Tivoli Type

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus

2009-08-03T17:07:00.006-04:00

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus - jackalop logo
Originally uploaded by Caution Mike

Okay. It's officially a triple-header. THREE shows in a week. We know how to live.

Sunday afternoon it was the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus with their show for kiddies at the Spiegeltent. Whips, contortion, sword swallowing, balloon animals, the whole schmegeggy. All backed by a live band. How cool. Since they are practically neighbors, we plan on becoming groupies.

The Bindlestiff's next local show will be in Hudson on Saturday, August 29th at 3:00. It's free and family focused (though you must see them after dark one of these days - it's a whole different Cirkus!). The show will be at the Henry Hudson Waterfront Park. Check their website for rain location info.

dog on fleas

2009-08-01T21:31:00.005-04:00

dog on fleas
Originally uploaded by Cup and Top Cafe

It's a big week for shows in the little Village.

Last night it was Dog on Fleas at the Tivoli Library. Hell of a party wrapping up the Summer Reading Program. The third floor of the Village Hall rocked out with short people hopping from foot to foot and generally makin' mayhem. (One dad, looking on politely at the opener, was down on all fours riding his kid around like a dancing pony before it was all over.) Hilarity is a contagion.

If you haven't yet, you gotta see this band.

"How I got big, I just can't explain.
I was just out there standin' in the clover,
Next thing you know my life's almost over.
How I got big, I just can't explain."

From "When I Get Little (I'm gonna be a boy)."
Kid stuff? No way. Way!

Natalie Live and Local

2009-07-27T07:41:00.003-04:00

Natalie Merchant's Birthday
Originally uploaded by jurvetson

Did you catch Natalie Merchant at the Spiegeltent last night? On Saturday night, she decided to perform new material from her forthcoming album, and with some scurrying, a piano and an appreciative audience gathered Sunday night. Intimate, casual and an utter delight.

She is a singer-songwriter in her bones and has been writing songs continually since her last release about five years ago. With her lovely little girl off to kindergarten last fall, she turned her full attention (almost full) to creating her new album. As she said last night, many of her collaborators have been dead over 100 years. With a cultural anthropologist's eye, she has unearthed children's poetry (some familiar and some wholely new to us) and set it to music. Collaboration with the living rounds out the project. It's a musically diverse recording with a New Orleans jazz band and a full orchestra appearing.

But, last night was just Natalie, a piano, a little red notebook of music she compiled in the wee hours the night before, and a pen. She sang, played, joked, and made notes in the margins as she worked through the material. It was as much a song-writer's workshop as a performance, and aren't we lucky to have been there.

6th Annual Tivoli Pie Contest

2009-07-26T11:49:00.011-04:00

The judges of Saturday's 6th Annual Tivoli Bread & Baking Co. Pie Contest had quite a challenge this year, as usual.

With nearly a dozen pies contending and scores of people patiently milling around with forks, the connoisseurs chose five winning pies.

Tivoli resident Jacquie Goss took top honors with her lattice-topped peach pie. Her prize, a $100 gift certificate for dinner at Mercato in Red Hook (next year, better break out the rolling pin and give it a shot!).

As he has for the past five years, ten-year-old Alex Gonnella judged pies along side his uncle Mikee Gonnella (baker extraordinaire), Gerard Hurley ( filmmaker and pub owner), and past contest winners Mary Crinnin and Mariah. Alex's known predilection for peach may have tipped the panel toward Goss, but there were plenty of prizes to go around.

As has become the habit of the good people of Tivoli, the minute the final winner was announced, the polite circle of pie aficionados closed in on the table and cleaned those pie plates! Sweet end to a sweet day.

.....
The Annual Tivoli Bread & Baking Co. pie contest is held each year on Tivoli Yard Sale Day. A sign up sheet hangs in the bakery in the days leading up to the event. No entry fee. And, it's a local fresh fruit sorta contest. In season is always best. The bakery is at 75 Broadway. 845.757.2253.

Yard Sale on Steriods

2009-07-25T13:23:00.005-04:00

The 21st Annual Tivoli Yard Sale Day is now just a heap of free stuff at the curb, but if you braved the traffic and the frenzied shoppers in our otherwise peaceful village, you may be in possession of a find or two.

Or, as a friend of the 212 persuasion once observed, you may have hauled home something that will end up for sale on your own lawn next summer.

As usual, Mayor Marc (as we still fondly think of him) was pressing the flesh at the four corners and handing out yard sale maps. The ambitious among us use it to guide their drive-buys.

I made a casual perusal of the highlights on Broadway (on foot and with coffee). My reward? This groovy (late) mid-century lamp table for my living room reno.

AND, "The Magic Music Box" made by the Plastic Injecto Corp. of Union, New Jersey. Includes follow-the-dots sheet music for classics like "Swanee River" and "Comin' Thru the Rye." Only $8. I know. You're jealous.

So... What did you get?

.....
The Annual Tivoli Yard Sale Day is sponsored by the Tivoli Community Association. It is held on the last Saturday of July. To be included on the printed map of Village yard sales, contact the Village Clerk's Office at 845.757.2021. There is a $10 fee for map listings.

Cuttings

2009-07-20T07:11:00.008-04:00

For years now I've bought amazing local potatoes and no-spray veggies from Debbie and Darryl Mosher of Brittany Hollow Farm in Red Hook. When we first met at the Rhinebeck Farmers' Market, their three kids were little enough to sit together on the tailgate of their farm truck dangling their feet.

