UCCC Gala and Silent Auction

One of my favorite events and causes in Ulster County is the Ulster County Community College Gala. The money made from the huge silent auction goes to the Ulster County Community College Foundation the some of the money raised goes towards scholarships.

Art work, gift certificates and other various goodies are offered and the kindness of donators is amazing and exceedingly generous. The event will be Oct. 2 at the Hillside Manor and a dinner and music plays late into the night. These are the two 11”X 14” framed photos that I will be giving. Now if I can just find two friends to bid, it will be my sixth year of involvement. Only this year, I will be here to attend.

A Rising Son

Monday I went up to see my son Chance at college, a visit long overdue, it reminded me of the song Cats in the Cradle, he has grown up and is a busy man. Scheduling work, classes and time for fun isn’t easy, just as hard as deadlines and flights. He spent the summer driving an ice cream truck and delivering pizza, he is a very patient fellow. His infectious smile made it a very pleasant time and hearing stories of a young man’s college days brought back some memories of my own. I find I learn a lot more about his life when just chilling and not asking too many questions. Most pleasing to me his continued desire to join the Peace Corps after school, he has the travel bug! Wonder where he got that.

Saugerties, NY Makes Budget Traveler's Top Ten List

Saugerties, NY is a success story, plain and simple. I didn’t need to read the new issue of Budget Traveler to remind me of that. It was great to see it picked as one of the 10 coolest small towns in America. More and more I am seeing the villages and towns that are in my home zone get picked as places to go. Sometimes I need to be reminded that I travel from and return to a special place filled with interesting people.

My friend and occasional GoNOMAD contributor Richard Frisbie was mentioned in the piece as was his Hope Farm Press & Bookshop. Miss Lucy’s Kitchen and Love Bites Café also got a shout out. Tubac, AZ and Rockland, MI also made the cut.

A Real Facebook Friend, Pictures World Hope

Sometimes FB is a joy, especially when you get a message from someone met on a trip that just shined! Barbara Ries is one such person and it is proved by the great work she and a few others have begun. Picture World Hope is a group of professional journalists, photographers and producers that are using their skills to promote the World’s non – profit charities.

Picture World Hope:
• Researches and develops a plan for coverage. Assigns a team of experienced photojournalists, writers, designers and producers.
• Produces vibrant video, compelling photographs and interviews that engage donor audiences.
• Offers services that include post-production of photos and videos for fundraising, print and web design, as well as e-commerce initiatives, strategic planning, identity development and branding.
• Has proven that our marketing campaigns directly result in increased donations.


Check out their website and see where you fit in!

Olive Oil Tasting in Mendoza

 

It wasn’t just some great reds tasted in Mendoza, Argentina this month, olive oil is also under going a rebirth. Quality oil that is. At the borgada Familia Zuccardi their new processing center is ready for operation. Color, aroma and taste matters much like wine itself. While taking a sip it is important to suck in some air also, that is the way to test the varietals, which range from sweet to spicy. The Familia uses three varietals, Manzanilla, Arauco and Frantoio, all different and all wonderful.

A New Writer Moves to the Hudson River Valley

 

I have had writers visit and most have loved the area but I now have one that moved up to the Hudson River Valley and loves it. I traveled with Robin Cherry through some of the best that France has to offer, and she made the trip even better. Robin bought a house across the river in Rhinebeck, NY, a fantastic town. Better yet she loves it.

Tomorrow night Robin is crossing over and coming for a visit, the first of many I hope. I like nothing better than having writers at the farm table with a fireplace going. I also now have a reason for crossing east over the River, besides some great restaurants. Welcome to the area Robin.

What's Dutch About the Hudson River Valley

 

The Hudson River Valley is unique and it isn’t just its beauty captured by painters such as Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School, an American art movement from the mid-19th century. It is the Dutch fiber that still runs deep in the valleys and creeks, names from early 1600’s still can be found in droves in local phone books. The hard work and hard party lifestyle still prevails centuries later.

Hudson River Heritage is highlighting, What’s Dutch – from Hurley to High Falls, Ulster County, NY Oct. 3rd and 4th. In a season of harvest and preparation, this is the perfect way to explore this fantastic region. One of the homes featured is my sister’s a perfect example of the stone structures used by the Dutch settlers. Often when not thousands of miles away I start my day in a kitchen with a cup of coffee, where Dutch settlers often started thier day with a dram of gin.

