The leaves are in full color, the pumpkins and apples are abundant, the film festival is around the corner, a great old fashioned Halloween is coming up (tick or treat in the perfect small town for that kind of thing), the bikes with kid seats are ready for beautiful fall rides: come and stay in Chatham New York, 2 hours north of the city, only $250 per weekend, $300 per week for a nice house. After Fall season, think skiing, skating, and sledding.
Read about the house here:
http://glencadia.com/4rent/
See some upcoming events and things to do here:
http://glencadia.blogspot.com/2009/07/all-about-chatham.html
About the bike rides here:
http://glencadia.blogspot.com/2009/08/two-hikesbike-rides-from-chatham-house.html
Here are some family pictures from this weekend, to put you in the mood for Columbia County:
http://public.fotki.com/willep/harvest-festival/
Thanks.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
2009 Holiday Schedule
As soon as it gets cold, we start to think about the holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas are usually busy around here, so just in case anyone is making plans now, I thought I would send some dog pick up and drop off dates.
This is the holiday schedule.
Notice: no tips on Thanksgiving day or Christmas Eve or New Years Eve.
Thanksgiving Season:
Monday November 23
Tuesday November 24
Monday November 30
Tuesday December 1
Christmas New Years Season:
Thursday December 17, 2009
Monday December 21, 2009
Wednesday December 23, 2009
Monday December 28, 2009
Friday January 1, 2010
Monday January 4, 2010
All trips will be between about 6 and 9 PM, in the evening as usual.
What you have to do is log into the system at glencadia.net, make a reservation for the nearest Monday or Thursday for free pick up and drop off, then go back and amend the reservation with the right dates. If that doesn't work, send me an email.
If you already have a reservation, log in and see if it's right with these dates.
Do not worry if the automatically generated price is wrong.
As for the price, for Thanksgiving all stays are 210 for the week. It doesn't matter if we pick up or drop off the dog on Monday or Tuesday, it will be charged at 30 per day times 7 days, 210. If your dog stays longer than the week, then the reservation reverts to the regular rate. This is the normal rate: 1-7 days, 35 per day / 8 to 13 days, 30 per day / 14 or more days, 25 per day.
Christmas is at the regular rate.
Thank you.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
beautiful fall day and no hunters
ollie doesn't want me to video him from glencadia on Vimeo.
And we had the harvest festival yesterday.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
camera problems and hunting season
I want to put up a video but first my camera doesn't want to work. I think I need a new battery. And, as beautiful as it is today, I can't take the dogs out just yet. I think turkey season started today. Later in the morning we can go on the horse field, but I have to get the horse off of the field first and so my neighbor has to come by and feed her horse before I put my horses in the paddock... in short, delay.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
28 tons of sand: FUN!
Got a load of sand in. Kids got to play on it first -- because the dogs would piss on it, let's be honest. But everyone had a lovely time nevertheless. Now I will go wreck the pile with a bulldozer.
big pile of sand from glencadia on Vimeo.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
On Santa Claus, a Platonic Dialogue
Not believing in Santa is a rite of passage and not considered a big deal. But Ollie immediately concluded that if there is no Santa there is no soul and that when you die, you're gone.
I don't know what I believe about the soul but I was upset to see my son throw the soul out with Santa. Should we throw Santa under the bus to preserve the soul? Would that be honest? Can I honestly make a case for Santa? Can I honestly make a case for the soul if I deny Santa?
I let it go. We all go back and forth on these issues and as sure as he sounded the day he declare there is no Santa and no soul, he's likely to change his mind as time goes by. But when the issue comes up again, I want to have thought the thing through.
I am unlikely to be alone in this situation. I offer the dialogue below to anyone is a similar bind.
I resolved the soul-Santa dilemma with Plato. That's right: Plato. A platonic dialogue on Santa.
Ollie did say much of what I have him quoted as saying, about Santa and the soul, about the light in the trees... only I didn't have Socrates to help me out at the time.
----
As the fields ripened and air cooled, Socrates left the walls of the city and wandered up into the hills. He went for a considerable distance and crossed a small stream, then found Ollie, then about 7 years old, sitting on his swing under the maple tree that turns red in the Fall. Ollie was kicking the trunk of the tree and swinging back and forth and Socrates sat on the steps to the porch.
