#tent resevoir :)

[catboy-bride]

cahara

[skekshroom]

Are you going to do more stuff about humans in thra interactions? Especially brea ho w would she react to humans?

you got it

[Brea & reader]

- Brea is naturally curious about you. Many gelfling, upon seeing you are terrified. You immedietely take notice of how fearless she is. She doesn't back down or drop her gaze. tentative, of course, but not afraid. You wouldn't be the first giant being she'd offered a hand of friendship to.

- Humans are curious as well, a resevoir of information, and many are rebellious by nature. All the things one might like about humanity, Brea tends to embody. You encourage her questions and she has no shortage of them.

- Pre-war, she might not have many opportunities to come talk to you except by sneaking past her mother, sister, and the guards who stand watch outside your room in Ha'rar.

- Post-war she's a little more wary of you. There's less of that naive wonder and more of the drive to know the truth. The whole truth. She wants to know why you're here, what the skeksis and Thra have to do with it... and what to do next.

- Overall Brea is not hostile towards you or other humans, even if you come in a pair or a group she wont be the one to accuse you of being skeksis 2.0.

[disparition]

Staves of Smoke (Text Version)

I. ash falls on tile, on paper, on skin ash enters our windways as a poison, and enters the earth as a nutrient carved stone sculpture of an open hand, embers collecting in the palm they spin and rise walk among ashes as though in a sacred courtyard – unarmed, naked, empty of song or idea walk among ashes as though barefoot into the wetlands, sinking and becoming the ending and beginning of the worlds in their millions, ashes rise from the ground in a cloud, the cloud fades into the sky and pulls back into the distance the shapes and forms that emerge into visibility are shaking, secretly and inwardly nervous, unsure how to approach clouds that choke and clog our passageways with memory. once, from distances, this scent could pull us for miles towards the solace of warmth and comradery. In the age of paper the scent is mixed with fear and imbalance. the clouds grow. we walk by day in ochre and fall to stillness as the veil disintegrates around us, asleep in beds of amber, washing up on their shores. II. He bought the little glass jar at a tourist trap in the Temple Pass, the tiny city they used to call Casa de Fruta and then the Nine Times City. Yes, the place where Faita’s Kite still lies in pieces up on the hillside. Yes, the same place where they still fly in the night. That place. The little glass jar was etched with the image of a poppy. Yes, that poppy. He filled the little glass jar with soil from the shore of the ancient resevoir, a thin column dry and loose at the top, wet and dense at the bottom, he spread it out upon his tile and ran it through the sieves before funnelling it into the little glass jar with the etching of the poppy. He was heading east against the flow, a direction that called attention, all the way across the valley he kept his hands thrust deep into the pockets of his robe, his head low, his thoughts a pure reflection of the landscape and vibration in the area immediately surrounding. A slow and silent mirror creeping along the overgrown upper paths of the Eightyway, he encountered few – and those he met, or rather saw, seemed as eager to avoid the mark as he. And so they passed each other with no acknowledgement, each giving wide berth and then erasing all shade and memory of encounter. Still, without quite realizing it, he had one set of fingers tightly clutched around the little jar full of earth with the etching of a poppy. They stopped him soon after he entered the foothills. He had left the road by then but it didn’t matter. From atop a low ridge he had stopped to watch figures throwing logs across the way at Clipper Gap as travellers lined up outside of a tent by the side of the road. On the approach to Applegate they surrounded him in a clearing, a pickup and SUV in front of him and another pickup behind. They poured out of the vehicles. He took his phone out of his pocket – yes even at that late hour he still had a phone. A gloved hand grabbed it and threw it into the field while someone pinned his arms from behind and then kicked his legs out from under him. Then another hand forced his face into the ground and a voice was calm and close in his ear : “you can simply dissappear”. More hands pulling at his robes, tearing it from his body and then ripping the pockets open. Someone picked him up so that he was kneeling but kept a hand on the back of his head, forcing his to the ground. They were going through everything and setting certain items aside on the hood of one of the pickups – even in this chaos he was attuned to the sound. The small leather tube containing the writ, the cutter, the digger, his canteen, the small glass full of soil from the ancient resevoir, the sieves, the tile. One of them gave a stifled yelp. They had found his eggs. He expected them to smash the eggs in an act of mocking cruelty and was surprised to see shells fall silenty to the ground as the eggs were eaten quietly and hurriedly by whoever spotted them. As he watched the shells fall he noticed their bootprints on the ground, the cross at the center of the pattern, and felt a cold dull pain rising at the base of his spine as his stomach began to churn. Wolves of Honor. He thought he had steered well north of their territory but things changed fast and information wasn’t what it used to be. All of the old maps were dead. Silent but nearly paralyzed with fear, they walked him over to the SUV and strapped him into a hard fiberglass seat in the back. He didn’t know much about the Wolves of Honor, but he had seen comrades with that cross pressed into their face or back, seen the broken hands and missing fingers, he’d heard the rumours about what had they had done to Jesse, what they had done in Truckee. That was enough. They were in motion almost immediately. The straps made it hard to turn his head, and a bare wooden board seperated him from the front of the cab. With pressure he could twist and see partially out of the window to his right, where the trees were getting thicker and the sky darker. Soon they were climbing steeper hills, winding back and forth into the Sierra, and he had to face forward to keep from getting sick. Eventually, he closed his eyes. They stopped at a low, small building on the edge of a small and steep ravine. When they pulled him out they light was almost gone but he could feel the form of the land, run himself over the jagged stone hidden beneath soft layers of life and death. They brought him into a small gray room partitioned by crude brickwork and thick, dull glass. In the tubelight he could see their piecemeal uniforms, the longrifles on their backs, their pins and patches, wolves and stormclouds, eagles and runes, the flag of the old empire with the five bars and the stars replaced by a cross. Two stood behind him, hands on his shoulders. Three sat at an ancient folding table. Through layers of glass he saw several other figures crowded into a tiny room at the far end of the building, shrouded in white, their movements hindered by some binding he couldn’t see. The blur of the glass masked their faces but they looked like elders, and they were swaying gently back and forth. The Wolves pushed him down into an old school chair that was bolted to the floor and bound him to it. Someone came in holding what was left of his robes and a duffel bag. With gloved hands they slowly removed his belongings and placed them on the table, the sieves, the tile, the cutter, the digger, his canteen, the small glass full of soil from the ancient resevoir, the small leather tube containing the writ. One of the soldiers behind the desk produced a clipboard overstuffed with white, yellow, and pink papers and carbon sheets. Yes, the triplicates of legend. In hushed tones they debated intracacies of the paperwork among themselves. He could hear them but their jargon was impenetrable. One by one they picked up the items, gestured at the forms and eventually filled out various sections, their tone and faces muted with boredom. When they came to the leather tube, they stopped as if afraid to touch it. Then one of them slowly stood and ambled outside. A heavy space lay on the room and all inside its partitions. The drone of the tubelight was the only sensation. Even the prisoners had stopped their swaying. The remaining Wolves stared ahead, eyes dulled. He scanned the walls, the ancient forms and notices still held up with tape, indecipherable graffiti in three languages, a crude drawing of Mia Marisol with her eyes crossed out and a snake coming out from her mouth. Could have been done by the Wolves or by any number of previous occupants; her name had been anathema in this part of the mountains long before their arrival. The wind began to pick up outside. A sound of leaves and creaking branches filtered through the brick work. Then the door opened quickly and a group of soldiers came in. They wore the same patches as the other Wolves but their armor was more uniform, they were heavy with clinking gear, they smelled of woodsmoke. One of them picked up the leather tube from the table and popped it open, then held the writ close up to their face, folded it in half, and stuffed it into a pocket. “Outside, and bring all his shit.” Two of them got up from behind the table, languid, slow, one of them pausing to stretch. They unstrapped him, lifted him roughly from the chair, rebound his hands behind his back; three