gobble hill

buster, burrito, and buster

2010-08-08T20:02:00.000-07:00

a horse named buster

2010-08-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

our neighbor judi, who lives nearby on woodland road, has a horse named buster, and a donkey named burrito. on a sunny sunday morning, she stopped by to give them a good run in our paddock. buster, the dog, was unsure about his namesake running around the front yard, but all the animals got a good run out of it. afterwards, i got to walk buster (the horse) home with judi and burrito, with a pause with admiring fans in a car.

ice cream!

2010-08-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

i have been making a lot of ice cream this summer. not only because of the heat, but its fun to make, easy to make, and much tastier than store-bought. i have been making a custard-based ice cream as well as sorbets. for the sorbets, i have made nectarine and watermelon sorbets. with the eggs down the street, classic vanilla and chocolate were in order. here you can see where i pick up a carton of eggs, usually returning an empty carton at the same time. the yolks of the eggs are very yellow, and very big. here you can see the nectarine sorbet (the nectarines are from the CSA), along with vanilla and chocolate.

bugs on a plate

2010-08-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

a nice addition to our home were dishwasher safe plates to look like paper plates, and with printed special little ants to keep things active. we love them! thank you cynthia for the 1-year home housewarming gift!

steve's family visits

2010-08-08T18:31:00.001-07:00

Steve's family visited from the harrisburg area. Mom (Mary Buela), sister Cassy and her husband Mike, aunt Stephanie, uncle Steve, cousin Teresa and her boyfriend Kerry, and cousin Mary Katherine. They all got to stay at a house down the road. They explored the whole county over the week's stay. The day of their arrival, it was a hot day, but a BBQ was in order for friends and family, packed with hot dogs, hamburgers, plenty of vegetables from the CSA, frozen margaritas, and homemade ice cream. On the following day, we hosted a simple brunch with farm fresh eggs, slab bacon, and (gluten free) cranberry muffins.

another CSA

2010-07-18T11:33:00.001-07:00

last week's CSA had leeks, onions, turnips, shard, bok choy, nectarines and peaches. with the nectarines and peaches, i made a gallette using a cornmeal crust. in addition to this dessert, we made homemade chocolate ice cream using fresh eggs from down the road. i will send out another posting all about the eggs and making ice cream.

buster found a bone

2010-07-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

buster found a bone in the back yard. cattle? goat? human? unclear.

our first CSA

2010-06-20T11:33:00.001-07:00

this weekend, we picked up our first half-shares of fruits and vegetables from the stone ridge orchard. as you will see, we got arugula, oak leaf lettuce, strawberries, garlic scapes, bok choy and cherries. it was the perfect amount to take home and plan some options for our lunch and dinners. here is what all the food turned into...

for lunch, we grilled some hotdogs from fleisher's in kingston, and served it with an arugula salad with a lemon olive oil dressing topped with asiago cheese, toasted walnuts and the fresh sliced strawberries. as a side, we made a dip of pureed cannellini beans, lemon, olive oil and the garlic scapes.

in the late afternoon, i muddled the rest of the strawberries with some of our mint, and added vodka and ice for a nice cocktail before dinner. the thin glasses are designed by our friend deborah ehrlich, who lives nearby.

for dinner, we grilled some hangar steak (from a local farm). we added the bok choy to the grill with a vinegar-chili marinade. accompanying this is the oak leaf lettuce salad with tomatoes and shaved paremsan with a mustard vinaigrette.

with the cherries, we made a cherry clafouti which used almond and rice flours. ideally, we would have made it in a glass pie plate, but the square tin did well and custard-y sweet dessert hit the spot on this hot summer day.

one year at the house

2010-06-20T11:29:00.001-07:00

we've been here one year. i'm sure we spent more money than we ever anticipated but the house is still standing and getting better each day. as a kind of celebration, here's rather large double-layered gluten-free red velvet cake and cupcakes!

