Last weekend, Marisa and I journeyed to the town of Cold Springs. This small settlement, snuggled along the hillsides of the Hudson river, made a huge impression during my previous visit last summer. The town had seemed quiet, a little spritual, and the perfect place for a sustainable homestead. As many of you are probably aware, I've been actively looking for a small piece of wilderness for the last couple of years. My plan of building a self-sufficient Permaculture farmlet burns stronger than ever.So last Saturday, we headed by car to Cold Springs to visit Bascobel, a preserved historical settlement from the early 1800s. The site was impressive to be sure. The main house was surrounded by acres of Apple and Pear trees, well pruned for generations if not longer. Besides the main house, there was a large herb garden, with a medieval-style beehive. A couple of centuries ago, even rich people had to grow most of their own medicine on the spot due to the difficulties of transportation. Situated at the center of the Herb Garden was the Lemon House. This stone and brick structure is basically a green house built with 19th century technology. The main house itself was equally impressive in it's construction and furnishings. It struck me then that the wealthy echelons of society had a standard of living that varied little between the centuries. The only difference between pre-industrial Bascobel and a modern McMansion is that most of the functions were done by Human beings at Bascobel rather than fossil fuel powered Machines today. Everything from cooking and delivering food to removing waste to keeping the lights and heat on required dozens of servants and workers.
After the tour, we had lunch in town and took in the view. And what a Breath-taking view it was!!!! Cold Springs sits alongside the Hudson river at it's deepest point. From that vantage, the entire river is surrounded by rolling green hills and broadens into a vast network of marsh reeds and estuaries. There were people canoeing all across those marshes, mostly tourists and local fishermen. To us, the entire area looked like a North American version of Shangri-la, an isolated tract of heaven on earth! :)
At that point, I felt certain that I would find my little piece of land here. But unfortunately, the rest of the afternoon proved that all was not well in Paradise. After lunch, we strolled down Main Street to look at the antique shops. Quite abruptly, I realized that many stores along main street had been shuttered since last Summer. And the antique shops that were still open were all basically selling pawned junk. Even more disturbingly, we passed a vast yardsale with hundreds of people. Something like a quarter of the entire town was outside of their elementary school, selling off their possessions to each other and to the handful of tourists. The Economic recession has hit this little town harder than most it seems. With no industry and little farming, Cold Springs is dependent upon Tourism. And with the flow of NYC Tourists much diminished, the town is in a very bad shape.
After much contemplation, I realized that I simply could not build my Farmlet in Cold Springs. The area is certainly very beautiful and was at one point highly self-sufficient. By now however, it is dangeriously reliant upon NYC tourism dollars and has lost almost all off of it's independence in terms of local agriculture and cottage industries. Nevertheless, my search will continue onwards. One day I'll find my very own Shangri-la! :D
