GREENE, NY: Practically every summer since moving New Jersey ten years ago, I have packed my car with a travel water color set, brushes and some favorite linen clothing and headed northwest to Chenango County in upstate New York, to make paper with June Tyler at Pondside Pulp and Paper Farm in Norwich. June's style is laid back, and the country setting is a welcomed change from my hectic life in New Jersey. 

Early on, the Water's Edge Bed & Breakfast run by Candy Harrington (pictured top left) in Greene (about 12 minutes south of Norwich on Route 12) became my home away from home. Immediately, I was captured by its clean simple vintage charm (some B&B's have a tendency to be to floral / too over decorated) and by the view from "The Rose Room" (my favorite haven!) of the Chenango River, which runs along side the Inn. Greene is a charming little town centered in the middle of the Eastern Region of New York State. About three or so hours from Manhattan, the area has an over abundance of rolling farmland, country roads, and small towns. It is also an antique/vintage bargain shopper's delight. Situated between Binghamton in the south Syracuse in the far west, and Albany far in the east. From Greene one can blot many day trips from the Finger Lakes Region, up to the famed Bouckville Antique Center in Madison County, or head east toward the Catskills. 

Book a couple of nights with Candy and head out. Just make sure one of your stops is up Route 12 to Oxford to Dave Mabey's Antiques Plus. They advertise over 1000 items in antiques, glass, china, bric-a-brac, furniture & architectural pieces. Dave and his wife have been in the same location for dozens of years and have been purchasing items from rural communities in a 100 mile radius of their shop every since. Of the hundred or so shops I have visited in the area -- it's still my favorite place to hunt. Dave has been a little ill the last couple of years so call first before you go: 607-843-9007.

There are far too many pockets of gold to cover in my short essay. To plot your own trip I recommend you contact Sunday Driver Directories: 716-353-4295 / e-mail: info@sundaydriver.com or visit their website at: www.sundaydriver.com and ask for the following maps: 1) Eastern Region of New York State; Finger Lakes Region of New York State; and the Hudson Valley & Catskill Regions of New York State. (Some towns I have visited with one or more shops are: Bouckville (7-mile stretch of shops, hundreds of dealers can be pricy), a small no name town heading north on Route 12 into Greene (funky little fun shop), Greene and Oxford (great bargains), Madison, Oneonta (nice large antique center lots of dealers), Walton, Delhi, and Andes (high end – lots of NYC transplant, but good places to eat, or just relax)…The maps will give you plenty of other ideas to begin capturing your own memories. 

Additional Information:

Water's Edge B& B: 1 Washington St., Greene, NY 13778, (607) 656-4891 

June Tyler/ Pondside Pulp & Paper, Norwich, NY 13815 (607) 334-8952, see her blog at: http://pondsidepulpandpaper.blogspot.com/ 
 

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