Saturday, January 31, 2015
Reliable Forecasting For The Hudson Valley
So as we wait for yet another winter storm to arrive (we are expecting 8 to 12 inches Sunday night into Monday) I want to make sure you all know about Hudsonvalleyweather.com . It is a fairly accurate source of local weather information. The guys who run it are not meteorologists but have a passion for the subject and use the same models as the major weather outlets. The big difference between them and the television forecasters is that they are the only source that focuses in on our area. Most of the other sources are out of NYC or Albany and I don't have to tell you how different those places can be from the Hudson Valley. And I find these guys right more than not. I have put this on the blog in the past but I thought I would put it up again for the newcomers to the area. Check them out if you have a chance.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Another 3 Inches
The valley was covered with another 3 inches of light, fluffy snow overnight into this morning. My plow guy, Ernie Persons, came by and jokingly said that it was so feathery I could probably clean it off my porches with a leaf blower. Since that sounded like it might be fun I gave it a try and he was right!! I was able to clean both porches and around my wood piles in about 40 minutes by blowing it away!! And the best part of it was that it was a blast to do it that way! I realized somewhere in the process that I have become a real country gal if that was my idea of fun these days…LOL!
The temps are dropping fast tonight and the wind is picking up. I think it is going to be a great night to have warm soup for dinner and stay indoors! It is already in the single digits….Brrrrr!
More snow is predicted for Monday. I guess we will have to see how much more accumulation we get from that storm. Let's hope it won't be too bad and it is a light as this last batch…..I still have my leaf blower ready to go!
The temps are dropping fast tonight and the wind is picking up. I think it is going to be a great night to have warm soup for dinner and stay indoors! It is already in the single digits….Brrrrr!
More snow is predicted for Monday. I guess we will have to see how much more accumulation we get from that storm. Let's hope it won't be too bad and it is a light as this last batch…..I still have my leaf blower ready to go!
Thursday, January 29, 2015
More Snow
I just realized that I never gave you the final total from this last Blizzard (which was more of a Fizzard). We really didn't get much more than I told you about in my previous post. Up at the top of Woodland Valley it was about 2 inches. I think Phoenicia got a little more than we did in the valley, maybe around 4 inches. But either way it was not a big snow event.
But at this point it is snowing again. I just looked at the forecast and it is predicted that we will be getting another 1-3 inches through the night. But I will report on the final totals in the morning.
It is also supposed to snow in the Hudson Valley again on Monday, possibly with significant accumulations. The fun never ends around here!
But at this point it is snowing again. I just looked at the forecast and it is predicted that we will be getting another 1-3 inches through the night. But I will report on the final totals in the morning.
It is also supposed to snow in the Hudson Valley again on Monday, possibly with significant accumulations. The fun never ends around here!
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Very Little, At Least So Far
It seems that the record setting blizzard that was forecasted to hit our area is sliding to the east of us. It snowed very, very lightly for most of the day yesterday but the total accumulations amounted to only just under 2 inches.
It hadn't started snowing again by the time I went to bed last night but I expected to see deep powder when I woke up. Surprisingly, when I looked out the window this morning I saw that no additional snow had fallen during the night. I think we are still under storm watches and advisories and we may get some more precipitation during the day today but it looks like it won't be another Snowmeggedon. Whew! I will post final totals later.
It hadn't started snowing again by the time I went to bed last night but I expected to see deep powder when I woke up. Surprisingly, when I looked out the window this morning I saw that no additional snow had fallen during the night. I think we are still under storm watches and advisories and we may get some more precipitation during the day today but it looks like it won't be another Snowmeggedon. Whew! I will post final totals later.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Snow, But Not Too Much
This latest storm basically finished up this morning. We had about 3 inches of (wetish) snow. It wasn't too bad. The bulk of the storm seems to have gone to the south and east of us.
The roads were clear when I came back into the valley tonight. And even though my driveway wasn't plowed, I didn't have any problem powering up it (which is a good thing). There is still some icy patches left under the snow so be careful when you are walking. But for now all is well here again in the valley.
