Millburn, NJ

We live on the Union County side of three counties that meet at a single point. When we moved here, we very seldom ventured outside our own county. Most of our shopping was done in Union County. Our schools and jobs were in Union County. When we went for gas-guzzling Sunday drives, we’d take Union County roads to the major highways that would lead us either down the Shore or out west into Pennsylvania. New York City was also always a favorite destination.

I married a girl from Madison and a whole new world opened up to me: deliciously green and historic Morris County. We even lived in both Chathams a while.

This left Essex County still largely unexplored. Millburn is right next door in Essex County. We seldom go there. It’s hard to figure why. My son and I actually broke our usual routine and drove over to Millburn last week to check it out. It was a dreary day between snow storms.

We parked the car and decided to have a look around. It turned out to be an absolutely lovely town with quaint shops and oodles of interesting restaurants. I think every major world cuisine craving was represented. There was a movie theater with four screens in the center of town. But a much more famous venue is Millburn’s Paper Mill Playhouse.

I was surprised by how big it was. It’s always been the theater in our area that was the alternative to going to Broadway. I’ve heard that he shows here are every bit as professionally staged as they are in New York. They also feature known, professional actors. Go to their website, www.papermill.org for show information, tickets and directions. Parking fees are nominal, but ticket prices are only a tad less than for Broadway shows.

Millburn includes Short Hills which is home to the “Cora Hartshorn Arboretum and Bird Sanctuary”. It is also the home of the deliriously upscale “Mall at Short Hills”. We’ve been to there countless times, of course. In fact, I used to take the kids over there while it was still being built. It’s the only mall I know of where they don’t allow pushcart vending. Instead, you’ve got cars bearing monikers the likes of Rolls Royce, Porsche, Audi, Bentley and Land Rover taking up space in the center aisles. The mall also features some very good restaurants. At Christmas there is always live music and a ‘stand in line to get a picture to get your kid’s picture taken with’ Santa Claus.

It’s always good to get out and widen one’s horizons. In Millburn’s case I can honestly say, I traveled China before ever going to Millburn. This is not strictly true because it was actually necessary at times to travel through the town to get to somewhere else. Still it’s funny how it turns out; how a psychological blind spot can prevent us from going in a particular direction without ever being aware of it. It reminds me of looking for my wallet and finding it only after some time. It had always been in plain sight, right where it was supposed to be.

Peter Koelliker; pkoelliker8@yahoo.com

Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ

A garden is a space of any size within which one can arrange things. Traditionally, a garden is a place for flowering plants or vegetables. In German, the genre also includes children (Kindergarten) or animals (Tiergarten). The underlying principle of a garden nevertheless appears to demand that it host some manner of living thing.

Perhaps, this is why New Jersey’s Sculpture Garden in Hamilton is officially known as Grounds for Sculpture. Only in America is there still sufficient space to put aside acreage dedicated solely to giving modern sculpture a platform and affording people of all backgrounds the opportunity to experience accidental encounters with contemporary art.

Since opening its gates to the general public in 1992, GFS has built a collection in excess of 240 works, including sculptures by renowned artists Clement Meadmore, Anthony Caro, Beverly Pepper, Kiki Smith, and New Jersey sculptor George Segal. Some of the works in the collection were commissioned specifically for the sculpture park, such as Magdalena Abakanowicz’s Space of Stone and New Jersey artist Isaac Witkin’s Garden State. Work on the park and sculpture acquisitions are financed by public tax-exempt bonds and private foundations associated with founder J. Seward Johnson.

The enthusiasm for modern sculpture seems to have spilled out well beyond the park’s accredited boundaries. Even before one enters through its gates, one sees numerous works by the side of the road and on the spacious grassy lots of corporations that comprise an adjoining industrial park. In fact, the brand new Hamilton Railway Station (only 5 minutes away by taxi) and the parking lot surrounding it contains so many mammoth installations, it almost gives the impression that the garden down the road can be no more than an afterthought.

I found the Grounds for Sculpture to be a fascinating piece of real estate. It is exquisitely landscaped with peacocks patrolling the perimeter. The sculptures are as varied as life itself. There are regal stone abstracts reaching to heaven; metal hard-wrought into tortured flights of fancy; well known classical paintings reproduced in three dimensions.

Unfortunately, I neglected to note the names of many of the artists whose works I was admiring. It would have necessitated the additional step of carrying a pad and pencil. The entire experience was so delightfully disarming; I saw no reason to dilute it with ponderous curatorial concerns. This just goes to show that there can be no possible excuse for not visiting this monument to human artistic inspiration. Even if you claim to know nothing of modern art; even if a previous visit to the stifling confines of some dusty museum has left you cold, Grounds for Sculpture cannot fail to uplift and guarantee a splendid time for all ages.

