I awoke to find myself in a most beautiful part of the World....the Hudson Valley.
Rhinebeck is a small village...population 3,000.
The weather gave me a taste of everything! My first two days - it was REALLY hot....and humid...
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| Jinx, one of two neighbour cats....gets as close to cooling air as she can... |
Here's Picholine..the other Kitty..
But soon, it began to cool down..... and we had some lovely storms - complete with Thunder and Lightning! I loved it!
Autumn then began to make a beautiful, gentle entrance and Chris and Bofie took me to visit the wonderful Ferncliff Forest and Game Preserve....
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| Too slow with my camera... all of Ms. Doe I was able to capture! |
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| Chris and Bofie |
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| Bofie says: *Come on, Mom...no time for photos....I want to EXPLORE*! |
We discovered this marvelous *Viewing Tower* - for those brave enough to ascend.... of course, I HAD to! Chris and Bofie kept watch below...(too hard for Bofie to climb so many steps..)
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| Halfway up, Chris said to turn around and wave! |
Once on the top.....you had a fantastic view of the Hudson Valley .and (lucky me), a boat sailing up the Hudson!
Bofie patiently waiting for Mum to finish the climbing the Tower....
There are many Mansions in the *neighbourhood*...the Vanderbilts, the Roosevelts.....but one extraordinary one, though in a state of decay....Wyndcliffe....
We did visit the grounds and home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Hyde Park. I have never been to a President's home before (the White House doesn't count)...and I found it all interesting and quite moving.
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| The Stables! |
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| *New Deal* was the name of one of President Roosevelt's Horses.... |
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| President and Mrs. Roosevelt's Memorial Marker. The President is buried right where the American Flag is. Both graves were unadorned and beautiful in their simplicity. |
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| The famous Roosevelt car....build so he could drive it without pedals.... (If you saw *Hyde Park on Hudson*, you saw a great replica of it.) |
Many beautiful flowers in the gardens.. it's a lovely peaceful setting.
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| Part of the Berlin Wall has been added here too.... |
And.... Hyde Park Geese!
Of course, there were less famous sites to visit.....like:
The Rhinebeck Farmer's Market
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Bzzzzz...fresh honey !
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My last night, we ate at the Beekman Arms Hotel...the oldest hotel in America (1766).
We opted to dine in the Wine Cellar part of the hotel.....I adored it....you could imagine Women and Men in powdered wigs and brocade dresses and jackets, eating by candlelight...
A romantic evening.....
All too soon, my 10 days had ended and we made the reverse trip down to NYC and JFK... but, I had a really happy time...and I hope to return to Rhinebeck and my two wonderful guys soon.
Love,
♥ Robin ♥