“And how goes it today?” asked Socrates.
“Not well,” said Ollie. “I’ve decided there is no Santa Claus. The parents give the presents. If there is no Santa Claus, there is no Easter Bunny, no Tooth Fairy, no soul, no God and when you die, that’s it your dead.”
“Can you so easily extrapolate from one creature to the next? What is it that unifies all these entities you have so easily connected as similar.”
“They are all made up and not true, that’s what,” said Ollie.
“You started with Santa Claus. Let’s look at him first and leave the soul to the side for now. What is the essential activity that makes Santa Claus who he is?”
“Giving. He gives stuff away.”
“If he were to charge for toys, that would un-Santa Claus-like?”
“Of course.”
“Can we say that Santa Claus is generous?”
“He is the most generous person in the whole world.”
“Could we say that Santa Claus personifies generosity and the spirit of sharing?”
“I don’t know since I don’t know what that means.”
“Let me suggest this to you: In the real world, it is impossible to be generous perfectly. If I give you a present, in the most simple case I want you to know I gave it to you so you can thank me and perhaps give me one in return some day. I want you to feel in my debt.”
“Yes, but I think it’s the parents that give the presents. They actually don’t want me to know they gave it to me.
“Right, but they are there when you open the presents, right? They like to watch you open them, and enjoy your reaction. Are they not actually giving presents to themselves? Do your parents give so many presents to other people’s children or only to their own?”
“Only to their own.”
“So you see, when your parents give you presents in the real world, it isn’t perfect. Yet, if a spirit in the spiritual realm were to give a present to another spirit in the spiritual realm, then that present would be given in perfect generosity.”
“You mean angels have Christmas?”
“I mean there is perfect generosity in the dimension we do not experience very often since we live in the concrete world. We cannot see this spirit of perfect generosity. We are lucky to get any glimpse or sense of the spiritual realm at all. A person can live 100 years and only get a slight glimpse of the spiritual realm for only a few seconds. How much more unlike is it for a person to see perfect generosity? We can never see it.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“Or course you’re not sure. When you look in the mirror you see your face but it is not your face but that image in the mirror could not exist without your real face existing. When you make a shadow of your hand on the wall the shadow is not your hand but it could not exist without your real hand really existing. The same is true when your parents give you a present: when we are generous here on earth, when we give presents, that imperfect generosity is the reflection of the perfect generosity in the spiritual realm. It is like the shadow of your hand: as you hand is more than the shadow, the perfect generosity of the spiritual realm is more than the imperfect generosity of your parents giving you a present.”
“Wow. Can you say that again?”
“No. The idea of a perfect spirit of generosity existing in the prefect spiritual realm beyond our senses is very hard to understand. We can’t imagine what perfect generosity would look like. So, to let us get some sense of what we would see in the spiritual realm, we invented Santa Claus to be the image of perfect generosity on earth. Santa Claus is real: he is the essence of generosity. He gives without ulterior motive. He is perfect. Whenever someone is generous, that person is the image of Santa Claus. No one could ever be generous if there were no Santa Claus. How can you have a shadow of a hand without a real hand? How can you have shadow of generosity without the real generosity of the spiritual realm, which is Santa Claus?”
“But what if I don’t believe in the spiritual ream or whatever you said, that spirit world?”
“Well, do you? Have you ever felt it on earth in any way?”
“Yes. My mom’s friend died and we went to the service afterwards. The Dad was talking to the little boy, her son, and we were all under her favorite tree. The Dad said she was in Heaven looking down on him, the son. Just then the light came through the leaves of the trees. I don’t know how it came in, but there was no light before, and no light like that afterwards. Maybe the clouds moved or the leaves, or both at just the same time, just when he said that about the Mom. We were all there and everyone was sure something had happened.”
“How long did you see the light?”
“A few seconds.”
