Driving through Coeymans Hollow earlier today reminded me of the deep hollows I have driven through in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The small, rural hamlets off the beaten track, the wood smoke, the cows in the muddy and rocky pasture.

Not sure if I’d ever want to live in a hollows with the flood risk, the nuisance of smoke and odors, the noise of passing cars bouncing off hollow walls, the nearby neighbors. But it’s beautiful to be surrounded by mountains and the long shadows that dominate life most of the days in the hollows, especially during the winter.