VISITvortex SPRING Guide 2011

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Events Calendar Fun Spring Hikes & Walks Great Birdwatching Spots Creating An Outdoor Retreat STAY, EAT & PLAY Itineraries

SPRING GUIDE to HUDSON VALLEY Living by visitvortex.com

Spring 2011 FREE

PLAY THE COLONIAL VIDEO at www.visitvortex.com

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Kingston, NY 845-339-3333

The Original. The Best.

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Photo: Courtesy of Unilock ®

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table of CONTENTS 11 OUTDOORS: Great Birdwatching Spots 14 Birding & Nature Walk Schedule 18 Hike the Hyde Park Trails 29 Hudson Valley Rail Trail 33 Our Night Skies & Spring Constellations 107 STAY: Stay, Eat & Play Itineraries 21 EATING OUT: Evolution of Hudson Valley Restaurants 37 Spring Recipe by Local Chef Brian Murphy 38 THE LAND: What Foods are Growing this Spring 44 BODY, MIND & SOUL: Restore in Nature

OUR FARMS: Ulster/Dutchess CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) Farmers’ Markets of the Mid-Hudson Valley

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SHOP LOCALLY: Inspirations for Keeping It Local COMMUNITY: Relocating to the Hudson Valley HOME: Creating Your Own Outdoor Retreat Home Improvement Projects for Spring Spring Cleaning Ideas

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GARDEN: Planting Flowers in Containers

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83 TOURS: Hudson River Lighthouses 95 HISTORY: The D&H Canal 101

HOW TO: Plant a Simple Garden

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EVENTS: WHAT’S HAPPENING Hudson Valley

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This quarterly magazine is brought to you by VISITvortex.com. If you’d like to advertise in this magazine, on the website, or if you’d like us to produce a professional marketing video for you, please call us at 845-687-3470.

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Mark, Masseo Landscape; George, George Cole Auctions; Barbara, Clearmetals; Martin, Creative Gardens; Rae, Lucky Chocolates; Buffy & Brian, High Falls Cafe; Larry, High Falls Mercantile; Brigitte & George, Northern Spy; Dave, Tender Land Home; Emmanuel, Emmanuel’s Market; Catherine Gerry; Ricciardella Family; Gary, Agway; Mark, Harvest Cafe; Amar, RK Cleaners; Doug, Rhinebeck Artists Shop; Tim, Stone Ridge Wine & Spirits; Mike, Mike’s Earthworks; Heather, Heather Martin Realty; Victoria, Victoria Gardens; Tom, Colonial Subaru; Marty, Alpine Endeavors; Cathy & Dan, Saunderskill Farms; Chris, Carpet Store; Michael, Duchess Farm; Dr. Khera, Eric, Greenman Gardens; Brian & Marie, Inn at Stone Ridge; Robin, Country Flowers; Jackie & Chris, Kelder’s Farm; Jason, Ingrained Woodworking; Alyson, Cherries; Sean, Authentic Stone Works; Benoit, Pleasant Stone Farm, Jami, Always There; Shaun, Country Lawnscapes; Jesse & Melissa, VISITvortex

OUR LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS...

CREATING A STRONG AND THRIVING COMMUNITY. 6

Watch and tell them you saw their VIDEO/photo stories on www.VISITvortex.com.

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We produce great little videos about the area and its businesses. We promote those videos and slideshows on www.visitvortex.com. And we publish this quarterly magazine to keep you all abreast of the greatest things to do and see each season in the Mid-Hudson Valley.

VISITvortex, PO Box 82 High Falls, NY 12440 visitvortex@gmail.com www.visitvortex.com 845-687-3470 Sales/Operations: Jesse Marcus Creative Director: Melissa Hewitt Editor: Chris Fenichel-Hewitt Office Manager: Megan Corette Contributing Writers: Jay Blotcher, Erica Hasbrouck, Vivian Mandala, David McCarthy, Kerry McQuaide, Sean O’Dwyer, Susan Piperato, Rochelle Riservato, Alysse Robin, Natalie Sill

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HoMe FurNiSHiNgS, redeFiNed At High Falls Mercantile we source and sell an eclectic, fun and sophisticated mix of unique, fine home furnishings with a point of view that’s become our signature.

We select our wares with an eye toward quality and beauty, timeless design, anticipating you’ll own and appreciate our home décor and accessories for many, many years.

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OMEGA Rhinebeck, New York

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Awaken Your Spirit

Body, Mind & Spirit Leadership & Community Sustainable Living Relationships & Family Health & Healing Creativity & Play

Omega Institute is the nation’s most trusted source for wellness and personal growth. Located on 195 acres in the beautiful Hudson Valley, Omega offers diverse and innovative educational experiences that awaken the best in the human spirit.

visit us online at eOmega.org or call 800.944.1001

BODY, MIND & SOUL

Seek Restoration in THE CALM OF NATURE

by Vivian Mandala

“My mind is gentle and the thoughts that come are free. No agenda or plans arise. Just easy reflection.”

Anything that requires effort, like walking through a busy urban area (watchful for danger) and avoiding the distractions all around you (cars, cabs, people, and pets) draws upon your directed attention. Concentrating while working, grappling with complex social issues, and untangling interpersonal matters all take directed attention. If you don’t rest, these tasks lead to direct attention

fatigue, which the Kaplans argued we all suffer from. Contact with nature supports directed attention, thus categorized as “restored attention,” and a number of studies have found contact with everyday nature to be related to supporting attention in adults and children. A study was completed examining the relationship between children’s nature exposure through leisure activities and their ability to hold their attention to a task at hand.

Parents were then surveyed rating their child’s attention after activities in several settings. The results indicate that children function better than usual after activities in green settings. Parents all around the world know that children are better listeners after they’ve had a romp outside.

Any task that has intrinsic interest can be categorized as “effortless attention.” Anything in this category gives

To the believer the chance to experience, believe, and know is enough; the skeptic must have science, studies, and research, which I have read my share of. One of the most compelling that I have had the pleasure to discover is the Attention Resto-

ration Theory, which hypothesizes that concentration improves once you have spent time in nature. This theory was developed by Rachel and Stephen Kaplan in the 1980s, and a whole host of studies have been done to either dispute or concur with this theory. At its basic, the theory breaks down states of attention into four categories: directed attention, directed attention fatigue, effortless attention, and restored attention.

Bonticou Crag in Spring by John Mizel courtesy of Mohonk Preserve

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he cognitive benefits of being outdoors and in nature are dynamic. It seems to always give you what you need. In his work The Wisdom of Wilderness, late psychiatrist Gerald May discovered “the power of slowing,” which he described as “a wave of warmth inside me.” This slowing, which is intrinsic in the Attention Restoration Theory, has the theme that any Taoist would recognize. “My mind is gentle and the thoughts that come are free. All driveness is gone.

No agenda or plans arise. Just easy reflection.”

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Camping, hiking, walking, or sitting—it doesn’t matter what you do outdoors, just that you are outdoors you pleasure, it may not be restful, but you don’t have to concentrate while doing these activities because you enjoy them and see them as restorative. The difference between something that is considered effortless and restorative has to do with what the activity is. Exposure to nature and wilderness can have psychological benefits that can restore attention. Video games are effortless. One nourishes you and soothes, the other is “fun”, but not restorative.

Like anything that can become depleted, you must remember to replenish.

Camping, hiking, walking, or sitting—it doesn’t matter what you do outdoors, just that you are outdoors. And while you can take a weekend to camp at one of our state’s amazing campgrounds (nysparks.state.ny.us/parks), interactions with nature can be less of

a commitment in time. You can walk or bike the Rail Trail (as the website states “Hike it or bike it. Ride on horseback or roller blades. Ski it cross-country style or on snow shoes.” For access points, visit hudsonvalleyrailtrail.net).

For the more adventurous, there are the Gunks, or Kaaterskill Falls.

An impromptu visit to Val Kill historic site or the Vanderbilt Mansion is an excellent way to retreat for an hour and then return to pick apart a complex project. If you have even less time and you need to break away you can walk outside, breathe deeply, and just look up. Nature has a calming effect on us.

Give yourself a break and reap all of its benefits.

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VISITvortex.com features a large selection of outdoor videos to get you started.

SEVEN VORTEX VIDEOS TO INSPIRE YOU: 1. Relish Mohonk Preserve vistas: www.visitvortex.com/Hike_Mohonk_Preserve 2. Sail into Saugerties: www.visitvortex.com/Visit_SAUGERTIES 3. Stroll Eleanor Roosevelt’s Val Kill, Hyde Park: www.visitvortex.com/Val_Kill 4. Hike Mount Beacon, Beacon: www.visitvortex.com/Hike_Mount_Beacon 5. Wonder at Rosendale’s mines: www.visitvortex.com/Rosendale_NY 6. Rock Climb the Gunks: www.visitvortex.com/_Rock_Climbing_the_Gunks 7. Enjoy Split Rock Hole, Coxing Kill: www.visitvortex.com/Split_Rock_Hole 12

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With more than 20 shops, over 30 antique dealers, music, and some of the finest views in New Paltz, Water Street Market has something for everyone.

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• Hot drinks, savory morsels & sweet delicacies • Vintage collectibles, stylish clothes & designer jewelry • One-of-a-kind decorative pieces and fine art

At Big Bear Ziplines, participants will soar from tree to tree on our 8 different ziplines anywhere from 200-1,400 feet in length, enjoy mild nature hikes, climb fire truck ladders and swoop down tarzan vines. Restrictions and requirements apply.

Big Bear Ziplines 817 Violet Avenue Route 9G, Hyde Park

1.888.ZIP.BBZI bigbearziplines.com 13

BIRDWATCHING

The Great Vly

sites in the Mid-Hudson Valley

Shandaken Shandaken

Buttercup Farm

Katsbaan

Phoenicia

Overlook Mountain

Bristol Beach

Saugerties Tivoli

Cruger Island

Woodstock

Catskill State Park

Montgomery Place

W. Hurley

Slide Mountain

Shokan

Brace Mountain

Red Hook

Ashokan Reservoir

Poet’s Walk

Kingston Point

Rock City

Kingston

Peekamoose

Olivebridge

Hurley

Sleightsburg Spit

Rhinebeck

Port Ewen Eddyville Stone Ridge

Vernooy Kill Falls Trail

Ulster Park Rosendale Burroughs

Staatsburg

Sanctuary

High Falls

Kerhonkson

Bulls Head

Esopus Meadows

Tillson

Vanderbilt Mansion

Accord

Millbrook

Mohonk Preserve

Napanoch

Valkill New Paltz

Ellenville

Clinton Hollow Clinton Corners

Harcourt Sanctuary

Minnewaska State Park

Clintondale

Poughkeepsie

Pleasant Valley

Moores Mill

Gardiner

Shawangunk Grasslands 14

Pine Bush

Wallkill

Clove Milton

or just look carefully wherever you are Marlboro

Beekman

OUTDOORS

A World of Hudson Valley

Birding Sites

The Great Vly The Great Vly, on the Ulster/Greene County line north of the Town of Saugerties, is a large freshwater marsh bordered by rock cliffs and wooded hills. Osprey, golden eagle, American bittern, blackbirds, and 30 species of warblers pass through The Great Vly during spring migration. Common nighthawks assemble in small flocks to rest and feed over the open marsh. Common and black terns have been observed in migration. Woodcocks, swamp sparrows, rails, and herons nest here, along with three species of vireos, warblers, and other woodland birds. In late summer and early fall, unique floating mats of vegetation provide good shorebird habitat.

Bristol Beach State Park Bristol Beach State Park, in the Town of Saugerties, provides views of the Hudson River. Migrating passerines and waterfowl follow the river inland during spring and back to the coast in the fall. Among summer nesters are eastern bluebirds. Scan the river from an elevated parking area and walk quietly out on the peninsula to the south end, checking for waterfowl in the cove on the west side. Exposed mudflats in the cove attract herons, egrets, and shorebirds during low tide in late summer and early fall.

Winter activity will vary based on ice conditions: watch for unusual species of gulls and a diverse array of waterfowl at first ice-

out in late winter. Bald eagles may be seen throughout the year.

Kingston Point Kingston Point includes Kingston Point Beach and Kingston Rotary Park on the Hudson River. From late fall to early spring, look for ducks, gulls, and bald eagles on the Hudson River and in the lagoon. Shrubbery around the edges of Rotary Park and the adjacent BMX course provide cover

For directions to these sites go to the online magazine at visitvortex.com or check out watermanbirdclub.org.

visitvortex.com

A great first step to birding in the Hudson Valley is the purchase of a Northeastern United States field guide. Every time you spot a bird, find out what it is and mark the page to remember that you’ve seen that species in your yard. Then when you’re ready, head out to one of the below birding sites to see for yourself where a variety of birds congregate.

Remember to check local hunting season dates to make sure you’re dressed appropriately.

We can all identify at least a handful of birds. The ubiquitous crow, the noble bald eagle, or the elegant red cardinal come to mind. But as you start to think about it, or better yet as you start to pay attention to the birds around you, the sky is the limit on what we can discover about birds.

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for winter sparrows, finches, and Carolina wrens. A loop trail from Rotary Park to the intersection of North Street and Delaware Avenue follows reconstructed trolley tracks and an old railbed, providing views toward the Rondout Lighthouse, across the mouth of the creek to Sleightsburg Spit, and into a shallow lagoon that was part of the Victorian-era Kingston Point Park.

Sleightsburg Spit Sleightsburg Spit, in Port Ewen, is a park on a narrow spit of land on the south side of the mouth of Rondout Creek. Vireos, warblers, and orioles nest in the canopy of deciduous trees.

A large stand of cattails on the south side of the spit that attracts marsh wrens and least bitterns can be reached by canoe or kayak at high tide. In late summer, large numbers of great blue herons and other wading birds congregate in Sleightsburg Bay at low tide.

Esopus Meadows Esopus Meadows, in the Town of Esopus, is a shallow underwater shelf of the Hudson River offshore of Lighthouse Park and Esopus Meadows Environmen16

tal Center. Emergent river vegetation nurtures insects, small fish, and other food species that attract wading birds, waterfowl, and swallows during migration. In winter, look for ducks, bald eagles, and great cormorants. The adjacent forest is a 100-acre Scenic Hudson preserve. It is a magnet for warblers and other passerines migrating along the river. Summer nesters include worm-eating warbler, Louisiana waterthrush, and scarlet tanager. Five species of woodpeckers remain all year. More info: scenichudson. org. SEE A VIDEO on visitvortex.com

Burroughs Sanctuary Burroughs Sanctuary, in the Town of Esopus, is the site of Slabsides, the rustic cabin retreat of the famous late 19th and early 20th century naturalist John Burroughs. The Sanctuary consists of 192 acres on a wooded hillside, with a few short trails and a large pond. Migrating passerines visit in the spring; lowland woodland and “edge” species—wood thrush, scarlet tanager, eastern bluebird—nest here. Osprey, indigo bun-

ting or bald eagles visit the pond, which is also a good place to study dragonflies and damselflies. The Sanctuary is open dawn to dusk daily, all year. More info: jbnhs.org

Overlook Mountain Overlook Mountain Wild Forest is a 590-acre area within the Catskill Forest Preserve. A two-mile long route climbs to the top of the mountain where there is a fire tower and a restored firewatchers cabin. Migrating and nesting warblers and other montane species can be seen and heard along the red-blazed route. On weekends in good weather, the top of the fire tower is open and there are exhibits in the firewatchers cabin.

Slide Mountain Slide Mountain, at 4,180 feet, is the Catskill’s highest peak and the site of the original discovery of Bicknell’s thrush. The peak is reached via a moderately difficult 2.8mile foot trail. At higher elevations there is an extensive balsam fir/red spruce boreal forest where Bicknell’s thrush,

Swainson’s thrush, blackpoll warbler, white-throated sparrow, and yellowbellied flycatcher nest. The lower elevation deciduous forest hosts numerous species of breeding thrushes, warblers, woodpeckers, and scarlet tanager, winter wren, and yellow-bellied sapsucker.

Crossbills, pine grosbeaks, and rarely boreal chickadee are potential winter invasion species. More info: nynjtc.org

Vernooy Kill Falls Trail Vernooy Kill Falls Trail in the Sundown Wild Forest in the Town of Denning, provides hiking access to Vernooy Kill Falls and to Balsam Swamp, a unique and extensive balsam fir/mountain laurel swamp and sphagnum moss bog. A 1.8-mile walk from the Upper Cherrytown trailhead crosses two streams and gains 600 feet elevation to reach the falls. There are two other trailheads: one from Yeagerville Road in Greenville, and another from Trails End Road. Balsam Swamp is nearer the Greenville trailhead. Blackburnian, black-throated blue, Canada, yellow-rumped, and hooded warblers nest in the laurel and hemlock thickets along the trail. Veery, hermit thrush, yellow-bellied sapsucker, and several

Mohonk Preserve

Mohonk Preserve, on the Shawangunk ridge west of New Paltz, spans 6,600 acres in adjacent corners of the towns of Gardiner, Rochester, and Marbletown. It is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the Shawangunk ridges and habitat. Its trails are open to members and visitors. The day use fee for nonmembers is $9. There are several areas of the Preserve that can be especially rewarding for bird-watching. The open fields at Spring Farm have a large population of nesting indigo buntings. Duck Pond hosts many woodland and “edge” species of warblers, plus wood thrushes, scarlet tanagers, and, usually, an Acadian flycatcher. More montane species, like slate-colored juncos, blackburnian warblers, eastern flicker, and winter wrens, nest on the north-facing slopes of Rock Rift. The ridge now supports nesting peregrines, ravens, and black

Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary is on the floodplain of the Wallkill River at the western edge of the village of New Paltz. The sanctuary, owned by the Huguenot Historical Society, is open to the public. There is a pleasant trail (which may be flooded after heavy rains) through the grassy meadow and stands of water-loving trees. Marsh species—sora rail, snipe, Empidonax flycatchers, and even a sedge wren— have been found here. Orioles and common yellowthroats nest. In the fall, many sparrows visit the Community Gardens in the Sanctuary. On autumn nights listen for great horned and screech owls.

Bluebirds and woodpeckers stay all winter. More info: jbnhs.org

Shawangunk Grasslands NWR Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge is on the site of the old Galeville Airport in the Town of Shawangunk. The refuge is part of the Wallkill

Birding in Dutchess County: Brace Mountain (Taconic State Park) Part of the 1,547-acre Taconic State Park in the Town of North East. Highest point in Dutchess County, 2,311 feet, located where New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut come together. Deciduous and coniferous woodland and open areas at the summit. Spring, summer, and fall. Good vantage point for fall hawk migration.

