s Circle, composed of the Land Trust’s most generous supporters;
  • arranging for the production of the PBS film on the Land Trust and conservation in Lyme, as well as its sequel, The Rest of the Story (both of which can be viewed at lymelandtrust.org);
  • organizing and managing our highly successful annual fundraiser, a regionally recognized, fun and scenic biking event for all ages and abilities: the Tour de Lyme.”

White concludes, “In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the Land Trust, the Board elected George as its first Director Emeritus and named a nine-mile loop in four Preserves, The George and Rosemary Moore Trail, Rosemary having been a great help to George in all of his Land Trust activities.”

There will be a private family service held at a future date.

To send condolences: Rosemary Moore, Chester Village West, Chester, CT 06412.

Old Lyme Basketball Girls Fall to East Hampton in Shoreline Semifinal

EAST HAMPTON — Don Bugbee’s girls put up a valiant fight against unbeaten East Hampton (14-0) in Wednesday’s Shoreline League Conference (SLC) Tournament semifinal, but ultimately could not get past the top-seeded Bellringers to achieve a win.

The final score was 40-33 in East Hampton’s favor. The Bellringers now face #2 seeds Morgan in the Championship game this evening at 5 p.m.

Old Lyme ended the season with a commendable 10-4 record.

In her final game, senior Emily DeRoehn had 10 points and eight rebounds.

After the game, Bugbee commented, “Although we were disappointed that we were unable to get the win and advance to the SLC league Championship game, our season was very successful overall. We were all fortunate that we were even able to get an abbreviated season in during a pandemic.”

He concluded on a positive note, saying, “Surely, there is a lot to be thankful for.”

A la Carte: Crepes Cake is Beyond Delicious

Lee White

I guess I thought, once I had had my second dose of COVID vaccine, plus waited the two-plus week to make sure I was safe from the infection and to be around people, but still safely masked most of the time, friends old or older than I could go out to dinner, in a restaurant.

I was wrong. Nobody wanted to go out and play.

I am still reading two to three books a week, watching too much television, finishing Sunday’s New York Times often by Monday night and still tired of my own food. Both UConn basketball teams have made the NCAA brackets (the men by a hair’s breadth, the women one of four in the highest bracket), but there is no college basketball this week.

I called my friend Nancy Trimble and she said there is America’s Cup sailing from New Zealand but says I don’t stay awake long enough to watch it. She is right, but I can DVR the finals and I have NBCSN. 

But am I that bored? Yup.

While a friend of mine once said watching sailing is like watching paint dry, Nancy promised me it isn’t these days. Is it multihulls? I asked. To me, that is not sailing. She said these are single-hulled boats and each of the finals last around 25 minutes. She is right. These boats are fast, we can watch it from four different angles (three different cameras and one digitized), it is exciting and, for a woman of any age, the men are gorgeous.

The boats are, too. 

I still am reading a lot, writing a lot, watching too much television (my latest is the Morning Show, on Apple TV) and still a bit tired of my own cooking. But I haven’t made crepes in years and they freeze easily, layered with piece of waxed paper.

They are great for savory or sweet leftovers and I love a crepes cake. You can layer the crepes with chopped walnuts, maple syrup, bitter or sweet jam or even orange butter. I made the crepes in under half an hour and had them in the freezer in no time.

They are so delicious. Your first or second crepe might not look good. On the other hand, they taste delicious. Eat them. Your new ones will be gorgeous. 

Grand Marnier Crepe Cake

From Gourmet magazine, March, 2008
Yield: at least 24 to 40 crepes, depending on size of pan

6 eggs
1 cup of whole milk (2 percent is fine)
3 cups chilled heavy cream, divided1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, divided
2 teaspoons grated orange zest, divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or Cointreau

Blend eggs, milk, one-half cup cream and one-half teaspoon vanilla with flour, salt, one-quarter confectioners’ sugar and 1 teaspoon zest in a blender until just smooth.

Brush a 10-inch nonstick skillet lightly with some of the melted butter, then heat over medium-high heat until hot. Pour in a scant one-quarter cup of batter, immediately tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom. (If batter sets before skillet is coated, reduce heat slightly for next crepe.)

