Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Catskills, something new




Most of you who read this blog were with me when I had my little store in the Catskills.
Now, my family is starting a new venture. We've bought a commercial property
in the rural hamlet of Andes, New York, in the Western Catskills .

Over the years it's been a creamery, a lumber mill, and a feed and grain store.
It's right next to the old train depot, where in the early 20th century, cans of Andes milk
 from the creamery were loaded onto the train for delivery to distant places.


There's plenty of sunny land to start a flower farm or grow blueberries
or, maybe one day, have donkeys or goats.
Thanks to Delaware County's Right to Farm Law
you can have a farm in the middle of town.
(Read more about that here.)
Though at 3.5 acres we won't be doing any serious farming.
But still, flowers...(for the goats to eat?)


One day I hope to have a painting studio inside that door,
with a view of the rolling hills and changing seasons.


There are also two huge pole barns,
for tractors or square dances or art installations.
There are a lot of unknowns,
but there's plenty of space for dreamers to implement their dreams.


I'm a little nervous about it. It's a real, long-term commitment. Not something I expected or asked for, but it's a wonderful property, and I'm feeling some love for it. It's about five miles from the house where we've been weekenders since 2002. The Rail Trail is on one side, the Tremperskill Creek on the other, and it's two blocks from Main Street. The best part about having my store was the friends I made, of feeling like I was part of the community. This rural region of upstate New York makes my world a better place, and I hope we can return the favor.



25 comments:

  1. Congratulations! Can't wait to see what you do with it.

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  2. that sounds like a fabulous new adventure. I hope you take us along...

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  3. Five miles - you can walk it on lovely spring days. Looks like it has potential.

    We had a wind storm come through from the West Coast and knocked out our power, but not my son's electricity down the hill, so we're staying at his place until it's fixed. Maybe in a week, the power company says. There's so much damage. Luckily no big pines came down near our house.

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    1. Oh, there's lots of potential, Karen! :)
      A week! That's a long time with no power. Glad your house is safe.

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  4. Brave woman - and oh, how exciting! We'll come with you for the ride, no matter where it leads us.....

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    1. Thankfully it's a family endeavor, Rachel. Definitely not something I would do on my own! My days of big projects and grand gestures are over. :) But I will keep you posted.

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  5. Wonderful news! All those potential uses and a great weekend getaway for your City Sons, too. Warm Congratulations to you-all for taking such a leap, Jennifer!

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    1. Thanks so much, Diane. (Pretty sure that's you.)

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    2. Sorry, Jennifer. The anonymous reply is from "Diane in Denver."

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  6. I've been on Zillow looking at houses for sale in Andes: heartbreakingly and seductively affordable - so many sweet old homes! Alas, Joe is determined to live out his years without snow. It's so pretty there Jen and I'm very excited to see what will happen next.

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    1. Bob feels the same way. Lucky his mother has an extra bedroom in Florida. ;-) My fantasy is part time in Andes and part-time in Brooklyn in a little apartment on Eastern Parkway--the block that has entrances to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Museum, Library, and Prospect Park.

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  7. Great news, Jennifer. It looks like the perfect addition for you. Looking forward to see what happens there. Sorry about the anonymous, but I was having trouble signing in. Some days I just hate computers. michele napoli

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  8. What a great adventure, Jen! Can't wait to see what y'all do with this great property.

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  9. How lovely. Another reason to return to the Catskills.

    xo J

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  10. Beautiful plan!!! Congratulations :)

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  11. It's really great to have a place in which you can spread imagination without limitation.

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  12. oh how wonderful!!!! ok, now I have to remember to check your blog daily to read about this new venture. What creativity it will unleash for you!

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