Heavy Snow Warning for Tonight

There is a heavy snow warning issued for this area from the National Weather Service for tonight. They are predicting 6 to 12 inches. The snow is supposed to start at 6 or 7 pm tonight and continue into tomorrow morning. If you are traveling you might want to consider leaving earlier or waiting until after the storm has passed. Be safe everyone!

WV Kids Gathering

Here is a message from WCA Member Evie Polesny -

"I was thinking of trying to organize a kids gathering for all the little kids of Woodland Valley as soon as it gets warm enough to do it outside. This way the parents can know each other (for playdates and general parents-knowing) and the kids can have a fun day. Can any interested parents write to moi?"

- Evie P., Grandview Acres Road
polesny@verizon.net

Photos Taken Last Night After the Storm

These photos were both taken on a tripod last night with only the lights from my house to illuminate the trees. The contrast of the snow against the black sky was so beautiful I couldn't resist.

Tomorrow's Pickin' Circle Cancelled

This just in from Dakin Morehouse -

"Greetings to all you cold fingered pickers out there. With all this snow and the deep temperatures expected we are going to pass on the Circle at the Station this week, Thursday the 28th of this frigid February. Not even sure the Station got plowed out yet. So Keep on a pickin' and we hope to see you all in March."

- Dakin at the Station

Memories of Lou Hallenbeck

I got this really enjoyable email from WCA member Debbie Byer and I thought I would share it with you. Her husband, Tom, is the grandson of Lou Hallenbeck. Here is Debbie's message:

"When we were first married (in 1972) we bought a tiny cabin on the stream side of Woodland Valley Rd. across from Pantherkill Rd. It had been built by Tom's grandpa Lou Hallenbeck in the 1950's and was in disrepair having been abandoned for years. At one time Lou had let a family live there when they fell on hard times. When we bought it there were four tiny rooms with nothing but old newspapers for insulation, no heat source, no water, very primitive. After we had renovated, added on and built the small barn that's still there today, we sold it and went back to school. Since then it's had at least three owners who have made other changes including adding a second floor.

A few years ago, when our kids were grown, we started coming back to Phoenicia for vacations and looked for another property in Woodland Valley. After five years a cabin came up for sale last June that just happened to be another one built by Tom's grandpa Lou in the 1950's! How weird is that? So we are now in the process of renovating another Lou Hallenbeck cabin (we often joke that he was the finest jack builder in Woodland Valley - he didn't believe in real foundations. His idea of a septic tank was to dig a large hole and line it with cement blocks. Leach field? "Don't need one."). We often wonder if we bit off more than we could chew but we try to think ahead to what it will be like when we finish it and how peaceful Woodland Valley is instead of concentrating on the rather large task.

The only thing missing this time around is Lou himself. When we did the first cabin he was alive and well and in his eighties, a fixture and living legend in the valley still running his antique lumber mill down on the curve near Simpsons (Romer Mt. Park), tending his garden and dispensing advice mixed with humor that had a bite. He'd rattle people by telling them his idol was Mussolini, wouldn't sell you any lumber if he didn't like you or was having an off day and had no problem telling you what he thought - about you or anyone else. One day a couple of pregnant girls living at the commune on Muddy Brook brought him some health food cookies they'd baked. "Threw them out the back door. They were so bad even the raccoons wouldn't eat them," he told us. He was such a charismatic guy. We still miss him.

Taped to the bottom of my computer screen is a picture by Jennifer Holz I printed from the web site a couple of weeks ago called "Rush Hour, WV Road, New Years Day." It's perfect."

- from Debbie Byer

Thanks for sending this Debbie!

More Snow

5:40 pm - It's been snowing for most of the day. I just had my handy snow ruler out and we have about 6 1/2 inches on the ground. It is still coming down pretty hard. The weather forecast says that it may change to rain or some sort of wintery mix (I am really starting to hate that phrase) tonight but who knows. The snow is definitely the heavy, wet, hard to shovel variety. Yuk!! I will let you know how it all plays out.

8:40 am 2/27/08 - We got a total of about 9 inches from this last round of snow. The weather forecast had said that it was going to change to rain at some point but it never did. Between this last storm and the one on Friday the snow is piling up again. Hopefully, it won't last too long.