went outside and then the two behind pushed him, following. Outside the dark was total and the wind strong. A floodlight above the door of the building shone on the gravel drive and reflected off of parked trucks. They all stopped just a few feet in front of the door. The soldier who had taken the writ was addressing the others: “He’s got a Writ of Gomez. Do you guys know what that is?” almost yelling to keep above the wind. “You should know what that is because we signed this. In fact, every chapter of Knights on the coast has signed it. McCora signed it, I was there when he did, and that means us. Now, I want to show you guys something. I’m going to show you how these people work and how to turn their own snake language against them.” The soldier turned to address him directly: “Gentle traveller, do you know the meaning of the term ‘to abide’?” In the silence the wind grew stronger. “You see in this writ it says that you are to ‘abide’. Specifically it says you are to abide by the structure of those realms you cross. Realms. Well, we aren’t a realm we are a republic, and in our republic we abide in Christ. Don’t worry, I already know you don’t. I already know that. But it says you are to abide by our strictures, and it turns out you don’t even abide by your own. How do you think we found you? Take a wild guess.” From the same pocket in which the writ was folded, his phone was produced. One of them must have gone into the field to find it. “I don’t know a lot about how you people do things but I’m pretty sure you aren’t supposed to have this. You don’t look like a Bubbler to me. And you definitely aren’t supposed to have it here.” The phone went back into the pocket. “And so we have you. Now, I know, we all know, what it is to trespass – because we are all sinners. The most we can do is ask forgiveness. To ask forgiveness, you have to accept Christ into your heart. Only then can you begin to abide – only then will it be in your nature to abide. Please kneel.” Someone kicked him hard in the back of the legs, heavy hands on his shoulders forced him down. He whimpered as his knees were driven into the gravel, the first sound he made in their presence. With his hands behind his back he couldn’t balance on his own, the two behind him holding him semi upright. The wind had grown stronger. Dry needles and small branches were blowing across the drive. One of the Wolves had gone back into the building and returned with the duffel bag, then one by one began tossing the items onto the ground. The sieves, the digger, the porceilein tile landed on a corner that chipped off. One of the sieves rattled as it rolled away down the slope. “Here’s our solution, and you don’t know how lucky you are that we’re in the middle of something right now. So, it’s simple. You will open your heart and accept Christ, you will abide in Christ so long as you remain on our land, we will let you take your little witch toys and walk away because they don’t do shit here. The illegal spy device that you brought into our republic will be cleansed and destroyed by the proper method, the writ of Gomez we will keep until we have observed you leaving our territory – it will then be sent to your superiors, the old way, and with our seal attached. Now, to show our faith we will unbind you so that you may place your hand over your heart. Please do so.” At that moment the little glass jar landed badly on a rock and shattered. Immediately the wind picked up the dust of the ancient resevoir, it circled in the air around the drive and fled into surrounding the darkness. It was then enough confidence returned and, triggering an aged memory, enough power entered him that words rose quitely in his throat and flew into the air: “may you sit for all of your days in the southwest corner of every room with a northwest wind blowing dust in your eyes.” They had not yet unbound his hands and they never did. One of them punched him hard in the stomach and then again in the chest. He struggled to breathe. They forced him upright, marched him back into the building, opened the layers of doors to the tiny room with the elders shrouded and white, and threw him to the floor. His hands still bound behind his back, a boot pressed down on them, then kicked him in the lower back, then stopped. They were furious, but hurried – there was something odd about their speed. They closed and locked the door and then shut off lights in the outer rooms, then there was another clanking of bolts as they locked the last door from outside. Then the sound of engines and the crunch of wheels on gravel as they left. And then the wind outside, the breaking of branches, the hum of the one flickering tubelight they had left on in the tiny room. As his breathing regained some normal rhythm and the pain began to subside, he managed to turn himself onto his other side. He had thought the room crowded with prisoners but it must have been some trick of the glass – there were only two. He recognized them immediately, the ancient teachers who had wandered the valley of Joachim and the Sierra in the chaos and the liquid days. One of them came from Fresno, the other Chico. As soon as they saw the recognition in his eyes, they looked at one another and, as though he were not present, began their Discourse. Outside, the emberse had already begun to fall. “Was this wise, what our young traveller has done? Look where he finds himself – bound and defeated. If one is caught in a current, it is unwise to swim directly against it” said the Teacher of Fresno “You must have failed to look into the eyes of our captors” remarked the Wise One of Chico, “our traveller has spread a fear into them. The fear will take them – maybe not this moment, or this day, but it will be their defeat.” “It wil not be the defeat of all of them. These people, these Wolves, they are a hairs breadth from the witch burnings and pogroms of old. To use such a curse, is to incur a debt. Howsoever that fear is spread, it will return upon him and not just him, but on all of his people, on those who are bound to him by love and knowledge, and on those who depend on their kindness, and so on across the webs between us all. Not every seed takes root but the one that does will break all the soil and drink all the water of the field” responded the Sage of Fresno. “And that of which you speak is that which must be done, the soil wil be broken and the water will be drunk, as we leave from the age of fields and enter into an age of the forest” opined the Aged One of Chico. “Does this transition need to occur without wisdom or foresight?” asked the Learned One of Fresno “and with such dire consequence for those caught in the margins? Those with less power will suffer for what he has thrown into the wind. To move from one age to the next is unavoidable, but is it so much to ask that this be done with sensitivity, and with precision? As reality shatters can we not watch our step, that we are not cut by the flying shards?” To which the Elder of Chico responded “Look down on the forests of tomorrow, which grow as did the forest of yesterday. Do you see it placed upon a grid?” The teacher of Fresno was consumed in a pillar of light. The teacher of Chico faded into the ether. Outside, the windws carried ash and ember and the distant sounds of chainsaws and of logs being thrown across the roads. III. There will come a day when you look up to find the sky full of machines – heavy and strange, objects that don’t look like they should fly. Like pieces of them are breaking away and falling slowly, drifting down like steel feathers. There will come a day when you condense all of your feelings into your fingertips until they glow and you will scrape them against the air leaving bright traces, and you will be unable to hide those traces before you are seen – was that the first time? Think back over the dreams you have had throughout your life. Focus on what you have seen again and again. Not the people, not the events, not even the feeling – not exactly. Look around you. Circle around and above. The room, the space, the architecture, the geography, the design, the living and unliving things and the balance between them. Focus on where you have been again and again. What are the settings you return to in dreams that you have never seen in the life you call “real”? The intersections, the hallways, the parks, the transit systems, the view out of and into windows. Focus on what you have seen again and again. Do not let yourself be led astray by the temptations of literary symbolism – the roads and bridges that we see in dreams are not metaphors, they are infrastructure. These are the marches, the borderlands, the high and distant domes of our temples are held aloft by pillars of smoke. That which happens here echoes and ripples. Currents wrap themselves around you. Focus on where you have been again and again. How is it possible that these memories have entered so deeply into you, the details of places you have never physically entered, this sense of routine and repetition How is it possible the drone of machines and weight of their distance, their journey across the upper atmosphere has covered you in your sleep like a blanket all these years Think back on the dreams you have had over and over in your life, and think on the dream you are in now Invisible and floating in a photonegative world, awake and waiting the painted masks, the order of keys, the pulling line. Three blue diamonds buzz against glass in the light of dawn. There will come a day when you glide just above the fields and the ground will drop from beneath you, the valley and its twisting currents far below, shrouded in mist. 

