I can attest to the beauty of American Siberia. A few months back in the spongy wet fall of eastern New York the better half and I were roaming the Burgs when we happened upon a destination so described.
Partially wrapped in Tyvek, partially sided in blue, and mostly exposed OSB, RZR chariots out front, we walked into the nondescript bar and we were treated like Moses with the crowd of 10 patrons parting like the Red Sea to expose the most prominent of the 5 bar stools. We sat like dignitaries. Alas, lacking greenbacks we were unable to brew in the experience. Lesson learned!
I agree that the region can be bleak and depressing--especially in the grey winter months. But, it is also the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. something about the harshness, the stark contrast of the landscape with the economic decay. The people here are also real--the kind you won’t find anywhere else but maybe the mid west. If we worked at it--we could make a real comeback for this area.
Your description of borderland New York reminds me so much of winter (and even cold summer days) in northern Wisconsin where the highlight of a January night might be shooting rats in the local train yard or huddled in an ice shack, fishing.
Such incredible soul-deep writing! I’m reading a lot about the “desert”, “dark night of the soul”, wilderness of soul. I do not find any of it depressing. I also do not find it “easy”. I may not be attuned to easy. There is nothing easy about your writing and American Siberia. It settles very deep inside and quenches a thirst. Exquisite stuff!
Thank you, Susan. I just read a book about the desert as well titled A Desert Dies by Michael Asher. Mr. Asher, a Brit, travels by camel with the Kabbabish nomads just as the Sahara's grazeland blooms collapse and force the nomads toward South Sudan. I highly recommend it -- captures a lot of the bleakness of the desert and the manner in which desert dwellers must force themselves to be optimistic even in the face of death. Incredibly inspiring.
If you’re interested in the desert, and you haven’t checked it out yet, read Seven Pillars of Wisdom by TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia). One of the greatest books of the 20th century
What a beautiful piece. Your writing is superb. Thank you so much. I happened upon this by complete accident. Or maybe Substack has figured me out! 😂 Either way, I'm glad. Thank you. Our equivalent "hinterland" here in South Africa is an area known as the Karoo. Stark and unforgiving, yet it breeds tough and wholesome people. Similarly with our neighbouring country, Namibia, which is vast and hot and empty and calls to those who need to scarify their minds and reset their souls.
I live in a midwest small town in a place that sees the third most days of overcast in the country. Its a blizzard right now and i dread the drive to work in the morning. This helps. Thanks!
Between 13 and 17 years old my family lived in Estonia. For most of the year it is dark and dank, with overcast skies and cold winds. I remember wandering around in a field out behind the property my parents had acquired. There were no beautiful sights, it was bleak and grey but I still felt at peace. Like I was traveling and exploring a far off land.
Two things you realize when living in an ugly place are that the brief period when winter dies and gives birth to spring it transforms the whole world into beauty, and secondly it is the people of a place and not the views you become attached to.
P.S.
A large part of my growing up was done in a small town on the borders of Russia. It was ugly and bleak, which did not stop me from feeling happy when 6 years later we returned to the town. I felt an enormous swell of joy at the familiar streets, and the people that I had longed to see again.
I went to middle & high school in the Albany/Troy area (which is not quite FAR upstate, but still). My family moved away immediately afterward and I've never spent that much time in the area since — but it's beyond amazing to read your writing, which captures that certain SOMETHING that I've never really succeeded in communicating to other people about upstate.
I've only ever seen this world through the eyes of a middle aged YouTuber who drives around the far flung places of the US (can't remember his name), but reading a description like this gives an immense depth to that footage.
And I agree, people that live outside of the main centres anywhere in the world are far different in sensibility.
I can attest to the beauty of American Siberia. A few months back in the spongy wet fall of eastern New York the better half and I were roaming the Burgs when we happened upon a destination so described.
Partially wrapped in Tyvek, partially sided in blue, and mostly exposed OSB, RZR chariots out front, we walked into the nondescript bar and we were treated like Moses with the crowd of 10 patrons parting like the Red Sea to expose the most prominent of the 5 bar stools. We sat like dignitaries. Alas, lacking greenbacks we were unable to brew in the experience. Lesson learned!
Next time reach out to me, you'll be sitting like a dignitary with a beer in your hand whether you've got greenbacks or not!
I agree that the region can be bleak and depressing--especially in the grey winter months. But, it is also the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. something about the harshness, the stark contrast of the landscape with the economic decay. The people here are also real--the kind you won’t find anywhere else but maybe the mid west. If we worked at it--we could make a real comeback for this area.
Your description of borderland New York reminds me so much of winter (and even cold summer days) in northern Wisconsin where the highlight of a January night might be shooting rats in the local train yard or huddled in an ice shack, fishing.
Such incredible soul-deep writing! I’m reading a lot about the “desert”, “dark night of the soul”, wilderness of soul. I do not find any of it depressing. I also do not find it “easy”. I may not be attuned to easy. There is nothing easy about your writing and American Siberia. It settles very deep inside and quenches a thirst. Exquisite stuff!
Thank you, Susan. I just read a book about the desert as well titled A Desert Dies by Michael Asher. Mr. Asher, a Brit, travels by camel with the Kabbabish nomads just as the Sahara's grazeland blooms collapse and force the nomads toward South Sudan. I highly recommend it -- captures a lot of the bleakness of the desert and the manner in which desert dwellers must force themselves to be optimistic even in the face of death. Incredibly inspiring.
If you’re interested in the desert, and you haven’t checked it out yet, read Seven Pillars of Wisdom by TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia). One of the greatest books of the 20th century
What a beautiful piece. Your writing is superb. Thank you so much. I happened upon this by complete accident. Or maybe Substack has figured me out! 😂 Either way, I'm glad. Thank you. Our equivalent "hinterland" here in South Africa is an area known as the Karoo. Stark and unforgiving, yet it breeds tough and wholesome people. Similarly with our neighbouring country, Namibia, which is vast and hot and empty and calls to those who need to scarify their minds and reset their souls.
I live in a midwest small town in a place that sees the third most days of overcast in the country. Its a blizzard right now and i dread the drive to work in the morning. This helps. Thanks!
Pretty much every article you've written on the subject makes me homesick, but I think this one takes the cake.
Glad to get to cackle with you!!
Been cackling a lot harder lately since you came around! That's North Country love!
Between 13 and 17 years old my family lived in Estonia. For most of the year it is dark and dank, with overcast skies and cold winds. I remember wandering around in a field out behind the property my parents had acquired. There were no beautiful sights, it was bleak and grey but I still felt at peace. Like I was traveling and exploring a far off land.
Two things you realize when living in an ugly place are that the brief period when winter dies and gives birth to spring it transforms the whole world into beauty, and secondly it is the people of a place and not the views you become attached to.
P.S.
A large part of my growing up was done in a small town on the borders of Russia. It was ugly and bleak, which did not stop me from feeling happy when 6 years later we returned to the town. I felt an enormous swell of joy at the familiar streets, and the people that I had longed to see again.
People are enormously resilient.
I went to middle & high school in the Albany/Troy area (which is not quite FAR upstate, but still). My family moved away immediately afterward and I've never spent that much time in the area since — but it's beyond amazing to read your writing, which captures that certain SOMETHING that I've never really succeeded in communicating to other people about upstate.
A peripheral world captured beautifully.
I've only ever seen this world through the eyes of a middle aged YouTuber who drives around the far flung places of the US (can't remember his name), but reading a description like this gives an immense depth to that footage.
And I agree, people that live outside of the main centres anywhere in the world are far different in sensibility.