Hudson Valley.

We headed out of the city to beautiful country – just north of the city, along the Hudson River. We found a farm to stay at and the girls snorted like pigs and ran around in grass that outstretched their legs. At night the lullaby was crickets and owls – a new chorus for city girls. Roasted marshmallows and s’mores – a first for little Parisian Marguerite. Hiking/cresting to see blue mountains in the distance and a spinach woodland below. We read about trees – and tried to match the pictures of leaves to the animate versions all around. We reflected on being separated from all of this – living in such a built-up space, where a small patch of green can pose as nature – about how shocking it can be for senses filled with the city to suddenly absorb stillness and the denseness of green.

At some point, the farmer went into the barn and resurfaced with 3 kittens in his arms. Romy reached out and circled her little hand around one of the kitten’s necks and almost choked it with excitement.












And then we stopped at Storm King Art Center - an open air museum - a revelation. It had always been on my list, but I'd never taken the time to do it. Now we are obsessed. The girls roamed without restraint - art far and wide. Fields and hills and woodlands and 500-acres with a hundred or more sculptures. I want to go back with a proper camera and fall leaves...