A few months ago I went to Opus 40, a large environmental sculpture near Woodstock, NY. It was created by sculptor, quarryman, and former college professor, Harvey Fite. After working on it for 37 years he died on May 9, 1976 in an accidental fall while working on the ongoing project.

Every year the Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society (where I volunteer) organizes a series of presentations on topics related to the history of the village. This year is the 50th Anniversary of the Society and the centennial of the death of Walter W. Law, the founder of our village. We usually hold these presentations in the Village Vescio Community Center. But this year we’ve decided to do something a bit different. We’ve decided that the focus of our Anniversary year will be on Walter Law himself, and we’re going to try to hold the presentations in some of the village’s Houses of Worship.

We decided that the first of these presentations would be at the Briarcliff Manor Congregational Church (BCC) because of the close relationship between Law and the church: Law contributed the land on which it was built and also donated a number of the spectacular stained-glass windows.

I’ve often driven past the Kensico Dam. It’s set back quite a bit from the road and from a distance it doesn’t look all that interesting. Still from time to time it occurred to me to get closer and take some pictures. But I kept putting it off. The other day I decided to go so an Uber, a short train ride, and a short walk and there I was.

A while ago I was passing through Pleasantville, NY and I noticed three cemeteries all together along one stretch of road. According to Westchester County Historical Society’s, Patrick Raftery in his magnificent “The Cemeteries of Westchester County, Volumes I – III“:

These three burial grounds are located near the intersection of Broadway and Church Street…The Pleasantville Methodist Church Cemetery…is located on the west side of Broadway just south of Church Street. The Palmer Family Burial Ground…is located on the south side of Church Street about 300 feet east of its intersection with Broadway. Banks Cemetery is located on the east side of Broadway about 350 feet south of its intersection with Church Street.

I later realized that I’d missed one (All Souls Cemetery). So I went back and took some more pictures there.

Around the end of November, I went into NY City to have a pre-Christmas lunch with a friend and former colleague. I started my journey at my local train station: Scarborough. The station is right on the Hudson River and there’s a path leading from the car park to the station that allows access to the riverbank. I was a little early, so I walked around taking pictures of anything I found interesting along this path. Next stop Grand Central Terminal where I took a few pictures before taking the short walk along Park Avenue to our chosen restaurant: The Park Avenue Tavern. After the meal I made my way back to Grand Central, taking pictures of Christmas lights along the way.

“Kensico Cemetery, located in Valhalla, Westchester County, New York was founded in 1889, when many New York City cemeteries were becoming full, and rural cemeteries were being created near the railroads that served the city. Initially 250 acres (1.0 km2), it was expanded to 600 acres (2.4 km2) in 1905 but reduced to 461 acres (1.87 km2) in 1912, when a portion was sold to the neighboring Gate of Heaven Cemetery. The cemetery has a special section for members of the Actors’ Fund of America and the National Vaudeville Association, some of whom died in abject poverty. The cemetery contains four Commonwealth war graves, of three Canadian Army soldiers of World War I and a repatriated American Royal Air Force airman of World War II. As of December 2021, eight Major League Baseball players are buried here, including Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Lou Gehrig. Many entertainment figures of the early twentieth century, including Russian-born Sergei Rachmaninoff, were buried here.” (Adapted from Wikipedia, which also provides a long list of the well-known people buried there).

New Hamburg is a small hamlet (and census-designated place) along the Hudson River in Dutchess County, New York, United States. It is located in the southern corner of the Town of Poughkeepsie. The hamlet of New Hamburg is one of the few communities on the Hudson River located primarily between the railroad tracks and the river. It began at the turn of the 19th century as a port and producer of lime.

Cross the millpond bridge to Philipsburg Manor, a mill and trading complex where an enslaved community lived and labored for generations. Learn about the enslaved individuals who worked on the property in the year 1750, and whose family relationships and personal histories are revealed in primary documents. Step into the gristmill and learn about the life of Caesar, the enslaved miller, whose unmatched expertise contributed to the wealth of the Philipse family but benefited him not at all. Visit the dairy in the cellar of the Manor House, where a commercial butter production was operated by Dina, Massey and Sue, three of the women enslaved by the Philipses at the site. Discover the many ways the enslaved community at Philipsburg Manor maintained family networks, shared their cultural heritage, and expressed their fundamental humanity in opposition to the inhumane system that bound them.

Now that its getting warmer and staying light later, I’m determined to get more exercise (famous last words??). So recently I got a ride over to the Rockefeller State Park Preserve. From there I would try to walk home