Buttermilk Bonanza!

In lieu of an adventure in physical space, this week I ventured into the exciting world of baking with buttermilk.  It all started when, upon reading an article in the New York Times about how buttermilk is making a comeback both in baking and as a drink, I decided to buy some and check it out.  While the paper made it sound like drinking buttermilk would be like drinking yogurt, the buttermilk I tried was beyond tangy, and too acidic for me to swallow.  So I turned to baked goods as a way to use up this undrinkable liquid.  I decided to try out a recipe for biscuits, and one for soda bread.  Both came out astoundingly well!  I don't think I've ever made a loaf of bread from scratch before, so I feel pretty accomplished now that I have.  This is definitely a hobby I want to continue to pursue!

While I found it far too acidic to drink, Kate's Buttermilk worked well to bake with.

Buttermilk drop biscuits!  Yum!  They came out SO fluffy!

Buttermilk soda bread!  Yum!
It wasn't quite as fluffy as the biscuits, but the flavor was a bit richer and the crust was nice and crispy.

Paltry Pine Plains

So today my friend Erika (the usual suspect) and I decided to revisit the town of Pine Plains, about 20 miles east of Bard.  We'd been there once before, on a whim, and, arriving after 5 on a Saturday evening, found it to be rather deserted.  But it looked like a sort of cute town, so we were wondering if it would be more lively during regular business hours.  To investigate, we headed over there this morning.  As it turns out, this tiny town centered around a four-way stop is no livelier on Monday at mid-morning than it was that long-ago Saturday evening.  Most of the businesses were closed and dark, and there was almost no one else on the street, or anywhere in sight.  We did, however, happen upon a labyrinth that was free and open to the public in the back yard of one of the town's churches, so Pine Plains wasn't a total wash!

downtown Pine Plains

This antique shop claimed to be open, but it looked suspiciously closed and deserted...
I liked the headless statue.

The labyrinth!!

This was part of the display for the town's physical therapy office...

Magnificent, Peaceful Montgomery Place

Late this morning, my friend Erika and I ventured over to Montgomery Place, an old estate right down the road from Bard.  As with Poets' Walk, I'd never been there before, so my visit was long overdue.  I couldn't go inside the house, but I enjoyed walking around the grounds, which were very quiet.  Somehow views of the mountains across the river never get old!  Possibly my favorite part of the estate was a little man-made pond called The Ellipse, partly because of its name, and partly because I thought it was a particularly beautiful spot.  It was a nice local excursion!

view from the visitors' center of the orchards

the manor at Montgomery Place

view of the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains

a beautiful flower in the gardens

The Ellipse!

a frog floating in the Ellipse

Pretty, Wonderful Poets' Walk

Poets' Walk is only a short drive from Bard, but somehow I'd never gotten around to visiting this charming property until today!  I'm very glad I finally went.  While the welcome sign's claim that Poets' Walk is "where beauty meets truth" may be a bit exaggerated, it certainly was a lovely place.  I didn't have time to walk all of the trails this park has to offer, but I liked what I did see.  Poets' Walk offers a charming mix of fields and woods with surprising views of the Hudson River and rustic wooden structures along the trails.  It's a great place to take a peaceful stroll in the company of a good friend!

I really liked this sign!

Flowers for sale at the park!

one of the cute wooden structures at Poets' Walk

Fields, trees, the river, mountains--Poets' Walk has it all!

Nice, Alluring North Andover

Towards the end of last week, my mother and I decided to head to North Andover to check out a Trustees site that we'd never visited before: Stevens-Coolidge Place.  Although the farmhouse was closed to visitors, the gardens were open and beautiful!  There were a few small gardens, each with a different feel to it.  As an added bonus, there were hardly any other visitors, so we could wander around in peace.  Driving through downtown North Andover, we happened across the tiny but interesting Museum of Printing, so we made a quick visit there and got to see some really neat old printing equipment.  On the way out, we decided to head to another nearby Trustees site that we'd never visited before, Weir Hill.  There are several miles of trails there, but we just hiked up to the scenic overlook and enjoyed the view from there.  Although North Andover isn't that far away from us, we'd never spent any time there before, and we were pleasantly surprised by how cute the town was!

There were lots of butterflies in the gardens at Stevens-Coolidge Place!

the kitchen garden

the French garden

the rose garden

the house at Stevens-Coolidge Place 

an old printing press outside the Museum of Printing

view from the scenic outlook at Weir Hill