Hurley Stone House Mercantile

Check out our new online shop: Hurley Stone House Mercantile

Thank you for all your wonderful reviews!

We've only been with booking.com since last summer, so we're very happy they gave us this "Award of Excellence"! Thank you everyone on that particular site for giving us 9.7 out of 10 last year.

Of course our cat Mila isn't allowed in the B&B, only in our apartment, but he is allowed on the porch, and while we were taking photos there, we distinctly heard him say he wanted to be in the picture too....so here he is. We got Mila shortly before moving here, which makes him seven years old. This might be his first appearance on the blog, though!

Lots of things to do....

At last! We've long wanted to share the wealth of tourist attractions in this area in an accessible way.....here are two maps that show how close we are both to the cultural centers of the north and east (concert venues, theaters, museums, mansion estates) and the more rural attractions of the south and west (farms, Shawangunk Ridge, Walkway over the Hudson, rail trails). Of course this is a simplification: there are wonderful hikes in the Catskills to the north and great museums to the south too e.g. the Historic Hugenot Street in New Paltz. But one of our great strengths is our location, between Dutchess and Ulster Counties, with access to both the Catskills and the Shawangunks.

Below you can find great links to all of the attractions listed on the back of these maps:

Of course, these are not exhaustive lists as space prevents us from including more. With rare exceptions, restaurants, shopping, antique centers, cinemas, galleries, spas etc. are also not included. We do have a separate recommended list of restaurants that we can send you at this time, that guests find very useful.

Click on the images above to enlarge them. You are welcome to print them out for your own use, using these links: NorthEastMap InfoNorthEast WestSouthMap InfoWestSouth

Last minute gift ideas!

Our gift certificates now come beautifully packaged with lots of information about things to do in the local area. There's still time to send one for the holidays! You can order them here , or find the Gift Certificate logo top left on our homepage .

Happy Holidays!

Fall Festivals

Some great local festivals coming up.

Hudson Valley Harvest Festival - http://www.hudsonvalleyharvestfestival.com

Hudson Valley Garlic Festival - http://hvgf.org

NYS Sheep and Wool Festival - http://www.sheepandwool.com

In the fields around our house

Come and stay with us and visit Stone House Day, Saturday July 12th 2014!

Saturday, July 12th, 2014
10:00 A.M.–4:00 P.M., rain or shine
  (Houses close promptly at 4 P.M.)

  Each year on the second Saturday in July, some of America’s oldest stone houses —all private homes— are opened to the public. This year, several of the 200–300-year old homes in the old Dutch village, settled 350 years ago, will be open for your enjoyment. The time you spend in each house is at your discretion.
 
Other attractions include:
•  a 1777 Ulster Militia Encampment, 
•  guides in colonial attire, 
•  crafts and demonstrations, and 
•  a Town Library Fair, with collectibles and books sales.   
  Other support services include free parking (this includes tour buses) and a cafeteria.

Groote Kamer (Great Chamber)

Free Bird ID App from Cornell

 

 

Last week we had the privilege of hosting Anu Rangarajan from the Cornell Small Farm Program/ College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Greg Delisle from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Anu's research on vegetables is contributing to development at the exciting Sustainable Farm Hub of The Local Economies Project that now surrounds us here at The Stone House. You can find more information on that here: http://localeconomiesproject.org/ .

 

Greg introduced us to Cornell's great free Bird ID App called Merlin ( http://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/ ), and mentioned that he could hear a Great Crested Flycatcher (pictured above). As we were sitting on the porch we inadvertently lured it to us as we played its song on the app! We're going to use this app a lot, it's so easy to learn names and start to be able to identify birds by their calls......we'll let you know what we find as we finally get more familiar with the wildlife on our doorstep! Thank you Greg for helping design such a useful tool.