“So you’re lucky: only seven years old and you’ve had a glimpse of the spiritual realm. If there is a spiritual realm, and you say you know there is since you saw into it, then it is perfect. In the spiritual realm there is perfect everything, perfect love, perfect truth, perfect generosity. We can’t see it, so we imagine these qualities as special people, like Santa Claus. There is a Santa Claus and his reflection shines into Christmas as people become more generous.”
“Is this what I should tell my sister if she asks?”
“How old is your sister?”
“Three.”
“No: you see, you’re seven, you can understand about the spiritual realm. She is only three and must image pure generosity as Santa: a man on a sleigh, giving actual presents, real, to real children. And that isn’t wrong. It isn’t a lie. It’s just a simpler story than the one I have told you about the reflections and the spirit world.”
“Okay, I’ll just tell her Santa came and left the presents.”
“And what will you tell her about the soul?”
“That I saw the spirit world and that there is a soul, I think.”
“That’s okay for now. I’ll be back later to talk to you about that again when you’re older.”
“Okay, see you, Socrates.”
“Bye.”
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
My Man Connie Tuck
I don't think the Hudson River should be named after Henry Hudson. Apparently he records in his own diary that his first mate Robert Juet opened fire on an Indian canoe that approached his boat. There was no sense of threat: it was murder for the pure enjoyment of killing and recognized as such by Hudson himself, as reported in his own dairy. What did he do to Juet for this act? Nothing. They continued to spread mayhem and death from Manhattan to Albany.
So, why not call the river after the Indian name instead? Why walk around honoring a cold blooded murderer every time we look at a river? We just had the harvest festival at the Martin Van Buren Historic Site near our house. A group of Mohawk Indians formerly of this area who now have a reservation in Wisconsin who come every year.
The Hudson River was called the Muheakantuck in Mohawk. The way the woman pronounced it to me it was "Mani Can He Tuck." I found it easier to remember as "My Man, Connie Tuck."
So from now on, if I talk about My Man Connie Tuck, that's the river formerly known as the Hudson. "I'm going to go for a ride with My Man Connie Tuck." That means I going canoeing on the Hudson.
Even shorter, I can drop the My Man. The West Side Highway runs along the Connie Tuck.
Hudson was a murderer and Stuyvesant was a tyrant. Why honor an anti-democratic oppressive tyrant? Everything that is named after Peter Stuyvesant should be renamed in honor of Robert Hodgson, leader of the Flushing Rebellion.
I live in Stuyvesant Falls in the Town of Stuyvesant on the banks of Hudson River. I don't like it. I would rather live in the town of Glencadia in the Town of Hodgson on the banks of the Mi-man-can-i-tuck.
As far as I'm concerned, that where I live.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
crane shots: dog camp goes hollywood big budget
Well, not really. More tomorrow!
Let's see... Sammy is usually too close to my leg to get in the shot. Rocky is too far away to get in the shot. If I could keep the crane, I would get good at using it. Or if I had someone else around, other than Jim who has to work and then had to go.
We rented the crane to paint the roof of the barn. It'll rain tomorrow and I hope to find no drips or drops!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
my domain has been squat upon
Lesson for today: Keep your domain registrations current and don't assume the company you register the names through will automatically remind you to do it. Don't assume you are too small potatoes for squatters to get in and sit on your domain.
I did not renew my glencadiadogcamp.com domain and it expired and my webhost didn't tell me, so some automated squatters parked themselves on my old domain and want to sell it back to be for a lot of money.
I don't really need glencadiadogcamp.com any more since I have glencadia.com, except that it comes up in Google searches. Also, some people have an email address under that domain.
Whatever I had at glencadiadogcamp.com will now be at:
Thank you.
And this is an excellent cause:
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
next video
Jim's here today so I should have a chance to make another video, especially getting the dogs that were camera shy in the last one. It's such nice weather it's nice to walk around with a camera, especially when I have some great help cleaning up back in the barn. I'll put on a chartreuse necktie and a pair of ripped slippers and head out to the manure pile.