Breeding hermit thrush and dark-eyed

juncos, as well as other woodland species. Requires a two-mile hike each way, moderate from the west or partially strenuous from the east. More info: BerkshireHiking.com

OUTDOORS

River NWR and is managed for grassland species of concern and for protection of the watershed of the Wallkill River. Bobolinks, eastern meadowlark, eastern bluebird, upland sandpiper, and vesper and Savannah sparrows nest, as historically have grasshopper and Henslow’s sparrows.

Winter brings rough-legged hawks, northern harriers, and short-eared owls.

In early spring, American woodcocks perform their twilight courting flights.

More info: shawangunk.fws.gov

Buttercup Farm Wildlife Sanctuary Town of Stanford. 553 acres of woodlands, fields, pastures, wooded swamp. Best in spring and fall. Raptors, waterfowl, great horned owl, eastern bluebird, and many resident nesting species. Walking distance: Allow 2-3 hours to cover either the western or eastern part. Easy to moderate. More info: ny.audubon.org

Cruger Island 60 acres on the Hudson River in the Town of Red Hook. Bay, estuary, tidal marsh, mudflats, tidal swamp, wood-

Northern Flicker , Jane Vecchione

SEE A VIDEO on visitvortex.com

and turkey vultures. From September to November, there is a Hawk Watch on the Near Trapps ridge. Info: mohonkpreserve.org. SEE A VIDEO on visitvortex.com

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species of vireos and flycatchers breed in the surrounding forest. Northern waterthrush, white-throated sparrow, and dark-eyed junco breed in the swamp.

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lands. An excellent area for all kinds of birds, with waterfowl and shorebirds most plentiful. Osprey, northern harrier, marsh wren, least bittern, Virginia rail. Best in early spring and late summer; also excellent for observing ducks on the river in late fall. Walking distance: 2 miles (moderate). Allow 4-6 hours.

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site (Valkill) 190 acres in the Town of Hyde Park. Lake, marsh, forest; varied habitat. Best in spring and summer. Herons, wood duck, belted kingfisher, swallows, warblers, barred owl, pileated woodpecker, blue-gray gnatcatcher, common snipe. Walking distance: 1 mile.

Allow 2-3 hours. More info: nps.gov/elro/ index.htm. SEE A VIDEO on visitvortex.com

Montgomery Place A Hudson River estate of 434 acres just south of Bard College in the Town of Red Hook.

Orchard, gardens, lawns, deciduous 18

and hemlock woods, and a view of the Hudson. Trails. Wheelchairs can use the roads. Winter wren, warblers, flycatchers, orioles, pileated woodpecker, rose-breasted grosbeak. Walking distance: 2 miles (easy). Allow 2-3 hours.

More info: hudsonvalley.org

Poet’s Walk 120 acres in the Town of Red Hook with varied habitat and great views of the Hudson River. Grassland and woodland birds, including bobolink and orchard oriole. Walking distance: 2 miles. Allow 3 hours. More info: scenichudson.org/whatyoucando/visitourparks/poetswalk

Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site 212 acres overlooking the Hudson River in the Town of Hyde Park.

Varied habitat including meadows, woodlands, ponds, streams, inlets, and bays. Best birding is in spring between the mansion and the river. Warblers, thrushes, kinglets, woodpeckers, swallows, waterbirds, gulls. More info: nps.gov/vama

Spring 2011 Birding and Nature Walks Saturday, 4/2, 1-4pm Vernal Pools at Esopus Bend Nature Preserve Steve Chorvas, schorvas@verizon.net

Sunday, 5/8, 7am-1pm Bashakill Spring Migrants Tom Crepet, 845-255-0324

Saturday, 4/16 Birds & Beans & Mohonk Preserve present Migratory Birds that winter in Nicaragua and spend spring/summer in the Shawangunk Ridge mohonkpreserve.org, 255-0919

Saturday, 5/14 Ulster County Spring Census: Big Day Count Steve Chorvas, schorvas@verizon.net

Saturday, 4/16, 9am Guided Bird Walk.

Clermont Historic Site. 518-537-4240. www.friendsofclermont.org Saturday, 4/16, 8:30-11:30am Creativity, Community, Observation, and Nature at Burroughs Sanctuary Mira Bowin, mira.bowin@gmail.com Saturday, 4/23, 8-11am Birding for Beginners at Kingston Point Park forsythnature@aol.com or 845-339-1277

Saturday, 5/15 Daylong Celebration of the International Migratory Bird Day forsythnature@aol.com or 845-339-1277 Saturday, 5/28, 6am-3pm Neversink East Peter Schoenberger, pds@netstep.net Sunday, 5/29 Wildflowers of the Region Frost Valley YMCA Free Monthly Hike 845-985-2291 www.frostvalley.org

Sunday, 4/24, 7am Spring in Highland Matt Corsaro, 845-256-9839

Sunday, 5/29, 4:30-8pm Chodikee Lake Paddle Lin Fagan, faganlin@verizon.net, 845-339-2054

Saturday, 4/30, 6am-12pm Kenneth Wilson State Park Peter Schoenberger, pds@netstep.net

Saturday, 6/4, 6:30am-3pm Vernooy Kill Falls Peter Schoenberger, pds@netstep.net

Sunday, 5/1, 7am-12pm Ashokan Reservoir Spring Migration Denny Droica, dennydroica@gmail.com

Sunday, 6/5, dawn to 4pm Bio-Blitz in New Paltz, Lynn Bowdery lynn@bowderys.com, 845-255-6690

Friday, 5/6, 6am-12pm Warbler Walk Lin Fagan (faganlin@verizon.net or 845-3392054, and Carol Weber at 914-388-1569

Saturday, 6/11, 7am-3pm Balsam Lake Mountain Christine Guarino, chrissy.guarino@gmail.com

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HIGH FALLS

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www.hurleystonehouse.com

Relax in your pet-friendly private guest cottage close to Lake Minnewaska, or the town of High Falls. Stroll the village and mill through sweet shops like High Falls Mercantile, Nectar, or Spruce. Enjoy lunch in a great setting at the High Falls Cafe, or a perfect dinner at the Northern Spy. See the amazing Falls or stroll the old D&H Canal. Another great way to enjoy nature is to call Favata’s Table Rock tours and set up a bike tour of this beautiful region.

Stay at this impeccable 8th-century Hudson Valley Dutch estate, nestled in the peaceful countryside of the Esopus valley, near the historic village of Hurley. Take a day trip to the Rondout area of Kingston. Walk along the water, rent a boat or kayak, pick up healthy snacks at Kingston Natural Foods and enjoy a delicious Italian feast at Savona’s Trattoria. Or you can visit historic uptown Kingston, the first capital of NY. Eat at one of the great restaurants in town like Dominick’s, Lucy’s Tacos, or Gabriel’s. Check out the galleries or quaint shops like Columbia or Lotus Jewelry for a handcrafted treasure. You can also take a guided walking tour of the area.

Minnewaska Lodge www.minnewaskalodge.com

Enjoy hiking, mountain biking, swimming, golf, or the world-renowned rock climbing in Minnewaska State Park and the Mohonk Preserve right up the road. You can call Alpine Endeavors for a professional climbing guide.

Bistro Mountain Store is right next door and has everything you’ll need for a day out in nature.

Head into the village of Gardiner for shopping in town or stop at Wright’s Farm for an afternoon picnic and amazing donuts. Be sure to do a tasting of the locally made Tuthilltown Spirits and head next door to the newly opened and amazing Tuthill House at the Mill. Or take a more casual trip to Elsie’s Place for great BBQ. SEE THE VIDEOS: www.visitvortex.com/Wrights_Farm www.visitvortex.com/_Rock_Climbing_the_Gunks

SEE THE VIDEOS: www.visitvortex.com/High_Falls_NY www.visitvortex.com/High_Falls_Cafe www.visitvortex.com/High_Falls_Mercantile www.visitvortex.com/Nectar_Imports www.visitvortex.com/Favatas_Table_Rock_Tours__Bicycles www.visitvortex.com/Lake_Minnewaska

KERHONKSON

Hudson Valley Resort & Spa www.hudsonvalleyresort.com

Set amid 400 acres of majestic landscapes and surrounded by the Shawangunk Mountains, it’s the perfect place to enjoy the area. Stay close and visit Ron at his Downtown Accord antique shop, or try organic pizza on the Rondout Creek at Pizza Barn. Head to Friends and Family II Hillside for finer fare in a cozy atmosphere. Or you can drive south toward Ellenville, and stop off at Barthel’s Farm Market for fresh local produce and snacks. Pleasant Stone Organic Cafe or Gaby’s would make a great lunch on the way to a day of hiking Sam’s Point Preserve, visiting the Ice Caves, or going hang gliding!

SEE THE VIDEO: www.visitvortex.com/Sams_Point_Preserve

SEE THE VIDEO: visitvortex.com/_Visit_Uptown_Kingston

GARDINER

Stone House B&B

visitvortex.com

Clove Cottages

WHERE TO STAY

With so many wonderful inns and B&Bs in the area, sometimes the decision comes down to what there is to do nearby. A well-planned itinerary can make a getaway more relaxing, leaving more time to spend the days as you please. Enjoy this selection of places to stay, eateries to savor, and activities to lose yourself in.

21

MILTON

MARBLETOWN

MT. TREMPER/PHOENICIA

www.innatstoneridge.com

www.emersonresort.com

The Inn offers both accomodations and fine dining in a restored, 18th-century Dutch Colonial Mansion set on 150 acres of lawns, gardens, woods, and fields. The restaurant has an excellent menu focused on sustainable local bounty from the fertile Hudson Valley farms.

During your stay you can also enjoy a lighter meal nearby at The Last Bite, or sandwiches & dessert at Cherries up the road. Tour the Rondout Valley’s farms for fresh produce or pick your own veggies. Visit the Stone Ridge Orchard, Davenport’s, Saunderskill Farm, Kelder’s, or Burd’s Farm, each with their own unique flair and specialties.

This exquisite resort offers something for everyone. From the distinctive décor of the adults-only Emerson Inn to the traditional Adirondack style of the family friendly Lodge.

Surrounded by the majestic peak of Mt. Tremper, and the Esopus Creek, it’s the perfect getaway location. Their restaurant, The Catamount, incorporates menu selections made with fresh, local ingredients with many vegetable items picked daily from the Emerson garden.

The town of Phoenicia is close by and is a great place to take a day trip. There are great little places to eat in town like Ricciardella’s, Brios, or Sportsmans Alamo Cantina. The town hosts galleries and shops to check out, like Tender Land Home, Nest Egg, or Moose Crossing up Rt. 28.

The more daring can tube the Esopus creek, and the more leisurely can ride on the Catskill Mountain Railroad.

Inn at Stone Ridge

SEE THE VIDEOS: www.visitvortex.com/_Rondout_Valley_Farm_Tour www.visitvortex.com/Davenport_Farms www.visitvortex.com/Saunderskill_Farm www.visitvortex.com/Kelders_Farm

Emerson Resort & Spa

SEE THE VIDEOS: www.visitvortex.com/Visit_PHOENICIA www.visitvortex.com/Emerson_Resort__Spa

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Buttermilk Falls, www.buttermilkfallsinn.com This luxurious Hudson Valley inn and spa is situated on 70 pristine acres on the Hudson River.

Stroll through gardens and flowering terraces, hike past ponds and waterfalls, or enjoy the spa and indoor pool. Dine at Henry’s, their new on-site restaurant, and enjoy incredible farmto-table cuisine featuring locally and sustainably produced meats and produce. Buttermilk Falls is just minutes from bustling villages and tourist destinations like the Walkway Over the Hudson.

Take a day trip on the Hudson Valley Wine Trail and taste delicious local wines.

hiking trails, tennis, midweek golf, lake swimming, boating, horseback riding, children’s programs, and so much more for an all-inclusive room rate. It’s the perfect mountain retreat. Take a day and go into New Paltz and enjoy a walk along the Wallkill Valley rail trail or stop in to the Water Street Market to shop and grab a bite to eat at the Harvest Cafe. Be sure to take a tour of Historic Huguenot Street, featuring seven unique stone houses dating to the early 1700s.

You can also pick up snacks or pick-your-own fresh veggies at Jenkins Lukens orchards at the foot of the Shawangunks.

SEE THE VIDEOS: www.visitvortex.com/A_Day_In_New_Paltz www.visitvortex.com/JenkinsLueken_Orchards www.visitvortex.com/Historic_Huguenot_Street www.visitvortex.com/Water_Street_Market

RHINEBECK

Whistlewood Farm B&B

NEW PALTZ

Mohonk Mountain House www.mohonk.com

This grand 267-room Victorian castle is one of America’s oldest family owned resorts, and is a must see. Mohonk offers access to 85 miles of

www.whistlewood.com

This lush, rolling countryside horse farm and bed and breakfast is set on a hilltop in Rhinebeck. Head to town to shop at sweet stores like Rhinebeck Artist’s Shop or Breezy Hill Market.

Enjoy the Farmers’ Market or dine at Fosters

Coachhouse Tavern or the newly opened Gaby’s Mexican Cafe (be sure to order the guacamole). For outdoor recreation you can take a walk or share a picnic at Poet’s Walk, Wilderstein historic site, or do a walkabout on the Hyde Park Trail system. Bard’s Fisher Center, hosts world class performances, and the Summerscape arts festival is a must, with opera, dance, theater, film, and music.

SEE THE VIDEO: http://www.visitvortex.com/ Visit_RHINEBECK

SAUGERTIES The Village Inn

www.villageinnsaugerties.com

A private getaway for couples and families in the heart of Saugerties. Head downstairs to Lucky Chocolates for delectable handmade chocolates or drive over to Cafe Mezzaluna for live music and a meal with Latin flair. Walk the Saugerties Lighthouse Trail and picnic on the Hudson River. Or experience a world-class horse show at HITS, Horse Shows in the Sun.

RHINEBECK

SEE THE VIDEOS: www.visitvortex.com/Visit_SAUGERTIES www.visitvortex.com/Saugerties_Lighthouse_Trail www.visitvortex.com/Lucky_Chocolates

www.eOmega.org

WOODSTOCK

Omega Institute

Omega is a spiritual, creative, and holistic educational retreat center set on beautiful lands outside of Rhinebeck. Once you get there, you won’t want to leave as everything you could need is provided, including healthy vegetarian meals, wellness center, and meditation sanctuary. Check the website to see the classes and retreats available this spring. Awaken body, mind, and spirit.

La Duchesse Anne A ten-room B&B just outside of Woodstock also serves traditional French cuisine. Chef-owner Fabrice Vittoz is always fun to talk to. Head into the famous town of Woodstock to feel the vibrant energy and enjoy paninis at C’est Cheese, tea at the Tea Shop, and live music at the Colony Cafe. Sunday drum cirle on the Green is a must. Take a drive up the mountain and hike to Overlook, or visit the Buddhist Temple. SEE THE VIDEO: http://www.visitvortex.com/VISIT_WOODSTOCK

Mohonk

Mountain House

“One of the 10 great places to relax your mind and body.”

—USA Today For overnight getaways, meals by award-winning chefs, day spa visits, and more—please call 845.255.1000 or see www.mohonk.com 1000 Mountain Rest Road New Paltz, New York 12561 www.mohonk.com

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WHISTLEWOOD FARM Bed and Breakfast

845-876-6838 www.whistlewood.com 52 Pells Road, Rhinebeck, New York 12572

Experience the delightful French cuisine of the renowned chef Fabrice Vittoz.

“One of America’s top 25 eating inns”– Conde Nast Traveler THE VILLAGE INN A Unique Lodging Experience

917-453-8374 135 Partition St, Saugerties villageinnsaugerties.com 24

Country Inn x French Cuisine

La Duchesse Anne

1564 Wittenberg Road, Mt. Tremper laduchesseanne.com 845-688-5260

70 acre estate on the Hudson River with Eco Spa, Inn, Guesthouses & Cottages Milton, New York 845 • 795 • 1310

ButtermilkFallsInn.com

Introducing Dining on the Hudson at Henry’s

The Stone House Bed & Breakfast Affordable luxury, peace, good company and great food in a lovingly restored 300 year old home.

Beautifully designed rooms that seamlessly blend the old with the new.

Home baked bread, fresh flowers, Frette sheets, gardens and creek.

476 Old Route 209, Hurley, NY 12443 www.hurleystonehouse.com 845.339.4041

Henry’s

henrysatbuttermilk.com

845 • 795 • 1500 25

Come Here

AllYeAr!

FrosT VAlleY YmCA

6

in New Paltz.

Where history continues

to be written.

Frost Valley YMCA has a rich history of bringing people together for extraordinary experiences. “Camp” here means cozy bunks and lodges ranging from tents and cabins to a historic stone castle and hotel-style Inn. Let us be your premier Catskill Mountain destination. Contact us to reserve your stay.

JoIn us For • maple sugaring • apple cidering • arts & crafts • boating • hiking • canoeing • meditation & relaxation • climbing • zip line • archery • free guided hikes • star gazing • horseback riding • year-round camps and so much more!

Just 14 miles from Big Indian!

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Tel: 845-985-2291

emAIl: info@frostvalley.org WeB: frostvalley.org

More than 300 years ago, a small band of Huguenots founded a new community — New Paltz. Their independence came out of their conviction. That spirit remains strong in New Paltz today. See their colonial stone houses in their orginal village setting. Visit our museum shop. Hike our marshland nature walk. Walk the Rail Trail. Make a day of it with shopping and dining in our funky, charming downtown, which is just steps away.

Sunday, February 20, 3pm

A panel discussion on the exhibit Binary Visions: 19th Century Woven Coverlets

Saturday, March 12, 7pm

Second Saturdays: An Insider’s Look at Rensselaerwyck Revisitus with Peter M. Kenny

Saturday, April 16, 1pm Easter Egg Hunt on the grounds of the Deyo House and the Dubois Fort!

Saturday, March 26, 7pm Candlelight Tour

DuBois Fort Visitor Center 81 Huguenot Street Downtown New Paltz 845.255.1889 or 1660

www.huguenotstreet.org

A Quaint Shopping Village in New Paltz

WATER STREET MARKET

10 Main Street, New Paltz, NY 12561 845-255-1403 www.waterstreetmarket.com

PLAY THE WATER STREET VIDEO at www.visitvortex.com

Set along the beautiful Wallkill River overlooking the dazzling Shawangunk Ridge, Water Street Market evokes the charm of a Swiss Mountain Village.