Cook until underside is golden and top is just set, 15 to 45 seconds. Loosen edge of crepe with a heatproof rubber spatula (I used my finger nails), then flip crepe over with your fingertip and cook 15 seconds more. Transfer to a plate. Continue making crepes, brushing skillet with butter each or every couple of times and stacking crepes on plate.

Beat remaining 2 and one-half cup of cream, one-half teaspoon vanilla, three-quarters cup confectioners’ sugar, 1 teaspoon orange zest and Grand Marnier in a large deep bowl with an electric mixer until cream holds stiff peaks.

Center a crepe on a serving plate and spread with one-quarter cream. Continue stacking crepes and spreading with cream, endings with a crepe. Chill, covered, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Serve with fresh berries for garnish, if you like.

About the author: Lee White has been writing about restaurants and cooking since 1976 and has been extensively published in the Worcester (Mass.) Magazine, The Day, Norwich Bulletin, and Hartford Courant. She currently writes Nibbles and a cooking column called A La Carte for LymeLine.com and the Shore Publishing and the Times newspapers, both of which are owned by The Day. She was a resident of Old Lyme for many years, but now lives in Groton, Conn.

Old Lyme Planning Commission Opposes CT Bills on Affordable Housing Currently Being Considered by Legislature

OLD LYME — The following is the text of a letter being sent to various Connecticut House Representatives and State Senators by the Old Lyme Planning Commission. These include State Rep. Devin Carney (R-23rd) and State Senator Paul Formica (R-30th), both of whose Districts include Old Lyme.

Dear Legislator: 

The Old Lyme Planning Commission supports the development of Affordable Housing (AH) in the town of Old Lyme.  This has been stated in the Town’s Plan of Conservation & Development. Zoning regulations must be modified and developed to support affordable housing yet maintain the rural and historic character of the Town.

There are unidentified affordable housing units in Town which qualify as affordable but do not have deed restrictions. Prior to any new legislation being considered, it is necessary to redefine affordable housing to ascertain what already exists in each community but is not identified under the current definition. Enacting legislation without regard to what could currently be considered to be existing affordable housing is premature and unrealistic.

Currently, two bills being considered by the Connecticut legislature (SB-1024 and SB-804) are intended to promote the construction of affordable housing in all Connecticut municipalities.  The bills would eliminate local control over most accessory dwelling units and over most multi-family housing.  If adopted, these bills would limit local control to only single-family homes.  Local municipalities would have no authority to influence the affordable housing process, including the preservation of the town’s historic appearance and rural character. 

As written, the two pieces of legislation are a one-size-fits all scenario.  The character of shore-line communities are in sharp contrast to communities in the middle of the state and also to communities in the northeast and northwest corner of the state.  Anyone making decisions concerning affordable housing that does not live within the community will not demonstrate ownership toward the character of the town.  Therefore, residence will likely be left with a housing structure based on a contractor’s priorities that will not reflect the local character of the community.  

The timing of the bills is suspect.  Available information indicates that the bills were drafted in January but not released until recently.  This appears to be an attempt to push a bill through legislation while “while under the radar.”  This commission considers this to be a disingenuous attempt by some in the legislature.  

It should also be noted that the Chairman of the Planning Commission is also a member of an Affordable Housing Task Force that has provided guidelines to the Selectman’s office for the creation of an Affordable Housing Commission that will facilitate the development of affordable housing on currently available property and the development of additional housing where feasible. 

The Old Lyme Planning Commission opposes bills SB-1024 and SB-804 in their current form. The Old Lyme Planning Commission is of the opinion that local review of any new construction is paramount to maintaining the character of the local community. 

Sincerely,

Town of Old Lyme Planning Commission,
Old Lyme.

Old Lyme Boys Win Shoreline South Indoor Track Championship, Girls Take Second

Sophomore Jacob Rand tied for second place in the high jump in Saturday’s Indoor Track Shoreline Championship. All photos by David Walker.

OLD LYME — Competing in what was effectively their Shoreline Championship this past Saturday, the Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) Indoor Track teams achieved commendable results with the boys’ team coming in first and the girls taking second.