Friday, September 4, 2009
the worst outfit
Now, I wander out of the house to deal with the dogs in some crappy clothes -- ripped, stained, ill-fitting -- but today I out did myself. I have on a bathing suit and a bright green/yellow ripped t-shirt and some muck boots. Of course, it doesn't matter since there is no one here but my family, the dogs and Jim... and a video camera. Why I don't think about the fact that I will later be editing a video and see myself looking like the king of the house elves I can't say. I could also put that broken stove we just removed away. Now, the hole in the barn door I made by backing into the door with a load of hay in the pick up seems to have some useful aspects to it. Furthermore, Ollie's balloon pump works. And you'll see a couple of attempts to catch the dogs as they are when I'm not there. That spot they all like to roll in? Manure.
So where is the above mentioned video? Converting to lower res. Then I have to upload. And I have to go to the dump now, so this won't be live until about 5 pm this afternoon EST. Try back!
UPDATE: I left it sitting for hours to get the thing exported, then left it for more hours to upload and then... it didn't work the first time. So I'll try again...
September 4, 2009 at glencadia dog camp second upload try from glencadia on Vimeo.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
children's pay day, sinbad's psychology, lulu and omar's wagon ride, inflation, sparklers, bales, hands up or I'll shoot you with a rainbow
children's pay day, sinbad's psychology, lulu and omar's wagon ride, inflation, sparklers, bales, hands up or I'll shoot you wit from glencadia on Vimeo.
After reading Peanuts Ollie, 7, set up a psychiatry stand. He copied Lucy out of the book, only he raised the price to one dollar. He did all that completely on his own.
I got him a patient: Sinbad. Why does he keep chewing this one spot? I put the collar on him, the spot heals, then he chews it again. What is going on in his head?
Ollie said, "Maybe he was bit by a king mosquito. Those really itch. How long has it been going on?"
For weeks, I said.
"That's about right for a king mosquito."
And as you'll hear in the video, he hounded me for a dollar all day. Not that I got any worthwhile psychiatry out of him.
I suggested he should consider a philosophy stand instead of psychology. The licensing process is easier.
Lotta, 2, put on a tutu, some googles, and stole Ollie's umbrella and attempted to rob me.
Kim, doesn't number 7, Sampson, look an awful lot like Bullwinkle?
All on one average Wednesday:
Sparklers on the way home from going to the neighbor's farm to get milk...
Stacking hay bales in the morning...
Playing dress up...
Picking cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, corn, carrots, baking bread, finding eggs...
Going swimming...
Cleaning out the dog van... would have been easier without Ollie using the vacuum, although he meant well.
The geese are grouping up.
The string beans are over.
The first set of corn is done.
The forecast calls for cool days: we can put the fans away already.
Summer is almost over.
The Gordian Knot: Alexander the Great untied it in Asia Minor... ours really wasn't as bad and we were able to figure it out pretty quickly without conquering any territory.
Last week Ollie said that I was the one that put the money under his pillow when his tooth fell out. There is no tooth ferry. And there is no Santa Claus either. So, he figured, there is no soul. When you die, he said, you rot in the ground and get eaten by worms. I said they are different things, Santa, the tooth ferry, the soul, and left it at that.
Today he said that there is no way the it could have been me hiding the eggs at Easter, since there was so much chocolate and I know very well that he doesn't like chocolate. Also, when we went to the party for that friend of ours who died, when we looking at her favorite tree and we looked up and saw the light come between the branches just at that moment on a cloudy day, that means there is a soul. That's what the soul does: it goes to your favorite place.
Where do you think my soul would go?
I don't want to talk about it, I said.
cooking up a video
I got a lot of video footage today but not enough before I had to come in... so I will finish up this afternoon and upload tonight. Thanks.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
uninspired video
This video is at best utilitarian. I was on my own this morning and it was raining. I didn't even turn on the lights, so the video is kind of dark. Unedited, uninspired, not up to snuff, lesser video.
Still, at least you can see your dog.
Bella: not here yet
Moose: Gracie, the mini-pinscher was picking on him and he didn't react at all.
