Catskills/Woodstock….thats a wrap!

First, a quick shoutout to my Queen, Happy Birthday to my very spectacular mother! Happy 77th to Boots!

What an incredible 2 weeks I had with my very special friend, Helene! She refers to me now as her daughter from another mother. I feel truly blessed that we were paired together 7-8 years ago, when I became her volunteer in AZ. We have become like family over the years, and this was my 3rd time visiting here in her hometown of Woodstock.

The night I arrived there was a big fireworks show. Helene & I sat on the edge of the driveway to watch the big show. Helene had a couple staying with her this visit, as she is such a generous-kind soul and was helping out a couple from Costa Rica with a place to stay for 8 weeks. Barry & Alice are originally from the East coast and Barry had a major knee surgery in the CITY and needed a place to recover before going back to Costa Rica. They are buddhists and chant 2 times a day. They are staying on the other side of this cute yellow house and Im in my own beautiful bedroom near Helene. The chanting became very soothing to hear daily, and I did join in a couple of times. The spiritual energy was definitely felt in this house on a daily basis. My first day was rainy in the mountains, that we were on Rainy day schedule. We went to see the highly talked about movie, “It start‘s with Us”, with Blake Lively. We loved it, and Helene has now read the sequel to learn what happened next, as it’s a book.

Barry loves to cook, and while I was there he made yummy pancakes, a spicy flounder dish, a shrimp pad-thai dish that was yummy. Helene whipped up this healthy vegetable soup, I made my air fryer salmon arugula salads. We again, ate at home many nights, which is always a treat. Wonderful conversations had around the table. It turns out Barry was adopted and found his birth family in his 30’s through DNA testing. So much more to share about this, wild how I always meet people touched by adoption. He had grown up an only child and now has many siblings he is close too. He was sooo into learning all about PairTree. So much more to share about them, but I’ll spare you the details, as to keep this post manageable. I just love getting to know new people. They were neat.

My work week started at the same place as last year, Lindsay the barista remembered me. So fun to reunite with people in these quaint cute East Coast towns. I really love this part of America. My work spot is called, Caffe- it’s on the main road called Tinker St. I wake up and go on a walk every morning to this place to have my fav Illy coffee before showering for the day to return dressed and ready. The country rd I walk down is swarming with deers, they are not phased by me one bit. I say hi, and it feels like they hear me. The scenery in the Catskills is like out of a fairytale book. The trees, mountains, all the different shades of green, ponds, lakes, bug sounds, flowers, and the most down to earth people. This is a cool place!

If you have been an avid DTG follower you might recall Helene is visually impaired. I’m always in awe by her ability to be SO independent, determined, and self sufficient in every aspect of life. This lady exercises everyday, whether with a trainer in person, on zoom, or at a gym class. She is fit for 78, and the brightest ray of sunshine in every way! When Im not working we venture out and do fun things that she doesn’t always get to do, unless with someone. We ventured out one day to explore the Ashokan Reservoir. Well, my GPS lost signal in the middle of the woods, Helene has a gift with her internal compass, even though she can’t see. It really blows my mind. She just innately knows where to go and can describe landmarks and a feeling. I was a little lost, I had to stop other drivers on the rd to confirm which way to drive, we made it to our destination. With serious laughter and trust in the adventure. No joke, we were the blind leading the blind and found our way.

Okay, so this walk was again, off the charts. Look it up, as the photos don’t do this scenery justice. The quietness of the wilderness, the stillness of the water, the lush coverage of dense trees in shades of dark green covering the mountain region, I was in awe! And I get to be the audio description live for my fellow walker. I kept having to stop to take photos/videos. It was so peaceful to be out here…the sounds of silence in nature is pure magic to me. Especially in 60 degrees with a sweatshirt, this is truly the life, pinch me!!

We then met up with one of her friends, Susan at my most favorite restaurant in town, called Sylvia’s. We got a perfect table outside on the patio. A delicious meal of Steelhead trout, after sharing a kale salad, and a yummy mezcal cocktail. We had to end with a chocolate/lavender pots de creme w/3 spoons. It was a perfect day/night. Because I have known Helene for so long, I now know most of her close friends, as they all visit in AZ. It’s fun to hang out with them here in their own element, my favorite friend of her’s is Nancy. Nancy & Helene together, remind me of how I will be one day with Rachel Cohen. They have been friends for 50+ years. Nancy is SO fun. She is a famous chef, what I mean is, she cooks for weddings, events, etc. she actually used to be a big deal food designer, so all her dishes have great presentation. She has me over every time I visit. I got lucky to have 2 dinners at her house this visit, and we went for a pedicure together too. She and her husband Olaf ate extremely generous, kind, fun- loving good people. They like to drink and smoke(the good stuff). It’s always a relaxing party at there house. Olaf is a holocaust survivor and from Holland. The first dinner was just the 4 of us, the last dinner was 8 of us. A real dinner party with more of Helene’s family. What a night that was, like a reality TV Show with many characters. And quite the PARTY!! A true woodstock kind of night! Fun & DELISH!

