Mountain Views

Five years ago I bought a small piece of land in the northwest Catskill Mountains of New York State. These are old mountains that have wide tops often cut with high mountain valleys, which is where my land sits. It’s not the most stunning site, but it’s nestled on the side of a valley with gentle views of the ridge to the west and a mountain peak about 10 miles to the south.

I saw the property for the first time on my birthday. For years I had dreamed of one day owning a second home outside the city. Don't get me wrong. I love the city, but I had reached a point (an age?) where I needed a counterpoint to the fast, rushed pace of the week days.

I was with a friend who was house hunting. She couldn't find anything that interested her, and unexpectedly I bought these few acres. I was starting a new job that kept me from getting Upstate very often. So, I took my time. Paid the annual taxes. And, occasionally drove up to check out the site, although it was a year or two before I had someone clear some of it with a brush hog. I could see that a road had once crossed the land on a diagonal, but it had long been abandoned. In fact, the old road bed had become a seasonal spring that was muck any season I checked.