Hudson Valley Living – Page 5

Samuel Morse House (Locust Grove)

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Carol — No Comments ↓

Last week Jake’s 4th grade class went on a field trip to the Samuel Morse House (Locust Grove) in Poughkeepsie, and I was lucky to get chosen as a chaperone. I honestly had no idea that the man who created the Morse Code lived right here in the Hudson Valley, but yes he did. He had a brownstone in the city and his country home up here. The locale is easy enough to get to, and it’s kind of wild because you turn off of busy Rte. 9 and you’re instantly transported back to the 1800s!

Most of the day was spent in a classroom at the facility where the students learned about electromagnets, Morse Code (obviously), and simple machines. At the end of the day we got to walk around the grounds a bit, and that’s when I snapped these quick photos. The kids even got to see a real-life application of pulleys — one of the simple machines they’d just studied — when the group leader showed how they would haul up the hay bales back in the 1800s.

We also spent some time in the gallery, viewing the paintings of Samuel Morse and marvelling at old telegraphic historical items. It was a really cool trip and I definitely want to go back on a warmer, non-rainy day. Anyone can park for free, spend time in the visitors’ center, walk around the gorgeous garden, have a picnic, and enjoy the view. Check it out if you’re spending time in the Hudson Valley!

csa 2011: seventh share

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Carol — No Comments ↓

Yesterday was a very rainy day for our farm share pick-up. Luckily, our farm (Sisters Hill Farm in Stanfordville, NY) did not sustain much damage during Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene and our shares were not affected. Yesterday I had a beautiful selection of vegetables from which I could pick.

The biggest part of this week’s basket is obviously the tomatoes. Nine pounds of them. Yes. 9 lbs of tomatoes. More on those in a minute. I also got two heads of lettuce, one cucumber, one yellow squash, 1 lb. onions, 1 lb. carrots (vs. beets or chard), 1 head of garlic, 3 jalepenos, 3 bell peppers, 1 bunch of cilantro, and 1.25 lbs. of string beans.

So, the tomatoes. That is an incredible amount for our family, even to eat over a 2-week span. So I think it’s time to break out my canning supplies for the first time this year! Yay! Originally, I planned to make salsa. We eat a lot of salsa, but honestly — making it to can is kind of a pain. You have to blanch and peel the tomatoes and that in and of itself is enough to make me keep looking for a different recipe. (Plus, honestly I prefer fresh pico de gallo, because I’m snotty that way.)

Then, I somehow came across this recipe for tomato jam. It sounded weird, yet compelling. It’s easy. I have all the ingredients. I think this might be “the one!” I can see it as a replacement for ketchup or on a cracker with some cream cheese. I also think that a little jar might be a nice gift. I’ll let you know how it goes.

catskill flooding donation information & resources

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Carol — 1 Comment ↓

I promised to compile a list of ways to help the victims of the catastrophic flooding in the Catskills. As promised, that’s what this post is about.

Twitter has been a great tool during this period for helping get the word out about people in need of help, and it’s probably the best place to keep tabs on the latest. Search for “Catskills” or a specific town.

Watershed Post is covering the story in an amazing way. Check their liveblog for up-to-date information on everything related to this disaster.

General Donation Info

If you are local to the Hudson Valley and want to donate goods, please view this spreadsheet of Donation & Relief Centers
The Mark Project is a rural development company. Thy will help these mountain towns rebuilt.
There is always the American Red Cross, a wonderful organization that is always there to help under these circumstances.

School Supply Donations

Chatham Kids (21 Main Street, Chatham) is a drop-off site for school-supply donations to benefit local families affected by the hurricane. Those who lost their homes also lost their children’s school supplies. St. Joseph’s Church (Route 9, Stuyvesant Falls) and St. John the Baptist (Valatie) are two other school-supply donation sites.

Fundraisers & Benefits

News10 Albany is holding a fundraiser Thursday, Sept. 1.
Farms and Family Benefit at Water Street Market on Monday, September 26th from 5 to 9PM. Live Music, potluck, $20 suggested donation. Anyone interested in volunteering to help get sponsorships, work the event, etc, we are having a meeting at Water Street Market Tuesday at 6PM to coordinate. If you cannot attend the meeting and still want to help, contact KT Tobin at ktobinf@gmail.com.

If I’m missing something, leave a comment and I will be sure to add it.

hurricane irene

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Carol — 3 Comments ↓

I don’t even know what to say, but I feel like I should write something about this weekend’s hurricane. We are very lucky to live in a part of town with what has to be a slightly higher elevation because aside from some leaves and a few small branches on the deck and some standing water in the lowest part of our yard (not unusual), we experienced nothing from this storm.

At first, from just the observations outside my window, I thought the storm was a real dud. But then I started to hear from friends, and photos started popping up on Facebook, and I realized that it was pure luck that we somehow escaped with no flooding or property damage. If you want to see photos from other parts of the area that were hit, just browse through the Hudson Valley Weather Facebook page. There are plenty. I did not personally venture out, and I plan on just staying out of the way so clean up crews and the electric company can do their jobs.