Fire on Woodland Valley Road

There was a fire in the home of Hank Williams Sr. on WV Road late yesterday afternoon. The house is a few properties past Grandview Road as you come up the road from town. I was headed out of the valley at about 4:00 pm when I saw the flames coming out of the side of the building. The firemen had just arrived and went right to work putting out the blaze. The road was closed for over an hour as they got everything under control. There was no one home at the time so no one was hurt. There seems to be quite a bit of damage but I didn't hear how much. I also don't know what caused the fire. I am sure that I speak for the entire WCA when I say that our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Williams and his family as he cleans up and starts the repair process. If there is anything the Association can do to help the Williams family please let me know and I will put the word out.

Woodland Valley Adventure - 1894

This story was sent to us from Dakin Morehouse. It is a choice piece of WV history.

"Written and first submitted to the Catskill Center by my Uncle Tryon Miller, this was rejected and later resubmitted and published by his brother Phil Miller. The story I was told by the third brother, Paul Miller, was that while boarding at the Beech residence (currently Twerdaks), my Grandfather Wilmot Morehouse (far right) encouraged the weakened Miller (seated) to join the rigerous hike which he said would “either cure you or kill you”.
It apparently did the former because he went on to found ‘The Roxmor’ in 1897 and my grandfather, Woodland Park Association’ in 1906."
- Dakin Morehouse

Woodland Valley Adventure - 1894
by Edward Tryon Miller

"This New Years Day finds me here in the mountains. Instead of being pent within masonry and tapestry, I breathe free air in Nature's Wonderland; instead of pondering on what calls to make, I sit here and idly gaze upon a charming landscape dressed up in winter glory. Below, only a few feet off, the Woodland Creek is singing a single toned but wonderful song in its tumultuous dashing; in the distance the the Wittenberg towers above its less formidable brother peaks; every object is decorated with the pure snow and the sun and clouds have set up a delightful little game of peep and hide. A glorious New Years Day indeed. "
So wrote Edward B. Miller to his brother Rudolph P. Miller in Richmond, Va. on January 1, 1894. Then 27 years of age, he was living and working in his native New York City. He had been losing weight, and had been told by his doctor that his lungs were weak; that they were dangerously susceptible to tuberculosis. He was advised to go to Asheville or some other health resort, but preferred being nearer home. Through a friend he learned bout the Beach family, who had room for a few paying guests at Woodland Valley in the Catskills.
His letter continues, "You may know, by this gush of enthusiasm, that I am in a beautiful country. It is the wildest sort of place, our neighbors are few and far between. Phoenicia, the nearest railway station, is three and a half miles away, over a road that beats the one in Stafford County, Virginia, all to pieces for roughness. The Woodland Post office is in this very house."
Feeling better after his two week vacation was over, Miller wanted to return as soon as possible. The last week in January found him back in Woodland, hardly prepared for the adventure he describes from a letter dated from Woodland, January 7, 1894.
"I have had one experience of a long journey; a rather adventuresome and thrilling one it was. I joined a midwinter expedition over Slide Mountain (4300 ft. high, the highest in the Catskills). Anton Schroeter and myself, with camp packs, provisions, ax and gun left here on Saturday morning and on the train met the three others of the party." (N. Addison Cornell, Alfred Dudley, and Wilmot L. Morehouse, all of Brooklyn, who had come by the train from Weehawken.) At Big Indian we engaged a stage sleigh and rode to the foot of Slide, ten miles away. There, in the wilderness, we took possession of 'Camp Dynamite' as shelter for the night. Next morning we climbed to the summit of the mountain, a distance of three miles, through unbroken snow, varying from fifteen inches to five feet in depth. It took all morning to do this and quite a feat to perform you may be sure. We were overtaken by a snow storm which made us feel a bit discouraged but we soon found we would have a rare treat for it. As we approached the summit, the snow and ice-covered evergreens and birches presented a glorious sight; every one of us felt enchanted, we were indeed in a fairyland. I cannot find words to describe this grand work of nature and I am sure such a spectacle is only to be found in lands of the sky. We saw only this - the landscape was entirely obscured by the storm; we felt fully repaid for the labor and difficulties the journey had cost. "
"On the summit of the mountain two of our men - Morehouse and Cornell - determined to camp and see the sunrise the next morning, the other three, I among them, descended to Woodland, the descent is steep and difficult, without path or trail, from ledge to ledge, for about 2000 feet and then a mile or more over rock and debris to the nearest logging road. Now it is not easy to get down a snow covered mountain side of this description and it is quite risky also. One moment we would be buried in snow up to our shoulders, then we would slide ten or fifteen feet to the next shrub or landing place, again roll along to an anchorage, or by easy jumps or steps make a way to a point."
"Slide mountain takes its name from the track left by a great landslide into Woodland Valley. Our descent was along the border of it; it is a great plane of smooth and shining icy snow, perhaps 1000 feet long and fifty or sixty feet wide. The most difficult and arduous and dangerous part of the trip was the rocky woods that had to be crossed to reach the wooden road, it was uneven, rock strewn, and full of holes. It is just eight miles from the summit of Slide to the house, and we covered it by five that afternoon. We had good appetites for dinner that evening. "
"On Monday afternoon our companions who camped appeared, worn out and dirty. They had seen a grand sunrise, for it cleared up beautifully during the night; but they almost froze to death, for it became very cold during that night, several degrees below zero. From my point of view, our expedition was an adventure, somewhat hazardous; with extra hazards and foolhardiness on the part of the two who camped to see the sun rise. I think I am perfectly satisfied on winter mountain climbing for a while."
Epilogue: The strenuous adventure had no ill effects. Convinced that he should leave New York City for good, Miller visited the beach house several more times, and in 1897 bought 50 acres of Beach property. He married, built the boarding house known as Roxmor, developed the Roxmor Colony, and raised a family of four children. The original Roxmor was destroyed by fire in 1908. Undiscouraged, he built and managed a new Roxmor Inn, a well known resort from 1915 through the 1920s. He lived a long and active life, and died in his 81st year.

