You know there’s not much to brag about when a home listing has only one interior shot and it’s a blurry, dark photo of a very average looking toilet. Still, the view from this Highland, NY cottage is nice, and it has over six acres, nothing to sneeze at for less than a hundred grand. It’s a short sale, which should give the buyer a bit of leverage. Currently it has one bed and one bath, though there’s room to expand from the current 717 square feet.

72 Ose Road, Highland. $85,000. GMAP 

One of the great things about living on a farm is that we get to really experience the cycle of life. Birth! Life! Motherhood! We love that.

But birth and life aren’t the whole cycle. There’s the other part, too, and no getting around it.

(Warning: this post is sad. But there’s sugar at the end. I promise.)

Part I

I blogged a couple months ago about how our two goats were expecting kids this spring.

Here’s Jeanie a couple weeks before she was due.

Not too long after this was taken she started showing signs of labor — a week earlier than we’d expected. Over the phone, our local goat vet was unconcerned. Goats can deliver healthy kids a week early. But as the day progressed it became clear that something was wrong.

I called the vet back, but they had closed for the day. I called Erica, a nearby goat farmer I knew, and told her I thought something was wrong. “Let me call you right back,” she said — and then didn’t.

Jeanie was on the ground now, bellowing with each contraction, but completely undilated.

I called Elaine, a vet friend who lives 45 minutes away. “Is that her?” she asked, hearing Jeanie hollering in the background. “Oh no. I’m coming now.” I’m sure she had a full schedule of appointments, but she left them all.

I hung up with Elaine and looked up to see Erica, the goat farmer, trotting down the hill. “I couldn’t find your number,” she shrugged, “so I just came over.” Thank you, Erica, for coming and helping.

By now Ernie, 13, had his hand up Jeanie’s backend and was trying to dilate her cervix, as Elaine had directed over the phone. Hey, they’re his goats, and he wants to be a vet when he grows up.

Erica took one look and told us immediately what we already suspected: no, this is not what normal labor looks like. She took over with the dilation attempts, with no better results.

Jeanie was beginning to foam at the mouth. The contractions were racking her body, and she was making unearthly, terrible sounds.

Elaine heroically made it to our house in 35 minutes, and was instantly kneeling beside Jeanie, pulling vet magic things out of her black satchel, things that would make Jeanie better, right? But even vet magic fails sometimes.

“She’s really sick,” Elaine said warily, looking at all of us carefully. “Really, really sick. We have to make some decisions.”

We were debating whether to do an emergency C-section right there in the barn or take Jeanie to Elaine’s office, when Elaine started shaking her head. She was kneeling at Jeanie’s side, taking her pulse. “She’s not going to make it.” She looked up at me so sadly. “Larissa, she’s dying.” Ernie used to apprentice at Elaine’s office. She knew the goats were his project, and that he’d raised both Jeanie and Ruby since they were bottle-fed kids, after wanting goats for literally years. She knew he’d been counting the days until their births, had been getting up at 6:30 every morning to do all the chores to prove to us that he could handle bottle-feeding the coming kids.

Thank you, Elaine, for trying so hard, and for understanding how much Jeanie meant to us.

Jeanie died.

We asked Elaine to try to save the kid. She did a post-mortem c-section, and pulled out one tiny, tiny, black and white, gorgeous little boy kid. I will never forget the sight of Elaine and Erica holding the kid between them, toweling him dry, looking at each other every now and then, shaking their heads — and then once, both gasping, nodding and renewing their efforts. We even raced up to the house all together and put him in a warm bath and swished him around, with acupuncture needles in his nose. We couldn’t bring him back.

We buried Jeanie and her kid in the pasture that night. Megan said we should plant flowers there. We will. Ruby, our other doe, was howling the whole time, looking for her best friend.

We were so, so, so sad.

“It’s the hardest part of farming,” Erica said, hugging me hard before she left to go feed her kids and milk her does.
Goodbye, friendly funny Jeanie. I’m sorry you had to go that way, and that we couldn’t save you. We loved  you. And so did Ruby.

