Cherries and Baby Goats

This past weekend, we drove to Love Apple Farm, near the town of Hudson, about 45 minutes northwest of Millerton.

With acres and acres of fruit - Love Apple Farm has something for everyone; tree-tipe cherries, apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums, pears, and apples. Strawberries, red & black raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, currants, and gooseberries. For more information and a harvesting calendar, go to:

http://www.loveapplefarm.com/

Cherry picking was fun and delicious and we can't wait to go back for peaches in a few weeks.

The also have a small petting zoo. We were lucky because a baby goat had just been born only a few hours before our visit - it was still wet and the mama was still cleaning it.

From Our Garden

A recent harvest... Beets, Turnips, Baby Carrots and Tomatoes... I love summer.

Today's Harvest! New potatoes (red and purple), radish, and sugar snap peas. Yum!

The other things that arrived today were the Japanese Beatles. They nearly devoured my cherry and plum tree and they've started on my zucchini. Tomorrow I'm off to Agway to get something to combat them. I'll keep you posted.

Events in Millerton, New York

Our first Memorial Day Parade.

Millerton isn't afraid to show-off it's patriotism. On Memorial Day we walked down to Main Street to witness it first hand.

It was very touching to see our men in uniform and to hear the cheers from the crowd as they passed by.

I'm told that Millerton has a significant number (for a small town) of men and women serving in the arm services. And while I am not, never have been and never will be an advocate for war under any circumstances, I support our troupes and their courageous efforts.

Harlem Valley Rail Trail, Millerton, New York

Quiet. Peaceful. Beautiful.

The Harlem Valley Rail Trail is all of those things and more.

What was once a busy rail route (from 1852 until 1980) is now a scenic pedestrian and bicycle path. The first leg stretches from the Wassaic train station to Millerton and is a little over 12 miles.

For more information, go to http://www.hvrt.org/

Our Birds

Millerton Loves It's Birds.

Every yard has it's own bird santuary and everyone loves to talk about what particular bird they've seen at their feeders.

The Blue Jay maybe hoe-hum to many bird enthusiests, but I absolutely adore them. Its plumage is lavender-blue to mid-blue in the crest, back, wings, and tail, and its face is white. The underside is off-white and the neck is collared with black which extends to the sides of the head. The wing primaries and tail are strongly barred with black, sky-blue and white. The bill, legs, and eyes are all black. Males and females are nearly identical except that males are slightly larger and can grow to 10 inches from bill to tail.

And while they may be a common bird in North America, their beautiful markings and colors that seem to glow in the sunlight are anything but mundane.

Dutchess and Columbia Counties - around Millerton

Upstate New York has a ton, A TON, of pick-your-own orchards and farms.

The fertile soil and climate of the Hudson Valley provides optimum conditions for growing fruit and throughout the year its easy to locate an orchard or farm to pick-your-own (or have someone do it for you) fruit - everything from cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines, strawberries, raspberries, apples and pears.

This weekend we are hoping to go to Love Apple Farm to pick cherries. http://www.pickyourown.org/PYO.php?URL=http://www.loveapplefarm.com But I'm told that the sweet cherry season came early this year. No worries though. If we missed it, peach and plum season is next month!

Subtle Changes in Millerton

Back to the Blank Canvas known as our yard.

One of the problems with the property, in my opinion, is the lack of intimacy of our back yard. (As you can see in the first photo.)

(In the second photo you can see we've added a "pea-gravel" patio thanks to my friends Erika and Cecelia.)

My goal is to create separate spaces, to evoke separate emotions, within our landscape.

The vision is to have a space for entertaining that is both private and welcoming. Beyond the entertaining space will be a quiet space, a tranquil space, and I’ve always dreamed of having my own secret garden.

Further out still there will be a flat playing area, for kids to enjoy, for badminton, croquet or maybe even volleyball. (Our vegetable garden which we've already started is to the side and behind the garage).

Eventually my goal will be something like what you see in the final photo - as the boarder between the patio and the my Secret Garden.

Catholic Church and Cemetery in Millerton

The Cemetery Up On the Hill.

There are several cemeteries in and around Millerton. Some find them eerie or morbid, I find them fascinating and historical.

This lovely little one comes with a small white catholic church which is very well preserved unlike some of the headstones which date back to early 1800's.