I think the most heartbreaking thing for me, though, was learning how hard the Catskills were hit. This area really isn’t that far from where I live and it is already a depressed area. To add insult to injury, these people experienced complete and utter devastation. I cannot even imagine. Here’s a video from someone local:

Hurricane Irene – Margarertville 8-28-11 11am from Fred Margulies on Vimeo.

And here is a segment from Good Morning America, in case you missed it:

It’s wonderful that New York City didn’t get hit as hard as expected, but don’t think that the rest of the state fared as well. People in Westchester County, which is considered the NYC suburbs, experienced horrible flooding. Many roads are still closed. Communities in southern Vermont and western Massachusetts are also flooded, roads and bridges have washed away, and people are at a loss.

Once I find out more about ways to help the storm victims, I will post more information. If you know of ways to help, please feel free to comment and I will add the information.

good morning, hudson valley

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Carol — 1 Comment ↓

Have a beautiful day!

innisfree garden

Posted on June 11, 2010 by Carol — 1 Comment ↓

The Hudson Valley is my adopted home. I didn’t grow up here, or even in New York for that matter. But this is where we’ve ended up and where we’ve chosen to raise our family. It’s a pretty great place, and one of the things that makes it cool is all the hidden treasures. There are so many beautiful places to visit that are just slightly off the beaten path, but still so close to home. Innisfree Garden in Millbrook is one of those places. This morning I went with Noah’s nursery school class on a field trip to this beautiful nature sanctuary. (Which, I feel compelled to note, is not at all stroller-friendly, just so you know). The difficult maneuvering aside, this is the perfect place to enjoy a picnic snack and spend a quiet morning or afternoon. I thought you’d enjoy a virtual tour!

After you park your car, you’ll see this sign on the path. It tells you a bit about the garden and explains the restrictions:

You walk down the path and soon see Tyrrel Lake. According to information on the Innisfree Garden Web site, “Innisfree embraces the Eastern design concept of asymmetric balance that combines rhythm, pattern, space and form in a harmony independent of formal symmetry. In Western gardens little is hidden. The garden, like a stage set, is there in its entirety; its overall design revealed at a glance. The traditional Eastern garden hides this complete view. Visitors walk into a series of episodes or pictures and can enter the sequence of pictures wherever they choose.”

Rock formations are everywhere! There are also caves, waterfalls, and naturally occurring hiding places.

There’s a lot of walking to do (or you might have poison ivy all over your feet and ankles*), so you might feel the need to take a break. No problem! There are sets of chairs set up for you to take a rest and enjoy the view:

I loved the neat little cubbies. If we were by ourselves I’d have allowed Noah to peek inside:

And of course there are the flowers. I didn’t get to take photos of everything I wanted to, which just means I have to go back. But I was able to snap two. The waterlilies are especially gorgeous. There are white, pink, and yellow ones.

Children will enjoy the wildlife. We saw a few turtles, some fish, a centipede, and I think a chipmunk was spotted, as well. It really is a wonderful place. If you find yourself in the area, please don’t miss it! It’s an affordable and breathtaking outing.

* Just an update: Yes, its poison ivy all over my feet (and thighs now), not chigger bites like I originally thought. It’s irritating to be sure, but it could be so much worse. At least I can hide it with socks 🙂

chilly hudson valley

Posted on December 16, 2009 by Carol — 2 Comments ↓

It’s another very cold, very late-autumn afternoon here in the Hudson Valley. Although it certainly looks like winter, we’re not there yet. I’ve finalized the shopping list for our party this weekend and we’re in good shape. I think we need a new filter for our refrigerator, though. I’m not sure if it’s a MWF filter or some other I kind (I need to check the manual, obviously), but that should get replaced soon (though doubtful before Saturday). The only thing left to do is a quick sweep and mop of the floors and boxing up some toys. Because I’m not sure when people will be arriving and there will be children of various ages, I’m not taking any chances with toys getting broken or eaten. (Or my Christmas tree getting taken down by a light saber!). So I’ve explained to the boys why some things will disappear for a day or two and they’re cool with it.

Drew’s set up an area in the basement where the kids can play. We’ll have Christmas movies, a selection of toys, and I’ll get some Christmas coloring sheets or some activity that’s easy to do. I’m realizing that it’s much easier to manage the little ones on the guest list when you can let them run around outside, LOL! It’ll be fine, though.

Otherwise things are just rolling along. Drew and I watched Angels & Demons the other night and I thought it was good. I read the book years ago and don’t remember much so I can’t really say how they compare. I’ve also made it through Chapter One of Julie & Julia. I tried to go at it with an open mind. Really, I did. But she doesn’t exactly come across as very likable so I’m having a hard time getting into the book. I mean, when someone writes (about supposedly being found curled up with a copy of the Atlantic Monthly at age five), “I think the point behind this was that I’d been singled out as an early entrant to the ranks of the intellectually superior,” it’s hard to take her seriously. I suppose she meant that tongue-in-cheek, but… really, I doubt it. I’ll force myself to read a bit more before I return it to the library. Just not really my cup of tea.

