Cidiot

Meet a couple who makes a leap, not just in moving upstate, but by restoring a motel. Cidiot talks to Kendra Sinclair and Jared Vengrin who have just opened the Reclaimed Motel in Red Hook in Dutchess County, New York.  Jared grew up here, met Kendra in college and now they’ve together been lovingly updating this motel along the Albany Post Road with a view of the Catskills. With fantasies of being Moira from Schitt’s Creek and furnishing it with vintage items within a 20-mile radius, they’ve designed it with a nod to 1960s motor lodge experience, including fun, comfortable and groovy. Hear about their experience, why they made the choice, motel history featuring Robert Redford, and some advice about visiting the Hudson Valley in the winter months including maple tapping!  Thanks Kendra and Jared for the special offer.  Reclaimed Motel is offering Cidiot listeners 10% off on your first stay. Just enter CIDIOT in your reservation form.  Links mentioned:  Reclaimed motel: Site | Instagram (@reclaimedmotel)  New York State Small Business Development Center  From Wreck to Reno (The Daily Catch) Thank you Sunflower Market, with stores in Woodstock and Rhinebeck, for supporting Cidiot. Long.Live.Local.

It seemed like a giant beehive was in our willow. Or was it? What should a cidiot do anyway? This episode is about the little critters that fill our lives—and our properties—in the Hudson Valley. Bees, wasps, bats, snakes, spiders, chipmunks, frogs, beavers—and more. Tune in for an education and a giggle. Links: Beaverland, Leila Philip (new book!) Beekeeping in the Hudson Valley and Catskills Episode 78 Brett Barry shares his snake (and bear) stories Pestmasters Blog Spotted Laternfly (Scenic Hudson)  Rethinking the Humble Beaver (Scenic Hudson) Sponsors: Sunflower Market (Woodstock, Rhinebeck) Photo: Brett Barry of Kaatscast podcast

Artist Alissa Hessler shares her inspiring journey from city life to rural Maine, discussing the impact of urban exodus. She talks about winter survival tips, canning, and community building in the Hudson Valley. The podcast explores the joys and challenges of country living and offers advice for those considering a move to the countryside.

When you think of art in the Hudson Valley, your head probably goes to the Hudson Valley School and the river, mountains and landscapes of Thomas Cole and Frederick Edwin Church. You know, dead old white men. Anne Sanger runs the Pinkwater Gallery in uptown Kingston. She’s an artist and her gallery focuses on women artists of the Hudson Valley. We talk about her journey to the Hudson Valley, taking a wrong turn—or was it a right turn—and becoming an artist. We also chat about the types of artists she represents and the etiquette and advice for newbies like me shopping for art. Yes, you can sometimes borrow it! Thanks to our sponsor Sunflower Market with locations in Woodstock and Rhinebeck. Sunflower is devoted to deepening symbiotic relationships through clean and sustainably sourced food. Visit their site and follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Pinkwater Guide to Art in the Kingston Area: GALLERIES IN KINGSTON In Uptown / the Stockade: Pinkwater Gallery  Headstone Gallery  In Midtown: Monument  In the Rondout / the Strand: Artport Kingston  West Strand Gallery  On Route 28 (between Kingston and Woodstock): The Lockwood Gallery  FALL LEAF PEEPING + ART Art OMI in Ghent  Storm King in the lower Hudson Valley near Windsor  Opus 40 in Saugerties  Annual Art Events in Kingston Art Walk Kingston in September  O+ Festival in October  Art Instruction for Adults Woodstock School of Art  Kingston Ceramics Studio 

In a special cross-over in honor of International Podcast Day, Cidiot talks to this year’s winner of the Chronogrammie for regional podcast (we got runner-up!) Brett of Kaatscast podcast. It’s no wonder he won. A pro in audio with a very handsome voice and a public radio style podcast, Brett has recording more than 60 episodes of Kaatscast as well as audiobooks and driving tours of the Catskills.  Recorded outside at Ole Savannah’s in Kingston on the water, we talk about how working in audio leads to producing driving tours of the Catskills and his award-winning podcast (!) and we also compare the Catskills and the Hudson Valley and talk about bears and snakes. Ick. Be sure to also tune into Brett’s interview of Mat on his new episode of Kaatscast. Links Kaatscast podcast  Brett’s scenic tours (free) of the Catskills at Drive28.com North South Lake (Tannersville) Dibbels Quarry  The Best Rural & Regional Podcasts (Cidot.com blog)

