More Vintage Postcards

Here are some more vintage postcards from the collection of WCA member Stephen Bernstein. The Simpson family was very prominent in Phoenicia and developed many businesses in the area including Romer Mountain Park Ski Slope right here in Woodland Valley. The first photo is titled "The Simpson House", the second "A.J. Simpson's Store" and the third "Simpson Rapids". If anyone can give me more history on these great old buildings and places I would be happy to post it.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the valley!!! Here are a few photos from my job today. Can anyone guess where I was??

Gift & Artist Studio Tour - Dec 5 & 6

Coming December 5 & 6 - The Shandaken Gift & Artist Studio Tour.

The holidays are fast approaching and Shandaken is having a Gift and Artist Studio Tour. I would like to encourage everyone in Woodland Valley to shop locally this holiday season. Especially in these hard economic times, it is important that we support the artists and businesses that make this community so interesting and rich. Woodland Valley's own Wendy Grossman will be part of the festivities so there is even a studio to visit right here in the neighborhood. You can find a map of everyone on the tour if you follow the link below. So get out on December 5th and 6th and check out the great things that this town has to offer! I am sure you will find gifts for everyone on your shopping list.

Go to www.ShandakenArt.com for more information.

Brochure with tour map will be available at participating shops.

BettySoo Tonight at the ESRM

WCA member and President of the ESRM Dakin Morehouse sent this announcement regarding the concert in the Museum this evening. Check it out!

Flying Cat Music Presents
Austin-Based Recording Artist BettySoo in Concert
Phoenicia Railway Station
Sunday, November 22
7:30 PM (sharp)
At the Empire State Railway Museum
on Lower High Street off of Route 28, Phoenicia, NY
Door opens at 7:00
(There will be no opening act. Please be punctual.)
$12 requested donation or $10 with RSVP to flyingcatmusic@gmail.com
This is an intimate space. Seating is limited.

Flying Cat Music is pleased to present Austin-based singer/songwriter and recording artist BettySoo at the Empire State Railway Museum in Phoenicia on Sunday, November 22, at 7:30 pm. A winner of the 2008 Kerrville New Folk, Big Top Chautauqua, and Wildflower Festival songwriting contests; she comes to Phoenicia on the heels of a three-week tour of Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands.


BettySoo is the daughter of Korean immigrants who settled in the Bronx before moving to Texas when she was a baby. Audiences don’t always know what to expect when they first see BettySoo on stage. As she herself observes, "It's true that most Asian-Americans grow up with a lot of pressure to fit into a certain career path, but" – and she laughs – "this is not that path, in case anyone was wondering." But as a voice from the crowd at a Texas venue exclaimed loudly one night, she's blessed with "a voice like an angel!"

Greg Roberts, writing in Country Line Magazine, captured the BettySoo phenomenon perfectly when he wrote: “It's almost like there are two people here, there is the small, soft spoken, demure person that is offstage, friendly and warm, talking to everyone. Then, in the seven steps it takes to get to the stage, another person appears. When she opens her mouth to sing, out comes this gargantuan voice captivating you with these soul-stripping, emotional songs that are all original compositions. After listening to her CD, I was even more impressed….I think we're looking at a future multi-platinum, Grammy-winning star here and I want to be the first to say, “I told you so”.”

BettySoo’s Web Site

Fishers

Since it has been widely documented that Fishers are ferocious killers that will attack, kill and eat small dogs and cats I thought it was important to make you all more aware of the animals. I got the information below from the NYS DEC site and from Wikipedia. I urge all residents of Woodland Valley not to let their pets out of the house unsupervised since I have personally seen them here and their numbers are reportedly growing throughout the state.
- Carol Seitz

The fisher, also known as the "pekan cat," "fisher cat," or "black cat," is a large, dark, long-haired member of the weasel family. They have short legs, small ears, and a long well-furred tail. Their color varies from dark brown to nearly black. Fisher fur is long and luxuriant. Females are more valuable than males because of their more uniform color. The males often have a "grizzled" appearance due to the many tri-colored hairs along their neck and shoulders. Fitchet is a name derived from the Dutch word visse which means 'nasty'.

