I cringe when people use the expression "fake news," because I know how hard the journalists I know work to report the full, unbiased truth. But on this day — November 12, the commemoration of the signing of the Canandaigua Treaty — I was reminded that even generations ago, the "truth" can be subjective, and almost always relative. No one can know the whole story about anything or anyone. We only the know the answers to the questions we've asked. The wrongs that were done, the blood that was shed and the future that was lost could never be made right, but the 1794 Treaty took a step toward peace. I know I'll never look at George Washington the same way again —he'll be part president, part Conotocaurius, destroyer or devourer of towns. And as for Peter Jemison and the people connected with Ganondagan, my respect continues to deepen. Thank you, Grand Council of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, Colonel Timothy Pickering and early Farmington Quakers, for standing in the gap and changing the course of the future. We honor you.
My daydreams these days revolve around a fully converted, off-grid-capable camper van, an assortment of photography/computer/wifi gear, a thermos of fresh coffee, a full tank of gas and miles of open road. Sadly, I have neither the budget nor expertise to convert a van, much less launch out on a fall foliage tour of the Adirondacks, America’s breathtaking national parks or wherever that open road might take me. Instead, I watch Facebook and Instagram and travel vicariously through the images of friends and mentors. Which is why my bi-weekly day-trips to the hamlet of Mumford have been a godsend over the last two years. Without spending more than a few dollars for gas and traveling less than an hour west on Routes 5&20, I can be transported — for the better part of a day — to another world. Genesee Country Village and Museum, the third largest living museum in the United States, is a 600-acre complex boasting 68 historical buildings and an army of costumed interpreters who love loca...
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