Because I Could Not Stop For Death

An early evening stroll through the Athens, NY cemetery behind our house was filled with gothic brooding and contemplation.  With many headstones from the late 19th century into the early 20th, the history of this town's inhabitants is a keen reminder that our life is a fleeting reflection of a moment in time.  Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) provides the appropriate words to match this sentiment.

Because I could not stop for Death-

He kindly stopped for me –  

The Carriage held but just Ourselves –  

And Immortality.

We slowly drove – He knew no haste

And I had put away

My labor and my leisure too,

For His Civility – 

We passed the School, where Children strove

At Recess – in the Ring –  

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –  

We passed the Setting Sun – 

Or rather – He passed us – 

The Dews drew quivering and chill – 

For only Gossamer, my Gown – 

My Tippet – only Tulle – 

We paused before a House that seemed

A Swelling of the Ground – 

The Roof was scarcely visible – 

The Cornice – in the Ground – 

Since then – ‘tis Centuries – and yet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses’ Heads 

Were toward Eternity – 

Windham's Recovery

The Boulers decided to celebrate 11/11/11 by heading out on a family hike up Acra Point, a state park right outside of Windham. Jackson described the climb as God's staircase.

The kids loved our picnic lunch with a view of Black Dome Mountain.

As did the parents.

Unfortunately, on our way home, we discovered a bag of garbage in the swiftly moving stream. Luckily James was able to fish it out with a stick before the bag burst and spread garbage in the water.

Jackson, who is very interested in environmental engineering, documented the erosion caused by the flooding after Hurricane Irene.





After our family hike, we head into Windham for some supplies. At The Country Store, one of our favorite spots, we picked up local eggs and yogurt, a loaf of freshly baked raspberry crumb cake, hot apple cider, and a flurry of snowflakes. Although recovery been tough for the area, it was good to see Windham pulling together to rebuild after the storm.

Renovation: Unexpected Therapy

I needed to clear my mind from the whirlwind of fundraising and step away from my computer, so the entire family retreated to Potic Cottage, our small spot in the Hudson Valley. After a couple of days of birdwatching and kayaking, it was time to turn my attention to home improvements. We had taken most of the winter off, so it was long overdue. After a roofing leak was repaired, it left unsightly peeling paint in the spare bedroom, eeewww, which revealed a laminated wall board underneath, double eeeww. With spatula in hand, it was time to go. And to my surprise, it felt good to roll my spataula along the wall, paint curling up in long streamers, more like the guilty pleasure of peeling sunburn than renovation. The result, clean but not good looking. I'm hoping that with the proper primer or with white pine nailed on top, it will be much nicer. Until then, I'm looking for some big paintings to distract visitors.
Undeterred, I straightened out the upstairs bathroom, adding small shelves and towel hooks. And how do you like my toilet paper holder? Rustic, no? I capped the improvements by putting my bed on its proper frame. What better way to celebrate this frenzy of nesting? By enjoying last year's improvements of a screened-in porch and a fire in the Malm stove over a glass of red wine.

Good Bones

Renovating a house is a huge undertaking, but when a house has good bones, a craftsman can become inspired to set things right. Add a great view and it becomes a mission. The hosts of our 4th of July luau are on a mission to save this Catskill home. Having previously restored their home in Athens, NY, Ralph and David took on this ambitious project. With incredible care and attention to detail, Ralph has taken most of the house down to the studs and has started replacing them, one by one. Meanwhile, the exterior siding and architectural details are in the scraped 'n sanded cycle. As if that wasn't enough to chew on, Ralph's uncle offered to help expand the front porch to capitalize on the views, so now that too is underway with wood supports holding up the porch roof while the ground around it has been excavated to make way for the new. I can't help but think that this home with good bones has found two good souls to restore it to its original state.

A Night of A Thousand Torches

This past fourth of July, we were invited to a fantastic luau along the banks of the Hudson River. The location, formerly known as Crazy Acres, had been a vacation rental for a revolving cast of characters, many of whom were on hand for the festivities. Missing, however, was former renter Tom Judson who was absent due to his summer in Saba.
The beauty of the setting was only outdone by the graciousness of our hosts, Ralph and David. The couple, who purchased the home two years ago to renovate, set up several terraced spaces for lounging and grilling, carved out along the path down to the river. They seemed to think of everything-- torches, drinks, throw pillows. As fortune would have it, it was low tide and the children, Olivia, Jackson, and their new friend Earl, spent time skipping stones and finding fossils while waiting for the fireworks to begin. Over their shoulder loomed the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, and beyond that, Catskill Point. The guests, bringing food, music and fun, embraced the luau spirit, cheering as fireworks splashed across the perfect night sky. As we sat perched atop the rocks along the road and watched the show, the very sleepy Jackson said, "Now that was worth staying up for."

Hudson Valley Shopaholic

I confess I love shopping in the Hudson Valley. Even back in the days when New Paltz still had a shop dedicated to Deadheads, the small, independently owned shops in the area offer goods that only Hudson Valley shops seem to carry. I have shopped in almost every store on Warren Street in Hudson, and I've never walked into Hood and Co on Main Street in Catskill without picking up something for a friend or myself. And it's not just antiques and farmstands-- though those are great too. I've gotten clothing, accessories, art supplies, books, cheese, chocolate, lamps, and libations. Two of my favorites featured here, I can only find at Hudson Wine Merchant on Warren Street. Don't you love the masculine lines of the Hudson Valley Bourbon, which is distilled in Rosendale, as compared to the lines of the Canton bottle of ginger liqueur, which is more like a perfume bottle. Take the day and check out both sides of the river. You are guaranteed to find something new.