HudsonValleyGoodStuff

Best of Hudson Valley Good Stuff: Memorable events, meals & moments of 2011

Cupcakes galore at the Cupcake Festival at Gardiner

Post-Irene tree climbing 

The Midtwon Margarita at Boitson's in Kingston

The Lake at Belleayre Mountain, Pine Hill

REO Speedwagon at the Dutchess County Fair

Our new family member at Animal Kind in Hudson, NY

 

American Red Cross in Kingston--CPR class

Brasserie 292

Bell's Christmas Tree Farm


Another year of blogging about Hudson Valley Good Stuff. Put it in the books! My blog turns 3 today. As I look back on 2011, here is list of my top memorable events, meals, and moments that I blogged about. 

January:  About two hours after our romantic anniversary dinner at Violette's in Woodstock, my daughter fell very ill and we had an emergency at the house. This prompted me to sign up for a Red Cross CPR training class in Kingston. Thankfully my daughter got better the following week, and the year got better. 

 In February, I signed up for a Partner Yoga workshop at Shakti Yoga on Valentine's Day weekend in Woodstock, and the poses Linda taught us that day, have stuck, at the end of a stressful day, in addition to bringing out the potato chips, we practice partner yoga.

In March there was Hudson Valley's Restaurant Week.  I discovered The Village Tea Room in New Paltz. I wrote a review for LoHud's Small Bites Blog here.

April: The Woodstock Writers Festival is only in its 2nd year, and already very successful. I only made it to one lecture, but hopefully in 2012 I will make it to at least 2 lectures and workshop, who knows. Check out the Woodstock Writers website to see what Martha Frankel and her staff are planning this year.

May: On Mother's Day, I went to the Cupcake Festival in Gardiner and had a very sweet time. I will definitely be back there this year if the festival takes place again. It is a foodie's dream!

June: I wish I could have spent more time at Pine Hill Lake at Belleayre this Summer. It is truly a slice of Hudson Valley paradise.

July: While we really got a cat to take care of the mice situation we have totally fallen in love with her. We adopted a senior cat at Animal Kind in Hudson. The staff are very helpful and the adoption was a breeze.  If you need to surrender your cat for whatever reason, give them a call. 

August--I will never forget the angst in the air at the Dutchess County Fair the night we saw REO Speedwagon in concert, the day before T.S. Irene arrived. Being a weather junkie, I was excited about a potential hurricane. After the first intense 20 minutes though, our power went out and that is when the fun abruptly stopped. Later when I saw the down-trees and wires, flooding, my excitement turned to panic, then to gratitude. We only lost our power for 5 days, and we stayed one night at the Hampton Inn, and the rest of the time with family in Long Island. Hudson Valley Weather's Facebook Fan Page and The Watershed Post proved to be  very valuable resources for victims of Irene.

September--Celebrating my husband's birthday at Boitson's in Uptown Kingston. I tried devils on horseback for the first time and had the best margarita of the year!

October--My favorite week in Woodstock continues to be the Woodstock Film Festival week where thousands of filmmakers come to town to screen their indie movies. The concerts are not to be missed. In 2009, I became a ukelele fan and now  Melvern Taylor is on my iPod. Last year, I saw Simi Stone in concert at the Colony Cafe and I bought her new CD from her at the concert in November.  

I cannot forget walking into Rock Star Rodeo in Saugerties and hearing a guy sing "Happy Birthday" on my actual birthday, only to find out it was the store owner Billy Yosh's birthday too!

On November 11th, 2001, I saw the amazing Simi Stone again in concert at Vivo Art Gallery in Woodstock. Later that month, Brasserie 292 in Poughkeepsie invited us for lunch. It was delicious!

December--While I had fun with the family at Sinterklaas in Rhinebeck, I have to say that my favorite adventure was chopping down the Christmas Tree at Bell's Christmas Tree Farm.

 In December, we put our Hudson Valley Good Stuff billboard up. A huge thank you to our current sponsors Fez Cafe in Saugerties, Taft Street Realty, IXL Health & Fitness, Fun-e Farm Bouncy House Fun center in Kingston, and River Rock Health Spa in Woodstock, and our future sponsors (you know who you are) for your support! 

