| Fashion News Idaho |
December 20, 2007
Behind That Merry Sweater: Some Holly, Jolly R & D
By ERIC WILSON
AND the cat came back, but it was not the very next day. It was not even the next year, because that would have been tacky.
But enough time has gone by that Kathy McConnell, the senior vice president of product development at Coldwater Creek, the women’s fashion
chain of unpretentious, professional-looking clothes, felt it was safe this year to invite the cat back.
In fact, she invited several of them, as the central characters who pounce and lounge and play with string on several of the company’s annual
holiday sweater designs. The most popular so far has been its “kitty cardigan” ($89.50), which depicts — in ramie, acrylic, nylon, angora, wool,
rayon and sparkly Lurex threads — a tower of cats, one of which has a red string tied around its tail, as if to remind us of something.
It may be this: Sometimes, in our hoity-toity haste to malign a tradition that is seen as perfectly normal in just about every part of the country
west of the Hudson River, we forget the true meaning of Christmas — and, while we’re at it, the true meaning of Christmas sweaters. We may not
remember that there are real, sophisticated people coming up with ideas for these things at companies like Coldwater Creek, Talbots, Marisa
Christina, Quacker Factory and Berek every year, not some committee of demented elves pulling subjects at random from Santa’s bag of tricks — i.
e., ice-skating penguins, fiber-optic candy canes, halls-decking bunnies and so on.
And we may not consider that there is an art, if not a science, behind the intarsia.
“I truly believe that when you walk into a store and see a holiday sweater on display, it should make you smile,” said Ms. McConnell, who
oversees a team of about 30 designers and the development of about 3,000 styles sold through more than 300 Coldwater Creek stores across the
country, in addition to its catalog and online divisions.
Holiday sweaters represent only a fraction of the company’s $1.2 billion in annual sales, about 60 styles altogether, but the new designs are an
important reason why customers keep coming back to its stores each year.
Ms. McConnell has a very clear image of her customer.
“We always think of her while we come up with concepts,” Ms. McConnell said. “We always want to give her some snow-inspired themes. We
always do well with a cat, but we never want to repeat too much or too often. One year, we may have a snowflake, or one year a wintry tree.”
A year ago, she sat down at the company’s headquarters in Sandpoint, Idaho, wedged between the Selkirk and Cabinet Mountains, with Heather
Amorebieta, the senior product developer for sweaters and outerwear, to discuss the ideas that would become this season’s holiday sweaters.
These included designs with snowmen, snowflakes, snow swirls, reindeer in snow, birds in berry branches and, of course, several nattily patterned
felines.
Cats, as a rule, do well as a subject of holiday sweaters, especially when playing with a ball of string. Cats are nondenominational. Most people,
with the exception of dog people, think cats are cute. And fewer are allergic to cat sweaters than to cats.
Then there are birds. Birds, as a category, are evergreen, perhaps because they are inherently more varied as a species. This year’s birds are
chickadees, which are cheerful and sociable birds, and also small, so more of them can fit onto a sweater.
“It’s an almost American kind of bird,” Ms. McConnell said. “And it covers both the East Coast and the West Coast. We try not to use designs
that have too limited an appeal.”
It can be difficult to think holiday according to the company’s production timeline, but Ms. McConnell, a native of Lewiston, Idaho, who has
worked at Coldwater Creek for 15 years, was hard-pressed to think of any that were the knitted version of the fruitcake.
THE most important thing to remember is to be surprising and new, which is not so easy in a fashion niche with a limited field of stock characters.
Holly wreaths are over. Mistletoe is so last year.
Still, inspiration can spring from anywhere, as it did with the elaborate scrollwork used as trim on several sweater designs this season. That came
from the ironwork on an ancient cathedral in Milan. Other ideas have come from old blankets or antique rugs from Peru or far off in Asia.
“We travel the world like everybody else to look for new inspiration all the time,” she said. “That’s the key, knowing where to look and to
recognize it when you see it. Whether the inspiration comes off of a paper napkin or a wallpaper you saw at a flea market or a handmade plush
animal, it should be something that gives you a little reason to smile.”
There are other rules. Most of the sweaters at Coldwater Creek do not speak to a specific holiday, like Christmas, but are more generically
seasonal. This way, the designs are more inclusive of different faiths (apart from a few that show trees decorated with tinsel, described online as
“festive”).
And they can be worn well beyond the season’s usual expiration date of Dec. 25.
They should be both denim-friendly and spiffy enough to be worn over black velvet pants for a holiday party. They should be conscious of
volatile weather patterns and overheated rooms, which is why there are so many more cardigan styles than crew necks.
And, as Ms. McConnell said, they should make you smile.
Grandjean, Idaho: A different vacation spot
Sawtooth Mountains offer a great getaway adventure.
MARTINSBURG — If you are looking for something different to do on vacation, consider Idaho. Having flown over it many times, we
decided that the time had come to see it from the ground.
Idaho is a beautiful and diverse state with soaring craggy mountains, rushing trout streams, desolate volcanic areas, grassy plains,
desert land, lush Alpine meadows and, of course, fields of potatoes.