POTATOES

Who coined the phrase "I've never met a potato I didn't like"???
I'm guessing that most potato lovers don't realize how beautiful the plants and their flowers are.

Each variety has a slightly different colored flower. To me, they are as enjoyable as the tuber growing beneath the soil.... that said, I can't wait to start harvesting the baby potatoes that are waiting for me.

The First Day of Our First Summer in Millerton

The Beginning....

As I've mentioned before, when we moved into our home there was very little in the way of landscape other than a few shrubs like rhododendrons, azaleas, and boxwoods, so I consider our yard a blank canvas.

My first project, as soon as the weather became warm enough, was to create a raised-bed vegetable garden.

Here you can see a squash, a pepper, a couple of tomato plants and the sugar-snap peas we planted in our first box - our first stage. We also planted some radish, which we've already started to harvest, and some petunia flowers (I always mix flowers with my veggies). In the second box we have bush string beans, lettuce, marigolds and potatoes (blue and red varieties).

The far bed, our third, is the one I stated this past weekend and it has cucumbers, beets, turnip, zinnias, arugula and chives.

I hope to start another raised-bed next weekend.

The process is simple. Build the raised beds, fill them with terrific soil, plant the seeds, water and watch them grow. THEN HARVEST. As you can see in these photos, that's all that is needed to have a thriving garden. But to do it right, and to prolong the growing season, plant your seeds in cycles and know which vegetables grow best in spring, summer and fall.

I was fortunate because growing up on the coast of San Diego North County, we always had a rather extensive vegetable garden because of southern California's nearly perfect soil and climate. Our garden not only provided our large family with a plethora of delicious vegetables, but also great enjoyment and an immense feeling of satisfaction. And let's face it. Even with Whole Foods popping up everywhere, there is still nothing like the taste of a carrot grown in your own garden or a tomato that is truly "vine ripe".

Millerton - Quiet, Quaint, but Not Boring

November 2009 – Millerton’s Christmas Celebration

Excitement was contagious on this day in late November… well “excitement” for our village that is. Because on this day, besides having a few of our great friends up for the weekend, it was Millerton’s Christmas Parade. My neighbor, Helen, told us about it but said it’s quick and if you blink you’ll miss it. Well, we blinked all right, but we were able to see some of the fire engines and floats decorated with colorful lights and Christmas decorations. It was cold, but our hearts were warm.

Autumn in Millerton

Autumn 2009 – Changes Abound.

I’m sure you’ve all heard, and some have experienced, “fall foliage” in New England. I’ve lived in Manhattan for eight years, come this August, and I’ve seen my share of leaves changing colors. In the past, the signs that winter is on its way has left me a little sad (mentally attempting to prepare myself for the next 3 or so months of cold and dark days).

This year, with my weekend trips by rail, upstate through the hills and valleys and over lakes and streams, I was able to witness the complete metamorphosis of the counties and our town.

It began innocent enough, in late September with the evenings cooling down and the chrysanthemums in bloom. But by October, there was no hiding the change from deep green, to yellow, to bright orange and reds. The landscape became a rainbow: red, orange, yellow and green were the trees and grass (the grass, or hay before being cut, was actually chartreuse), the sky light blue turning into deep blue turning into violet and ultimately indigo. And each weekend, the colors became more intense, the air fresher, crisper and sweeter. And Millerton started to relax a bit from its busy summer (busy for a small village that is) with the bike loads of bikers.

Fall is serine.

Spring is here!

March 2010.

Spring came early this year – our first year.

Because this was our first winter and therefore our first early spring, I had no idea what lie under the surface of the snow, soil and leaves, eagerly waiting for the weather to warm so it could show its beautiful head. What did I find?

At first, just a few purple and yellow crocus and a patch of daffodils. But later, it became a glorious carpet of color and fragrance. What a terrific surprise.

Peony, Peony, Where for art thou, Peony...

Peonies … can a person have too many?

They can live over 50 years. Although Our House didn’t have any existing peonies on the property, one of the first things I did was plant tree and bush peonies. And I intend to plant more every year! There are so many varieties, I wouldn't have to duplicate -- but likely will because there are certain ones, like this huge pink one with yellow center, that are absolute perfection.

