Getting Back to Normal

Everything around here is getting back to normal. Phoenicia continues to dry out and clean up. Woodland Valley Road needs some repairs but the worst spot (where WV road meets Grandview) is easily avoidable, so driving is fine up this way. I haven't heard of anything more serious in the valley besides folks getting water in their basements and/or garage and some leaky roofs.

I will keep you informed on the continuing road repair plans. It looks like the contractors are set up to put in the vegetative layer at the curve by Fawn Hill bridge. When that is finished the highway department will reinstall the guide rail. I don't know what the plans are for repairing the other spots on the road but, as usual, I will keep you posted.

More News About The Flooding

Sorry I am posting so late tonight when I know all of you are waiting to hear about the aftermath of the flood. The truth is that I had to leave the valley early yesterday morning and I did not return until about an hour ago. I didn't post that for obvious reasons (I thought it would be akin to hanging a "Rob Me" sign on my house), but I digress. I stopped in Phoenicia on my way home and crews were in the midst of cleaning everything up.

Here in the valley, the road took a beating. The water came up and over it in several places. But the good news is that it didn't stay that way for very long. I talked to Eric Hofmeister (the town highway supervisor) and he told me that the recent repairs done in the vicinity of Romer Mt Park (the old ski slope) and Roxmor were both damaged. And the stone wall that ran along Woodland Valley road where it meets Grandview was wiped out. Eric also said that one more hour of rain and we would have lost big chunks of WV road. But thank goodness the water receded in time and that didn't happen. The good news is that the rebuild of the curve by Fawn Hill seems to have held up. We are all very lucky that they fixed that this summer. In my opinion it was just in the nick of time!! I really believe that we would have lost the road in that spot had they not done the work!!

Since I got home so late I didn't get any photos to post but there is an excellent video of town for you to view. Here is the link: Flood Video. The person who did it really did a great job in capturing the height of the water and the seriousness of the situation.

As I said yesterday, if you have a home on the stream I would advise checking in with friends or neighbors to make sure everything is OK.

Phoenicia Floods.......AGAIN!!!

We got some torrential rain last night into early this evening. And, for the second time in 2 months, Phoenicia was underwater for a few hours. I didn't have a chance to go to town myself, so we are all lucky that Dennis Havel went to investigate and sent some photos for the blog. The water on Main St was caused by the same set of circumstances as the last time. The Stony Clove Creek jumps it's banks up on Rt 214 and then runs down the road into Phoenicia. The water has receded at this point but, just like last time, it has left a big mess for everyone to clean up. I haven't had the opportunity to check out Woodland Valley yet so I can't give you a report. But if you are out of the valley and live near the stream (or have other factors that would cause flood conditions on your property) try and have a neighbor or friend check it out. I will give everyone a better update tomorrow. Thanks for sending us these photos Dennis.

ESMR - CMRR Christmas Party with Santa

The Empire State Railway Museum and Catskill Mountain Railroad would like to cordially invite the entire community to their annual Christmas party on December 12th. The festivities start right after the Shandaken Theatrical Society's Christmas presentation in the STS theatre on Church St (about 1pm). There will be train rides, model railroads, a doll house display, cookies, popcorn, cider and of course SANTA! The party will go from 1:00 pm until dusk and it is FREE for all (donations are appreciated at the museum if you feel so inclined). So come out join Santa and your neighbors for what promises to be a fun-filled day!! See you there!!!