Adult males weigh from 7 to 12 pounds and may be 40 inches long, including their 13 to 15 inch tail. Adult females are smaller, weighing from 4 to 5.5 pounds. Extremely large male fisher may approach 20 pounds, but that is very unusual.

Fisher have large feet with five sharp toes. This makes them well adapted for walking on snow, climbing trees, and killing their prey.

Like their cousins, the skunks, both sexes have large scent glands near their anus, possibly used for marking territories.

They avoid open spaces. Fishers are solitary, only associating with other fishers for mating purposes.

Fishers are generalist predators. They will feed on any animal they can catch and will eat carrion. They are also known to supplement their meat diet with insects, nuts, berries, and mushrooms. Their primary prey includes snowshoe hare and porcupine. Since they are solitary hunters their choice of prey is limited to their size. Analysis of stomach contents and scat have found evidence of birds, small mammals and even moose and deer. The latter food sources shows that they are not averse to eating carrion. Fishers have been observed to feed on the carcasses of deer left by hunters.
Fishers are one of the few predators that seek out and kill porcupines. There are some stories in popular literature that fishers can flip a porcupine onto its back and "scoop out its belly like a ripe melon." As early as 1966, this was identified as an exaggerated myth. However, observational studies show that fisher will make repeated biting attacks on the face of a porcupine and kill it after about 25-30 minutes.

In some areas fishers can become pests to farmers because they will get into a pen and kill large numbers of chickens. Fishers have also been known to eat feral cats and dogs and small pets left outdoors. However, a study done in 1979 examined the stomach contents of all fishers trapped in the state of New Hampshire; cat hairs were found in only one of over 1,000 stomachs. Attacks on domestic cats may be documented, but zoologists suggest a bobcat, coyote, or dog is more likely to prey upon domestic cats and chickens.

Distribution and Habitat:

During the past two centuries fisher populations have been extirpated across parts of North America due to what was once a high demand for their furs. Furriers were paying up to $345 per animal in 1922. Their soft brown pelts can still fetch sometimes high prices. Fishers are shy, secretive, and difficult to breed in zoos.

Fisher live in a band of forested habitat extending across North America. They do not occur on any other continent. In the east, they are found from Virginia north to Quebec and the Maritime Provinces of Canada. It is thought that they were once more widespread. Reintroduction programs have been successful in reestablishing them in some of their former range.

In recent years, they have spread from Vermont into southern New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, and have recently been artificially reintroduced into dozens of areas across the United States, including in Montana, Oregon, and Washington. As of 2009, reports indicate the fisher population has returned to areas from which they were previously extirpated, such as Connecticut, the Hudson Valley in New York, and New Jersey.

In New York State, they are found in over 26,000 square miles of habitat in the northern, eastern, and southeastern parts of the state. It is believed that fisher also were native to central and western New York but they are only occasionally seen in that area of the state.

Behavior:

Fisher are sexually mature in about one year. However, because the implantation of their embryo is delayed after fertilization, a process called "delayed implantation," they don't have their first litter until they are two years old. They breed immediately after having their litter. Births and breeding peak in March. They have an average of 3 young per litter.

Fisher usually use two types of shelters. Fisher dens used for giving birth to their young typically are found in large trees, high off the ground. They make use of natural cavities frequently found in older trees. They also use cavities in rocky areas. Dens for general cover and protection consist of hollow logs, turned over stumps, brush piles, or ground burrows.

There does not appear to be a single habitat type that can be called "typical fisher habitat." They are found in hardwood, softwood, and mixed stands throughout their range. They do not like large open areas, such as clear-cuts. However, they do hunt for small rodents in fields and meadows.

Star Trails

Dennis Havel has been having great fun with his new digital camera. The photo above is one of several time exposures he did of the stars in the night sky. Here is what he said about it.

"Stars appearing to rotate like a pinwheel around Polaris, the North Star. This effect is due to the Earth's rotation about it's North-South axis. Polaris is the bright object in the center. This was taken Saturday night from my back yard. My house is visible to the left."

Cool shot Dennis! Thanks for sending it!