For the last couple of summers, their son Ross, now a really, really big guy, has been planting a pick-your-own flower field just north of the family farm on Route 9.

It's a pretty simple operation, really. As with so many of our local farm stands, the farmers are too damn busy to sit there and collect your money. There's a rusty old metal box with a slot in the top for your 5's and 10's.

Grab some clippers and a bucket, large or larger. Hit the field. Clip away among the bumble bees and butterflies. Teach your three-year-old the names of all the flowers and bugs.

Then contribute to Ross's college fund. Stuff your bills into the slot and drive home with enough beautiful zinnias, coxcomb, cleome and cosmos to fill all the vases you own.

Brittany Hollow Farm is located at 7115 Albany Post Road (Route 9) just south of Holy Cow. Pick-Your-Own morning to dusk. $5 for a six-inch bucket. $10 for an 8-inch bucket. 845-758-3276.

Pie Contest!

2009-07-17T07:58:00.002-04:00

Biggest event of the summer in the Village of Tivoli. Celebrity judges. Prizes. And an orgy of pie eating when it's all said and done. Bring a fork.

Sign up now at Tivoli Bread & Baking Co. Judging at noon on Saturday, July 25, Yard Sale Day!

Mark Your Calendars

2009-07-15T22:37:00.002-04:00

10:00... who are they kidding! The great stuff is gone by 9:17(and the free stuff lays around for much of the following week).

Edible Gems

2009-07-13T18:01:00.011-04:00

Fresh from Ray Tousey's bushes in Clermont, these little jewels are available now at Otto's in Germantown.

Tempted as you might be to string them into a blushing pink necklace, these white currants should be eaten. No need to do a pie or jam. White currants are sweet enough to eat fresh. Or try this little summer dessert. (Leave it to the English to work double cream into just about everything.)

White currants are $3.99 per pint. Otto's Market is at 215 Main Street, Germantown. Open Mon-Sat 7-7, Sun 7-3. Phone 518.537.7200.

Blueberries

2009-07-09T21:24:00.011-04:00

I grew up in Maine where blueberry picking is one of the great joys of summer. The blueberries of my youth were teeny-tiny and intensely sweet. We usually picked them along the camp road. In places where they were thick, we were ever mindful of bears (who were likely to be meandering along picking them too).

If you find yourself in Maine this summer, you'll spot wild blueberry pickers selling quarts off their tailgates. Buy as many as you can carry. It's tough work picking those low bush berries, and they are delicate. You'll want to eat them before you cross the New Hampshire line, as they will perish in the heat of the lesser New England states. I mean lower.

But, wait! This blog is about Tivoli. Lucky for us, nearby Greig Farm has rows and rows of beautiful high bush blueberries laden with ripening fruit. No bears. And no bending, squatting or crawling around to fill you pail (unless you just can't resist the urge to pick like a pro).

While I was grazing along picking at eye level, a lovely Jamaican guy was whistling his way down the next row picking for the farm. I hope you get the same relaxing serenade while you tip the darkest berries into your pail... kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk.

Blueberries are $2.50 per pound, and $2 for the plastic pail. You want the plastic pail. Red and yellow raspberries are $5 per pound, and seniors get a 10% discount on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Greig Farm is located at 223 Pitcher Lane in Red Hook. Pick Your Own daily from 8am to 8pm, rain or shine. 845-758-1234.

Wear your sun hat! And watch for blackberries, apples, and pumpkins as the growing season continues.

Uke Joint

2009-07-05T15:52:00.001-04:00

Hope you caught the show. The tip jar probably hauled in enough gas money to get that Lincoln to aaahh... Kingston.

Jr. Fireman

2009-07-01T21:52:00.001-04:00

On a recent rainy day, one of twenty-five, we headed up to Hudson and the FASNY Museum of Firefighting for some indoor diversion. If you have a penchant for chrome, or hooks and ladders, this is the museum for you.

Firetrucks. Firetrucks. Firetrucks. 50,000 square feet of them.

Almost too many to digest on an initial visit.

And, you can climb up into the driver's seat on quite a few of them. In your Jr. Fireman's suit, no less.

There a few other buttons to push and bells to ring, which makes the whole visit more fun than you should have on a rainy day.

Did I mention that I really like chrome?

The Museum of Firefighting is located at 117 Harry Howard Avenue in Hudson. Admission is by donation. Open daily 10 - 5. 877-347-3687.

Big Weekend in the Little Village

2009-06-28T14:36:00.011-04:00

The weekend surprised us with a bit more sun than we've grown accustomed to, and a couple of nice little events were that much more pleasant as a result.

On Saturday night, the Tivoli Artists' Co-op held an opening reception for their annual 3-D show. Ten member artists' work in various media, a decent glass of wine and a room full of artists and friends to chat with. It was a full house and a sweet evening.

On Sunday morning, the second meeting of the Tivoli Bread & Baking Co. Wiffle Ball League (kids vs. adults) got off the ground, and we even needed sun block! Balls were whacked, bases were loaded, points were scored, but not in that particular order, of course.

Pitcher Mikee Gonnella was on the mound lobbing big plastic balls into the sweet spot. No one keeping score. Everyone was a winner. (Note fathers relaxing with coffee in the outfield.)

