We had a really good time in Chicago; we spent the night in Albany on the 21st and left early the next morning. We had a good day Thursday even in the rain. After walking for about four hours, I was one tired puppy! We rested a little in the Cultural Center across from the museum and then around 5:00p went to the museum to check it out for our Saturday visit. It was free after 5:00p! We stay for about three hours including an hour in the restaurant, Terzo Piano, which is excellent place to eat.
Friday we walked around town for a short time with much of the time spent in the library checking it out. We had lunch at Chipotle and then back to the hotel to meet Peggy and Mike. After a snack for the kids, we were off for a really good dinner at North Pond. It was pretty expensive, but good.
Saturday we spent all day at the The Art Institute, and again I was one tired puppy. But I was really happy that my back held up as well as it did. The museum is an excellent museum, but not nearly as good as the Met or some of the European museums we have visited.
When we left the museum we had pizza with Mitchell, Darla & Mark’s son, at the Pizano Restaurant across from the museum; not one of the best restaurants I have eaten in but it was nice to see Mitchell again. He seems to be doing well and is enjoying Chicago, somewhat! He misses home and North Carolina a lot, however.
Sunday we spent time in the Grant and Millennium Parks before having lunch at the Art Institute’s Terzo Piano, again! We ate there a total of Three times!
After lunch we took a very nice Architectural Boat Cruise on the Chicago River. It was very nice and fortunately the weather held up. While on the cruise, Mitchell messaged me to say his girlfriend, Lexie, was back in town and wanted to see us. So, we met her at the Starbuck where Mitchell works on 555 Dearborn; then down the street to Hackney’s for dinner. Mitchell had to work so he couldn't join us. We had burgers and onion rings, which was okay; but it was nice to meet Lexie and spend some time with her.
Up early the next morning and back to Queensbury! As usual I was happy to be going home!
I’m going to take a page out of my daughter’s book on blogging! Although what I am doing is an idea I got from what she does with her weekly scrapbook entry, but what I will be doing will not come close to what she does; but I can dream!
So what I plan to do is post at least one photo of places we have been in the past few years. I mean, this blog was started as a blog to report on our travels and it came about at my daughters suggestion. So here goes with the first of many to come:
The state of NC erected the above State Historical Marker in Raleigh, NC celebrating the history of the Methodist Orphanage (currently named Methodist Home for Children). This event is near and dear to my heart, since two of my sisters, one of my brothers and I, called this place our home; for me, just over ten years from early 1946 until I graduated from high school in June 1956.
The Methodist Orphanage (MO) was founded in 1899 by the North Carolina Methodist Church and has served over 2700 orphans before transitioning between 1979-1984 to a community based family services organizations.
Orphanages over the years have gotten a really bad rap, but this orphanage was the “c
ream of the crop”. The best way to judge this is by looking at those who graduated from the MO. This can be done, because each year there is a reunion of the MO graduates in Raleigh, NC. A finer group of men and women you will never meet. It is a rare graduate who did not become a pillar of his community. This is a subject I would love to explore in more detail in later blogs.
Entrance to the Orphanage ca 1953. The address was 1001 Glenwood Avenue and was know by the orphans as, "the foot of the hill" since to get to the the main part of the campus one must go up a hill for about 1/2 mile.
This is the Van Building: the administration and School building where all twelve grades had classes. The student body was, at most, around 200 kids at its peak. In the mid to late fifties it was much smaller and one of the reasons why the charter of the Orphanage changed
Class of 1956: This is all there was; we started high school with about thirty students. Some left because their family changes and was able to take them out of the orphanage, some funk a class or two and some just dropped out of school.
Since this is a blog about trips made over the years, I thought I would take some of my favorite pictures taken over the past fifty years and publish them. This may be the first of many to come and maybe more back and white; we will see. Thanks Peggy for the thought!
This is one of my favorite of a bridge in Frankfurt am Main, Germany taken about 1957 with my first 35mm camera: a Cita camera or at least I think that was the name. I also developed and printed this picture, so that may be why it isn't too good! I doubt if this bridge is still standing. If any knows, let me know.
A junk cruising the South China Seas in Hong Kong. It is a little foggy so not really clear.This was taken in 1982.
The last train stop on the Orient Express: Kowloon, Hong Kong. I love this tower and thank God when they moved the station they saved the tower. Picture taken in ca 1981 before the Culture Center was built and before the tower was added to the Peninsular Hotel.
Just one of the many canals in Venice. I like this one because of all the colors. As anyone who has been to Venice knows, every corner is a "photo moment". Picture was taken in 2001.
This picture was taken in Guangdong Province ca 1982. I missed getting the picture of the baby, but I thought this would make a good picture. I love to take pictures of people especially when I think it is an unusual situation.