Cream of Pumpkin Soup du Boreegard

I received this the other day from Woodland Valley's own master chef Mike O'Neil.

"Comes the time in autumn when those of us obsessed with pumpkins want to do something different with the Cucurbita pepo harvest. Pies and puddings, breads and roasted seeds are fine and all that, but I am a soup cook as well. In an attempt to create a soup that does NOT taste like pumpkin pie, I present the following":

Ingredients

2 tbsp. butter
1 onion, chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
2 cups cooked, pureed pumpkin
2 ½ cups of chicken stock
¾ tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. soy sauce
½ a jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup light cream or half and half

To Do

In a large heavy pot, melt the butter and sauté the onion until tender.
Add remaining ingredients, except the cream.
Cover and simmer 25 to 30 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a blender and blend until smooth.
Add cream and reheat, but do not allow to boil.
Garnish with chives and croutons and serve.

SOUP’S ON!

Boreegard aka Mike O'Neil
November 11, 2009

WV Business Celebrates 10th Year

TASK FORCE INC. is celebrating its 10th year in business under the leadership of WCA member Karen Hugue. TASK FORCE specializes in all facets of home caretaking and maintenance, catering to second homeowners along the Route 28 corridor from Woodstock to Pine Hill.

Services include: exterior and interior house checks, arranging for plumbers, electricians, or any other type of contractor, housekeepers, wood deliveries, pool maintenance, turn on heat/AC prior to your arrival. I also serve as primary or secondary contact for home security systems.

Fees are negotiated on frequency of visits and distance traveled.

For further information contact Karen Hugue 845-688-9816 or email at khugue@hvc.rr.com

Welcome Maya!!

The WCA has a brand new member. Here's a first photo of one-day-old Maya, beautiful daughter of Julia Rose and John Raffaele. She was born on November 12th. Both mom and baby are doing great! Happy Birthday Maya and welcome to Woodland Valley! May your life be blessed with many wonderful things!!

New Members Alma Rodriquez & James Kopp

Alma Rodriquez, James Kopp and their two lovely and talented daughters Paloma and Victoria have joined the WCA!!

Alma & James have a lovely house in the area (called the Winne Lodge) that they are renting. Check out the link below to view it. I have also put the link on the right (permanent) side of the blog so that you can find it if you have any friends who are coming to the area and need a place to stay.

Alma Rodriguez & James Kopp
www.CatskillGetaways.net
info@CatskillGetaways.net

In addition, James owns a business that specializes in grant writing and related services. You can view his website and get a full idea of the services he provides at the link below.

James Kopp
www.jkoppassociates.com
jkopp@hvc.rr.com

I am very excited to welcome Alma, James and their daughters to the association! The WCA has some great community minded new members in the Rodriquez/Kopp family!

Unitard - Nov 12th & 24th in NYC

For those of you who will be down in the city tomorrow Nov 12th or Tuesday Nov 24th Woodland Valley's own David Ilku will be performing with Unitard.

Coming to the rescue in this time of turmoil, like cash for your clunkers or extra-pure heroin, the Unitards (Mike Albo, Nora Burns and David Ilku) will bail you out of your dreary little lives with an evening of humor, wit, song and sarcasm. Following their sold-out evening at Joe’s Pub, Unitard returns with a brand-new twisted take on life in urbania. Spanning the gamut from Vampires to Burlesque, Hudson to Hindus, and Dungeons to DUMBO, their newest show promises to be brilliant, bawdy and hilarious, of course.

"Go see this!, a satirical triumph with no time to apologize for it's hipness" - The Boston Globe

WHEN: Thurs Nov 12th 9:30pm and Tues Nov 24th 8pm
WHERE: Laurie Beechman Theater/WESTBANK CAFÉ 407 West 42nd Street @ 9th Ave.
Reservations: 212 695-6909
TICKETS: $20
www.brownpapertickets.com

Harvesting Bamboo

WCA member James Wolf sent me these photos. They are shots of him harvesting bamboo in Vietnam for his Boo Bicycles and many other projects. Here is what his email said: "Howdy, here are some fun and beautiful shots at the bamboo plantation today. A hot and very sunny November day as we get into the Hot/Dry season for the next few months here." I think the "Rambo" photos of James are especially funny knowing how kind and gentle he is in person. His new nickname should be "Rambamboo"!

