Olana - Historic Home of Frederic Church

Lucy and Sophie are in the car and ready for their next big adventure.

















Just 30 minutes south of Albany you will find the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. You can see the Dutch influence on the architecture of the bridge maintenance buildings. Brick and stone were used a lot by the Dutch who settled in the Hudson River Valley in the 1600 - 1700's. You can learn more about the elements of Dutch architecture at http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/uk/renaiss3.html

As we cross the Hudson River you can see our destination in the distance.

We are going to Olana, the historic home of painter Frederic Edwin Church.












Once we have arrived, the girls are ready. They can't run around here though! Olana is a museum of Frederic Church's paintings, but the whole house and grounds are just as he left them almost 100 years ago. It's not safe to have two rambunctious German Shorthairs running around.


But what a good job they did with the "Sit" and "Stay" commands today! They were amazing. I think they are starting to understand and enjoy their modeling careers.

Frederic Church was one of the members of the Hudson River School of painters. It wasn't a school with classrooms and a cafeteria. It was a group of painters who were all interested in the same ideas about painting. More like a school of fish. Remember when Nemo was caught in the net with the school of mackerel? Like that.


The Hudson River School of painters were all interested in showing the beauty of the natural world. Their paintings always have water, mountains and a colorful sky. I wish we had stayed alittle later because we didn't see a colorful sky until we were almost back in Albany. But you can see the Hudson River a little closer in this photo.




http://www.olana.org/learn_hudson_river_school.php Click on this link to see examples of Church's paintings and to learn more about the Hudson River School.

During his lifetime, Church travelled a great deal in the Middle East. While on his travels he came to love the Islamic style of architecture with its painted and tiled patterning and its pointed arches. When he returned to America he decided to combine two of the things he loved most, Islamic architecture and the Hudson River Valley. He chose the spot where the house would be built so that he would have a fantastic view of the valley from his painting studio. He even arranged to have windows placed in exact locations to form the most perfect frame of the view.

This photo is looking straight up under the edge of the roof. Can you imagine painting all those details on a scaffolding 50 feet in the air? These patterns were called arabesques. Arabesques were meant to symbolize the infinity of nature. But all the patterns, arches, woodwork and tile make Olana an incredibly interesting and unusual house. Church called it the center of the world.

The inside of the house is closed until next year for renovations. You can still walk on the grounds and see the spectacular landscapes that surround the house however. Bring some paints and become a Hudson River School painter yourself!

Our Second Season Begins!

It's been a long, busy winter and we are glad it is over!

Our second season began on Memorial Day with a picnic in this beautiful field of buttercups ourside Amsterdam. Keep checking in for our new adventures this summer!

The Amazing Beaver!

Do you know why the beaver was made the official mammal of New York State in 1975? You will if you keep reading.

What we now know as New York State was settled by Dutch fur traders in the 1600's. The number one favorite fur of these traders was not mink, sable or raccoon. Oh, no! It was beaver. In Europe at that time beaver fur hats were the "coolest" because they were the warmest and the driest. Beavers don't hibernate and they live in and around water all year round so their fur has to be very waterproof and very warm. Hatters (people who made hats) could take beaver fur and make fabulously stylish and useful hats. Everyone wanted one! Beavers were almost extinct in Europe because they had been hunted for their fur. So when Henry Hudson and his crew returned to Holland and showed their bosses at the Dutch East India Company all the beaver pelts they had traded with the Iroquois and Algonquins, everyone was excited about going back to North America for more. Beaver fur was going to make everyone rich!

You can learn a lot about beavers at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver

Can you spot the beaver lodge that Lucy and Sophie found this winter at Grafton State Park? Hint: it's across the lake.















How about now? Can you spot Lucy standing on it?














Here is Sophie on the beaver lodge. I'm sure the beavers aren't very happy about having a 50 pound dog standing on the roof of their home, but the beavers are incredible builders and their lodge is a thick, sturdy construction of sticks and mud. It protects them from the coldest winters and German Shorthaired Pointers!















You can find evidence of beavers all over New York State. This summer we saw their work at Thirteenth Lake up in the Adirondacks near Gore Mountain ski area.