(This article was originally written for the Catskill Quarterly by Edward B. Miller's son, Edward Tryon Miller.)

Blogmistress Note: Thinking of people hiking up to Slide and camping out overnight in the last week of January, makes me feel like a huge cry baby for complaining that I have to go outside for an hour in the cold to shovel the snow!

Phoenicia Hotel Sold

The Phoenicia Hotel was sold this week. As you know, the hotel was destroyed by fire last summer. I usually just limit myself to news of the valley but since the hotel is a major part of town I thought that everyone would be interested. Here is the link to the story in The Freeman so that everyone can keep up on the news. Check it out.

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news

Storm Total

We have ended up with about 8 inches of snow from this storm. The snow is light and fluffy and easy to move around (for now). The radar shows that we may get a bit more but I don't think it will amount to much. I will let you know if anything significant falls.

Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland

The snow is piling up. It has been coming down pretty hard for the last 2 hours. I'd say there is about 6 inches on the ground right now and it's not showing any signs of stopping. I'll let you know the final totals. I hope everyone is tucked in with a good book or movie and staying out of the weather.

Storm Expected

You have probably been hearing all about the storm we are expecting starting early tomorrow morning. I have been hearing projections of 10 to 12 inches before the snow stops late Friday night. I guess we will just have to wait and see. But I would try to avoid driving tomorrow if at all possible. As usual, I will keep you posted.

PS - Cardi O'Connor's Saturday yoga class at the Cooperhood is canceled. If anyone has any other event cancellations they would like me to post just send them. I should be around most of the day tomorrow to get that information online.

Sunrise Photos

Here are a couple of beautiful sunrise photos from a new WCA member, Paul Misko. His family has owned a cabin at the end of Woodland Valley Road since 1960. Paul is the current vice president and historian for the Woodland Valley Park Association. Thanks for the photos Paul!

Menla Mountain Retreat & Conference Center

Here is a link to the website of our neighbor the Menla Mountain Center. They have a beautiful site. The center has many interesting and informative events. You can check it out and get to know one of our neighbors.

http://www.menla.org/Menlahome.html

The center is a part of Tibet House in NYC. You can read more about Tibet House at their website.

http://www.tibethouse.org/

Ice, Ice Baby!

