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eco-local living: the sustainable lifesyles magazine of New York's upper Hudson Valley

So here it comes, the fabled end of 2012 – and the end of the 5,000 year old Mayan calendar…will it be the end of the world as we know it?  Regardless of what the Mayans may have in store for us, the Winter solstice of 2012 should be a time of renewal, and reflection where we have been, and where we need to go.  The Powers-That-Be seem to like the status quo – we just went through a torturous election cycle and nothing changed.  The President, the Congress, New York Senate and Assembly –everyone was re-elected.  Meet the new boss - same as the old boss.  We say we want change, but do we really?  Change is scary, unknown.  The status quo is safe, familiar, even if it is taking us toward the abyss.   We've taken the bait of globalism, enjoying the flood of cheap consumer goods and electronics into our lives, but at the expense of domestic jobs and imploding city centers.  We have more stuff than ever before, but less connection to the people and places we've called community.  The Holiday season again approaches, and the Black Friday seduction will beckon even earlier, attempting to steal the valued time we used to call Thanksgiving, now just another day to get in line to get the deals.  Are we that narcissistic?    Maybe we deserve to have the world as we know it end, because the world we have created so far has gone mad.


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By Patricia Older
Rosemary_and_Mairanna_PorchLooking to downsize after running a popular hotel in the Catskills for many years, partners Mariana DiToro and Rosemary Jensen rolled the dice and decided to purchase an aging farm in Saratoga Springs.

“We came to see [the Lombardi Farm in the dead of winter and it immediately felt ‘right’,” said Mariana of the property, renamed The Saratoga Farmstead B&B.

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Summer is the high point of the vacation season, and every year, the question always arises, where should we go?  The options are endless, but are usually restricted by the budget.  With gas prices near the four dollar range, and lodging costs continually rising every year, for many, there is a personal austerity that affects travel plans.  Long distance trip are out, more localized travel is in.  Glitz is out, human-scaled, low impact eco-tourism is in.  Disney and Vegas fakeness are out, small towns with history, heritage, and authentic downtowns are in.


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Story and photography by David Delozier

Lake_Placid_Olymic-Center_at_dusk
The wild and beautiful Adirondack Park has called adventurers and wilderness seekers into its interior for over 200 years. It’s also drawn top athletes from around the world to test their metal against the vertical world of the mountains in the High Peaks region.  Lake Placid, in Essex County, smack dab in the center of the wild ruggedness, has hosted two Winter Olympics, thus acquiring the nick name “The Olympic Village.”  Today, athletes still throng to this small hamlet in the heart of the wilderness, to compete in triathlons, bike races and hockey tournaments and whatever else extreme sports organizers can come up with.


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story and farm photography by David Delozier
food photo by StockStudiosPhotography.com

The Doctor is out..standing in his field

Masons_Look_at_Cow
“We were not born farmers,” explains Melanie Mason, in contrast to her neighbors in the scenic Hoosick River Valley countryside of northern Rensselaer County.  “We had to learn it the hard way, making mistakes and correcting ourselves along the way.”  Thus the long lessons, and the subsequent naming of the farm that today constitutes 450 acres of lush green pastures, woodlands, and scenic vistas looking north upon the hills of neighboring Washington County.


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