Due to COVID precautions, the meet had a very different look from usual. To reduce the number of competitors at any time, the traditional All-Shoreline meet was divided into two separate events with one being held for Northern Shoreline schools and the other featuring Southern Shoreline schools.
Old Lyme hosted the Southern meet in which six teams participated, namely Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Valley, Hale Ray, and Morgan.

Senior Aidan Powers, who was one of the boys’ captains, gets the team pumped up in a pre-meet huddle. Powers also placed first place in the 600 meters and was part of the winning 4×200 relay.

There were three different meet slots to further reduce the number of people on the track so from 9 to 11 a.m., Westbrook competed against Valley; from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Old Lyme and Morgan faced off; and from 1 to 3 p.m., Old Saybrook and Hale Ray took their turn.
At the end of the day, the results were compiled and winners announced.
Old Lyme had 13 first-place finishers, which also garnered each winning student the accolade of “First Team All-Shoreline.”

Senior Paige Kolesnik won the shotput and was also part of the winning sprint medley relay team.

The first-place winners were:
  • the girls’ sprint medley relay team of Bianca DaSilva, Paige Kolesnik, Alyssa Spooner, and Kelly Walsh
  • the girls’ 4 x 400 relay team of Alyssa Spooner, Gretchen Burgess, Hannah Britt, and Lyla Powers
  • the boys’ 4 x 200 relay team of Ashton Gratton, Nevin Joshy, Jesper Silberberg, and Aidan Powers
  • Paige Kolesnik in the girls’ shotput
  • Jesper Silberberg in the 55-meter dash
  • Aidan Powers in the 600 meters
  • Drew St. Louis in the pole vault and long jump
  • Harry Whitten in the shotput.
A number of other runners, jumpers and throwers also achieved significant success.
Asked his thoughts on both the results and the season in general, first-year coach Nick Walker (LOLHS Class of 2012) commented, “I couldn’t be prouder of our athletes. They have dealt with so much adversity this year: having normal high school landmarks canceled, being unable to hang out with friends, having to keep distance from one another, quarantining and missing weeks of school and sports at a moment’s notice … the list goes on.”

The boys’ and girls’ teams gather for a photo to celebrate their respective results.

He noted that although the season technically should have started in late November, “That was when we were going through that massive COVID-19 spike and so all winter sports were postponed.” Walker added, “It seemed unlikely at that point that we’d ever be able to have a season, but we were able to finally start in late January while taking lots of precautions.”
Noting that even when training started in January, the idea that the team would ever have any competitive meets seemed unlikely, Walker said, “These kids have had to be so patient, so willing to face whatever happens with equanimity.”
He continued, “Yet from the start of the season I was blown away by their work ethic and good cheer during a season that could have also been seen as a let-down and full of limitations. They were out there practicing on windy days in the mid-20s, bundled up as they were running track repeats and freezing their hands off throwing the shotput.”
“To come from such a situation to now having competitive competitions and placing so well at our final meet,” Walker said, noting, “I feel very glad for them. I think it goes to show the strength of their commitment to the team and sport, and also the lightness and playfulness of their spirit that they could enjoy what this season had to offer while pushing themselves to improve and learn more.”
Walker explained that many athletes tried out new events for the first time, such as the long jump, hurdles, pole vault, and high jump, and ultimately ended up placing in the tournament and contributing key points for the team.

Senior and a girls’ team captain Bianca DaSilva runs the 200-meter leg of the winning sprint medley relay team.

He also shared that he felt senior class also played, “A huge role in our successful season: first off by contributing so much hard work and athleticism in their events, but even more so by the positive and welcoming and fun atmosphere they helped foster on the team. They will certainly be very missed come next year.”
Pointing out that he looked forward to welcoming most of them back to Outdoor Track this spring, he noted, “We will lose some very strong runners and throwers to other spring sports.”
Walker concluded positively, “Overall, it’s been a real joy to coach these athletes alongside my co-coaches Alyssa Mercaldi and Garreck Seales. We’ve been continually impressed by this group of kids and are so glad for them that they have this fantastic performance to celebrate.”