The old Peak Tram Station in Hong Kong. I believe the new station was opened about 2002. Picture take in ca 1982.
Manchu Picchu, one of the most beautiful places in the world. It is, how does one describe this shot, like maybe: spiritual!
A little girl in Cusco, Peru.
I love these old trucks, well I guess you could call them trucks even though it looks like it has a motorcycle engine. Taken on one of your tours to China; Jenny and her sister were shopping which left me to my own devices: taken pictures.
This shot was taken in Salzburg, Austria in ca 1958. A color slide I scanned several years ago. I can't believe that this slide and about 150 other slides I took in the '50's are still in pretty good condition. I have almost thrown those slides away several times when I moved many times over the past years. I'm just so happy I didn't!
This mansion is so much different than Lynhurst; it is what we might call a gentleman farmer’s home, albeit a rich gentleman. Its design is from the Federal design school made popular after the Revolution War and copied much from Roman and Greek Architectural (sometimes called Neoclassical Design). I like it a lot; it is simple and to the point.
The origination of the word Boscobel is believed to have come from the oak tree in which Charles II supposedly hid after his defeat by Oliver Cromwell in the battle of Worcester (1651). The tree was near the Boscobel House, which still stands today near Albrighton, England.
The Boscobel Mansion was constructed in 1804 in Montrose, NY (about fifteen miles south of present day site of Boscobel)by States Dyckman. He was a descendant of one of the early Dutch families of New Amsterdam. As a Loyalist during the American Revolution, States became a clerk for the British Army's Quartermaster Department in New York. He was recalled to London in 1779 and stayed for ten years. When he returned he married his neighbor, a very rich young lady and proceed to build the Boscobel Mansion. Unfortunately in 1806, Mr. Dyckman died.
The Boscobel Mansion eventually ended up in the hands of Veterans Administration who decided to raze the house. A committee was formed to save the house; purchased land in Garrison, NY; and about 1955 the house was moved to Garrison,NY.
State of the art washing machine for early 1800's.
And the matching dryer!
Jenny standing beside the beautiful view: Hudson River and West point in the distance on the right (west side of the Hudson).
Lynhurst was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis in 1838. It is an excellent example of Gothic Revival Design and in fact may be the best in the US. The first owner was Retired NYC Mayor and Congressman William Paulding; around 1864 merchant George Merritt bought the mansion and double its size; then the infamous railroad tycoon Jay Gould purchased the mansion in 1880. I will not go into all the financial manipulation and dealings of Mr. Gould; you can read it yourself, but suffice it to say that he would have fit in perfectly with the likes of Bernie Madoff.
The one puzzling thing I saw in the mansion was the use of “faux finish" Design. I guess it was popular in early 19th century but to look at marble and leather walls and find out that it is paster and paint, left me a little cold.
What a beautiful day! You just couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day: temperatures in the mid 60’s and slightly overcast. The previous week we encountered a lot of mosquitoes hiking Moreau State Park, but this time a limited number. Buck Mountain is the tallest mountain around the Lake at 2330 feet. It is a moderate hike with accent around 1600 feet, but when you get there it is well worth the effort.
On August 18th after we left the Arkell Museum in Canajoharie, we went to Utica, about a half hour west, to the Munson, Williams & Proctor Museum (MWP), which is much larger than the Arkell Museum with about 25,000 art works. MWP also has an art school, performing arts and Pratt/MWP art school, which by its name has an association with the famous Pratt Art Institute Brooklyn Campus.
The highlight of this museum is its many works by the Hudson River Art School, which I am a very big fan. The the four paintings entitled, Voyage of Life, by Thomas Cole was the most interesting to me. I’m not going into the history of this famous work, but suffice it to say that their are two sets of, Voyage of Life; the original just happens to be in MWP, while the copy is in the National Galley of Arts, Washington, DC. If you want to know the amazing history of this painting (set of four), go to Voyage of Life Chronology written by Dr. Paul D. Schweizer, Chief Curator of the MWP Museum.
So if you like American artists: Thomas Cole, William M. Chase, Frederic E. Church, William Harnett, Winslow Homer and many others do plan to make a trip to MWP.
Before one start some serious review of art, he must have a good breakfast. As you can see from the photo above, this is a serious breakfast: country ham, eggs, grits (for you not so informed grits is a thick corn porridge), fried apples, gravy, apple butter and of course biscuits (also for you Hong Kongers this biscuits is bread not a cookie!)
Arkell Museum is in the town of Canajoharie, NY which is situated on the old Erie Canal and now the Mohawk River. It has a population of about 3000 people and is the home of Beech-Nut Corporation. Today after going through many mergers the company only makes Baby Food products. Anyway the Arkell Family who started a company that became Beech-Nut was into art big-time. The family eventually gave over 300 works to start a Museum that was named after the Founder Mr. Bartlett Arkell.