Yaddo in Saratoga Springs

Merry Christmas from Lucy and Sophie at Yaddo in Saratoga Springs.

Yaddo has been one of my favorite places to visit since I was a child. The gardens are open to the public. However winter is the only time of year when German Shorthaired Pointers can run wild around the place. Many, many people visit the gardens in the summer. That would freak Sophie out! I took this picture of the "Winter" statue in the summer. There is one statue for each of the four seasons.

When my mother used to take me to Yaddo, the gardens were not well cared for and it seemed a very spooky, yet magical place. There has been a lot of work done on the statues, fountains and gardens since then and it is no longer spooky, but there is still something magical there.

I especially loved Yaddo when I was young because I knew it was a place for artists to work. Even as a child, I knew I wanted to be an artist. I used to look up at the house and wonder what it was like to be in such a grand house. Now I attend the Yaddo Benefit every summer and actually get to go in the house and hear great music or writing by artists who have stayed there.

The history of the house made visiting there even more special. Yaddo was the home of Spencer and Katrina Trask in the late 1800s. It was their special place away from the noise and business of city life. They had 4 children there but sadly they all died. Their youngest daughter could not say the word "shadow" when she looked at her reflection in the fountain at the bottom of the hill where the mansion stands. She said "Yaddo" instead. This is how the Trasks came to call the estate Yaddo.

By 1900, the Trasks had no heirs to whom they could give Yaddo. Katrina Trask had a vision of talented artists walking the lawns of Yaddo "creating, creating, creating." The Trasks then decided to give Yaddo to the city of Saratoga Springs for use by future generations of artists. Writers, artists, and composers have been invited to stay at Yaddo ever since. Many of these creative people have gone on to become famous in their areas of work. You have probably already heard the music of Aaron Copeland and may have seen paintings by Clyfford Still. When you get older, you will read stories by Truman Capote. All these and many other artists have lived for weeks or months at Yaddo. We all can thank the Trasks for their gift to the future of the arts.

You can learn more about Yaddo by visiting www.yaddo.org.

Piseco Lake from Panther Mountain - Decomposers in the forest

On the back side of Piseco Lake in the southwestern Adirondacks you will find the trail to Panther Mountain. It is a decent hike up but not too steep or too long.

The girls are ready for a hike!


The reward is this tremendous view! Those aren't swans behind us, they are sailboats. They're probably a mile away. You can see for miles at the top of Panther Mountain.

We all enjoy the view but need to be careful about the 80 ' cliffs dropping off right behind us.

As we investigate the top, Sophie finds a tree that has been worked on by the Pileated Woodpecker. You can find out more about Pileated Woodpeckers at http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/pileatedwoodpecker.htm

Like all living things, trees live and die. When the tree dies, the decomposers move in to break up. First there are the ants and grubs, insect larve, that eat away at the wood. Sometimes they move in while the tree is still alive when it is no longer healthy. A Pileated Woodpecker can actually hear the sound of these insects inside the tree trunk. Then he goes to work! He uses his powerful beak to break into the tree trunk and pull out a tasty grub or use his long tongue to get some ants. It may sound gross to us, but it's lunch for him. This activity leaves wood chips on the ground where they can begin to rot and become part of the soil. The holes he leaves in the trunk will allow water to sink in when it rains and that will also cause the trunk to rot. Owls, squirrels, chipmunks and other small animals may use the holes in the trunk as a cozy home. Sometimes the Pileated Woodpecker uses the holes to create a nest for their young. After several years, the tree will fall over and continue to break down until all its nutrients return to the soil. This is just one example of how the Decomposers all play an important part in the cycle of life.

Lake Ontario - Migrating Visitors

We are off to explore the beach at the Wilson-Tuscarora State Park on

Lake Ontario!

After a few hours in the car, Sophie is off like a shot. Lake Ontario has 714 miles of coast, so she has plenty of room for running. Guess what she's after.

