自我介绍

NORTH RIVER MOUNTAINTOP HOBBY FARM Our family-owned mountaintop property in North River originated in 1910 when my great-aunt came as a teenager from Port Washington, Long Island to the Adirondacks to recover from tuberculosis. Back then, the only known cure for TB was to be outside, in cold winter months on a porch under quilts or walking the meadows in the summer. Fortunately Aunt Edie recovered from TB, and in celebration, my great-grandparents built Bird Camp which is now restored and one of our vacation rental cabins. There are still apple trees in the meadows which were planted one hundred years and ten years ago by my great-grandfather. I treasure the old black and white photos I have of this era. Sadly, the property went into decline over the decades when the various siblings, cousins and in-laws could not agree on how to maintain the property. It took decades, but I managed to buy out the other owners. Once free with clear title, I began the hands on restoration of the original Bird Camp. Then, thinking that I might scratch out a living as a hobby farm, I built a unique “farmstand” and large gardens, but then pivoted as is sometimes necessary in business (and life) --- I converted the farmstand into a vacation rental (“The Farmstand”) and kept the large gardens where we grow cut flowers, herbs and vegetables for our guests and for sale at farmer’s market. About 10 years ago, I bought 40 additional acres of beautiful adjoining land below ours (Shields Road) where there were once incredible views of the Hudson River and the mountains beyond. I worked with an excavator to clear the woods for six new sites, creating for each incredible views for which the land was once known. After some intense approval hassles, I began to design and build small romantic cabins and various outbuildings in what architects call the “new old” style. The construction and design are driven by a desire to pay homage to the original Japanese/Adirondack architectural detailing of the 19th century. As a carpenter and home designer, I have taken great pleasure in this work --- frequently picking up my tools to work alongside the various craftsmen who have helped to these unique cabins and out buildings. One year’s work was building a Japanese temple with a natural cedar hot tub overlooking Gore Mountain. Another project was a wood fired pizza oven and pavilion. Both amenities are treasured by our visiting guests. Our land in North River is now developed as far as we wish to go. Hence, we named the last cabin “Camp Finale” to signify the end of what we will build here. Our focus is now on maintaining a restorative and relaxing experience for our guests. Our vacation cabins in North River on the Hobby Farm are named: Bird Camp Farmstand Camp HudsonView Camp Lillian Camp Bossie Camp Finale Glamp Richard Glamp Suzanne Glamp Thomas Glamp Bernice NEW PROJECT --- NORTH CREEK HUDSON RIVER PROPERTY Five miles down river from our mountainside paradise, we now have another beautiful property directly on the Hudson River in nearby North Creek. The 14 acre parcel which I purchased in the summer of 2021 included an abandoned 1940’s cottage which not been inhabited for decades. The boarded-up cottage, overlooking the Hudson River which is directly across the country road, was ready to collapse. The rafters and outside walls were bowing, huge pine trees ready to fall on top of it and the interior was in deplorable condition. For an entire pleasurable year, I worked alongside my group of tradespeople to restore the cottage. Tricky carpentry was involved to shore up and brace the sagging roof rafters, and to bring the outside walls back to plumb. Because of the cottage’s proximity to the Hudson River, the new septic system had to be designed carefully to meet setbacks, and the abutting flood plain elevation had to be dealt with in the permitting process. The interior was gutted and rebuilt in our “new old” style with knotty pine beadboard, antique beams, bright tile work and an antique style bathroom. Sensing that this could be the place where I may live in retirement (close to town, flatter grades and less challenging in the winter than living atop a mountain), I admittedly went a little overboard during the renovation with extra beautiful detailing inside and out. (I read this somewhere recently and it describes my building philosophy: “A preferable solution is to maintain all that is good. All that has served us well. Maintain the foundations of the old house and as much of the structure above as is still sound. Root out the rot and treat the wood worms. Repair and replace what is broken but keep as much as possible of what has stood the test of time, what has worked.” This is good advice for old homes and life as well.) Although virtually everything in the cottage has been replaced (framing, siding, roofing, interior finish, mechanicals), the Hudson River cottage now appears both inside and out as a well-maintained historic cottage instead of a major renovation. This pleases me. Our Hudson River cottage is named Riverfront Cottage on the Hudson River. THE PLEASURE I TAKE IN HOSTING IS NOW TWOFOLD … ON THE MOUNTAINSIDE AND BY THE HUDSON RIVER … HOW LUCKY AM I? I have the honor to host vacationing guests who come to the Adirondack Mountains from all over the world, and who leave with generous notes of thanks and lovely reviews. On our mountainside property In North River, our guests enjoy having the opportunity to live as I do with my children now, and as my grandparents and great-grandparents once did here. We treasure our farm-like setting reminiscent of an 1800’s farm with pleasant meadows, beautiful mountain views and brilliant star-filled nights. On our riverside property in nearby North Creek, our guests enjoy the beauty of staying right on the Hudson River on a quiet country road where they can slip into the river to bathe or fish or kayak, where they can enjoy a quick walk to the sweet downtown. To create these amazingly beautiful places, I have invested years of my own labor, energy and design expertise, and I have willingly taken on substantial financial risk and debt. But I would not own these wonderful places if not for my brother Thomas Clement and my late father Richard Clement who made significant financial contributions and gave me great encouragement. I am most grateful for their love and help, and I consider myself a lucky woman indeed.