Portrait of Annetje Kool 1740

Portrait of Annetje Kool, attributed to Peter Vanderlyn (1687 - 1778)
Ulster County N.Y. Circa 1740
Oil on Canvas 30-5/8 x 25-1/4 inches, with original painted frame
Jane Katcher Collection of Americana

We believe that this house was built by Cornelis Kool, and this painting may be his granddaughter Annetje Kool who married Mathew Newkirk in the Dutch Reformed Church of Kingston, NY, in 1740. Her wedding ring is prominent on her left hand and in her right hand she holds a silver box marked "A.K."
See more here: http://www.afanews.com/articles/item/737-inspired-traditions-selections-from-the-jane-katcher-collection-of-americana#.Uyy6SlJOVaQ

Birding at The Stone House

       Male Wood Duck, photo Wikimedia Commons

Today one of our visitors spotted two male Wood Ducks on the Esopus Creek in our backyard. These very beautiful ducks are amongst the most colorful in North America. We were reminded what a great spot this is for birding. Three smaller streams come together into one great pool and this place on the creek has a special, rather magical quality, surrounded by woods, adjacent to the Hurley Flats and with the foothills of the Catskill Mountains in the distance. We heard our Pileated Woodpecker moving around all day, jackhammering the older trees. Sometimes guests have reported seeing or hearing up to 20 species of birds here at one time. We've even seen Bald Eagles cruising down the Esopus. Here are some great birding sites nearby listed by the John Burroughs Natural History Society http://www.jbnhs.org/birding-in-the-hudson-valley.html .

Spring is in the air!

Well the Amaryllis in The Girl With A Pearl Earring room is now in full bloom, so Spring must be coming. It inspired our March Madness special offer: weekend stays at mid-week rates, and there will be a free welcome gift in your room on arrival - a bouquet of spring flowers - as well as sparkling wine - and a large bar of special chocolate! (You can book at www.hurleystonehouse.com or by calling 845 339 4041).

The Food of Love

Top: Hudson Valley Egg Bake with Herbs
Bottom: Chocolate Cherry Muffins

Come and play in the snow

 

This was the house this morning, after 12" of snow yesterday! Conditions are now ideal for Snowshoeing, Cross-Country Skiing, Downhill Skiing and Snowboarding. Great for Landscape Photography too!

Winter Frittata

 

We regularly produce two kinds of Frittata for breakfast, in the summer Zucchini Frittata and at this time of year Winter Frittata. It's a variation of a recipe by Mollie Katzen from her book Sunlight Cafe. With its hearty, strong flavors and colors, it's ideal for a cold winter's morning!

You will need: a bunch of red/ruby swiss chard, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 cups sliced red onion, 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced red potatoes (washed, not peeled), 1 tsp salt, 3 tsps dried rosemary, 9 large eggs, freshly ground black pepper and 4 oz soft goat cheese.

1. Remove the swiss chard stalks, and chop them into 1/2 inch pieces. Roughly chop the leaves, and store them in a bag in the fridge to keep fresh.
2. Fry the onion, potato, salt, rosemary and chard stalks in the oil for 5 minutes stirring continuously, then cover and cook for about 10 minutes until the potato is tender. You can do this in the evening, and store the cooked vegetables in the fridge.
3. In the morning, wilt the chard leaves for a few seconds in a little boiling water and drain. Then beat the eggs, add the cooked vegetables, wilted chard leaves, and some black pepper. Crumble in the goat cheese.
4. Pour into an oiled preheated ovenproof skillet (cast iron is ideal) and cook until the bottom is set and the edges are starting to firm up.
5. Finally, broil under high heat until the top is set and just beginning to brown. Enjoy!

 

The Girl With A Pearl Earring

Here at The Stone House our rooms are named after paintings by Johannas Vermeer. We have the Girl With A Pearl Earring room , the Geographer room , the Art of Painting room , the Lacemaker room , and the Mistress and Maid room . Our local town, Hurley, NY, was originally called Nieuw Dorp, back in the time of the New Netherlands. It was founded in 1662, just around the time that Vermeer painted the Girl With A Pearl Earring (1665). 

Currently there is a great exhibition: Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Hals: Masterpieces of Dutch Painting from the Mauritshuis , from  October 22, 2013 to January 19, 2014 at The Frick Collection in New York City. If you're coming to New York to see the exhibition why not come up and stay with us in a genuine 18th Century Hudson Valley Dutch Stone House in one of the original villages of the New Netherlands?

Another Great Review

We have been very fortunate to have many fine reviews this year. We'd like to share this one posted five days ago on tripadvisor:

"Capital”

 

...of New York State was, initially, Kingston. (Just over the Hudson from this B&B; it's worth visiting their historic "Stockade District" for old architecture and streets and new gourmet restaurants.) When Kingston got too crowded, the town of Hurley was founded, and that's where this B&B's story began.

...also describes Sam and Nadia's hospitality. Calmly friendly English Buddhists, they welcome guests with constantly available hot tea and coffee, cookies, and a tour of the place if you ask.