Senior Travel, Even if by DVD

 

I have a secret place to share my travels, it is the most gratifying place to share I can think of. Each year I receive countless numbers of DVD and CD disks all dedicated to wondrous places. I found that those who may never get to those places really enjoy seeing them even via a tube. Every once and awhile I head down to an assisted living place a friend owns.

Amidst the movies is a collection of travel DVDs that I have been bringing down. At first I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea but was assured that the travel bits spark excitement. I am sure that the PR folks never envisioned that their polished productions would be so popular by many who will never spend a buck or get the chance to hop a plane and visit. I say it is money well spent; life is short and the world larger than we believe in this computer generated age. Better yet I have found my own place to place my photos, my own gallery. There isn’t a more appreciative audience, anywhere.

Rondout Valley Growers Hook up with the Bruderhof

 

I had a wonderful Saturday afternoon this weekend visiting the Bruderhof community in Rosendale, Woodcrest. They threw an outdoor BQ, a meet the neighbors sort of event. The tenants of the Hutterian Brethren are basic, nonviolence and compassion.

When I was in high school because of their form of dress they went through some tribulations, small cities can breed some small thinking sometimes. It was wonderful to meet some mighty nice people in such a beautiful place. I even got to make my own apple pie, all the work of prep was done and the pie ready to assemble.

I read today in the Blue Stone paper that the community and local farmers are putting 4,000 pounds of local sweet corn into use for food pantries and soup kitchens in Ulster County. On Sept 22 the Rondout Valley Growers Assoc. is looking for volunteers to help at the Bruderhof. I just might shuck with the best of them!

All Social Media Trip to China, Ritz Carlton and Cathay Pacific

 

Max’s recent blog about social media was right on and proof of that for me is an up coming trip to Shenzhen and Guangzhou China very soon. The trip will be with Ritz Carlton and Cathay Pacific, two companies that certainly are up front in hospitality in the travel world. I and three others will be one of the first all social media participants on this type of trip. The itinerary looks fantastic and besides some great cultural events heaps of that great Ritz service, such as in room bath menu and Spa services are on the agenda. My blog, facebook and twitter pages will be on overdrive!

Stretching Myself in Papua New Guinea

 

It looks as if it is on for Papua, New Guinea for me in Nov. and to be honest I wasn’t really sure where that was until looking at a map. All I had to go on was some things Max said and that really made me think twice. My conclusion is to go even after doing some online research myself. While I do like my Ritz and Hyatt luxury I also like to stretch a bit sometimes. The place is biologically diverse and filled with strange creatures. There are still some tribal stuff going on and some law and order issues. On the upside a few nights living in a tribal village is an experience that is tough to turn down. I will follow this advice from Lonely Planet though.

Always keep at least K50 ‘raskol money’ in your pocket to appease any would-be thief. Hide the rest of your money in a money belt or your shoe.

LAN Airlines, Eighty and Getting Younger

 

LAN is eighty and just gets better, may I age as well. The airline has one of the newest fleets in the air and the new business class superb! I took a sunset flight over the Andes from Mendoza to Santiago to catch my onward to JFK last night and have never had such a visual while flying before, sorry the picture doesn’t come close to the experience.

The flight from Santiago to JFK one of the most comfortable I’ve ever taken and I have taken a lot! The wine and food perfect and while I peacefully passed after dinner, I awoke in the full flat position and tucked in, not easy for the attendant but done well. This airline has a great future and happy eightieth LAN.

A Night Out In Mendoza, Argentina

 

The skies over Mendoza are cobalt and clear a perfect match for the blinding white of the Andes. With only five days of rain a year it is extraordinary that it is also the location of some of world’s best wine vineyards. It is the melting snow of the Andes channeled by irrigation canals that makes the dessert below bloom. In appropriate pairing with fine wine, Argentine beef is plentiful and fantastic.

Perhaps I will best remember dinning in Mendoza as much as its physical beauty! A dinner for two at one of the city’s best restaurants was a mere $45. Off of the huge menu we had a shared platter of antipasti, two filets and two bottles of fine Malbec wine. The service exceptional and the restaurant filled with happy and satisfied clientele. The walk back to the great Sheraton in the cool night air added to the gratification. I would be hard pressed to remember many places where an night out was such a delight.

South Deerfield, Visit the GoNOMAD Cafe

While I will be in Mendoza Argentina, a great event is going on in South Deerfield, the whole town will be out with a village wide street sale. Perfect for an early fall.

