Winter 2019
It all started with a view.
Woodstock was not in Woodstock
What do brussels sprouts, bikinis, and tarantulas have in common with the legendary Woodstock festival? Let’s have a closer look at each and eliminate possible connections. Brussels sprouts. Feeding more than 450,000 visitors during the three days of the festival turned out to be a huge challenge; and although those miniature cabbages are quite nutritious,…
King of birds
After zooming into the most tiny in our first wildlife series, we continue with the most majestic. The bald eagle became the national emblem of the United States in 1782. It was estimated that back then at least 100,000 eagles were nesting across the country. Unfortunately the bird was nearly wiped out half a century…
Tonight we gon’ be it on the floor
J. Lo couldn’t be more right. We DID break a sweat on the floor. If you are still in doubt if installing hardwood floors is worth your sweat, and the bite out of your budget, then read what homeowners have to say on this topic according the 2017 Remodeling Impact Report of the National Association…
Lobstah, chowdah, and oystah
Although a staycation in the Catskills would definitely feel like a real vacation, we decided to leave our backyard to discover something new. Longing for some ocean breeze, our eyes fell on Maine, the most northeastern state in the US. The tagline on the Maine license plate actually says Vacationland and after this trip we…
¡Buen viaje!
Our wildlife series starts with the smallest, and the cutest. I can’t remember what exactly I was thinking the very first time I spotted these tiny creatures on the deck of a farm in the Catskills, but it was similar to the shock of noticing an elephant in your backyard–unless you are in elephant territory…
Meet Giselle [jih-zel]
I know as much about cars as some people know about birds. Sure, I still can distinguish a rather fancy high speed bolide from four-wheels-that-are-just-four-wheels. Like some people manage to call some birds not just birds, but ducks or eagles. My point: I didn’t care much about the car we would allow into our rural…
A taste of Sweden in the Catskills
We decided that having an operating kitchen wouldn’t be that bad of an idea. You have to start somewhere. On a snowy February morning, we left our apartment in the city to take a subway, shuttle bus, and one hour-long bus ride in the sleepy suburbs of New Jersey to continue our trip with a…
Growing bananas in New York
Last November, we planted six banana trees around the house. You read that well. Actually, they are called pawpaws, also known as “the poor man’s bananas”. Apart from pawpaws, we also planted mulberry trees and an American persimmon. Let’s have a closer look at these exotic-like native beauties. Pawpaw Imagine a fruit the size of…
What is that view?
It’s not a lake. It’s not a river. It’s not a sea. What is it? It’s called the Pepacton and it’s a reservoir. Even more, it belongs to a chain of reservoirs that provides drink water for NYC residents. The Pepacton Reservoir is part of the Catskill and Delaware watershed system, which contains six reservoirs…
Buyer’s remorse
We all have had the feeling before. Especially when associated with the purchase of an expensive item. Once the adrenaline of being a new homeowner has faded away, doubt starts lurking around the corner and many questions start spooking your head. Frantically you start googling if the construction of a new airport or highway is…
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Absorbing the Catskills, step by step 