And, to top off the weekend, Chuck Mead's cherries are in at Mead Orchards; and Mikee knows just what to do with them. Piping hot bakery action, and a lovely finish to the weekend. Cherry tarts with Sunday night supper.

'Cue to Go

2009-06-27T14:07:00.000-04:00

Driving up Route 9G just north of the Village, you may have noticed a small wooden sign at Route 6. It's 'Cue to Go, a take-out barbecue biz that started last fall.

Husband and wife duo Lisa and Brad Renner started 'Cue to Go as an off-shoot of their catering business. Actually bottled chutneys and salsas were the first off-shoot. We're all doing what we can.

I pulled in the drive of their farm house (with a million-dollar view) recently to check it out. Frankly astonished by the size of their commercial kitchen and trying to hide my gas range envy, I ordered a handful of things, then decided to take the BBQ to the view.

As the summer gets too hot for cooking, grab a picnic table at Clermont and give the smoked barbecue a try. The sides are a little heavy for my taste, but pack a salad for balance, and you'll be quite satisfied.

Better yet, order now for the 4th. Ribs and fireworks would be ever so nice.

'Cue to Go is at 230 County Route 6, just off Route 9G. Open Wednesday and Thursday 11 to 7, Friday and Saturday 11 to 8. Call ahead for large orders. 518-537-7246.

June

2009-06-25T14:53:00.001-04:00

The unrelenting rain (and drizzle and downpours and sprinkles and mist and showers) of June have made for a long, slow spring. Lovely if you are a gardener. A bummer if you'd like to wear your new orange flip-flops.

The winds of June dislodged this little treasure from my maple. It dropped and rolled and has made it all the way to my credenza. In our little corner of the world, we'd rather decorate with nests, twigs, rocks and peaches ripening on our windowsills than upholstery and curtains. This little gem should fit in just fine.

Tricycle

2009-06-24T14:09:00.005-04:00

Living in the Village, there are people you know without ever meeting. They and their habits are as familiar as the water tower in the skyline.

She has intrigued me for a long time, the tricycle rider. She reminds me of another tricycle rider on the other side of the world. I never met him, and neither will she; but they are parentheses around my little world.

Tivoli Day

2009-06-22T18:49:00.000-04:00

Due to a lack of ... ahh ... preparation, Tivoli Day has been rescheduled for Saturday, August 1st. Do not despair. It will be worth the wait. As details are dreamed up, we'll keep you posted.

Old House Love

2009-06-21T21:17:00.009-04:00

You might wonder where I've been lately. No, this is not a crater on the surface of the moon. This, friends, is old house love. Living around here, you pretty much have to have it. Not so many new houses around worth shaking a stick at and the handful of modern marvels are rarely on the market and priced out of reach. So we satisfy our irrational homeowning urges with remuddled old houses.

Mine was built about 1870. Doubled about 1900. Used to face the other way. Got stripped in 1949 by well-meaning working folks. They tired of the redo in the 70's and went at it again. A car ran into it in the 80's and left behind a lovely picture window. You could say that renovation opportunity knocked. Actually it crashed right through the living room wall.

Lucky for me, they never had much money, so it was all cosmetic.

I don't have much money either, so now it's all elbow grease. I've spent the past month scraping away sixty years of bad taste (with the help of many). I can no longer say it looks like the function room of an American Legion Hall. All the paneling, dropped ceilings and wall-to-wall are gone. I'm now down to the flesh of the place. Wood. Actual wood. Oh, isn't it going to be nice.

Otto's Kids' Club

2009-05-23T23:17:00.006-04:00

If you live within a ten mile radius of Germantown, I'm guessing you've visited Otto's Market. You can do a good bit of your weekly marketing there. If you like to linger and chat, fabulous things come out of the kitchen for breakfast and lunch to encourage a sit-down. All this and the best coffee in the tri-village area (that's Red Hook, Tivoli, and Germantown if you're not from around here). You may even have spotted me at a little table in the window with my favorite coffee date.

What you may not know, is that Otto's has a Kids' Club. You may not know because it's a fairly exclusive little membership.

Otto, think avuncular grocer with a campy sense of humor, makes the invitations himself. There is an interview.

A photo is taken for the membership card. Yes, these are card-carrying members.

References are checked. The steering committee convenes (I'm thinking this is the Lays guy, a neighborhood cat, and Otto's accountant). If they smile upon an applicant, the reward (apart from the obvious thrill of carrying the card) is a dive into the treasure chest stashed under the register.

I tried to get my little guy to pick the clicky cricket toy, but after a brief dalliance with candy lipstick, he walked away with Smarties.

Go to Otto's. Take a kid. Have lunch. Clean your plate and hope for an invite.

Otto's Market is at 215 Main St. conveniently opposite Jim Lawlor's liquor store. Otto's is open Mon-Sat 7-7, Sun 7-3. Phone 518.537.7200.

Bubby's Back!

2009-05-20T00:30:00.002-04:00

The little Burrito Stand is open again. You don't need me to tell you, unless you haven't traveled 9G on your way to Tivoli in the past couple of weeks.

It's a sure sign that Bard graduation will soon be upon us, when Bubby comes back home from Mexico and sets up the Burrito stand. All winter she and her husband run a cafe in San Miguel. Not a bad gig. But, in summer, she's all ours.

You can get your black bean burrito with guacamole or without, and there's a cheese quesadilla on the menu too. The most you could possibly spend for lunch is $7.50, so add this to your cheap date list.

