Rain, rain, rain

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On Wednesday 18 May 2011, Phoenicia received 1.23 inches of rain.

late April 2011

Healty Ulster grant

An item from the Shawangunk Journal:

Imagine your child coming home from school and grabbing an apple or some carrot sticks from the fridge. You just picked up the produce from the Ulster County "veggie mobile" that swung through town earlier that day. Or instead of driving, you ride your bicycle down newly created bike lanes on your way to the library.

Those scenarios will hopefully become a reality as part of a $1.01 million grant award for the Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work and Play (CHP) initiative. The initiative will focus on three areas in Ulster County: the greater Ellenville community, Phoenicia and the city of Kingston. It came about through a partnership between Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) and the Ulster County Department of Health.


County and CCE officials announced the grant award at a press conference Friday morning at Ellenville Public Library & Museum. They included Ulster County Executive Mike Hein, Interim CHP Coordinator Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Ulster County Public Health Director Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck, and CCEUC Executive Director Lydia Reidy.


Competitive Grant
Zaczkiewicz said the three communities were chosen for their diversity from a demographic perspective. "Kingston is a small city, Ellenville is a village and Phoenicia is a hamlet," he said, offering a unique chance to measure the impact of the program's success.

The grant is one of only 22 in the state, and earning it was a very competitive process including the metropolitan New York area and Long Island, Zaczkiewicz noted.


Hein said he is excited to see the program begin in the area for three reasons: "It's a wonderful opportunity to work with Cornell Cooperative Extension, an opportunity to impact public health, and most importantly an opportunity to make families' lives better."

Phoenicia Library settles into temporary location

The Phoenicia Library building bears the scars of the March 19 fire in a photo taken just hours after the blaze was extinguished. Freeman file photo

Phoenicia Library employees Molly Kilb, foreground, and Susan Penick work on Tuesday in the library’s temporary quarters, a former medical office in the hamlet. Photo by Jay Braman Jr.

DEC grants permit for dredging in Phoenicia

The permit will allow town workers to dredge roughly 2,700 cubic feet of gravel and sediment from the Stony Clove Creek, extending roughly 690 feet upstream from the Route 214 bridge.

Mid-March in Chichester

A foot,  or so, of snow remains in places in Chichester. There has been quite a bit of melt. Last Friday, 11 March, Phoenicia received 4.9 inches of rain. As a result of all that melting snow and precipitation, the creeks and streams are running fast, and muddy. I took this video (Spike Lee has nothing to worry about) early on Saturday afternoon. Take a look, and a listen, to how Stoney Clove Creek looks, and sounds. [Click on the four-arrow icon to pop out the video viewer to full screen.) Click on the title of this post to see a slideshow of how other parts of Chichester, and Wilson State Park, looked.

After one flood ...

From deep in the archives, these photos appeared, bringing back memories of a flood some years back. In September of 2005, in fact. This piece of abstract art was composed by Chichesterites of items that were washed up in various Chichester properties by the surging waters of Stoney Clove Creek.

Febnruary 2011

Feet of snow remain on the ground, with a thin layer of ice over fluffy snow. Walking in unblemished snow was difficult.

Roads are clear; take a look at Stoney Clove Lane:

January 2011

During the winter season some people go to Wilson State Park, along Wittenberg Road, with their dogs. It is an oasis of open land where dogs can run leash-free. In its starkness, it can seem a beautiful place.

2010 Year end

Only 9 inches of snow fell in Chichester; New York City got 20 inches of snow from the Bloomberg storm.

Haines Falls - Kaaterskill Falls hiking/biking path

This article appeared in the Greene County Daily Mail on November 26, 2010.

Poet's Walk Park

Country Road 103 run north-south on the Dutchess County side of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, intersecting State Route 199 (between Route 9G and the River Hudson). Turning north from 199, up half a mile, sits the Poet's Walk Park. Said to have inspired Washington Irving, it is a lovely spot even in the throes of late autumn.

Ongoing CPOA grounds rehabilitation

Steel beams were back in place, and planking was being added, to make a temporary foot bridge.

