Catskills - Sullivan County - Ulster County Real Estate -- Catskill Farms Journal

Wow, for 2 fricking years there has been nothing but one bad real estate related event after another, and now with a 1000 pt drop in the Dow in 2 days things have really taken a turn for the worse. Luckily, I don't own stock - I am very undiversified in real estate, truly taking the contrarian approach to things.

At least if it all goes to pot, and the world collapses, we can all hide out in our country homes, living off the land from our little garden, chopping down a tree or two on our 5+ acres, and burning candles if the eletric grid goes down.

Made a round of calls today to our 6 families waiting for their homes to assure them Catskill Farms is well-capitalized, and we are building away.

And here is a sad example of how we country folk entertain ourselves over the cabin fever winter months.

I knew I lived in the country when I heard the ads for Vegas Gold on the radio, a local 'stripper club' - their competitive advantage - yes, say it loud and say it proud - was that their 'dancers have teeth.' Lisa does not approve this message.

Well, the Times validates us now, with a good article on small house living - of course, it could be mentioned, if we were feeling immodest, that we have been preaching the gospel to an open eared crowd for more than 18 months, with the release and advent of our cottage series last January '07. 'The Next Tiny Little Thing' http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/garden/11tiny.html?_r=1&em&oref=slogin Lisa and I now live in a smallish house - the old farmhouse we restored in Eldred, NY, near the Delaware River. Probably around 1200 sq ft. Space is valued, and the design needs to be well-thought out to make it all work. Cool little song from 1970, Stephen Stills - There's a place I can get to Where I'm safe From the city blues And its green And its quiet Only trouble was I had to buy it And I'll do anything I got to do Cut my hair and shine my shoes And keep on singin' the blues If I can stay here in Johnny's garden Rainy today. Lisa and I did a trial run to the hospital over Labor day - the pun escaping us until someone pointed it out. The hospital we hope to deliver at is over 50 minutes away, since we are skipping the closest hospital, Bon Secuors, since it's nickname is Bon Voyage. Her doctor overseeing the pregnancy is over 90 minutes away, and we have had more than one friend who drove into the city to deliver. Healthcare ain't what some of us are used to, but for sure, like many things, it has improved significantly over the past 6 years. Everything going fine on the home fronts, building like crazy. I just bought 3 more pieces of land (5+ acres each) and I think I am planning to start building Cottage 16, Retro Ranch #1 and mini-house #3 before winter sets in, meaning the houses would be ready for some homeowner collaboration by new year and a hot warm romantic fire (usually a smoldering, non-flame, smoky mess the first few tries by new homeowners) by end of February. Just some clarification on my humor - with Lisa's pregnancy brain, she didnt' get my jokes at the end of the last post so just in case it wasn't her brain and actually my disfunctional humor, let me clarify - I'm not changing my name, it's not going to be mix of all the programs I mentioned, and our new client Donna is not being hired to do my hair.

Cottage at Highland Farms taking shape, with a mean ass deck. Factory stained cedar siding arrived yesterday, and soon the house will be looking real good. Took a drive out to Scranton PA to Olde Good Things with the Owners and their new baby boy in order to find 2 unique salvage doors - a very successful trip, being we found 2 old big doors with real iron strap hinges - reminiscent of speakeasy doors during prohibition, or a franciscan monks protected monastary door. Big, heavy and old.

The chimney stone being installed against a bright blue sky.

Cottage 14, day #5 of building. Foundation just a few short days ago.

Cottage #14 - day # 7 of building.

Sweet Cottage 15 looking all svelte in the Saturday sun, with it's new porch defining her elegantly.

And the beginning of Farm 10.

And the beginning of the barn/studio of Farm 10 - we hope to do some green stuff here-, radiant, solar, rain water retention, solar hot water creation.

A producer from a studio called yesterday pretty interested in 'our story'. Bravo, the green channel, discovery - I guess 'this old house' meets 'flipping out' meets 'green nation' meets '90210' meets 'biggest loser' meets 'american idol'. I'm not so sure about the whole thing - so maybe we'll take it baby steps by baby step. Frankly, I've always pictured my name in lights - I wonder if they will make me change my name. One of our probable new clients is a hairdresser so she says she's in as far as wardrobe and makeup goes - so we got that covered.

‍

Here's a interpretative self portrait photograph Lisa composed a few years ago.

And here she is at the Homestead School, possibly Sullivan County's only private school - and on 85 acres with goats, sheep, gardens, barns and fields, this montesori's school has been around since the early 1970's and the owner's children are just readying themselves to take the helm.

They don't call her 'wrong way Lisa' for nothing. Here she is framed by the mediterean sea with Mt. Vesuvius all hazy and subtle (like a girl I met at Pravda in'98) in the background when we were visiting Capri last summer.

And now, all knocked up, posing with our elderly german shepard.

Really, it's quite pronounced. Sullivan County goes quiet after Labor Day - it doesn't go softly into that good night - it, overnight, becomes a very rural county without the weekend and vacation population that swells its roads, deli, groceries and bars. I mean, we are still only talking about maybe 1 or 2 cars waiting at a stop sign (very few stop lights), but that's one or 2 more than during the winter.

The farmer's markets in Callicoon, Narrowsburg and Barryville are thinning, and the good vendors still have a few good items left come 11 am, when just a week earlier, they would be sold out and making excuses as to why they consistently don't bring enough corn, cheese, apples, peaches or what have you.

Neat restuarant in Callicoon.

I like it slow - I can do without the summer 'crowds'. A rainy day inside the house, cold winters, snow storms, quiet sundays with the family and pets.

Sullivan County is a very seasonal destination. We don't have great ski slopes in our backyards or many of the other reasons people flock to winter destinations - so the only people who are up are homeowners, local or new yorkers alike. The summer is a bit different - with beautiful weather, lakes and ponds galores, the twisty delaware river hugs the entire south and west border of this large county. Hiking, climbing and a host of other summer activities attract a good crowd.

Well, great weather this summer. The spring and early summer started out a bit freakish with big violent rain and wind storms but then it settled into a nice, hot, varied summer with just enough rain to keep everything growing.

But I am a big fan of the other 3 seasons as well - and with my new fall wardrobe arriving in the mail the other day - I am ready to go, in style.

Can't hide the meaning of these colored leaves - Fall is on it's way.

Here's Lady Storm and Ruby - Ruby we rescued from Brooklyn, and Storm from White Lake.

And an old school pic of my friends Nancy and Brooke, before kids, marriages, or 2nd homes stole them away from me, I think we were somewhere up in Newport RI.

And just before the game of quarters started.

Well, just playing it cool today, just counting my lucky stars, and the days to the birth of our little boy, Luke.

‍