The roads were clear when I came back into the valley tonight. And even though my driveway wasn't plowed, I didn't have any problem powering up it (which is a good thing). There is still some icy patches left under the snow so be careful when you are walking. But for now all is well here again in the valley.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Watch Your Step!
Those of you who are coming for the weekend need to be very, very careful when exiting your car and walking to your house. The weather in the early part of the week was a bit warmer so the ice melted. We then got a bit of sleet-like, large grain snow on top of that mess and a bit of a crust was formed on the ice in many places. Unfortunately, that melted a little and then re-froze so there is a lot of very, very slippery spots again. SO WATCH YOUR STEP! (I can't say that loud enough).
The Shandaken highway department has done it's usual great job of clearing the roads so driving to your home shouldn't be a problem. But if your driveway is graded up or down I would advise extreme caution there too. It is a very slippery world here in the valley.
The Shandaken highway department has done it's usual great job of clearing the roads so driving to your home shouldn't be a problem. But if your driveway is graded up or down I would advise extreme caution there too. It is a very slippery world here in the valley.
Library Building Dedication A Huge Success
Last Saturday the Phoenicia Library dedicated their brand new building to the memory of Marilyn Dershowitz. The Dershowitz family donated and tirelessly fundraised money for the library rebuild to honor Marilyn's memory.
For those of you who are new to the community, Marilyn was a long-time Woodland Valley resident who was tragically killed in a bicycle accident in NYC three years ago. She was an avid reader and a huge supporter of the Phoenicia Library. Naming the building after her is a great way to memorialize her.
Many people spoke at the dedication including library director Liz Potter, Board President Bernie Hanzel, Nat Dershowitz and NY State Assemblymen Kevin Cahill. The library was overflowing with people from the community. The ribbon was cut by Marilyn's grandchildren Zara and Mars.
Scrumptious snacks were provided by Amy Jackson and Woodland Valley's own Rebecca Ffrench and Marcey Brownstein. I probably should have taken a photo of the snack tables to show you all how beautiful they looked but by the time I got to them they were so packed with people I couldn't get enough room. Oh well, take my word for it, the food was awesome!
All in all it was a wonderful day! With the tireless efforts of many in the community the Phoenicia library is bigger and better than ever!
For those of you who are new to the community, Marilyn was a long-time Woodland Valley resident who was tragically killed in a bicycle accident in NYC three years ago. She was an avid reader and a huge supporter of the Phoenicia Library. Naming the building after her is a great way to memorialize her.
Many people spoke at the dedication including library director Liz Potter, Board President Bernie Hanzel, Nat Dershowitz and NY State Assemblymen Kevin Cahill. The library was overflowing with people from the community. The ribbon was cut by Marilyn's grandchildren Zara and Mars.
Scrumptious snacks were provided by Amy Jackson and Woodland Valley's own Rebecca Ffrench and Marcey Brownstein. I probably should have taken a photo of the snack tables to show you all how beautiful they looked but by the time I got to them they were so packed with people I couldn't get enough room. Oh well, take my word for it, the food was awesome!
All in all it was a wonderful day! With the tireless efforts of many in the community the Phoenicia library is bigger and better than ever!
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Limited Supply of Driftwood Free to Artists
This coming Friday, January 23rd, from 10am to 2pm, the DEP will be giving a limited supply of driftwood from the Ashokan reservoir out free to artists. The wood is available on a first come/first serve basis.