The Water Street Market features over 20 award-winning shops offering antiques, arts and crafts, fashions, food and gifts. The quaint open air shopping village is situated on Main Street, by the corner of Historic Huguenot Street and Water Street. Its friendly merchants welcome visitors to relax and stroll, enjoy the views, and possibly pick up a “find� or two along the way.

27

In The Heart Of The Heart Of TheInHudson Valley...

The Hudson Valley...

RELAXING GETAWAYS

RETREATS

GREAT BASE TO EXPLORE

Twenty-six Casual RETREATS elegance in aGREAT spectacular RELAXINGrooms.

GETAWAYS BASE mountain TO EXPLORE setting. Adjacent to 26,000 acres of the Minnewaska State Park and the Mohonk Preserve.

Stay in here—go everywhere.

Twenty-six rooms.

Casual elegance a spectacular mountain

setting.

Adjacent to 26,000 acres of the Minnewaska State Private decks • Dramatic cliff views • High-speed internet Park and Home-baked the Mohonk Preserve.

Stay here—go breakfast • Adventure Concierge everywhere.

Minnewaska Lodge

Private decks • Dramatic cliff views • High-speed internet Home-baked breakfast • Adventure Concierge

Minnewaska Lodge

845-255-1110 MinnewaskaLodge.com 28

845-255-1110

3116 US Rte 44/55 Gardiner, NY 12525

3116 US Rte 44/55

PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION & GUIDED TRIPS FOR ALL LEVELS OF ABILITY IN: Rock Climbing Ice Climbing Alpine Climbing Snowshoe Outings

Area Hikes Team Building Events Mountaineering Wilderness Medical Courses

Climb with us at Sky Top as a guest of the Mohonk Mountain House.

AMGA Accredited AMGA Certified Guides

ALPINE ENDEAVORS

PO Box 58, Rosendale, NY 877-GUNKS-NY www.alpineendeavors.com 845-658-3094

K Building

Trail Markers Include: Colored disks Tulip-Tree (Mills-Norrie only) trail markers

Vanderbilt Mansion NHS to Norrie State Park & Staatsburgh State Historic Site 2.7 mi.

Painted trail blazes (red, blue, yellow, orange or green)

Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site (Hike A)

Pinewoods Park (Hike C)

k

RIVER

HUDSON

r Ma W.

P

Hackett Hill Park

P

Riverfront Park (Hike B)

P .

Pinewo ds Rd o

Winnakee Nature Preserve

P

(Hike E)

Home of FDR National Historic Site (Hike F)

P

P

P

Roosevelt Farm & Forest

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site "Val-Kill"

(Hike G)

(Hikes H & I)

P St. A rew nd s Rd.

Hyde Park Trail System Location: Hyde Park, NY Pass: Trails are all free Website: www.hydeparkny.us/Recreation/Trails/ Podcasts: www.nps.gov/hofr/photosmultimedia/ Parking: Can park at any of the individual trails below; see site for details.

Earn a Trails Patch: Walkabout is a project to promote healthy physical activity—walking or snowshoeing on trails. Walk at least five trails on the map using the checklist on their website and receive a free Walkabout patch.

E. Mark et St.

Town Hall

FEATURED TRAIL

Description: The Hyde Park Trail system includes nearly 16 miles of trails linking town parks, nature preserves, historic sites, and National Park sites with local neighborhoods and the town’s central business corridor in Hyde Park. It is also designated part of the Hudson Valley Greenway Trail.

(Hike D) St. et

DUTCHESS COUNTY

Trailhead

Water Body

P

Parking areas

P

OUTDOORS

Open to the public

P

Trail Details: A. Vanderbilt Loop (2.5 mile round trip) B. Bard Rock Trail (3.2 mile round trip) C. Pinewoods Nature Trail Loop (0.7 mile loop) D. Hackett Hill Park: Woodland and Guinea Community Trails (1.1 mile loop) E. Winnakee Nature Preserve Trail (1.3 mile round trip) F. Roosevelt Woods Trail (3.3 mile round trip) G. Roosevelt Farm Lane Trail (3.6 mile round trip) H. Eleanor’s Walk (1 mile loop) I. Top Cottage Trail (2 mile round trip) J. Blue Trail (2.4 mile one-way) K. White Trail (1.75 mile one-way)

Secondary Road Railroad

P

walkabout

Other Trails

Primary Road

visitvortex.com

Rd.

Walkabout Trails

(Hikes J & K)

Old Po st

P

Legend

Mills-Norrie State Park

29

www.NDHKnowsBabies.com

Moms always liked us best.

From all of us at the Neugarten Family Birth Center at Northern Dutchess Hospital, thank you for allowing us to celebrate the births of your little ones each day.

Over the past 25 years, we have delivered nearly 17,000 babies in our communities and continue to remain the preferred Birth Center of choice in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Through our family-focused and customized patient care, our national recognition remains consistent with a 5-star rating from HealthGrades速, for the 4th year in a row!

For more information, please visit www.NDHKnowsBabies.com.

To learn more please visit: www.NDHKnowsBabies.com

New York’s finest spring water. Leisure Time Spring Water comes in a variety of sizes. Our most popular is the 5-gallon easy-carry bottle.

We also carry a smaller and lighter 3-gallon easy-carry bottle. We carry cases of water from the small 8oz, all the way up to our 2.5 gallon refrigerator bottle. We also carry distilled water in 5-gallon bottles and cases of distilled water in 1 gallon bottles. We offer a variety of dispensers to use with the 3 and 5 gallon bottles. We can provide for all of your bottled water needs.

BiNNeWaTer ice cOmpaNY 25 S pine Street, Kingston, NY 12401 845-331-0504 www.binnewater.com

PLAY Binnewater’s Slideshow at www.visitvortex.com

LeiSure Time SpriNg WaTer

One time offer, does not include bottle deposit.

Keep Your Family Hydrated with

Five 5-Gallon Bottles FREE when you sign up for an account

Drink Up

25

GALLONS FREE

you are the

of our eye at... ofofour eyeat...at... our eye mac’s agway in red hook

845.876.1559 | 68 32

mac’s agway in red hook

, 12571

firehouseny lane red hook, ny 12571 firehouse845.876.1559 lane red| 68hook

new paltz agway

new paltz agway

845.255.0050 | 145

845.255.0050 | 145 rte 32 n, new paltz, ny 12561rte

32 n, new paltz, ny 12561

mac’s agway in red hook

new paltz agway

845.876.1559 | 68 firehouse lane red hook, ny 12571

845.255.0050 | 145 rte 32 n, new paltz, ny 12561

OUTDOORS

trails ULSTER COUNTY

Location: Highland, NY Website: www.hudsonvalleyrailtrail.net Parking can be found in the following areas: • In the hamlet of Highland • Hudson Valley Rail Trail Depot, 101 New Paltz Rd • At 75 Haviland Road • At Tony Williams Park located at Riverside Road Description: This family-friendly boulevard through nature was created, supported, and maintained by the people of the Town of Lloyd. You can start or end your trip at the Walkway Over the Hudson. Pick up a picnic lunch in the hamlet of Highland or on Route 9W adjacent to the trail.

Trail Details: Trail End Points: Walkway Over the Hudson to Tony Williams Town Park, S. Riverside Road, Lloyd Trail Length: 3.57 miles Trail Surfaces: Asphalt Trail Activities: Bike, Inline Skating, Wheelchair Accessible, Horseback Riding, Mountain Biking, Walking

Watch the VIDEO at

www.visitvortex.com/Hudson_Valley_Rail_Trail_to_Walkway

visitvortex.com

Hudson Valley Rail Trail

FEATURED TRAIL

33

We’re Smoking!

Baby Back Ribs Chicken • Beef Brisket • Best BBQ In the Hudson Valley!

•

BBQ in our new smoker...

•

Sunday: ALL U CAN EAT BBQ Ribs & Chicken for $19.95 The menu is an eclectic American menu from crab cakes to homemade pulled pork.

We serve ½ pound hamburgers that are made fresh along with a generous portion of hand cut French fries. We always have fresh seafood, steaks and pasta on the menu!!!

Elsie’s P lace

1475 Route 208, Hamlet of Wallkill • Corner of Route 208 & Route 300 • 845-895-8975

CAFE MEZZALUNA

Where great food, art and entertainment meet in a space brimming with culture, earthly delights, and so much more!

Full Service Deli • Catering • Party Subs Sandwiches • Wings • Burgers • Fries Hard & Soft Ice Cream • Frozen Yogurt Homemade Custom Ice Cream Cakes

CHERRIES Deli & Ice Cream Bar

4162 Rt. 209, Stone Ridge 845-687-9121 34

626 Route 212, Saugerties, NY

845-246-5306

cafemezzaluna.com

Three Great Restaurants. One Great Town.

PLAY OUR VIDEOS at visitvortex.com

MAIN STREET, PHOENICIA Ricciardella’s: 845-688-7800 www.ricciardellas.com Sportsman’s: 845-688-5259 www.alamocantina.com Brio’s: 845-688-5370 www.brios.net

35

The Northern Spy Cafe is nestled among waterfalls and apple orchards in the beautiful village of High Falls. The Spy offers guests an inviting comfortable atmosphere to dine and relax. Whether you’re looking for Duck Confit with a Port Glaze, Free-Range Tofu Wings or a great burger, the Northern Spy Cafe will make your dining experience most enjoyable.

NORTHERN SPY CAFE Rt. 213 and Old Rt. 213 High Falls, NY 12440 Call: 845-687-7298 northernspycafe.com

Perfectly Blending Old World Cooking and Famous Classics A casual styled Italian Restaurant, housed on the Historic Kingston Waterfront.

• ITALIAN, STEAKS, SEAFOOD • LUNCH AND DINNER • FULL CATERING • PARTIES AND EVENTS • COCKTAILS

’

by Alysse Robin

EATING OUT

The Evolution of HUDSON VALLEY RESTAURANTS Fine dining is abundant throughout the Valley. We are gifted with restaurants that house expert chefs, local foods, grass-fed beefs, and high-style ambiance.

By the 16th century, Englishmen dined out often. Local taverns offered meals, wine, ale, and tobacco, and served as an informal clubhouse, generally for men only. Such tavern-restaurants existed in many other countries; for example, establishments in Germany and Austria served delicatessen, sauerkraut, and cheese, and in Spanish bodegas tapas were served.

For the first modern-style restaurant that allowed people to eat what, when, and how much they wanted, we must turn to France.

In 1765, a soup vendor named Boulanger opened a shop offering diners a choice of dishes, primarily hot soups and hearty broths. The sign above Boulanger’s door read “Restaurants”, meaning “restoratives”, referring to

Boulanger’s meat-based consommés that were intended to “restore” a person’s fortitude. The term restaurant, which previously referred to “soup” or “hot broth,” was eventually adopted by many other nations.

A Parisian restaurant founded by Antoine Beauvilliers in 1782, called the Grand Taverne de Londres, became noted as the first to introduce the novelty of listing dishes on a menu and serving meals at individual tables.

After the French Revolution, guilds that (since the Middle Ages) were licensed by the king to control specific foods were abolished. It became easier to open a restaurant. Cooks and servants from the estates whose aristocratic owners had fled took advantage of the entrepreneurial opportunity. Individually portioned and priced foods were made readily available to a broad and hungry public for the first time.

Restaurants are almost as old as civilization. Remnants of a tavern were found in the ruins of Pompeii, Italy, buried under ash from over 2,000 years ago. These ancient eateries provided food and spirits to travelers who were obliged to take whatever foods were made available at a fixed time

and price. They were not fine establishments offering variety or ambiance, nor did they demand any etiquette.

visitvortex.com

T

ake a moment to realize how fortunate we are here. Whether you are in the mood for fresh fish, organic vegetarian fare, gourmet Mexican, French, Italian, Japanese, Indian, or Mediterranean—the Valley has it all. It’s difficult to imagine life without these restaurants. No diner to get a quick, hearty breakfast and soak in the local culture. No indulgence of allowing someone else to prepare a gourmet meal for you. Nowhere to even stop for a bagel or coffee? Over the course of human evolution, we’ve combined food and lifestyle to accommodate the needs of the era.

37

Restaurants created a general feeling of well-being, safety, and community following such a chaotic period in French history. Dining was a privilege that was no longer held only for the wealthy. The top restaurants of the day boasted immense menus, including choices of up to 12 soups, 65 entrees, and 50 desserts. With the development of the restaurant, artistic flare in plating was born, adding an artisan touch to the trade. This rich enjoyment paved the way for the spread of the modern restaurant.

Travelers from France excitedly brought the news of these restaurants to an American public that was already heavily influenced by French culture. In 1794, a former cook to the archbishop of Bordeaux, Jean Baptiste Gilbert Payplat, opened his own French-style restaurant in Boston. He became known as the “Prince of Soups,” recalling the original meaning of the word restaurant.

Over the centuries, restaurants have grown to offer a diverse

38

array of dining experiences.

Here in the Hudson Valley, local farms are feeding an expansive gourmet culture. Chefs throughout the region use local and organic products, including cheeses, apples, mushrooms, and meat.

Adding to our home advantage, many local chefs are graduates of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park. Chefs learn culinary craft at the CIA and then develop their own sense of style with food. This creates a culture of exquisite restaurants in the Hudson Valley, and has raised the bar for more educated diners and chefs.

There are a myriad of amazing local restaurants throughout the Hudson Valley. It is truly a gift that local chefs care enough about food, health, and community to form relationships with our farmers and create cuisine that is indigenous to the Hudson Valley.

This is a remarkable culinary region—a feast from the spirit of the land.

Sources: Food: a Culinary History, Jean-Louis Flandrin & Massimo Montanari [Columbia University Press: New York] 1999 Larousse Gastronomique, completely revised and updated edition [Clarkson Potter: New York] 2001 A History of Cooks and Cooking, Michael Symons [University of Illinois Press: Urbana, IL] 1998

local ROCKET GREENS & braised ARTICHOKE SALAD tossed with a MINT SPRING PEA CHUTNEY Recipe courtesy of Brian Murphy Chef/Owner Inn at Stone Ridge

BRAISED ARTICHOKES Chop off top of artichoke and trim sides and stem.

Submerge in white wine and lemon juice.

Add salt and pepper and fresh thyme and cover with foil.

Braise for 15 minutes at 325º till tender.

MINT PEA CHUTNEY 2 tsp olive oil 2 bunches of fresh mint 4 cloves garlic crushed 1 tsp red pepper flake 1 tsp chopped fresh ginger

2 tbsp parsley 1 tsp cumin 2 cups of fresh spring peas Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and toss with artichokes and rocket greens.

YOU’LL LEAVE HAPPY EVERY TIME! Music Brunch 11-2 Sunday • Four Courses for $25 on Sunday 3-6pm • Lobster Bake $24 on Thursdays • Cocktails by the Fire Pit on Weekends • Fresh Squeezed Juices at the Bar

Taking pride in offering quality food and drinks at great prices.

An enjoyable atmosphere with service you can count on. enjoy outdoor dining on our new patio!

• Live

The RESTAURANT at the INN at Stone Ridge

ACCOMODATIONS | CATERING | WEDDINGS | PRIVATE PARTIES 3805 Route 209, Stone Ridge, NY innatstoneridge.com 845-687-0736

FOSTER’S COACH HOUSE TAVERN 6411 Montgomery Street, rhinebeck, ny 12572

845-876-8052 fosterscoachhouse.com

Fresh, fun and delicious tacos & burritos made just like you like them!

Made to order Tex-Mex in Uptown Kingston.

Lucy’s Tacos

38 John Street, Kingston 845-338-2816 8 East Market St, Red Hook 845-758-8055 OPEN EVERY DAY 11-9

BISTRO MOUNTAIN STORE 3124 Route 44/55, Gardiner, NY bistromountainstore.com 845-255-2999

Home of the Crankin’ Sandwiches The Bistro Mountain Store is a full service deli and grocery store located at the foot of the Shawangunk Cliffs!

We have everything you need for a great day in the mountains! With this and an epicurious approach to world cuisine, the Bistro Mountain Store is a delicious choice!

SEE US ON www.visitvortex.com

RHINEBECK’S PREMIER CATERER WEDDINGS v BIRTHDAYS ANNIVERSARIES v FUNDRAISERS Professional Waitstaff v CIA Trained Chefs ESTABLISHED 1998

Your Affair Tastefully Done

845.876.4480

Rhinebeck Route 9G v www.gendroncatering.com

Dominick’s Dominick’sCafe Cafe

3434 North Front Street North Front Street Kingston, NYNY 12401 Kingston, 12401 845-338-4552 845-338-4552 www.dominickscafe.com www.dominickscafe.com Make Life with Dominick’s Cafe’s specialty desserts, catering & holiday Make LifeTaste TasteBetter Better Dominick’s specialty desserts, catering Make Life Taste Better at with Dominick’s Cafe.Cafe’s Kingston’s best kept secretoffers is rich in& holiday gift giftideas! ideas!Kingston’s Kingston’sbest bestkept keptsecret secretis isrich richininold oldworld worldflavor flavorand and offersauthentic authentic old world flavor and offers authentic home-style cooking. home-style home-stylecooking. cooking.

Our provides the perfect environment Ourcozy cozy cafe Uptown Kingston provides the perfect environment forfor watching Our cozycafe cafeinininUptown UptownKingston Kingston provides the perfect environment forwatching watching the coffee your panini ororone world by as you savor “the best coffee inintown”, dine onfavorite your favorite panini, theworld worldgogo goby byas asyou yousavor savor “thebest best coffee intown”, town”, your favorite panini one ofof our daily specials. our incredible daily specials. one ofincredible our incredible daily specials or a handmade dessert. Treat yourself and have

Dominick’s cater your special event.

Phone: (845) 338-4552 ~ Fax: (845)338-1628 ~ www.dominickscafe.com ~ Gift Certificates Available Phone: (845) 338-4552 ~ Fax: (845)338-1628 ~ www.dominickscafe.com ~ Gift Certificates Available

Phone: (845) 338-4552 ~ Fax: (845)338-1628 ~ dominickscafe.com ~ Gift Certificates Available

Delicious hand-crafted continental cuisine prepared with only the finest ingredients.

Friends & Family II Hillside 4802 Route 209, Accord friendsandfamily2.com 845-626-7777

We love helping people become healthy again!

Pleasant Stone Farm offers a full line apothecary (over 200 bulk herbs on our shelves) as well as supplements, natural health and beauty products, natural home care products, natural pet care products, homeopathic remedies, Bach Flower Essences and foods for special dietary needs.