I found this information on bamboo on Wikipedia "Bamboos are the fastest growing woody plants in the world. Their growth rate (up to 60 centimeters (24 in.)/day) is due to a unique rhizome-dependent system, but is highly dependent on local soil and climate conditions. They are of economic and high cultural significance in East Asia and South East Asia where they are used extensively in gardens, as a building material, and as a food source." These facts make bamboo a highly renewable resource. Very interesting! Thanks for sending us these photos James!

Spam Mail Warning

Jeff Schwartz sent me this message about some spam mail that he received in the valley this week. He wanted to warn everyone this was going around. Thanks for giving us the heads up Jeff!

"When we got home tonight we had waiting for us 2 letters that each contained a Cashiers check" for $2950. With an offer to represent a "Mystery Customer Employment firm".

No return address on outside of envelope.
Mailed from Canada (Canadian stamp).
Same firm name on both cover letters.
Address of the firm in Arizona.
Cashier checks drawn on TWO DIFFERENT CREDIT UNIONS.

THIS IS A MYSTERY SHOPPER SCAM.
In the letter they indicate you have to call them for further instructions.

According to posts that I have read they tell you to deposit the check, go shopping and wire a portion of the money back to them.

THEIR CHECK WILL BOUNCE AND HAS CAUSED GREAT HARDSHIP AND FINANCIAL LOSS TO THOSE THAT THOUGHT THEY WERE THE RECIPIENTS OF A GOOD DEAL.

The holiday season is fast approaching and with these hard financial times there may be some see this as a holiday gift for some extra cash.

You may want to post a warning on the blog as they may be targeting this area.

a link describing this scam is Mystery Shopping Scam."

- Jeff Schwartz

Fall Poetry by Boreegard aka Mike O'Neil

OH RARE POMPION

Of puddings, pies, and orange beers,
Since Massasoit lent the seed,
The pompion or pumpkin breed,
Has fed us well and has no peers.

Yes, cuke’s or ‘mater’s flesh is fair,
And good for us, there’s little doubt,
But ne’er can they be hollowed out,
To light the lantern’s ghoulish stare.

Boreegard
November 6, 2009

Velsani Antiques at the Emerson

WCA members and antique dealers Ivan and Gustavo of Velsani Antiques have opened a shop at the Emerson Resort & Spa. Here is a link to the announcement on the Emerson website. Go check out their new shop when you get a chance. I am sure they have plenty of gifts for everyone on your holiday shopping list! Good luck Ivan and Gustavo!!

Velsani at the Emerson

Call for Extras on "Stake Land" Film

I got this email today from a woman named Mona Lessnick whose production company is working on the film "Stake Land". The internet says the movie is an "epic vampire road film". She is looking for some background/extras for the film. Her colleague is also looking for some young people to intern for a day or so on the set and help out. They are shooting up in Margaretville and Pine Hill. If you are interested here are the details.

Come and experience a day on Set!

- Tuesday 11/10: 7-10 male Brotherhood gang members (approx. 6-8AM) at Bellayre Ski Resort
- Friday 11/13: 2 male roadhouse guards (approx. 3-5PM) at Hanah Resort in Margaretville
- Monday 11/16: 12 male Brotherhood gang members (approx. 6-10AM) in Pine Hill
- Wednesday 11/18: 8 male/female townfolk (approx. 3-7PM) in Pine Hill
- Wednesday 11/18: 5 male border soldiers (approx. 3-8PM) in Pine Hill
- Wednesday 11/18: 12 male/female bar patrons (approx. 6-10PM) in Pine Hill
- Wednesday 11/18: 2 male roadhouse guards (approx. 6-10PM) in Pine Hill
- Sunday 11/22: 4 male rugged soldier (approx. 12-9PM) in Pine Hill
- Sunday 11/22: 8 male/female townfolks (approx. 12-9PM) in Pine Hill
- Sunday 11/22: many more (30) male/female townfolks (from approx. 5PM-10PM) in Pine Hill

contact Mona (mona@belladonna.bz or 917.687.2690 or 845.586.6110/-6111) for details and confirmations.

