Friday, November 23, 2012

Friday, November 23, 2012

Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2008, before Mattie's second limb salvaging surgery. Peter and Mattie had a post-Thanksgiving tradition together. The day after Thanksgiving, they would spend time outside and set up Christmas light displays in our commons area. These displays were significant, and each year we would have neighbors admire their work. Some neighbors would actually take photographs of the amazing light show. In 2008, Mattie went with Peter to Target, and Mattie picked out this wonderful Scooby Doo light up figure to add to their growing scene. That year Mattie was in LOVE with Scooby, so it only made sense that he picked this light fixture which was as big as him.


Quote of the day: When someone you love dies, and you're not expecting it, you don't lose her all at once; you lose her in pieces over a long time—the way the mail stops coming, and her scent fades from the pillows and even from the clothes in her closet and drawers. Gradually, you accumulate the parts of her that are gone. Just when the day comes—when there's a particular missing part that overwhelms you with the feeling that she's gone, forever—there comes another day, and another specifically missing part. ~ John Irving

 

We had a very busy day with Karen and her mom. However, before we got together, Peter and I sat for a while near the hotel's indoor pool. The hotel we are staying at in Westchester County holds great meaning to us. My family moved to Los Angeles when I was in high school. This was a hard adjustment which caused us to fly back to NY often to visit family and friends. When we came back we would always stay at this hotel. The hotel became like a second home for us in which we got to know many of the hotel employees. In addition, at this hotel we also celebrated my grandmother's surprise 80th birthday, our wedding party stayed here, our family breakfast the day after our wedding was held at this hotel, and when my grandmother died we stayed at this hotel. So there are many memories here. Though the interior of the hotel has changed since I have last seen it, to me it is still familiar. My grandma and I used to love sitting by the pool, because the space was heated, warm, and it felt like you were in Florida. As we were sitting by the pool today, I remembered all the times I sat with my grandmother at the table on the left.

 

When we would visit NY, we would occasionally walk the grounds of Lyndhurst. But I don't recall ever touring the house until today. Lyndhurst is a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Lyndhurst sits on a knoll with a lawn that stretches toward the mighty Hudson River, this Gothic Revival mansion was built in an early Gilded Age style. Designed in 1838 and expanded in 1865, its turrets and a four-story tower are a tribute to original architect Alexander Jackson Davis. Narrow hallways lead to rooms with vaulted ceilings and pointed arched windows. Now open to the public, Lyndhurst was originally the home of William Pauldring, Jr., who was the mayor of New York City in the 1820s. The home was later purchased by merchant George Merritt and eventually by the railroad tycoon Jay Gould.

 

Lyndhurst itself is remarkable (though I LOVE touring historic homes!), but our tour guide made the visit unforgettable. His name was Ed and he recognized Karen immediately. He claimed to "remember" my eyes! Anycase, Ed was a former teacher at Edgemont High School, which I attended up until 10th grade. Ed was a Spanish teacher and he joked with me when I told him I studied French! Ed made Lyndhurst come alive and explained to us that this mansion was owned by three different families. However, when the house changed hands, each of the former families literally left all their items and furnishings in the house! They didn't take the items with them, mainly because they would buy all new things to outfit their next estate. Each of the families who lived in the house were extremely wealthy, which is why it is ironic that everything in the house is practically FAUX! When you look at this photo, it appears that the walls and ceilings are made out of marble! This isn't the case. It was wood painted to look like marble. This occurred throughout the mansion, and one has to ask why? The reasoning is that in Europe in the 1840s, this faux look was very popular. The US being a new country, looked to Europe for style and fashion. Therefore the wealthy adopted this style, which showcased their knowledge and their worldliness.

Lyndhurst at one time sat on 500 acres of land and overlooks the Hudson River in Tarrytown, New York. You can see the Tappan Zee Bridge from the property. Lyndhurst is considered one of America’s finest Gothic Revival mansions. The architectural brilliance of the residence, designed in 1838 by Alexander Jackson Davis, is complemented by the park-like landscape of the estate and a comprehensive collection of original decorative arts.

The estate was shaped during more than a century by three families. Their influence is evident in the expansion of the main house from a country villa “in the pointed style” to a Gothic mansion; in the rich furnishings; and in the park-like design of the grounds. The 19th century was a period of political and technological change in America. Romanticism dominated the arts, and as the movement emphasized the appreciation of nature, imagination and emotion, the Hudson River Valley became the center of painting and architecture. Wealthy patrons commissioned the construction of mansions in a variety of styles along the bluffs of the river from New York City to Albany.

 

Lyndhurst was first conceived in the minds of architect A.J. Davis and William Paulding (Mayor of NY) who constructed the country villa in 1838 and called it “Knoll.” The romantic Gothic Revival design immediately drew attention to the building, critics called it “Paulding’s Folly” because its fanciful turrets and asymmetrical outline were unlike most homes constructed in the post-colonial era.

 

But fascination with the property continued for decades and, as ideas of wealth and status changed with the growing nation, so did the estate, reflecting the tastes and interests of wealthy New York. In 1864-1865, Davis doubled the size of the mansion for the second owner New York merchant George Merritt, who renamed it “Lyndenhurst” after the Linden trees that were planted on the estate. Railroad magnate Jay Gould purchased the estate as a summer home in 1880, seven years after Merritt died. By 1884 Jay Gould was at the zenith of his power, having gained control of Western Union Telegraph, the New York Elevated Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad. Mr. Gould used Lyndhurst as an escape from the pressures of his business life and when his health was impaired by tuberculosis; Lyndhurst served as a country retreat until his death in 1892.