Enjoy our Organic CafĂŠ.

Pleasant Stone Farm

7 Liberty Square Ellenville, NY 845-647-1300 pleasantstonefarm.com

Photo courtesy of A.M. La Hanko Photography

All natural & organic. Gluten-free pizza available.

No nitrates, antibiotics, or hormones added to any of our products.

And nothing that would take the paint off your Chevy!

PIZZA BARN 5125 Route 209, Accord

845-626-2300 www.pizzabarn.biz

Organic, Local, Free range & Grassfed Meats with GLOBAL FLAVORS Monday- Friday 8:30 to 4:30. Saturday 9:30 to 3:30.

Dinner: Friday and Saturday 5 to 9. Closed Sunday.

GABRIEL’S CAFE

gabrielscafeny.com

50 John Street, Uptown Kingston 845-338-7161

what’s growing

IN THE VALLEY

this spring strawberries

lettuce & mesclun greens

Definitely get out there and pick your own strawberries. There’s nothing more fun than filling your belly while you’re filling a quart or two.

Lettuce: not just for salads anymore. Try a Watercress & Lettuce Soup, Lettuce Wraps or even Pickled Lettuce!

rhubarb Of course making a Rhubarb Pie is traditional but this spring try making a Rhubarb Chutney, Baked Rhubarb, or get crazy with a Strawberry-Rhubarb float!

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spinach Choose nice bright green leaves.

Try making a Spinach-Phyllo Pie, a wild mushroom & spinach lasagna, or just sautee with a little lemon and nutmeg.

asparagus This is one veggie that is really fun to grow; once you see those shoots pop up spring is officially on. Just steamed with a bit of salt, olive oil, and lemon is heavenly. It also makes a great soup.

THE LAND

The Hudson Valley is a treasure trove of family farms.

Here’s what you’ll find at your local farm stand this spring, with helpful hints on how to incorporate them into healthy recipes.

radishes

The kids (and adults) love just opening the pods and enjoying fresh peas. Try making a Minted Pea Soup or a simple fresh Pea Dip with lime juice, yogurt & cumin. Refreshing.

Yes, toss them into your salad! But you can also feature them in Tea Sandwiches, grate them into your Slaw recipe, or try a refreshing radish and radish greens soup.

leafy greens like kale & swiss chard A quick sautee with garlic & olive oil is always delicious and so simple. Also experiment with a raw kale salad (the leaves like to be massaged); or try a swiss chard gratin.

cherries There’s nothing like cherry season—a recipe isn’t needed.

Pop em’ into your mouth! But Cherry Italian Ice is exquisite, cherry lemonade is delightful, and we can’t forget cherry pie!

visitvortex.com

peas

Otherwise known as string beans, they go great mixed into a fresh potato salad with pesto instead of mayo. Add them into your omelette, or try Stir-Fried Sesame Green Beans.

green beans

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Great Food.

Great Music.

Good tiMes.

Saturday & Sunday Brunch Happy Hour Monday-Friday 4-7 Wednesday Pasta & Wing Night acoustic Thursday every Week Wireless internet

HIGH FALLS CAFE

Harvest Café

restaurant & Wine Bar Water Street Market 10 Main Street, New Paltz 845-255-4205

The Harvest Café Restaurant and Wine Bar is a full service restaurant and wine bar featuring an expansive New World Wine List and seasonal New American menu with vegetarian selections available including a healthy children’s menu.

Dine outside on the deck for great views of the Shawangunk Ridge.

route 213 and Mohonk rd., High Falls 845-687-2699 www.highfallscafe.com

Italian and American inspired country cooking, featuring fresh, local artisan products and ingredients served in an historic 1788 Grist Mill.

• Outdoor Riverside Dining

• Private Space for Events

20 Grist Mill Lane, Gardiner, NY | TUTHILLHOUSE.com | 845.255.4151 us on Facebook for daily specials and updates!

Come in for expert advice on all of your Wines & Spirits Over 1000 Wines • Boutique Tequilas Single Malt Scotches • Small Batch Bourbons Monthly Tastings • Wine Dinners

Let’s Talk WINE

Podcast On StoneRidgeWineAndSpirits.com

STONE RIDGE WINE AND SPIRITS Stone Ridge Towne Centre 2853 Main Street Route 209, Stone Ridge 845-687-7125 StoneRidgeWineAndSpirits.com

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PLAY THE THE MERCHANT MERCHANT VIDEO VIDEO at at www.visitvortex.com www.visitvortex.com PLAY at www.visitvortex.com

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ingRedients: 1 oz brandy MeRChant makes it affordable 1/4 oz yellow Chartreuse The MerchanT wines & spirits 730 Ulster Avenue, Kingston, NY 845-331-1923 1 oz orange juice See current specials at: themerchantwine.com pRepaRation: 1. pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice.

2. shake well.

3. strain into a chil ed cocktail glass.

EMMANUEL’S MARKETPLACE

Main Street, Stone Ridge 845-687-2214

THE MARKET WHERE YOU’LL ALWAYS MEET SOMEONE YOU KNOW! 50

LOCAL

4

SUSTAINABLE

4

ORGANIC

4

HEALTHY

4

TASTY

Baked Goods, Organic Coffee, Skin Care Products, Ice Cream, Snacks, Eggs, Cheeses, Milk, Grass-fed Meats, Free-Range Chicken, Eco-Friendly Products, Fresh Produce

Monday, Wednesday - Friday 11am - 7pm Tuesday Closed Saturday 10am - 6pm Sunday Noon - 5pm

33 Broadway, On the Rondout 845-802-0265

Your New Neighborhood Market! www.kingstonnaturalfoods.com

Visit our NEW STORE in the village of Rhinebeck.

Organic Fruit. Organic Greens.

Local Meat and Dairy.

Market Street, Rhinebeck 845-876-7606 www.hudsonvalleycider.com

Complete selection of Natural and Organic Foods, Produce, Herbs, Spices, Vitamins, Supplements and More.

Featuring our Organic Deli And Juice Bar 300 Kings Mall Court, Kingston 845-336-5541 249 Main Street, Saugerties 845-246-9614 1955 South Rd, Poughkeepsie 845-296-1069 www.motherearthstorehouse.com

THIS IS FRESH!

Our fruit stand is overflowing with luscious strawberries, cherries, veggies and plants of every kind. Buy your annuals, perennials, herb plants, veggie plants, flowering shrubs & lots more at the source for nice low prices. We also make cider doughnuts, fruit pies and fruit breads in the bakery.

Drive your car into our orchards and enjoy a picnic lunch under the trees.

Wright’s Farm is doggy friendly too!

Come in for your Mother’s Day Hanging Baskets.

WATCH OUR VIDEO at visitvortex.com 52

699 Route 208, Gardiner NY 12525 845-255-5300 www.eatapples.com

by Susan Piperato

THE LAND

An Abundance of Local CSAs

60 Gatehouse Road, New Paltz Contact: Jonathan DeLura and Susan Mitchell; 845-255-1052, brookfarmproject@gmail.com, brookfarmproject.org A 70-acre farm with a majestic view of the Shawangunk Mountains; five acres of sustainably grown vegetables, berries, herbs, and flowers.

Also serves as research center for ecological, economic, social, and agronomic impacts. Hiking and potlucks; cooking and canning classes. Pastured chicken, eggs; grass-fed beef; Acorn Hill Farmstead cheese products available. Regular nonworking share $550; regular working share (3 harvest mornings) $525; large nonworking share $950; large working share (6 harvest mornings) $900. Open May through November. Pickup at farm Tuesdays 4-7pm, Saturdays 9am-12pm.

Brook Farm

duce to families in need. Full working share $500 (10 hours); full nonworking share $600. Basic membership $25 (no produce: newsletter, event admission, and discounts only). $100 deposit will hold slot. Pickup at the farm Tuesdays or Fridays.

Vegetables, flowers, herbs. Open June through October.

FRUITFUL HARVEST FARM

EVOLUTIONARY ORGANICS

Sawkill Road, Kingston Contact: Dee Paschall; 845-339-0833, fruitfulharvestfarm.com

384 Springtown Road, New Paltz Contact: Kira Kinney; 845-256-1355 Family farm featuring Certified Naturally Grown organic heirloom and uncommon vegetables; lots of greens. Basic share $390; “super veg head” share $575. Pickup Thursdays. Open June through November. Extended winter CSA.

organic heirloom vegetable seedlings, and over 40 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. Annual seedling sale on third Saturday in May. Open June through December. Vegetables, fruit, berries, poultry, pork, grass-fed beef and lamb, eggs.

An historic 1880s farm with 62 members specializing in organic, heirloom vegetables and fruit, and flowers. Quarter share $274; half share $430; full share $715. Open May through November. Pickup: Tuesday 2-7pm; Wednesday 2-7 pm. Weekly public produce sales as well.

FOUR WINDS FARM

HEARTY ROOTS COMMUNITY FARM

COMMON GROUND FARM

158 Marabac Road, Gardiner Contact: Jay and Polly Armourl; 845-255-3088, bestweb.net/~fourwind

223 Pitcher Lane, Red Hook Contact: Benjamin Shute; 845-943-8699, heartyroots@heartyroots.com, heartyroots.com

Stonykill Environmental Center, Beacon Contact: Lisa Jessup; 845-231-4424, commongroundfarm.org Fair Food Program provides education and pro-

This 24-acre, diversified family farm under Certified Organic management since 1988 offers 4 acres of over 50 types of heirloom vegetables.

50-member CSA. Call for prices. Specializing in

Diversified sustainable farm. Shares $500 to $600. Open June through October. Pickup at the farm, Woodstock, Kingston, or Brooklyn. Vegetables, fruit.

visitvortex.com

BROOK FARM PROJECT

Joining a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project is all about connection. Your membership fee guarantees your farmer financial support from seeding to harvest, lets you get to know your growers, and ensures you and your family fresh, sustainably grown food each week. You’ll also enjoy kinship and get-togethers with your fellow CSA members and a deepening sense of place as you head to the farm each week to pick up your produce outdoors, whether in the spring rain or the autumn wind, or beneath the summer sun.

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HUGUENOT STREET FARMS

OLD FORD FARM

POUGHKEEPSIE FARM PROJECT

205 Huguenot Street, New Paltz Contact: Ron and Kathryn Khosla; 845-256-0686, farm@flyingbeet.com, flyingbeet.com

Old Ford Road, New Paltz Contact: Joe and Becky Fullam; 845-220-7819, oldfordfarm@live.com

Vassar College Farm, Poughkeepsie Contact: Wendy Burkhart-Spiegall; 845-240-3734, info@farmproject.org, farmproject.org.

Over 125 varieties of “veganic� vegetables, cut flowers, and fruits grown on 77 acres of forever protected and fertile crop land, forest, and wetlands. Agricultural projects include: seed saving, radiantheated greenhouse, four prototypes of commercial solar electric tractors, and a CoolBot cold storage unit. Nano share $395; basic share $725; big share $1,065; fruit only $195. Extended season shares also available. Pickup at farm Thursdays 4:30-9pm or anytime afterward until Saturdays at noon.

NEDEFONEDRAG FARM 325 Gardner Hollow Road, Poughquag Contact: Tierney Dearing Medick; 845-478-2168, 845-724-3898, nfdfarm.com Biodynamic organic 86-acre farm nestled against the Appalachian Trail. Organic vegetables, herbs, flowers, honey, free-range eggs.

Farming support services. Full produce share $600; half share $350; full working share $500 plus 10 hours of work per season. $100 deposit will reserve share. Full- and half-flower shares available as well as eggs and honey. Open June through November. Pickup at farm Saturday or Sunday 9am-12pm, or Wednesday from 5-8pm.

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Phillies Bridge

Full share $700; small share $350, includes 24 weeks of fresh vegetables picked up at the farm. There is also a pick-your-own herb garden and farm store where other farm products are sold, including pastured eggs, chicken, and pork.

PHILLIES BRIDGE FARM PROJECT

REGENERATION FARM

45 Phillies Bridge Road, New Paltz Contact: Anne Eschenroeder; 845-256-9108, info@philliesbridge.org, philliesbridge.org

81 Clove Valley Road, High Falls Contact: Sarah Williford and Kevin Skvorak; 845-687-0535, regenerationcsa@gmail.com, regenerationcsa.org

With Shawangunk Ridge views, this educational farm offers vegetables, herbs, flowers; U-pick crops include raspberries, cherry tomatoes, peas, green beans, and flowers; eggs and yarn for sale. Optional shares of sweet corn, orchard fruit, and berries from other local farms available. Shares $265-$500. Although not certified organic, the farm adheres to organic standards and offers school and family trips and activities; annual spring and fall festivals as well as annual art gala. Open June through October.

Pickup at the farm Tuesdays and Saturdays, or at drop-off site in Rosendale.

Second Wind

This nonprofit organization works toward a just and sustainable food system in the Mid-Hudson Valley by operating a member-supported farm, providing education about food and farming, and improving access to healthy, locally grown food. Contact farm for prices.

This farm uses permaculture and organic techniques to grow a full range of organic vegetables. Low-cost and free permaculture workshops offered. Pickup at the farm all day Saturday, or Wednesday nights at Woodstock Farm Festival. Shares available for individuals, families, as well as custom shares for local restaurants and businesses. Sliding scale working shares, requiring 20 hours work; suggested price $735.

RUSTY PLOUGH FARM (AKA Rondout Valley Organics) 331 Dowe Road, Ellenville

Phillies Bridge

Regeneration

SECOND WIND CSA at Four Winds Farm 158 Marabac Road, Gardiner Contact: Sam Zurofsky and Erin Enouen; 845-417-5624, secondwindcsa@gmail.com, secondwindcsa.wordpress.com

TALIAFERRO FARMS

127 Sisters Hill Road, Stanfordville Contact: David Hambleton; 845-868-7048, sistershillfarm.org

187 Plains Road, New Paltz Contact: Pete and Robin Taliaferro; 845-256-1592, taliaferro@hvi. net, taliaferrofarms.com

Sisters Hill Farm, organized in 1996, is on rejuvenated land that flourished as Hill Crest Farm in the early 20th century, which was willed to the Sisters of Charity in 1917. The sisters continued to oversee the active farm until the 1940s, when the land was left fallow. Once again thriving, Sisters Hill Farm seeks to create a just relationship between people and the earth through healthy food, outreach to the poor, and community-building activities. An active CSA since 1999, the farm has grown from one acre feeding 40 members to five acres feeding over 200 families. Biweekly shares $325-$375; weekly shares $600-$700. Pickup at Stanfordville and Riverdale (Bronx).

STONE RIDGE ORCHARD CSA Route 213, Stone Ridge Contact: Anne Diaz-Matos; 845.266.3979 or 845.687.2587 StoneRidgeCSA@gmail.com

The land of this family-of-five-owned and run, organic and biodiverse farm was purchased in 1995 after Pete Taliaferro spent 35 years working in the local agricultural industry. Certified organic fruits, 90 varieties of vegetables, fruit, flowers, berries; free-range chicken and eggs; certified organic milk, cheese, yogurt, peanut butter, honey, meats, grains, baked goods, pickles, and fudge from local organic farms. Half share $475; full share $900 (includes Thanksgiving share); members pick one extra item per week. Open May through November. Pickup at the farm Thursdays 8am-7pm; Fridays 9am-6pm; Saturdays 9am-3pm. Open Thursday-Saturday to the public.

VERITAS FARM

Stone Ridge CSA offers fruit, vegetable, egg and pasta shares. The season begins June 11th and runs through November 12th. Share pick up will take place on Saturday between 10-4. Farmed in accordance with sustainable practices. Veggie: full share is $415, half is $200. Fruit: full share is $220, half is $110. Egg share: $88 this year, pastures eggs are $121. Pasta share: $94.

32 Rousner Lane, New Paltz Contact: Paul Alward and Stephanie Turco; 845-384-6888, veritasfarms.com Heritage breed pastured pork, beef, turkey, duck, and chicken; freerange eggs; vegetables and root crop varieties, all grown without pesticides. Pickup Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.

visitvortex.com

These farmers came to Four Winds Farm from New Mexico in 2008 and practice no-till certified organic farming, which allows food to stay fresh longer. Open June through November. Basic share $500.

Free-range eggs from 100-hen flock of Barred Rock hens. A wide variety of vegetables through the season, share size consists of 8-10 different vegetables per week.

SISTERS HILL FARM

OUR FARMS

This historic, stone-walled 36-acre NOFA-NY certified organic farm features two acres of vegetables and herbs; four acres of wild berries; cutting and edible flowers; free-range eggs and poultry. Personalized web-based CSA buying program, together with Farm & Granary, a neighboring organic farm. Join Rondout Valley Organics with initial investment of $250 plus $50 nonrefundable membership fee. Place orders online, choosing from a weekly list of available produce, select pickup location that works for you. Weekly order total is deducted from account; members can reinvest as balance nears depletion. Catering for events available. Open June through October.

Contact: Oleh and Nadia Maczaj; 845-647-6911, rustyplough@earthlink.net, farmtocity.org

Poughkeepsie Farm Project

Regeneration

Old Ford Farm

Phillies Bridge

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A Good Ol’ Time

Down on the Farm!

PICK YOUR OWN! Feed the animals.

Milk a cow.

Take a hay ride.

Play edible mini-golf.

PLAY THE VIDEO at visitvortex.com

Rt 209, Kerhonkson, NY www.kelderfarm.com 845-626-7137

Homegrown fruitS AnD vegetAbleS At greAt priceS

Growing: cantaloupe, strawberries, gourds, pumpkins, herbs, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, cucumber, eggplant, greens, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, peas, peppers, radishes, rhubarb, spinach, summer squash, sweet corn, swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, watermelon, winter squash...

U-Cut Flowers and Herbs. Flowering Baskets. Vegetable Plants.

Burd’s Farm stand 6611 Rt 209, Kerhonkson 845-626-7620

810 Broadway (Rt 9W) Ulster Park, NY 12487 Ulster Park, NY 12487 theapplebinfarmmarket.com theapplebinfarmmarket.com Call us at 845-339-7229 Call us at 845-339-7229

In memory of our father Frank Scaturro.

PLAY Apple Bin’s Slideshow at www.visitvortex.com

810 Broadway (Rt 9W) MORE!!

PIES, SPRING PLANTS, TREES AND SO MUCH MORE!!

APPLE BIN

Farm Market

PLAY Apple Bin’s Slideshow at www.visitvortex.com

SPRING ON IN...TO THEAPPLE APPLE BIN! BIN Farm Market TS, OPEN DAILY. BREAKFAST, LUNCH, CIDER DONUTS,

FARMERS’ MARKETS of the mid-hudson valley Brimming bushel baskets of farm-fresh veggies and fruits in a picturesque array await you at the local farmers’ markets in the Valley.

