Were you there?

The Hudson Valley Horrors made their derby debut Sunday at Hyde Park Roller Magic. I profiled the ladies last September, which drew the attention of the New York Times, followed by ABC World News with Charles Gibson. I feel like I've watched them grow and mature from skating novices to roller terrors. And I ended up missing the bout! If you were there, please, please, please tell me about it by posting below.

(Photo by Poughkeepsie Journal photographer Karl Rabe)

Father's Day picks for alterna-dads

If the Gen-Ex dad in your life is more tattoo than tie, here are a couple of cool ideas for Father's Day:

The Hudson Valley Horrors, the valley's own female flat track roller derby league, take on the Pioneer Valley Western Mass Destruction in their inaugural bout, "Who's Your Daddy?" The action takes place Sunday at 6 p.m. at Hyde Park Roller Magic on Route 9.

Seats are $13 in advance, $15 at the door.

Tickets can be purchased at the rink in Hyde Park, Firebird Grill and Lounge in Rhinebeck, Catskill Art & Office Supply in Kingston and Burt's Electronics in Kingston.

And in Poughkeepsie, dad can smoke the hookah and dine on Middle Eastern food while belly dancers entertain him at Zorona on Raymond Avenue.

Reservations are necessary. Call 845-471-8838.

Cute roadside stand alert

I snapped this picture on Route 9G, near the intersection of Route 199 in Red Hook.

Bubby's Burritos serves rice and bean burritos and cheese quesadillas with all the fixins for cheap out of a Trillium 1300 trailer decorated with potted plants.

The owners split their time between their stand in Red Hook and their restaurant in Mexico.

Try it on your next trip to Bard College or Tivoli.

And if you do, let me know what you think.

My first valley haircut

I skipped my usual trip to Williamsburg and booked an appointment with Jen at Le Shag.

See my previous post about the best places to get a cool cut in the Hudson Valley here.

Jen has a lot of musician clients whom she met through her fiance, Grasshopper, of the band Mercury Rev. She is also the makeup artist/hair stylist for Bard College's SummerScape festival.

This haircut cost me $30, $20 less than what I usually pay in the city. I really like it and whole heartedly recommend Le Shag. If you go, tell Jen an exiled hipster sent you.

Reality check, Hudson Valley style

The falls at Minnewaska State Park, one of the best things about living in the mid-Hudson Valley. I took this picture during a beautiful hike a couple of weeks ago.












And one of the worst things: the deer tick. My husband just discovered one attached to his leg at about 12:45 a.m. today. We think it had been feasting since Saturday. He's on the phone with the doctor now.

I have really close friends that have Lyme disease, but it's really freaky when a tick strikes someone you love. Here's hoping he's okay ...


Oh, and to add flame to the fire, I spotted a deer walking in my backyard at about 7:30 a.m. (I live in the city of Kingston!)

Anyone have any advice for us?

Update: A reader suggested this link to the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society's Web site as a better source of information than the county site I provided.

Grab a blanket, watch 'Metropolis' outdoors

Yup, it's currently pouring outside, and I am writing a post about an outdoor movie screening. But I am an optimist.

Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College launches its free outdoor film series on Thursday at 8:30 with a screening of Fritz Lang's classic thinkers versus workers movie, "Metropolis" (1927).

"Metropolis" depicts skyscrapers, technology and the urban paradise, along with the failure of the city to live up to its expectations. Similar issues are addressed in the art center's new exhibition, "Utopian Mirage: Social Metaphors in Contemporary Photography and Film."

All films in this June series will be screened on the east lawn of the art center at the Poughkeepsie campus, weather permitting. (If it rains, the screenings will be moved indoors.)

Other movies are "Playtime" (1967), "Blade Runner" (1982) and "Children of Men" (2006).

Pray for sunshine.

A peek at my weekend plans

Saturday is an all-Kingston day for me. First, I will hit the Old Town Stockade Farmers Market and maybe breakfast at Gabriel's.

In the early evening I'm going to hop on the new Art Bus and check out some of the First Saturday openings, including Chad Hunt's war photography exhibit at the Kingston Museum of Contemporary Arts. (Pick up a copy of today's Enjoy! to read my story about Hunt and his work.)

I will end the evening at Elephant, my new favorite wine bar and restaurant on Wall Street. The husband and wife team of Rich Reeve (chef) and Maya Karrol (front of house) used to own the beloved Brady's Public House in Poughkeepsie.

On Sunday, I will participate in the henna workshop in Highland. If you can't attend, read my first-person story about it in next Friday's Poughkeepsie Journal.