The DEP removes the driftwood from the reservoir on a regular basis to keep the water clean. But this is the first time that I know of that they are making it available to folks. Many artists have contacted them in the past (including a good friend of mine) about getting the wood but have been refused. Bravo to the DEP for opening themselves up to this possiblity and finding a way to recycle this material into art! If you are interested, here is a link to the DEP site for more information.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/press_releases/15-003pr.shtml#.VLvVnUsU5cQ
The DEP removes the driftwood from the reservoir on a regular basis to keep the water clean. But this is the first time that I know of that they are making it available to folks. Many artists have contacted them in the past (including a good friend of mine) about getting the wood but have been refused. Bravo to the DEP for opening themselves up to this possiblity and finding a way to recycle this material into art! If you are interested, here is a link to the DEP site for more information.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/press_releases/15-003pr.shtml#.VLvVnUsU5cQ
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Phoenicia Library Official Grand Opening
The Phoenicia Library grand opening party and building dedication will be this Saturday from 11am - 3pm. The fun starts with refreshments at 11am and the dedication ceremony will be at noon. The fun then continues with events until 3pm (see schedule from the library below). It should be a great day. See you all there!
GRAND OPENING PARTY
SATURDAY JANUARY 17th 11 am – 3 PM
Dedication of the Marilyn Dershowitz Memorial Building at NOON
Schedule of Events
- Refreshments starting at 11 AM
- Dedication at Noon
- Uncle Rock in Kids Room at 1 PM
- History of the Library Talk Upstairs at 1 PM
- Ukulele Music at 2 PM
- Robert Burke Warren Music at 2:30 PM
We want to thank the community, our
volunteers and our staff for being incredibly
supportive through the last 3 years!
volunteers and our staff for being incredibly
supportive through the last 3 years!
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Slip Sliding Away
We had some snow on Monday morning followed by a day of heavy rain. The ground is mostly frozen and not absorbing water so the rain didn't have many places to go. When the temps dipped into the single digits overnight last night (6 degrees at my house) everything froze SOLID. Driveways, walkways and even the streets of Phoenicia have many, many very slippery patches. The weather is forecasted to stay below freezing until Sunday so those of you who are coming for the weekend be extra careful about where you walk. It is a cold, slippery world out there!!
Saturday, January 10, 2015
More Great Press For Phoenicia
The last few weeks have been big ones for Phoenicia in the press. First, Time magazine puts the Catskills (with a mention of Phoenicia) on it's list of The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2015. http://time.com/3640728/best-places-travel-2015/
Then the NYTimes makes the Catskills, and Phoenicia specifically (calling it Williamsburg north……I am LOL and groaning at the same time on that one), #39 on it's list of the 52 places to go in 2015.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/01/11/travel/52-places-to-go-in-2015.html?ref=travel
Looks like our hamlet will be hopping with hipsters (and other visitors from far and wide) for the foreseeable future!
Then the NYTimes makes the Catskills, and Phoenicia specifically (calling it Williamsburg north……I am LOL and groaning at the same time on that one), #39 on it's list of the 52 places to go in 2015.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/01/11/travel/52-places-to-go-in-2015.html?ref=travel
Looks like our hamlet will be hopping with hipsters (and other visitors from far and wide) for the foreseeable future!
Friday, January 9, 2015
First Deep Freeze, Then Snow
Winter has come on full force this week. On Wednesday night into the early hours of Thursday the mercury dipped to a whopping -6. That is without any will chill factors. Yipes! The temperatures have risen a bit but we have had about 3-4 inches of new snow fall.
The highway department has been doing a great job of keeping all the roads sanded and salted. So everything is passable.
But beware when you are walking. As I reported to you previously, the snow we had last week was followed by heavy rain. That rain took most, but not all of the snow away. The remaining small patches froze solidly and have created little invisible bits of treachery under the snow. You don't see the icy spots until you hit them. I have taken a couple of spills myself in the past few days so BEWARE when you are walking!
The highway department has been doing a great job of keeping all the roads sanded and salted. So everything is passable.
But beware when you are walking. As I reported to you previously, the snow we had last week was followed by heavy rain. That rain took most, but not all of the snow away. The remaining small patches froze solidly and have created little invisible bits of treachery under the snow. You don't see the icy spots until you hit them. I have taken a couple of spills myself in the past few days so BEWARE when you are walking!
