My son, Michael and I recently had a few meals at Callicoon Hills and met so many interesting people. As I wrote in a previous column “Always talk to strangers” and I still am doing that and believe in it because you might be sitting next to a very interesting person who you have a lot in common with and never know it.

The first night my son and I ate there it was a beautiful dog that we took an interest in. He was lying on the floor at one of the tables and was like a big white teddy bear. When Mike spoke to the owner he told him he once had a friend who had a dog that was the same breed called a Samoyed, a cold weather one from Siberia.  

The next morning we went to Hill's for breakfast and met a girl who was staying there. She also had admired the dog we saw in the restaurant the night before. She showed us a picture of her dog which was a Jack Russell Terrier which she had with her. She said there was no way her dog could be trusted in the restaurant as he was too rambunctious. She was from Germany and has lived in Manhattan for five years.

In Germany she had lived in a small town with a population of 200. Since Callicoon Center has a population of 250 I told her she was in a much bigger town now. She had moved from that little town to Munich. I could relate to that since I had moved from Callicoon Center to New York City. She had checked out Hills online, compared it with other hotels in the area and was very pleased with it. She was going horseback riding in Bethel later that day. She felt sorry that she had to leave the next day but said she definitely would be back again.

The staff at the hotel are all very skilled and accommodating. The one we got to know best was the bartender, Anji who came to the table and served the wine. As they say, everyone has a story to tell and hers is especially captivating.

The first night she told us about her grandparents on both sides coming to Manhattan from Hungary to escape the Revolution of October 1956.

When her father was 16, he was in a park one day when he heard a girl calling to her dog in Hungarian. The girl was 14 and told him she had an older sister, who he met and later married.

Anji once had a boyfriend who had two siblings who were adopted and had disabilities.

Anji became attached to them and cared deeply for them. She also had a knack for understanding them and providing what they needed. As a result she now works with Autistic people. This was very special to both Michael and I since Mike has a daughter who is disabled and my son Jimmy was developmentally disabled.

Anji has worked at The Center For Discovery in Harris for 15 years and has recently gotten a promotion to train others in the field. It was obvious she loves every aspect of her job and has formed a special connection with the patients there. What a blessing it is for parents of the disabled to have people like her to help us care for our children.