For a stretch of river that has seen culture and commerce for over 400 years, I'm new around here. My wife has deep roots here in the Hudson Valley, and she brought me to Garrison on the train in Fall of 2005, for our second or third date.

Our first stop was coffee at a cafe table next to a still functioning pay phone booth outside of Guinans. I sat in stunned silence, absorbing the river, the mountains, the colors, and the imposing yet secure presence of West Point. Before returning to the city, we had hiked Breakneck, had a frosty reward and dinner at the Depot, and learned not to walk on the tracks.

I still stare at the river in amazement and consider how fortunate I am to live and work in the Hudson Highlands, an extraordinary mix of glaciers, generals, giants of industry and great people.

I haven't always been in the Real Estate business. Following familiar advice, I was finding success doing what I loved, photography. But like the candle maker at the dawn of the electric light bulb, technology changed the candle business, and it changed the photography industry too.

I still do what I love, and it is exciting bringing prior world experience to this business. I still love creating and telling stories about characters, and I treat each home as a key figure in a story, but also as a figure in a supporting role. It is about more than shingles and doors, windows and siding and square footage. A home is a part of a community, a bigger story.

I simply try to tell the whole story.