It's been very icy in Woodland Valley lately. The weekend was so slippery a neighbor told me she couldn't even walk with her crampons on her feet. And forget about the driveway situation if you have any kind of incline! It was a danger zone! Yesterday it rained and rained and now it is much better. But still be careful out there. In the words of Yogi Berra "It ain't over 'til it's over!" He must have spent at least one winter in Woodland Valley.

Friends of Phoenicia Library

The Friends of the Phoenicia Library are looking for new members. Since so many of the members of the WCA use the library frequently I thought you might be interested. A member of the Friends supports the Phoenicia Library, by supporting its quality services: books, tapes, videos, inter-library loans, and children/adult programs. Membership entitles you to five free books per year from their book room, and reduced fees for some library programs.

The membership fees are very modest -

Seniors $5.00
Individual $10.00
Couple $15.00
Family $20.00
Business Patron $50.00
Angel $100.00

Anyone who would like to become a member can email me at wvview@gmail.com and I will email you the application. Sorry about the extra step but I can't put attachments up to this site.

Diving Video

Woodland Valley resident Tommy Healy sent this link to a dive video he created on YouTube. He is a certified diver and put together this video from all the photos he has taken on his many dive trips. All the photos were taken at different locations in the Caribbean and Micronesia. It makes me want to dust off my own diving license!

PS - Sorry, but only those on fast connections (Cable or DSL) will be able to view it. Dial-up is too slow to handle a big video. You can always go to the Phoenicia Library and check it out there if you have a slower connection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFro5tPBn-I

Happy Valentine´s Day

When I was younger Valentine's Day was always a challenge for me. If there was someone in my life there was always the pressure to make the day something special, plan the perfect dinner and gift. Sometimes it was more successful than others but my expectations were high and many times I was disappointed. If there was no one special, that presented a whole different sent of difficulties. And, in those years of loss (a death in the family, a breakup) Valentine's Day could make me miserable. Since I am not a conventional person, it was then that I decided that Valentine's Day, in it's universally accepted form, didn't work for me. So I made my own rules and decided to turn it into a day of gratitude and gratefulness for all things good and beautiful in my life, not just a celebration of romantic love. I try to spend the day thinking of everything and everyone that I love, and, if possible, I express that love and gratitude directly. I email friends and family and I count my blessings. Its funny, when I do this I am filled with the love and joy that I never got going to fancy restaurants or getting boxes of chocolate. So, today, among other things, I am grateful for this wonderful place we all love and call home and all the fantastic people who live here. Happy Valentine's Day!!

PS - I did not Photoshop the above image. The rock was actually drying in the sun and I noticed the shape in the middle. A message from the universe?

WiFi on the Thruway

O.K., so I am a geek. But just in case you haven't noticed, the rest stops on the NY Thruway now have free WiFi. What is WiFi you might ask? It actually means "wireless fidelity" and it is the current term for wireless internet. So how does it work? Basically, you can stop, get a snack or use the rest rooms and then open up your laptop and jump on the internet (for free). I actually used it to solve a small business emergency I was having recently. On my way down to the city a big client called my cell phone and needed me to send a photo to someone ASAP. The file was in my computer so I just pulled into the rest stop, jumped on the internet, and emailed the image. It was amazing. Everyone was happy. Without the WiFi service the client would have been waiting another couple of hours. I am sure they would have been breathing down my neck the whole time. This way I was able to get them what they needed and enjoy the rest of my ride in peace. I thought I would share this story to make you aware of the possibilities! I fly my geek flag proudly!!

Brrrrrr......

It has been seriously cold in the valley for the last couple of days. Single digits at night. There is about 4 1/2 - 5 inches of new snow. It is hard to tell just how much actually fell because it blew around a lot. More is predicted in the next couple of days. Winter in the Catskills is so much fun!