close to home

2010-06-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

when we hosted a brunch, we made scrambled eggs from a little farm down the road, and picked wild flowers on the way back. yes, very local but the shell colors were in so many browns, tans, white, and pale blue-greens. the yolks were as big as the egg itslelf. more importantly, they were the tastiest, yellowest, and fluffiest eggs! along with free roadside flowers, we served bacon from fleishers (http://www.fleishers.com/), a bibb lettuce salad with lemon olive-oil dressing, and (gluten-free) popovers. i promise to try and document our food a little more in the future. once our CSA kicks in, you'll be seeing some creations or catastophes that we try out.

new porch lights

2010-06-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

recently, we updated our front porch lights with recessed lights on a dimmer. it offers a nicer cleaner look, and i am very happy to depart from the prior and ugly colonial-style fixture.

dora the explorer

2010-06-06T13:17:00.001-07:00

i think dora lives at the photo store in Kingston NY were she "will always love Momma" and Michael Jackson.

garden tea party

2010-06-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

at our favorite mexican restaurant in kingston, we stopped by for a "garden tea party" which benefited rescue dogs of two local animal welfare groups. victoria coyne of victoria gardens in rosendale gave a talk on gardening tips and types of plants that would do well in the area. there were items for sale and auction. steve was interested in the margarita kit. though this tea party might have served iced teas, i never really saw them. instead, this tea party had plenty of strawberry margaritas. an excellent benefit!

tree down

2010-06-06T12:58:00.001-07:00

while we were hanging at the house, we heard a loud crack in the distance. we were not sure if it was someone doing some construction work, but we decided to walk down the road and see what it might be. across the street, at "goose pond", a large tree section broke off onto buck road.

catalpa time

2010-06-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

the summer is here and everything is very lush and green. all the northern catalpa trees in the area are now in bloom, and leaving a nice carpet of white flowers in the driveway.

stone ridge csa

2010-05-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

one of our local orchards is part of a csa (community supported agriculture). by signing up, you give money upfront to support the farmer's growth of various produce, and in return you get a heaping bagful of fresh fruits or vegetables grown and delivered only 10 minutes from our house! stone ridge orchards will supply us with rhubarb and berries, various fruit throughout the summer, and apples, squash and pumpkins into the fall, all the way up to thanksgiving. this is the same place we bought apples for crumble when mom, dad and victoria visited. for vegetables, there is an affiliation with another farm across the hudson river. they will supply herbs, and endless vegetables. you can sign up for a full or a half share. we signed up for a half share since there is more than enough food to go around each weekend. they are also offering eggs and homemade pastas, but we kept to the fruit and vegetables this time.

pella!... pella!

2010-05-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

in just two days, four guys arrived early to remove our old windows and replace them with all new pella windows. when the delivery truck backed up the drive, there was a brief moment if he would clear the tree branches. after the two days, all our windows now all lock, all have the single grid (farmhouse-style), all are energy efficient, and all have nickel plated hardware. and no more storm windows and nesting bugs. we saved the windows from the living room since they are original to the circa 1820s house. if only stanley kowalski was yelling up at the house as an ad placement for pella windows.

lilacs

2010-05-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

at 17 downing circle, there was a lilac shrub outside the kitchen window... i think of mom when the lilac is in bloom.

portrait of a pointer as a young dog

2010-05-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

spring is here

2010-04-18T09:39:00.001-07:00

all our flowers are coming up, snakes are basking in the sun, and salamanders are hiding under logs. rosemary, thyme, two types of mint and basil are planted for later this summer.

painting fences

2010-04-18T09:35:00.001-07:00

our horse fence that frames the front field was filthy from all the rain last year, grass cuttings, birds, and dust. first we had it power washed, and as youll see, the green mildew makes a nice stain. then we spent a weekend painting one length of the fence. we will need a couple more weekends to finish the task but it looks sparkling white and new!