Speaking of tea (how’s that for a segue?)… I picked up some of Harney & Sons’ Hot Cinnamon Spice. Ooooh, it’s so good! I also have a small tin of their Christmas tea that I haven’t tried yet. Maybe tonight. I’m also on the lookout for a new knitting or crochet project. I really should make hats, you know, but… I think I also have to start a scarf or something that is a little more challenging. What’s on your needles at the moment?

Winter Solstice in the Hudson Valley

Posted on December 21, 2008 by Carol — 3 Comments ↓

There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you….
In spring, summer, and fall people sort of have an open season on each other;
only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches
when you can savor belonging to yourself.

~Ruth Stout

The Ice Storm

Posted on December 15, 2008 by Carol — 6 Comments ↓

Wow, what a crazy weekend. You might have assumed, and correctly so, that as residents of the Hudson Valley we got whalloped with this ice storm that apparently was all over the news. It started on Thursday. School was cancelled and it was cold and rainy (resulting in ice). Thursday night around 8PM our power went out. Now, our power goes out with some regularity in poor weather, so that was no surprise. What *did* surprise me was waking up around 3:30 a.m., still no power, and hearing a chain saw outside. A tree in front of our house had uprooted and fallen across the road. They were clearing it out. This is the tree in the morning.

When everyone was up shortly after 6 and we still didn’t have power, we decided to head down to Stewart’s (provided the roads weren’t slick) for some coffee, donuts, and local gossip. The roads were wet, but not icy at all and the Taconic was in relatively good shape. Props to the Dutchess Co. road crews who were working their tails off! I know they were trying hard to make things safe. Down at Stewart’s we learned that the entire northern part of the county was without power and all but one school district was cancelled. This did not sound good.

We went home, ate, and I went outside to take photos. Shortly after 9 I started to freak out a little. Thirteen hours with no power. Our wood stove was doing a good job keeping the house comfortable, but without power, our well can’t pump so we had no water. Oh, and I had an OB appointment at 4. I decided to take a chance and see if there was any way they could fit me in earlier and thank goodness, they squeezed me in at 10:30! We made the command decision that everyone would go to the OB’s and after that we’d high-tail it to my parents’ in WMass since the power situation here was not looking good.

Driving along was fine until we hit southern Columbia County (right above us — where Lisanne lives). The Taconic was just ridiculous. I don’t think a road crew had even set foot on the highway. For mile after mile we slalomed between trees hunched over the road, heavy with ice. It was beautiful, terrifying, and ridiculous all at once. I only wished I had kept my camera with me instead of putting it in the trunk. Once we made it off the Taconic, we saw three or four police cars blocking the entrance on the other side. Later we’d learn that they closed it off! We must have made it out of there just in time.

At any rate, we made it to Palmer and had a nice visit with everyone. Saturday morning I called the NYS Troopers to check on the Taconic and it was still closed between Rte. 199 and Claverack, so we stayed another night. That worked out because we got to visit with my brother and his wife and had a lot of fun chit-chatting and playing Wii bowling and tennis. Sunday morning the Taconic was still closed off. We decided to take 87 and get lunch out — ya know, just in case we need full bellies for the night, LOL! As it turned out, staying that extra night was a good thing. Our power didn’t come back on until Sunday morning around 11! That’s over 60 hours without power! Wild.

We were lucky that we had a warm, cozy place to go and that the trees around our house were far enough away that nothing was ever in danger of falling on our roof (some people around here weren’t so lucky!). I’ll leave you with my favorite photo. A few weeks ago, my pussy willow bush started to bud and bloom with the warmer weather we’d been having. I love this shot of one of the flowers encased in ice:

Hudson Valley Holidays

Posted on December 8, 2008 by Carol — 1 Comment ↓

This list is mostly for my reference, but who knows — maybe some other HV’ers will find it useful! This is just a list of free holiday events going on around Dutchess County. I doubt we’ll hit them all, but hopefully we can make one or two.

Sat., Dec. 13, 1-5 PM @ FDR Historic Site – Henry A. Wallace Center (Hyde Park) – Make holiday cards to send to the men & women serving on the USS Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt. Photos with Santa at no charge. Children’s book fair including HV authors. Live music & entertainment

Sat., Dec. 13, 2-5 PM – Tivoli Winterfest – Tree lighting, music, crafts, activities, Santa, bonfire, fireworks

Mon., Dec. 15, 6 PM – Center For Performing Arts in Rhinebeck – Holiday Entertainment Celebration – Magic songs, Christmas goodies, Santa. (Free w/ donation of a new toy, book, gloves, scarf or hat for a child in need)

Mon., Dec. 22, 7PM – Hyde Park Train Staton – Polar Express Night – Story, crafts, model trains, refreshments, visit from Santa

Plus, of course, all the mansions are decorated for the holidays. From what I’ve seen, they are mostly free unless you want a tour or there is a specific event going on. There’s more in the southern part of the county too, but I don’t usually make it much further than Poughkeepsie. If you know of anything fun, please feel free to mention it!