Little by little, progress being made in rehabilitating the grounds.

Dining Out: Sweet Sue's in Phoenicia

An article appearing in the 12 November 2010 issue of the Times Herald-Record discusses our favorite and renown local eatery. Its subtitle sums it all up: Order a stack of bliss at this Ulster treasure

Watershed coalition reaches land agreement with NYC

From the Daily Freeman.

Hiking Diamond Notch

Off Route 214, in Lanesville

Onteora Lake and trail

In West Hurley, along Route 28 (just before the Hobo Deli area), there is a New York State DEC site, Onteora Lake: aside from the lake, there is a hiking trail.

October 18 pictures of CPOA grounds

Finally, later on Saturday the 16th, Jerry Ciacciera managed  to start, and move, his truck:

The Phoenicia Times

As Janis Chron wrote in her email of Friday 15 October, a column appeared in the New York Times edition of  Wednesday 13 October, written by Peter Applebome, about the demise of the Phoenicia Times (and of the Olive Press).


There’s often something appropriately operatic about a newspaper’s farewell, but as far as group hugs go, it would be hard to beat the one that accompanied the final edition last week of The Phoenicia Times, with its memorable slogan, “Covering the Town of Shandaken, Wild Heart of the Catskills’ High Peaks.” 

There were farewell columns by the food columnist, the hiking columnist, the farming columnist and most of the paper’s regular voices. There were heartfelt farewells from readers (“Loss does not describe it. I see it as creating a very bleak vacuum”). And there was a quite lovely front-page obituary, with its reference to long-dead Catskill papers: The Hancock True Flag, The Pine Hill Sentinel, The Star of Delaware.

“When newspapers die, there’s no headstone to mark their passing. But I’d like to imagine that somewhere in the Catskill Mountains, in a clearing on a hillside ringed with a crumbling stone wall, there’s a little plot where mourning readers can pay their respects.”

What was most interesting about the tribute was its provenance. It began as a post on a relatively new Catskill Web site, The Watershed Post, and it was written by the site’s editor, Lissa Harris.

Tanbark Trail, Phoenicia

Behind the Phoenicia Post Office, inside of the Phoenicia Park, in the back, there is an access to the Tanbark Trail. A group of volunteers have carved out a mountain-side trail that is somewhat over 2 miles long, something strenuous at intervals, and a fun hike with some incredible views. We were there on a beautiful autumn day. Some of our views:

A young hiker with, Inchie, a friend on his hand.

A view from the Phoenicia Overlook.

Route 28, headed east from Phoenicia.

Far off in the distance, the Shawangunk Mountains.

October 10 & 11 pictures of CPOA grounds

Additional October 1 flood pictures

Lee Wecker and John Boudreau sent along pictures of the flood damage, including this near-miss to their house:

The Ostrander Bridge collapsed into Stoney Clove Creek, alas.

DELUGE!

Story in the Daily Freeman reporting on the flood; includes photos and videos.

Flood Damage Reporting for FEMA

The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County sent along this posting.

October 1 flood - Chichester photos

Amy and Len Lerner sent these photos along:

(above) Looking down from the Stoney Clove Lane Bridge.

Stoney Clove Creek seen from the Lerner estate.

Remains of the Ostrander Bridge leading from Route 214 to the community house.

Our intrepid reporter on the job.

October 1 flood article

This e-article in the Kingston Daily Freeman includes photos and videos on the flooding in Phoenicia and damage to Route 214.

Rt. 23A study reveals development strategy

This article appeared in the Green County Daily Mail. A two-year long look at how to best prepare the Route 23A corridor through the Town of Hunter for future development was unveiled at a workshop for community and public officials at Hunter Mt.’s Kaatskill Mountain Club.

Leaf-Peeping and Time Travel

A New York Times article on train rides and viewing autumn foliage includes a bit on the Catskill Mountain Railroad. An accompanying slideshow includes pictures of the railroad and views along the Esopus.

Labor Day 2010

Blast from the past

Found these pictures in my archives