[phelanhydro]

Grow Tents can be such a huge plus when it comes to growing inside because you have full control over the environment. You can beat the heat or, beat the cold. Or the Cold and the Sun. Or, Sun and the fro.. ah you get it. 😀 4x4x6.5' Grow Tent 600-Watt LED Grow Light 4x4' Active Aqua Flood Table 4x4 Fast Fit Tray Stand 50-70gal Resevoir Stop by and let us show you how 🤜🤛💚🌱 #GrowTents #indoorgardening #indoorgarden #ClosetGrowing #Hydro #hydroponics #friends #greenthumb #followus (at Phelan Hydro & Garden Supply) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTRugxLlraN/?utm_medium=tumblr

[highertribeworld]

Lone wolf soul searching in the mountains 🐺🌙🏞

So I took a trip..

I drove 300 miles each way, on a solo mission with one thing in mind... to climb a mountain. I took with me, obviously the basics like my suitcase and a tent but also a journal &

@theslumflowerr 'What a time to be alone'

Which I highly recommend btw ;) no promo out here, real talk- read this book, I lent it to a friend in dire need as soon as I was home and she too hypes about it! Empowering, inspiring and uplifting!

I sold my boomtown ticket a few days prior, on a whim, after a string of unfortunate events and bad news; and it was the best thing I could have done, a 4 day bender was best avoided.

The uncomfortable feelings I felt in my stomach and unhelpful thought processes I was experiencing 3/4 up the mountain were very similar to those I experience on a day to day basis.. I'm not good enough for this, I can't do this, this is too hard, I feel sick, I feel dizzy etc. I sat on a rock for a good 40 minutes convincing myself that I couldn't do it. I only saw about 4 people the entire 4/5 hours it took me to get up and down there.. one of those was an older gentlemen, who passed me on his way down while I was sat on this rock, almost in tears and he said to me

"You're not too far from the top you know, about 10 more minutes of loose rocks and it evens out, you're only about 20 minutes from the top itself, come on, you can do it, the view alone is worth it"

He had no idea what his words had dragged me out from, I was so close to giving in and going back down - if only that wasn't the only other thing that was as equally as terrifying at this point.. 😂 but it struck me that a complete stranger had more faith in me than I did in myself, and I realised how low ones self worth has to be to get to that point. I originally planned to have my headphones in the entire ascent.. turns out I had zero signal unless i was in the centre of Keswick and even then 4G was at a push, so playlists were off limits.. it was just me, myself and I, which in a way, was perfectly aligned for my own personal situation. I had no choice but to face myself up there, there was no one else except the odd traveller, a robin and 30 odd free roaming goats.

So I watched matey descend down the mountain and off into the distance (yes, that's how long I sat there, not a fan of heights, this was a not well thought through impulsive decision- that was totally worth it ofc) and I set off.. I felt sick to my stomach, I was soaked through from the on/off downpours that afternoon, I was terrified of the height I was now at so I wasn't even enjoying the view (the footing below me was VERY loose and uneven.. and felt almost vertical to me - a total noob)

But I pushed on.. admittedly on all fours at one point (not even ashamed either pal, the mental battle I fought to even achieve that, tcht, warrior🤙) and sure enough, the ground beneath my feet began to finally level out and that dirty feeling in my stomach eased a little.

I cannot describe to you the feelings and emotions that came over me when I reached the top of Helvellyn. I overcame my anxieties, my disbelief in myself, the demons inside my head that told me I couldn't do it, the people at home that thought 'yeah alright then hun' .. all of it.. but mainly.. I fought through the mental battle that insisted that I give in and go back down, I was resilient.. and i sat up there reading my book, soaked through, in absolute bliss, for the first time in a long long time.

The next day, I spent the day down in the resevoir opposite Helvellyn. Seeing as I camped literally, on a farm down the road and as a Scorpio, I am an element of water- so it only made sense 🌊 I felt so calm and peaceful, so grateful for my own being, my surroundings, my decision to do this entire trip and my courage for going it alone - the furthest I had not only driven by myself, but ever travelled up North entirely!

I didn't know what I was looking for when I left but I came back completely content with what had shifted. I was entirely content in solitude; considering recent weeks I had been suffering an intense loneliness.. I felt incredibly proud for calling the demon out on it's bullshit and showing what I'm really about, acceptance of circumstances was key and I really showed myself that I am in control and I can do anything I set my mind too. I fully recommend anyone to do it, even solo if you're shit scared!

*Obviously do some basic research, take waterproofs, food, water, use ya noggin*

When I got back, I did a lot of reflecting; i realised that, as mentioned before, those uncomfortable feelings i experienced before i reached the top are similar in so many ways to when i feel anxious/depressed and seriously spiritually out of alignment; and that if i can talk myself out of a anxiety attack at almost 1000m above sea level, then i can sure as shit take on most of my perceived daily struggles like a piece of piss. And althought its NOT easy, whenever i find myself dipping i remind myself.... GIRRRRRL you climbed a damn mountain by yo damn self, take a deep breath, you got this.. and off i go.

In my journal on one occasion, I wrote the question;

Who/what do I want to be?

I wrote;

Kind

Selfless & self-fulfilled

Calm

Happy

Brave

Curious

Bold

Light

Ask yourself:

Who or what do YOU want to be?

You are in control!

