Adirondack skies

About 8pm, there was a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder, followed by a few drops of rain.

Within the next ten minutes, we stood and watched in awe as the sky transformed in front of our eyes.

At this point, I ran inside and grabbed my Flipvideo.

Back to the stills…

Captivated by the deep blue sky appearing overhead, we watched as the clouds parted in layers.

Absolutely magical.

The sky over Lake Placid this evening was more painterly than the Sistine Chapel, we thought.

Saratoga Springs

We’ve had fun exploring Saratoga Springs, finding it the perfect size to potter about in.  Large enough to have a few things going on – we enjoyed a lunchtime concert given by a few NYC Ballet instrumentalists – but small enough to be walkable for the most part.

There is no doubt what the main preoccupation is around here though.  The main horse racing meeting doesn’t happen for another couple of weeks yet, but clearly the shopkeepers are well prepared.

 

Sitting in Starbucks offered great people watching, but I loved the well dressed bear riding pillion here!

Today we headed for the small nearby town of Ballston Spa, where it was claimed, there were several Victorian mansions worth seeing.  Though there was the occasional traditional building to catch the eye, for the most part, we found the town pretty uninspiring.

True Elegance Boutique?  I don’t think so, if the window dressing is anything to go by.

Moving right along, we made our way through the countryside to the Saratoga Battle Monument and spent half an hour chatting to the very knowledgeable park ranger before moving along again.

 

The Outlet Centre of St Georges Lake beckoned and someone scooped quite a few bargains.

When we returned to the car, we spotted someone’s treasure.  The kids’ “must have” around here would appear to be “Silly Bandz” and someone has lost one of theirs.  Oh dear…

On to Lake Placid tomorrow and hoping for clear, fine weather.

A day transformed

We woke to rain.  Heavy rain, on this the day we planned to tackle the new walkway across the Hudson.  On second thoughts, we decided to head for the Hyde Park area of Poughkeepsie where there were three possibilities.

In order of (our) interest:

• Eleanor Roosevelt’s cottage “Val-Kill”
• The Vanderbilt Mansion
• FD Roosevelt’s home and library

Yet, for some reason, we found ourselves at FDR’s place first.  A quick rethink, armed with advice from a helpful National Park Ranger saw us dash across to Val-Kill for the 10am tour which we made with minutes to spare.  We requested entrance tickets and got out the $35 or so to pay.

Except that there was no 10am tour today.  The next tour was to be at 11.45 and no, we couldn’t view the house without a guide.  Some customer service training was needed there, for sure.

Feeling more grumpy than ever – hard to believe – we drove off in the direction of the Vanderbilt Mansion where we encountered Dmitri, who single-handed transformed our day.  Having identified Mary’s entitlement for a “Golden Pass”, thereby getting us all in for $10 and unlimited National Park entry for her forever, he added that he was leading the next tour.

This remarkable young man not only charmed three grumpy visitors, he delighted the youngster in our group, kept everyone enthralled with his entertaining and interesting account of the Vanderbilt story and perked up our day no end.  Employee of the month?  Undoubtedly.

The Vanderbilt Mansion was beautiful and included some fine examples of craftsmanship.  The carvings on this portico were done in situ by local artisans; no easy task, for sure.

 

Having “done” that, we gave Val-Kill a second go, feeling better now we knew that we’d all get free access armed with Mary’s Golden Pass!  But yet again, there was a problem with the timing of the tours and we found ourselves hanging around.

Thankfully, our guide was pretty good and we learned a lot.  I’m glad we went back there, but sadly, the organisation left a little to be desired.

What was missing was some of Eleanor’s courage and leadership!

Which left one final challenge.  Would we make it across the Hudson?  Would we be able to work out how to pay for our parking?

We did our best by stuffing a $5 bill in the small #14 slot using the “stuffer” tool chained to the pole, but set out too late to even consider going the whole way across the bridge.

It was dry, at least, and warm enough to enjoy the fresh air and open space on the bridge.  About a quarter of the way across was far enough to enjoy the view and feel comfortable about the two hour drive which lay ahead.

With clear heads and feeling better for our brief but invigorating walk, we took to the road.  Poughkeepsie more than delivered in the end.

Saratoga Springs, here we come!

A few downpours

It might be hot hot hot here but we’re getting our fair share of the rain too.  Looks like the rest of the week is going to be a little damp in one way or another and we’re feeling more like we’re in Singapore than anywhere else!

 

Anyway, good fun though NYC most certainly is (especially when Jordi is in the picture), we simply couldn’t stand the pace any more (!)  and it was time to move along.  We thought we’d left the rain behind as we set out on the FDR along the Hudson Valley towards Tarrytown with our long list of places to see.

Most of which were closed on Tuesdays.

Harrumph.

Fortunately, Lyndhurst was open for business and even more fortunately, the sun was out when we got there.

Most of the photographs of Lyndhurst are taken from the more imposing, river aspect which gives a rather different impression from the one visitors receive on arrival.  Nevertheless, the interiors are surprisingly modest in size for a family with six children, albeit lavishly decorated.  I suppose that it’s not bad for a weekend retreat, though!

The views over the river were lovely but no sooner had we reached the car, the heavens opened and it was time to move on.

Next stop, the Hopper House in Nyack, which is closed on Tuesdays.  Ho hum…what else can we do but:

Go shopping.

Result: One pair of perfectly fitting white jeans, on sale at $30 with further discount reducing them to $28.50.

Too tired to talk

Taken at M&J Trimming :: Purl :: Anthropologie :: ABC Carpet and Home :: 14thSt Subway Station.