On our way home from Hudson stopped by a bar I’ve been wanting to try for years. Ever since my friend Tommy Eats gave it a rave review. The atmosphere on this Saturday afternoon was not what I hoped for, but who goes to a dark bar on a sunny afternoon anyway! The cocktails as promised were awesome. Continue reading Afternoon Cocktails at Stockade Tavern
at the Random House “Off the Page” event at Basilica in Hudson Hudson-Chatham and Tousey Winery poured and poured. Fabulous wines. 
Back Yard by Carl Sandberg
Shine on, O moon of summer.
Shine to the leaves of grass, catalpa and oak,
All silver under your rain to-night.
An Italian boy is sending songs to you to-night from an accordion.
A Polish boy is out with his best girl; they marry next month;
to-night they are throwing you kisses.
An old man next door is dreaming over a sheen that sits in a
cherry tree in his back yard.
The clocks say I must go—I stay here sitting on the back porch drinking
white thoughts you rain down.
Shine on, O moon,
Shake out more and more silver changes.
Carl August Sandburg was an American poet, writer, and editor who won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln.
Take a walk in history, in this museum in a forest, West Point Foundry Preserve.
Until 1818 Cold Spring was just a tiny settlement on the Hudson River, that began to change with the opening of West Point Foundry as years went by the town became a hub of industrial production for decades to come. It is all ruins now, the story of those times is beautifully told here.
Entrance to the property is at the south end of Cold Spring at the end of Foundry Street. There is ample parking, maps and the trails are marked. The first structure you will notice is an artistic rendering of one of the famous gun platforms made here.
You can walk north on a trail that follows the river up to the Cold Spring Train Station and then on through town and back to the preserve.
Or walk south east toward the ruins and the old foundry building, which is being restored now. The paths on this route are made of metal. Fitting to the location, but rather odd at first. Along the way there are markers that point out portions of a mobile audio tour available at http://www.foundrytour.org/ 
Further along there is an artistic recreation of what was once the massive waterwheel. It is quite stunning compared to renderings on display of what the original building that housed the giant wheel looked like.
Interesting elements like these stairs are found throughout this museum in the woods. 
There are lots of regular walking paths that branch off in different directions for fun exploration. The trails are marked.
Along the way there are benches to sit, take a rest, contemplate the beauty.
Near the magical commune of Sirmione in the province of Brescia, Lombardy, northern Italy, there is a wine region called Lugana where fervent winemakers produce exquisite white wines that bear this name.
We first visited this beautiful place and enjoyed the wine some 30 years ago, and have been longing to return ever since. The wine however we have enjoyed often and had the exciting opportunity to taste many at an event at Eataly in New York where it is Lugana month until the end of July. More Here
At Viscount Wine and Liquors this weekend we found three very good Luganas and bought two. If you like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, even unoaked Chardonnay you will love these wines. More in “For the Love of Lugana” Continue reading We Love Lugana Wine,
I Bet You Will To
Our good friend Diana wrote this Haiku. She enjoyed this drink along with her sister, Iris, and husband Bryan with Diana and I.
We DID it by his
DianIrisDiana
Fusion ambrosial
a fun and refreshing Negroni inspired cocktail that is a great summer time drink, made with lemonade, gin, white vermouth, and a rhubarb shrub and a bitters. We named this cocktail “We DID It” after our guests Diana and Iris and my partner and wife Diana. More
Very well described in 22 Hikes in Philipstown, “A sampling of the many trails within our community” prepared by the Philipstown Greenway Committee in 2005, is the unmarked but nicely maintained trail loop in Phillipstown Park on Route 9D south of Cold Spring.
It is a magical place of wonderful colors, light and natural textures. I would not be at all surprised to see a band of elves scampering into the woods, their tiny feet dancing on the lush green moss.
Other areas where the trees open up letting the sun in there is thick undergrowth that is enticing.
It is a moderate walk that you can loop, back and forth, twice in an hour.
Since moving here in January, we have only hiked five of the 22, I guess we better get to it. If we are to see them all before winter.
Next to hamburgers, hot dogs, and good old apple pie, the American food you see everywhere is pizza and take-out Chinese, the american variety of both of course. I’ve observed in my travels around our great country that it seems that just about every town, small or large, has a take-out Chinese place and a pizza parlor. Unfortunately, usually they are mediocre or worse.
I’ve passed the two we have here on Main Street in Cold Spring, and wondered, could they be the exception to the rule? Good? The Chinese takeout, I understand is not. But when struck by an irresistible craving for a slice of pizza the other day, we decided to take a chance on this local place. We were pleasantly surprised how good satisfying three slices were… Continue reading Satisfying a Craving at Cold Spring Pizza
“Let America Be America Again”Written by Langston Hughes decades ago, this poem seems more relevant than ever.
Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free. Continue reading Sunday Poem – Let America Be America Again