Buying from local farms offers you and your families a healthy, fresh-tasting alternative to supermarket shopping. Enjoy bountiful baskets of produce, flowers, eggs, bakery treats, and so much more. Check out this year’s field-fresh cornucopia located nearby.

ULSTER MARKETS ELLENVILLE FARMERS’ MARKET. Sundays, 10am to 2pm; rain or shine. June 19 to October 2. Annual Olde Time Harvest Festival, October 9, 10 am-2 pm Corner of Market Street & Center Street.

Info: Asha Golligher at 845-532-4905 KINGSTON FARMERS’ MARKET. Saturdays, 9am to 2pm, rain or shine. May 28 to November 19. Uptown Kingston on Wall Street. Info: 845-853-8512 or www.kingstonfarmersmarket.org.

MILTON FARMERS’ MARKET. Saturdays, 9am to 2pm. Mid June thru October 31. Cluett-Schantz Park, Route 9W, Milton. Info: 845-464-2789; hhvfarmersmarket.com.

TOWN OF LLOYD MID-WEEK FARMERS’ MARKET. June 23 thru October 20 from 3 to 7pm. Tillson Ave Ext. at intersection of Route 9W north and Haviland Road in front of Highland Beverage. Info at Lloyd Town Hall: 845-691-2144.

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NEW PALTZ FARMERS’ MARKET. Sundays, June 12 thru October 30. 10:30am to 4pm. Main Street across from Wachovia Bank. Info: 845-255-6093; newpaltzfarmersmarket.com.

DUTCHESS MARKETS PINE BUSH FARMERS’ MARKET. Saturdays, 9am to 1:30pm, rain or shine. May 21 thru Oct. 15. 62 Main Street in Pine Bush in municipal parking lot behind the Crawford Cultural Center. Info: Jacquelyn Carter at 845-978-0273; pinebushfarmersmarket.com.

ROSENDALE FARMERS’ MARKET. Sundays, 10am to 2pm, rain or shine. June 5 thru Oct. 30. Rosendale Recreation Center, 1055 Route 32, Rosendale. Info: Annie 845-658-3467, amardiney@gmail.com.

SAUGERTIES FARMERS’ MARKET. Saturdays, 10am to 2pm. Opening day, May 28. The Cahill School parking lot on Main Street next to the Saugerties Historical Society. Info: Rickie 845-246-9371 or Judith 845-246-6491. saugertiesfarmersmarket.com.

WOODSTOCK FARM FESTIVAL. A midweek, late-day Wednesday time slot from 3:30pm to dusk. Rain or shine. June thru October 26. 6 Maple Lane, Woodstock.

Info: Cheryl Paff 845-679-7618; woodstockfarmfestival.com or email info@woodstockfarmfestival.com.

ARLINGTON FARMERS’ MARKET. This year the Market is adding Mondays to their regular schedule. Mondays and Thursdays from 3 to 7pm; June 13 thru end of October. Located at the corner of Raymond Ave. and Fulton Ave. on the Vassar College Alumni House Lawn. Info: Robert Raisch 845-559-0023; www.arlingtonbid.org.

BEACON FARMERS’ MARKET. Yearround in-and-outdoor comfort on the banks of the Hudson River located at the Beacon Ferry dock (next to Beacon Train Station). Sundays from 10am to 4pm. Info: Simone Williams 845-597-5028. Email simplyvalley@optimum.net; TheBeaconFarmersMarket.com.

POUGHKEEPSIE FARMERS’ MARKET. Every Friday from 3 to 7pm; rain or shine, June 3 to October 28. On the ramp way to Walkway over the Hudson and also Pulaski Park on Washington St. Susan Grove: 845-473-1415; farmproject.org/content/ farmers-market.

FISHKILL FARMERS’ MARKET. May 26 thru Oct. 27; Thursdays from 9am to 4pm.

Main Street Plaza on Route 52, Fishkill.

Contact: 845-897-4430; fishkill-ny.gov.

HYDE PARK FARMERS’ MARKET. June 4 thru Oct. 28; Saturdays from 9am to 2pm. Hyde Park Town Center, Town Hall Parking Lot, Route 9, Hyde Park. Contact: 845-229-9111; email tof@fishkill-ny.org; hydeparkny.us TOWN OF LAGRANGE FARMERS’ MARKET. June 19 thru Oct. 2 on Saturdays from 9am to 2pm. Route 55, M&T Bank Plaza, LaGrangeville. Info: 914-204-0924 MILLBROOK FARMERS’ MARKET. Saturdays from 9am to 1pm May 28 thru Oct. 29, rain or shine. Tribute Garden Parking Lot on Front St., Millbrook. Email info@millbrookfarmersmarket.com; MillbrookFarmersMarket.com.

MILLERTON FARMERS’ MARKET. Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. May 28 thru Oct. 29. Dutchess Ave. just off Main St., Millerton. Info: Betsey McCall 518-7894259; email info@neccmillerton.org; neccmillerton.org/farmers.htm.

RHINEBECK FARMERS’ MARKET. Sundays 10am to 2pm. Rhinebeck Municipal Parking Lot, 23 E. Market Street. Email info@rhinebeckfarmersmarket.com; rhinebeckfarmersmarket.com.

What’s your reason for visiting Saunderskill Farms this weekend?

• ANNUALS & PERENNIALS • HANGING BASKETS • NURSERY STOCK • HOMEGROWN VEGGIES • APPLE CIDER DONUTS

• FRESH BREWED COFFEE • LOCAL BEEF & CHICKEN • WEEKEND BBQ’S • SOFT SERVE ICE CREAM • HOMEMADE DESSERTS PLAY OUR VIDEO at visitvortex.com

SAUNDERSKILL FARMS market & bakery 5100 Route 209, Accord, NY www.saunderskill.com 845-626-2676

quality produce. herbs. shrubs. trees. mulch. soil. garden plants.

Norwegian Wood Farm

A unique and affordable wedding and event site.

Boarding and lessons also available.

BARTHEL’S FARM MARKET and GARDEN CENTER 8057 ROUTE 209

ELLENVILLE, NY 12428

845-647-6941

Located in Kerhonkson Visit Us: www.eventponies.com

Bed & Breakfast Rolling hills • Grazing Horses • Mountain Views • Good Fun • •

Call Us: 845-626-5125 59

Barcone’s Music 528 Broadway, Kingston, NY 12401 845-331-6089 barconesmusiconline.com Celebrating Over A Hundred Years Of Music

EMMANUEL’S PET-AGREE 3853 Main Street, Stone Ridge 845-687-2500

Shop LocaLLy foR aLL of youR pet SuppLy NeedS

An Old Fashioned Country Store We are located in the heart of The Catskill Mountains.

We carry Minnetonka Moccasins, chimes, puzzles, local books & maps, gemstones, jewelry, candy, t-shirts, games, crafts and so much more. We are packed to the rafters with fun, practical, and hard-to-find merchandise.

Come visit us for a unique shopping experience.

APPLE BIN

Farm Market

810 Broadway (Rt 9W) Ulster Park, NY 12487 theapplebinfarmmarket.com Call us at 845-339-7229

PLAY Apple Bin’s Slideshow at www.visitvortex.com

84 Main Street Phoenicia, NY 12464 Shop Online: thenesteggcountrystore.com 845-688-5851

PLAY THE NEST EGG SLIDESHOW at www.visitvortex.com

TS, MORE!!

THE NEST EGG

Rustic Elegance

for

Mountain Living

Antiques Sunday 11am to 5pm and by appointment.

23 Main Street

DOWNTOWN Accord, NY

d

Cell 845 706 1070

Offering Custom Upholstered, Twig, and Shaker Furniture, Antler Chandeliers, Pendleton, Woolrich Clothing & Blankets, Lamps, Linens and Wall Decor

845-657-9792 Rt. 28, Shokan, NY www.rustic-cabin.com Open Thurs-Tues 10-5 Closed Wed

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T

he ongoing discussion about local economies is one well worth continuing, and indeed deepening. It has huge implications, not just for our material level of wellbeing, but also for the quality of our lives, and ultimately for our future economic security. It’s a discus-

sion that starts with “shop local” and continues with “farm local,” “bank local,” and “invest local.”

historical cradle of environmentalism, so it’s fitting that we would lead the way in transitioning to a vibrant but sustainable new economy. Keeping farms in the region is one key to that, since it’s a win-win strategy for preserving both food security and the natural landscape. You can support local farms by shopping at a farmers’ market or joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) program.

A healthy local economy has been compared to having good circulation in your hands and feet. This analogy only goes so far, as the global economy is not centralized like the human circulatory system with its heart and major vessels. Though obviously there are major centers, we could say that the globalized economy is “heart-less,” in so many senses of the word. So where do we find the heart? The smart money is on local economies.

But an economy also means jobs, housing, and services. It means opportunities for young people. We have a long way to go in all these areas. It’s going to take dedication and creativity to get us where we need to be. If more people would bank locally, there will be more incentive for financial institutions to take a greater local focus, and play a stabilizing role in the boom-and-bust real estate cycle. The same thing goes for start-up capital for small, locally owned businesses.

What can we do here in the Hudson Valley?

There’s broad agreement that we want to keep our rural character, our natural beauty, our historic heritage sites. This area is the

An orientation to localized investment means trying to do what’s right from a human point of view, and not just falling back

SHOP LOCALLY

by David McCarthy

on the tired logic and casino mentality of asset speculation in financial markets. It means, for example, making slow-money type investments to convert farmland to organic production.

For the future, we’re going to have to make new kinds of decisions, many of them complex. For example, are we going to allow local production of biofuels from our region’s abundant biomass? Such production could be a natural complement to the farm economy, and a huge boost for energy security. Or, will we fight it tooth and nail, NIMBY style, and by default rely on fossil fuels till the bitter (and very expensive) end?

In the end, all these matters—from where we shop and where we buy our vegetables to how and where we save and invest—come down to whether we see the importance our individual roles have in creating and sustaining our local economy. It also comes down to whether we see the win-win logic of practicing stewardship for a place we can be happy to call home.

Taking it A Step Further

WHERE WE SHOP, BUY, SAVE, AND INVEST COME DOWN TO WHETHER WE SEE THE IMPORTANCE OUR INDIVIDUAL ROLES HAVE IN OUR LOCAL ECONOMY.

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SHOP LOCAL:

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YOUR HOME HERE FOR SALE: TO BE BUILT SPRING 2011

Local Residents Explain Why their Heart Belongs to the Valley

by Jay Blotcher

COMMUNITY

The Romance of Relocation F

Here in the Mid-Hudson Valley, you may find that many of your neighbors are transplants. They fell in love with the region for one reason or another, pulled up stakes elsewhere, and moved here, deciding this was home, sweet home.

A casual survey of these folks—call them late arrivals, downstaters, city people, weekenders, or even interlopers—reveals a variety of reasons why they now proudly call themselves residents.

THEIR PERSONAL STORIES, which range from the intentional to the accidental, reflect a truism that can be agreed upon by both lifelong residents and newcomers: There are many reasons to fall in love with this region.

The mighty Shawangunk Ridge offers an irresistible siren call for outdoors enthusiasts. People come on weekends and find themselves hooked on some of

the most welcoming rock formations in the world.

SUSAN FRIEDMAN had been coming to the

area for camping and hiking since the 1960s. In 1981, after three summers as a National Park Service ranger, she moved to Kerhonkson and found work at Adams Fairacre Farms’ garden center and then became a teacher in New Paltz. Friedman, a lesbian, found a women’s gathering space in Kingston where she made new friends, “and the rest is herstory!” She quilts, enjoys swing dancing, and attends gay community events. “Though I travel often for pleasure, that view across the reservoir to the Catskills is as beautiful as anywhere I’ve been to, and I’m always glad to be home.”

BURT ANGRIST was in medical school in New

York City in 1961 when the veteran climber discovered the fabled Gunks. He was hooked and eagerly traveled every weekend up the NYS Thruway to exit 18. By the mid-70s, Angrist and girlfriend Anka bought their first weekend home: a cabin in the woods of Rochester that had neither electricity nor running water. Mountain climbing was Angrist’s prevailing passion; in fact, he recalls very little else about life in this area back then. Weekends began with a breakfast in New Paltz, climbing all day, then dinner at an Italian restaurant they favored, again in New Paltz. Burt and Anka would eventually marry and trade their cabin for a house they erected in the

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When it comes to FALLING IN LOVE WITH A PLACE, the reasons for geographical romance can be just as random, but just as powerful.

alling in love with a person can be heaven on earth. But ask a dozen people why they chose their mate, and you’ll get a dozen different answers: It was his crooked grin or the way her hair shone in the barroom light. It was because he loved collies or she made a killer chocolate cupcake.

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“That view across the reservoir is as beautiful as anywhere I’ve been to” “Seeing our kids run across the hay field with the view sold us” same area. They retired in 2003 and, after four decades as weekenders, the pair moved from Manhattan full time. Burt and Anka have taken part in several protests through the years, when their beloved wilderness was threatened by building projects, from the proposed Marriott hotel in Minnewaska to the bid to build on the Awosting Ridge. “It is, I’m afraid,” said Angrist, “a battle that will never end, because human greed, being what it is, people will always want to capitalize on the beauty of this place and develop it.”

PERI RAINBOW arrived in 1978 as a New Paltz

college student. Three decades later, she is a SUNY New Paltz professor, “teaching many of the classes I took as a student, in many of the same classrooms!”

As a student, Rainbow found New Paltz “an amazing place to be.” As a faculty member, she enjoys the role of mentor. “I have witnessed, supported, and helped shape generations of student activists in our region.”

She adds, “Seeing them helps me know that I made the right choice in devoting myself to the quality of life here in the Hudson Valley.” Rainbow lives with wife Tamela Sloan and daughter Cecilia in Stone Ridge.

TED HAYES and his life partner Jack Waite lived in Ossining, but knew no other gay people in their area.

When they visited a lesbian couple here, they were impressed by how same-sex couples thrived here.

Upon Hayes’s retirement in 1995, the couple started to look for a home in Ulster County. Within weeks of 70

settling in Stone Ridge, Hayes joined the New Paltz PFLAG (Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and “thus began my active life with the gay community in the area. I now have a huge family in Ulster County.”

(Waite died in 2009.) Hayes also volunteers for the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Center in Kingston.

Another lure to this area is its perfect landscape for winter sports.

VIC WORK, commissioner of elections in Ulster County, first came here on New Year’s Day in 1971 from Brooklyn to visit his wife’s uncle. His property abutted Belleayre Ski Area. “The temperature was zero degrees outside and minus-five degrees inside the house,” Work recalled. But the skiing was prime and Work returned seasonally. A decade later, the couple bought a summer home in Gardiner.

One day, they drove by a sign for an auction and noticed that a farm on the Wallkill River was for sale.

“Seeing our kids run across the hay field with the view sold us,” Work said. The Works sold the Brooklyn home and became full-time Ulster County residents.

Another public servant active in local politics, BEN SHOR of Marbletown, used to travel from his home in Westchester County in the 1990s to hike Mohonk and Minnewaska with girlfriend Cora as a member of the Mohican Chapter of the Adirondack Moun-

tain Club. They would explore the area for a week at a time, staying at local bed and breakfasts.

When Shor lost his job, he spent a weekend with a friend in Kingston to plot his next move. He found a job through a Daily Freeman ad to run a homeless shelter in Poughkeepsie. Cora soon followed him here. They rented a house in Marlboro, were married, and relocated to Marbletown where they have lived for eight years.

DIANE SILVERBERG was living in Sag Harbor a decade ago, growing a private practice in acupuncture. She had several New York clients, so she kept a Greenwich Village apartment.

She enjoyed the small-town life of the Hamptons, but that soon changed. “The Hamptons became the ‘in’ place,” she said. “Traffic became a nightmare and farms were being replaced with mega-mansions. Everything I loved was disappearing.” By 1999, she had enough; Silverberg’s cousin Harris Safier had moved to the Mid-Hudson Valley in the mid-70s from their native Brooklyn, so she went for a weekend visit. Silverberg stayed at a bed and breakfast called the Fox and Hare on Route 209 in Accord. She was charmed by the farmhouse’s high ceilings, large rooms, and

“I have never been sorry for the switch,” Silverberg said. “I love these mountains, the cool air, the farms, the friendly people.” She eventually gave up her Manhattan pied-a-terre. “The car alarms, the noise, the stressed-out people, I was glad to leave it behind.” Silverberg now splits her time between giving acupuncture sessions and being a real estate agent.

Long Island native ROCHELLE RISERVATO used to visit her

aunt and uncle in Red Hook as a teen during the early 1960s. The area was already in her genes; her mother was born in Poughkeepsie and her great-grandmother had a farm in Hopewell Junction.

Riservato found employment and a life in New York City, but she yearned for “a second home and fresh air in the place and environment that always felt more natural as a home to me.” In 1990, she and former husband Tom Maucher found a weekender

home in Bearsville. It was relatively nice, but perhaps too isolated; they agreed that they wanted to live closer to the Thruway, and looked for properties in Rosendale. In 1992, the pair found a house on 17 acres for a mere $115,000. After four months of living there and commuting to New York City, Riservato made the switch to living here full time.

For writer NINA SHENGOLD, a visit one summer weekend to friends in Ulster County led to “impulsively” renting a cabin on the Rondout Creek. By September, she was poring over real estate ads. Shengold recalls her Eureka moment vividly. “I came over Mohonk Mountain Road, and when the trees opened up to the view of the valley and Catskills, I heard the words ‘I live here’ clear as a bell in my head. Note the phrasing: it wasn’t ‘I want’ to live here; somehow I knew that I already did.”

Who would trade balmy California weather for the dramatic four seasons of the Hudson Valley?

West Coast native ESSELL HOENSHELLWATSON did. The owner of The Alternative Baker in Rosendale arrived here in 1992 as a baking student at The Culinary Institute of America. From the start, he was enchanted. “I lived on-campus

where my dorm room faced the Hudson through the grimiest of windows,” he said, “but still the glory of the river—my narrow sea, I have come to call it— outshone any filth and dirt that might obscure the truth.” While Hoenshell-Watson returned to California after graduation, he “sorely missed the drama,” weather and terrain of the Valley.