On this trip my husband and I concentrated on the area around the Sawtooth Mountains. We found a place tucked into a valley on the
western side of the Sawtooths. It is appropriately called Sawtooth Lodge. It would not appeal to everyone but if you enjoy absolutely
getting away from everything, hiking, good food, fresh air and sunshine, then you might enjoy the Lodge.
Its official location is Grandjean, Idaho. You may see the name on the map, but you will never find a village, town, post office or even a
tiny general store in Grandjean. There is a small marker with the name and that’s it. The best we could come up with is that
Grandjean is an area and not a definite spot.
Grandjean started in the early 1880s with a trapper named Emil Grandjean. He eventually became the Forest Supervisor of the Boise
National Forest in the early 20th century. In the remnants of a Forest Service station, a colorful lady named Babe Hansen who was a
guide and packer opened the Sawtooth Lodge in 1927.
The original lodge is still in use and serves as the lobby and kitchen for the current lodge. A small restaurant area has been added to
the back of the original structure and serves as the focal point for guests at the Lodge.
Accommodations are rustic and some of the cabins date back to the early Forest Service days. If you choose to go rustic, you will find
yourself in a one-room log cabin with a wood-burning cook stove to provide heat during the chill mountain nights. Be forewarned that if
you choose rustic, you will also find yourself in a cabin without plumbing and all the amenities that go with plumbing.
The rustic cabins are furnished in a minimal fashion. There’s a peg for hanging a few clothes, a towel bar, a washbasin, a bucket for
bringing in water, a table and two chairs. The bed is piled with quilts and comforters that will keep you toasty warm during the night.
Temperatures, even in midsummer, can drop into the 30s and 40s.
For the less adventuresome, they have modern cabins that will accommodate four people and they have plumbing. They are still rustic
but I thought without the charms of the little one-room cabins. Most of the cabins have covered front porches where you can relax in the
evening and watch the sun setting over the craggy peaks of the Sawtooths. There is something very soothing about sitting in the dusk
watching the chipmunks (there are thousands in the area) scurrying around while the chill of the night descends on the valley.
We chose the rustic cabin and it was quite an experience. We were fortunate to be there during a full moon. At night we would leave the
cabin door open so that we could watch the moon pass over the jagged teeth of the mountains. An extra quilt compensated for the cold
air flooding through the open door.
The Lodge sits at a major trailhead for access into the Sawtooths and that seems to be its primary attraction. Hundreds of miles of trails
are accessible from the Lodge area. I must warn you that all of the trails seemed to be vertical. If you intend to do any hiking, it is
critical that you go equipped with canteens and proper hiking gear. If you forget any equipment, the nearest store is miles and miles
away.
The trails are well maintained by National Forest personnel but you are in a real wilderness. I talked with several people who had
spent a good bit of time in the mountains. Apparently it’s not uncommon to find yourself sharing the trail with bears as well as less
scary wildlife.
If you have the time and plan ahead, there is an outfitter located there. They will take you by horseback up into the high country where
you will find Alpine meadows and glacial lakes in abundance. Their services range from day trips to overnight trips of any duration. If
you want, they will pack you and your gear in and come back at a later time and pack you out again.Or they will provide all of the gear
and a guide who will stay with you to do the cooking, etc.
Wildlife in the area includes mule deer, Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk, black bears and coyotes to name a few of the larger
animals. In the rivers and streams, anglers will delight in catching steelhead, chinook, brook trout, rainbow trout and sockeye salmon
depending on the season and local regulations. The outfitters stay busy with fishermen/women and hunters who enjoy the offerings of
the Sawtooths.
We did have a strange experience one day as we were driving around the area doing some sightseeing. We saw two men emerge from
the frigid water in wet suits and wearing snorkels and masks. They were college students who were spending their summer snorkeling
the banks of the river counting fish. Seeing two fellows in wet suits in the wilds of Idaho was quite a shock.
It was a simple matter to combine our stay at the Sawtooth Lodge with a trip around the eastern side of the mountains. There the living
is a bit less primitive and the scenery just as beautiful. A vacation in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho proved very pleasurable indeed.
Leading Professional Photographer and Contest Judge Selects Grand Prize Winner and Twenty Favorites Now Posted on Tamron’s On-
Line Gallery
December 17, 2007, Commack, NY—The overwhelming majority of great photographs, especially those including people, has one thing
in common—they effectively capture, express, and convey human emotions. In other words, photographs that are judged to be the best
are almost always those that evoke a strong emotional response in the viewer. Bearing that simple but profound concept in mind,
Tamron, acclaimed for manufacturing innovative lenses of superlative quality, created an entirely new kind of photo contest, An
Emotional Appeal that debuted in 2006. Instead of basing it on the usual range of specific subject categories, we asked all entrants to
submit pictures that best express the universal theme of human emotion and emotional interaction.
The rules were equally broad—the pictures submitted didn’t even have to be taken with a Tamron lens. “The response to last year’s
contest surpassed even our high expectations, and we’re pleased to say that we received well over 1,000 entries this year as well,” stated
Stacie Errera, Chief Marketing Officer for Tamron. The lucky Grand Prize winner will receive a superb Tamron AF18-250mm all-in-
one zoom lens that is bound to expand his pictorial—and emotional—horizons considerably. The winner and twenty selected favorites
can be viewed at http://www.tamron.com/galleries/PhotographerInfo.asp?id=21&cat=16&item=0 . “We extend our heartfelt
congratulations to all those whose pictures were selected for posting, our sincere thanks to all who participated, and our deep gratitude
to Contest Judge Andre Costantini, whose experience and keen professional judgment helped us accomplish the arduous task of
selecting the winners” said Errera.