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Something To Listen To On These Cold Nights
Here is something I have been meaning to post for a while. And since we are having sub-zero nights here in the valley it would be the perfect time to stay indoors and warm your soul with some great music.
In Phoenicia a couple of months ago I met a new Woodland Valley resident, Marlan Barry. He is a musician and does classical and acoustic music recording and production. He gave me his card and I checked out his website. One of the really cool things he has been working on is recording world class musicians playing on some of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's rare musical instrument collection. There are links to these sessions on his blog (see link below). It is not the first post but you can scroll down a bit and you will see the different links to take you to the performances. They are all divine. Enjoy!
http://marlanbarryaudio.com/blog/
In Phoenicia a couple of months ago I met a new Woodland Valley resident, Marlan Barry. He is a musician and does classical and acoustic music recording and production. He gave me his card and I checked out his website. One of the really cool things he has been working on is recording world class musicians playing on some of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's rare musical instrument collection. There are links to these sessions on his blog (see link below). It is not the first post but you can scroll down a bit and you will see the different links to take you to the performances. They are all divine. Enjoy!
http://marlanbarryaudio.com/blog/
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Another Storm Past
The storm that came through yesterday and today is finished (mostly - it is raining a tiny bit here now). It started out as snow in the afternoon yesterday and then sometime last evening changed to sleet, then rain. Only about 3 inches fell before the changeover so it wasn't that deep. But the rain overnight made it very heavy and hard to shovel today. But shovel and plow it I did.
The temperatures rose into the high 40's today at the end of the valley and so a lot of it melted. If the predictions were for it to stay warm I think we all could have just left it where it was to melt. But the temps are supposed to drop significantly. And it is the kind of mess that if you don't clean and it ices over you can have a treacherous situation.
The temps are supposed to go into the subzero range by Wednesday night so I hope you are all ready. Winter is really digging in for the long haul. Wherever you are I hope you stay dry and warm.
The temperatures rose into the high 40's today at the end of the valley and so a lot of it melted. If the predictions were for it to stay warm I think we all could have just left it where it was to melt. But the temps are supposed to drop significantly. And it is the kind of mess that if you don't clean and it ices over you can have a treacherous situation.
The temps are supposed to go into the subzero range by Wednesday night so I hope you are all ready. Winter is really digging in for the long haul. Wherever you are I hope you stay dry and warm.
Gorgeous New Library Renovation
I went to the library opening yesterday and as it happened I was the first patron through the door. I didn't mean to be. But a few days ago they called and said something that I had ordered about a month ago online finally came into Phoenicia. They also said they would be open on Friday for me to pick it up. I had to go to Kingston that day so I needed to get there, get it and get on with my day. So I was there shortly after they opened the doors. A big smiling group of people was on hand to greet me, so it was very fun.
I highly recommend that everyone visit the new building. It is gorgeous and I think it will be an important hub of activity for the entire community.
Since I was on my way somewhere else I didn't have too much time to take photos but here are some that I took to give you all a sneak peek until you can get there yourself.
Kudos to everyone who worked so hard to make this renovation a reality. You did a really great job!!!
I highly recommend that everyone visit the new building. It is gorgeous and I think it will be an important hub of activity for the entire community.
Since I was on my way somewhere else I didn't have too much time to take photos but here are some that I took to give you all a sneak peek until you can get there yourself.
Kudos to everyone who worked so hard to make this renovation a reality. You did a really great job!!!
Friday, January 2, 2015
New Phoenicia Library Opens Today
The Phoenicia Library opens again today, Jan 2, 2015, in it's renovated location at 48 Main Street! The hours are 1pm - 6pm. All of the library services will be resumed today.
The Grand Opening party and dedication of the Marilyn Dershowitz building will be on Saturday January 17th from 11am - 3pm. There will be light refreshments and music that day.
But whenever you can get there, go check out the new and improved Phoenicia Library building. It is a great asset to our community! See you all at the library!