Meadow

This just in from Terry Savage. He saw the photo I posted a couple of days ago (Feb 6th) of the meadow with the hammock and wrote to give us some information on it.
- Carol Seitz

"I enjoy keeping up with events in the valley by checking in on the Woodland Valley View from time to time. It was a nice surprise to see the Burroughs Meadow (and my hammock) featured in a photo. The meadow is now owned by the Larkin Farm Association and is a protected reserve. Below is a excerpt from "In the Southern Catskills" by the great John Burroughs, a frequent visitor to our valley, in which he talks about the meadow 100 years ago."
- Terry Savage

"From a meadow just back of Larkins's barn, a view may be had of all these mountains, while the terraced side of Cross Mountain bounds the view immediately to the east. Running from the top of Panther toward Slide one sees a gigantic wall of rock, crowned with a dark line of fir. The forest abruptly ends, and in its stead rises the face of this colossal rocky escarpment, like some barrier built by the mountain gods. Eagles might nest here. It breaks the monotony of the world of woods very impressively.

I delight in sitting on a rock in one of these upper fields, and seeing the sun go down behind Panther. The rapid-flowing brook below me fills all the valley with a soft murmur. There is no breeze, but the great atmospheric tide flows slowly in toward the cooling forest; one can see it by the motes in the air illuminated by the
setting sun: presently, as the air cools a little, the tide turns and flows slowly out. The long, winding valley up to the foot of Slide, five miles of primitive woods, how wild and cool it looks, its one voice the murmur of the creek! On the Wittenberg the sunshine lingers long; now it stands up like an island in a sea of shadows, then slowly sinks beneath the wave. The evening call of a robin or a veery at his vespers makes a marked impression on the silence and the solitude."
- John Burroughs

PS from Terry - Burroughs mentions the veery - a bird I've only heard in our area - usually at dusk. It has a very beautiful song - here's a link to it:

http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i7560id.html

A New Website for Shandaken

I just noticed that Shandaken has updated it's website. It has a bunch of new features and a totally new look. I like it a lot. Check it out when you get a chance.

http://www.shandaken.us/

Appeal Filed

I wanted to give you all an update on our legal battle against the water harvesting project. Just to remind everyone, at the summer meeting last year we voted to file the initial paperwork and then we elected a law committee (Nat Dershowitz, Jim Frain, Howie McGowan, Brave Emma and myself) to review our position and decide whether to perfect that appeal and move forward. Gardner Gillespie and his firm Hogan & Hartson had graciously offered to take our appeal pro bono (of course we must pay expenses but their time has been donated). After the law committee reviewed our position, the decision was made to continue the appeal process. Gardner Gillespie and Paul Werner at Hogan & Hartson wrote an outstanding brief! The record was copied and last week our appeal was filed with the NY Third Department and all the parties have been served. Now we wait for the other parties to respond and then a court date will be set. Our lawyers will fly to Albany to argue the case in person probably sometime in April or May. I will update you as we continue.

For anyone who is interested in learning more about our lawyers and their outstanding firm, here is a link to the Hogan & Hartson website. They are one of the best law firms in the world.

http://www.hhlaw.com/home

Just A Couple of Photos

I took this one on Rt. 28 yesterday as the clouds moved quickly through the hills.
















This photo is taken in a big field up at the top of Woodland Valley. I don't know if you can see it (the photo being fairly small) but there is a hammock hanging between the two trees. I found that very optimistic.

Small Disclaimer - As many of you know I am a photographer by trade. I do try and put up a photo or two now and then just to keep you all interested and visually informed. But it is just too much for me to cart my big camera equipment around with me everywhere, so with only a few exceptions, all these photos are taken with my little point and shoot. Please take that into consideration when you view them.

Vote Today!

Just a reminder.....whether Democrat or Republican, please vote today in the NY primaries. Make your voice heard!!

Strange Things in Their Backyard

Mike Ottavi sent these photos. I think there is something spooky going on in his backyard.
















This is like the village of the damned deer.
















Do you think they are shooting a remake of the Blair Witch Project here in Woodland Valley?
















This has got to be the longest deer on record. I should watch what I post, some fool will come up looking to hunt this creature. Or, this might be the beginning of a sort of a Woodland Valley "Big Foot" myth. We could call it "Long Torso".

