Fourth of July (three day) weekend was quickly approaching and not having made any plans, I scoured airbnb for last minute house rentals in the Catskills. The pickings were slim but I found a cute little "village craftsman" in the town of Rhinebeck, NY. Not having any expectations, we threw a few things into a duffle bag and set out on our big adventure. What I didn't expect to find was one of the most adorable little towns only 2 hours north of the urban jungle. It was peaceful, picturesque and had all the basic necessities that I require (5 star restaurants and artisanal ice cream). We drove around from town to town (Rhinebeck, Red Hook, Tivoli, Saugurties and then across the Hudson to Kingston, Stone Ridge, High Falls and finally Woodstock) and admired the mountain views, corn fields, creeks, waterfalls and farm stands throughout the Hudson Valley.
The highlight of the trip for the girls was definitely the cat that lived on property of our rental home. It was a black cat (I hear they bring good luck) who later became known as JoJo. Ivy was originally terrified of him and whenever he would come close she would scream, "No want it. No want it!!!" Violet was really amused by her sister's fear but she was secretly afraid as well and made sure to always keep a safe distance. Only by the end of the trip did Violet have the courage to finally pet JoJo. Ivy never really came around.
The highlight for Gene and I was climbing the Water Tower at Ferncliff Forest - we were considerably more scared than Violet. Luckily we packed extra underwear. After the climb, we had a picnic at the bottom of the tower and enjoyed the goodies we bought that morning at the farmer's market (snapping peas, blueberries and black raspberries).
It was such a lovely trip that we started planning our return on the car ride home.
Before taking off on our big adventure we had a hearty breakfast at home - Olaf from Frozen made an appearance.
Ladies who Lunch. Terrapin, in Rhinebeck, serves a fully organic (and delicious) kids menu.
A little macaroon snack after my artisanal peppercorn ice cream.
It's like we never left Brooklyn.
I am not sure what pose this is but the staircase led to little fishing pond (picture below).
The porch at our rental house, which we called "The Mountain House" and Violet called "The Pumpkin House". We later learned it was because she had no clue what a mountain was....city kids!
Hiking in Tivoli Bays
What does one eat after a long day of hiking? Sushi, naturally.
Bread Alone.Violet, party of 1.
Sunday Farmer's Market (with music)
Hike #2 (Ferncliff Forest)
The Water Tower that Violet forced me to climb.
View from the Top
Woodstock, NY
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