Mona Lessnick
Belladonna Productions, Inc
118 West 22nd Street/3rd floor
New York, NY 10011
P: 212.807.0108
F: 212.807.6263
skype: m.lessnick

Here is a synopsis of the film.

Stake Land

Synopsis

In a fierce, alternative vision of America’s bleak future, a young boy is about to learn how cruel the world can become. Martin was a normal teenage boy before the country collapsed in an empty pit of economic and political disaster. And from the ashes rose a new breed of terror. A vampire epidemic has swept across what is left of the nation’s abandoned towns and cities, and it’s up to Mister, a death dealing, rogue vampire hunter, to get Martin safely north to Canada, the continent’s New Eden.

With his family slaughtered and his world splattered across the backroads of the nation’s northeast, Martin is taken under the wing of this mysterious stranger, learning the ways of the hunt and the cold reality of survival in a world left to fend for itself. Along their journey Mister and Martin discover firsthand the horrors of small town American extremism and are forced to ponder which is more bloodthirsty— the starving vampires or the corrupted humans who seek to control them.

Armed with a trunk full of wooden stakes and a desperate will to stay alive, Mister and Martin make their way through locked down towns, recruiting fellow travelers along the way— a devout woman of god, an abandoned Marine, and a pregnant musician all on their way north to safety. But a nationwide Brotherhood of violent, end-of-days survivalists is just one obstacle that stands between them and freedom.

Welcome to Stake Land, kid…

Weather Station in Woodland Valley

For all you weather junkies (like me) here in Woodland Valley you will be happy to know that Hawley Botchford has installed a weather station on his house here in the valley. He has linked it in to The Weather Underground site so we can all see the information that he is getting. You can click on the link below and go down the page to the weather stations where you will see one marked "Woodland Valley, Phoenicia, NY". It gives all kinds of great data like, temperature, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation etc. In the future you can just use the Weather Underground link on the right (permanent) side of this blog to reach the same page. Thanks for installing this Hawley you are providing some great information for us all!

Weather Underground Phoenicia, NY

Unofficial Election Results

These are the unofficial election results posted by the Ulster County Board of Elections. I do not think this count includes absentee ballots. I have put a asterisk next to the name of the unofficial winner of each race and their party affiliation in parenthesis.

Here are the results so far:

Town Supervisor
* Robert Stanley (R) - 588
Peter DiSclafani (D) - 519

Town Board
* Jack Jordan (R) - 509
* Doris Bartlett (D) - 503
Patricia Ellison (R) - 389
Barbara Redfield (D) - 384
Randy Ostrander (C) - 300

Highway Superintendent
* Eric Hofmeister (D) - 676
Keith Johnson (R) - 451

Town Justice
* Tom Crucet (R) - 673
* Mike Miranda (D) - 572
Charles Frasier (R) - 442
Amy Brown - (D) 408

Town Assessor - 4 year term
* Peter DiModica (D) - 545
John Horn - (R) 407

Town Assessor - 2 year (unexpired) term
* Carol Seitz - (D) 521
Joanne Kalb - (R) 397

Here is a link to the Elections page for Shandaken:
Ulster County Board of Elections

VOTE!!!

Please remember to vote today. These elections are very important to our town. Not only are we choosing our Town Supervisor, Town Board members, Highway Superintendent, Town Justices and Town Assessors but the people on the Town Board will appoint the members of the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals. So these elections are critical to our local government. Please get out and make your voices heard!!! I will post the election results when I have them.

New House Checking Business in WV

I got this message from WCA member Joyce Burzan.

"My husband and I have started a business which, we hope, will make some of our neighbors, particularly 2nd homeowners, feel more secure because someone is checking on their home and property. We're also available for house sitting on a short term basis, which could include pet sitting for friendly animals.

We moved here from Michigan in 1995 because we have family here and because we love to be outdoors - especially in the forests of the Catskills. It's hard to beat."

- Joyce

Check out their website at: catskillmountainlife.com