Belleayre Cuts Jobs

In some recent local news, Bellearyre Ski Resort is rumored to have plans to cut 48 of the 55 local jobs this winter. The Woodstock Times did a interesting article recently. Here is a link to that article: The Axman Cometh. Since Belleayre is a big part of the local economy this issue will greatly effect our town and this valley (several Woodland Valley people work at the resort). People are very concerned about the fate of the ski center itself. Supporters of the center and it's employees are holding a rally in support of Belleayre tomorrow, Monday, Nov. 29th at 11AM. The gathering will be on Route 28 in Margretville at Brookside Hardware, near the Hospital.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

For the holiday this year I thought I would ask Dennis Havel to provide some photos of our favorite Thanksgiving meal running live around the neighborhood. So here are some excellent photos of a gorgeous, wild Tom turkey strutting his stuff in Woodland Valley. Thanks for the photos Dennis!! Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

WV Weather Station Up and Running Again

The Woodland Valley weather station was out of service for a while after the power outage. The backup battery on the station wasn't enough to sustain it for the 5 hours that our phone and electric were out. The system was reset last night and now seems to be fully functional. The photo below is the view from the webcam. This is what you should see when you click on the webcam icon on the right side of this blog. One WCA member emailed me that he was getting a completely different photo (which was not in WV) when he clicked through the link. I want to see if this is happening to other people. So if you aren't seeing this view, email me at wvview@gmail.com and I will investigate further. Thanks!

Power and Phone Outage

All of Woodland Valley lost power, phone and internet last night from about 4:00pm until about 9:00pm. The valley was dark for everyone except those lucky enough to have generators. The cause of the problem was between Hank Bernstein's property at the end of High St and Romer Mountain Park (the old ski slope), where Woodland Valley Road begins. Harry Jameson said he heard a series of loud pops right before the power and phone went out. I drove into town to get some supplies and saw the wires lying on the side of the road. Several people told me a transformer blew but I don't have any confirmation of that report. NYSE&G, Verizon and Time Warner got right on the problem though and power was restored relatively quickly. So all is well in the valley again.

Concert in the ESRM this Sunday

Dakin Morehouse, WCA member and President of the ESRM sent me this info about the concert coming up this weekend in the museum. Here are the details:

Sunday, November 21 - 7:30pm
Flying Cat Music Presents
The Bowmans
At the Empire State RR Museum

$12 at the door or
$10 with RSVP to flyingcatmusic@gmail.com

For info call 845-688-9453

Artist Website: http://www.thebowmansmusic.com/


They came from Iowa and conquered New York, and some say it couldn’t happen to two nicer girls. Twin sisters Sarah and Claire are The Bowmans, and together they will stake their claim on Phoenicia on Sunday, November 21, when they perform in concert at the Empire State Railway Museum. Wielding cello and/or fiddle and/or just a plain guitar, the sisters play “folky Americana” with classical influences that can stray toward jazz or rock, noted Jenny Alder for AmericanaUK in 2007. She wrote “Throughout the songs are lifted and shaped by the twins’ impeccable harmonies, which are always delicate. The strength of the material and those amazing voices, which blend so seamlessly it’s hard to tell where one starts and the other begins, has ensured The Bowmans have a growing following on the New York folk scene.”

Since then their following has further grown, including inside Europe from whence that review was written. This review comes from Nashville, where the Bowmans performed at the Basement in 2008: “The Bowman twins are Claire Bowman on vocals, vocal harmonies and various percussion and Sarah Bowman on guitar, vocals and vocal harmonies. Between the two of them with only one guitar they still manage to sound like an orchestra from time to time. Sarah, being a classically trained orchestral musician and the main songwriter of the duo, successfully exploits the twin sisters' harmonies by combining their near telepathic soulfulness with universally understood, down to earth folk-style lyric storytelling and can suddenly turn the ship around in a very sophisticated manner by blending in almost madrigal sounding choruses of intimate vocal complexity. To say this was an intense performance is an understatement… They have dozens of shows booked in the USA and Europe so anyone with an eye for true and rare gems should check their tour schedule at www.myspace.com/thebowmans and drive as far as you must to see The Bowmans live.” Robin Merritt.

That sums it up well, we have nothing further to add. Case closed; make your RSVP now to see The Bowmans.

Light Flurries Today

This morning there was light flurries in the valley. It changed over to rain about 10:00 and then cleared up after that. The snow didn't stay very long but it was enough to remind us all that winter is on the way.