If you need to know anything about peonies, check out this website: http://www.paeonia.com/html/peonies/about.htm

Our Town, Millerton New York

How Did I Find This Little Jewel?

I’ve always loved upstate New York, particularly the Hudson Valley region (Upper Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess and Columbia counties) with its rich and fertile soil, fantastic history, and stunning landscape. So when I was looking for a home I focused on the Hudson Valley. But, if you know anything about the area, you know it is quite vast and, at first, I was completely overwhelmed.

Then someone gave me some great advice. They said “find a town you love first, and then find your home”. And, that is exactly what I did.

My first step? Naturally I Googled “Small Towns of New York”. This article "10 Coolest Small Towns NY" popped up. http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/article/2007/08/06/AR2007080600775.html

I was intrigued so I paid a visit to Millerton and fell in love.

Millerton consists of one Main Street, the one you see in these photos. Most of the business are on this street and the homes are on small streets sprouting from it. There is a terrific book store, a wine shop, antique stores, a diner, coffee shop, florist, art galleries, beauty salons, Sapersteins Department Store, Herrington's Hardware Store, a tea shop, a yarn shop, a pizza parlor, and a lot more. For me, the best part is there isn't a strip mall in sight. The fact that it has a movie theatre, showing first run films and an occasional “art film” was just icing on the cake.

Our House, Millerton Years Past

Old Photos

I was given this photo by the previous owners. I don’t know exactly when it was taken but I love having this little a piece of history. If you look close, you can see the terrific detail including “fish scales” which are now hidden by siding. I look forward to the day when the siding is removed, the fish scales are revealed and a fresh coat of paint brings Our House back to its historical splendor.

Millerton - A Night Out

February 2010. Dinner with friends and family.

In February Paul, Helen, Scott and I took the train from The City to Millerton. We decided to do something special, different, and I suggested the “fanciest restaurant in town!" No. 9. We had a terrific time. Although the food was hit or miss, the atmosphere was lively and the patrons interesting.

http://number9millerton.com/

Winter in Millerton

January 2010. Our First Winter in Millerton.

Surprisingly I enjoyed being upstate during winter much more than I expected to. The town becomes even more still and quiet than usual. And it is absolutely beautiful --- as if you've stepped into a Christmas Greeting Card.

Being from California, I've never been a particular fan of East Coast Winters and every year, until this past year, they've become a little less tolerable. But leaving New York City on the weekend, taking the Harlem Valley train to Wassaic, gave me immense joy and peace.

Boating and Fishing in Millerton

During a visit with family to Rudd Pond, Mid-July 2010, we caught this adorable Catfish from the shore. He was about 8 inches long, whisker to tail. After careful examination, we set him back into the pond - hopefully he learned his lesson.

Also, this year the park made a terrific swimming area, directly in front of a small but nice beach, the depth gradually reaches about 5 feet and since the park has removed the weeds the area is a lot of fun for all ages. It's much warmer than the Ore Pit; its clean and lifeguards are on duty from noon to 6pm.

September 2009. Fishing In Rudd Pond, Millerton, New York

Millerton is surrounded by lakes, rivers, streams and ponds. Rudd Pond is just one and it’s a great place for fishing, camping and picnicking. It is not recommended for swimming, however, because of the heavy vegetation below the surface.

A part of the Taconic State Park, you can rent small boats for fishing or just rowing and in the winter, weather permitting, there is Ice Skating (so I'm told).

For more about Rudd Pond or the other parks within the Taconic State Park, check out this link: http://www.nysparks.com/regions/taconic/default.aspx

Our House

August 2009. This is Our House...

Circa 1919 she’s a lovely Victorian era village home.

(This is a photo of Our House in the Spring of 2011.)

(This is the image of the home when we first saw it, Spring of 2009)

Unfortunately, I have been unsuccessful in identifying her true architectural style other than I believe she is partially Folk Victorian and partially Queen Ann Victorian. Apparently Folk Victorians do not have bay windows or turrets and are simple square houses. Queen Anns, on the other hand, generally have much more elaborate detailing and are non-symmetrical. Our House is somewhere in between. If you know what she is, please let me know.Regardless of her architectural category, we adore her with all of her amazing attributes like the wraparound porch you can see here. Inside, the woodwork is stunning -- arched entries to the living room and dining room, French doors, oak floors and wood trim.