What will the 2012 hold for the Hudson Valley and HVGS? I am working on HVGS wish-list. First thing on my list is snow!   Wishing you all a Happy New Year & please keep sharing this blog. 

Trevor Zoo in Millbrook NY: Tranquil Family Fun & Quirky Animals

The Trevor Zoo in Middlebrook has been on my To-Visit list for awhile so yesterday the family and I had took a day trip to Middlebrook. According to the website, Middlebrook School is the only high school that oversees a zoo. At the Trevor Zo, you'll see over 180 exotic and indigenous animals, including 7 animals on the endangered species list like the red panda, and the red wolf.

I liked it because it is small enough to just walk around at your leisure, and you won't get exhausted with kids. It is a beautiful zoo with plenty of shade and lush trees and bushes.  (It's set on 6 acres of land). It's a perfect place to take kids on a damp, over-cast, rainy day as the lush trees protect you from the elements. It is very tranquil, quiet, and didn't seem too busy when I visited We walked around visiting the porcupine, red panda, lama, deer, and the emu. I didn't see the wallaby. Is he still there? Maybe he was busy. 

Afterwards we drove to Millbrook village and had a nice lunch at the Millbrook Deli. The village of Millbrook also has a very beautiful park with a nice playground. If I had more time, I'd check out Slammin Salmon or Charlotte's in Milbrook. I'd also like to go for a tasting at the Milbrook Winery one day soon. My To-Visit List gets longer every week. Hopefully, next time. For more information on the Trevor Zoo visit their website. 

Catskill Animal Sanctuary: Cute farm animals, nice landscape & a friendly human!

I decided to go to a different farm today and visit the Catskill Animal Sanctuary in Saugerties, New York because we always go to the Woodstock Animal Sanctuary as we are members there. The Catskill Animal Sanctuary is on 100-acres and is a a very peaceful place for families to go. It was Sunday though, and apparently there were no tours going on this day.  The welcome office was closed. On the website it did mention that an event for that day was canceled, but I assumed it was open although I couldn't get anybody live on the phone. (I'm such an optimist!) So we visited the chickens in the parking area, and that was it. 

We did meet a friendly human who told us that there are tours on Saturdays and that we could sign up online for those, or just come back on Saturday.  Since the place was closed we could hang out by the chickens, but we weren't allowed to walk around and explore. She was very sweet and gave the kids a few cookies as a consolation gift. It does look like a nice place though, and I would go back for a tour in the future. Follow them on Facebook or email to make sure they are having a tour. 

Seen any good bears lately? Oh, how a bear sighting makes my Hudson Valley day!

My husband always loves to drive the long way home, and discover off-the-beaten track beautiful back roads here. On our way back home from the Woodstock Animal Sanctuary last Sunday, we drove down Sickler Road, which is a long and windy road off of Route 212 in Lake Hill. 

Suddenly, my husband said, "What's that? That is an animal!"  Right before us was a huge black bear trotting across the road. Very furry. Right behind her were two cubs trying to keep up with her. (He says there were 4 cubs!)  It happened so fast, I didn't even have time to get my phone to take a photo. Since I don't have photo proof of this sighting, I took a photo of a bear statue along this beautiful road. I'm sure the person who placed it here must know about the bears!  I only get to see a bear in the wild about once a year hear so I guess I will have to wait until 2012 to see another one. It is always so surreal. I wonder if there are Hudson Valley residents who see them every day.

Where have you seen bears in the wild in the Hudson Valley?  I have seen them in Woodstock, Phoenicia, West Hurley, and now Lake Hill.

Family Fun: Meet Kayli the Cow at the Woodstock Animal Sanctuary!

Yesterday was perfect day to visit the animals at the Woodstock Animal Sanctuary because it was overcast and not a great pool day in the morning. Kayli the Cow is a young cow that was recently rescued and she is adorable as you can see. Kayli has an interesting story about escaping from a slaughter house. The kids really love her! There also seemed to be a few New York city types enjoying the volunteer work on the farm. I may get into this one day too. Who knows!