The Grand Prize Picture— “Mixed Emotions” by Lance Taylor
Lance Taylor of Ft. Meade, Maryland took this charming picture of his wife Jacqueline and 3-year old daughter Jillian at a beach near
Corolla, North Carolina. “The water was pretty frigid,” recalls Taylor “and Jillian couldn’t stand up in the waves by herself, so my wife
would pick her up and lift her up over the water as they rolled in. In this instance, she didn’t catch her in time and Jillian fell down and
got chilled as a wave rushed in. I grabbed this shot of my wife smiling broadly as she picked the baby up, but my daughter’s somewhat
pained expression shows that she was none too pleased about being dunked. For obvious reasons, my informal name for this shot is
‘mixed emotions.’” Indeed the juxtaposition of divergent expressions and emotions, as well as the tight close-up composition
emphasizing the essentials is what makes this shot a winner.
Lance Taylor, a Captain in the US Air Force, is a semi-pro photographer who hails from Austin, Texas. He shoots model portraits as a
sideline and plans to expand this creative activity going forward. “I love working with people and creating artistic images using studio
and portable lighting. Directing models is easier than working with the general public and gives me more freedom to create something
unique.” To see his model portraits, go to www.lancetaylorphotography.com.
A happy prize winner, Lance Taylor says, “I’m really looking forward to receiving the Tamron 18-250mm lens—I’ve heard very good
things about it.”
Favorites
“Home on the Ranch” by Becky Maness
Becky Maness of Victor Idaho (“a teensy farming community of 2000 on the western side of the Grand Teton Range”) captured this
iconic image of her grandparents, Ross and Phyllis Kunz, on their over-100-year-old cattle ranch in Victor. “I wanted to create
something to remember them by that also expresses their lives and their deep love for each other,” says Maness. “They’re the sweetest
people ever.” She certainly succeeded—the expressions, attire, and rough-hewn setting against weathered wood siding combine to
create nothing less than an Idaho version of American Gothic. The simple, straightforward composition and the conversion to black-and-
white enhance its timeless “old time photo” quality.
Maness captured this definitive double portrait with a Canon EOS 30D and Tamron SP 28-105mm f/2.8 LD lens using natural light,
posing the couple against an old farm building, and “zooming in to create an intimate portrait.” She’s been shooting actively since age
13 and her first Tamron lens was a 28-70mm on a Pentax TZ-20. A semi-pro who wants to expand her photographic business
opportunities, she currently works part-time as a travel agent.
“Bawling Baby Girl” by Nathan Maxfield
Nathan Maxfield of Stoneham, Massachusetts (a suburb of Boston) captured this irrepressible image of his then two-month-old
daughter Kamryn while trying to shoot a conventional infant portrait. “I arranged a fairly sophisticated lighting setup,” says Maxfield
“placing two lights on either side of the camera and a third light aimed at the background. I then asked my wife to hold the baby up
from behind, which is why she’s not visible in the picture. Obviously little Kamryn did not think too much of these proceedings because
she immediately belted out a lusty scream. At that point most fathers would have said ‘strike the set’ but I just took the picture
anyway—and I’m sure glad I did.” In the great pantheon of bawling baby pictures, this is one of the most emotional submitted, and
ironically the soft pink background complements the wee screamer perfectly.
Maxfield, a semi-pro who has been shooting seriously for about 5 years, is the co-owner of smithmaxfield.com, a photography studio in
the Boston area. He specializes in stock and commercial images as well as business and medical images for websites, and his pictures
have appeared in local magazines including North Shore Living, Stomp, a local fashion magazine, and Stuff at Night, a well-known
Boston-area entertainment magazine. Maxfield shot this classic crier with a Canon EOS 30D and Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD
Aspherical (IF) lens. “I did tons of research online before buying this lens, and it’s incredibly sharp just as they said on the forums. I
use it for magazine work and also to cover the Massachusetts and Vermont Pageants for the Miss USA Contest.”
The Tamron “An Emotional Appeal” 2008 Photo Contest deadline is 11/30/08
Tamron USA, Inc. just announced the “An Emotional Appeal” 2008 Photo Contest and is looking for images from scrapbook and photo
enthusiasts that convey a variety of human emotions—happy, sad, tired, mad, or any other. The contest winner will receive a Tamron
AF28-300mm VC zoom lens with Vibration Compensation designed for all of today's popular Canon and Nikon digital SLR cameras (a
$600 street value). The winner and 20 favorites will be featured in Tamron’s online photo gallery.
A bonus for anyone who downloads the contest entry form is advice from professional photographer Andre Costantini, who has run
workshops designed for scrapbookers at several scrapbook stores and regularly lectures on portrait photography around the country.
Costantini provides 10 Photo Tips for Better People Photography that are sure to help photographers of any level make better pictures.