Hoenshell-Watson returned and began operating a bakery from his Rhinecliff house. He eventually moved to Kingston and bought a house from a former CIA professor. His bakery opened on the Strand, the Rondout commercial area, in 1997 and became a popular shop for its all-natural goods and neighborhood vibe. He relocated to Main Street in Rosendale in late 2007 and re-opened his bakery there in summer 2008. The new location meant a visible rise in business. “I still count living here a treasure,” he said.

marks July 2011 as the 10th anniversary of his relocation from Manhattan to High Falls.

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the blazing fireplace in the library. “The owner was friendly and very accommodating, and served a wonderful breakfast.” Silverberg was smitten by the experience; within two weekends, she and her partner Kathy had found a roomy ranch home in High Falls.

COMMUNITY

“I still count living here a treasure”

“I love these mountains, the cool air, the farms, the friendly people.”

Did you relocate here? Email us with YOUR story for future issues.

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JAY BLOTCHER, a veteran freelance writer,

THE LARGEST SELECTION OF QUALITY OUTDOOR PATIO FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES

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OUTDOOR RETREAT

YOUR HOME

creating your very own

by Vivian Mandala

If you do an Internet search for “relaxing in nature,” “natural retreat,” or “relaxing music” you will see a deluge of hits on how to synthesize a natural experience indoors.

There are a million and one sound recordings for relaxing in nature, yoga videos, guided meditations, and even a website, relaxinginnature.com, to help you create the feeling of being surrounded by nature while you are indoors.

create spaces in your own landscape this season that you can retreat to at the end of the day Instead of spending the time and money pretending you are outside, this spring why not bring yourself outdoors? “How?” you might ask. By creating spaces in your own landscape this season that you can retreat to at the end of the day. Yes

Man is by nature, a natural being; we need to return to nature, to interact with it in order to rejuvenate, restore, and regenerate ourselves. Regular retreats with nature dramatically improve cognitive function, particularly our ability to exercise directed attention and working memory, which are crucial mental capabilities. Unlike the constant vigilance that is required for a walk through a city or bustling town, a natural setting has moderate stimuli that trigger our involuntary attention. You can’t help but notice the sky during a sunset— water-colored in pinks, oranges and blue.

Watching the leaves flutter in the breeze gives your cerebral cortex a reprieve. Attending to these details doesn’t take any extra work or cognitive control—our brain is able to refresh itself. In contrast, a walk

through a city pushes the brain to remain constantly vigilant: avoid cars, people, and objects and ignore an overwhelming amount of extraneous stimulation.

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A

retreat is a place of privacy or safety, a refuge. Most people see their homes as a retreat from the stresses of work and the daily commute, but what about the outside of your house?

How can nature and your landscape serve as a retreat?

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Garden Gate Landscape you could pull a blanket outside and sit on it, but most (including myself) never will, the outdoors must resemble my living room in order for me to do any relaxing. Don’t get me wrong; I can relax by weeding, but not regularly. Those of us who garden regularly know that weeding is a chore that, at

consider what you find comfortable, your personal style, and how you intend to use the space times, can be relaxing, but it’s not something I look forward to after a long day. When I close my eyes and think “relaxation”, I see my couch and a stack of books, a glass of wine, some scented candles, and the sound of water. I count myself lucky that I have these things outside, so this spring, summer, and fall you can find me outside reading a good book on a couch. Did I mention that it’s outside?

Add a fire pit and you have the makings of an amazing retreat that can be used for nine to ten months of the year.

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Garden Gate Landscape How do you go about making your own outdoor space? It can be as simple as purchasing two chairs, a small table, and setting them underneath a tree outside, but first you must consider what you find comfortable, your personal style, and how you intend to use the space. Do you need to lounge on a luxurious sofa alone or can you sit comfortably for hours with a good friend? Look around your favorite room; are their plush fabrics with a great deal of color or white linen for a clean, open look?

Once you’ve established your specific taste or style personality, start thinking of how you want to transition from your home to your new space. A walkway can help create a route that will help you shed daily stress on your way to your sanctuary.

Wood chips, pebbles, and river rock are favorable alternatives to a brick or bluestone walkway. They are very informal and are easy to care for (for easier care and less weeds put down more than two inches). What you choose for your walkway should almost always continue on into your space; this will give you a fluidity that would be

lost if you broke the two apart.

Next on the checklist is whether you need walls.

Ask yourself if you want to create privacy, a space that you can sequester yourself away and call your own, or do you want to create an open airy space where people are welcome to come and go as they please. Remember that walls don’t have to be made of stone—shrubs can create a solid visual barrier that would add to the nurturing arms of nature. Shorter shrubs, like boxwood, will give you a visual boundary without blocking your sight, since most varieties get no taller than 48 inches and are easily trimmed. Taller shrubs, like forsythia, can give you over eight feet of height, but they need almost as much space horizontally for their mature size. Whatever shrubs you choose, make sure you read the tag when you make a purchase. When you pick up the tiny shrub in the nursery and the tag says that it will grow to be over ten feet tall and wide, it will. We are blessed with some great local nurseries in the area; they know what they are doing. When

YOUR HOME You’ve taken care of your “structure”, how will you furnish your new room? Do you need a chaise or a more traditional sofa; do you only need one chair to create a solitary retreat or multiple seating for friends? I always suggest a table of some kind; its size should be determined by the number of chairs you have. If you have one chair, you need a small intimately sized table. A water feature is another great addition to an outdoor space. Most people cringe at the idea, thinking of the cost and upkeep, and while I can agree that you have some commitment

involved, it doesn’t have to be a full-fledged koi pond for you to enjoy the sound of running water.

Local hardware, nurseries, and lawn and garden stores carry an amazing variety of very decent fountains that need minimal maintenance and power needs. There are also a number of very competent aquatic landscapers in the area that can help you with specific needs.

Add lighting, twinkle lights at the least. It will add hours of enjoyment to your space. Lighting is the most overlooked element in outdoor living spaces.

If you have a large area, contact a local electrician who can help you select the correct fixtures and help you keep your wiring safely to code.

Now, step back. You’ve created your outdoor space; you have walls, a ceiling, furnishings, and lighting. Bring your favorite room in your house back into your mind’s eye: what elements did you decorate with? Do you have candles, beautiful antiques, treasures from various journeys? If some of them are weather resistant, bring a few outside.

close your eyes, and dream of the sound, smell, and feel of your ideal outdoor room If not, a hunt at your local antiques store could be just what you need. Make sure you tell them that you are looking for exterior objects. Candles are a favorite of mine. I love finding handmade vessels from a local artisan, filling them with river rock or other smooth stones and placing a candle in the middle. The three elements of stone, earth, and fire together appeal to me.

How your space looks, feels, and is experienced is personal, as personal as the inside of your home.

So imagine what you could do, if you brought your favorite parts of your home outside. All aspects of your life would benefit if you let your “attentional circuits” rest. So I invite you to stop, close your eyes, and dream for a second—the sound, smell, and feel of your ideal outdoor room.

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in doubt, ask. Now, a ceiling; do you want to lay back and watch the clouds? Would you benefit from an ornamental tree to give you dappled light? The sound of dancing leaves can add a musical dynamic to most outdoor rooms. They are one of the few things that I almost always suggest to clients. A well-placed tree can give you shade from the noon sun without casting your entire space into shadow. Again, read tags before purchasing your favorite.

Garden Gate Landscape

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Lengthen your season, extend your enjoyment, and experiment!

THE THREE ELEMENTS OF CONTAINER DESIGN—often called “Thrillers”, “Spillers”, and “Fillers”—make for an interesting and balanced container. Combine a tall upright plant, a cascading plant that spills down the pot’s sides, and a filler to add fullness and color. Plant early spring annuals this spring to extend the container season.

With these cool weather annuals you can plant your container in mid-April instead of waiting until mid-May! Cool weather annuals, which have been hardened off, will survive the light frosts of late April and push the envelope of your planter’s performance and your enjoyment of it as well.

THRILLERS

Osteospermum and Argyranthemum are both vigorous, upright plants with striking daisy-like flowers, exceptional compact habit, and branching that makes them ideal for both containers and landscapes. Plants grow 10 to 18 inches high by 12 to 24 inches wide. You can also use early blooming bulbs such as Daffodils, Fritillaria, or Tulips as your upright element and then fill in with a new “Thriller” after the bloom fades. (Think of your planter as your laboratory where you can experiment on a small scale with color and plant combinations. Have fun. Isn’t that what gardening is all about?)

Osteospermum the Zion series is an eye-catching hybrid with large flowers and an array of unusual bloom colors. We are looking forward to Zion Copper Amethyst, Zion Orange, and Zion Pink Sand— their names describe them as well as I can, one intense color gradating into another along the pedal.

Truly stunning!

Argyranthemum grow slightly larger than the Osteospermum. They are part of the aster family and so offer a little more of a cottage garden aesthetic. They are heat and cold tolerant and several new varieties are available this year including a fully double, blood red variety called Madeira Crested Merlot and a romantic, antique pink variety called Madeira Crested Violet.

in Rosendale

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by Kerry McQuaide from Victoria Gardens

GARDEN

Spring Container Planting

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FILLERS.

Diascia and Nemesia also bloom all season long, but perform best in the spring and fall, and appreciate a little shade during the heat of summer. We also recommend shearing these plants mid-season to improve their performance. Plants grow 8 to 12 inches tall and wide.

Nemesia Serengeti Upright White is one of our favorite varieties. The upright habit shows off the multitudes of delicate white blooms with yellow and purple inner accents.

SPILLERS.

Calibrachoa, Bacopa, and Petunias are cascading plants that perform from the cool early spring all through the season to the end of October.

Calibrachoa are early flowering, brilliantly colored, petunia-like flowers, which selfdeadhead and grow in full sun or part shade. Often called “Million Bells” because of their profusion of blooms, they are heat-tolerant and stay compact and bushy even when they are stressed. The variety we are looking forward to the most is Double Amethyst: a new amethyst-blue variety. We can’t wait!

Bacopa is also a heat-tolerant, abundant flowering cascading annual covered in cheerful, stout, five-pedal flowers. We love it in white, because of its versatility, but it is also available in pink and blue. Besides being a sturdy and well performing container plant, we have experimented with this annual in the garden. When planted in the ground Bacopa becomes an adorable semi-mounding ground cover.

Petunias were your grandmother’s favorite for a reason! Petunias perform in dry hot sun, in cool shade, in containers, in the garden. I have seen petunias self-seed themselves into cracks in concrete or asphalt! These flowers are tough as well as beautiful. This year we are looking forward to Pretty Much Picasso, and Phantom, these are not your standard ho-hum varieties!

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Your planter will bring a smile to your face all through the spring. Then in July, if any of the cool weather annuals such as Diascia and Nemesia are not performing as well in the heat, remove them (you can plant them in a shady spot in your garden and they will revive and flower through the fall) and replace it with a heat loving “Filler” like Euphorbia Diamond Frost.

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PLANT A SIMPLE GARDEN

by 4TH GRADER NATALIE SILL

HOW TO

how to

Have you ever wanted your yard to look colorful? Well, I did—so I planted outdoor plants in my yard! It makes your environment look so beautiful!

Read on to learn how to make a colorful yard too. Trust me, you’ll be satisfied.

IMPORTANT TIP:

Water your plants every day. If you notice that your plants are too damp, wait a day or two to water them again. If it rains, wait two more days until watering.

PROCESS:

1. You’ll need to buy your favorite flower seeds or bulbs.

Some of my favorite flowers are sunflowers, tulips, and lilies.

2. Put on your gardening gloves.

3. In your garden, take your shovel and dig a hole that is about two inches wide and five inches deep (but read the packet to find specific depths).

4. Put two seeds in your hole.

5. Take your shovel again and cover the hole with soil.

6. Tap the soil that’s on top of the hole. This should flatten it out.

You may want to write the name of the flower that you’ve planted on a popsicle stick and place it where you’ve planted.

7. Water your plants and repeat this process starting from step 3.

• Garden Shovel • Gardening gloves • A flat ground with soil (outdoors) • Your favorite flower seeds or bulbs

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MATERIALS:

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IMPROVEMENTS

by Rochelle Riservato

W

hen spring breathes energy and new life into the air—with the birds chirping, bulbs emerging, and trees budding—that’s the time your renewed vigor will rise like the sun and inspire you to get outdoors and enjoy your cleanup and improvement projects.

YOUR HOME

Spring to it with home

INNOVATIVE POTTING SHED A pegboard can transform that wall in front of your vehicle; you know the one that can’t fit anything of depth? Put up as many pieces of pegboard and hardware as you’ll need to organize your tools, brooms, hoses, sprinklers, and that vast assortment of outdoor gear that always seems to be—“somewhere”. Pegboard hardware can even hold up adjustable shelves, offering a surface for an assortment of containers or glass jars that contain small hardware.

Think of the fun and interest you can create by going to flea markets and antique shops to find an old cupboard, a pie-bin, or even a bookcase and fill the shelves with clay pots, garden tools, knee pads, and gloves!

It can be tastefully placed on a porch or under a carport for easy access between your home and garden.

If you feel the urge to construct—then make simple painted wooden bins to hold seeds, bulbs, fertilizers, hose nozzles, and so much more. Just perch them on a shelf and you’re organized and accessorized with the novelty of repurposing a piece of history. Of course you can always go the full nine yards and get plans for a DIY project or buy a ready-made shed.

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Create a recycling center and spare pantry. Get some bins for plastic, metal, and glass containers, plus a wire basket for newspapers (with bundling twine) and place them on a mobile platform.

This can simply be some plywood and casters that journey to street-side with ease.

The pantry can also be simple—a metal office cabinet with magnets holding up a clipboard for keeping pantry inventory up to date.

For a sports center, hang bicycles up on steel hooks on either side of a garage’s center post; if there’s no post, purchase ceiling hooks to hang bikes from the ceiling or hooks for wall hanging. Hang skateboards, bike helmets, sport bags, and other hangables to get things up off the floor. Field sport equipment such as basketballs, footballs, and soccer balls can be stuffed into a duffle bag or net bag and hung with hooks. For the family with many sports fanatics, a simple pine storage chest (another easy DIY project) can compartmentalize cleats, arm and shin guards, helmets, and more. And the top can double as a seat while outfitting-up.

GETTING MORE FROM YOUR GARAGE

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OUTDOOR RESPITES Freshen up patio, deck, or screened-in porch furnishings and flooring, or give it a total facelift. After a few seasons—whether undercover or not—wicker, poly-resin, or metal furniture could use spruce-ups. See what you’re dealing with in the way of dirt—whether just dusty, dirty, or moldy. Clean accordingly. Then comes the fun— a facelift of a new color or texture! Spray paints are not expensive for refinishing metals, and they come in textural sprays that hide a multitude of sins. New color and a spray-on poly topcoat will look as if you’ve bought an entirely new set of outdoor furniture.

Unprotected patio and deck flooring may need some power washing, and spring is the perfect time to play “firefighter” with a rented or purchased high-pressure hose attachment. And if you’re really ambitious and into total revival— whether the flooring is wood, brick, stone, concrete, or composite—there are weatherproof stains and paints in a myriad of colors ready to complement your “new” outdoor furniture.

Now that a few interesting projects have been addressed, here are a few of the old standard, nitty gritty tasks as a reminder of what’s typically repeated each spring.

HOUSE/YARD/GARDEN Sweep out the gutter.

Leak inspection—from your attic.

Point gutter drains away from your house.

Check sump pump function for spring rain buildup.

Perfect time for chimney sweeping —have it ready for fall.

Clear any downed trees and broken branches and transform them into firewood or woodchips.

Time to replace driveway gravel plowed away from snow removal.

Cleanups for barbecues, wheelbarrows, and lawn furniture.

Fix any holes in screens Service lawn equipment.

GARDEN REVIVAL Contemplate some soil improvements to promote healthier bounty.

Get septic systems pumped, if necessary.

Choose your annual flora.

Expand your perennials by adding at least one a year for an abundance of color in just a few years.

Collect rocks as you clean up the property and build a rock wall and pathways through garden plots.

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COST-EFFECTIVE Mull over some solar installations.

Install low-flow toilets.

Renovate kitchens and/or baths for added efficiency and value.

Purchase an energy-efficient air conditioner or one that rolls from room to room.

Sit back with a refreshing drink, put your feet up, and peruse your yard’s spring renaissance while enjoying the return of sunshine and warmth. Invite some friends over for the first barbeque of the season. And don’t forget to take photos of the beautiful results you’ve created.

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YOUR HOME

Shake the Dust Off with

SPRING CLEANING Open all of the windows and doors, turn up the music...it’s spring.

No need to work out at the gym on spring-cleaning days; work those abs, glutes, and triceps while you watch your winter cave transform into a spring oasis.

Love your Houseplants Plants need showers too.

After being dried out by indoor heating, give them a special treat. They’ll love you for it. Use a gentle shower head attachment

Banish the Dust-Bunnies Now that you can open the windows and doors to let in the fresh air, it’s time to DUST. Dust everything and everywhere at the beginning of the season. Remember to get the ceilings and the corners of each room, the blinds, fans, artwork, books, bookshelves, lamps, and dressers.

Take Apart, Scrub, Put Back Together Wash the inside and outside of medicine cabinets, linen cabinets, and other shelving.

Then put it all back in an order that makes sense to you. Now is also the time to wash and sanitize all of the trash cans in the house.

Also wash all bedding, comforters, mattress pads, and pillows.

Organize your closets.

Everyone’s Favorite...

Wash the Windows Window washing has really gotten a bad wrap. What can be more rewarding than looking through crystal clear windows after a long winter of buildup?

Use newspapers and vinegar for a natural way to clean glass or use rubber-edged squeegees, which are a quicker way to clean big windows.

Switch ‘Em Up Vacuum and steam-clean curtains or have them dry cleaned. Replace heavy curtains with lighter ones as the weather gets warmer; it’s important to remove dust and dirt before putting the winter curtains away for storage. You can also replace your bedding for a quick spring makeover.

ENJOY YOUR SPARKLY HOME!

This just might be the most important part of the entire spring cleaning project… if you haven’t used it in the past year (or even less) just get rid of it. Make a bag for trash, and a huge bag to give away.

You can also put aside things that should go into the attic, garage, or shed for future use. Make sure that all the things surrounding you are things that you really need or love.

to spray your plants lightly with cool water.

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Just Get Rid of It!

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LOCAL TOURS

Hudson River Lighthouses Burn Brightly Once Again

F

rom the time of Henry Hudson’s trip up the mighty river until today, the Hudson River is one of the most important commercial and recreational rivers in America.