Wellington: very well balanced this time so far
Muri: perfect
Chloe: sneaking into all rooms
Lulu Omar: sleeping a lot
Buzz: buzy
Red: likes the big dogs
Lola: lovely, greedy dog who bit me as a kiss
Maggie Lou: a little pesky this time
Pepper: perfect angel
Tizoc: mellow
Sailor: a lot of energy
Rusty: nonstop
Shyloh: doesn't eat much, fine with big and small dogs, must be hot
Tilo: gotta keep an eye on this guy
Happy: he really is happy -- he wasn't the first two days
Samantha: not a normal Huskie: she comes when she's called and eats her breakfast
Romeo: wanted to be with the small dogs, so fine for now
Bobby: mr. cool, should go for another pony ride
Sundance: fine
Lucky: not naughty
Mingus: really good with a small number of dogs
Reilly: mellow
Shadow: excellent
McGee: funny dog
Kodiak: went swimming yesterday, rolled in mud and still isn't white again
Sinbad: seems fine
Lucy (black): was scared and needed some extra attention... she seems to like camp now
Sugar: working hard
Maizy: excellent
Pixel: not fat
Duewey: new
Kenya: old
Rupert: sometimes stand-offish, sometimes very friendly
Layla: treat stealing specialist
Mendl: good
Lucy(terrier): great
Moki: bucket wrecker, no listening
uninspired video from glencadia dog camp from glencadia on Vimeo.
Friday, August 21, 2009
two hikes/bike rides from the chatham house
This entry is about biking, or walking, out of the house we have for rent in Chatham. For dogs, scroll down. It's really a continuation and addition to my entry about stuff to do in and around Chatham New York.
To the stream at Shufelt Road
2.4 mi – about 45 mins walking, 15 minutes biking
1. Head west on Kinderhook St away from the downtown area, pass Library Place and keep going
0.4 mi
2. Continue on Pond Hill Rd (which is basically a continuation of Kinderhook street)
You'll be next to a pond (on the left) and you'll pass under a railroad bridge.
0.9 mi
3. Turn right at NY-203/Rte-203/State Route 203
This is very short but a very busy street, so walk your bike for a couple of feet.
190 ft
4. Turn left at Shufelt Rd: watch out for the winding turns down the hill. Cars can't see you from the other side. Listen and stay far to the right. You come down out of that hill and there are beautiful fields on either side. Stop when you get to a little bridge and splash in the creek.
1.0 mi
If you want to keep going for another mile or so, you can go to a sheep/beef/poultry farm, also beautiful, and buy some stuff out of the freezer (honor system).
Go another quarter mile down Shufelt Road then:
5. Slight left at County Hwy-26/County Rte-21B/Rte-21B (not a busy road) 0.2 mi
6. Turn right at County Hwy-66/County Rte-21/Rte-21 (at the landing strip) 1.2 m
Here's the extra part:
To the Ooms Conservation Area
No big streets at all.
1. Head east on Kinderhook St toward Park Row 0.1 mi
2. Continue on Central Square 141 ft
3. Continue on River St 0.6 mi
4. Continue on Highland Rd 2.5 mi
5. Turn right at Rock City Rd Destination will be on the right 0.4 mi
That's two for now.
Now the simming hole:
Driving directions to NY-66/Rte-66
10.1 mi – about 25 mins
 | 28 Kinderhook St Chatham, NY 12037 |
| 1. | Head east on Kinderhook St toward Park Row | 30 ft |
| 2. | Turn right at Park Row | 404 ft |
| 3. | Turn left at Main St/ | 0.1 mi |
| 4. | Turn right at Central Square | 141 ft |
| 5. | Continue on River St | 0.6 mi |
| 6. | Continue on Highland Rd | 2.5 mi |
| 7. | Turn left at Rock City Rd | 79 ft |
| 8. | Slight right at Highland Rd | 1.8 mi |
| 9. | Turn right at County Rte-13 | 0.5 mi |
| 10. | Turn left at Shaker Museum Rd | 2.6 mi |
| 11. | Slight left at Albany Turnpike | 98 ft |
| 12. | Turn right at NY-66/ Continue to follow NY-66 Destination will be on the right | 1.8 mi |
The trick part is finding the spot. If you are going north, the parking space will be on the left. If you've passed the Tennesse Gas Pipline facility, you're getting close. If you get into the next county, you missed it.