The contest rules and entry form, as well as Andre Costantini’s photo tips, can be downloaded by logging onto http://www.tamron.
com/lenses/scrapbook.asp
About Tamron
Tamron is a leading manufacturer of lenses for photographic, industrial, laboratory, video, digital and scientific applications. Among its
many optical and mechanical innovations since the start of the company in 1950, Tamron's development of mass produced hybrid
aspherical elements in 1992 paved the way for high ratio zoom lenses. The technology was incorporated into the ground-breaking 28-
200mm and continues with the new 18-250mm developed exclusively for use on digital SLR cameras and featuring an unprecedented
13.9X zoom range.
Wine and dine the Pacific Northwest way
A gorgeous cookbook featuring the Pacific Northwest includes three local contributors
If you've got a few gastronomes - that's foodies to you and me - on your Christmas list, you're probably on the hunt for cookbooks.
Here's one that will bring a satisfying gasp of delight: "Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining," by Braiden Rex-Johnson (Wiley, $34.95)
features "the people, places, food and drink of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia," including chef Jon Mortimer of
Boise, Greg Koenig of Koenig Distillery and Winery in Caldwell and Ron Bitner of Bitner Vineyards in Caldwell.
If you want proof of the pudding - and a signed book and/or wine bottle - check out the cooking demo, wine tasting and wine bottle
signing Saturday at Easy Cookin'.
Mortimer will be on hand to cook his recipe from the cookbook, and Koenig and Bitner will be pouring wine tastings from their wines
and signing bottles. All three will be signing books.
"We've never had a conglomeration of vintners and Jon before," Nancy Fuhrman, owner of Easy Cookin' said. "We're hoping for a
crowd. And I think it's the perfect Christmas gift - it's not only a great cookbook, it's a great coffee table book, too."
Here are a couple of recipes featured in the cookbook.
WILD MUSHROOM STRUDEL
1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup minced red onion
1 pound assorted wild mushrooms, such as morel, chanterelle or porcini, stems removed and discarded, and remaining portion cleaned
1 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoons dried tarragon, crumbled
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
One 1-pound package phyllo dough
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, whisked with 1 teaspoon water
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large skillet, heat the olive and canola oils over medium-high heat and cook the onion, stirring frequently, until softened but not
browned, two minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, two minutes more. Add the red wine and tarragon and stir
well. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced and the pan is almost dry, about 20 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper and scoop the mushroom mixture onto a baking sheet to cool.
While the mushroom mixture is reducing, lay the phyllo dough on a clean, dry work surface and cut it in half lengthwise. Lay the two
dough packets on individual pieces of parchment paper and cover with clean, damp kitchen towels.
Separate the first sheet of phyllo from the first dough packet and, with a clean pastry brush, brush lightly with melted butter. Lay the
next sheet on top and brush lightly with butter. Continue this process until all the sheets from the first packet are buttered. Re-cover
the packet with the towel. Repeat with the phyllo sheets from the second packet.
Once the mushroom mixture has cooled completely, divide it evenly over the tops of the two phyllo packets, leaving about one inch
uncovered around the entire length of one of the long edges and a little exposed dough along each short end so that you can form a tight
seal.
With a clean pastry brush, brush the exposed long edge with the egg mixture.
Using the parchment as an aid, tightly roll the strudel jelly-roll fashion, beginning with the long edge with the mushroom filling
spread over it. Once rolled, press the exposed long edge into the roll tightly to affix the egg wash and form a tight seam. Press the end
pieces and seal tightly.
Use the parchment paper to transfer the strudels onto the prepared baking sheet. Place the strudels seam side down and bake for 25 to
30 minutes, or until the top of the phyllo turns golden.
Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool the strudels for 5 to 10 minutes. With a sharp serrated knife, cut each strudel into about
1-inch slices, for 10 slices per strudel. Arrange the slices on a large platter and serve as a passed appetizer or on the buffet table, or
place individual slices on small plates and serve as a first course.
IDAHO LAMB MEDALLIONS WITH PLUM BRANDY JAM
Plum Brandy Jam:
One 375-ml bottle (1 1/2 cups) Koenig Plum Brandy or other good quality plum brandy
1 pound fresh red plums, peeled, pitted and chopped
2 to 4 teaspoons sugar
Medallions:
Four 5-ounce lamb medallions (boneless loin) or 1 1/2 to 2 pounds lamb chops
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
Fresh mint sprigs for garnish
To make the plum brandy jam, heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the brandy and cook until reduced by half to cup, 4
to 6 minutes. Stir in the plums and two teaspoons of the sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the
mixture is reduced to about 1 cup and forms a jam-like consistency, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and, when slightly cooled,
taste the jam and add an additional one to two teaspoons sugar, as desired. Serve warm or transfer to a covered container and chill until
serving. Bring to room temperature or warm gently before serving.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees for the medallions.
Rub the lamb medallions with the garlic and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the
oil. When the oil is hot, add the lamb. Brown for two minutes on each side, then reduce the heat to medium or medium-low and cook to
the desired doneness, turning occasionally, eight to 10 minutes. If desired, the lamb also can be grilled.
Place a lamb medallion on each of four dinner plates, dollop with the jam and garnish with the mint sprigs.
Cook's hint: To peel plums, simmer plums in boiling water for one minute. Drain, cool and remove the peels.
