OLA: Being in the New York State of Mind

Joe, Dottie, Bill, me and at a campfire in Rondout Valley at New York's Cartskills

Carol on the grounds of the Vanderbilt Mansion

It is difficult to tell you stories about our trip to New York. It was a dichotomy of rural and urban, traditional and modern, agricultural and industrial. Billy Joel’s New York State of Mind prefers the former.

Yappy from MegaLink days!

                                       So this will be about the less known part of New York (the Big Apple will be the subject of  the next post) where we camped at the Rondout Valley Resort which is the home park of good friends Joe and Dottie whom we met early in 2010 in Florida. It is in a region of New York State called the Catskills along the Hudson River Valley: pretty, hilly, cool, green, rural, and serene.  Upstate New York, it’s called! And that’s where a friend of 12 years ago, Yappy, who now works in Manhattan preferred to visit with us.

Woodstock with 500,000 in 1969
 with Scott, Carl and Claire today!

And just 45 miles southwest was the site of the pivotal music festival of 1969, Woodstock in Bethel, New York, attended by almost 500,000, graced by about 30 well-known artists  like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Blood Sweat and /tears , Credence Clearwater, etc., and extended to 9 instead of 3 days! There, at the monument built by the owners of the dairy farm where the festival was held (it was an alternate site when at the last minute the city of Woodstock did not issue a license), we met three other enthusiasts: Scott, and Carl and Claire.

Bill at Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Springwood in Hyde Park

The place now houses a Woodstock Performing Arts Center, the Museum at Bethel Woods, and the hallowed grounds.  I identify with this flower power community, a rebellion in spirit. I was back in the Philippines, a sophomore in the University of the Philippines, seat of student power, at the time. We were rebelling against the establishment and, as a University Councilor of the Student Council, we had just laid the cornerstone of a piece of university land w called Freedom Park!

Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill in Hyde Park
a couple of miles from Springwood

Martin van Buren's Lindelwald in Kinderhook

The Hudson River Valley is home to many mansions and estates. Martin van Buren’s (8^th president) estate called Lindenwald is in Kinderhook. The homes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the only 4-time elected president of the USA, and his First Lady and UN Ambassador, Eleanor Roosevelt are in Hyde Park. The Roosevelt family estate is called Springwood and his retreat, the Top Cottage. Eleanor’s is called Val-kill (kill means river) and the Stone Cottage. As a matter of fact, the stately Vanderbilt Mansion also lies in the Park! All these are now under the care of the National Park Service.

Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park

Walkway on the Hudson
longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world, near Newburgh

Actually, also in Hyde Park is the sprawling, lovely, and unique campus of the Culinary Institute of America. It beckons with awesome residence halls, comfy classroom buildings, and aromatic restaurants and bakeshops. Just a day’s class costs $250 so I can only imagine how much a degree costs, especially if one lives on campus!  Nearby,  on the road back to our campground, we saw a long unusual bridge across the Hudson. We found out it is called the Walkway on the Hudson, the longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world (12 miles)!

The Plains, West Point parade grounds, where the bleachers cry out: 'ARMY BEAT NAVY'

Bill and I in front of the West Point Museum

We did not have the time to visit the Rockefeller Estate in Tarrytown  or the Sunnyside Estate of Washington Irving, the famous American poet and author in Sleepy Hollow. We also could not find the chance to visit Albany, capital and at the northernmost part of the state, where the tulip festivals were happening.  But we spent a lot of time in that hallowed place where the officers’ corps of the US Army is developed. Joe, a retired National Guard captain, took us on a tour of the US Military Academy in West Point.

West Point from our Hudson Line train on the way to NYC

Douglas MacArthur among the great generals at West Point

West Point has influenced so much of Philippine History. One of our former Chiefs of staff graduated from there in 1950, became a hero in the EDSA Revolution of 1986 that overthrew the 20-year Marcos dictatorship and became the country’s 12th President after Cory Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos. Under him I answered the call to serve my country and served as Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. 

a view of the Hudson from West Point

We saw the statues of Patton, Eisenhower, and Washington, great American generals  but I was especially drawn to MacArthur who commanded the Pacific Fleet and returned, as he promised, to free the Philippines from Japanese occupation in WWII. They surrounded the parade grounds called The Plains where the graduation of the Class of 2012 will parade in review on Memorial Weekend as part of their graduation ceremonies.

the long gray line at West Point, cadets in review

the West Point Officers' Club

We were first registered at the Visitors’ Center where we viewed short clips of the history and significance of West Point, established in 1802 after the victorious American Revolution against the British. Then Joe gave us a tour of the galleries of the West Point Museum (one of the articles there was the Philippine Surrender Document by the Japanese in WWII). We also had the unique opportunity to dine with officers at the West Point Club, overlooking the Hudson. On Trophy Hill we walked where the American Soldier defended the fledgling country and a Monument in his honor towers over the Hudson.

the artillery at Trophy Hill in West Point

remnants of the chain that blocked the British
 from entering West Point placed at the narrowest portion of the Hudson 

I must admit, Billy Joel is right…the lesser known New York is every bit as amazing as New York City, although in quite a different way! For one, the towns always sleep as soon as it gets dark! 