For directions and additional information about New Jersey’s Sculpture Garden including special events, tours, dining at its three restaurants, and shopping at its galleries, consult GFS’s website: http://www.groundsforsculpture.org/index.html.

Peter Koelliker pkoelliker8@yahoo.com

Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum

As a lover of the visual arts, I have a soft spot for museums. As a photographer, I am forever tempted to bring my camera along. Often, taking pictures inside is outright prohibited. Sometimes it is allowed, but only in specified parts of a building. In any case, I am told that any pictures taken inside a museum cannot be publicly sold or traded. This, I presume, is in the interests of artists or their agents who wish to make sure that any revenues derived from the distribution of their intellectual property will accrue to its rightful owner.

Once the taking of pictures inside a museum has been officially sanctioned, the photographer’s problems only multiply. As the lighting inside tends to fall below the threshold required (and the use of flash is always most emphatically prohibited), any pictures he might take will tend to be dark and grainy. Still, it has been my experience that, given one has made enough attempts, a small percentage of pictures will (sometimes, with the aid of photo shop) turn out tolerably well.

It is not my intention here to promote any particular artist over any other. The pictures presented as addendums to this writing are simply the ones that happened to turn out under difficult lighting conditions. My aim (if, indeed, there is an aim) is to promote the Zimmerli as a fine place to spend an afternoon contemplating a wide variety of the plastic arts and paintings. Many of the exhibits are here on a rotating basis which keeps the experience from becoming stale, inviting also future visits. We noted that the emphasis here was on Russian (non-conformist) art. I had to consult Wikipedia later to find out exactly what this means. There was also a wing in which contemporary Indian art was featured.

The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum is located on Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick, NJ. It is within easy walking distance of the town where a number of very good restaurants and coffee bars beckon. The Museum itself has coffee and gift shops. It is neatly tucked away in a park-like setting near where the very first buildings comprising what is now Rutgers University were built. Rutgers is one of only two colonial colleges that later would become public universities. (The other is the College of William and Mary.)

The Zimmerli Art Museum serves as a research facility for students, faculty, and visiting scholars. It also provides educational and cultural resources for communities and schools throughout New Jersey, offering a wide variety of interactive programs for both children and adults.

For information about current exhibitions, programs, hours, and directions call (732) 932-7237 or visit the web site: http://www.zimmerlimuseum.rutgers.edu/.

Peter Koelliker pkoelliker8@yahoo.com

Space Farms Zoo and Museum, Sussex, NJ

Man has always entertained a deep fascination with animals. That’s why we keep pets and maintain zoos. In recent years, much attention has been paid to animals at risk of extinction. Considerable human effort has gone into trying to reverse frightening trends of declining animal populations. We seem to know instinctively that, if we were we to lose this resource, something fragile and sacred would be irreparably broken.

A trip to the zoo used to rank quite high on the list of activities for families. Now, any parent suggesting it is likely to get skewed looks. All children simply love animals. They seem to enjoy a special connection with our furry and feathered (and perhaps less so with our scaly) friends. They tend to be reticent to embrace the cheerless spectacle of seeing living beings trapped behind walls and moats. Even adults have come to see cages and bars as metaphors of their own: guilt; habit; obligation; etc. For most – perhaps less susceptible to popular media-based psychological reverie – a trip to the zoo remains a great opportunity for family bonding.

Twenty years ago, we took a ride up to Space Farms in Sussex, NJ. My kids at the time had not been to school yet and were quite enthused by the prospect of a family outing. The only thing I personally remember is seeing a huge 2000 lb. bear (Goliath) standing bolt upright inside a cage that seemed woefully small. To be fair, anything in close proximity to this huge animal would have appeared small. Within weeks of our visit, however, our local Sunday paper published an article listing the best and worst zoos in America. Space Farms came in dead last.

It took us 20 some odd years to return. We’d been hearing Space Farms advertise on the radio and were curious as to any improvements that might have been made. At the very least, we felt, it’s a lovely ride through some fabulous rural scenery. Zinga’s Corn Patch still beckoned us along the way, but we decided not to stop there this time around. Instead, we picked a 50’s-style burger joint just up the road (to have our lunch) where girls in snappy uniforms still skate out to the parked cars to take orders.

According to the zoo’s website, Space Farms has the largest private collection of North American animals in their natural surroundings in the United States, adding that there are also many exotic species from around the world. It boasts of being internationally known for its bear and lion cub breeding programs.

Arriving at Space Farms, we found it to be a great place. The animals seemed well-fed and happy enough. There is also a series of buildings, housing collections of old cars, tools, toys, and farm machinery. The bear I had seen some 20 years ago was now stuffed and standing bolt upright in the entry hall along with many other taxidermal curiosities. I noted immediately that there was a definite dearth of visitors. Perhaps this was due in part to the unsettled weather or the fact that our visit fell smack in the middle of the work week. Perhaps, if they could figure out how to put the visitors into cages and let the animals roam free, Space Farm’s attendance would improve significantly.