spring cleanup

2010-04-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

after the big snowfall in march, there were many downed branches in the yard, including the lilac tree in the back. after much pruning, sawing and lugging of limbs and logs, we moved onto cutting the sawgrasses. thereafter, steve took on the project of shoveling the gravel driveway where we have pipes underneath to divert water flow. he dug a trench around the pipe and refilled it with larger gravel. while we cleaned up all our branches and driveway, we dug up all kinds of trash, bottles, loose pieces of glass and wood and piled it in the barn until a trash hauler came and took it all away. fortunately the weather has been cool and sunny each weekend so we were able to accomplish our big cleanup.

buster finds a mouse

2010-03-14T09:34:00.001-07:00

while making the birthday card for cynthia, buster took breaks from helping me gather sticks and focused on finding little suprises in the snow.

silent auction for the rosendale theater

2010-03-09T18:27:00.000-08:00

this past weekend, we went to a silent auction to benefit the rosendale theater. it is an old building that opened its doors in 1949 as a movie theater, and now is in jeopardy of going away. the town is collecting efforts to purchase the theater, restore it, and continue to cherish it is a lively center for movies, music and events. i donated some signed Martha books, which apparently went for over 350 dollars! it was held at a stone house not far from gobble hill. the house itself was rather impressive in that the rooms were big but understated in their decor. at the house, there were cocktails, a buffet brunch, and desserts. for more about the theater: http://rosendaletheatre.org/about.html

listen, the snow is falling all the time

2010-03-01T17:18:00.000-08:00

fun in the snow

2010-02-28T17:54:00.001-08:00

despite the power outage, the snow was amazing, and buster had a good workout chasing snowballs in the deep snow.

power outage

2010-02-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

for three and a half days, the house and most of the area has lost all power. steve drove up on a blizzarding thursday night to check out the house, and light a fire to keep everything warm. we ended up getting well over one foot of snow at gobble hill. it varied from area to area. some got 40 inches, and other places like kingston (only twenty minutes away) got practically nothing. i took a bus up the next night and fortunately the power was restored soon after. we barely drove anywhere since the snow kept falling through sunday morning. we left our car at the bottom of the drive since we could'nt get up the drive, and the plow came once early on, but not again. so...we cooked, we finished the puzzle, we shoveled, we napped, we watched tv, we shoveled some more, and we mourned a few tree branches that broke off. we also drained the pipes at a neighbors house who couldn't make it up that weekend.

mission impuzzleble

2010-02-28T17:37:00.000-08:00

it took us three weekends to complete, but with some persistence, and some organization by texture or shape, all the pieces were put into place! ...and it looks kind of like a house down the street from us.

techno lock, heat and light

2010-02-28T17:30:00.000-08:00

now we have the capability to adjust our heat, a light, and our door entry with a simple touch on our iphone and blackberry. we can turn up the heat before we arrive on a cold night, or we can issue a temporary push button code for anyone who wishes to enter the house when we are not there. this also applies to a light that we can turn on and off, or set to a schedule. all of these items have an internet connectivity which we can adjust via the web or on our phones. fancy, right? of course, we had a fire lit when i took these pictures, so even though i set my phone for 60, the house was toast at 82. steve did all the research on this and should get all the credit for this addition to the house.

sledding sideways

2010-01-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

despite the thermometer showing 4 degrees that morning, the fresh snow was irresistible. in the front paddock of gobble hill, my friend damian and i forged some good trails for sledding. during the fun, the neighbors passed by in their pickup asking if they could bring the kids.

a winter's hike

2010-01-18T09:45:00.000-08:00

a handful of us met in the nearby town of rosendale where we met with local friend, rachel. she guided us to a farm hidden off the roads. rich and karen and their dog joey brought us on a hike through the woods, and up the ridge where we had nice views. buster and joey became fast friends and we passed some horses, ice falls and even a frozen-dead hedgehog.