   

Chillaxin' at Peace River in Wauchula, Florida OLA

Carol, 63 & 115 lbs with Howard, 72, 108 lbs at his studio near his castle

Done with resolutions and the serious side of living! On with chillaxin’…chillin’ out and ...relaxin’…campin’ …at Peace River in Wauchula, Florida…

the Peace River in Wauchula...

The Peace River is a river in southwest Florida, 106 miles (171 km) long. U.S. Highway 17 runs near and somewhat parallel to the river for much of its course. It is a popular destination for fossil hunters who dig and sift the river gravel for shark teeth and other prehistoric mammal bones. A vital resource to the people in its watershed, today, it supplies six million gallons per day of drinking water to the people in the region.

the campground...

Our Thousand Trails campground on the Peace River was great for chillaxin’…until I found out that three alligators, the biggest being Stumpy at 9 feet, regularly kept us company. So I stayed mostly in the RV, watched a lot of TV, poured over tons of magazines borrowed from the library, cooked and baked, washed dishes and clothes, and did some writing, basically just keeping to myself and for once being hugely anti-social.

the gleaming Solomon's Castle

But once during this 2-week pause, we went on a sightseeing day trip arranged by the camp. In a caravan of about ten cars, first we all trooped to Solomon’s Castle in the city of Ona, Florida about 20 miles away. It is the home and galleries of internationally known artist and sculptor, 72 year old Howard Solomon, whose sense of humor and imagination soared through the grounds and echoed in our guide. The castle is big and shiny with a tower, stained glass windows and a moat. Built entirely by the hands of the artist, the gleaming exterior is made of the printing plates discarded by the local weekly newspaper.

the fish...that got away...

Within the castle are the family's living quarters, a stained glass studio, a main entrance hall, and the extensive galleries, exhibiting Solomon's "found object" sculptures from all kinds of recycled materials such as ‘The Fish who Got Away’, ‘Venus Updated’ who won the Nobel-ly Prize, and other hilarious thoughts and afterthoughts. There are more than 80 interpretations of stained glass windows. We were lucky to find Howard, all 108 pounds of him, at his workshop!

Boat in the Moat (that doesn't float)...

And just beside the castle is the 'Boat in the Moat' (which doesn’t float), a restaurant on the replica of a 60 foot 16th century Spanish galleon. There we had yummy pot roast and sweet apple crisp for lunch with new friends from Prince Edwards Island in Canada. They had seen the other side of the Castle and enjoyed the magnificent nature trails in the picturesque setting of Horse Creek on the castle grounds, beautifully designed by Peggy Solomon. This is truly one of Florida's most unique experiences. 

mounted 'airs above ground'

Then we all trooped to witness the beauty and grace of Herrmanns' Royal Lipizzan Stallions in Myakka City, Florida, also about 20 miles away. Founded in the 16th century for the exclusive use of the Hapsburg Royal family of Austria, the Royal Lipizzans are unquestionably the rarest, most aristocratic breed of horses in the world. The pride of the Hapsburg Empire, the breed was first established by Archduke Charles at Lipizza (now part of Yugoslavia). Born black, they turn into beautiful white stallions by their 7^th year.

the kick!

Only a few hundred have ever existed at any one time. The Lipizzans in Florida came from those saved by General George Patton from the Russian advance during World War II. The celebrated escape was the subject of the Walt Disney movie, "Miracle of the White Stallions". Colonel Herrmann and his father, Colonel Ottomar Herrmann, Sr., assisted General Patton and smuggled the horses out from far behind enemy lines, riding at night and hiding by day.

the bow.....

Colonel Hermann and subsequent generations have created an American renaissance of the rare horses and continues the tradition of the art in the family’s 200 acre ranch. All ‘Airs above the Ground’, originally outlined by Xenophon the Greek, derive from defensive horsemanship created for war and predated the birth of Christ by some 400 years. These spectacular leaps and plunges were originally meant for use by mounted riders to inspire terror in the hearts of foot soldiers.

the castle grounds...

Solomon’s Castle and the Hermann’s Lipizzans are both a sight to behold! I was fortunate to have been mercifully extricated that day from my voluntary cave to rejoin human kind. What other adventures are waiting for me in this last leg of our trek through North America? I have to stay awake now to not miss a thing and bravely rise from my splendid stupor!

OLA: Finding Treats on the Way to the Shores

our little Saturn on the way to the end of the shores

Last week we postponed this trip for the Cranberry Coast. But another sunny day in the cold of a January winter came along and off we went to meet the Pacific Ocean again. This time we passed through the cities of Aberdeen and Hoquiam before getting to Ocean Shores. Once more, we found so many special things! Bill and I may have stumbled upon a career of finding treasures in all the places we go to.

a bird cage in Aberdeen

Downtown Aberdeen, the hub of Grays Harbor has added some twenty bird cages that contain metal replicas of mythical endangered species such as … Then, right where the Chehalis and Wishkah rivers meet, there is the largest compass in the world (40 feet in diameter) called The Compass Rose. It shows both true and magnetic Norths, offering a great vantage point for the shipping commerce passing by.