I came across this video by accident while searching for motivational speeches, it's my favourite, I've shared it everywhere, I quote it many times to anyone who'll listen.. well worth it if you're ready/curious 👁💫💛

Much love and thankyou for reading. Please follow and share love 🌻💛💫👁���🌱

Please also check out:

[botanistseries]

Five Haunted Places In Salt Lake City

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-midnight Friday and Saturday. Check out the “Most frightening Show on Earth” website for more details.

Deer Creek – On top of Provo Canyon is Deer Creek Resevoir. Maybe, not as big Jordanelle, yet there are a couple of even more features such as a marina with a restaurant. Both Jordanelle as well as Deer Creek see satisfaction seafarers and also angling boats.

Holy place Square – With greater than 2 million visitors a year, Holy place Square places as one of the leading traveler destinations in Utah. There is a history museum, family members background library and the world-famous Habitation Choir.

salt lake city weather in november of those working professionals is Amye Cole, Senior citizen Admissions Counselor at Sierra Nevada University in Incline Town, Nevada. In 2005, Amye decided to return to college for her MBA– while working full-time. It’s been practically 2 years considering that she completed her online MBA program, and because time she’s transformed tasks, tackled more obligation, and seen her career bloom. She discusses her on the internet MBA experience as well as just how it’s assisted her come into her very own in the business globe.

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The post Five Haunted Places In Salt Lake City appeared first on Botanist Series - Salt Lake City.

[sportsandsongs]

Wayhome 2017

Just as I did last year, a long sprawling post covering everything I loved and liked last weekend at Wayhome. Mostly for myself to look back on in time but also to share the love of great music. None of the videos linked here are mine – the photos are.

 Highs:

The People – This was only the third year of Wayhome, hopefully not the last (more on that later) but it seemed to me that people were starting to get the hang of the weekend camping festival this year. There were a lot more high fives, a fair bit of “Happy Wayhome”, evidence of neighboring campsites keeping an eye out for each other and just all around good vibes. This is even more so on our own campsite where with our camp mates from the US we had as much or more fun sitting around the campsite as there was in the festival grounds.

The Beer on our Campsite – This was mostly of our own planning and preparation  but it was one of my best weekends ever in terms of sampling new craft beers. I had made sure to get a few good/unique beers before we left, our American friends brought some great beers from the Buffalo area and we participated in an onsite craft beer exchange where we traded 10 of our own beers for 10 unique craft beers – mostly from the East Coast of Canada. There was a lot of beer to go around for sure but it was mostly being shared communally among our group of 4, so it went a pretty long way…

Cage the Elephant - Not necessarily my favourite band of the weekend heading in but they put on one hell of a show. Their front man is energetic, engaged and all over the stage. They have a lot of big singalongs and their folkier hits (“Trouble”, “Cigarette Daydreams”) really come across well in a large group setting. It wasn’t quite last years’ Foals revelation, but it was pretty close.

Justice – I’m obviously more of a rock guy than an electronic/dance fan but Justice straddles the line enough for me to be really into their set. This was the best “show” of the weekend, without a doubt. Big lights, epic sounds – they don’t come around much at all and it really felt like an “event” to me – much more than Frank Ocean, whose appearance actually was an event. It’s hard for me to imagine a better song from any band to open a concert than “Safe and Sound”.

The Darcy’s – I had seen them play last year at the ArtWalk at Wayhome and they were good but didn’t blow me away. Since then, I’ve come to realize that their 2016 album Centerfold is a really good synthy-summer in Miami style album. They played at 3:30 in the afternoon in the blazing sun, not far from a Bacardi tent. Sipping on my Lemonade (and Bacardi) in the blazing heat, listening to them play the likes of “Studio City”, “San Diego, 1988” and “Miracle” was everything I wanted to do in that moment. The lead singer had a broken arm and the sling was bright gold and bedazzled – what more can you want.

PUP – Their 2016 album The Dream is Over is just ridiculously good and I knew going in that this was going to be one of the highlights of the weekend. One of the very very few bands that gets me into the mosh pit, they’re just so high energy and so infectious, you just can’t help but get swept up in it. It was different than seeing them in a club – the security at Wayhome was a bit more uptight about the crowd surfing etc… but at the same time, you’re not going to see their lead singer climb to the top of the posts surrounding the stage at a club stage either. There is no better set closer than the “If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You/DVP” combination. “Resevoir” was pretty great too.

The Shins – Their setlist was exactly what I wanted it to be – lots from their first two albums, as well as “Simple Song”, “Australia” and “Phantom Limb”, and the obligatory songs from the new album, which are pretty strong in their own right. They sounded tight, had one of the best backdrops of the night and all in all just put in a really great festival set.

Imagine Dragons – Probably the surprise of the weekend for me. I knew their songs like everyone does but mostly shrugged them off as a headliner – after the likes of The Killers, Arcade Fire, Neil Young and LCD Soundsystem the past couple years, they just didn’t meet that level for me. That said, their set was every bit the headlining show. It was an hour and a half of singalongs, positivity and infectious happiness and it was fantastic. He never stops moving around the stage and he looks like an MMA fighter but it all works. Sure, there were possibly some religious undertones to it but as a diehard Killers fan, I can’t hold that against them too much – I’ll just chalk it up to them both being from Las Vegas. In any event, they made me a… Believer

Traffic Flow/Viewpoints – There were much fewer people there this year – fewer bands and smaller headliners will do that. There was one less stage as well. While those were negatives coming in represented less value for the cost of the ticket, it meant it was very easy to move from stage to stage to catch every act we wanted to see, and especially for the sets early on in the day, get very close to the front.

Royal Blood – I had heard they were very good live and they definitely lived up to that reputation. The songs were tight, loud and they were pretty good at getting the crowd feeling in – not always easy for a 2 piece band.

Vance Joy - Maybe somewhat similar to Imagine Dragons, I knew a lot of his songs and I have long loved “Fire and the Flood”. This seemed to be the most child/family friendly set of the weekend and also very heavily populated with screaming/swooning young women. And for good reason – a handsome guy with an Australian accent singing nothing but love songs. He definitely won me over – I was swooning myself (and sending love texts back home) by the time he was a few songs in. As far as love lyrics go, not much better than “Everything is fine, when your head’s resting to mine” in my books.

WayAway Stage – This stage isn’t new this year but it’s the first year I’ve seen a significant number of shows on it (probably many of these would have been on the WayBold stage which didn’t exist this year). Seeing the likes of PUP, Car Seat Headrest, Houndmouth and Haerts on a small stage surrounded by trees was a fantastic experience – if you didn’t want to be up front, you could lean against a tree or sit in the shade – though for most of these bands, up front was the place to be.

