Fall in the Catskills & Fried Apples…

September & early October is a great time for apple-picking & there are many orchards in the Catskill Mts. & surrounding area. This time of year apples seem to be crispier & juicier. My favorite recipe is Fried Apples.

4-5 Gala or Fuji apples
Tablespoon of butter or margarine
Tablespoon of cinnamon sugar
3-4 glovers

Slice the apples & place them in a 10-inch fry pan with a ½ cup of water, a tablespoon of butter/margarine & 3-4 glovers. Over a medium flame stir occasionally until the apples are soft (but not too soft). Sprinkle a tablespoon of cinnamon sugar & stir.

For breakfast, serve hot with scramble eggs & maybe some type of sausage.

As a dessert, serve hot over vanilla ice cream.

Yumm!

You might want to check out Wright’s Apple Farm (699 Route 208, Gardiner, NY). They make it truly a family affair by inviting you to bring the whole family, including pooch, for a day of apple-picking & picnicking.

http://www.eatapples.com

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Riding the rails of the Catskill Mountains...

Ulster & Delaware Railroad...

Almost hidden from view; the remains of a passenger car from a forgotten era of railroad history in the Catskill Mountains, sits just outside of Kingston, NY on route 209. The passenger car from the early 1900s is a symbol of the gold era of the Ulster & Delaware Railroad.

From 1870 to 1976 the Ulster & Delaware Railroad provided a vital service carrying freight such as Bluestone quarried in the Catskills and transported to New York City its sidewalks. Dairy products from Ulster & Delaware County farms were also whisked off to the big city. The trains of the U & D RR also carried passengers, mostly tourist from the Big Apple to and from the Catskill Mountains area to escape the congestion of NYC, particularly during the hot summers and to the ski slopes in the winter.

Today you can take a nostalgic ride on sections of the historic Ulster & Delaware Railroad & the Fall is a great time to see the magnificent colors.

All Aboard!!!

Trolley Museum:

http://www.tmny.org/

Take a ride (some even have a "Pooch Pass" for well-behaved canine family members - kitty too!):

http://www.lrhs.com/

http://www.durr.org/

http://www.catskillmtrailroad.com/

http://www.esrm.com/esrm/default.htm

History:

http://www.udrrhs.org/levele.htm

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Pooka's 1st Camping Trip...

I now have a new camping/traveling companion - Pooka. She is a 5-month-old Doxle: Dachshund & Beagle mix that I adopted from North Shore Animal League Shelter. Puppy training has definitely been a challenge (Poochie was a young adult dog when I adopted her), so I thought maybe a camping trip to the Catskill Mts. might do us some good. Well yes & no...

We were barely out of NYC when the dog was getting carsick (just my luck, my travel companion gets carsick!!!) Half way to the Catskills I call my Vet on Long Island for advice (I'll give some possible solutions at the end). Now of course, being in a new environment, although it is much more tranquil than the city, Pooka was a little apprehensive; particularly when the crowing of a rooster woke us up. She definitely didn't like being on the leash most of the time - but that's the campground's rule (and a wise one).

On the good side, potty training in the wildness is easy - she even woke me up in the middle of the night when she had to go, but seeing how dark it was she opt for the WeeWee pad in the camper. Pooka did finally seem to like the wilderness - the sounds (other than that rooster), the interesting creatures to see (chipmunks, bugs, birds, deer & even a bear), and the infinite number of smells of the woods.

The final analysis: I think Pooka is going to like camping. She is also very people friendly, so exploring the little towns will be a pleasure; with that cute face, those puppy eyes, the usual look about her, & tail-wagging eagerness to greet anyone who looks at her; she is an invitation for meeting people. Toward the end of our stay I noticed, like Poochie, she could also be a little protective of her campsite - warning me if people or creature were approaching before I even saw or heard them - very good quality.

I believe Poochie's spirit is proud of the new camper following in her paw steps.

Now, we just need to deal with the carsickness problem For long trips, 2 or more hours, the Vet recommended one Dramamine (found in the regular pharmacy) taken one hour before getting in the car. Also, possibly no food or very little 3-4 hours before leaving. I found having the dog's favorite chew toy a good occupier until she falls asleep. For short trips in the car (my dog would get carsick after 20 minutes), I found a Calming Aid gel sold in pet stores is easily taken by mouth & seems to work - so far. Hopefully, she will overcome this problem before we start taking serious road trips - like cross-country!

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Dog Days of Summer w/Poochie...

All it would take is the sight of the green travel bag & hearing, "Let's go camping!" to have Poochie dancing & prancing with delight. Unfortunately, in her final year she had to rely on a wheelchair from Eddie's Wheels to get around, but she still loved to travel the open road & being in the mountains.

I’ve spent many wonderful years traveling with Poochie; her last camping trip was the first weekend of August 2008 when we went to the Adirondack Museum for Dog Days of Summer. We camped at Lake Harris; Poochie enjoyed sitting on my lap & gazing at the lake. Even though she had health problems, when we were the mountains she seem to feel better.

On that Saturday we went to the Adirondack Museum on a kind of wet day, but still enjoyed the day. Of course, Poochie stole the hearts of many there – you can see her on the Adirondack Museum’s slideshow of Dog Days of Summer 2008: http://www.adkmuseum.org/exhibits_and_events/special_events/detail/?id=23

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The Tao of RVing & Camping...

One of our (Poochie & I) favorite places is the Catskills. We would go for early morning walks when the forest seems so still and the freshness of morning dew smells of pine and floral. Sometimes the lingering smoke of a campfire would seek its way up the rays of the sun that beam through the trees in the early morn.

Poochie would often like to sit at our campsite; her eyes, ears, and nose searching the woods for something or perhaps... maybe she was just taking in the beautiful sights, melodic sounds, and aromatic smells of the forest.

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