This post is a bit unorganized, my apologies if it reads that way. Other big highlights….We went to Rhinebeck on a Saturday. We walked around all the shops after walking/hiking The Poets Walk that has incredible views of the Hudson River. We ventured to a town called Saugerties, and went to a farmers market. We met up with another friend, Amy. She took us to another beautiful trail to see a beautiful water-fall. The Falling Water Preserve Pk, a picturesque setting. I spent a day solo, as Helene went out to an event with Barry & Alice. I drove to Kingston for the day to work from a Starbucks and get a manicure after work. Funny, the closest Starbucks is 30 min from her home.

I love pulling into our long driveway to see many deer playing/eating on this beautifully landscaped property. It’s night and day from Arizona. Politics have been a big topic of conversation with all that has been brewing. We all tuned into watch the DNC in the evenings, staying up until midnight all 4 nights. And the first CNN Kamala interview was shown a few days later. Woodstock is a VERY blue area, most people are serious liberals and very vocal about it. I sit back, listen and take it all in. I was sad RFK dropped out, most people up here think he is Cra Cra. People are real passionate about their beliefs. It’s been interesting to listen to so many different groups and take in all the perspectives and different views. To go from the Chabad dinner conversations to the ones up here has been a true testament to freedom in America. Thank goodness we all have the right to vote! Helene and I watched the Bill Maher show together, as he finally returned from being off air for a month. This was a great episode. I do love his show!

On Sunday, Helene and I went out for another big walk- this time the Ashokan Rail Trail, another tree lined beautiful trail along side a gorgeous body of water. We did some food shopping at a cool grocery store similar to an AJs. I was excited to go experience the town Drum Circle. I had attended last year and was psyched. Nothing better than drumming for an hour with serious hippies in Woodstock. Free flowing- people dance and smile, the feeling of true community. I had walked there, so I decided to walk in/out of all the cute shops finally. So many new age stores with the best books to flip through. I ended at a funky outdoor bar for a cocktail. I enjoyed a lemongrass mezcal mule- REFRESHING! The best part was the ambiance of this funky place with the coolest music playing. It felt very rave like, in a jungle setting with dark cloud cover. Never having been to burning man, I feel like the vibe of this place could be a camp there.

It had been a rainy cloudy weekend. Perfect for sleeping with the windows open. I decided I wanted to hike The Overlook Mountain trail before leaving Woodstock. I read a lot of reviews, I knew it was gonna be hard, but omg my body is in pain while Im typing this post. I woke up on Friday am early to conquer this hike on my last full day, it was cold, damp from a night time rain, but I was ready. By 730am, I parked in the empty lot of the trailhead lot. I started into the gloomy woods, 5 minutes in, I heard my CUJ voice in my head telling me I was crazy to go hiking alone in the woods. My phone no longer had any service and I got a lil spooked. Plus, it was STEEP, and every excuse in my head was telling me to turn around- would there even be a view on a cloudy day? As I got close to my car I saw another solo female hiker, I asked if she was from around here, is this safe, has she done it before? Etc. yes, yes, yes…..Go for it! She says it’s a must while in the area, I will love it and feel great after completion. Plus the view is worth it! Okay…..

Omg, I must have asked so many hikers, “Am I there yet, how much longer”. Lol I was dying….this trails went straight up, so steep, no views , yet you do pass very cool ruins. There was one part that brought be back to Cambodia, Angkor Wat. Ha. Well they were all right- this view was PRICELESS!! I was in AWE, as I approached the cliff that made you feel like you were on top of the world. No joke, i was above the clouds. It was CRAZY!! Beyond beautiful, photos don’t capture the beauty. I sat up there for quite some tine taking it all in, on a clear day you can see all 3 states in the distance. Going down was hard too. This 5 mile trek has beaten me up, worth it yes. Or so I will say after my massage tomorrow. Ha

This morning, I said good bye to the tree- lined streets, the running wild deers, and to my dear friend Helene in the mountains of the best country lifestyle in the Hudson Valley. I will return back for my car in 30 days.

I have arrived to my September home in NYC. 🍎🗽My favorite CITY. Im staying in the UWS neighborhood, which is a change for me. Im right next to The Park on 73rd st. A cool new area to explore. I went to 2 grocery stores, got unpacked and set up and treated myself to a cocktail at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, a great place for the most spectacular view. A night at home to rest my body before my full packed day tomorrow with cousin Julie and a special visit with Marley. So many people in this city this month. It will be busy and packed with many posts.

Wishing everyone a Happy Labor Day!

Hugs xo xo

love Laurie Sue, AKA Dora💕🧚🏻‍♀️❤️💫😘