Had some great friends up from the city this weekend for the 4th. We has some grub in Cold Spring, then popped off to Tall Pines to polish of a half dozen bottles of wine. This was just when we were getting started.
Be sure to check out that new addition (temporarily, at least) to the Tall Pines family, Cairo. More about him later; He'll be here all month!
Happy Independence Day! (And Happy Birthday to Mom!!)
L to R: Angie, Kiki, LP (not pictured), Sarah, EG and Cairo.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Tall Pines Tea Party
Monday, June 29, 2009
Frank and Joe
A little bit of set dressing here, some props for the house. Appealing to some classic nostalgic need for mysteries solved with just that touch of nuance, I got a collection of Hardy Boy books for the place. 28 books in the first installment, two shipments.
The Storm!
I knew the storm (Picture: Storm in Progress) was coming on Friday, there was a warning on my dashboard widget. About three in the afternoon, all hell broke loose on Tall Pines -- about an inch and a half of rain in about 40 minutes. And hail. Lightening. Booms of thunder. Enough wind to send potted plants flying across the yard. Lights flickering as the power toyed with going out.
And, crack, kaboom, this huge chunk of tree (pictured) is ripped from the very top of one of the trees by the wind and lands in the west lawn. Ouch!
This picture doesn't accurately depict size. The thickest part of this former tree top is easily a foot in diameter. This is 25 feet wide and probably 35 feet long. And heavy. It would have squashed me like a bug.
To get it out of the yard, I had to slice it into about 60 pieces and roll it into the woods. Amazing. You know how a few logs for the fire get heavy? Well, this thing is like 80 fire logs. Is? Was. I got it covered.
And eventually it will be firewood.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Fireplace, Check!
And, so , wood we burned. It took a epic drive north to Kingston, NY in a helluva rain storm to buy a fireplace set from a down-on-his luck alternative music drummer from the '80s (Information Society, Talking Heads ...) that we found on Craig's List ... then after hauling all that back, we had to go to the Lomala 200 Club dinner (details upon request) and finally we made it home Saturday night with a big bag of logs from the A&P and ... Viola! Here we go. An honest-to-God wood white birch fire in my living room. All natural, smoke up the chimney style.
And! Not five minutes after getting the fire started, zap! The power goes out due to the storm! So for the next five hours, we lit candles, drank wine and burnt wood up at Tall Pines.
All in all, very fantastic. And then Sunday night we burned more wood. This is going to be a regular thing.
Photo by LP.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Playboy Bunnies
Playboy, well, that's me.
As for the bunnies, check 'em out! How fantastic that these little dudes will just sit around on the South Lawn and work on a little lunch. And when I come out, they just chill out and do their thing, as I do mine.
I put some tera cotta pot bases out here and there and let them fill with rain water for the bunnies (and the toads). I mean, this sun gives you a powerful thirst!
Fireplace on the Way!
Oh, I keep forgetting to tell all about this. When I moved in to TP, there was a lame propane gas log set in my otherwise gorgeous fireplace.
So LP and RP convinced me that at all costs, it must be converted back to a kickin" regular wood burning fireplace, on the grounds that fires are cool (check!) and romantic (check!) and I'm not 70 years old and wood chopping would do me some good (check and check).
Last week, the chimney sweeps came and did a ton of work to the chimney (pictured), the flues, the crown, the ceramic times, the hearth, etc. They ripped out all the gas logs (trash can!) and cleared me for burning wood! Hot damn!
Windows: Open!
So today, a hotbed of activity. The gas company was here most of the day swapping out parts of the hot water heater, which has been out of service since Monday. Related news, I found it very North by Northwest to be carrying around simple toiletries in my bag and showering at the Health & Racquet club all week long.
So while the dudes were hammering away in the basement (and actually quite enjoying themselves, which was refreshing), I decided that, take no prisoners, I was going to work open all the paint-sealed windows up at tall pines. Here's some blessed fresh air (pictured) from the first one I got open. Talk about satisfaction!
And from here, I went throughout the house -- and by God, I got them all open. 17 windows, all operational.
Also, the gas company removed the gas line from the fireplace so I am closer and closer to a full-on wood burning open hearth fireplace.
Seven Winners
I know -- it seems like I've been drinking less. Not true! Just so, so busy with work that the photos have suffered. Anyway!
Look at this little round up. Let's go left to right.
A 2007 Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages -- a year-after-year, all-season classic at $12 a bottle. Never a failure, in fact I have another one right here that might get cracked tonight.
Le Grand Noir (Black Sheep), 2005, Cabernet-Shiraz. Damn! Loved this one. The bottle, the label, the wine. All spot on and a great read on a chilled-off evening.
This Jelu Malbec Rose (2008) is the find of the summer. All the fun of drinking a summer red, with all the ice-cold refreshment you want on a humid summer evening. Dry, dry, dry!
Goulart Classico Malbec, 2007, Argentina. You know. Details spotty.
Almira Los Dos Grenache-Syrah, 2007. Again. I'm sure I liked it. From Spain.
Toasted Head Chardonnay, 2007. LP loves it. Repeat with me. Toasted Head Chardonnay, 2007. LP loves it. Remember that the next time you go to the store.
La Brasserie Syrah, French, 2004. We've seen this before at Tall Pines. I was pleasantly surprised to find it at the back of the pantry this week. Yum!
OK so that's the round up. Back to the grind!
Related: The Wines of Tall Pines
Monday, June 15, 2009
The Regionals
Its super interesting to me all the small country airports that dot the landscape up here. Sure, NYC has Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark, but up here we have Dutchess County Airfield, Stormville Airport (good flea markets there!), the Kingston-Ulster Airport (pictured) and, of course, Stewart International (SWF -- with runways so long that it's a backup landing strip for the space shuttle).
So here we are with all these little regionals, and they're always popping up on my motorcycle rides. I try to drop in and see them all and pop off a few pictures before Homeland Security take my innocent interest as something hostile. Here, we have a couple of little dudes just sitting on the tarmac in the sun. Can you think of a more peaceful (and timeless) setting? This makes me just love aviation in a whole new way.
And don't think the little signs that said "Learn to fly here!" didn't pique my interest.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Spring Showers
So this is what keeps Tall Pines so green -- the heavy rains! In the winter, its snow. In the spring, rain, rain, rain! Look at this downpour, straight out of nowhere.
Also note the bluebird birdhouse on the tree there, next to the rifle target. We got that a few weeks ago, and already there's a family of bluebirds moved in. High occupancy!
FedEx!
Wow, look who made it all the way up the drive. And backed all the way up the driveway, too! FedEx, showing up Saturday morning with another set of Adirondack chairs from JCPenny.
The Hangover
This is in Saugerties, NY about 50 miles north of Tall Pines. Took the moto up there Saturday. Pretty good ride, too.
View Larger Map
Also dropped into Rhinebeck and Red Hook before slipping back into the mix on the Taconic. All in all, 125 mile ride and I was home by three.
View Larger Map
Also dropped into Rhinebeck and Red Hook before slipping back into the mix on the Taconic. All in all, 125 mile ride and I was home by three.
Plumbing, Heating & Cooling
Licensed. Insured. And graphic design? An obvious touch of genius. Check it out -- attention paid to typography, iconography, spacing, line, form, balance -- all of it. And they have the presence of mind to totally leave out the name of the company! It's genius in understatement.
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