Part 2 (The other part, the sugar) (more…)

We know; the first rule of Tivoli is that we don’t talk about Tivoli. We’ve basically been sworn to secrecy about this great little village in Dutchess County on the Hudson River, which has been pretty easy to do, since there’s not a whole lot for sale in Tivoli…ever. Tivoli residents aren’t interested in leaving Tivoli. Good for them! Bad for us. But we recently stumbled across this adorable Greek Revival number on the website of one of our favorite purveyors of real estate porn in Columbia, Dutchess and Greene Counties, Gary DiMauro Real Estate. We avoid playing favorites with real estate companies, but come on. It’s hard to ignore the cool houses on this site.

But back to the Tivoli Greek Revival. It’s lovely. Pricey, but lovely. Nice blend of old facade with new interior, lot size is over two acres and borders a stream, close to the village but still on enough land to make it feel a bit more private. And the back deck is a big selling point. Disadvantages?  Price (nearly $300/square foot) and fairly hefty tax burden. It is Tivoli, though. Once you come, you may never leave (cue the Twilight Zone music).

27 North Road, Tivoli (Gary DiMauro) GMAP
Asking Price: $599,000
Beds: 4
Baths: 3.5
Square Feet: 2,064
Year Built: 1885
Land: 2.2 acres
Taxes: $7,965
Features: Creek frontage

At last! A real bargain! We think. It’s tough to tell from only a few pictures, but it looks good. A respectable 2200 square feet, small but nicely landscaped yard with a stream and waterfall, the button-cute kitchen. Of course, the beds and baths could be total chaos for all we know, but it seems unlikely. Includes a walk-out basement and full attic. There is an obvious downside: It’s right on the road, and not even in the least bit concealed. But hey, at least it’s a corner lot. We would consider overlooking it in favor of the quality of the house itself. Within walking distance to Highland and sundry amenities, as well as the Walkway over the Hudson (hey! Did you know they’re building an elevator? We vote for this kind).

124 Vineyard Avenue, Highland (Prudential Serls) GMAP
Asking Price: $164,900
Beds: 3
Baths: 1.5
Square Feet: 2,248
Year Built: 1920
Land: .18 acres
Taxes: $5403
Features: Stream and waterfall

This lovely foursquare in the even lovelier village of Chatham has been snatched up. It’s a two-family — each unit had two bedrooms — connected with a sweet porch, and was originally listed for $159,000. According to Property Shark, the final sale price, agreed to in January, was $135,000.

Coming home froma pizza dinner at Baba Louie’s in Hudson last Sunday night, I noticed a strange glow coming from lower Warren Street, just a little below the 3rd Street intersection. A neon-pinkish glow. From a glowing little storefront, with people milling about outside.

Could it be?

It’s only May 6. Last year they opened May 16, according to Megan, who charts the movements of this locally-made ice cream shop like a whaling captain watches the stars.

“Turn, turn!” I shrieked to New Farmer Husband. “Stop! Lick is open! Lick is open!”

Okay, maybe I wasn’t quite so emphatic, but it was definite cause for excitement.

Lick is an ice cream shop that, like all ice cream shops probably should be, is a seasonal endeavor. Fall comes, and they shut down. (Last year we were the very last customers of the season. Every flavor was sold out, except for two servings of vanilla. So we… chose vanilla.)

Spring comes, and they bring back their locally-made, inventively-flavored wares. (Sasparilla, anyone?) Our first year upstate, we were wandering around Hudson on a sunny May afternoon. Three times we heard people exclaiming, “Lick is open!” We followed the crowd and had our first taste of Lick.

It is now a seasonal rite of passage.

Are they expensive? Do you often have to wait in line? Are they sometimes out of Wicked Chocolate? Yes, yes, and not if you go on Wednesdays and Fridays, duh!

Late spring is here. The dark winter is over. The summer people will be here soon, with their black clothing and their gallery brochures.

Let us now celebrate with Raspberry Chip in a wafer cone, Wicked Chocolate in a waffle cone, Salted Carmel Pretzel Peanut in anything, and maybe a double scoop of Figs n Cream. Mango- and Strawberry-Smoothies come later, when it’s hot.

