I'm feeling the luck of the Irish
May 20, 2025
This has been a few days of delightful explorations into the Hudson Valley life and why it’s so magical.
Last night we got our asses off the sofa at 7:30 (on a Monday!), picked up a friend and headed to a local bar for “Celtic Night”. Why? Just cuz it sounded cool to me.
A lovely photographer came to my studio to take Studio and Headshots Friday and told me about this little understated event. Every Monday musicians from the area show and play together for a few hours. These were extremely proficient musicians and the music had me smiling from ear to ear and tapping my toes. I didn’t stop smiling the whole time we were there! We eventually started talking to people. We seemed to be the only “civilians” in the place. And people wondered what brought us in and started to talk to us and they were so lovely! I’d love to be a regular for a serious dose of dopamine but Monday nights might be a challenge.
Prior to that we had a more socially engaging weekend than usual. A woman who walks by our house a lot invited us over for drinks as we were headed into Woodstock for dinner. So we stopped by after dinner. Her house was extraordinary. She lives on 9 acres about 5 minutes from us. Half the house was built in the 1800s and the other half was built in 1930s. The older part houses the kitchen and breakfast nook and it feels like a museum with low ceilings, wood beams, cramped spaces. And she’s lived there forever so it’s crammed with antique kitchenware hanging everywhere and family photos. It felt so historical and loved and cozy. The newer section is still very old with a big room with a gracious fireplace and separate apartment upstairs. She had wonderful art all over the place, most of it created by friends. An amazing portrait of her husband who passed away years ago. A huge grand piano.
Much of the grounds were cleared for gardening and there was a pond with goldfish. A terrace off the side overlooked a waterfall on the other side of her road that provided a constant soundtrack to our visit.
We sat on her screened porch and had wine and learned about her life in NY as a doctor, as well as her connections to notable figure in history. It was wonderful and I’m glad to call her a new friend.
On Saturday we went with our next door neighbors to a fundraiser for a large local conservancy organization at a Woodstock farm. It was a beautiful setting with a barn made for country style weddings. We met some interesting people, had some great apps, learned a lot about what this organization does and got to know our new friends better. A win all around.
Some people close to me are commenting on my newfound willingness to leave the house and be with people. It does seem different, I admit. May just be the glow of new surroundings and in a year I’ll be over it. But the magical thing about this area is its accessibility to culture and arts while also being deeply entrenched in natural beauty. And I will happily drive 15 minutes to a bar where I can sit 2 feet from gifted musicians while I drink Ginger Ale, rather than plan how to beat Friday night rush hour traffic and where to park for an evening in the city that costs $$$. This feels like the balance in life we all talk about needing.