Houndmouth/”Sedona” – We were debating among ourselves what the biggest singalong song of the festival was this weekend. Was it “DVP” by PUP? For our group, probably but not for the masses. Was it “Ivy” by Frank Ocean? For many maybe but judging by the people leaving that set, maybe not. “Radioactive” or “Believer” by Imagine Dragons? Objectively, probably yes, but in the moment, tucked away on the WayAway stage with a small but very energetic crowd, “Sedona” by Houndmouth felt like the biggest song of the weekend. Everyone was belting it out for all they had, myself included. Their whole set was fantastic, but this was the moment.

San Fermin - This is a big band (8 members), with a lot happening on stage and two different singers playing a variety of different styles. There are a lot of ways it could not work but they really sounded great and pulled off both the more indie rock oriented and the poppier, electro-influenced tunes very well.

Tegan and Sara – I didn’t watch this whole set, they overlapped with Car Seat Headrest, but what I saw was really good. This is the second time I’ve caught the back half of one of their shows (when they played Peterborough MusicFest, I raced down after my baseball game). This show seemed better, probably because they have new songs like “U-Turn” and “Boyfriend” which are among the very best in their catalog. I did see both those songs, as well as “Nineteen” and “Closer” they were fantastic – need to see a full show soon.

Breakfast - This year we brought eggs for breakfast, which were scrambled and combined with a tortilla shell, sausage and salsa for a wonderful breakfast wrap every morning. The more camping festivals we go to, the better the onsite food preparation gets.

Mitski - She has almost no stage presence, it’s basically her and her bandmate playing songs, with little banter and nothing to draw you in. But the songs are just so damn good and they pop live. Her big guitars and sweet voice played very well for me, despite the lack of movement or banner  or engagement of any sort on stage.

BANKS – Because of Mitski’s show, I only caught the back half of this show and I was towards the back. Her stage presence and her songs are undeniable. The choreography and backup dancers make it a real show – I feel like I need to see her again, closer to the front and the full show to properly appreciate it.

Phantogram/Haerts/The Naked and Famous – All very solid, if not particularly memorable synth-pop-rock acts to get the weekend started on Friday. Haerts were my first show of the weekend and they were a great way to get things going in a positive direction. I had the highest hopes for Phantogram and it was a very good, if somewhat emotionless show. The Naked and Famous played the hits I wanted (“Young Blood”, “Girls Like You”, “Higher”). No complaints.

The Dirty Nil – Good hard rock band. This set was so short (30 mins) and we probably missed the first 5 minutes (or at least only heard it from afar as we entered the grounds). They were solid and one of the few true pure rock bands here this weekend.

Porta Potties – They were pretty clean, pumped regularly, no complaints

Food Lines – This was a complaint last year, so I have to give big ups here – no lines, great options for food – sure smaller crowds helped but still, props.

24 Hour Area – There were two of them and both had Pizza Pizza and poutine options. You’re basically only here after 1 AM and at that point, beggars can’t be choosers and let’s be honest, pizza or poutine is probably what you’re craving after a day full of beer.

  Lows/Disappointments

Death From Above – This was a pretty underwhelming set for me. I’d seen them in Toronto at Riot Fest in 2014, right around the time “Trainwreck 1979” came out and that show was amazing. This time around, they didn’t seem to have the same energy (maybe it was the smaller crowd?), didn’t have the best setlist and really didn’t compare favourably to fellow 2-piece rock band Royal Blood who played immediately after them.

Car Seat Headrest – It isn’t fair to call this a low, it was a very good set by a super talented guy – he even wrote a song called “Oro-Medonte” in honour of where the festival was being held – and his band. It just felt a little slow to me compared to the album versions of the songs. I get that the slacker vibe is part of their shtick but there really isn’t much to this show, which combined with the slowed down tunes and weak-ish playlist, didn’t live up to my expectations (this was probably my 2nd or 3rd most anticipated show of the weekend).

Value vs. Previous Years – It has to be said that we paid the same as last year for fewer bands, worse headliners, worse sub-headliners and one less stage. The shows each day started an hour later and ended an hour earlier. The overall value of the weekend for me is still there because I loved every second I was there, saw amazing bands and was in my element the entire time and there really isn’t a similar camping festival within a few hours of our area, so I will always go back, but it did feel like we were paying the same (more?) for much less in comparison to the first two years.

Canadian Content – Similar to the above, this means not to disrespect the bands that were there this year – as you can see above, PUP, The Darcy’s, Tegan and Sara were among my favourite acts, but 2016 alone had Arcade Fire, Arkells, Mac DeMarco, Wolf Parade, Stars, Half Moon Run, etc… and 2015 had Neil Young, Hey Rosetta, The Rural Alberta Advantage, July Talk, Alvvays, Yukon Blonde, Sloan, Metz, Dear Rouge, Chad VanGaalen and more. You would think the one area Wayhome would have a distinct advantage over it’s U.S. competitors is being able to book these Canadian bands that presumably cost less and are less impacted by the exchange rate but are big draws here north of the border – I just don’t get why they cut back in this area this year.

Crowd Size – The crowd size was a high when it was letting me get to the front of the stage to see a show and letting me move from one stage to another. It is a low in that it means the festival may not return for a 4th year. It also meant the singalongs weren’t as epic, the pits weren’t as bumping and it has to affect the performers to some extent. To say there were half as many people as there were in 2016 would be very generous – and that’s with them giving away a ticket to anyone willing to take one in the weeks leading up to the festival, which leads to...

Everyone and their brother getting a free ticket – I get it – they needed to get people on site to try to recoup some money from lost ticket sales in the form of people with free passes buying beer or food or merchandise but it still sucks that they gave literally anyone in Barrie/Orillia who wanted them free weekend passes and also held an “Everyone’s a Winner” contest in the weeks leading up to the festival through Hive. Maybe without these people on site, the festival doesn’t happen at all, but I paid a couple hundred dollars for my weekend pass and have all three years – it’s weak that the guy beside me likely got in for free.

Frank Ocean/Leaving Frank Ocean – I’ll preface this by saying that I like but don’t love Frank Ocean’s music, I respect him tremendously as a musician and I absolutely love “Ivy”, “Novacaine” and “Pyramids”.

The set was odd – he is not afraid to get halfway through a song, decide he’s unhappy with it and start over from the beginning. He spends a lot of time talking to someone in his headset? That none of us can hear or see onstage. The stage setup is minimal and it is an “unplugged” set up to the show. The visuals are being recorded through an old school device and are unique and different and disarming. We sat towards the back of the Wayhome stage, allowing the diehards the area towards the front of the stage. The songs mostly sounded pretty good. It is slow/minimal R & B so it can be hard to stay in it if you don’t really love the song. By about the halfway point of the show, from our perspective at the back, we saw a lot of people leaving the show. That took me out of it. Him restarting songs took me out of it. He played “Ivy” and that was enough for me – we’d seen an hour or so and seen my favourite and I was happy to go at that point – I’d seen his setlists and knew he wasn’t going to play “Pyramids” anyway and half our group had already left.

