May 3, 2014 Cornish Estate

     We numbered 8 and it was a beauty of a day.  Weather was perfect...we had sun and it was coolish.  A group of volunteers from I Love My Park was busy clearing the area around the ruins.  They've done quite a bit of cleaning and it's starting to look much better. 
     This time I forded the stream with the others and  made it to the bigger waterfall.  [Actually there are several.]  Due to the large amount of rain during the middle of the week, the stream[s] was/were full and there were many waterfalls.  [I took pix of many of them but am only sharing a few...don't want to get too boring.]
     When we arrived at the bridge, Rich said it was about a 10-15 minute walk to the old dairy barns so I, along with five others, decided to continue on.  Two of the group chose to go back.  It probably would have been that short a trip for Rich who is a hiker but it took us quite a bit longer to get there.  We had to ford several sections of stream and thanks to the assistance of John & Rich we made it just fine.  I've wanted to see the barns for some time now and am glad to have finally made it.  The round trip added almost an hour though...not so great for the person waiting at the bottom.

the first of many 'fordings'

the estate pool with the Hudson River and Storm King in background

one view of the estate ruins

and another

we crossed here to reach the waterfall

another building ruin

one of the big waterfalls

and the top

just a little below is another big waterfall

view of Storm King

and Breakneck Ridge

the bridge

the bridge to the barn ruins

stream coming from the former lake

the dairy barn

the former lake now planted with trees ... the dam was deemed fragile and destroyed

     Three of us brunched at the Yankee Clipper in Beacon.

April 26, 2014 Poughkeepsie Cemetery

      It looked a little iffy when we left home but the weather report promised sun and we did see a little although it was mostly overcast.  Due to the cold winter, the spring blooms were just beginning.
     This was more of a stroll than a walk.  There were 10 of us and we spent time looking at the graves, peering into the mausoleums,  [many had stained glass and I took pix of several], looking at the flowers etc. 
      This cemetery has so many beautiful trees it was unfortunate that only a few of them were in bloom.  It was still an enjoyable walk.
      Four of us had lunch at Perkins.

beautiful magnolia tree

stained glass in mausoleum

more stained glass

view includes Mid Hudson b

ridge

a nice place to sit and observe the river

there were several homes in one section...this is part of a beautiful back yard garden

I think these were from Civil War

one of the fountains in the pond

the island had been planted with spring bulbs

interesting

 

angel with mardi gras beads and branch

April 19, 2014 Marist College

      I apologize for neglecting the blog for so long.  There's a lot to catch up on. 
      While I was dealing with a family funeral and then two weeks in Portugal & Spain [lucky me], Carol DeMicco kept track of the walks.  They were:
              March 29:  Dutchess Rail Trail at Morgan Lake - 14 people attended and we welcomed new members Susan & Valerie.
               April 5:    Chuang Yen Monastery - 7 people attended.
               April 12:  Roosevelt Farm Lane - 12 people attended and we welcomed new members Suzanne and Ender.

      It was good to be back walking and to see everyone.  There were 11 of us.  We walked down to the waterfront where there was apparently a crew race going on.  There appeared to be only two boats involved but there were quite a few people at the staging area. 
      After observing for a while we walked across the campus to the arboretum and nature trails and explored a bit.
      Five of us brunched at the Palace Diner.
 

view of the river from the campus

a couple of walkers, row team & train

the racing teams, Marist in red

the observers

through the arch and up to the main campus

 

 

back yard garden

forsythia was in bloom

pretty blue flowers

and some white ones

some of our group walked down to the pond..there appear to be several trails in this area