If you hang around the stand to eat (which is the best part), just watch out for the chicken. She's a burrito-eatin' chicken, and if you are part of the under 3-foot crowd, she just might steal your lunch.

Bubby's Burritos is located at the Montgomery Place Orchards Fruit Stand on Route 9G just north of the light at Route 199. She's open Tuesday to Saturday from 12 to 5. And, she'll be with us until early fall.

Yard Yachting

2009-05-19T22:52:00.003-04:00

Last Saturday was Germantown's Yard Sale Day, a minor event if there ever was one. Being a former Gtowner and quite partial to the place, I'm not one to criticize. However, it was few-and-far-between. That didn't prevent us from finding treasure. No sirree.

Dumped in a big floppy cardboard box along with some hideous old curtains, I found the mother load of vintage fabric.

I made a big pile of the stuff and tentatively asked how much, hoping I had enough to take it all. The answer, "Free." I guess when you're selling your husband's ex-wife's stuff, it's not worth a hell of a lot to you. Lucky me.

Which isn't to say I didn't lay out some cash. I, of course, needed a red Scotty dog door stop. Cost 25 cents. I did my bit.

A few of us have been of the opinion that this is the year to buy second hand. With every manner of vehicle parked on someone's front lawn this spring, it's a buyer's market. Snow plows, camo trucks (two of them), boats, campers, cars, motorcycles. I've even seen kids' bikes. Everyone's lightening their load and looking for cash. (Except in Germantown, of course, where they just break in and take it. If we still had local newspapers, you could read all about it.)

If you missed Gtown's Yard Sale Day, do not despair. Tivoli's own Sale-ing event is July 25th. Mark your calendars and come early. The Mayor will be handing out maps at the intersection. Gtown could learn a thing or two.

Baked Goods Mania

2009-04-27T09:25:00.000-04:00

In the category, "weirdest employee benefit," this little entry.

Mikee apparently now sponsors company logo manicures for his employees. Any, yes, that is a flying baguette.

Blossom iCandy

2009-04-25T09:22:00.001-04:00

The apricots are in bloom in my friend Jane's old orchard on the north side of the Village. Apple blossoms in a week or so!

Foraging Ramps

2009-04-22T17:10:00.015-04:00

Last week, my friend Mark came by with an armful of ramps. He foraged them from the banks of the Roe Jan Creek in Germantown. I grew up among foragers, so this bundle of beautiful wild leeks was an utter joy.

My Maine relations are out this season of the year gathering dandelion greens and fiddle heads, and we've spent hours together digging clams, chopping muscles off rocks, picking wild raspberries and crawling around for blueberries. So hunting for ramps seemed like a good activity for the week. With the two-year-old asleep in the back seat, I figured a quick drive around the Village would yield a patch or two.

Mark and our friend Arno have found big patches of ramps along streams this spring. Ramps like dampness, but don't like to have their feet in standing water. My friends found theirs about 10 feet above the water line growing just a little higher than the skunk cabbage. My foraging needed to happen a little closer to the road (with sleeping toddler in tow). About five minutes into my adventure, I struck it lucky.

Ramps are wicked easy to spot, it turns out. This time of year, the spring sunshine pours right down through the open canopy of trees onto their bright green leaves. They are lit up like a beacon. Slightly deterred by a No Trespassing sign, I bypassed the first patch, but a short drive on, I hit the brakes at patch number two. Looked like ramps. Picked one. Smelled a little oniony, but could have been some woodland wildflower. Only way to know for sure, a big ol' mouthful. BINGO. Ramps.

Raw ramps are sharp and oniony, but sauteed they become sweet and mellow. I ate the first batch from Mark lightly sauteed in olive oil and sprinkled with a little Celtic sea salt. Twirled them on the end of a fork and loved them. A little stringy, but not enough to deter me.

I julienned my second bunch of ramps and sauteed them gently then stirred them into hot pasta with minced anchovies (not being a girl afraid of a little flavor). A big grind of black pepper and some sea salt made a mighty fine spring dinner.

If you're intrigued, you can buy ramps this week at Adam's for $12.99 per pound. Makes my little patch an even sweeter find. And, thank goodness we're not living in Quebec, because ramps are a protected plant there and selling them is a punishable offense. Poachers abound, because Quebecois love their ail des bois.

Oh, and the first spring shiitake are in too! They don't exactly qualify as foraged food, but when you have a pal who is a former shiitake grower, every now and then a little brown bag of them finds its way into you kitchen. If I hadn't devoured the shiitake within minutes of getting them, they'd have been lovely with my ramps. Oh well, there's always next spring.

Garden Variety iCandy

2009-04-03T21:32:00.004-04:00

Between the raindrops this week, I managed a little garden clean-up. Hope yours is looking equally vibrant at close range.

There's been a lot of neighborly chat over the winter about new vegetable beds going in this spring. If the White House is doing it, why shouldn't we? So, what's growing in your garden this year?

Burger Joint

2009-03-29T20:50:00.008-04:00

If you're a fan of a good old burger, once in awhile, you should give Uncle Chippie's a try. Located in Red Hook's cheap-date quadrangle between Holy Cow and the Lyceum 6, Chippie's does burgers, fries and Cokes. It's a mom-and-pop shop run by Chip and Cathy Slesinski of Tivoli.