Then you have to cross the stream to the beach.
Does this help?
catching up
At least we got most of the hay cut, baled and inside on the first week we could have done it since June. I still have to get about 80 bales off the field but I wanted to get at least a few shots of the dogs dodging in and out of the scattered square bales. The dogs didn't really feel like dodging in and out of the bales and kept going in the pond. And my tripod is busted, so I didn't really get the shot the way it should have been but it's going to rain and I have to finish editing and uploading this video and get out there and get the bales off the field, then I'll take the rest of the dogs, the ones I missed so far, out for a walk.
The little pony got out and spilled the grain. I tried to get the chickens to eat the stuff but then I took out the dogs -- and you'll see what happened.
I'm going to get a new tripod. All this handheld is making me dizzy.
I'm back in the blog groove. I'm still behind with hay and the garden and some very serious repairs to the roof but I will stay with the blog now. Thanks for your patience and check back tonight if you didn't see your dog in this one.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
blog is back
Untitled from glencadia on Vimeo.
I will definitely get the rest of the dogs on Sunday, tomorrow.I think I was bluffing about the blog on strike. But still, if there are 40 dogs here, why did the video only get 15 hits? Now that the hits are up over 50, I'll continue.
Looking over the list, I see I need to go back out and take a bunch more swimming with the video -- it's easier to get into the pond now that the hay is cut.
You'll see some dogs getting washed. The groomer brings her kids when she comes. Those dogs are all home already.
I have some videos a week old I'm adding to this one.
Tina: crazy with a hose
Elly: went home
Louie: fine, needs to go swimming again
Whitman: swimming
Lola: plays with pig
Maggie Lou: pushy today
Daisy: happy go lucky again
Max: three high strung boston terriers
macey: doing well, need to take back out
miles: fine
Mowgli: swim?
Katie: needs a swim
Sailor: another high strung boston terrier
Rusty: pig play
Cozy: same quiet self-- needs a swim too
Happy: settled in fine now... sorry I didn't have time to show you around
Allie: slowing down...
Hailey: swim
Samantha: with colin right now, clever girl can open the door
Romeo: doing well
Nora: swam?
Bobby: pony ride
Sundance: cooling
Lucky: naughty
Mingus: good boy
Reilly:
Manning: which one is manning and which one is reilly?
McGee: sitting on the porch now
Kodiak: with the other arctic style dogs
Sinbad: off that spot
sugar: went under the barn
Bond: swim
Pixel: only I can keep him from the other dog's food, so on the days I feed them, I am especially strict
Lulu
Stella
Rupert
Layla
Ringo
Mendl
Lucy
colin
Moki
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
strike is over
The blog is back. I don't have the video all fixed up yet but I will. The blog is back after a 24 wildcat strike.
Oh, and here is some furniture for people with dogs who don't stay on the floor. Cool stuff.
Monday, August 10, 2009
what a relief
The blog is going on strike. There are 40 dogs here but only about 15 people bothered to stop by and look at the video. I have plenty of other work to do, although I honestly like the blog better, but I do have to go out and wash dogs, rig up my van, pull weeds, go to the feed shop, oil change, plenty to do other than the blog. Well, it was fun but I do have plenty else to do.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
branch comes down, hot air balloon goes up, dogs go in (water), I climb up (bale), doors come open, that's not a dog
Untitled from glencadia on Vimeo.
Oh, and since only 15 people checked in on the last video, this will be the last video blog entry for awhile (if people don't want to see it, there isn't much point).
I thought I lost all of the videos from yesterday but I hadn't erased them all from the camera, so I could edit it again.
Price drop on DOG STORIES, my book. Now it's only $10 on Amazon!
We put the shirts we bought in Ethiopia on the kids and tried to get them to cooperate for a picture. Didn't work out.
Katie can jump the fence. Peanut and Lulu (both of them) are popular with the neighbor girl. Sinbad chewed that spot open again, damn it. Happy birthday Lulu.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
pony ride, swim, fetch, pig visiting
What would camp be without a pony ride?
Want to come here as a tourist?
My son stuck a barcode on me and I didn't know until I saw the video.
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