Then, walking back to the campsite, I heard the unmistakeable sounds of him playing “Pyramids”. It might have been my least favourite show of the festival but I feel like had I been into it more, closer to the big crowd, not seeing everyone else walking out on it and staying to the end, it could have been one of my favourites. Looking online after, it was a pretty polarizing set, you love it or hate it and I think I loved it and hated it as well.

Lack of Indie Rock – I wasn’t expecting them to match the 2016 trip of Arcade Fire/Killers/LCD but after that, and a sub card including Haim/Foals/Chvrches/M83/The Arcs/Arkells/Wolf Parade/Last Shadow Puppets/Nathaniel Rateliif/Kurt Vile/Stars and much much more, to take a hard left turn away from indie rock and towards more EDM type bands was pretty unexpected. I did not pre buy a “Midnight Madness” ticket before the lineup was announced but I really do feel for people who bought based on 2016’s lineup and then were handed Marshmellow, Flume and the like. The lineup still had lots to love and I like my share of pop and electronic influenced music but it wasn’t what I’d come to expect based on the lineups of the first two years.

Beer in Festival Grounds – I’ve whined about this the past two years as well where the only options were Coors Light, Canadian and Creemore Original. I mean, Creemore is fine in a pinch but there are so many good craft breweries within 90 minutes of this festival and it’s a young, indie rock, dare I say Hipster crowd who would soak up any craft beer options. Festivals like Bonnaroo bring in a craft beer tent with 30 different brewers and craft options at every beer stand. So what does WayHome do for 2017? They take away the Creemore option!? I guess Molson pays big money to sponsor and get that exclusivity, so congratulations Molson, you drove me to drink Somersby and Bacardi in the grounds all weekend. I hope you play no part in their distribution. In any case, they taste much better than Canadian or Coors Light.

All in all, a fantastic weekend, I hope they find a way to bring it back next year and get it back to where it was for year 2 in terms of the lineup and crowds. In terms of the logistics, spirit and people it keeps getting better. If not (and maybe even if so), perhaps 2018 is the year I finally get to Bonnaroo.

[joesbrownusa]

Houses For Sale in Shokan, NY

Tbd Dubois Rd, Shokan, NY

Price: $19000

REDUCED. One+ Acres Two Prime Building Lots in Olive. Family area on very quiet country road close to Ashokan Reservoir and just minutes from Woodstock, Phoenicia and our major skiing and hiking mountains and trails. Country convenience and easy access.

20 Deseo Dr, Shokan, NY

Price: $890000

FIRST TIME ON MARKET! This Arts & Crafts beauty was designed by a NYC professional couple who sought an upstate base for their successful work in culinary arts, food preparation, recipe testing, food blogging and, of course, entertaining. In keeping with the Arts and Crafts style of the early 20th century, there exists a simplicity and spiritual connection to the natural environment. The standout kitchen has it all. Designed by the owners as a teaching kitchen, the central island has 4 pull-out, butcher block work stations. All counters are Italian Carrera marble with cherry cabinets. T he appliances are professional quality Viking, including 2 industrial ranges with custom hood and 10 burners. Additionally, there is an indoor wood fired pizza oven, 2 dishwashers and a walk-in pantry. Perfect flow exists from kitchen to dining room with Italian tile floors and French doors leading onto the spacious deck for al fresco dining and entertaining. Two steps bring you to the beamed ceiling living room featuring a native stone fireplace with raised hearth and bluestone mantel. Sliding, mullioned doors lead to the sizable screened porch and bluestone patio. The private first floor master suite has a separate, well lit dressing room and a large, tiled bath with Jacuzzi tub and walk in shower. This Master suite brings the outdoors inside with its wall of windows facing the private backyard. All is completed by the inset propane fireplace for those chilly nights. The Entry hall staircase leads to a large open loft with a fully tiled bath. This area is currently used as a very large guest room and writers office. NOTE: Originally, the septic was made to accommodate 4 bedrms, allowing the 2nd level to easily be divided into additional spaces. No detail was overlooked in the design of this one-owner home; from the period style lighting fixtures, Catskills hemlock siding, stone pillars and beveled glass front door to the distressed Black Walnut floors. The full, dry basement is vast and currently configured as an gym area with a large window and a view to the woods in back. There is also a work space, laundry area, storage and an additional freezer and refrigerator. The private 3+ acres are bordered by the Butternut Creek on one side and a large open, level yard to the front of the house. Think of catering events under the big tent! The landscaping surrounding the home is simple yet beautiful with a stone path winding its way to the Creekside firepit. The property is private yet convenient to the NYS Thruway and minutes to Phoenicia and Woodstock.

170 Chase Rd, Shokan, NY

Price: $589000

This custom home in the country is a contractor owned, reconstructed Colonial farmhouse completely rebuilt to modern specifications including high ceilings and radiant heat. At the end of the country road, this classic is modern in all respects except that the character of warmth and simplicity has been retained. The bones of this home are from an 1850’s colonial farmhouse that has totally modern features including a jacuzzi tub and radiant heated floors. The great room is a mortise and tenon barn-beam structure with a cathedral ceiling and a full height stone fireplace. There are wide board floors throughout the home with original plaster walls. The rambling floor plan includes a spacious open space gourmet kitchen with custom cabinetry and high peaked ceiling. The parlor and dining room are warmed with the aesthetics of a woodstove. The master bedroom upstairs with a vaulted ceiling and several skylites includes walk-in closets and a jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom. Second room upstairs could be a study or guest bedroom. Third bedroom downstairs has its own full bathroom and a private entrance from the stone paved terrace. This is totally restored home has 9 rooms plus 3 full bathrooms, and a laundry with washer/dryer, and closets in all bedrooms large enough to walk into. A possible fourth bedroom is in the adjacent studio/barn with two finished heated rooms upstairs for a studio/office/guestroom. This next door accessory building is 1,600 square feet and could be made into a three room apartment. This has been our private home on a truly special, unique location surrounded by a large family estate, and the grounds are surrounded by original stone walls. We love everything about it and are proud to offer it to you. Sit back on your secluded wooden deck looking at the mountain-side and enjoy the pastoral view of the sunset across the large private pond and the forever wild State forest preserve surrounding the property. The Ashokan Reservoir views are nearby with hiking, biking, swimming, tubing, relaxing, meditating, are all there for whatever the quiet commands.

2866-2872 Route 28, Shokan, NY

Price: $685000

A lifestyle of easy living surrounded by natural beauty and no commute! Gateway to the Catskill Mountains on busy Route 28, a 2500 sq ft. COMMERCIAL building with THREE huge overhead doors, a custom built private office, new heating system and oil tank. The house is custom built with Central heat, Central air conditioning, Central vacuum system, a huge deck, skylights, and an additional 750 sq. ft. in the DRY basement. This lush property is 2 ACRES with 80 year old trees, mature plantings, an organic garden and seasonal mountain views.