Sandy Hook, NJ

Having lived most of my life in North Jersey, ‘going to the beach’ for our family has generally meant going to Sandy Hook. It is the a large sand spit, the extension of a barrier peninsula along the coast of New Jersey, separated from the mainland by the Shrewsbury River. The 1,665-acre peninsula is said to have been discovered by Henry Hudson.

I remember back when I was around 12, getting up early in the morning and driving over there with one of my father’s friends in his gleaming white Galaxy 500 convertible. He had an outboard motor and fishing gear in the trunk. At Highlands we rented a boat, fastened the motor onto the back of it and headed out to catch some fish. We’d go pretty far out but always remained within sight of the rise that is the Highlands, also reputed to be the highest point along the entire U.S. Atlantic coast. We generally never caught much until after I started getting sick.

‘Onkel Dick’, as we called him, was a true mentor. In those days, he taught me a lot and inspired me to do things out of the ordinary - like fishing, birding, and chopping wood. We both understood that I’d get sick and wouldn’t be able to eat my mother’s tomato and cheese sandwiches. But there was no shame in it and I learned to bear it. And he agreed to eat the sandwiches for me so that my mother wouldn’t get mad.

Later, having a family of my own, we contented ourselves with hitting the Hook’s beaches. None of us were on very good terms with repetitive wave-like motion.

Eventually we noted that the traffic and parking were becoming just to much too handle. So, we’d pick the off-season to go down there and commune with the sea. There was the excuse of eating seafood at Bahrs Landing, open year-round. The excuse became doubly attractive when the Hofbrauhaus up on the Highlands (overlooking the Hook) closed and Bahrs retained its German chef.

After lunch we’d drive down along the Hook and take in its various sights. There’s the old Nike base; the ghostly abandoned barracks; the bunkers and crumbling fortifications; and the still active Light House, purported to be the oldest in the country.

The beaches are as wonderful as any along the Jersey coast. There’s of course the ocean side; and, for those who seek calmer waters, there’s the bay.

The landscape even holds up in the winter, fresh and bracing. One is likely to encounter no one - just the people you might have come with.

Peter Koelliker; pkoelliker8@yahoo.com/

Clinton, NJ

This time around, we visit historic Clinton (NJ) making sure we don’t forget our cameras. What better fun for parents than to take pictures of the children with arguably the most photographed building in New Jersey for a backdrop! The building in question here is the Red Mill, in the heart of Hunterdon County, on the banks of the south branch of the Raritan River. There are plenty of restaurants, coffee shops, antique shops and boutiques just across the river, squeezed into the town’s mere one and a half square miles. Each one of them would happily sell you some artistic rendering of the Red Mill, most typically on canvas, cloth, poster or photo paper, or even on stoneware.

Walking leisurely across the (one-way) historic truss bridge, which crosses the Raritan just a few steps south of the Red Mill and leads directly into the heart of the old town, affords one a lovely view of a sparkling white waterfall with two mills, one on either bank. Dappled ducks and Canada Geese, floating peacefully on their own fractured reflections, complete this idyllic scene straight out of a Currier and Ives print.

The 19th century stone mill on the town side of the river is the home of the Hunterdon Museum of Art, a landmark regional art center since 1952, which features rotating exhibits by both established and emerging artists. The day I happened to be there, they were featuring an exhibit of corrugated box art; that is, the stamped panels (usually lids) cut out and arranged in a variety of patterns. The resulting collages were then framed and hung. They looked quite arresting (as anything framed can generally be regarded as interesting) on the spare walls of this old mill. At the same time, I stood before its various windows and studied what could be seen outside. I have always considered windows as being similar to paintings, photographs, books, magazines or TV’s for that matter, as all these exist within the confines of some specific context that isolates the chosen subject from all that’s around it, allowing the artist to highlight, classify, and manipulate variously selected aspects of reality within the illusion of a separate laboratory.

I do not expect that this particular (box) exhibit would now still be around. But the same could be said of any exhibit one would wish to display on the proverbial (mill) walls. In any case, the windows would still be there through one of which I happened to capture on film the red canoes - in storage - awaiting someone’s Raritan River adventure. For directions, schedules, fees and current offerings, please consult the museum’s website: www.hunterdonartmuseum.org The museum also has a gift shop.

Directly across the river from the art museum is the Red Mill Museum Village which also houses a museum with an emphasis on traditional American handicrafts such as quilting and lace. Its ten tranquil acres offer Civil and Revolutionary War Reenactments and Big Band and Blue Grass concerts. For a listing of scheduled events visit their website www.theredmill.org

If by chance your picture of the family with the Red Mill in the background happens not to turn out just the way you wanted, you can always go to any convenience store in the State, buy a post card, scan it and cut and paste anyone you would wish to appear in the foreground (just as I just did it with my daughter, Ivy).