Jeanne Huff: 377-6483
Behind That Merry Sweater: Some Holly, Jolly R & D
By ERIC WILSON
AND the cat came back, but it was not the very next day. It was not even the next year, because that would have been tacky.
But enough time has gone by that Kathy McConnell, the senior vice president of product development at Coldwater Creek, the women’s fashion
chain of unpretentious, professional-looking clothes, felt it was safe this year to invite the cat back.
In fact, she invited several of them, as the central characters who pounce and lounge and play with string on several of the company’s annual
holiday sweater designs. The most popular so far has been its “kitty cardigan” ($89.50), which depicts — in ramie, acrylic, nylon, angora, wool,
rayon and sparkly Lurex threads — a tower of cats, one of which has a red string tied around its tail, as if to remind us of something.
It may be this: Sometimes, in our hoity-toity haste to malign a tradition that is seen as perfectly normal in just about every part of the country
west of the Hudson River, we forget the true meaning of Christmas — and, while we’re at it, the true meaning of Christmas sweaters. We may not
remember that there are real, sophisticated people coming up with ideas for these things at companies like Coldwater Creek, Talbots, Marisa
Christina, Quacker Factory and Berek every year, not some committee of demented elves pulling subjects at random from Santa’s bag of tricks — i.
e., ice-skating penguins, fiber-optic candy canes, halls-decking bunnies and so on.
And we may not consider that there is an art, if not a science, behind the intarsia.
“I truly believe that when you walk into a store and see a holiday sweater on display, it should make you smile,” said Ms. McConnell, who
oversees a team of about 30 designers and the development of about 3,000 styles sold through more than 300 Coldwater Creek stores across the
country, in addition to its catalog and online divisions.
Holiday sweaters represent only a fraction of the company’s $1.2 billion in annual sales, about 60 styles altogether, but the new designs are an
important reason why customers keep coming back to its stores each year.
Ms. McConnell has a very clear image of her customer.
“We always think of her while we come up with concepts,” Ms. McConnell said. “We always want to give her some snow-inspired themes. We
always do well with a cat, but we never want to repeat too much or too often. One year, we may have a snowflake, or one year a wintry tree.”
A year ago, she sat down at the company’s headquarters in Sandpoint, Idaho, wedged between the Selkirk and Cabinet Mountains, with Heather
Amorebieta, the senior product developer for sweaters and outerwear, to discuss the ideas that would become this season’s holiday sweaters.
These included designs with snowmen, snowflakes, snow swirls, reindeer in snow, birds in berry branches and, of course, several nattily patterned
felines.
Cats, as a rule, do well as a subject of holiday sweaters, especially when playing with a ball of string. Cats are nondenominational. Most people,
with the exception of dog people, think cats are cute. And fewer are allergic to cat sweaters than to cats.
Then there are birds. Birds, as a category, are evergreen, perhaps because they are inherently more varied as a species. This year’s birds are
chickadees, which are cheerful and sociable birds, and also small, so more of them can fit onto a sweater.
“It’s an almost American kind of bird,” Ms. McConnell said. “And it covers both the East Coast and the West Coast. We try not to use designs
that have too limited an appeal.”
It can be difficult to think holiday according to the company’s production timeline, but Ms. McConnell, a native of Lewiston, Idaho, who has
worked at Coldwater Creek for 15 years, was hard-pressed to think of any that were the knitted version of the fruitcake.
THE most important thing to remember is to be surprising and new, which is not so easy in a fashion niche with a limited field of stock characters.
Holly wreaths are over. Mistletoe is so last year.
Still, inspiration can spring from anywhere, as it did with the elaborate scrollwork used as trim on several sweater designs this season. That came
from the ironwork on an ancient cathedral in Milan. Other ideas have come from old blankets or antique rugs from Peru or far off in Asia.
“We travel the world like everybody else to look for new inspiration all the time,” she said. “That’s the key, knowing where to look and to
recognize it when you see it. Whether the inspiration comes off of a paper napkin or a wallpaper you saw at a flea market or a handmade plush
animal, it should be something that gives you a little reason to smile.”
There are other rules. Most of the sweaters at Coldwater Creek do not speak to a specific holiday, like Christmas, but are more generically
seasonal. This way, the designs are more inclusive of different faiths (apart from a few that show trees decorated with tinsel, described online as
“festive”).
And they can be worn well beyond the season’s usual expiration date of Dec. 25.
They should be both denim-friendly and spiffy enough to be worn over black velvet pants for a holiday party. They should be conscious of
volatile weather patterns and overheated rooms, which is why there are so many more cardigan styles than crew necks.
And, as Ms. McConnell said, they should make you smile.
Grandjean, Idaho: A different vacation spot
Sawtooth Mountains offer a great getaway adventure.
MARTINSBURG — If you are looking for something different to do on vacation, consider Idaho. Having flown over it many times, we
decided that the time had come to see it from the ground.
Idaho is a beautiful and diverse state with soaring craggy mountains, rushing trout streams, desolate volcanic areas, grassy plains,
desert land, lush Alpine meadows and, of course, fields of potatoes.