29 Old Farm Rd, Shokan, NY

Price: $437000

LOTS OF SPACE TO ROAM2,450 square feet of living space. This ranch house is a must see to appreciate. It sits on a dead end road, surrounded by woods, stone walls and offers seasonal mountain views. Large basement, attic, security system with cameras, generator hook up, attic fan, laundry room, eat in kitchen. Attached 2 car garage, detached 1 car garage and separate tool shed. Carpet, ceramic tile & laminate floors throughout. Master suite with walk-in-closet. This distinctive ranch home is situated on 1.9 acre in a desirable Shokan neighborhood. 845-657-2609

203 Mountain Rd, Shokan, NY

Price: $597500

Country, quiet, convenience & comfort – Yes, you can have it all! This beautifully maintained 4 bedroom Colonial is perched on 2.6 acres of lovingly landscaped property with fruit trees, berry gardens and perennials galore! Owner-built with quality materials including wood floors and beamed ceilings. Formal Living and Dining rooms connect to the spacious Kitchen with granite counters & the Breakfast room opens to the family area with cozy, wood-burning fireplace. The gorgeous four-season enclosed porch leads you to the private back yard with a deck and patio; where you can just enjoy th e sound of the waterfall spilling into the koi pond. The front entry with corner staircase leads you to the second floor bedrooms and baths. Additional features include Central A/C, Alarm System, Central Vacuum, Whole House Fan, 5-zone heating system and stand-by generator. New 50 year roof shingles and siding in 2006; New Kitchen in in 2007; New laundry and bath in 2010. Attic spaces and dry basement provide ample storage, plus baby barn and shed. The 42 x 50+ barn building is the Big Bonus; with water and electric your imagination can run wild!! Host an event, store your car collection, enjoy your hobby or home business or garage your mobile RV. It honestly doesn’t get much better than this! First Time On Market! Truly a pleasure to show.

64 Longyear Rd, Shokan, NY

Price: $269000

This is the spot to enjoy all the fun times with friends and families. Very comfortable large original farm house with fabulous wood floors throughout. Minutes to NYS Thruway, Woodstock, Phoenicia, Belleayre Mountain. a perfect location for all your needs. Updated stylish kitchen to enjoy large dinner parties. Tons of space, high ceilings, with a flavor of days gone by. Beautiful sun-lit rooms. Enjoy the front porch with seasonal mountain views. Have ball games in your backyard! Incredible heated studio space in the attic. Very well maintained home just waiting for you all to move ri ght in. Perfect B & B.

204 Mountain Rd, Shokan, NY

Price: $149000

This diamond in the rough sits on a .70 acre, private yet centrally located flat lot. Only minutes away from Woodstock, Phoenicia and Shokan reservoir. The property provides breathtaking views of rolling fields, and seasonal mountains views. Currently configured as a 2-bedroom 1-bath with hardwood floors, partially covered porch and 1 car garage. The house has an enormous attic, which can possibly be converted into 2 additional bedrooms and full basement with a very high ceiling. Brand new lifetime architectural roof has been installed less than 6 months ago. The property is ready for r enovation and offers huge potential. Sold as is. Dont miss this rare chance to unleash your imagination and create the custom country home of your dreams.

31 Church St, Shokan, NY

Price: $259000

A RARE FIND IN THE TOWN OF OLIVE! A piece of the Catskill’s on 1.87+ ac’s close by to the the Ashokan Resevoir. Behind the tall privacy hedges is a 1930’s tastefully renovated home with a “showplace Post & Beam” living room / dining area with skylights, cathedral ceiling, wide board pine floors, Vermont Casting wood stove. There are 2 bedrooms, a large bathroom with a bathtub and the washer/dryerplus a converted porch now used for a den / office and sleeping space for a guest!

11 Laurel Ln, Shokan, NY

Price: $250000

This recently remodeled home is located on a quiet country road in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the area. Seasonal Ashokan Reservoir and Mountain views. The expanded raised ranch features new hardwood floors in the living room, dining room and hall way. Bathrooms and kitchen ave been totally updated. New stainless fixtures and counter tops finish this updating project. New flooring throughout and the entire house has just been repainted. Located just minutes from Skiing, hiking, Woodstock, Kingston and Phoenicia. Come experience the Catskills at its best without being isolated.

3107 Route 28, Shokan, NY

Price: $275000

HOME/OFFICE OPPORTUNITY Perfect opportunity to live and work in the beautiful Catskill Mountains, close to the Thruway, Phoenicia, Woodstock and all activities such as festivals, hiking, fishing, skiing, restaurants and shopping. Commercially zoned 1.9 acre property backed by NYC Watershed land. The house has 2480 SF, 3BR, 2 BA, nice screened porch, fireplace, pellet stove, wet bar, oversize garage, large level yard and DEP installed septic. In addition there are 2 storage sheds and a mobile home for rental income with separate well and sewer. The mobile home needs renovation. There is very good separation and privacy from the main house. Route 28 has excellent traffic flow for conducting many small business types (there is a dentist next door). Make this unique property your own.

3182 State Route 28, Shokan, NY

Price: $275000

Investment opportunity knocks! Positive cash flow with 4 units in the main building and 2 additional rentals in the second building. And third building needs some work. Main building has store front for additional cash flow. Located on Route 28 close to Woodstock, Kingston and Skiing area.

2762 Route 28, Shokan, NY

Price: $229900

Three bedroom 1 1 2 bath Cape Cod house with living room, dining room and den on a total of 5.29 acres with stream, pond and 2 other buildings could be your opportunity to reduce your commute. House includes knotty pine paneling and well-proportioned rooms. Workshop built for woodworking but could be machine shop or artist’s studio. Cottage is in need of repairs but might be retail outlet for your hard work or office to meet clients.

71 Mountain Rd, Shokan, NY

Price: $169900

This Very Nice affordable 3-bedroom ranch home in a country setting has an open floor plan giving it a light and spacious feel. This home is in move in condition and very well maintained. A pellet stove in the living room keeps the house cozy and warm along with keeping the fuel bills low.  There is a master suite with new flooring, a walk in closet and a full bath.  A laundry room and beautifully renovated second full bath with tile flooring is conveniently located on the main  floor.  The large kitchen is so comfortable with ample room for a over sized table. There is also a ga s range and french doors to a covered deck with skylights.   Right off of the deck is a good sized flat yard with an above ground pool and a shed for storage. Plenty of room for entertaining or a garden.  There are ceiling fans installed in almost every room.   A new roof too !!

