Michelle knocked it out of the park,

and Barack closed the last inning with a home run.

Nice to see this bond..

Spent most of the night mesmerized by the DNC Convention. The lead up to Joe was a cast of my favorite characters. What an accomplished man Joe is, and he certainly deserves a place on Mount Rushmore!

Loved the Warnock comment on how the rapist should read the Bible. Ain’t that the truth? And the refresher on the time line of his winning election. January 5th he was elected as the first black senator from Georgia, and then there was January 6th.

Next up, my favorite gal, Hillary..

She has certainly come full circle and 😂 funny. Glad she’s learned to laugh about it.

Didn’t realize she was the first one called when Harris got the message. How appropriate.

On to our 🌟

Good to see someone so happy about her new role. And so welcoming to others.

This is the way it ought to be.

Can’t wait till tonight!

Sadly, this home was closed due to a ceiling collapse and will not be open till 2025. However, they have beautiful gardens so let’s check it out..

Hudson River Views

Outside Gallery of historical notables..

George Inness – on the back of these sculptures is a bio of the artist

🍎🍎🍎

Let’s end with a return trip to the orchard

Boscobel was the home of loyalists during the Revolutionary War. They fled to England, and never returned. It is one of the most beautiful homes of this era I have ever seen. Will definitely have to return in 2025!

Hadn’t been here since I was a kid, so since I was in the area stopped by.

There was a 2 hour wait for clearance so elected to take the 75 minute bus tour for $22. To obtain follow the tour signs in the Visitor Center.

Had 45 minutes before the tour giving me ample time to check out the Visitor Center Museum which focused on cadet life.

There is also another museum outside the Visitors Center. This focuses more on the history of war.

Next on to the bus tour..

While the tour limits what you can see the guide was lively and filled with much information. A few fun facts….

• The alumni organization is generous and their donations pick up the tab for the cost of cadet education when the government doesn’t cover.
• Graduating classes donate everything from trees to buildings
• Cadets eat 3500 calories daily!
• Everyone in the town of Highpoint NY is associated with the military
• The requirement for religious attendance is no longer. At least someplace honors the division of church and state!
• Ballroom dancing at one point was a cadet requirement.
• West Point is a mile from the point, therefore the name West Point
• In President Eisenhower’s class 40% went on to become Generals. The largest class to have this honor.
• West Point began in 1778 and the location was key as Washington knew to win the war he had to stop a knowledgeable British Navy. Therefore blockage of the Hudson River was done with chains across its waters.
• The stained glass windows in the Protestant Chapel took 60 years to complete and when the last one was installed the glass company honored their contract and only charged $300 for the last window.
• Whenever a WP score occurs in the army navy game a cannon is shot.
• Demerits are given to cadets for many things – room arrangement not according to code, military uniform in disarray, etc…. Sometimes cadets must walk the line for up to 100 hours for these demerits. This even happened to Eisenhower as he was known to be a prankster.

On the tour was a woman from Ohio whose granddaughter was starting as a cadet. Quite a decision for someone at 17.

A closing picture..

Russell Wright was born in Ohio, and studied set design at Princeton, however, never graduated. Mary Eisenstein, his wife, and yes a relative of Albert, was a Cornell graduate.

So, how did they meet?

Working at a festival in Woodstock, NewYork. They were so smitten with each other they married within 6 months and Russell sent his mom a telegram attesting to that fact!

Mary was brilliant in design as well as business and marketing. She encouraged Russell to work in 3D and this created the modern line of dinnerware – affordable with clean lines.

Some of his work..

The Wright’s were always drawn to the Upstate NewYork area, and when an abandoned quarry of 250 acres came for sale they purchased it. Always entertaining, the home became a haven for those in the arts.

The home was constructed between 1942-1961 and in the meantime the Wrights lived in the home on the property as well as at their 5th Avenue apartment.

Sadly, Mary died at 48 of breast cancer, and never saw the completed home.

Only 2 years before her death they adopted Ann, who lived in the home for 20 years after her father’s death with her son.

Ann remains in the area working as a caterer.