On this trip my husband and I concentrated on the area around the Sawtooth Mountains. We found a place tucked into a valley on the
western side of the Sawtooths. It is appropriately called Sawtooth Lodge. It would not appeal to everyone but if you enjoy absolutely
getting away from everything, hiking, good food, fresh air and sunshine, then you might enjoy the Lodge.
Its official location is Grandjean, Idaho. You may see the name on the map, but you will never find a village, town, post office or even a
tiny general store in Grandjean. There is a small marker with the name and that’s it. The best we could come up with is that
Grandjean is an area and not a definite spot.
Grandjean started in the early 1880s with a trapper named Emil Grandjean. He eventually became the Forest Supervisor of the Boise
National Forest in the early 20th century. In the remnants of a Forest Service station, a colorful lady named Babe Hansen who was a
guide and packer opened the Sawtooth Lodge in 1927.
The original lodge is still in use and serves as the lobby and kitchen for the current lodge. A small restaurant area has been added to
the back of the original structure and serves as the focal point for guests at the Lodge.
Accommodations are rustic and some of the cabins date back to the early Forest Service days. If you choose to go rustic, you will find
yourself in a one-room log cabin with a wood-burning cook stove to provide heat during the chill mountain nights. Be forewarned that if
you choose rustic, you will also find yourself in a cabin without plumbing and all the amenities that go with plumbing.
The rustic cabins are furnished in a minimal fashion. There’s a peg for hanging a few clothes, a towel bar, a washbasin, a bucket for
bringing in water, a table and two chairs. The bed is piled with quilts and comforters that will keep you toasty warm during the night.
Temperatures, even in midsummer, can drop into the 30s and 40s.
For the less adventuresome, they have modern cabins that will accommodate four people and they have plumbing. They are still rustic
but I thought without the charms of the little one-room cabins. Most of the cabins have covered front porches where you can relax in the
evening and watch the sun setting over the craggy peaks of the Sawtooths. There is something very soothing about sitting in the dusk
watching the chipmunks (there are thousands in the area) scurrying around while the chill of the night descends on the valley.
We chose the rustic cabin and it was quite an experience. We were fortunate to be there during a full moon. At night we would leave the
cabin door open so that we could watch the moon pass over the jagged teeth of the mountains. An extra quilt compensated for the cold
air flooding through the open door.
The Lodge sits at a major trailhead for access into the Sawtooths and that seems to be its primary attraction. Hundreds of miles of trails
are accessible from the Lodge area. I must warn you that all of the trails seemed to be vertical. If you intend to do any hiking, it is
critical that you go equipped with canteens and proper hiking gear. If you forget any equipment, the nearest store is miles and miles
away.
The trails are well maintained by National Forest personnel but you are in a real wilderness. I talked with several people who had
spent a good bit of time in the mountains. Apparently it’s not uncommon to find yourself sharing the trail with bears as well as less
scary wildlife.
If you have the time and plan ahead, there is an outfitter located there. They will take you by horseback up into the high country where
you will find Alpine meadows and glacial lakes in abundance. Their services range from day trips to overnight trips of any duration. If
you want, they will pack you and your gear in and come back at a later time and pack you out again.Or they will provide all of the gear
and a guide who will stay with you to do the cooking, etc.
Wildlife in the area includes mule deer, Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk, black bears and coyotes to name a few of the larger
animals. In the rivers and streams, anglers will delight in catching steelhead, chinook, brook trout, rainbow trout and sockeye salmon
depending on the season and local regulations. The outfitters stay busy with fishermen/women and hunters who enjoy the offerings of
the Sawtooths.
We did have a strange experience one day as we were driving around the area doing some sightseeing. We saw two men emerge from
the frigid water in wet suits and wearing snorkels and masks. They were college students who were spending their summer snorkeling
the banks of the river counting fish. Seeing two fellows in wet suits in the wilds of Idaho was quite a shock.
It was a simple matter to combine our stay at the Sawtooth Lodge with a trip around the eastern side of the mountains. There the living
is a bit less primitive and the scenery just as beautiful. A vacation in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho proved very pleasurable indeed.
Leading Professional Photographer and Contest Judge Selects Grand Prize Winner and Twenty Favorites Now Posted on Tamron’s On-
Line Gallery
December 17, 2007, Commack, NY—The overwhelming majority of great photographs, especially those including people, has one thing
in common—they effectively capture, express, and convey human emotions. In other words, photographs that are judged to be the best
are almost always those that evoke a strong emotional response in the viewer. Bearing that simple but profound concept in mind,
Tamron, acclaimed for manufacturing innovative lenses of superlative quality, created an entirely new kind of photo contest, An
Emotional Appeal that debuted in 2006. Instead of basing it on the usual range of specific subject categories, we asked all entrants to
submit pictures that best express the universal theme of human emotion and emotional interaction.
The rules were equally broad—the pictures submitted didn’t even have to be taken with a Tamron lens. “The response to last year’s
contest surpassed even our high expectations, and we’re pleased to say that we received well over 1,000 entries this year as well,” stated
Stacie Errera, Chief Marketing Officer for Tamron. The lucky Grand Prize winner will receive a superb Tamron AF18-250mm all-in-
one zoom lens that is bound to expand his pictorial—and emotional—horizons considerably. The winner and twenty selected favorites
can be viewed at http://www.tamron.com/galleries/PhotographerInfo.asp?id=21&cat=16&item=0 . “We extend our heartfelt
congratulations to all those whose pictures were selected for posting, our sincere thanks to all who participated, and our deep gratitude
to Contest Judge Andre Costantini, whose experience and keen professional judgment helped us accomplish the arduous task of
selecting the winners” said Errera.