Super Bowl Snacks - By Mike O'Neil

SUPER BOWL TIPSY WINGS DE BOREEGARD

Okay. Super Bowl Sunday without hot wings? A travesty. I was ready to follow David Shearer’s recipe, until SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) chimed in with the advice that she could not abide soy sauce. OYSOY! David’'s recipe for five pounds of wings requires at least ten ounces of soy sauce.
On the eve of Super Bowl Sunday, what is one to do? I’ll tell you. As a crafty, shifty quarterback, one should come up with this kind of game winning solution. Here is the recipe.

Bo-- aka Mike O'Neil

HOT WINGS DU BOREEGARD
(A recipe of marinade and cooking that does not require soy sauce—because Jeanne Charlotte’s refined palate don’t like it)
Ingredients and what to do -

Le Marinade -
Minced garlic
Lemon juice and the scrapings from the skin
Minced garlic
Louisiana Hot Sauce
The cheapest sherry you can find
Brown sugar
Ground ginger
Kosher salt
Olive oil
Cold coffee
A dollop of tequila
A dollop of dark rum

Mix them all together.

Prep -
Cut the wings at the joints to make 3 pieces. Discard tips or save for stock Marinate and refrigerate over night. Turn occasionally. You can marinate for several days, if you like, which will intensify the flavors.

COOKING -
Arrange wings, single layer, on a large cookie sheet or similar pan (something shallow but with some sides on it.)
Cook in a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes or until done.
Turn and baste every ten minutes.
Toward the end of the cooking time, the brown sugar in the marinade will have carmelized and glazed the blessed wings.

PS - this is a wild exaggeration of David Weston Shearer’s one and only true wing recipe, but what’s a fellow to do?

Weather for Weekenders

We are having a messy storm up here today and I am going to keep this post ongoing with updates every few hours so if you are traveling to the valley this afternoon or evening you know what you are getting yourselves into as you drive north.

!0:00 am - It is sleeting rather hard at this point leaving a glaze over everything. Drive carefully.

12:00 pm - The sleet is continuing and piling up. I haven't been out to the store yet but it looks slippery out there. The weather.com website has put up a big red winter storm warning. Please go there and check it out before you consider traveling.

1:30 pm - The sleet continues to fall. A friend of mine called and said they were just out in their all wheel drive Suburu and they were slipping all over the place. He said that the road was actually worse where they had plowed. He recommended staying home and safe (this is advice from someone who is not not overly dramatic about this sort of thing). So unless you absolutely have to travel I recommended staying put today.

4:00 pm - It is raining at this point. Just got a report from Cardi O'Connor and she said that it wasn't so bad on the roads. The Shandaken plow boys have been out and about and they have cleaned and sanded the local roads fairly well. Cardi said that Rt. 28 was the slipperiest part. But it was manageable if you just went slowly. Oh, and by the way, she would like you to know that her 5:00 stretch class at the Cooperhood is still on.

7:00 pm - Aren't you folks glad that I was working from Woodland Valley today and could obsessively post weather in between my jobs. Anyway, still raining fairly heavily. It had stopped for a while but it started again. It is raining on top of an inch or two of sleet up here in the valley. Quite a mess. I'm not going out....that's all I know.

10:20 pm - The rain has stopped, now let's hope all this mucky stuff doesn't freeze overnight. It's about 30 degrees out so it could go either way. I think this storm is just about over so this will be my last post of the evening. I hope wherever you are you are safe, warm and dry. Good night!

Saturday 8:00 pm - So the end of the weather story for those of you who are out of the valley is that folks with long, steep driveways (like mine) are finding it a bit slippery but not impossible to get out to the road. I have about an 1 1/2 to 2 inches of slushy stuff over the surface of the driveway but it is not rock hard so I can get some traction. WV road has patches of snow/ice all along the length of it (worse as you get to the top of the valley) but it is sanded fairly well. I went down out of the valley slowly this morning and didn't have any slipping problems. Coming home was just about the same conditions, maybe a bit clearer from people going in and out today. Rt. 28 was clean and clear. Traveling wasn't too bad.

So that wraps up my ongoing commentary on this last storm.