New York November NYC Meet-UP

[pyeh]

Cal, Sunday 13th in Peekskill is good for Jean-Marc and me, if an NYC gathering doesn't get off the ground. Otherwise Wednesday 16th will also suit both of us.
Would others like to convene on Sunday in Peekskill and take up Cal's generous offer to entertain several of us in his retirement village? Sounds like a lot of fun.

 

[Calzone]

Cal, Sunday 13th in Peekskill is good for Jean-Marc and me, if an NYC gathering doesn't get off the ground. Otherwise Wednesday 16th will also suit both of us.
Would others like to convene on Sunday in Peekskill and take up Cal's generous offer to entertain several of us in his retirement village? Sounds like a lot of fun.

Pete,

You have a PM.

Both days are good for me. Let’s do Sunday the 13th first as a NYC Meet-Up.

Separately Snarky Joe mentioned he would come to Peekskill so there are at least 4 of us.

Also perhaps we could do a road trip on Wednesday the 16th.

A small group is actually good and we have lots of flexibility.

On Sunday we could go local, and on Wednesday an exploration and do a road trip of sorts, drive and visit another city.

Beacon/Newbourgh are two connected by a bridge on opposite sides of the Hudson. Beacon is kinda fully gentrified, but Newbourgh is still a city with mucho problems, but is very colorful. Annie Leiborwitz resides nearby to escape Covid.

Kingston formally was the state capitol until the British I think captured it during the revolutionary war. Part is a colonial fort, part is a downtown that includes a canal that once brought in coal and other resources from the west. The mid-town is kinda big and gentrifying, but the uptown and downtown are lux. Also there is Zaborskies, a ware house that is pretty much a fire hazard where you could get crushed to death by old house parts.

Even further north is Hudson which is like Greenwich Village.

Anyways you can go on the Internet and do some scouting.

West Point is not far away, and it has been since the mid 90’s that I was there.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

An interesting place to drive to in Millerton. A longer drive but the village is all old Victorians. When “Maggie” and I went there we drove home on 9D which is a wonderful drive that shows how rural parts of New York are. Millerton got redeveloped, but they did it over time without developers so nothing got ruined. History did not get destroyed: it got retained.

Today it is Lux and affluent.

Snarky Joe made fun of me because when perhaps I’m a hundred or so when they take my driver’s license away, I might need a walkable life style where I would have to live in a village. Millerton would be the place.

Cal

 

[pyeh]

Meeting up on Sunday AND Wednesday sounds like a plan to me.

 

[Calzone]

Meeting up on Sunday AND Wednesday sounds like a plan to me.

Pete,

All good.

Cal

 

[Particular]

Let's do Sunday the 13th first as a NYC Meet-Up.

Cal

If the weather is anything like today we could still go to Astoria. I am pretty busy, but I can get out for a bit.

If anyone is interested I will give away a Leitz Prado 250 projector! It is working but needs a powercord and a lens. The bulb was good last time I checked. It is in nice condition.
I won't bring it unless someone claims it.

Christian

 

[pyeh]

Nice, Christian. Astoria on Sunday then. There'll be 4 of us at least. That's a party.

 

[Calzone]

Nice, Christian. Astoria on Sunday then. There'll be 4 of us at least. That's a party.

Christian,

I don’t want to be a hog, but If someone else wants the projector they can have it.

Call me “Porky” but if its free its for me.

Astoria it is. The weather is so whacked. The amount of leaves on the trees suggest continued mild weather.

I’ll bring that step up filter, the vintage filter, the 45/2.8 Rokkor, and the nickel black paint Leica 2.

Cal

 

[pyeh]

Tell me again please the Astoria venue address.

 

[Calzone]

Pete,

Bohemian Hall
29-19 24th Avenue
Astoria, Queens.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Pete,

There is some economic geography/history.

Back in the day I hung out with the Wall Street Bankster crowd. Our common thread was biking, so pretty much every Saturday and Sunday was a morning ride that broke off at noon in the Hamptons all summer long every weekend.

Back in 2007-2008 many sold their beach houses. They were the “smart money” and they sold for top dollar right before the housing crisis right at the very top.

Then they bought farms in the Hudson Valley and around Woodstock for not a lot of money. Middleton is a place where it is not far from Woodstock and New Palz that is somewhat affordable. Pretty much people that are now priced out of Woodstock settle for Middleton because it is in close proximity. New Palz is a college town not far from Woodstock, and back in the 70’s it was known to be the “Party-School” out of all the state universities in the SUNY system. I think they are more of a STEM school right now.

Just above New Palz are the “Gunks” which are these white granite cliffs that are world class for rock climbing. Not far from the Gunks is Lake Minnawaska which is a State Park that features cliffs and carriage roads.