All of the activity and industrial momentum would have ground to a halt if not for the lonely sentinels of the Hudson marking the way and warning ships of the hazards and channels.

Over the centuries, many lighthouses have come and gone; through fire and flood, through storm and accident, the lighthouses have stood their ground, sending their beacons to guide the ships and barks plying the waters of the Hudson.

Now, out of the eight lighthouses still remaining along the Hudson River, four are located in the Mid-Hudson Valley. No longer serving their original purpose as aids to navigation, they now mark the passage of the history of America past their lights and horns.

Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Construction began in early 1873.

Pilings were driven some fifty feet into the riverbed and then surrounded by a granite pier. The keeper’s dwelling was then constructed on top of the man-made pier. The north end of the lighthouse base was designed like a bow of a ship. This was done to protect the lighthouse from the frequent ice flows in winter and spring.

Reference: www.hudsonlights.com

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In the late 1880s, hazards created by the Middle Ground Flats opposite the City of Hudson made navigating on the Hudson River extremely risky for the busy shipping route. After much petitioning to the Congress of the United States, a survey was completed and an appropriation of $35,000.00 was approved by Congress in 1872 to build the Hudson City Lighthouse.

photo by Robert Near, http://rjnphoto.com

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Built in the Second Empire architectural style, the two-story brick and granite structure sits majestically in the middle of the river between Hudson and Athens. The lighthouse was put into operation on November 14, 1874 with Henry D. Best as its first keeper. It was automated on November 10, 1949, almost 75 years to the date on which it was first lighted. Today, the lighthouse still serves as an aid to navigation, guiding ships safely around the Middle Ground Flats.

Since its opening, the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse has been operated and maintained by the United States Coast Guard. However, in 1967, then Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, established the Hudson River Valley Commission to explore possible uses for the Hudson Lighthouses. The Commission recommended that the Coast Guard deed over or lease the facilities to public or private not-forprofit groups. These groups would then rehabilitate, maintain, and operate the facilities for public benefit.

Not until 1982 did any local group seriously attempt to follow through with the recommendations of the Hudson River Valley Commission. At that time, a group of citizens from Columbia and Greene counties formed the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Committee, Inc. In 1989, HALPC was awarded a matching grant by the NYS Historic Preservation Office. The restoration work was completed in 1990. Today, the lighthouse title was transferred as part of the Congressional Appropriations Act of 1999. The US Coast Guard has officially transferred the deed as of July 3, 2000.

Visiting the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse: Please call 518-8285294 to make arrangements for a private tour or for information about public tours.

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Esopus Meadows Lighthouse The Esopus Meadows Lighthouse was nicknamed the “Maid of the Meadows.” It was finished in 1871 to replace one built in 1839 that was in ruinous condition. A lighthouse was needed to warn mariners of the mud flats, known as the Esopus Meadows, located between it and the western shore of the Hudson River. As the lighthouse was and is only accessible by water, it was created as a “family lighthouse.” The keeper and his family were living within the structure. The keeper’s house consisted of seven rooms with a kitchen, dining and sitting room on the first floor, and bedrooms on the second. The Esopus Meadows Lighthouse is the only lighthouse built with a wood frame and clapboard exterior remaining on the Hudson River.

The lighthouse was tended by family keepers as part of the Lighthouse Service until around World War II when the Coast Guard took over the Lighthouse Service. The Coast Guard manned the station until 1965. At that time the tower light was replaced with a solar powered navigation aid on the deck and the house was abandoned. Although only accessible by boat, without the care of resident keepers, the lighthouse decayed under the ruinous hands of vandals and Mother Nature.

In 1979 the Esopus Meadows Lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Restoration began in 1990 with the formation of Save Esopus Lighthouse Com-

Possibly the most rewarding milestone occurred on May 31, 2003 when the Coast Guard reinstalled a navigation light in the tower and Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, after 38 years of darkness, again became an active navigation aid.

Restoration work has continued, mostly by volunteers, and has progressed to the point that scheduled tours began in the summer of 2010.

While tours have started, there is still a bit more restoration that needs to be completed, routine maintenance to be performed, and various help for running the tours. For more information, to volunteer, or take a tour call 845-848-3669.

More information is also available at www.EsopusMeadowsLighthouse.org.

The Saugerties Lighthouse has two other distinctions among the lighthouses of the Hudson River. First, it is the only lighthouse that welcomes overnight guests, making it the most unique B&B in the Valley. Second, it is the only lighthouse that you can stroll out to overland. The lighthouse can be reached using the nature preserve lying between it and the mainland.

The first lighthouse of the Esopus Creek at Saugerties was built in 1838 with funds from Congress. It was built to guide ships away from nearby shallows and into the Esopus Creek when Saugerties was a major port with daily commercial and passenger transportation. The light was five whale oil lamps with parabolic reflectors.

The present lighthouse was built in 1869. It sits on a massive circular stone base sixty feet in diameter. A sixth-order Fresnel lens was used with kerosene lamps. The foundation for the original lighthouse remains as a small island adjacent to the existing lighthouse. Automation of the light in 1954 made light keepers obsolete. The building was closed up and fell into disrepair and decay. Local historian Ruth Reynolds Glunt and architect Elise Barry succeeded in placing the lighthouse on the National Register in 1978. This stimulated local citizens to restore the building. In 1986 the newly formed Saugerties Lighthouse Conservancy acquired the lighthouse and the adjacent wetlands. After extensive fundraising and restoration work the building was completely reconstructed. After 36 years the light was restored to operation in the light tower on August 4, 1990.

Visiting the lighthouse is a pleasant and educational experience. Visitors can walk out to the lighthouse on the Nature Trail at any time. One can walk around the lighthouse and visit the island, the site of the original 1838 lighthouse. Benches and chairs are in place for relaxing and enjoying the views.

Watch a VIDEO at

www.visitvortex.com/Saugerties_Lighthouse_Trail

LOCAL TOURS

More milestones occurred in July 2001 when the organization received a New York State Board of Regents provisional charter as a museum in the name of Esopus Meadows Lighthouse (EML).

Then in September 2002 the deed to the lighthouse was formally presented to EML.

One of the great ladies of the Hudson River, the Saugerties Lighthouse has been guiding ships on the mighty river since 1869. As a navigational aid it was decommissioned in 1954. Restoration began after it was purchased by the Saugerties Lighthouse Conservancy in 1986.

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Saugerties Lighthouse

mission (SELC) and leasing of the lighthouse from the Coast Guard. Under direction of Arline Fitzpatrick funds were raised for extensive carpentry and roof repair. SELC was reorganized in 1997 and restoration continued. By the fall of 2000 a major milestone was reached with completion of the stabilization and leveling of the lighthouse.

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Rondout Lighthouse

IN STONE RIDGE TOWNE CENTRE & NEW PALTZ PLAZA

The first Rondout Lighthouse was constructed in 1837 of wood. This structure was quickly damaged by weather and ice. It was replaced in 1867 with a new lighthouse constructed of bluestone on a cut stone base. Both of these lighthouses were located on the Hudson River at the south side of Rondout Creek, much nearer to the shore than the current lighthouse. The circular stone base of the second lighthouse can still be seen.

The newest lighthouse on the Hudson River, started in 1913 and finished and commissioned in 1915, the current Rondout Lighthouse continues an important tradition started in 1837 of marking the vital river port of the Kingston Rondout. The Rondout was the terminus of the D&H Canal with the canal transporting vast amounts of Pennsylvania coal over the Shawangunk Mountains to the Hudson. From here, the canal barges were unloaded and the coal was transferred to river barks that took the coal down to NYC. In 2002 the US Coast Guard turned over ownership of the lighthouse to the City of Kingston, which partners with the Hudson River Maritime Museum to care for the structure. Although uninhabited, the lighthouse remains an important aid to navigation on the Hudson River and stands as a sentinel at the mouth of the Rondout Creek. The lighthouse brings back memories of paddle wheel steamboats and sailing ships.

Access to the lighthouse is available by boat launch from the Hudson River Maritime Museum in the Rondout section of Kingston. The lighthouse contains period furnishings and exhibits documenting the history of the lighthouses on the Rondout and the keepers and their families. You can climb the tower and walk the outdoor platform, taking in a spectacular view of the Hudson and Rondout harbor. The lighthouse is open for scheduled public visiting from May through October. The lighthouse is also open to school, summer camp, bus tour, and other organized groups on a charter basis.

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Y O U R H E A LT H .

First in a series from Dr. Samira Y. Khera, breast surgeon

Should you have a mammogram?

Recently, new guidelines by a US Task Force, suggested that women be screened for breast cancer after the age of 50 every other year. That is a major and critical change to the established program of care, which advises screening every year starting at age 40.

These new guidelines have created uncertainty among many woman, as mortality rates have dropped, due, in large part, to the increased use of mammography.

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As a breast surgeon, I want to keep you healthy. Please consult your health care provider, or call me so that I can help you come to an informed decision about preventive screenings.

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LOCAL HISTORY

by Rochelle Riservato

Although the D&H Canal was originally built for the purpose of transporting anthracite coal from Pennsylvania to the Hudson River on a 108-mile canal, the original purpose has gone the way of the old horse and buggy.

The buggy was used for transport, much like the canal, and their charm has lived on with his-

torical and aesthetical appeal for both residents and tourists. Just as people still love those Central Park horse and buggy rides or hire them to add beauty and nostalgia for weddings, the D&H Canal now provides the same after more than a century with a museum, hike, and many other people-pleasing amenities throughout this National Historic area.

THE HISTORY: Let’s learn a bit of history about the D&H Canal by transporting back in time to its origin. William Wurts was the first explorer of the Pennsylvania Coal Region, once known as anthracite (coal) fields. Believing this would be a valuable source of energy he convinced his brothers Charles and Maurice to buy large parcels of land for little money in

TRANSPORTS VISITORS TO AN HISTORIC SOJOURN

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THE LEGENDARY D&H CANAL

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1812. Extracting tons of coal was great, but most was lost on treacherous waterways (the main method of transportation) while transporting it back to Philadelphia. Realizing the areas they mined were perfectly located to deliver coal to New York City and inspired by the recently opened and successful Erie Canal, they acknowledged that owning a personal canal would be economical and profitable. And thus, the Wurts’ Delaware and Hudson Canal Company became America’s first long-distance transportation route chartered by the states of Pennsylvania and New York in 1823. The 108-mile route traversed out of Pennsylvania into New York through a narrow valley between the Shawangunk Ridge and the Catskill Mountains—on to the Hudson River near Kingston by following the Old Mine Road (Route 209).

The Wurts’ company hired Erie Canal engineer Benjamin Wright to survey and plan a route that was originally estimated to cost $1.2 million but actually cost $1.6 million in 1825 dollars. The ground breaking commenced in July of 1825 with 2,500 laborers finishing the project in just three years—with 102

canal navigation opening in October of 1828.

The D&H Canal began at the Rondout Creek, in the area known as Creeklocks and now Eddyville, located between Kingston and Rosendale. Following the Rondout to Ellenville, it continued through the valleys of Sandburg Creek, Homowak Kill, Basher Kill, and the Neversink River and on to Port Jervis on the Delaware River. It followed a northwest direction on the New York side of the Delaware, crossing into Pennsylvania along the northern bank of the Lackawaxen River to Honesdale located 32 miles northeast of Scranton.

Barges carrying coal and lumber were pulled by mules along contiguous towpaths. At first, children were often hired to lead the mules, but in later years adult men were employed. Their job was to walk 15 to 20 miles a day, pump out the barges, and tend to the animals— all for $3 a month.

The canal’s construction involved major feats of early civil engineering and led to the development of new technologies—in fact John Roe-

bling, who later built the Brooklyn Bridge using cement discovered in Rosendale while digging the canal, designed and built aqueducts over the rivers to cut a few days from canal travel.

Getting the coal from the Wurts’ mine to the canal at Honesdale required the canal company to build the Delaware and Hudson Gravity Railroad. In 1898, the D&H Railroad joined the rest of the country in recognizing coal could be transported to its destination across New Jersey instead of via Kingston. And canals were relegated to the status of quaint relics of the pre-industrial past.

After the end of the 1898 season, the D&H Company opened all the small overflow dams called waste weirs and drained the canal. Catskill rail magnate Samuel Coykendall purchased the canal and used the northernmost section, from Rondout to Kingston, to transport Rosendale cement and other materials to the Hudson—he abandoned that business in 1904.

The D&H Canal was never used again.

Other areas where canal locks and structural remnants still remain are located in Ellenville and the Town of Wawarsing where Towpath Road follows the old route from Rt 209,

The museum located at 23 Mohonk Road in High Falls is open to the public from May through October on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 5pm. The exhibits relate to the canal’s history and include a working model of a lock, a life-sized recreated canal boat cabin, a moving model of a gravity railroad brake

LOCAL HISTORY

In Creeklocks, now known as Eddyville, the northernmost lock still exists, as does the final section before the canal flowed into the Rondout. In Kingston, the former port of Rondout at the north end of the barge passageway is now recognized as the Rondout-West Strand Historic District. The area’s historic revitalization, still used as a waterfront, affords visitors an enjoyable destination—whether traveling by boat or land. Small boutiques and restaurants are housed in historic buildings and a maritime museum, waterfront park for picnicking, and many annual events make this landmark area a popular place to visit.

car, financial documents, and dioramas of the gravity railroad and canal life. Various tools and artifacts are on display, along with original paintings by canal era artists. The D&H Canal Museum Store and Bookshop has a nostalgic 19th-century flavor, and offers canal-related maps, cards, posters, and children’s toys and games for sale. Fiction and nonfiction books about the canal era are available for both children and adults. Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for children. For more information call 845-687-9311, email info@canalmuseum.org, or visit canalmuseum.org.

After touring the museum, visitors can pick up a map of the D&H Towpath Trail and Five Locks Walk, which starts just a short distance from the museum. THE HIKE, WHICH TAKES ABOUT 20 MINUTES, passes canal locks 16 through 20—and along the way you’ll pass great shops, restaurants, boutiques, and more in this quaint and historic walking town. Plus on Sundays from 9am to 4pm the D&H CANAL FLEA MARKET is in full swing with great merchandise— new and old at fabulous prices!

Watch the VIDEOS 1. A video taste of Five Locks Walk: www.visitvortex.com/High_Falls_NY 2. D&H Sunday Market video: www.visitvortex.com/DH_Canal_Sunday_Market

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The once-active canal was repurposed into a new and exciting historic venture as many areas still possess remnants of the canal and associated structures. With the Delaware & Hudson Canal Historical Society forming in 1967 and the 1975 purchase of a Gothic Revival chapel built in 1885, the Delaware and Hudson Canal Museum, located in the High Falls Historic District, offers residents and tourists a cultural trip to the past, as well as affording hundreds of area students an extensive education program each season. With approximately 4,000 artifacts including maps, photographs, documents, models, and prints, the museum also maintains and operates a walking trail called the Five Locks Walk, which provides access to Locks 16 through 20 of the former canal as a bonus tour.

south of the village, to Canal Street, where a wet section of the canal bed still exists just north of Berme Road opposite the village’s firehouse.

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PRESERVATION AS HISTORIC SITE:

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DELAWARE AND HUDSON CANAL TIMELINE March 13, 1823 – Pennsylvania Legislature authorizes Wurtz brothers to canalize the Lackawaxen River.

April 23, 1823 – New York passes act incorporating “The President, Managers, and Company of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Co.”

July 13, 1825 – Ground broken on the canal near Kingston.

January 1825 – The D&H Canal Co. raised $1 million for canal construction through a public stock offering.

October 1828 – The canal expands southwest to Port Jervis, NY on the Delaware River and beyond to the anthracite coal fields near Carbondale, PA. April 8, 1826 – Pennsylvania authorized the construction of the D&H Gravity Railroad.

August 8, 1829 – The D&H Canal Gravity Railroad completed. The first full size English-built locomotive in the US, the Stourbridge Lion, ran along a section of track.

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January 6, 1847 – The D&H Canal Co. selects John Roebling to build three suspension aqueducts to widen and improve the navigability of the canal.

B&L Jewelers

For All Your Jewelery 1850 –Needs The canal was expanded • •

to accommodate larger canal boats, and a packet service was Diamonds established between Honesdale Fine Quality Jewelry and Lackawaxen that ferried passengers, mail, and freight.

• Repairs

April 25, 1851 – The Fashion and the freighter Daniel Webster were moored in a slip at Honesdale when a great fire took place. The fire spread to nearby stores and dwellings. Both boats burned to their keels.

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LOCAL HISTORY

1968 – The remaining fragments of the D&H Canal were designated a National Historic Landmark.

June 12, 1850 – The Fashion, a packet boat, included ample dining and lunch facilities permitting lodging of 60 persons on board.

Regular scheduled trips ran daily.

1898 – The D&H Canal carried its last loads of coal, was drained, and sold.

1847 – New immigrants continue to move into Northeastern Pennsylvania from New York City via stagecoach, or canal boats on the D&H Canal.

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1840 – Almost 1,000 miles of canal hauled coal and other freight.

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OUTDOORS

OUR NIGHT SKIES

identifying spring constellations

It’s a great time to see some of the best and brightest galaxies,

as well as an array of doublestars, globular clusters (imagine a solar system made entirely of suns, thousands of suns), and nebulae (vast interstellar dust clouds and the remnants of dead stars).

To make the most of the following descriptions, you’ll need access to a star map. If you don’t have one, monthly magazines like Astronomy (astronomy.com) and Sky & Telescope (skyandtelescope.com) publish highly usable charts and maps to get you started. Alternatively, you can go straight to the Internet, at either of the above sites, and easily generate an accurate sky chart for your location tonight.

For the ultimate in desktop exploration and easy planning, planetarium software such as Starry Night (starrynight.com) for Mac or PC is the way to go; for Mac users, Starry Night also provides a free dashboard widget.

PLANETS & METEORS On April 3rd Saturn will be at opposition, meaning the sun and Saturn will be on diametrically opposite sides of the sky. This means it rises in the east as the sun sets in the west, and remains visible all night long. This is great because, at this point in its orbit, it comes closest to the Earth and therefore appears bigger and brighter than at other times. It’s the ideal time of year to view the ringed wonder.

Even a small telescope can split the rings into their A and B components.

On April 21/22, the Lyrid Meteor Shower peaks. Not normally a huge shower, it can nonetheless produce meteors with very bright trails that last several seconds. Meteor showers are best viewed with the naked eye, wrapped in a warm blanket.