Chip is a kid from Brooklyn who grew up on White Castle. Not being from Brooklyn, or anywhere near there, I never acquired the taste, but the Uncle Chippie Slyder is popular with those who did. It's a funny looking little thing. Kind of squarish and flat, as you might have guessed. The little guy loved it. I'm thinking its the "special seasoning powder" which Chip dusts on the thing that keeps kids coming back for seconds.

Bigger people might be better off with a real burger. Chip gets his beef from the local slaughterhouse in Pine Plains, as he says, one beast at a time. If you're eating meat, you may as well know where it's coming from. And certified organic grass-fed beef from a farm in Ancramdale is available, if you ask for it.

The menu started simply enough, but within the year, Chip has added lots of stuff to his burgers. You can get yours with chili, jalapeno, blue cheese, tzatsiki, peanut butter, stroganoff, or chow mein. Yes, peanut butter, stroganoff, or chow mein.

Crazy me. I got a cheeseburger. And it was good. This is not your lettuce-tomato-onion-mayo burger. This is the old ketchup-pickle-onion burger. No messy vegetables to slide out of the bun. Warning, the fresh cut fries are HUGE. A large basket would feed a family of five. And they would devour every last one, quite happily.

Feed your soul. Order a Coke. Or an egg cream. And Chip will have shakes by summer. Just add another day at the gym.

Chip's regulars are a mix of families with kids, high school kids who park themselves in a booth to nibble and giggle, and Bard students who roll in a bit later. The proximity to Holy Cow cannot be overlooked. Make that two more days at the gym.

Chat with Chip a little bit, and you can see this guy really likes food. He is a deli man and was hunting around for a deli location about a year ago. Get him talking about a deli, and you'll get hungry. He imagines great food smells coming out of the kitchen and a big deli case full of beautiful mounds of this and that. He almost went to Tivoli - too bad for us. But, he found this location on Route 9, looked north and south, saw delis all around and settled on burgers (chicken, turkey and vegan burgers also available). Give one a try.

Uncle Chippie's Old Fashioned Burger Shop is located on Route 9 at Old Farm Road. Open Tues. - Wed. 10:30 to 8:00, Thurs. - Sat. 10:30 to 9:00, Sun. 11:30 to 8:00. Summer hours later Thurs. - Sat. 845-758-3070. Free delivery.

Aroi Means 'Delicious'

2009-03-21T21:34:00.007-04:00

What's the best meal you ate this week?

Mine was this lovely assemblage from Aroi, the Thai restaurant in Rhinebeck. Squid salad with fresh mint, cilantro, lime and chilis. The sweet-salty-fishy-spicy thing is something Thai people have mastered. It's an acquired taste to some American palates, but acquire it. No American salad will tickle your taste buds like this one.

Since I lived in Thailand for three years, people are always asking me what I think of the food at Aroi. I have to say that I am biased. 1. because the Thai food I ate every day at open air markets and from street carts can never be made here, and 2. because I love Apichart and Suphat, who own Aroi.

What I love about Aroi is that every time I walk in, the ladies from the kitchen come out to take my son into their arms. He is, as my Thai friends say, "luk khern" or a "half-child." He calls himself a Thai boy, and at Aroi he is embraced as all children in Thailand are. When I lived there, pushing my stroller from mango stand to noodle cart, I was regularly stopped on the sidewalk by teenage boys cooing at my baby. Hasn't happened here, I can tell you.

I also love chatting with Suphat and Apichart. They are from Chiang Rai in the north of Thailand. The kitchen is full of their family, and it makes me homesick just to hear their soft voices and sweet sense of humor. As in Thailand, everyone who works in the restaurant lives upstairs. Their son plays with his Legos in the back room. Family life, work, and friends are one big soup.

But, it's the food you really want to know about. Thai people often make a tactical error when preparing food for farang, as they call us. They hold back the strong flavors. In Thailand, you are invariably asked, "Can you eat Thai food?" Literally, can you take the heat? You say, yes. They still take it easy on you. Aroi suffered a bit from this problem when it first opened. Customers complained about fishy-ness, and as a result dried shrimp rarely appear in dishes. Unfortunate, because a lot of flavor is lost. With time, Aroi has begun to trust our ability to "eat Thai food." The flavors are now much closer to "Thai for Thai" as they call it, as opposed to "Thai for farang."

So, what to order? You don't have to be a talented cook to make a decent Thai curry at home, since high quality curry pastes are available everywhere. And, Thai people just don't eat spring rolls and satay. Sure, they can be found, but they are hardly culinary staples. If you want a real taste of Thai food, order salad. The larb at Aroi is divine. Cold chicken, beef or tofu (I vote beef) sliced very thin and tossed with lime, chili, herbs and roasted rice powder. In Thailand, this is so strongly flavored that you'd be inclined to accept the Thai whiskey offered with it. (Thank goodness we're in Rhinebeck.) For soups try Tom Kha Gai, or chicken soup with Thai ginger. It's spot on. Thai people extol the virtues of the herbs in this soup as a cure for all ills.

The desserts at Aroi are fabulous. Thais don't eat chocolate and have only recently developed a taste for coffee, so there won't be anything on the menu to plop a birthday candle into. Thai desserts are SWEET. As we like to say in our house, SA-WEET. Pumpkin custard with sticky rice and mango with sticky rice balance sweetness with coconut milk and a hint of salt. You must. You really must.