...are the decorations and maintenance of this unique historic property, lovingly restored by Sam and Nadia with all necessary updates and all the "mod-cons" you could ever require here in the 21st century. (Some rooms even have a jacuzzi/whirlpool bath!) Decor includes relevant antiques (some small ones are occasionally available for purchase) and is influenced by the spare but luxurious 18th Century Dutch American style. (Think of those Vermeer interiors: not a lot of furniture, just a chair or two and a table, and a rich red blue gold rug draped over something. Really, what else do you need?) There is plenty of squarefootage of bare wood floor -- antique wide-boarded, beautifully maintained wood -- and a few Oriental carpet runners and small area rugs to keep things comfy underfoot. Antique hardware graces every door. A few pieces of historic art and maps and documents grace the walls.

...sleep is something I can count on every time I visit the Stone House Bed and Breakfast. I feel like I've gone back to my original home when I'm in the Geographer room, where I've stayed four times. Luxurious linens and draperies grace the bed, and when I draw the curtains almost closed, I am pleased as punch to be in my own room within a room, outfitted with top-quality sheeting and a real down comforter and pillows. The quiet is delicious; you are protected from the outside world by thick stone walls. Old Route 209 is a quiet road. (A blessing: most old stone houses are on main roads!) There is plenty of space in each room to store your things, and an antique (or good reproduction) table and chairs if you need to sit somewhere other than the bed, or need a surface to spread things out on. Only one room has a television. There is free wi-fi.

...breakfast awaits you the next morning, with freshly baked goods made by Nadia (sometimes including herbs just harvested from her garden!). Her yeast-raised waffles are my favorite; I've never had anything like them, light and golden with a slight sweet tang. Portion sizes are just right, but you can eat yourself silly if you want. I love that there is always fresh fruit, and often there is homemade gluten-free bread which tastes wonderful (and I'm perfectly gluten-tolerant). Seating is at two communal tables of six seats each in the parlor, which also has a comfy sofa and chairs on the other side of the room for you to lounge in and hang out with friends in the evening if you wish.

I am so glad Sam and Nadia have made this wonderful old house available to us all. If you want to stay somewhere historic -- older than the United States itself -- but don't want to bother with all the upkeep and unique infrastructural challenges an antique home presents, well, you've got your wish. And the people this inn attracts are lovely too; I was last there for the 2013 NY Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, and the other guests I chatted with over breakfast were so interesting and nice I wished I had brought my phone downstairs to record their email addresses to stay in touch. But somehow it felt right to leave all my modern gadgetry in my suitcase.

• Stayed October 2013, traveled solo"

First Snow

We had the first snow of the season last night. A light sprinkle of about one inch. For those of you looking to come up for Skiing in the Catskills, Belleayre Mountain Ski Center is anticipating opening for the season on Friday November 29th. You can check out deals on passes here: http://www.belleayre.com/ and the weather on the mountain here: http://www.belleayre.com/nws/weather.htm

Check out our post from last year on some of the many winter activities in the area: http://stonehousebandb.blogspot.com/2012/12/winter-playground.html .

Retreat and renewal

Many of our visitors are exploring the region's resources for mind, body and spirit, attending courses, workshops and retreats at the many major centers for Yoga, Meditation, Wellness, Spirituality, Creative Expression, Sustainable Living and Leadership in our immediate area. Here are a few local centers that may interest you if you are looking to do a retreat or course yourself.

Omega Institute For Holistic Studies
http://www.eomega.org/

Enneagram Institute
http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/thebarnatstoneridge.asp#.UoJroR4o5aQ

Karma Triana Dharmachakra
http://www.kagyu.org

Zen Mountain Monastery
http://zmm.mro.org/

Sky Lake Center
http://skylake.shambhala.org/

Vivekananda Retreat Ridgely
http://ridgely.org/

Blue Cliff Monastery
http://bluecliffmonastery.org/

Mudita Yoga
http://www.muditayogacenter.com/

                    

Mr Jim Webber, seen here with his mother Helen Webber of Hurley NY. Mr Webber lives in Texas and came to stay this weekend whilst visiting his mother who lives nearby. After he had booked Mr Webber realized that he lived in this house as a baby! His mother had rented one side of the house in 1951 just after he was born. Here we see them standing outside the "Groote Kamer" side of the house.