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SPRING BRINGS SOME OF THE FINEST, AND EASIEST, ASTRONOMICAL VIEWING TO THE HUDSON VALLEY’S NIGHT SKY.

by Sean O’Dwyer

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hydra leo virgo Easy to find between Leo (to the west) and Libra (to the east), Virgo is another very large constellation; in fact, after Hydra, it’s the second largest. Locate the constellation’s brightest star Spica by following the curve of the Big Dipper’s handle, through Arcturus in Boötes, to Spica in Virgo.

The galaxy M60 is 60 million light-years from earth and is 60 billion times as luminous as our sun. The majority of Virgo’s galaxies are part of the VirgoSupercluster, a vast cluster of perhaps 1,500 galaxies, of which our galaxy, the Milky Way, is an outlying member.

Finally, Virgo has more confirmed exoplanets than any other constellation: 24 exoplanets orbiting 18 stars.

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Lying well above the southern horizon at this time of year, Leo is a large constellation, some 30° across. Packed with gorgeous galaxies and double-stars, it’s well worth checking out.

The brightest star in Leo is Regulus, visible in the lower right part of the constellation, at the base of the “sickle” shape.

This blue-white star is about 77.5 light-years from Earth— meaning its light has taken that long to land on your retina.

Using binoculars, can you pick out its companion star?

One of the finest double-stars in the sky is Algieba, a “true double” with two yellow stars locked together in orbit, and spinning past each other once every 620 years.

In comparison, Denebola, a double star with blue/orange components, is an “optical double,” meaning the stars are not connected gravitationally; they are far apart in space and simply happen to lie on the same line of sight. Galaxy-wise M65, M66, and NGC 3628 form the Leo “Triplets”, a nice group of galaxies visible through your telescope all together in the same field of view. M65 and M66 are brighter than NGC 3628 but you can make out the latter’s elongated form; it looks very “edge-on”.

Lying along the southern horizon at midnight, and spanning a full 90°, Hydra is the largest constellation in the night sky.

The first galaxy to check out is M83, an impressive barred spiral galaxy; even a small telescope will pick up its obvious structure.

Visible as a small round cloud in binoculars, M68 is a globular cluster, floating in space some 33,000 light-years distant.

Globular clusters are some of the oldest structures in our galaxy, and their formation and stability is something of a mystery. A telescope will resolve the cloud into individual suns. Spectacular.

If you’re in the mood for ghost hunting, check out NGC 3242, the Ghost of Jupiter, a fine “planetary” nebula—formed as a dying sun begins to cast off its outer layers. Even small scopes bring out its pale blue disc that appears about the same size as Jupiter (which is how it got its nickname).

WHAT’S HAPPENING hudson valley ONGOING

APRIL

1st Saturdays – Kingston Art Receptions.

Held throughout Kingston in various galleries.

Arts Society of Kingston (ASK). 5-8pm.

845-338-0331.

See www.askforarts.org for schedule.

April 1-17 – A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

William Shakespeare’s script in an upbeat 1920s version set in an elegant Athenian nightclub, showcasing the rich and famous, a comic wait staff, and the denizens of the Athenian underworld. Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck. 845-876-3088. www.centerforperformingarts.org

2nd Saturdays – Woodstock Poetry Society and Festival. A Woodstock Second Saturday event featuring guest poets. Woodstock Town Hall, 76 Tinker Street Road, Woodstock. 2pm.

For info contact Phillip Levine at 845-246-8565; pprod@mindspring.com. www.woodstockpoetry. com www.woodstockartsconsortium.org 3rd Saturdays – Phoenicia Art Openings.

Bring a dish, it’s a potluck affair and we don’t run out of wine. 6-10pm. Art Upstairs and Cabane Studios, 60 Main Street Phoenicia, NY. 845-688-2142. www.artsupstairs.com 3rd Saturdays – Arts Along Main Street.

“Saturday Studios.” Cultural hobnobbing at its best. Learn something about art, meet a friend, see new work, mix and mingle, and make it a great evening! 5-8pm. M Gallery, 350 Main Street, Catskill, NY. 518-943-0380. www.mgallery-online.com

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April 7-10 – Theater Performance. La Ronde, by Arthur Schnitzler. Written in 1900, the play looks at the morals and social class structure of the time. April 7, 8, and 9 at 7pm; April 10 at 2pm and 7pm Theater Two, Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts.

845-758-7900. theater.bard.edu/events. rbangiola@bard.edu April 8 & 9 – Concerts: American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein, Music Director.

The orchestra’s final concert of the 2010-11 season is an all-Beethoven affair. Tickets: $20, $30, $35. Preconcert talk 7pm; Performance 8pm. Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. 845-758-7900. www.fishercenter.bard.edu

us on

April 10 – 10th Anniversary Autism Walk & Expo. Rain or shine. Registration begins midFebruary. 9am-1pm; Forms available online.

Dutchess County Fairgrounds, Rhinebeck.

845-331-2626. www.autismwalkhv.org April 10 – Superintendent’s Long Drive Contest. On the final day of the ski season, get your golf swing back to par at the Superintendent’s Long Drive Contest. Entry is free to hit that little ball as far as you can down the slopes! Don’t worry, Belleayre provides the clubs and balls.

Starts at 1pm. Belleayre Mountain, Highmount.

845-254-5600. www.belleayre.com April 10 – The Gene Krupa Story, Musical.

A Big Band Swing Show, featuring world famous drumming sensation Arthor von Blomberg and his 16-piece big band. $50 Adult & $35 Senior.

Starts at 7pm. Bardavon. 35 Market Street, Poughkeepsie. 845-473-2072. www.bardavon.org April 16 – Frost Valley YMCA Free Monthly Hike explores the Lower Wildcat Mountain Trail.

This guided hike will explore the nature and beauty of one of the Catskill’s most beautiful mountains and teach hikers about forestry!

Register by calling 845-985-2291 or email info@frostvalley.org. www.frostvalley.org

April 16 – National Park “Fee Free” Days for 2011! Visit Hyde Park’s three Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites FREE. We encouraged all of you to visit a national park soon. Parks offer superb recreational opportunities. Enjoy our beautiful land, history and culture, and nurture a healthy lifestyle. 9am-5pm. Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site. 1-800-FDRVISIT. www.nps.gov/hofr/index.htm April 16 – Guided Bird Walk. 9am. $3 per person. Clermont Historic Site. 518-537-4240. www.friendsofclermont.org April 19-22 – Frost Valley YMCA Spring Break Horse Camp. Ages 9-14, only $200.

Activities include horseback riding in the morning and camp activities in the afternoon. Please call 845-985-2291 or visit frostvalley.org for more information.

April 21 – Earth Day Celebration! Come and learn what you can do to save the planet and have some fun at the same time. Join DCC’s celebration of Mother Earth on the DCC Main Campus Walkway. Dutchess Community College. 845-431–8000. http://sunydutchess.edu April 23 – The Junior League of Kingston’s Egg Hunt. It features a visit by Peter Rabbit as

April 30-May 1 – Beer & Fine Food Festival. TAPSM New York is more than just about the beer. It’s about great food—tasty morsels that carefully complement these rich brews.

And plenty of it. It’s about education...about beer, about home-brewing, about beer/food pairings...it’s about cooking demonstrations from some of the best chefs in the region (and beyond)...and it’s about good friends coming together for a weekend of good beer, good food, and good times. Hours are 1pm to 5pm Satuday, noon to 4pm Sunday. Hunter Mountain, Hunter. 518-263-4223. www.tap-ny.com April 30 – The Met: Live in H-D Verdi’s II Trovatore. David McVicar’s stirring produc-

MAY May 1 – The Woodstock Chamber Orchestra. Conducted by Artistic Director David Leighton, performs a world premiere

by Jane Barsumian, and works by Respighi, Mahler and Dvorak. Performance at Pointe of Praise Family Life Center, 243 Hurley Avenue, Kingston. Tickets: Adults $20; College Students $5, K-12 with accompanying adult, free. Call 845-758-9270 or visit www. wco-online.com for information and updates.

Reformed Church of Saugerties, Main Street, Saugerties.

May 1 – Conservatory Sundays. Conservatory Orchestra with Leon Botstein, conductor.

Program includes the Szymanowski Concert Overture, George Tsontakis’ Double Violin Concerto “Unforgettable”, Joan Tower’s Rapids, and the Shostakovich Symphony No. 5.

Presented by The Bard College Conservatory

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

of Music. Sosnoff Theater, Fisher Center. 3pm 845-758-7900. fishercenter.bard.edu May 6-8 – Rhinebeck Car Show. The Swap Meet at Rhinebeck has been a favorite among car collectors from all over the Northeast for years. Show organizers strive to make this the most vendor friendly Swap Meet around. Dutchess County Fairgrounds.

845-876-4000. www.dutchessfair.com May 7 – Women’s Health & Fitness Expo attracts top speakers, authors, medical professionals, artists, and experts from all over the Hudson Valley and beyond. Take advantage of over 100 seminars, workshops, and interactive experiences—from cooking demos and free health screenings to exercise and dance. Browse over 150 booths and exhibits. Kingston. 845- 802- 7025. www.womenshealthexpo.com May 7 – Hudson Valley Philharmonic V. The Masters. Music Director/Conductor Randall Craig Fleischer. Wilson, Symphony no. 3. Mozart. Concerto, oboe, K. 314 (285d), C major with Keisuke Ikuma, HVP Principal Oboe. Beethoven, Symphony no.

7, op.92, A major. The audience is invited to a pre-concert talk with Maestro Fleischer and members of the Orchestra one hour before this performance. 35 Market Street, Poughkeepsie. 845-473-2072. www.bardavon.org

April 30-May 1 Beltane Festival June 12 Strawberry Festival

May 7 Hudson Valley Philharmonic

April 30-May 1 – Beltane Festival.

The first and currently largest festival marks the start of this season, annually the last Saturday of April. Over 1,500 attendees welcome in the summer, dancing the Maypole, singing, playing in the pageant, picnicking and applauding the jongleurs, thespians, and musicians.Center for Symbolic Studies, New Paltz. 845-658-8540. www.symbolicstudies.org

tion of Verdi’s intense drama premiered in the 2008/09 season. James Levine leads this revival, starring four extraordinary singers— Sondra Radvanovsky, Dolora Zajick, Marcelo Álvarez,and Dmitri Hvorostovsky—in what might be the composer’s most melodically rich score. Seats are $23 (Adult), $21 (Member), $16 (Children 12 and under). 1-4pm.

Ulster Performing Arts Center, Broadway, Kingston. 845-339-6088. www.bardavon.org

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well as simultaneous hunts for different age ranges. All participants receive a prize, but challenge yourself to find the Golden Eggs.

Forsyth Park, Lucas Avenue, Kingston. For information contact: jlkny1@gmail.com or vistit www.juniorleaguekingston.org

May 28-30 Woodstock-New Paltz Art & Crafts Fair

June 2-5 Mountain Jam VI

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May 8 – Dia: Beacon. Orchestra of St. Luke’s Chamber Music, Bohemian Rhapsodies Orchestra of St. Luke’s Chamber Music at Dia:Beacon offers an unusually informal format encouraging interaction between composers, musicians, and audience. $35; $10/st; free for under age 12. Dia: Beacon, Riggio Galleries, Beacon.

845-440-0100. www.diabeacon.org May 14 – Kids Run Wild. A day full of free activities and educational resources for kids of all ages and their families. Events include a Half Mile Fun Run starting at 10am with awards for all participants. Throughout the day kids are invited to enjoy games, crafts, and various demonstrations ranging from health and fitness to safety and nature all for free sponsored by the Junior League of Kingston. Forsyth Park, Lucas Avenue, Kingston. For information contact: jlkny1@gmail. com or visit www.juniorleaguekingston.org

tionally renowned soprano Dawn Upshaw is joined

by Graduate Vocal Arts Program students and Collaborative Piano Fellows in concert. Presented

by The Bard College Conservatory of Music.

Sosnoff Theater, Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. 3pm 845-758-7900. fishercenter.bard.edu

May 14 – The Met: Live in HD Wagner’s Die Walkure. A stellar cast comes together for this second installment of Robert Lepage’s new production of the Ring cycle, conducted by James Levine. Bryn Terfel is Wotan, lord of the Gods.

Deborah Voigt adds the part of Brünnhilde to her extensive Wagnerian repertoire at The Met. Seats are $23 (Adult), $21 (Member), $16 (Children 12 and under). 12pm. Ulster Performing Arts Center, Broadway, Kingston. 845-339-6088. www.bardavon.org

May 22 – Hudson Valley Wing Fling. Thousands of Chicken Wings! Live Entertainment, People’s Choice Vote for Best Chicken Wings in the Hudson Valley, Children’s Activities, Marketplace Vendors.

11:30am to 5pm. Cantine Field, Saugerties. www.ulsterchamber.org

May 15 – Conservatory Faculty and Graduate Vocal Arts Program. Conservatory Graduate Vocal Arts Program Artistic Director and interna112

May 21 – Hudson Valley Wine Magazine presents a first-ever art & wine event by “pairing” major Hudson Valley artists with 12 Hudson Valley wineries. Featuring the exhibit of winery-inspired paintings, photographs, and sculptures, along with wine tastings of over 35 special Hudson Valley wines from local wineries, and artisanal food pairings. Ticket includes tour of the mansion, and benefits the educational programs at Lyndhurst, a National Historic Trust Site. Lyndhurst Estate, Tarrytown. 914-631-4481. http://lyndhurst. wordpress.com/

May 28-30 – Woodstock-New Paltz Art & Crafts Fair. At the Woodstock-New Paltz Art & Crafts Fair you can experience one of America’s largest variety of art & craft demonstrations, be entertained by the best regionally based musicians, as well as experience the very best the Hudson Valley has to offer in both New York state wines and locally produced handcrafted specialty

foods. Ulster County Fairgrounds, New Paltz. 845679-8087. www.quailhollow.com May 29 – Wildflowers of the Region, Frost Valley YMCA Free Monthly Hike. Come on a guided hike in the beautiful Catskill Mountains and learn about our native and edible wildflowers. Hikes are led by a NY State Licensed Guide. Registration required by calling 845-985-2291 or email info@ frostvalley.org. www.frostvalley.org

JUNE June 2-5 – Mountain Jam VI. Hunter Mountain.

Gov’t Mule, My Morning Jacket, Warren Haynes Band, Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Avett Brothers, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, Mavis Staples, and more! Hunter Mountain, Hunter. 845-679-7600. www.mountainjam.com June 3 – Calling All Poets Series (CAPS). Poetry Open Mic at Howland Cultural Center. Every 1st Friday. Hosted by Jim Eve, Mike Jurkovic, and Robert Milby featuring Adrianna Delgado & Jim Cotter, followed by 2 poem Open Mic. Refreshments available. Howland Cultural Center.

June 4 – Breakfast on Black Creek. In celebration of National Trails Day, the annual meeting of the Hudson Valley Rail Trail Association is held alongside the Black Creek Complex near the entrance at Tony Williams Park. A continental breakfast is served to the attendees. 845-6912066. hudsonvalleyrailtrail.net

June 5th – Ride The Ridge Bike Challenge.

The High Meadow School in Stone Ridge will hold its 5th Annual Ride The Ridge Bike Challenge to raise funds to benefit the new High Meadow Performing Arts Center. www.ridetheridge.org June 11 – Frost Valley YMCA Free Monthly Hike discovers Invasive Species of the Region.

Come on a guided hike and learn how to recognize and eradicate pests, plants, and other dangers to the Catskill Mountain Preserve. Hikes are led by a NY State Licensed Guide. Registration required by calling 845-985-2291 or email info@ frostvalley.org. www.frostvalley.org June 12 – Strawberry Festival. Strawberry treats that will be available include sublime strawberry shortcake that is baked on-site, as well as smoothies and hand-dipped chocolate-covered berries. Several local vendors will be set up selling a variety of food and crafts. There will be live music throughout and many educational and environmental booths.12-5pm. Beacon Riverfront Park. www.beaconsloop.org June 18-19 – Crafts at Rhinebeck. Crafts at Rhinebeck is a high-end, prestigious craft fair located in the beautiful Hudson Valley. Artists from all over the country participate in this show. Crafts at Rhinebeck continues to maintain its attendance and high quality crafts. No pets please! Dutchess County Fairgrounds. 845-876-4001. www.craftsatrhinebeck.com

BARDSUMMERSCAPE july 7 – august 21, 2011

Bard SummerScape presents seven

weeks of opera, dance, music, drama, film, cabaret, and the 22nd annual

Bard Music Festival, this year exploring

the works and world of composer Jean Sibelius. SummerScape takes place in the extraordinary Richard B. Fisher

Opera

Theater

Bard Music Festival

DIE LIEBE DER DANAE

THE WILD DUCK

Twenty-Second Season

Theater Two July 13 –24 Operetta

Two weekends of concerts, panels, and other events bring the musical world of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius vividly to life.

BITTER SWEET

August 12–14 and 19–21

Music and libretto by Richard Strauss American Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Leon Botstein Directed by Kevin Newbury Production design by Rafael Viñoly

Center for the Performing Arts and

Sosnoff Theater July 29 – August 7

ning Mid-Hudson River Valley campus.

Dance

A “hotbed of intellectual and aesthetic

TERO SAARINEN COMPANY

Tickets and information: 845-758-7900 fishercenter.bard.edu

Sosnoff Theater July 7 – 10

other venues on Bard College’s stun-

adventure.” (New York Times)

PHOTO ©Peter Aaron ‘68/Esto

Westward Ho! Wavelengths HUNT

Directed by Caitriona McLaughlin

Music and libretto by Noel Coward Conducted by James Bagwell Staged by Erica Schmidt Theater Two August 4 – 14

SIBELIUS AND HIS WORLD

Film Festival

BEFORE AND AFTER BERGMAN: THE BEST OF NORDIC FILM Thursdays and Sundays July 14 – August 18 Speigeltent

CABARET and FAMILY FARE July 8 – August 21

Annandale-on-Hudson, New York

SEE OUR VIDEO AT VISITVORTEX.COM

Check out who flies out of Stewart.

Flying is not just about where you go, but how you get there. Stewart International Airport’s comfortable size, modern amenities, friendly staff and focus on customer care makes flying hassle-free.

Featuring service from Delta, JetBlue and U.S. Airways, Stewart offers the smoothest way to fly into and out of the region, with its carriers providing direct flights to 5 cities and over 100 destinations with connection.

Conveniently located in the heart of the Hudson Valley, Stewart is easily accessible from I-84, the New York State Thruway and Metro-North Railroad.

So relax, put your seatbacks in the reclined position and enjoy your trip.

Stewart. Your neighborhood International Airport.

panynj.gov