A little trap door that opens and let's us through for a tranquil mini escape.

I sure do love that tea, milk and honey myself and really good books to take you away to another place.

I guess that "Third Place" is like a little trap door that opens and let's us through for a tranquil mini escape.

I love the sea shore -- haven't been able to go in 5 years now -- but I can always conjure up walking the beach just as the sun is rising.......toes in the seafoam.......where ocean meets the sand. It is so wonderful to touch with your toes and whole being that mystical space. Not until about a year ago did I learn that the Irish held that place of seafoam - where ocean world meets the shore --where the two worlds collide -- as their most mystical realm. I believe our ancestors reach us across the divide and show us their magical places -- if we are quiet enough to truly listen. Now tell me that our Irish Heritage is not passed down in the DNA!!! We have never been to the Erin Isle - we never heard those tales when we were young. When I need a third place I conjure up the smells of the ocean, the seafoam green and the fairies that dance between your toes................
Noreen Reilly

The Rhinecliff is located in the beautiful Hudson Valley of New York just 2 hours north of New York City.

And speaking of Tea. "The Rhinecliff" is now serving tea on the Riverview Decks between 2-4PM. Please call ahead for reservations and to find out which goodies will be served with tea that afternoon. The Rhinecliff is right next door to the Rhinecliff Train Station for a quick get-a-way. Want to River Watch all day? Take a drive or a walk down to the old Ferry Dock, bring a chair or a blanket, just wonderful for day dreaming.

Just As Simple As Reading a Book

To calm down after a long stressful day, I like to read. Perhaps a Travel Magazine or that juicey book I just can't put down; and, usually when I start reading, I do so with a nice warm "strong" cup of tea with milk and honey. The kind Mom would make us once we were a little older. When we were little, the tea was weak in our house and usually only served up when sick. Anyway, tea for us is a comforting thing. It reminds us of home and family. The Sisters and I sometimes lace it with a little Irish Mist to get through the hard times; but usually we get by with just the tea. If I need a "Third Place" and there is no way to get there, I'll get there through a good book and a cup of Tea.

Read Any Good Books Lately?

My Avocation and My Vocation

"But yield who will to their separation,
My object in living is to unite
My avocation and my vocation
As my two eyes make one in sight.
Only where love and need are one,
And the work is play for mortal stakes,
Is the deed ever really done
For Heaven and the future's sakes." Robert Frost

It is a pleasure to watch Susan Schneider work in her Custom Lamps and More Shop, Shandells, Rte. 22 (in the Old Garage), Millerton, NY Susan personifies this last stanza of one of my favorite Robert Frost Poems. She is a reminder to me that it is possible to be extremely happy in what you do to make a living. With a keen eye to design she produces extraordinary pieces of art and still finds the time to be a friend to those who perhaps linger too long like me. http://www/Shandells.com/

My Local Coffee Spa

In 2003, Irving Farm Coffee House opened in the historic town of Millerton, in the Harlem/Oblong Valley of Upstate NY. The village location is just a few miles from The coffee roasters' farm and coffee roastery. Housed in a turn of the century building on Main Street, The cafe serves fresh, farm roasted coffees, as well as an array of baked goods, soups and sandwiches all made daily on the premises. Irving Farm Coffee House is a perfect starting point for exploring Millerton and the surrounding Hudson Valley. Stop by on your way to catch a movie at the Movie House next door or after a bike ride on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail that winds through our historic town. A wireless internet connection is available at Irving as well.

On weekends there is live music. Relax with a glass of wine or beer, or enjoy a delicious dessert and an expertly prepared coffee drink.

"Cafes, Coffee Shops, Community Centers, Beauty Parlors, General Stores, Bars, Hangouts and How They Get You Through the Day."

The term third place was invented by Ray Oldenburg and the term first appeared in his 1990 book "The Great Good Place", a celebration of the places where people can regularly go to take it easy and identify, kibitz or carry on a light chat with friends, neighbors, and just whomever shows up.

The Third Place Coffeehouse in Raleigh, North Carolina is where I first encountered the concept. The shop is located on Glenwood Avenue. This street has evolved a great deal over the past 5-10 years as Raleigh develops its Downtown Entertainment and Historic Areas. City Planners have constructed a new Civic Center with an enormous amount of Downtown Parking. The secondary City Streets now contain new affordable yet upscale condo projects in keeping with the old and new South. Raleigh is a City worth visiting.

A place other than home or work where a person can go to relax and feel part of the community.

There's no place like third place.

I'm not talking about winning and losing here, or races or sports or politics, but something far more important: the simple art of living your life in the real world. In that world, as someone has pointed out, all communities — and therefore all members of communities — need a "third place." It's not your home. It's not where you work. Those are the first two places. No, it's the place where you go to, um, be.
—Stephen Hunter, "Shear Gladness," The Washington Post, September 13, 2002

I have never forgotten this article; and today more than ever, it seems important to bring some peace to our existence. A third place to go without pressures or competition. Ahhhhhhhh, starting over as a complete unknown. MMMMmmmmmmmm