Black out BBQ and more!

It's been a while. Been juggling an exceptionally fun visit with my parents and a movie in the city and we've all been commuting together. We've also been juggling the weather, it's been unpredictable to say the least.

My friend Susanne and her Mats came on the train from New York on saturday the 8th, they were visiting for only a week from Sweden and I had mentioned that we would love to have them up to the house. The idea is always so appealing, get out of the city and see the surrounding areas, but when it comes down to it the train ride is long and the city pulls you in. SO - we were very honored when they made the decision to make the trek to Clintondale. IT IS a terrific train ride, chugging along with the Hudson river a mere 20 feet from your window. We picked them up in the Po-K and brought them to Maple Ave. We love it when we get to advertise the C-dale and maybe put a seedling in someone's brain that YOU CAN have the city and the country too. You'll be happy you did!

It had been raining a bit in the morning but the prognosis told us sun by noon, and they weren't lying. We drove in to New Paltz and I finally got to walk down Huguenot Street. A collection of 12 stone houses built in the 1600 and 1700 hundreds.

And after that - a fika at The Village Tearoom in New Paltz.

Mamma went for it and ordered the afternoon tea service. It's a fun thing but remember - it definitely serves 2!

Weather still being what it was, sunny and warm with a slight wind, we went ahead with our plans of having a neighborly backyard BBQ. It started smallish and became bigger by the minute - which is totally my favorite thing! No doubt about it. Love it! 

Except - when a 200 year old tree falls on the power line down the street and knocks all the electricity out. And with that also our water pump. 

But there was gas in the grill and beers in the cooler and we pulled through. Of course it was so windy that we couldn't be outside either, but our dear dear dear neighbors and friends brought lots of candles and we lit a fire and the party moved indoors. Thanks everyone for coming and for roughing it and for bringing friends and goodies! Please come back soon and help us drink all the leftovers and thanks for making Clintondale the awesomest place in the world!!!

We got power back around 5 am and life was back to normal. Aaaahhhhh...

Our destination on sunday was Tuthilltown Distillery. It is the first whiskey distillery in New York State since prohibition days. It's a great place to visit and you can do a tasting for $10 dollars and you get to try 3 of their products. Even though our indoor-candlelight-BBQ was a mellow affair we were still not in the mood to start drinking whiskey at noon and passed on the tasting but James and I will have to do that some day. 

The setting is beautiful and soon their will be a restaurant next door at the old Gristmill so all the more reason to come back and support our local entrepreneurs!

Of course we had to stop in at Hiho Market in Gardiner on the way, where we had missed the annual Cupcake festival by a day. But day old cupcakes don't scare us. My own sweet tooth can only be surpassed by my mother's which has been cultivated for 30 more years, making it extremely sophisticated.

Then on to the Adair Winery just up the road from us. 

It's located in a beautiful old barn and their wines were decent. 

The new bird of the weekend was the Northern mocking bird!

We're hoping to see a lot more of him! 

We said goodbye to Susanne and Mats in the afternoon and we went on home and passed out on the couch to Singing in the Rain!

That was last week and I will return shortly with more!

(Can't wait on this guy though... too cute! He and his buddies keep crossing South Street in a very unsafe manner. I am going to start lobbying for a turtle crossing!)