And, don't forget to eat your rice. It is polite in Thai culture to taste a spoonful of rice before eating any other dish. The steamed jasmine rice at Aroi is perfect. Don't even think of ordering brown. Eat your rice. Eat lots of it, and you will be happy.

Aroi Thai Restaurant is at 55 E. Market St. in Rhinebeck. Phone 845-876-1114. Hours are Thursday to Monday 11:30 to 3 and 5 to 9; Tuesday and Wednesday 5 to 9. Take-out is very popular.

Boiling Off

2009-03-15T20:13:00.003-04:00

If your sap buckets have been running over, this was the perfect weekend for a boil off. The days were warm and sunny. The wood smoke smelled fabulous. And the kids were happy just to roll around in the leaves (and get tangled in the tubing dripping sap into the collecting barrels).

Our friend Craig has been doing this for about a decade, and his system is simple perfection. His evaporation pans are old catering trays. He welded the fire box himself, and the grills inside are from Roger Hoffman's in Red Hook (more on Roger's one day soon). This winter's ice storm provided plenty of downed wood, and Craig's wife Jane cleverly warmed crepes by the fire. Pretty nice way to spend an afternoon.

The boiling requires constant tending. The fresh sap is filtered through a little cheesecloth and runs in a thin stream into the boiling pan. Craig's clever old pot adaptation keeps the cold sap from killing the rolling boil in the evaporator. Still, with four pans, a hot spot on the fire and some skimming of foam once in awhile, it takes a watchful eye to get an even boil and keep the syrup level high in the pans.

The end result is this sweet, slightly smokey elixir of spring. Hope you had some too!

At Last

2009-03-07T17:19:00.000-05:00

Oh, the sweet taste of spring. And, did you smell the mud today? Glorious, earthy mud. The red-winged blackbirds are rustling around in the cattails beside the pond. And, in a couple of weeks the sweet chirping of peepers. Oh, those peepers.

The Loop

2009-03-02T11:16:00.000-05:00

Around Tivoli, we just call it The Loop. A 2.5 mile circumnavigation of the square-mile Village's north side. Simply put that's Broadway to North Road to Sengstack Lane to Woods Road to Broadway. We keep the water tower over our left shoulder and walk counter-clockwise. Don't ask me why. But, we do. If you go the other way, it's just, well... wrong.

The Loop will take you less than 40 minutes. For me, it's a bit longer. You know me, always stopping for a closer look at some electric green moss or varmint bones. I've seen wild turkeys, a piliated woodpecker, deer (spare me), a couple of snakes and a painted turtle.

All this is lovely, but it is not why we go. You see, this little Village has eyes and ears. Not much goes unnoticed (and if we wanted unnoticed, we'd live in the city). Get yourself out onto Sengstack Lane with nothing but meadow around you. Let the sun shine on your face and the wind whip around your coat hem and your mind opens up. You can say anything out there. Who's to hear?

And then there's the Hemlock Woods. At the end of the meadow. Out of the sunshine and in to woody twilight. Your pace will slow, and your eye will be drawn to the spaces between the trees. You'll hear more clearly than out in the open. And here you will distill the essence of your open air thoughts. This is why we go.

Tapping Tivoli

2009-02-28T10:43:00.000-05:00

On a walk around the Village these days, you'll find taps on a few of your neighbors' maples. With the cold earlier this week, there was just a smidgen of sap in the bottom of the buckets, but the 10-day forecast has daytime temps above freezing all next week. With a little boiling, this means maple syrup in our near future. Life is worth living again.

And, this being Tivoli, you will find all manner of taps. With our can-do attitude (and a little plastic twine and an old water jug or two), we can turn a sow's ear into a silk purse, or sap into syrup, anyway.

Do I even have to say it? I love this damn make-do bucket.

iloviT iCandy

2009-02-27T22:14:00.000-05:00

When it's rainy outside, it's always warm in the bakery. Didn't get there today? Enjoy this little morsel for now, and get on over there tomorrow.

Joel Griffith, Painter of Tivoli

2009-02-21T07:44:00.000-05:00

Tivoli has a few painters, but none more identified with the Village than Joel Griffith. You've probably seen him beside the road under a big straw hat with his easel and brushes. You may even have wondered - how could he be painting... that? He is engaged by the details of this place, and not just its obvious postcard shots (which abound).

Joel's style is documentary and experiential. Yes, it's realism, but with a point of view. His canvases are quiet and still. That stillness makes you see the beauty of a landscape and its all-too-human interventions. Having grown up on Broadway, Joel has had the luxury of time in observing his subject. Rusty train tracks are as beautiful as the Catskill sunset they frame. Utility poles and worn black top enliven views toward the river.

If you have a keen eye, you will have noticed a deepening of his technique as time has passed. His rendering has become so sharp that it is hyper-real. His more recent paintings of trailers fit uncomfortably within the genre of house portraits. And, the discomfort works. The shipping container quality of these little boxes plopped on their lots catches you off guard. This is Joel at his best.

These days Joel is as likely to complete an entire painting in his studio as out in the elements. While he loved having us peer over his shoulder and make inane and witty comments, he has tired a bit of painting in public. You will still find him contemplating a view, perhaps sketching a detail, but his painting is done largely in his studio. He's often working on six or more paintings at a time. He says, "It's like dating a bunch of people. You get tired of one and move on. When you come back, you remember what you liked about it in the first place." His studio is above the Black Swan, pub extraordinaire. It is tiny and smells of oil paint, Lestoil and last night's beer (the last two contributed by the pub). His palette is just an old pizza box, which he flips over and uses twice.