afterwards, we went to a favorite local hangout, market market, for champagne and snacks. the owner, jeff, welcomed buster inside where he chose to sprawl across my lap and chair. jeff gave him some nice smoked turkey as a snack, and the waiter gave him bacon. next time, we will order what buster has.

new year's eve

2010-01-18T09:32:00.000-08:00

for new year's eve, we were visited our "camp" where we used to rent before gobble hill. it was a potluck dinner with many friends. along with the constant snow, there was plenty of wine, roasted pork loin, tuna casserole, carrot soup, green pozole and jalapeño cornbread, eggplant-mushroom stew over rice, cranberry upside down cake, chocolate cake with ganache, and homemade chocolate chip cookies. of course, buster made sure to feel an equal member at the table. afterwards, we went to the back farm fields, launched fireworks and sparklers, and threw some snowballs. long after midnight, buster looked at us wondering when he could go to bed.

a pre-christmas visit

2010-01-18T09:24:00.000-08:00

before heading to new york and d.c. for christmas, cynthia visited gobble hill for a couple days. we played pool with the locals, drank wine and hung out by the fire hoping the snow would come our way. most importantly, she serenaded us with her ukulele. amazing!

more turkeys!

2010-01-18T09:22:00.001-08:00

more snow!!!!

2009-12-13T09:32:00.001-08:00

wreath & winter

2009-12-08T09:57:00.001-08:00

this weekend, we unpacked a 60-inch wreath! the box was a little wet and beat up but the wreat survived. we hung it in the barn to check all the branches, lights and pinecones.

after steve drilled the holes, it took us a while to figure out how to get the wreath on the hook successfully. after a few attempts, and some straightening of branches, we had a newly lit wreath set to a timer along with the little barn.

also this weekend, we had our first snowfall in the new house. it snowed about four inches. of course, buster and i had a good time romping around the paths in the woods and in the yard. despite the low temperature of 27, the house stayed warm. next week, the lows are expected in the teens. let's see how well the house and our socks hold up!

a family visit to gobble hill

2009-11-15T08:04:00.000-08:00

with guest photographer Victoria!

it was a lovely fall weekend with warm weather, cool nights, lots of good food and wine. mom, dad and victoria arrived in the late afternoon. we checked into the inn at stone ridge before heading over to the house. we did a tour of the interior house and saved an exterior walkaround for the next day. that night we went out to dinner at a local restaurant.

here is the inn at stone ridge and a little breakfast moment. during the night, mom's car battery ran low, the car alarm went off, and made for a surprisingly calm hiccup to start the morning. steve and i brought some jumper cables, but dan the inn's owner, brought over really big jumper cables and his dodge ram and all was done in minutes.

we drove back to gobble hill for another tour of the house, the barns and the grounds, and a morning walk on our road, before heading out for a drive around the area. mom very much like the stacked cinderella pumpkins. when returned from the drive, we stopped in High Falls for a couple of nice store visits, and sandwiches. thereafter, we ended up playing games until our first bottle of wine opened up. this led to cheese, crackers, more wine, a spatchcocked turkey, wild rice, sweet potato casserole, and an apple crisp from apples we picked up at the orchard. with miller high life in hand, dad did an excellent job at slicing the turkey!

while we played games in the afternoon, steve took on a project of adding some lights to the barn. he added a flood light onto the big barn, and framed the little barn with christmas lights. it certainly made for a festive early thanksgiving.

the next day we took a drive across the river to hyde park to visit the vanderbilt mansion and its gardens. very grand and gorgeous on a lovely day.

on our return, we had leftover turkey dinner for lunch, played some more games, and prepared started the dessert: chocolate log with cream. just before dinner, we made a pitstop at my friend deborah's and had some cheese and wine and talked of farmers, denmark, goats, and design. the dinner consisted of chicken with mustard and garlic, carrots and potatoes, and of course, more wine. the image may not show it so well, but the log has a nice bark texture from the way it cools on a wire rack and from cracking as your roll it.