The Grand Prize Picture— “Mixed Emotions” by Lance Taylor
Lance Taylor of Ft. Meade, Maryland took this charming picture of his wife Jacqueline and 3-year old daughter Jillian at a beach near
Corolla, North Carolina. “The water was pretty frigid,” recalls Taylor “and Jillian couldn’t stand up in the waves by herself, so my wife
would pick her up and lift her up over the water as they rolled in. In this instance, she didn’t catch her in time and Jillian fell down and
got chilled as a wave rushed in. I grabbed this shot of my wife smiling broadly as she picked the baby up, but my daughter’s somewhat
pained expression shows that she was none too pleased about being dunked. For obvious reasons, my informal name for this shot is
‘mixed emotions.’” Indeed the juxtaposition of divergent expressions and emotions, as well as the tight close-up composition
emphasizing the essentials is what makes this shot a winner.
Lance Taylor, a Captain in the US Air Force, is a semi-pro photographer who hails from Austin, Texas. He shoots model portraits as a
sideline and plans to expand this creative activity going forward. “I love working with people and creating artistic images using studio
and portable lighting. Directing models is easier than working with the general public and gives me more freedom to create something
unique.” To see his model portraits, go to www.lancetaylorphotography.com.
A happy prize winner, Lance Taylor says, “I’m really looking forward to receiving the Tamron 18-250mm lens—I’ve heard very good
things about it.”
Favorites
“Home on the Ranch” by Becky Maness
Becky Maness of Victor Idaho (“a teensy farming community of 2000 on the western side of the Grand Teton Range”) captured this
iconic image of her grandparents, Ross and Phyllis Kunz, on their over-100-year-old cattle ranch in Victor. “I wanted to create
something to remember them by that also expresses their lives and their deep love for each other,” says Maness. “They’re the sweetest
people ever.” She certainly succeeded—the expressions, attire, and rough-hewn setting against weathered wood siding combine to
create nothing less than an Idaho version of American Gothic. The simple, straightforward composition and the conversion to black-and-
white enhance its timeless “old time photo” quality.
Maness captured this definitive double portrait with a Canon EOS 30D and Tamron SP 28-105mm f/2.8 LD lens using natural light,
posing the couple against an old farm building, and “zooming in to create an intimate portrait.” She’s been shooting actively since age
13 and her first Tamron lens was a 28-70mm on a Pentax TZ-20. A semi-pro who wants to expand her photographic business
opportunities, she currently works part-time as a travel agent.
“Bawling Baby Girl” by Nathan Maxfield
Nathan Maxfield of Stoneham, Massachusetts (a suburb of Boston) captured this irrepressible image of his then two-month-old
daughter Kamryn while trying to shoot a conventional infant portrait. “I arranged a fairly sophisticated lighting setup,” says Maxfield
“placing two lights on either side of the camera and a third light aimed at the background. I then asked my wife to hold the baby up
from behind, which is why she’s not visible in the picture. Obviously little Kamryn did not think too much of these proceedings because
she immediately belted out a lusty scream. At that point most fathers would have said ‘strike the set’ but I just took the picture
anyway—and I’m sure glad I did.” In the great pantheon of bawling baby pictures, this is one of the most emotional submitted, and
ironically the soft pink background complements the wee screamer perfectly.
Maxfield, a semi-pro who has been shooting seriously for about 5 years, is the co-owner of smithmaxfield.com, a photography studio in
the Boston area. He specializes in stock and commercial images as well as business and medical images for websites, and his pictures
have appeared in local magazines including North Shore Living, Stomp, a local fashion magazine, and Stuff at Night, a well-known
Boston-area entertainment magazine. Maxfield shot this classic crier with a Canon EOS 30D and Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD
Aspherical (IF) lens. “I did tons of research online before buying this lens, and it’s incredibly sharp just as they said on the forums. I
use it for magazine work and also to cover the Massachusetts and Vermont Pageants for the Miss USA Contest.”
The Tamron “An Emotional Appeal” 2008 Photo Contest deadline is 11/30/08
Tamron USA, Inc. just announced the “An Emotional Appeal” 2008 Photo Contest and is looking for images from scrapbook and photo
enthusiasts that convey a variety of human emotions—happy, sad, tired, mad, or any other. The contest winner will receive a Tamron
AF28-300mm VC zoom lens with Vibration Compensation designed for all of today's popular Canon and Nikon digital SLR cameras (a
$600 street value). The winner and 20 favorites will be featured in Tamron’s online photo gallery.
A bonus for anyone who downloads the contest entry form is advice from professional photographer Andre Costantini, who has run
workshops designed for scrapbookers at several scrapbook stores and regularly lectures on portrait photography around the country.
Costantini provides 10 Photo Tips for Better People Photography that are sure to help photographers of any level make better pictures.