This would be a good point to mention that Joel makes his living largely with his art. When I visited, he was nearing completion of a lovely wedding gift commission, a big canvas of farm fields where the couple were married. Over the course of two mayors' terms of office, the Village of Tivoli commissioned seven paintings which are on display in the entry of Watts DePeyster Hall. On your next trip to the Library, take a closer look.

Joel has just come to the end of a two-year period of intensive painting. He hints at a possible stylistic change, which has happened before in his 20 years of painting. For now, he's packing his bags for a month in Brazil. He may paint while he's there, but as he says, "I could paint one church, or visit ten; and I'd rather visit ten." Have a great trip, Joel. We'll be looking for you under your straw hat again in spring.

Thaw

2009-02-15T14:50:00.000-05:00

The ice is melting. And, this week the maple sap began to run. If your taps are in, you know that already. It's a little early, but we'll take it. Cold weather in the next few days will slow things down, but by late month collection (and boiling) should hit high gear. My friend Jo will be out there flipping pancakes and drizzling them with fresh maple syrup in a few weeks. Go over to the farm and get some. Really. If you miss it, you'll kick yourself.

And, there's green out there if you know where to look. Believe me, I've been looking. These little beauties will surely open their snowy faces very soon. Don't worry. I won't let it pass you by.

Ice Yachting

2009-02-07T20:32:00.000-05:00

There's a sheet of clear ice locked in place on the banks of Athens, just 20 miles north of Tivoli on the Hudson's west shore, and ice boats are taking full advantage. If you've been around here any length of time, you've heard about ice boating. You may even know that FDR had a boat named The Icicle. You probably also know that the ice just doesn't set up every winter, but this year the wicked cold nights have been kind to the yachting set.

The ice in Athens is so good, in fact, that cars from as far away as Maine and Quebec are parked in the DEC Boat Launch this weekend. And a half-dozen boats from the North Shrewsbury Ice Boat & Yacht Club are in the mix. (I hear the guys from Montreal are itching to race, and they were just pulling in when I left.)

If you don't know ice, you'd think this year's snow would make skating along in an ice boat impossible; but sunny days melt fresh snow, thickening the ice and forming a perfectly level surface. Good thing, too, because these boats can get up to 70 miles per hour with the right wind.

Today was a little gusty, but tomorrow's another day.

The guys ('cause it is mostly guys) who own these boats love the history of their sport as much as they love wind, ice and speed. You'll see rigging that reminds you of the schooners that used to grace the River, and the sound of wind-whipped sails will make you grin. The Hudson River Ice Yachting Club keeps tabs on ice conditions off Rhinecliff, Tivoli Bays and Athens, and the guys can fill you in on the local lore of their sport, which has been going on here since the 19th century.

Parking's tight this weekend, but don't let that deter you. Head up to Athens, now. Cross the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. Turn right onto 385 North. Through the Village to the DEC Boat Launch just north of town, and get out on the ice. Dogs, kids, sleds and skates encouraged.

Addendum: The guy out on the ice with the big camera must have been from the Times. Camera envy.

Get Out There

2009-02-01T07:39:00.000-05:00

This time of year if you don't get yourself outside, you're just going to be cold. Reverse logic, but with the thermostat set somewhere around 60, it's always chilly inside. (Clearly, I am living without a woodstove.)

At the house on the hill east of the village, we've been sledding. And, this week, if you're on the toddler side of the scale, you don't even need a sled. You can skim right along on your back on this amazing crust.

So, come on over. We've got about a quarter mile run out back, and it's FAST. Just remember, you'll have to stomp your way back up the hill. (Think of it as cardio.)

Oh, and be patient. Your cross country skiis will no doubt get more powdery stuff soon enough.

Mikee's Back

2009-01-26T21:58:00.000-05:00

And, all's right with the world. It was a long and well deserved winter break for the Village's own baker, but the ovens are once again turning out gems like this.

We go daily (well, Wednesday through Sunday, anyway). Kids and dogs are usually schnurfling around in the flour dust on the floor. Bard students rotate seasonally behind the counter, and we teeter on the edge of the two-fanny bench near the till in winter, but it's worth it. All the news you'd care to know passes by before noon.

And in summer, oh blessed summer, we move out to the porch. More dogs. More kids. More Bard students all lazing around. A few of us in and out for coffee while we famously pretend to work.

If you need the particulars, that's Tivoli Bread & Baking at 75 Broadway. Wed to Fri, Early to 12; Sat and Sun, Early to 3. 845.757.2253. And don't even think of special ordering a birthday cake. He'd have to owe you big (or love you a whole lot) to submit to that request.

Meet Otto

2009-01-22T18:16:00.001-05:00

Otto is a grocer. And his little grocery has turned the lights back on on Main Street, Germantown. As you may have heard, Otto is from Whole Foods, a former VP of Operations responsible for 16 stores in the NY metro area. So why is he in Germantown, you ask?

He wanted to be a chicken farmer. He went looking for land and found a market instead. And it needed him. Desperately. It's been two long years since Central Market went dark, and Germantown has been patiently waiting.

