Unwinding with wine at Spring Hill
Bottle of Spring Hill cabernet franc with watercolor label art by Barcelona native Santi Moix.
Sava Marinkovic
View of Spring Hill through a window in the Bee Brook Grotto, housed inside a 1940’s grain silo.Sava Marinkovic
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Finding home after the fire
Jan 28, 2026
Artist Aaron Meshon
Elena Spellman
When artist Aaron Meshon arrived in the Berkshires with his family, the move followed a series of upheavals — a devastating fire, mounting financial stress and the COVID-19 pandemic — that ultimately led him to a quieter, more grounded life.
Meshon grew up in a small town outside Philadelphia, an only child raised around horses by parents he describes as “strict liberals.”
School was a struggle, but early on Meshon was impelled to translate words into pictures. “I would hear a story and automatically get an image in my head,” he said. He was accepted to every art school he applied to and chose the Rhode Island School of Design.
Meshon went on to become an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator. His first children’s book, “Take Me Out to the Yakyu,” was inspired by a deeply personal longing. After seven years of trying to have a child with his wife, who is Japanese, he imagined the story he would tell his future child about the differences between baseball in the United States and Japan. The book went on to receive multiple awards and wide recognition.
Japan itself became central to his life and work. His first visit left a lasting impression. “I felt an intense sense of safety and tranquility,” he said. Another award-winning illustration, “The Public Bath,” was inspired by meeting his wife’s father for the first time — an introduction that ended up at a Japanese public bath. “Can you imagine?” Meshon laughed. “I just met my wife’s father, and the next thing I know, I’m naked with him.”
In 2012, Meshon received a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators for “The Public Bath.” He also earned an Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor for “Take Me Out to the Yakyu.” In addition, that book received multiple starred reviews, including from The New York Times Book Review, School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.
Even before some of those accolades, Meshon said his illustration work had begun to slow.
By 2009, city life grew increasingly expensive, particularly after the birth of his son. “For the first time, I had to work just for money,” he said.
Over the following years, the stress mounted and his health suffered. Then one morning he woke up with a clear realization: “We can’t continue living like this. Something has to change.” Then, within a few days, everything did change.
While Meshon was at work, a friend called with shocking news: His Brooklyn apartment building was on fire — so big it could be seen from Manhattan. His first thought was not about his belongings but his dog, Chubu. Firefighters could only access two apartments, and luckily, one of them was his.
They lost nearly everything. “I had to grow up at 45 and realize I have truly only myself to rely on,” Meshon said. Shortly after that, the pandemic arrived. As New York City shut down, they packed their dog, son, piano and fish tank into the car and drove north. “It felt like the world was shutting down,” he said. “My wife and I looked at each other and knew that this was it, and we were never going back.”
Today, Meshon sells his artwork at the Railroad Street Collective in Great Barrington and at the local farmers market. He also teaches art at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. His Berkshire-inspired illustrations resonated immediately with the community. “It’s like being back in art school,” he said, describing the camaraderie of local artists supporting one another.
He credits nature and community with helping him heal. “Things happen, and sometimes you have no control,” he said. “You learn to accept that life is short and to be thankful for what you have.”
Elena Spellman is a recent Northwest Corner transplant. She is a Russian native and grew up in the Midwest. In addition to writing, she teaches ESL and Russian.
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The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, and before him Renée Good, by federal agents in Minnesota is not just a tragedy; it is a warning. In the aftermath, Trump administration officials released an account of events that directly contradicted citizen video recorded at the scene. Those recordings, made by ordinary people exercising their rights, showed circumstances sharply at odds with the official narrative. Once again, the public is asked to choose between the administration’s version of events and the evidence of its own eyes.
This moment underscores an essential truth: the right to record law enforcement is not a nuisance or a provocation; it is a safeguard. As New York Times columnist David French put it, “Citizen video has decisively rebutted the administration’s lies. The evidence of our eyes contradicts the dishonesty of the administration’s words.”
Separately, law enforcement agencies across the country are expanding their capacity to watch the public. Here at home, as we’ve reported, Dutchess County’s Real Time Crime Center brings together feeds from automated license-plate readers, including systems provided by Flock Safety, allowing police to track vehicles across jurisdictions in real time. These tools collect detailed movement data on vast numbers of people who are not suspected of any crime, often with limited public discussion of safeguards or oversight.
When citizens document state power, they are told to step back or trust official explanations. When the state documents the public, continuously and at scale, it is framed as efficiency. One form of observation is treated as suspect; the other as routine.
What magnifies the alarm in the Minnesota shootings isn’t just the loss of life, but the response that followed. Federal force was used against members of the U.S. public, and officials responded not with clarity or accountability, but with statements that collapsed under visual evidence. That willingness to lie, and to do so reflexively, signals a deeper problem: an administration increasingly willing to treat truth as an obstacle rather than an obligation.
A democratic society depends on shared facts. The right of citizens and journalists to observe, record and document matters because it anchors truth in evidence, not authority. That right is not a threat to public safety. It is among the few remaining tools the public has to insist that power remains answerable to the truth.
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Military hardware as a signpost
Jan 28, 2026
It is hard not to equate military spending and purchasing with diplomatic or strategic plans being made, for reasons otherwise unknown. Keeping an eye out for the physical stuff can often begin to shine a light on what’s coming. – good and possibly very bad.
Without Congressional specific approval, the Pentagon has awarded a contract to Boeing for $8,600,000,000 (US taxpayer dollars) for another 25 F-15A attack fighters to be given to Israel. Oh, and there’s another 25 more of the F-15EX variant on option, free to Israel as well.