The Compass Rose in Aberdeen

Then just a block from the Visitors’ Center, inside a muffler shop sits an amazing statue done by the wife of Bob, the owner. It is of Kurt Cobain, the leader of Nirvana, the multi-platinum grunge band that redefined the sound of the nineties. He was born in Hoquaim but moved to Aberdeen. At age 27, just two years after marrying controversial Courtney Love of The Hole and a year after their love child was born, he put a shotgun in his mouth, pulled the trigger, and left a suicide note with the words "I love you." 

Kurt Cobain at a Muffler Shop in Aberdeedn

Bob says that it is because of his gruesome death due to drug addiction that the city has not given the statue a place of honor. But he told us about another amazing statue, this time of a fireman, which his artist wife made for the heroes of 9/11. They hauled it across the country on their truck a month after the tragedy and it sat at the Ground Zero fire station for months before reconstruction work started.

The Hoquiam Castle

The Hoquiam Castle was the next surprise. This beautiful 19th century Victorian-style mansion is listed in National Geographic's America's Great Houses. The building of this stately home overlooking the town of Hoquiam began in 1897, completed in 1900, by lumber baron Robert Lytle who acquired his fortune from his electric saw mill, the first of its kind on the west coast. The castle is now a bed and breakfast and right beside it stands the family home, the beautiful yellow Lytle House.

The Lytle House

Sharkys at Ocean Shores

Not far after these two towns, on a stretch of land on the southern tip of the Olympic peninsula shielding Grays Harbor from the Pacific is Ocean Shores. Westport was not as visible from the Shores that day but we still had fun, especially after almost being eaten by a shark at a gift shop!  And guess what color their fire hydrants are? Yellow! We also found a three-eyed yellow propane tank, yellow roof on a fishing boat relic marooned on the streets, and theme homes decorated with buoys (although not all yellow!).

whoops, the mothballed power plants 

a propane tank in Ocean Shores

On the way back to our Elma campground is an astounding view of) 2 nuclear power plants mothballed at a cost of $2.25 B, Plants 4 & 5 of WPPS (Washington Public Power Supply system. No wonder some call it whoops!  Although we found all these treats on the way to the Shores that sunny winter day, we do not really want to start another career. What we know is that there are millions of treasures in this wonderful world of ours, if we only had the time to look, cruise, and be part of the Z generation! 

a home of buoys in Ocean Shores

Next Stops:  Olympia, Tacoma, and Mt. St. Helens, Washington

Driving Down the West Coast: Napa Valley and SFO

We are currently in Spokane, Washington but let me complete our last year’s drive down to Mexico through the West Coast from British Columbia. This Part is about our days of wine in the vineyards and wineries of Napa Valley and our short visit with family and some friends in San Francisco.

Napa Valley slowly emerged as bright sun burnt golden fields after the dreary volcanic landscape of the Cascade Volcanic Arc.  Bill and I happily and appropriately moved from one winery to another driving Vino, tasting great wines, white, red, and rose. Our favorite was El Castillo in Calistoga which rose from the vineyards like a medieval castle in Europe.  Inside were rooms with giant frescoes on the stone walls and courtyards filled with flowers. Topping all these were very entertaining bartenders!

The Valley is widely considered one of the top viticultural areas in all of the United States. By the end of the nineteenth century there were more than one hundred and forty wineries in the area. Of those several still exist in the valley today. In addition to large scale wineries, Napa Valley's boutique wineries produce some of the world's best and award-winning wines. Today more than three hundred wineries are visited by as many as five million people each year.

I know Bill would have wanted to stay there forever but we needed to be in Mexico by November for the annual family reunion so we quickly moved on to San Francisco for a short visit with family and friends and a quick taste of the romantic City by the Bay.  

The City is the 12^th most populous in the US, with a 2010 estimated population of almost 900,000.  It is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of more than 7.4 million. It was first established as a fort at the Golden Gate in 1776.  The California Gold Rush in 1848 propelled the city into a period of rapid growth but after three-quarters of the city was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire, the city was quickly rebuilt. 

During World War II, it became the port of embarkation for service members shipping out to the Pacific Theater. After the war, the confluence of returning servicemen, massive immigration, liberalizing attitudes, etc., cemented San Francisco as a center of liberal activism in the United States. Today, San Francisco is renowned for its chilly summer fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic architecture and famous landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, and Chinatown. 

Cherry, my youngest sister, lives there with her husband Ric, a radiation therapist. Zan, her daughter works in the city, too, while Cherry teaches neighborhood grade school kids dance and theater.   Then Bill and I pigged out on sorely missed Filipino dishes and a quick stroll with former co-workers (Fides and husband Benjie and their only grandson and Tess who was later picked up by her kids) from the Institute of Advanced Computer Technology in the Philippines. 

 It was a short visit but I especially looked forward to the next stops in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks, home of famed wonders of nature, Half Dome, El Capitan, and great falls in Yosemite and General Sherman and other giant sequoias in the latter!