The contest rules and entry form, as well as Andre Costantini’s photo tips, can be downloaded by logging onto http://www.tamron.
com/lenses/scrapbook.asp
About Tamron
Tamron is a leading manufacturer of lenses for photographic, industrial, laboratory, video, digital and scientific applications. Among its
many optical and mechanical innovations since the start of the company in 1950, Tamron's development of mass produced hybrid
aspherical elements in 1992 paved the way for high ratio zoom lenses. The technology was incorporated into the ground-breaking 28-
200mm and continues with the new 18-250mm developed exclusively for use on digital SLR cameras and featuring an unprecedented
13.9X zoom range.
Wine and dine the Pacific Northwest way
A gorgeous cookbook featuring the Pacific Northwest includes three local contributors
If you've got a few gastronomes - that's foodies to you and me - on your Christmas list, you're probably on the hunt for cookbooks.
Here's one that will bring a satisfying gasp of delight: "Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining," by Braiden Rex-Johnson (Wiley, $34.95)
features "the people, places, food and drink of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia," including chef Jon Mortimer of
Boise, Greg Koenig of Koenig Distillery and Winery in Caldwell and Ron Bitner of Bitner Vineyards in Caldwell.
If you want proof of the pudding - and a signed book and/or wine bottle - check out the cooking demo, wine tasting and wine bottle
signing Saturday at Easy Cookin'.
Mortimer will be on hand to cook his recipe from the cookbook, and Koenig and Bitner will be pouring wine tastings from their wines
and signing bottles. All three will be signing books.
"We've never had a conglomeration of vintners and Jon before," Nancy Fuhrman, owner of Easy Cookin' said. "We're hoping for a
crowd. And I think it's the perfect Christmas gift - it's not only a great cookbook, it's a great coffee table book, too."
Here are a couple of recipes featured in the cookbook.
WILD MUSHROOM STRUDEL
1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup minced red onion
1 pound assorted wild mushrooms, such as morel, chanterelle or porcini, stems removed and discarded, and remaining portion cleaned
1 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoons dried tarragon, crumbled
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
One 1-pound package phyllo dough
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, whisked with 1 teaspoon water
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large skillet, heat the olive and canola oils over medium-high heat and cook the onion, stirring frequently, until softened but not
browned, two minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, two minutes more. Add the red wine and tarragon and stir
well. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced and the pan is almost dry, about 20 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper and scoop the mushroom mixture onto a baking sheet to cool.
While the mushroom mixture is reducing, lay the phyllo dough on a clean, dry work surface and cut it in half lengthwise. Lay the two
dough packets on individual pieces of parchment paper and cover with clean, damp kitchen towels.
Separate the first sheet of phyllo from the first dough packet and, with a clean pastry brush, brush lightly with melted butter. Lay the
next sheet on top and brush lightly with butter. Continue this process until all the sheets from the first packet are buttered. Re-cover
the packet with the towel. Repeat with the phyllo sheets from the second packet.
Once the mushroom mixture has cooled completely, divide it evenly over the tops of the two phyllo packets, leaving about one inch
uncovered around the entire length of one of the long edges and a little exposed dough along each short end so that you can form a tight
seal.
With a clean pastry brush, brush the exposed long edge with the egg mixture.
Using the parchment as an aid, tightly roll the strudel jelly-roll fashion, beginning with the long edge with the mushroom filling
spread over it. Once rolled, press the exposed long edge into the roll tightly to affix the egg wash and form a tight seam. Press the end
pieces and seal tightly.
Use the parchment paper to transfer the strudels onto the prepared baking sheet. Place the strudels seam side down and bake for 25 to
30 minutes, or until the top of the phyllo turns golden.
Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool the strudels for 5 to 10 minutes. With a sharp serrated knife, cut each strudel into about
1-inch slices, for 10 slices per strudel. Arrange the slices on a large platter and serve as a passed appetizer or on the buffet table, or
place individual slices on small plates and serve as a first course.
IDAHO LAMB MEDALLIONS WITH PLUM BRANDY JAM
Plum Brandy Jam:
One 375-ml bottle (1 1/2 cups) Koenig Plum Brandy or other good quality plum brandy
1 pound fresh red plums, peeled, pitted and chopped
2 to 4 teaspoons sugar
Medallions:
Four 5-ounce lamb medallions (boneless loin) or 1 1/2 to 2 pounds lamb chops
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
Fresh mint sprigs for garnish
To make the plum brandy jam, heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the brandy and cook until reduced by half to cup, 4
to 6 minutes. Stir in the plums and two teaspoons of the sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the
mixture is reduced to about 1 cup and forms a jam-like consistency, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and, when slightly cooled,
taste the jam and add an additional one to two teaspoons sugar, as desired. Serve warm or transfer to a covered container and chill until
serving. Bring to room temperature or warm gently before serving.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees for the medallions.
Rub the lamb medallions with the garlic and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the
oil. When the oil is hot, add the lamb. Brown for two minutes on each side, then reduce the heat to medium or medium-low and cook to
the desired doneness, turning occasionally, eight to 10 minutes. If desired, the lamb also can be grilled.
Place a lamb medallion on each of four dinner plates, dollop with the jam and garnish with the mint sprigs.
Cook's hint: To peel plums, simmer plums in boiling water for one minute. Drain, cool and remove the peels.
Jeanne Huff: 377-6483
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