Jay Gould’s daughter, Helen, who later married Finley J. Shepard (a romantic story, because Finley rescued Helen in a train accident, and it was love at first sight), was given charge of the property upon her father’s death. She was involved in numerous philanthropic works during her lifetime. After her death in 1938, her sister, Anna, Duchess of Talleyrand-Perigord, returned from France and maintained Lyndhurst until her death in 1961 when the 67-acre estate passed to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The grounds at Lyndhurst survive as an outstanding example of 19th century landscape design. Elements include sweeping lawns accented with shrubs and specimen trees, the curving entrance drive revealing “surprise” views, and the angular repetition of the Gothic roofline in the evergreens. Unlike later mansions along the Hudson River, Lyndhurst's rooms are few and of a more modest scale, and strongly Gothic in character. Hallways are narrow, windows small and sharply arched, and ceilings are fantastically peaked, vaulted, and ornamented. The effect is at once gloomy, somber, and highly romantic.

 

On the property is a wonderful 1.5 mile Riverwalk. We followed this path which was covered in beautiful Fall leaves. It reminded me of my childhood days walking through leaves, observing colors, and listening to the rustling of leaves underfoot. Mind you, the path was parallel to the Hudson River.

 

We passed this wonderful walking bridge along the Riverwalk!

 

 

After touring Lyndhurst we visited the Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse. The 1883, Lighthouse at Sleepy Hollow, formerly known as the Tarrytown Lighthouse or the Kingsland Point Lighthouse, is the only Caisson-style lighthouse on the river. Erected in 1882-1883, the lighthouse provided navigational aid to shipping on the Hudson and warned captains away from the dangerous shoals on the river's eastern shore. It is easily seen from the Tappan Zee Bridge, with the best viewing from Kingsland Point Park, located directly on the Hudson River. Like all lighthouses on the Hudson, the 1883 Lighthouse at Sleepy Hollow was designed as a "family station," as the keeper and his family lived in the five-story structure year-round. The duties of the keeper were to perform the never-ending chores of maintaining the lighthouse and lamp and to operate the lamp every night as well as during inclement weather. In 1923, the General Motors automobile plant located along the river was expanded, altering the course of the Pocantico River. Gradually the river was filled in, so that now there is a separation of about only 50 feet between the lighthouse and the shoreline, connected by a metal bridge. However, throughout the times of the keepers, access to the shore was by rowboat (or by foot, when the river was frozen solid), and lighthouse life could be best described as insular. When the Tappan Zee Bridge was completed in 1955, the navigational lights on the bridge rendered the lighthouse obsolete. By 1957, it had been reduced in candlepower and placed on automatic operation. In 1961, the lighthouse was deactivated and the structure listed with the General Services Administration (G.S.A.) for disposal. On the brink of demolition for several years, individuals and organizations rallied to save the "Tarrytown Lighthouse." In 1969, the Westchester County Board of Supervisors voted to accept the lighthouse from the G.S.A. The Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation officially re-opened the lighthouse to the public on October 1, 1983, one hundred years after the beacon was first lit.

The keyword for the day was CASTLE. Next on our self made tour was a visit to Castle on the Hudson, an historic hotel of America. Just 25 miles north of New York City, lies a historic medieval castle, overlooking the majestic Hudson River. The Castle on the Hudson, situated on 11 hilltop acres, was originally called Carrollcliffe and later Axe Castle. It was built in two stages between 1897 and 1910 by General Carroll, the son of a Civil War General. The grounds are enclosed by a stone wall and support a veritable arboretum of evergreens and rare varieties of trees, grasslands and flowers. Designs by noted New York Architect Henry Killburn. The Castle was built in a style reminiscent of Norman fortification in Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The finished castle boasted 45 rooms. The main tower of the Castle rises 75 feet, making it the highest point in Westchester County.


The last stop on our tour was dinner at Hudson at Haymount House. In the early 1900’s, a Wall Street financier named William Fuller decided to build a country estate on an expanse of property that spanned from the water line of the Hudson River to the top of a beautiful hill in Briarcliff Manor, NY. The estate would be his home for retirement—a place where he would devote his time to family, farming, and elegant country living. He named the estate “Haymount” after the town in North Carolina where he was born. Over the years, Haymount enjoyed a colorful history. The estate was profiled in a variety of architectural magazines, portrayed “Tara” in scenes from the American classic, “Gone with the Wind,” and was even home to a Dutch industrialist named Bernard Van Leer who lived on the property with members (both human and animal!) of the Holland Classical Circus. A fire famously occurred near the stables where Van Leer kept four world-famous elephants. The elephants survived…but the east wing of Haymount did not! The west wing was later torn down to retain symmetry.

When we arrived at the house/restaurant we spoke with the manager and asked him if he would give us a tour of the house. He was kind enough to entertain us and in the process told us about the resident ghosts, who he swears live within the house. He told us several unexplained stories where glasses have literally jumped off of tables or trays. As he was telling us these stories it was clear he believed them, or at least he was good at convincing me that he believed them. To make a long story short, I have no intention of spending the night in one of their rooms anytime soon.

 

We got around Tarrytown and Briarcliff Manor today and saw parts of New York I wanted to see! I think Karen and Naomi (Karen's mom) also saw new sights today, we explored it together. I relate to this, because I really only get around DC when people come to visit me! Tomorrow, Peter and I head back to DC in hopes of missing post holiday traffic.