Summer in the Hudson Valley is AMAZING! I live in the little town of Poughquag … not far from Pawling. In all honesty, I would CHOOSE to come here for a vacation. Which means, now that summer is here, rather than planning lots of trips, I want to really take advantage of this amazing place I live in. Here’s the plan:
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Go to a really good concert.Well, actually, I just WENT to a really good concert. Ray LaMontagne absolutely KILLED it in Massachusetts, and I loved every second of his concert. He walked out … said hello … shut his eyes … and played the set. No chatting in between songs. Just pure musical genius. I’m so blown away by him. Here’s one of my favorites of his live sets. - Swim under a waterfall. Hudson Valley has so many beautiful waterfalls. They get a little crowded, though in the summertime. My goal is to go at a time when there aren’t already 50 other people in the water. Actually, I kinda want to be the only on there. The last time I visited Kaaterskill Falls it was so beautiful … but so crowded. So maybe I’ll head there for a sunrise hike and enjoy the waterfall before anyone else gets there.
- Go to the beach 4 times. I’ve already been once. And it was a perfect beach day!! But I find that if I don’t actually set the goal of going numerous times, the summer will pass and I’ll have missed my chance. It’s a wonderful thing to live not far from the coast, and I want to really take advantage of it this summer.
- Swim A LOT. About a month ago, I discovered the most beautiful lake about 20 minutes from my house. In Delaware, I just didn’t feel too confident about swimming in the lakes … so I didn’t. But up in the Catskills, Addirondacks, and here Hudson Valley region, there are so many clean lakes. I’ve been going a few times a week to the one near me and just makes me SO happy.
- Fall asleep under the stars on a regular basis. If you happen to look up at the roof of my beat-up old Honda Element, you’ll see butt-shaped dents. Since moving out into the country last year, I’ve become mildly obsessed with star gazing. Maybe I would have fallen in love with it before if I’d ever lived somewhere where you can really see the stars shine!! So now, at night, I’ve taken to climbing up to the roof of my car and settling in under the stars for a long chat with my father.
- Do a week-long juice fast. I’m a fan of all detoxes, cleanses, and resets for the body. My body, however, isn’t a fan. I’ve tried juice fasts in the past, and I don’t do well with them. However, when it’s really hot, my body actually tells me CLEARLY that it doesn’t want to eat anything heavy. So I’m waiting for the next heatwave, and I’ll see if I can sneak in a juice cleanse without my body rebelling ; )
- Go tubing down Ausable Chasm. I forget how I stumbled across a site about Ausable Chasm … aka the grand canyon of the addirondacks. I think it may have been on the way home from tubing in Vermont the other week. It was so peaceful and enjoyable that I was like … we have to do this again! So I went online and searched for something closer to the Hudson Valley than Vermont. Ausable Chasm isn’t actually much closer, lol, but it sure does look gorgeous!! So maybe a quick trip there, followed by a weekend in Montreal??? That sounds kind of perfect!
- Go to the Drive-In Theatre a few times. I love seeing movies at the drive-in. We didn’t have any drive-ins where I lived in Delaware. But here in the Hudson Valley, it’s one of my favorite summertime activities.
- Hike at least three new places. This was also a spring goal that I LOVED blowing out of the water! I found so many amazing new (to me) spots so close by. I can’t wait to see what I’ll find this summer.
- Keep fresh wildflowers around the house all summer. They just make me happy : )
There you have it! My plans for the summer. Professionally, I’m reeeeeally hoping to photograph some fun backyard sessions with families, and I’m just DYING to book some more barn and vineyard weddings in the Hudson Valley. Shoot me an email at preciousmemoriespix@gmail.com if you’d like to work with me!
XO,
Kate
P.S. I’m taking one or two more sessions in Maine in August!
P.P.S. I just opened up the fall mini session date for Delaware-area clients. Crazy to be thinking about fall already … but I wanted to give people plenty of time to prepare.
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Kate Callahan is an on-location photographer who LOVES to capture authentic memories for families. She’s available for weddings, senior photos, child photo sessions, and family photography. Kate works with clients throughout the Hudson Valley, NYC, Delaware (and the tri-state area), and beyond. She also writes motivational books for photographers. Find them at Dear Female Photographer.
