The Real Estate Cupboard #114 Archives by Steve Hubbard, Certified Buyer’s Representative

Quality of Life – Row, Row Your Boat on the Hudson River

When we think and talk about Real Estate it seems to me that we talk mostly about the numbers of bedrooms and bathrooms and square feet and acreage and price and value of Real Estate and things like that. What about the quality of life of an area, the quality of life associated with owning Real Estate in Ulster County, for example? We think and talk about it some but not nearly enough, at least I don’t – or didn’t anyway. Not until the last year or so did I begin to value quality of life to the degree that it deserves. But as I began to think about it, I became more and more aware of how fortunate, in quality of life terms, we residents of Ulster County really are.

I may be especially fortunate, but consider the following: This evening around dusk, say about 7 o’clock or so, I left my office and drove down to Lynches Marina on the Esopus Creek. It took me about 5 minutes – not even. Lynch’s Marina is maybe ¾ of a mile from where the Creek empties out into the Hudson River. I opened the doors to the barn where I keep my rowing scull, grabbed my oars and took them down to the dock, hoisted my rowing scull over my head and took it down to the water, got in and started to row quietly out to the river. Rowing is ineffably satisfying! What an incredible pleasure it is to pull with your arms and push with your legs in a steady rhythm as you make the boat move – glide really- through the water – I simply can’t tell you how wonderful it feels! But just as I approached the river and was thinking about whether or not to row further which I often do or to simply turn around and row back, an equally frequent choice and still a good workout, I hear my name called out. It was a friend calling out from the Saugerties lighthouse no more than 50 feet or so away. Turns out there’s a party going on that had only just been planned that afternoon. All of a sudden there are great exhortations for me to some how find a way to park my boat and join the festivities. Well, who could resist? So instead of a peaceful rhythmic Zen kind of workout thing, it was a hamburger and potato salad and beer kind of fun thing. In the midst of the revelry I took a minute to just look around and be aware of my surroundings. Hear me when I say this: There is no prettier place on this planet than the Hudson River around Saugerties at dusk on a summer day. As I rowed back to the boathouse in the dark I could not help but feel that no matter where else I might go or where ever else I could be, it could not be more – I guess that’s just the right word “more”.

Or consider this: A few weeks ago I sat out on the Hudson River in my skinny little boat (don’t get me wrong, it is sleek and fast – wouldn’t have it any other way) at dusk as the sun set behind the plattekill mountains to the west. It’s the range of which Overlook and Roundtop are a part that runs from Woodstock along the West Saugerties Rd. toward Palenville. Just the slightest remaining remnants of sunlight could still be seen reflecting off a few scattered clouds so as to give them and the water below a somewhat purple hue. There was a full moon low in the eastern sky. The water was like glass, the air heavy and still, the shoreline on either side thick with deep rich greens like a Thomas Cole painting, and there was not a sound but the water lapping gently against my boat. Nothing moved but for my boat rocking gently in the water and an occasional bird or a small flock gliding silently by over head. Would I go back to Beverly Hills to live? What do you think? Just passing through and think you might like to live like this? If you do, maybe a call to or a visit with an Ulster County Real Estate Broker would be helpful.

Steve Hubbard owns and operates Steve Hubbard Real Estate Services.
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