Ulster County Fair 2013

It's getting close to time for the Ulster County Fair again. So lovely to sit at the top of the Ferris Wheel at sunset and see a full view of the Ridge to the west and the lights of the night-time fair below. One price for admission gets you on as many rides as you can stomach. Or skip the rides and head back to the Rabbit Barn, hosted by the local 4-H chapters. See the sheep being shorn and then wearing their funny little coats to keep clean. Pigs, goats, cows, draft horses and of course the Poultry Barn with its exciting array of exotic birds all raised by eager young people. The pig races are in the right-hand back corner. You might want to stop at the Methodist food tent on the way there. Be prepared to be amazed by the wool and fiber exhibit -- always one of my faves as well. One price admission, clean bathrooms, good food, animals, rides, kettle corn, funnel cakes, and fresh lemonade. The Ulster County Fair is lots of fun and not to be missed! July 30-Aug. 4, 2013.

Simple Joys/4th of July Edition

Life in the country! How lovely to be invited to a 4th of July party at the same house year after year. Life in the slow lane in the Rondout Valley. My friends have been busy making fantastic boulder walls of out of chunks of Shawangunk Conglomerate, putting in a lovely fenced garden, slow-cooking pork DR-style and getting ready to party. Live band, fireworks in the back yard, and such a lovely spot that fireworks from Mohonk Mountain House explode in the dark and starry sky above (but don't make too big a boom). Perfect.

Mountain Laurel Time in the Shawangunks

It's late Spring in the Shawangunks and the Mountain Laurel are blooming! I usually try to plan a hike up Bonticou Crag or around Sam's Point at this time to enjoy the incredible sight of these high-altitude beauties. But this year, I have been just too busy out showing real estate.

I can't complain though. This photo was snapped at a great little property nestled right up against the Shawangunk Ridge on Jones Road. The house is a great weekender with a Bavarian Rhapsody vibe (lots of woodwork and massive fireplace). Gorgeous little stream surrounded by masses of mountain laurel. It will make someone very happy.

June 1, 2013 Wallkill Valley Land Trust Historic House Tour

The Hendrick Smit House, c. 1704

Saturday, June 1, 2013 is the date of the Wallkill Valley Land Trust's 3rd Annual Historic House Tour. This year, the tour will be called "River to River" and will focus on the fascinating history of Esopus.

Meet up at the St. Remy Church to buy tickets or buy them in advance through the Wallkill Valley Land Trust website. The tour is self-guided and runs from 10am-4pm.

Each home you visit will be staffed by a team of docents to offer interpretation and information regarding that particular house and area. The tour will end with a reception at the Global Palate on Route 9W at 4:00 pm.

Come out for the day, support the important land conservation mission of the Wallkill Valley Land Trust and deepen your knowledge and appreciation of our incredibly historic area.

Spring in the Hudson Valley

Spring is in full swing here in the Hudson Valley. The early yellow forsythia and candy-pink quince blossoms have faded while the flowering fruit trees, dogwoods and redbud are all following in a processional of gorgeous natural color. Above all, I love the myriad shades of tender green as the trees start to leaf out.

It's been unusually chilly up here this year and the farmers have been fogging their orchards and covering their strawberries to protect the flowers until the fruit is set. I can't wait for the first fruits of summer; already keeping an eye on my strawberry- and cherry-picking spots.

This picture was taken in May at North-South Lake, a great place to swim, camp and rent kayaks in Greene County. On a clear day, you can look out over a vast river valley and see as far as the Berkshires to the east from the former site of the grand hotel that once stood on this spot. Definitely worth a trip.

On this trip, I saw painted trilliums, which are rare and exciting. While kayaking, we admired carnivorous sundews and pitcher plants that are abundant in their natural habitat here. This year, I am hoping to time a trip to catch a viewing of a wild Lady's Slipper (native orchid). I am usually pretty good with plant identification but would appreciate help in identifying the beautiful spray of wild blooms above.

The Cutest House in East Kingston

This little house dates from the turn of the century and is in a part of Kingston that is tucked away with a great country feel. In fact, I often feel like I am in a small beach town when I visit this property. But it is about ten minutes from the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, seconds to the malls and historically united with the working waterfront along the Hudson.

While technically in the city, this home has a huge yard where you could easily have a tremendous garden. The garage is immaculate and would make a great studio/workspace. There is also a separate back entrance to the house that lends itself to being
a home office.

Extremely reasonably priced, this home is waiting for its next owner. Check out the interior in the Virtual Tour: http://youtu.be/ExCoAT9ZQUY

Environmental Hazards: In-Ground Oil Tanks

Working as a licensed real estate salesperson is not all roses and lovely drives in the country. Most of the time it is but, as we all know, some roses have thorns and this is a case history from my personal experience.

A buyer-client of mine was interested in purchasing a foreclosure. Needless to say, the property was not in the best of shape, but it had potential and my buyer wanted to pursue an offer. Because it was REO (bank owned), there was no Property Condition Disclosure Statement. However, there was a brand new oil tank in the back yard. So far, so good.