Meanwhile, many European countries have switched their purchases of the F-35 fighters to the French Rafale or the Joint European Fighter as well as Saab’s advanced concept fighter Gripen.Turkey and Airbus, meanwhile, have sold the Hurjet trainer to Spain and other countries over the US trainer. And France is about to begin laying the keel for a new aircraft carrier (though that will take almost a decade). Meanwhile, Airbus is now, since 2024, the primary supplier to all EU countries for military helicopters… Saab is making GlobalEye airborne aircraft for France, Italy and Germany… France’s Rafale Company is making and delivering Iron Beam high-energy laser weapons… Airbus has ramped up delivery to all its new EU customers of 18 new C295 tactical transports.
Some may wonder why EU leaders as well as the UK, have been so soft tongued when it comes to this Administration’s recent diplomatic transgressions over Greenland (oops, Iceland?). The reason is simple: For decades the US has been the cheapest and best supplier of the finest military hardware – planes, tanks, weapon systems, and defense capability. What every nation understood was that the US held the controls of the safe operation of those aircraft. For example, the electronics of every F-35 can be controlled remotely from the US. Go against us? We can pull the plug. That was never an issue before, where we had trust and mutual goals. The current rush to re-prioritize local EU manufacture and longer term self reliance in the EU is a direct consequence of this Administration’s changing of priorities and allied trust.
It is true that DJT can take credit for EU and UK increased military budgeting and preparedness, his actions have forced them to that reality. It is also true that his long term damage to American jobs and industry are just now becoming evident as less of our hardware is attractive to foreign buyers and our military oversight will be slowly eroded to a position where nations no longer feel the need for diplomatic or industrial reliance on America.
Peter Riva, a former resident of Amenia Union, New York, now lives in Gila, New Mexico.
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What’s with Greenland?
Jan 28, 2026
As I noted here in an article last spring entitled “Hands off Greenland”, the world’s largest island was at the center of a developing controversy. President Trump was telling all who would listen that, for national security reasons, the United States needed to take over Greenland, amicably if possible or by force if necessary. While many were shocked by Trump’s imperialistic statements, most people, at least in this country, took his words as ill-considered bluster. But he kept telling questioners that he had to have Greenland (oftenechoing the former King of France, Louis XIV who famously said, “L’État c’est moi!”.
Since 1951, the U.S. has had a security agreement with Denmark giving it near total freedom to install and operate whatever military facilities it wanted on Greenland. At one point there were sixteen small bases across the island, now there’s only one. Denmark’s Prime Minister has told President Trump that the U.S. should feel free to expand its installations if needed. As climate change is starting to allow a future passage from thePacific Ocean to the Arctic, many countries are showing interest in Greenland including Russia and China but this hardly indicates an international crisis as Trump and his subordinates insist.
Researchers believe that, buried beneath the mammoth glaciers covering most of the land are rich deposits of various rare earth minerals including those needed for modern batteries and other hi-tech devices. Trump has already made a deal with Ukraine to supply them more arms in return for rights to its underground “rare earth” deposits. Some have called this extortion but to Trump it was business as usual. Greenland’s buried treasures could be a much bigger deal.
But perhaps Trump’s lifelong obsession with size is the dominant reason he feels he must have the world’s largest island; like his planned White House ballroom, for him this is essentially an ego trip.
The U.S. has lately lost moral authority in foreign affairs by its illegal invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping of its President; a military invasion and takeover of Greenland, a territory of Denmark, one of its staunchest allies, would place us in a category with Putin’s Russia, an enemy of the Free World. And moreover it would encourage Russia, China or other authoritarian states to move against their neighbors in endless power grabs.
Greenlanders and Danes have made it clear from the beginning that they do not wish to become American and are not for sale, Trump’s subordinates have tried to advance a scheme whereby Elon Musk might buy a majority of the individual Greenlanders’ votes to sell their country to the U.S.; however Denmark has the last word and is not about to agree to selling Greenland to anyone.
Although Greenlanders have largely been in favorof eventual independence, since Trump’s intemperate demands they have locked arms with Denmark. Recently, large demonstrations in both places have expressed anger, but even more, sadness that their staunch ally would turn against them.
The reaction of Denmark’s NATO allies has been clear; at least eight, with likely others to follow, have denounced the U.S. stance and several have sent token national military forces to Greenland. This was immediately followed by Trump issuing severe specific tariff threats (even though the legality of even his existing tariffs is currently being adjudicated in the Supreme Court). All these actions could be a death blow to most current American alliances with Europe.
Other than Trump’s appointees those who support the President’s claim to Greenland are hard to find in the U.S. or elsewhere. While most Republican political leaders have avoided speaking out on the matter, a few have including Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina and former Majority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, both condemning the possible “taking” in no uncertain terms . Seasoned diplomat, Michael McFaul has called Trump’s insistence on “owning” Greenland as “the worst idea in American history.”
After speaking to the assembled crowd of political leaders and industrialists at Davos, Trump began discussions with Mark Rutte, secretary General of NATO and others after which, in a striking turnaround,he announced that they had put together the basis of a “deal” regarding Greenland.
But neither Greenland nor Denmark had been involved in those discussions; both rejected the agreement’s proposal that the United States would have sovereignty over the military bases both new and existing. Another facet of the proposal giving the U.S. control of underground mineral rights may proveexcessive to both Greenland and Denmark.
Although everyone seems relieved that the crisis appears to be largely over, the rupture between Europe and the U.S. remains. Considering President Trump’s erratic state of mind (in his speech at Davos he referred to Greenland as Iceland at least 3 times), who knows what he may demand tomorrow?
Architect and landscape designer Mac Gordon lives in Lakeville.
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