Neruda's Laughter and Tears Ride the Wind in Valparaiso

 

The light is matched few places in the world, that special glow that makes the Pacific bluer and the streets surreal. Valparaiso has jumped onto my list kept in my heart. Once again elegant decay wins over well kept Disney style; the faces are real in the streets, as if you are sharing a special time and place, a secret perhaps. One can hear Neruda’s laughter and tears in the wind.

The menus groan over the abundance of dishes caught that very day and a cup of coffee savored; you want to stop the clock. Hit a pause button and keep the setting sun in its place, just for a bit longer. You can only feel emotions and not think here, but it is okay, you put your heart on your sleeve.

Mercado Central, Santiago, Magical Day

 

Let’s see, fashion museum or Santiago’s Mercado, easy choice, by guys see you at dinner. In a land know for seafood, ground zero is Mercado Central. The marisquerias with small tables are filled with those who enjoy food and life. The variety is astounding and the stalls are packed with aquatic delights, the prices cheap and the people watching amazing, better yet the fish mongers raring to chat. I even got to meet the King of the Mercado, Augusto. His place is well known here and he was a treat to chat with. A shout out to LAN’s Bertha Merikanskas for making this a very special day, a glass of Carmenere will be raised to you. This was my favorite so far.

Salvador Allende

 

Salvador Allende

Seeing Red, Mendoza Red

 

Except for a few recent trips to Brazil I haven’t been to other South American destinations in couple of years. Part of this upcoming trip is a few days in Mendoza, Argentina, a place I have never been. With the Andes as a back drop I plan on seeing red, lots of red, there are over 1290 bodegas (Wine Producers) scattered around the area and the wines have improved remarkably over the last few years. Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir all fit in my future.

That’s not the only red I’ll be seeing, Argentine beef is plentiful and some of the best in the world. Platters of bife de chorizo and cuts of filet should keep me fortified. After I plan on sitting in Plaza Espana with its Andalusian style and people watch. I like all things red!

Kenya's Happy Valley and the High Priestess, A Random House Hit

 

Lately I have been pounding at keys, I needed to read not write this afternoon. I love Africa and have so much more to see there but a book I read today was such an insight to a Kenya from years ago, The Bolter by Frances Osbourne. It is the true story of, in her day, a most infamous Idina Sackville, high priestess of the Happy Valley debauch scene. Her bed was known as the battleground. Some of the white settlers in Kenya after WWI lived what in those days was unthinkable, the original Sex, Drugs and Jazz Band lifestyle, affairs and swapping with massive drinking and drugs. The stories played big in the world press and some of the moneyed set there certainly didn’t do much to curb their appetites. The book however did a great job in telling the story of a sad, confused and intelligent woman’s struggle and hope for love. Idina’s life was used by writers such as Michael Arlen and Nancy Mitford. The book is available by Random House, and well worth the read.

A Visit to GoNOMAD's Past Ten Years

 

A beautiful day for a drive up to the GoNOMAD office in South Deerfield, a short two hour journey, it has been a bit since I sat down with Max to BS. It was great to laugh over our ten year trip down the GN road and recall stories of the harrowing days when online was a death sentence. When we worked travel shows, long before we spoke at the NY Times Travel Shows. When a basement was the office and Max trucked down every night after working his regular job. Seeing Steve putting up new stories and a work space for U Mass interns was gratifying and so far from ten years ago. The future looks bright.

Lunch next door was also a treat, the GoNOMAD. Café was packed and the menu choices so far ahead of a few short years ago. We had to smile and a lot while eating. Ten years ago I couldn’t just drive over; I was living in Scottsdale AZ and dealing with my own set of circumstances. As I got in the car to head back I was overcome by a whim, to just hit a back road and see where I ended. In an inn perhaps or motel, a great meal and some time to think about the last ten years, why not the circumstances have changed.

The Bee Gees in Taiwan

 

I caught a bit of the morning news and heard that it was Barry Gibb’s birthday today. Okay that might not mean anything to most but for me it was a reminder of cruising Taiwan in a bus with some other travel writers, some bonding others glaring. The Bee Gees video was played and replayed on the bus as we wound up a trip through Beijing, Shanghai and then Taiwan. I got a renewed respect for the high pitched trio, perhaps it was a culmination of things but they sounded great. It could have been the dynamics, absurdities, exhaustion, euphoria or just plain a Twilight Zone episode, it doesn’t matter. It was a moment that will stand out for a long time. It is funny but in years of travel writing, the destination sometimes becomes just a back drop, instead of staying alive you want to feel alive. That is a lesson I hope to carry as long as I can.