While the world’s markets were tumbling and crumbling (again!) yesterday, I headed for the hills. My friend J.J., his girlfriend Michelle, his cousin Joe and I took the three dogs—including Baci—up to Kaaterskill Falls.

Getting to the top of the falls took a little bit of sure footing, tracking across the stream and along slate trails.

Here J.J. and Joe take in the view from the top. We ended up shimmying out onto a ledge on our bellies to see the couple-hundred-foot drop from the edge.

We allowed the dogs off leash only while away from the edge, due to their brains being roughly tangerine-sized.

There are initials and names carved in the stone at the top, some going back to the 19th century. There’s one in the center from a J.F. Finn, 1868, and another on the right from 1855—the oldest I saw.

We made our way down to the bottom of the falls. You can get a sense of the scale by noting the man standing just to the left of the bottom of the upper waterfall.

With the spray from the falls, it felt a good 20 degrees colder at the foot of the falls than it did up top. In the middle here is J.J., Baci’s new dad.

I’ve missed Baci like hell since he’s been living with J.J., but I’m happy to report that my former pup is doing better than ever. It was fantastic to spend the day with him.

The dogs took a swim at the pool beneath the waterfalls, after which we climbed behind the lower waterfall for a view looking out.

We sat for a few minutes, looking out onto the Catskills with the falls roaring alongside. I’m not sure there’s a better spot anywhere.

It’s been quite a sad few weeks here, but don’t worry—the ending is a happy one. It’ll just take me some time to see it that way.

As much as I tried to make things work, we had to relocate my sweet dog, Baci. He’s the best dog I’ve ever known, but he’s just not good with kids. It became clear to us that having Baci and Evie running around the same house over the long term was seriously tempting fate, and spending life gated up is not what Baci deserves.

I’ll spare you the details of my relocation efforts, but it’s been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. And just when I thought we were out of options, something very good happened: My good friend J.J., the biggest-hearted dog lover I know, agreed to take Baci.

Baci’s been the greatest pal to me for the past six years. I dreaded parting ways with him, and it’s been as hard as I suspected. I actually wept the first time I pulled into the driveway to see Baci’s soccer ball on the lawn, and the empty window where he always sat waiting to greet me. The house seems emptier and quieter now.

What makes all of this bearable is the fact that Baci’s life now might well be better than it ever was. J.J. has two dogs already, both of whom Baci loves. They all go hiking in the forest trails near J.J.’s house several times a week. He also takes them for swims in a gorgeous local swimming hole. That’s Baci on the right, paddling around. His new friend Summer is just behind J.J.

The better news is, I can come visit him… in time. He needs to settle into his new home, after which I’ll be able to come and take him for walks and hikes. I miss him like crazy, but from what I hear, he’s never been happier.

See ya soon, pal.

I went out in our New Year’s Day snowstorm to shoot a few frames of the house and surroundings at their wintry best. The following shabby little clip was the result of my trying to learn the iMovie basics yesterday morning. Creating the clip took just a few minutes, but exporting, trying to figure out how to de-interlace the video, and generally muttering curses at the screen took a bit longer. (Just trying to get all my curses out now, before the baby comes.)

Anyway, once I was able to drag some clips onto the timeline, it turned into the Baci show, which amused me enough to make it worthwhile.

With plans to play in the snow dashed by a worsening hailstorm, Baci and I have found our groove and are making the best of it.

Emma dragged me away from the laptop for a walk around the neighboring farm with her and Baci this afternoon.

Some of the leaves were already turning—showing the beginnings of the fall foliage from which our town, Red Hook, derives the “Red” part of its name.

We saw this little guy on the path…

…followed by this little guy, which Emma initially thought was a worm. I’m not sure what kind of snake it was. Where I grew up, anything dangerous came with a rattle, but I don’t have a clue about these fancy New York snakes. Let’s just call it a King Cobra and keep moving.

Having escaped without being bitten by the tiny (and probably dead) snake or the caterpillar, Emma headed for the shopping district while the dog and I had a who-can-do-the-least-with-the-rest-of-the-afternoon contest.

(It was dead even until I came to the computer to post these pics. Back to it….)

Emma’s parents are staying with us for the week, and they’ve celebrated their recent retirement by becoming our tireless manual laborers. We began by surveying what Emma and I took over, which was basically a yard that had been neglected for a good decade or so—including a perimeter of dense, thorny brush, interrupted by the occasional gnarled and half-dead shrub. We decided to get our Clampett on and bring out the chainsaws, pitchforks and fire.

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We finally got the snow we’ve been waiting for: eight inches and counting. What was bare ground yesterday is now blanketed to mid-calf depths.

Baci was whinging and pawing at the shelf where we keep his tennis ball, so I put on my snow boots and and took him out to the fields. Of course he lost the ball after six or seven throws, but it was fantastic while it lasted.

This morning I took Baci over to the farm that surrounds our property. I was throwing the ball for him with the ball thrower, relishing the fact that we had, essentially, a space ten times the size of our former Brooklyn dog park to ourselves: huge, open fields of closely-cropped grass for us to play fetch on.
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