Upon Mary’s death Russell was devastated, and now was single parent. He acquired a governess for Ann, and continued to work between the two residences. However, without Mary’s acute business sense, and the market changes, Russell had challenges.

He lived till 1976 when he died of lung cancer. In the will Anne was told to select either the 5th Avenue home or Dragon Rock, and she selected the later.

Russell was strongly influenced by Asian and Japanese culture.

Much of this is seen in Dragon Rock. And unlike Mary though his last name was Wright he was no relation to Frank Lloyd. That said, he knew the man, and Frank did review the Dragon Rock drawings.

The home..

More outside shots

What an amazing visit, and a must see, but book ahead.

Manitoga also has cultural events on the property- check out their website,

https://www.visitmanitoga.org/russel-wright-in-nyc-studio

Am here at Manitoga on this pristine Friday. The weather couldn’t be better, cool, and sunny. Looking forward to how this architectural landscaper transformed a quarry into a work of art. Hope to get some ideas for the cabin from this.

Arrived an hour before the tour so I had 45 minutes to explore one of the beautiful trails.

The following photos I share will entice you!

🌲🌲🌲🌲

Visiting this spot had many instructions, water, sunglasses, bug spray, sunscreen, no bags, and adequate foot gear were just some of the items needed for the tour. Since I forgot bug spray, they sell bug wipes for $2 and I recommend purchasing them..

The trail I took..

The rocks in this preserve are enormous and used for stairs on the trail. Watch every step you make. I always travel alone, and light, however, don’t recommend this place unless you come in two’s..

On to the house tour…

from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

Attended this play at the Forestburgh Playhouse. Think I’ve blogged on this venue before. The flowers 🌸 on the grounds are spectacular, dead headed some for the seeds.

Before the play they have a delicious smorgasbord for $30 at their tavern.

And after the smorgasbord the actors performed the songs of Billy Joel.

And a shout out to the musicians..

Now on to the play…

XxxxxxxxcxxccxxccxcxcX

Countdown to the Democratic convention..

4 days!!!!

🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈

You never know what you’ll find when you travel.🧳 

Tonight after a long day fighting 🤺 with contractors who didn’t show, or do what they said they’d do, I was ready to pack in this event.  Gratefully,  I didn’t, as it was sublime.  And though ideas of septic systems,cabin windows, and doors, as well as tree removal danced through my head I was able to enjoy this performance.

🎶🎼🎵🎶🎼🎵🎶🎼🎵

This was my initial visit to this festival.  The drive was beautiful and pristine through the Catskill counties.  Stopped for an ice cream at 🍦a local shop, and while I don’t like to spend $5 for a cone, bourbon carmel pecan called to me.  The hell with my reflux.

🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦

Arrived at the festival campus with the walk to the theater spectacular featuring waterfalls and statues.

The theater

The Combrio Quartet performed with its members from the Ukraine, Pakistan, and Mexico 🇲🇽.  The music was dazzling, and so glad I didn’t forgo this event.

At intermission discovered the following..

Then at the end of the show there were refreshments.

🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

You never know what you find when you travel 🧳 

Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

Think it’s over, and she had a good 3 week run.

🏃🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

She’s being dogged by the news media for a press conference and to go “off script.” The media is also starting to nag her about immigration and Gaza..

🗞️🗞️🗞️🗞️

But you know what.. I think she’s going to make out 💋 fine and look forward to seeing her style with the media.

📺📺📺📺

🧑🧍🧓🧍‍♂️👴🧍👨🧍‍♂️🧑🧍‍♂️🧓🧍👴🧍‍♂️

America continues this love ❤️ affair with Tim.

This farm boy turned social studies teacher who also has a military background has become beloved with memes and accolades.

🏆🏆🏆🏆

Some have even predicted him to be the next White House Santa Claus.

🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅

But beyond these tributes lies one tough politician who knows how to get things done.

And the rapist’s team are shaking in their boots 🥾 with his resume.

Let’s face it 👀 the candidate on the other side is a pillow.

And that plane ain’t never 👎 going to be his.

✈️🛫✈️🛫🛩️🛬✈️🛫🛬🛩️✈️🛫🛬🛩️🛬✈️