260 Peck Rd Chase Rd, Shokan, NY

Price: $639900

One of the very few larger private ponds within the Catskill Mountain region is the Butternut Pond with 8+acres, within the top 20 for size and it has a year around protected trout stream through the property. The Butternut Pond (some call it a lake) is the marvelous gem of this property nestled at the base of Ticeteneyck Mountain. The pond has matured to become a quiet bass fishing secret and attracts many species of birds and abundant wildlife. There is over a half mile perimeter trail passing by natural artesian springs that feed the pond. There are abundant fish and wildlife on the property with room for canoeing, swimming, hiking or just relaxing on your private estate in this pleasant recreation area. This land has secluded access with more than half the boundary being either State Forest or a large private estate. The Butternut Pond is positioned against the 500 acres of Forever Wild parkland above on Ticeteneyck Mountain assuring your access to a large protected wilderness and can be used for recreation as if they were your own preserve. Several natural terraces provide a topography for privacy as well as offering views of the Lake Ashokan Reservoir below and the south face of Ticeteneyck Mountain above the Butternut Pond. Easy access to year around recreation with just 20 minutes to music, theater, fine dining, and creative shopping in Woodstock, Phoenicia, Stone Ridge, Kingston, or Saugerties. Recreation opportunities abound for biking, hiking and camping, kayak and canoeing and tubing, and world class trout fishing. We are just a half hour to Belleayre or 45 minutes to Hunter Ski Centers. Several golf courses are in the region in Woodstock, Kingston, or Hanah Resort in Margaretville. Just 1.5 hours from the Metropolitan area by car or bus, or train to Rhinebeck, or fly into the Kingston Airport. Two county Board of Health approved septic designs for two house sites of 4 bedrooms and 6 bedrooms. Improved gravel base driveway and primary voltage power line to the house site will be easy to build. Delineated Wetlands have been marked on the recent survey as structures need to be 100′ away from wetlands. Zoning is Rural Residential allows use for agricultural and is subject to the Special Use Permit standards and site plan review procedures, as “Private nonprofit membership club, Commercial recreation uses specifically oriented toward the use of mountain land such as horse riding trails, including travel trailer or camping trailer parks or sites. Park reservation and/or recreation facility, commercial camps for seasonal residence only” etc. See Town of Olive Zoning Article IV section 155-17. Agent has a share of ownership. This property includes a portion of the Butternut Pond by either deed or Recreation Association rights given to the entire pond. Property is presently 49 acres but will be reduced to about 40 acres with a pending adjustment of lot lines which will decrease taxes and assessment commensurately.

104 Van Steenbergh Ln, Shokan, NY

Price: $189000

Set back off a quiet rural road, with a nice feeling of privacy when the leaves are on the trees. This one story contemporary makes for a great get-a-way or a full time residence. This 2 bedroom 1 bath with Jacuzzi, home has a large country kitchen with an Island stove top, pantry and many cabinets. Large Andersen windows bring in the outside and sunlight. There are hardwood oak floors through out, including the 2 bedrooms. Each bedroom has access to the new outside decks and stone patios. There are vaulted and beam ceilings and a wonderful atrium room for plant lovers. The living room has a nice brick fireplace. Needs a new flue. The location is great because of its easy access to the beautiful Ashokan Reservoir for bike riding, hiking and fishing. It is also close to route 28 which gets you quickly to many neighboring towns and Kingston.

143 Dubois Rd, Shokan, NY

Price: $215000

A well maintained two bedroom ranch located in Shokan on half an acre. This home is set up to be very efficient. It contains three options for heat (oil, wood, and pellets). There is a wood boiler in the basement along with a pellet stove in the living room. The wood boiler heats the hot water for the house. There is also an energy saving electric water heater for the summer. This home has a large master bedroom, a lot of storage, central vacuum, a heated side porch, a large deck for entertaining, an enclosed hot tub, a shed, a full attic and a basement that is waiting to be finished! T here is a detached heated two car garage. Both the garage and house have a roof that is less than two years old. Washer, dryer, refrigerator, freezer, stove top and built in range included.

336 Bostock Rd, Shokan, NY

Price: $120000

Two bedroom home needs TLC, but well worth the effort. Situated on nearly three beautiful acres of meadow and woods. Seasonal mountain views and year round stream complete the picturesque setting. One car detached garage and shed too!

3040 Route 28, Shokan, NY

Price: $200000

Classic Victorian Home: Hardwood floors, pocket doors, large windows, original trim & mouldings, built in shelves, high ceilings, etc…  OR Classic Income Producer-3rd floor apartment w/ separate entrance, separate 2 bdrm cottage, , zoned commercial, think B&B, work & live,  family compound, gallery/ studio, etc…  What’s your vision? Either way, This property will need attention to bring it back to life.  All heating elements have been removed/stolen and there is standing water in the basement approx.. 4” deep.   MAKE AN OFFER!

3040 Route 28, Shokan, NY

Price: $200000

Classic Victorian Home: Hardwood floors, pocket doors, large windows, original trim & mouldings, built in shelves, high ceilings, etc…  OR Classic Income Producer, current owner was using the 3rd floor as an apartment w/ separate entrance, separate 2 bdrm cottage, , zoned commercial, think B&B, work & live,  family compound, gallery/ studio, etc…  What’s your vision? Either way, This property will need attention to bring it back to life.MAKE AN OFFER!

from Houses For Sale – The OC Home Search http://www.theochomesearch.com/houses-for-sale-in-shokan-ny/ from OC Home Search https://theochomesearch.tumblr.com/post/158183616435

[lyonsfamilyvacation]

5/30/16: Loveland to Blue Mesa Resevoir

It’s Memorial Day and the first day of our summer vacation. We are packed up and on the road by 9. The day is warm and sunny. We drive south to Longmont and through Boulder, where the Bolder Boulder marathon is going on.

We head down to Golden, through Morrison and get onto the 285 to start heading up to the mountains. There is a lot of traffic, but it’s mostly all heading the opposite direction. 

Our first wildlife sighting of the trip is two bighorn sheep near Bailey. Our first gas stop is a little before Fairplay. The wind is howling and the temperature has dropped because we are now up at nearly 10,000 feet. It starts to drizzle and spit snow. It has always been gray and cold up here, even when we’ve come through in the middle of summer. I hope that the people who live here get a nice warm day once in a while.

In Fairplay we stop for lunch at what used to be the Chinese restaurant next door to the gas station, and is now the Asian fusion restaurant. From the outside the place looks sketchy and gross, but the people that work there are very friendly and the food is fine, but pricey.

We head south past Salida which is one of my favorite parts of the state. It’s different than our part of Colorado; it has the mountains but feels like your’re closer to the Southwest here. Going over Monarch Pass it begins to snow again. I feel really sorry for Gary on the motorcycle and hope he’s warm enough. Dropping down the mountain into Gunnison, we start to look for a campground and find Elk Creek campground near Blue Mesa Resevoir at about 4. There’s only a handful of trailers there and it’s mostly quiet.

For the next 2 hours we try to set up the tent, tarps, and hammocks in winds that are gusting to probably 40 miles per hour. It’s a challenge to warm up some dinner, but we manage, and my tent has a layer of sand on the floor, even with everything zipped shut. 

After dinner, the wind stops completely and the birds come out and start singing. I see sparrows, magpies, crows, and scarlet tanagers. We are happy that it’s calm enough to make a campfire.