On the second visit, we noticed what looked like an oil fill valve sticking out of the front yard.

Now, oil leaks are not small potatoes. Once one is discovered, it is mandatory that the Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) become involved. A case file number is assigned to the leak that must then be remediated by a licensed contractor and closed to the satisfaction of the DEC.

Back to my story. My buyer, at my advice, decided to spend the not-small amount of money needed to have the oil tank and soil tested to ascertain whether or not the tank was sound prior to making his offer.

The picture above shows the telltale fill and relief valves of an in-ground oil tank. These valves do not always protrude above the ground, are sometimes located under decks, or are otherwise hidden when they are either professionally or unprofessionally retired from use.

In-ground oil tanks are one of the most common environmental hazards encountered in our local real estate market. Caveat emptor: Let the Buyer Beware.

The Hendrick Smit House, c. 1704

A short post today highlighting what I like to call the Dutch Patrimony of the Hudson Valley. The Dutch were the first European settlers in the Hudson Valley, arriving before the English by over a hundred years. Dutch settlement in Ulster County, which began as a fur-trading post in Wiltwyck (later Kingston) on the banks of  the Rondout River where it meets the Hudson, expanded down the interior river valleys. As a result, Ulster County boasts some of the finest and most beautiful examples of pre-Revolutionary Dutch architecture in the New World.

The home pictured above, the Hendrick Smit House, c. 1704, is a stunning example of this early vernacular architecture. What began as a clapboard family home with barn attached (now the foyer) was expanded by the addition of the stone portiion, built for the first son 's family as was customary at that time, and later attached to the main house. This property is a particularly fine example of an early Dutch home as it has been restored and maintained with exceptional integrity, grace and style.

I am proud to say that the Hendrick Smit House is one of my featured listings and is currently offered for sale. It is a rare opportunity to experience the pleasure of owning a home with original wideboard floors, hand-forged hardware, two fireplaces and many other original architectural details, while enjoying the comfort of modern amenities. For antique home lovers, this property is a true delight.

Local CSAs:                       Taste the "terroir"...

These vegetables incorporate the very soil they are grown in and they are local.

Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) -- the name for your local organic farmer's place of business where he or she grows a lot of amazing seasonal local produce and you pick it up once a week, usually in a box. Standing out in the sunshine, you survey the fields growing around you. You get whatever is in season and your farmer chooses to grow. Lettuces, spinach and peas in early spring. Strawberries a little later. Sometimes flowers, sometimes stonefruit, depending on what your chosen CSA chooses to grow. Eggplant, bok choy, unusual varieties of beans that you don't usually see at the store. Kale, squash and don't forget tomatoes when they come in season. Eggplant, hot peppers, melons.

Ulster County has more farmers this year than it did last and the numbers are growing. Many of these organic farmers also sell in farmer's markets in the metro NYC area. For local organic lifestyle, CSAs can't be beat. Kids love to go pick out their vegetables and they can literally see that their food comes from the earth.

This is by no means an all-inclusive list but should get you started: Second Wind CSA in Gardiner on Marabac Road, Taliaferro Farms on Plains Road in New Paltz, Phillie's Bridge Farm Project on Phillie's Bridge Road in Gardiner, Evolutionary Organics on Springtown Road in New Paltz and Huguenot Farm on Huguenot Street in New Paltz. For nutrition and just-plain deliciousness, what could be better than produce that is literally hours out of the ground? Don't put off joining a CSA -- membership can fill up fast this time of year.

Winter Sun Farms

How great is an indoor winter Farmer's Market? Every second Saturday at the New Paltz Community Center behind the Town Hall on North Chestnut Street. Jim Hyland heads up Winter Sun -- a frozen food CSA, where he takes surplus food in the summer and packages and freezes for winter CSA member distribution. Definitely one of the cool things about Ulster County.
I got an amazing baguette and fresh sauerkraut from Wild Hive, lovely goat cheese from Acorn Hill in Walker Valley, a winter soup essential that is hard to find, celeriac, from Second Wind CSA, apple butter from the Phillie's Bridge Farm Project, maple syrup from Olivera Schoolhouse, and fresh salad greens and kale from Evolutionary Organics. Yum!!! A great place to get local organic meat too! Next one 10-2 on February 9.

Bonticou Rising

I have sometimes come up Mohonk Road at night and seen the white rock of Bonticou Crag rising up through the field like a giant glowing moon. Bonticou is a raw piece of Shawangunk Conglomerate schist that is one of the most accessible and exciting rock scrambles in our area. The climb up usually has its hairy moments, as you hoist yourself up through the narrower passages, but the 360 degree view at the top that stretches from the Catskills to the Wallkill Valley is an exhilarating reward.

Bonticou Crag is reached via the Lower 27 Knolls Mohonk Preserve entrance. For those who don't feel up to an intermediate level rock scramble, there is a longer, more gradual climb along the spine to the top. All times of year are spectacular but mountain laurel season in early June is a peak experience.