Birds, of course! She's a "bird dog" after all. In this case, it is a flock of Canadian Geese taking a rest stop on their migration to southern states or as far as Mexico for the winter. Sophie would swim after them for hours if she could. Good thing they can fly. And fly they do! They can reach up to 60mph, and can go as high as 8,000 feet. They can fly by day or at night and can keep going for 16 hours straight! No wonder they need a rest.

Beautiful point, Lucy!

German Shorthairs are bred to pick up their front paw and point to birds like geese, ducks, quail and pheasant. There are many bird santuaries along the coast of Lake Ontario. Some birds migrate through in spring and fall while others make the lake their permanent home. Geese aren't the only birds attracted to this rest stop.

The shore of Lake Ontario, like other Great Lakes, is covered with perfectly smooth stones. They are worn smooth by the powerful waves and currents of such a large lake.

After pointing birds, Lucy's second favorite beach activity is finding particular rocks that she feels should definitely NOT be underwater. She will put her entire head underwater to retrieve one of these offending rocks and proudly bring it up on to the beach. Why she does this, we will probably never know. It's a wonder what goes on in that mind of hers. At least Lake Ontario's smooth rocks make it a little easier on her teeth. Thank goodness!

Click here to find more information about the Wilson-Tuscarora State Park:
http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=31

Click here to find some interesting facts and figures about Lake Ontario:
http://www.great-lakes.net/gis/

Whirlpool State Park - Geology in Action

On Saturday, August 13 we headed down the Niagara River which travels north, so, in a way, we were going down and up at the same time. Get it?

After the Niagara River goes over the falls the water is still rushing at great speeds through a narrow gorge. There is white water everywhere.

Lucy and Sophie are ready to explore Whirlpool State Park. The views from the top of the gorge are amazing.

The water is a brilliant light green because of the millions of mineral particles that are worn loose from the rock by the rushing water before, during and after the falls.

The water is coming down so rapidly that it can not go straight through the bends in the gorge, so it has to double back on itself creating a whirlpool.


Here you can see the water moving in both directions. The lighter water in the foreground has just come through the rapids. The darker water in the background is forced to go upstream and gets pulled under the faster water.

There are two whirlpools but the second one is bigger than a couple football fields. You could not pay Lucy, Sophie or I enough money to ride on this attraction over that whirlpool!

This open air ride travels from the Canadian side of the gorge directly over the whirlpool, up to the observation platform on the American side and then back again.

No way! We're too afraid of heights! It's back to the car for us! You can find more information about Whirlpool State Park at http://www.nysparks.com/parks/info.asp?parkID=29

Niagara Falls!!

We made it! Here we are at Niagara Falls!

Sophie was really afraid of all the people who had come to see the falls. I'm sure she thought they were all going to bite her. I was afraid she'd break her leash and on a hot day, the first place she'll run is to water. Yikes! I'm glad that didn't happen. So we were able to get about 47 seconds of video for our show before I returned the girls to the peace and quiet of our hotel room. Once they were settled, Dominic and I went back to explore some more.

We decided that "The Maid of the Mist" boat tour was definitely for us.

So we took the elevator down from the observation deck at the top of this tower. We put on our beautiful "waterproof" ponchos and we were off. It sure was misty!

The American Falls

The Bridal Veil Falls with a tour group in yellow ponchos climbing a very rickety stair case up the side.

Canada's Horseshoe Falls

By now we were soaked, but the fun wasn't over yet.

When our boat ride was finished, we climbed up the staircase on the side of the American Falls. Then we got really soaked!!

Dominic and I had a blast!

Lucy and Sophie had a nap.

Here are some quick facts about Niagara Falls.

-the Canadian Horseshoe Falls plunges 52 metres (170 feet) into the Maid of the Mist Pool.
-at the American Falls the water's vertical descent ranges from 21 to 34 metres (70 to 110 feet) to the rock at the base of the Falls.
-the Niagara Gorge extends from the Falls for 11 kilometres (7 miles) downstream to the foot of the escarpment at Queenston.
-more than 168,000 cubic metres (6 million cubic feet) of water go over the crestline every minute during peak daytime tourist hours.

You can find out a lot more about tourist information, the history and geology of Niagara Falls at www.infoniagara.com