If you love books, you’ll love this episode. Cidiot gets local, pro recommendations from Oblong Books in Millerton and Rhinebeck, The Chatham Bookstore in Chatham, Rough Draft Bar & Books in Kingston, and several Cidiot listeners. Links here and on the episode page on Cidiot.com Books mentioned: One Hundred Miles From Manhattan, Guillermo Fesser (memoir) The Rural Life, Verlyn Klinkenborg (memoir) This Poison Heart, Kalynn Bayron (novel) Please Wait To Be Tasted: L’il Debs Oasis Cookbook (cookbook) The Blade Between, Sam J. Miller (novel) Elegy For An Appetite, Shaina Lowe-Banayan (memoir) Diamond Street, Bruce Edward Hall (history) The Story of Historic Kingston, Stephen Blauweiss and Karen Berelowitz Our Country Friends, Gary Shteyngart (novel) A Ship Made of Paper, Scott Spence (novel) Fifty Acres and a Poodle, Jeanne Marie Laska (memoir) Country Matters: The Pleasures and Tribulations of Moving from a Big City to an Old Country Farmhouse, Michael Kora (memoir) Typecast, Andrea J. Stein (novel)  Bookshops: Cidiot bookshop (Bookshop.org) Oblong Books (Rhinebeck and Millerton) Rough Draft Bar & Books (Kingston) The Chatham Bookstore (Chatham):  Golden Notebook (Woodstock) Inquiring Minds (Saugerties) Magpie Bookshop (Catskill) Spotty Dog (Hudson) Half Moon Books - used (Kingston) Merritt Bookstore (Millbrook) H.A.S. Beane Books - used (Red Hook) Hobart Book Village (Hobart) The Bookloft (Great Barrington, MA) Rodgers Book Barn (Hillsdale) Other: Murders in the Hudson Valley Podcast (Apple) Welcome new sponsor: Sunflower Market, with stores in Rhinebeck and Woodstock, is devoted to deepening symbiotic relationships through clean and sustainably sourced food. Visit their site, follow on Facebook & Instagram.

A big part of why we love the Hudson Valley and Catskills is because of the farms and the animals. In this awesome, moving, eye-opening, and hilarious episode, you’ll meet the fabulous Kathy Stevens and hear how Catskill Animal Sanctuary in Saugerties got started and its mission. You’ll learn about Noodles, a blind horse named Buddy, and a cow named Tucker, what Kathy calls 'random acts of callousness' and about the Underfoot Family.  “The tours change people,” Kathy explains.  You’ll also get advice on how to engage with animals on a tour (i.e., take your sunglasses off, sit down, don’t make a loud sound), CAS's unique programming, and why and how to volunteer. We find a job for Mat. And yes, yes, yes, Kathy and I will together make animal sounds. Catskill Animal Sanctuary website (donate, volunteer, programming) Herd Around The Barn podcast (Kathy's award-winning show) Welcome new sponsor: Sunflower Market, with stores in Rhinebeck and Woodstock, is devoted to deepening symbiotic relationships through clean and sustainably sourced food. Visit their site and follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Past episodes on animals: 46. Pets 44. Chicken Run 41. Meet A Farmer 35. Animals

Super-short episode today while Cidiot prepares for a big, big, big fall sprint of shows starting September. Very excited and a new sponsor coming too.  Get on the free Cidiot newsletter to not miss a thing!  Cidiot Anthem (Audio only): Apple Music, Spotify, Soundcloud  Cidiot Anthem (Video): YouTube Plan ahead for fall with the Cidiot Guide to 2022 Fall Festivals on the Cidiot.com blog.

Four years since the show debuted! What a good time for a State of the Cidiot. In this special episode, Mat reflects on what Cidiot has accomplished so far along with birthday messages from several listeners, including Mark, Katie, Allison, Irwin, Adam—and of course superfan Leslie, Mat's mom.  Thanks for supporting and enjoying Cidiot, the award-winning podcast about life in the Hudson Valley, Catskills, and Berkshires.  A few things you can do to make this birthday special: Rate and review Cidiot on Apple podcasts or via Cidiot.com. Sign up for the free Cidiot newsletter. Shop for merch and books through Cidiot.com. Other links: Talk to Allison, Radio Free Rhinecliff (Apple link)

Is there an equivalent for cidiots in Maine? Yes there is! In fact, Mainers have their own dictionary of phrases I was excited to learn on our two-week vacation. It got me thinking about doing nothing and doing everything. I'll share my update on our to-do list and Robinson Greig sends in an update from Greig Farm.   Sign up for the Cidiot newsletter for free. Subscribe at Cidiot.com with your email address.  Other links: Discover Upstate Art Weekend July 22-24, 2022. Info here. Thanks to our sponsor Hudson Valley Kitchen and Design Center. Mention Cidiot for $500 off your project $5,000 or more. Info here. Send in a quick birthday message to Cidiot with the microphone at Cidiot.com My favorite Mainer phrases: "From Away" - from somewhere elsewhere than Maine "Flatlander" - someone raised at low altitude "Happier than a clam at high tide" - happy "Tighter than a bark on a tree" - tight "All stove to hell" - in bad shape