We love you, Lick!

 

Age: Old enough!

Hometown: NYC

How long have you lived in Woodstock: 15 years in the same house (I bought the house I was renting after looking at many houses)

How long have you been doing real estate: 9 years as a top producing agent in UC earning my ABR (Accredited Buyers Representative, CRS Certified Residential Specialist, Luxury Home Marketing and Green designations)

Why did you decide to become an agent: I can’t tell you because I’m a secret agent

What is your favorite thing about working with buyers: Getting to know them, being part of that moment when they find the “one.”

What are some things that can help buyers be better clients:

1. Defining & articulating their wants & needs

2. Asking questions

3. Asking for help

4. Working with an agent they trust

5. Being able to make me laugh and keeping a sense of humor (more…)

Folks, it’s been a year since we launched Upstater, both to help folks like us search out the best spots upstate and to satisfy our own desire for a) a country house or b) a new life outside the city. We don’t yet have either, and even one of the houses that inspired the birth of Upstater, this rambling fixer-upper of an estate, is still for sale (so, yeah, let us know if you’re interested in buying it together), so the dream lives on.

Now that we’re a whole year old, we’d like to get your feedback about what you love about Upstater, and what you think could use work. What’s missing, do you think? What topics do you wish us to cover? And how has Upstater made an impact on your life (other than increasing the amount of drool falling from your mouth when you look at the houses)? We’ve heard a lot of stories about folks finding their dream houses in these “pages,” and if you have any such tales, please share them with us below.

Thanks, and happy birthday!

Walkway Over the Hudson, via Wikipedia

When we first heard about the Walkway Over the Hudson proposal to turn a disused railroad bridge into a pedestrian park several years ago, we thought it was a fabulous idea. Driving across the Hudson River on the various bridges is all well and good (and for real fun, try kayaking across!! Yowza!), but zooming by going 45 miles an hour, you miss all the good stuff in and around the river. Taking the mile-and-a-half stroll across the world’s longest elevated footbridge that spans one of the most magnificent rivers in the country is a treat and an educational experience, to boot. Interpretive signs line the walkway’s railing, and there’s even an audio-visual self-tour cleverly entitled Talkway Over The Hudson. Visitors can start on either the Ulster County trail head in Highland or the Dutchess County trail head across the river in Poughkeepsie.

So what to do once you’ve crossed from the Ulster side to the Dutchess? If you’re incredibly ambitious and love to walk, take a sharp right and head towards the river to the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum. WARNING: It’s a schlep. We’ve done it, but it was long and a little exhausting (especially on a hot summer’s day). Maybe take a cab, instead. Or park your bikes on one end of the Walkway and meet them there after you’ve crossed. However you do it, just do it. The Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum is a must-see, even if you don’t have kids and just like to play with stuff. There are tons of great exhibits (they even an have an inflatable planetarium), and they’re open until 8pm on Saturday nights. And for Father’s Day, all dads get in for free. Visit the museum’s website for info on exhibits, hours of operations, admission rates, etc.

Mid-Hudson Children's Museum

There’s not a lot that’s affordable in Highland. One of our readers pointed out that perhaps folks were getting priced out of New Paltz, driving the real estate prices higher in the surrounding towns. Sounds about right. This house seems like a bargain compared to the other properties we’ve found. Cute, well-kept, nice stone porch, two enclosed sun rooms, on nearly an acre of land close to the center of Highland. We liked the wood trim and archways and the high ceilings on the inside. But the carpets. Oh, that green carpeting is really something, isn’t it? We’d probably want to know what’s underneath, because whatever it is, it’s gotta be better than the carpets.

1 Tillson Avenue, Highland (J. Phillip Real Estate) GMAP
Asking Price: $225,000
Beds: 3
Baths: 1.5
Square Feet: 2,695
Year Built: 1900
Land: .92 acres
Taxes: $8263
Features: 2 enclosed sun rooms, living room fire place