Just north of Peekskill is Garrison, a town that has very little commerce, but 4-5 acre zoning. Pretty much a luxury community just across the river from West Point. Garrison is just two more stops north of Peekskill. Both are river towns.

Cal

 

[fiddle]

Ahhh, The Gunks. Ive spent many weekends camping and climbing the Gunks when I was a young lad. Plenty of drinking in New Paltz too..

 

[Calzone]

Pete,

I feel I have to limit things and call off the Wednesday road trip. “Maggie” and I are taking care of our grandson who is just over 8 weeks old. Today he went to urgent care. He got tested for RPS which is a virus that can hurt babies. Luckily it is only a cold.

So now everyone is kinda freaking out about the flu, Covid, and RPS virus.

We kinda have to be careful, and these women with babies go insanely protective.

We also learned that if possible that the first winter day care should be avoided, so this will continue into the summer.

Hope you understand.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Ahhh, The Gunks. Ive spent many weekends camping and climbing the Gunks when I was a young lad. Plenty of drinking in New Paltz too..

Fidel,

Now New Palz is hip and trendy. Takes 20 minutes to get through Main Street to get to the Gunks. Parking is horrible.

I loved it before all the rich folk moved in and it was a a town of old hippies and vintage muscle cars cruised Main Street. Back not too long ago it seemed like the 60’s never ended.

I drove through, or tried to drive through, over the summer.

Cal

 

[fiddle]

Well, I think It was already overtaken by rich folks when I started climbing in the mid 90s. You could always tell when the trad climbers were all wearing North Face and Arcteryx expensive gear.
Around the 2000's I noticed the amount of traffic and college kids grew big time, around the time I stopped going and heading down to NC.

 

[pyeh]

Cal, I totally understand about cancelling the Peekskill tour, although I am disappointed not to see your Victorian lair. We'll just have to make it up with a concentrated effort of madness in Astoria. I can contribute only a little to 70s bikes and hot hatches but not at all to guitars and Chevys.

 

[Calzone]

Cal, I totally understand about cancelling the Peekskill tour, although I am disappointed not to see your Victorian lair. We'll just have to make it up with a concentrated effort of madness in Astoria. I can contribute only a little to 70s bikes and hot hatches but not at all to guitars and Chevys.

Pete,

I’m just a guy with a very confused identity.

At the end of the Cold War I was given this personality profile test as part of a retraining program. The results were interesting. Number one job for happiness was a musician, then a social worker, a priest, but also a writer and artist. All pretty low paying professions.

On the opposite end was a prison guard.

Anyways the old house, the old bikes, retro cameras and a ponytail and arrogant chin beard never went out of style.

Know that retirement is hard work and very busy, but there is no pressure, no rush, and no stress, and I guess the point is to take it all in as an experience to feel really more a live than ever.

I think retirement can have a negative spin and could be stressful or unsettling, but this would be self induced. I kinda live with that because “Maggie” still is a bit of a “hot-mess.” She overbooks, makes all these commitments, can’t really relax, and remains anxious and stressed. All self induced. Pretty crazy…

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Well, I think It was already overtaken by rich folks when I started climbing in the mid 90s. You could always tell when the trad climbers were all wearing North Face and Arcteryx expensive gear.
Around the 2000's I noticed the amount of traffic and college kids grew big time, around the time I stopped going and heading down to NC.

Fidel,

I likely preceded all that. It was a sleepy town and it was totally as if 1969 never ended. Mucho hippy culture.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

I have a crazy 300B Single Ended Triode HiFi stored in my basement.

Pretty much it does very well in recreating the actual recording space and has this three dimensional effect some call “soundstage.”

Anyways it will take some time and effort to create a sound room where I can set this up. Listening at this level is almost like an out of body experience. In my loft this stereo created startle responses because of the presence.

I remember listening to Nora Jones and it is as if she were in my loft looking at me and singing to me.

The thing with this system is it is not really loud, but it is clear and articulate.

Anyways a form of paradise. I think I want to soundproof half the garage and creat a sound space listening room where I might set up my digital printing studio.

In the end I’ll have my man cave or bunker of sorts.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

In the NYC Journal thread it seems I have some people living vicariously. How did I become a public figure?

Anyways an interesting experiment, but also a responsibility.

Seems like my Public Service is growing.

Anyways I saw some shots that were selected for our release. Pretty much our agent came to Peekskill with a photographer.

I was directed to wear my hair down, and in the shots it gets confusing because in some I look Native American, and in other perhaps Latino.

I need to learn how to do a model face which involves controlling your mouth, relaxing it, and does not involve smiling or laughing which pretty much I do most of the time. Actually this is pretty hard for me.

So I was just minding my own business, and now I’m a model. I actually look like a model which I find funny.

Cal