thank you mom, dad and victoria for making the trip and making such a nice weekend!

corn maze and pumpkin cannons

2009-11-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

in the next town over, there is a farm that transforms their farm field into a maze. each year they have a new pattern. this year was based on the 400th anniversary of henry hudson. here's an aerial view from last years maze. however, this year was overcast, the corn was obviously not lively and green, and because of the recent rain, the paths were brown and muddy. however, we all had a great time. at night time, they have movie night with this fine set up outside the maze.

after the corn maze, we headed over to our favorite farm stand, gill's, for the pumpkin cannon. they claim it can shoot a pumpkin 4000 feet. it's unclear to me where the pumpkin lands but it certainly creates a few seconds of awe.

the barn

2009-11-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

after cleaning out all the unwanted items, mouse traps, dirt and dust, we thoroughly swept out the barn. we were expecting a cord of wood to be delivered later in the afternoon. we weren't quite sure how much room a cord would take up, but we managed to pile it up. we should be plenty warm through this and next winter! here, you can see the before and after of the wood delivery.

paint and patience

2009-11-01T13:57:00.000-08:00

before the winter sets in, we wanted to make sure that we scraped and painted some of the wood where the paint was chipping. along with some of the other repairs that had been done, i think we might be set for the winter. buster waited patiently by the barn until we finished.

wild turkeys!!!!

2009-11-01T13:52:00.001-08:00

these wild turkeys greeted us around 7am one morning. they apparently like to eat the crabapples, berries and bird seed. of course, once we let buster out of the house, they gobbled and flapped their way up to the trees where they roost. do they know that thanksgiving is around the corner?

uh oh

2009-10-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

when our contractor erik decided to replace the siding out back, and the bathroom cieling, he discovered some new adventures. sheathing needed to be replaced underneather the exterior siding, and insulation, venting, and wiring needed to be replaced in the upstairs bathroom. with a little extra time (and money) he managed to replace everything despite the weather. next up on our to-do list? once we save our money, we are debating among a couple options: creating a parking area for the driveway, or buying a used jeep for the upcoming snowy and icy winter. once spring rolls around, i'm sure we will have more on our list for the house.

pointers and potluck

2009-09-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

this weekend, we met with erik wightman who will be helping to make some house repairs. he also has a german shorthaired pointer named oliver, but often calls him ollie. as soon as ollie leaped from the truck, a chase ensued.

they both managed to sit still for a moment before ollie decided to run off into the forest.

some of the repairs that we are doing include a bathroom cieling, as well as a reframing of the basement door for better security, better insulation, and aesthetics. in the back of the house, there will be some siding that needs replacing from when the pipes were insulated.

that night, we went to a neighborly potluck dinner. we met most of our neighbors who live on or near our road. we brought a couple bottles of wine and made a hazelnut chocolate cake. the cake was a hit.

cleaning, cajun, and clear skies

2009-09-20T12:46:00.001-07:00

the weekend was lovely. cool and dry and sunny. the evening temperatures got into the mid-40s. i guess summer is over. from our big dinner a couple of weeks ago, i cleaned and ironed all our napkins and kitchen towels. the photograph is called "Townline Road" by my friend Susanna Howe.

that evening we were invited to Mimi's home, also in Stone Ridge. we knew there would be a cajun band but that was about it. the house sits at the end of tiny road. as we approached, there we dozens of cars, and candles put into white bags to light the way. the house is huge with lots of paintings, books, high ceilings, porches, ponds, and more bag lanterns, christmas lights, firepits, treehouses, floating light sculptures and the smell of jambalaya. there must have been about 100 people. everything was lit by candle. there was plenty of wine, cajun music and dancing and a wide variety of friends and new people.

the next day was spent relaxing or hiking under the intensely blue skies. not a cloud in the sky.

