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Off the map
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Schuler, who was “sort of teaching art” at SUNY-New Paltz, got the idea to build a house for his family up on top of a mountainside…
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Playing favorites
Asking an architect about their favorite project is an unfair question, like asking a parent which of their children they like best. Still, however, we were curious. Leaving commercial projects aside, what kind…
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A touch of the wild
No garden is natural or wild, as least not altogether natural or altogether wild. Otherwise, the garden wouldn’t be a garden. It would be woods or a meadow or a weedy lot. This…
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The buzz about mason bees
It’s a beautiful spring day, and I’m surrounded by a swarm of bees. The last time I found myself in that position I was stung over 40 times. And that was just for…
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What to do before the next storm
Well, if you’re tired of hearing and thinking about Irene and Lee (and it’s surprising that no one has written a cowboy lament about that outlaw couple), then you probably are surviving with…
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Arcadian appointments
There’s no sign on the road between Saugerties and Woodstock to proclaim that Romancing The Woods Inc., a rustic furniture design-and-build business owned by area native Rob Davis, is the go-to place for…
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Staging a home
When she put her house on the market, Dena Roy had already downsized, moving a lot of her personal stuff into boxes stored in the basement. She’d heard that it’s important for sellers…
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Eight must-have tools
It’s the classic DIY dilemma: will it be worth it to try it myself after I buy all the tools I need and spend twice as long as pro? In many cases, the…
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A house made of spare parts
Michael Lalicki and Susie Linn purchased their house inKingston’s Rondout at city auction. When they moved in during the summer of 2000, the funky, multi-family structure was a squalid mess. Rotting food, left…
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It was a steel
So necessity is the mother of invention. At what point does idealism, based on a fresh assessment of a changed reality, kick in and stretch our idea of abode into new territory? Andy…
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The Luddite approach to home and yard care
When I traded a carpet for a wood floor, I also graduated from a vacuum cleaner to a broom — and have never looked back. I use old socks in place of Swiffers,…
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Set in stone
Stone-wall building is a dying art. Manufactured materials, comprised of cement, are cheaper substitutes; easier to work with than the real thing. One can dictate form and shape to the material. With real…
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Learning the history of your home
Saugerties Town Historian Audrey Klinkenberg gets a twinkle in her eye when she talks about how to trace the history of old houses in Ulster County. It’s clear that she relishes the adventure…
Pretty vegetable gardens
The first thing you see when you drive up to my brother’s house is his vegetable garden. My own vegetable garden is prominently in view a few steps out the glass sliding doors of…
Off the map
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Schuler, who was “sort of teaching art” at SUNY-New Paltz, got the idea to build a house for his family up on top of a mountainside…
Playing favorites
Asking an architect about their favorite project is an unfair question, like asking a parent which of their children they like best. Still, however, we were curious. Leaving commercial projects aside, what kind…
A touch of the wild
No garden is natural or wild, as least not altogether natural or altogether wild. Otherwise, the garden wouldn’t be a garden. It would be woods or a meadow or a weedy lot. This…
Nutrition for the spirit
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses! – “Bread and Roses,” James Oppenheim, 1911 Growing flowers for the pure pleasure of it seems almost too bourgeois…
Picking the right color
With spring on its way, you may be looking to make some fresh changes to your home. One quick way to make a big difference is to change your wall colors. Wanda Nicholson,…
Close encounters of a furred kind
I experienced that memorable moment of transition, a violent initiation from naïveté into a dark new world filled with awareness, too much awareness, when for the first time I laid eyes on a…
Home to roost
A growing number of Hudson Valley homeowners are keen on raising their own chickens. Over 700 regional chicken, goat and livestock enthusiasts are part of the Hudson Valley Chickens Yahoo Group. I looked…
Let’s get started
“The fellow that owns a home is always just coming out of a hardware store.” Kin Hubbard Declutter your home To make room for the new, one has to get rid…
The buzz about mason bees
It’s a beautiful spring day, and I’m surrounded by a swarm of bees. The last time I found myself in that position I was stung over 40 times. And that was just for…
