Changes to the Blog

I'm changing the blog so I can post more photos. The blog will still feature the Hudson Valley Region and The Catskills, but will include hikes and walks all over the tri state area, including NYC. It will also include a very occasional visit from a tuxedo cat with a napping tip. I'm hoping to include walking tips and photos of walks taken upstate and in Vermont as well.

On April 3rd we hiked for 4-5 hours at Bear Mountain State Park. We returned on April 7th for another 2 + hour hike in another area of the park. This week I want to showcase the many beautiful trails and fun things to do there.

Today's Photo: The Bear Mountain Bridge as seen from the shore of Popolopen Creek.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Mourning Dove

We see eagles and owls and all sorts of birds, but the mourning doves are so sweet, laid back, and goofy at times. I really like the mourning doves.

This shot is from a few weeks back during a Nor'Easter blizzard. Afterwards we had a week of 50 degree sunny weather, massive snow melt in some areas of the Catskills, followed by incredible rains (another Nor' Easter.) This all seems very "spring is just around the corner" as dramatic Nor' Easters wrap up the winter season. I like the visuals the storms produce, the colors, the clouds, and the dramatic sounds. As kids my sisters and I loved Nor' Easters and had to be pried away from windows by our parents. We always managed to get outside in the wonderful messy wetness of it--to feel the power of nature (before being dragged back inside by frightened parents.) Then there was always the excitement of a big tree falling (or once, a big piece of a building flying down the street. --what was that? It looked like a roof! ) Who needs TV when there's a storm to watch?

And when it's over you hear the exquisite calm and the birdsong, led by the cooing of the mourning dove.


Nor'Easter - a low pressure area whose center of rotation is just off the East Coast. As it spins, barreling winds rotate onto land from the northeast. Can bring snow, rain, ice or a mix of all three.

Waterfall at Hi Tor

Have You Hugged a Tree Today?

Looking up from my tree hugging.


Lying on the ground, looking up.


Appreciating... Yes, I am a tree worshipper, too.

During our hike at Hi Tor State Park today, we walked near a huge tree limb that was dangling from the much smaller limb of another tree. I couldn't get a good shot of it, but at one end it was inches off the ground, and when you looked up, it was hooked at the other end on this pathetically small, weak looking nub of a limb. Of course you're afraid to touch something like this-- (idiots have done it in the past and sent things crashing down) and it pays to be observant when it comes to trees. (the leaning limb in the background was also in a precarious position.)

Libraries Part Five

The Library in Stony Point is small and I think of it as a "no frills" kind of place. The events are interesting ~ on March 10th, in honor of Women's History Month, the afternoon event will be Colonial Cookin' for Kids. Children will help an 18th century woman make applesauce and churn butter. Kids will also play a game called Guess the Implement. I'm tempted to check it out.

Libraries Part Four

One of the most comfortable libraries in the region.

The Palisades Free Library.

The delicate mobiles hung in corners fit into the atmosphere perfectly.

The children's room. For ten years during her childhood, actress Angelina Jolie enjoyed reading in this comfortable library. The windows and seating options in this library are quite nice. Do you remember your childhood library?