mexican, mulching, and milk

2009-09-07T12:49:00.001-07:00

this labor day weekend, steve picked me up on friday (half day of work) and we made it to gobble hill around 5pm. while we opened up house, buster enjoyed hanging on the front porch listening to ray charles play on the ipod, and watching the late afternoon sun. i think dad wouldn't mind hanging out with buster and a beer, right? note: i had to use my iphone since i forgot my digital camera. quality may not be as stellar.

afterwards, we headed to nearby kingston to our favorite mexican restaurant, the armadillo. here, they have some basic and good mexican food and a frozen margaritas. the owner, merle, adores buster. usually, buster moans to get inside the patio area where pets are allowed to sit with their owners. "where's my boyfriend?" she asks. the waitst all know buster well, but of course have no idea of our names. merle calls herself the chicken lady because she always brings a serving of shredded chicken, and the waitstaff immediately bring out a bowl of water (usually before we get our own water and drinks).

before we could place our order, another woman, iris, came over and asked about buster and his breeder. it turns out she is friends with the connecticut-based breeder. a lot of conversation ensued including pictures on her iphone, and raising pointers. she has several pointers and we might have a multi-pointer playdate some weekend.

the next morning, we walked around the neighborhood, about a 3-mile walk, and then back to the porch to guard the house (or keep watch for squirrels and chipmunks), while i did some minor house painting and and steve mulched the garden areas.

later that day, we visited F&C Brooks and Sons for some fresh milk. and i do mean fresh. we went in and saw the cows, and the raw milk is pumped into our jar right on the spot. raw milk has some contoversy given that it is not pasteurized, but not to worry. it is delicious, creamy, and a little sweet.

our sunday was spent preparing dinner for 6 guests: spareribs with homemade bbq sauce, freshly made hummus, heirloom tomato salad with basil and mozzarella, potato salad, a flourless chocolate cake with fresh raspberries and ice cream, and watermelon limeade that we mixed with vodka. the only things we had to buy that came from somewhere else were the chickpeas for the hummus, the mozzarella, the ice cream, and the vodka. we left early monday morning to avoid the labor day traffic and a nice day back in brooklyn.

flowers, food, feeders...

2009-08-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

today we bought some local flowers at the farm stand. a bunch cost about 5 bucks and they spread out over two or three vases. not a bad deal.

i even got a few extras flowers to put in a tiny glass. not a bad option while steve works.

with all the out-of-focus stems of the flowers, i put them into a little white pot along with any other food scraps for composting.

buster joins me as i head to the barn and pour the scraps into the big bin. we should have some high quality soil in the next couple months.

as we head back inside, buster takes a break to eat some food.

here are some fine foods we bought at Gill's, one of the local farm stands. the watermelon is for a a mint, watermelon and feta salad. tomatoes will be paired with fresh mozzarella. with the garlic and lemons, i will put in the food processor with olive oil, ricotta, paprika to make hummus. fresh peppers, onions and corn we will grill with some meats i bought at a farm nearby. we generally buy all our cattle meat from them.

each week, i go into the barn, pour a few scoops of birdseed into a big bowl and bring it to the feeders. with a simple pole with a hook, i lower the feeders, and fill them up with black oil seed. all kinds of birds come and eat here all day long. bluebirds, cardinals, goldfinches, black capped chickadees and siskins.

some quality reading while upstate largely circulates around food and shelter. meatpaper is a magazine based out of san francisco and has all kinds of interviews and essays about butchers, taxidermists, chefs, vegetarians. gander mountain is a basically a hunting catalog but great for extra warm socks. catching fire is a new book by a yale professor proving that cooking (not just fire) made us evolve into humans.

2009-08-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

welcome to gobble hill in stone ridge, new york. here youll find 3.3 acres backing up to woods, plenty of goldfinches, black capped chickadees, chipmunks, and yes, wild turkeys. steve, buster and i moved in the middle of may, got rid of some stuff, brought in some new stuff, repaired some roofing, painted the porch and are making a list of new things to keep the house all maintained.