And it is beautiful. Otto has kept the cafe tables and the bar counter facing the street, so you can sit and watch Gtown go by (pick-up after pick-up after pick-up, all with plows, I might add). Ken is back from the Central Market days making great soups daily, and he's in the deli cutting fresh meat to order and making sandwiches and panini (the pickles are surely the best north of White Plains).

New to Gtown is Starlight, the CIA-trained pastry chef (yes, that's her name, and she is delightful). She bakes muffins and desserts daily including Otto's grandmother's own butterscotch glazed cinnamon buns. She's a talented cake baker, from what I hear, and will make special occasion cakes with 3 days notice. In the category of find-of-the-week, she's also making homemade marshmallows. Remember that when you're thinking campfire s'mores this summer.

While all of this makes a breakfast or lunch meet-up in Gtown once again possible, the essence of Otto's Market is groceries. Before opening, Otto did his research (which is why he should be around for awhile). He visited every market in a 50 mile radius. He found out most little grocers don't have much food for sale (but, we knew this). "I had more food in my cupboards than they had on their shelves."

Otto's shelves are packed. A friend of mine (former Germantown organic shiitake farmer) recently checked out behind a guy with a big plastic tub of Cool Whip. Gotta love that. Which pretty much sums up Gtown, and Otto's. Peruse the aisles and you will find locally roasted J.B. Peel coffee next to Maxwell House. Chatham's own Our Daily Bread just down the aisle from Freihofer's. And Fruit Loops shoulder to shoulder with European meusli. There's something for every palate and wallet from basic grocery, to local products, national-brand natural foods, and posh imports.

Gone is the catering, but who has money for that these days, anyway? Otto will happily prepare trays for meetings and gatherings and his cheeses, fresh local produce (in season) and baked goods should get you through, just fine.

And, I must note, the staff are all adults. Adults. With food experience. And they really like Otto. This is a very good sign.

Thank you, Otto. From the jars of penny candy to the grind-your-own peanut butter, the heavenly Chemex coffee to the Financial Times, we really like what you've done. And we won't forget that you are the Village of Tivoli's nearest grocer. The chickens will just have to wait.

Otto's Market is at 215 Main St. conveniently opposite Jim Lawlor's liquor store. Otto's is open Mon-Sat 7-7, Sun 7-3. Phone 518.537.7200.

Ghost of Xmas Past

2009-01-21T20:46:00.000-05:00

(just passed) In life, I was a Christmas tree.

Now I'm just waiting for the Village pick-up to come along and chip me out of the ice.

Crispy Crunchy Cold

2009-01-16T21:19:00.000-05:00

Early this morning the thermometer on the hill east of the Village read -3. Last night was the coldest night of the winter, but tonight is going to give it a run for its money.

Though my upper lip went numb within ten minutes, I had to go down to the river to check the ice. As you well know, the Hudson is the River that Flows Two Ways. On winter days, if you catch the tide coming in, the ice flows up river. And ice is noisy. Scratching and grinding against raw edges.

If you are lucky enough to be down there when the Coast Guard Ice Breaker is chugging up the shipping channel, you'll catch the wake rolling under the ice. Oddest thing. Even the biggest expanses of ice appear to flex and bend over the crests.

Not today. It was beautifully quiet and not a thing moving. The shipping channel was iced over and deep blue and the choppy tidal edge was locked in place too. It'll be early next week before the scratching and crunching begins again.

Get yourself down there and enjoy the silence. And I'll bet there'll be ice boating at Rokeby this weekend!

Goodwill Hunting

2009-01-13T19:05:00.000-05:00

A few miles up the road from our little village, there's a thrift worth the drive to Hudson. Goodwill - in a dismal strip mall opposite a Walmart (of course), but inside treasure awaits (and it doesn't smell too bad).

Find-of-the-week, 107 diner ware saucers and 1 cup. I passed. The housewares, electronics, toys and sports gear are all sprinkled with new-from-Target merch. All a bit dinged and dented, but a little elbow grease, some glue and a few carefully applied clamps and you've got yourself... well, something from Target.

It's worth glancing over, but I go for clothes. Descent inventory of Talbots, Ann Taylor, Ralph Lauren hanger to hanger with lesser cousins from Fashion Bug, Lerner and, of course, Target. A good bit of it straight from the retailer (which accounts for the tolerable smell of the store). The cast offs of the good people of Hudson will not yield anything you'd waltz down Fifth Avenue in (for that we thrift in Tivoli), but for country life, it'll do just fine.

The seasoned Goodwill Hunter needs no orientation, but if you're headed in for the first time this primer may help. Clothing is hung by color giving the whole store a cheery rainbow effect. Men on one side. Women on the other. Kids in back. Prices on the overhead sign. Easy. But the thrill of the hunt bumps up a notch when you realize that the little plastic tags get you discounts. Today red tags three-for-one. Blue tags half off. You wander around thinking you've got about $30 draped over your forearm, and it rings up for $12. Happy hunting!

Goodwill is on Fairview Avenue in the Columbia Center strip. Open Monday to Saturday 9 to 8 and Sunday 10 to 7. And parking's no problem, because half the stores in the strip have packed up and left.

Bday #3

2009-01-11T20:52:00.000-05:00

One of Tivoli's sweetest little residents has turned three, with a party to prove it.

The under 5 set ping-ponged themselves off bouncy toys and eachother in a way that would have landed the under 45 set in the emergency room. Happily the under 45's hung in the kitchen near the coffee urn.

It was a bright moment in an otherwise quiet January. Pink cupcakes all around.