Catskills

9/9/2024

My friend Greg is a concert promoter and he owns a great piece of property in the Catskills. So he has a small music festival every year where everyone camps and all these bands play - it's awesome.

view from stage

sweet camping spot

Saturday happened to be our 22nd anniversary. Mrs. G!

I'm adding this photo of us at this festival back in 2002 (in baseball card format)

Our family doesn't do store bought cards - we always make our own. A great tradition that I can't recommend enough. I very much look forward to the cards I receive, they're *way* better than any gift. In the rush to prepare all the camping gear Mrs. G didn't have time to make a card., thinking she could do it when we got home. When she learned I made her a card and brought it with me, she stole away while I was playing frisbee with the guitarist from Glass Pony, got a paper plate from the food guy and made this card on the spot. Love it.

fire sparks, clouds and moon

The running joke is that it rains during this event every year. And from my experience attneding, that's totally true. So of course it rained for a little bit Saturday afternoon. Pretty hard actually.

#1 sign the food is gonna be good: the menu is written on paper plates. Late night grilled cheese from this guy was mind blowing.

a refreshing swim at Colgate Lake capped off the weekend.

9 Comments

Lion Bianchi

9/17/2024 04:15:56 pm

That seems like an incredible experience. The recurring rain is very ironic, but at least you have a high-quality tent.

One must enjoy a good middle-of-the-night grilled cheese!

The handmade card idea is unique tradition that should be more common. I will need to give that one a try!

G-man

9/18/2024 07:48:37 pm

yeah, homemade cards are the way to go. We've never done birthday gifts for the adults in our house - no mother's day/father's day gifts, no anniversary gifts - just the cards. Actually, the cards are so meaningful it makes gift giving seem kinda stupid to me (though I do enjoy gift giving.)

9/19/2024 02:06:41 pm

That is awesome. A great tradition.

Gazda

9/17/2024 08:29:48 pm

yeah, late night grilled cheese with bacon, the mountains after a long day - amazing.

I cannot recommend hand made cards enough. I have a shoebox full of them going back to when our kids were really small. If my house very catches fire, I'm running upstairs and grabbing that box first thing.

When we bought this tent, one of my main considerations was that it could handle heavy rain. We really put it to the test 6 weeks after this event at a similar festival. That's be in the Summer Part 2 (or maybe pt 3) section. Thanks for the comment Lion, you rock! (igneous, course texture, felsic)

9/17/2024 08:50:49 pm

That sounds amazing. As it is, grilled cheese is one of my favorite meals... I made a tripple decker club grilled cheese while away once... It was great, but add bacon and that view, and that would be one of my favorite meals!

I appreciate that... While I usually buy cards now, I might need to switch over! You are right, it makes a much more personal statement than a standard CVS card. (Can I use a company name in a public comment???)

I know that brand is know for its durability (and its price). I have a bit of a tent collection, so I know REI from my research prior to purchasing an Ozark Trail 16'x16', which is huge, but lower quality. I am curious to hear how it fared in the weather conditions...

I appreciate your rapid response! (Granite?)

Mr. G

9/18/2024 07:53:13 pm

That tent has seen some rain since we've had and it's always stayed dry. And you can fully stand up in it, a big selling point for us. It's overcomplicated to set up though - weird pole configuration.

You have a tent collection? I'm intrigued. I get the sense you don't go camping often though. Do they even have 4-star campsites?

[ding ding ding] Granite is correct! Did you go get your ESRT out of your safe and look it up or did you know that off the top of head?

Jennifer Albrecht

9/18/2024 02:03:55 pm

Your friend just casually owning a piece of land large enough for a small music festival is amazing. The rain sounds like it made for some nice vibes, although a little disheartening at first.

From the grilled cheese guy, I would've got the "big ass breakfast burrito." Did you try anything else from him?

I only do handmade cards too, makes it way more special and from the heart.

Also, Colgate Lake is amazing, I've been there once and was obsessed. Super beautiful.

9/18/2024 08:01:34 pm

Yeah, it's a nice coincidence he owns that land, this event is pretty magical I have to say. There's a hardcore group who goes every year, he's been having them since the mid-90s. It has taken a few years off here and there, but this #24. I went back and added a photo of the Gs at Bellstock in 2002. So young.

We didn't have the big ass breakfast burrito. Regretting it now. Mrs. G's camping breakfasts are legendary though.

So great you do handmade cards too, Jenny. They're like a jillion times more personal than a store-bought card.

Cool you've been to Colgate Lake, it really is a great place. It's about 5 min from the festival, we've been a bunch of times.

9/19/2024 02:18:55 pm

It is good to hear that the tent is good quality. They all seem difficult to set up, but once you have done it a few times, it is easier to get into that routine. How long does it usually take you to set up? I personally would not buy a tent that you couldn't stand up in, unless it is a beach or backpacking tent.

Yes, I do! I am currently in possession of four tents -- two beach tents, my 16x16 Ozark Trail (which has three rooms) and a shade canopy. I would like to camp more - I have only been once, and that was on my property. My dream is to camp on one of the private Islands on Lake George as there is no wildlife to worry about, apart from the possibility of rattlesnakes. Although I have never done it, I really like the idea of entire seclusion off the grid, though that is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve.

I did need to get the ESRT out of the safe, but at least I remembered what page it was on! I need to refresh my Earth Science knowledge... Maybe I will print out one of the old Regents this year,,,

G-blog

Catskills

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