In the Garden of Eden

Historic Hudson Valley is a network of six wonderful historic homes in the Hudson Valley. Its mission is to "celebrate the history, architecture, landscape and the material culture of the Hudson Valley", making sure people like me get to see how the other half lived all those years ago.

Last weekend, the Anesthetist decided I was in need of some historical American culture, so he took me to visit Montgomery Place, one of the most important and meticulously preserved historic sites in the US.

Located on the banks of the Hudson river about 1.5 hours north of Manhattan, this property is 380 acres and was the home of the wife General Montgomery who died in some war in the late 1700s. His wife bought the property shortly after his death and it remained in the hands of the same family for almost 200 years. Today, the house is considered an architectural landmark and the totality of the estate a unique American treasure.

The house wasn't open when we went, but the grounds are amazing. There is an orchard, a herb garden, wonderful lush lawns that roll gently down to the Hudson River, ancient oak forests and acres of lovely fields full of the typical oversized trees that are so common on the East coast. It was the perfect place to be on such a hot Sunday.

first glimpse of the house

the herb garden

potting shed

overgrown arbor

one of many fish ponds

a friendly frog

view from the verandah to the Hudson River and beyond

rolling lawns

natural spring

view over the swampy part of the Hudson

image 1: go to hudson

The Art of Just Being

Silence is a source of great strength

- Lao Tzu

Do you have a life mission? Do you want to re-write your current life story and replace it with a new, more positive one?

These lofty ambitions were considered on our corporate retreat last week. My first reaction was that my life story is just fine thank you! But then as the hours wear on and you start to focus on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of this personal story, the cracks begin to appear on at least one level.

It can become quite overwhelming when you suddenly realize that maybe you don't have a life mission and then you start questioning if that means you don't have a life purpose? And how do you find one? After four intense days of being given the tools to be the "best person you can be,"  it was confronting to sit there and think that maybe I was a lesser person because I couldn't think what my mission is. I guess that is the existential crisis that every philosopher goes through 24/7 !

So after a week of movement and action and constant striving to be a better person and all-American corporate "rah rah-ing", I decided to just 'be' for a day. On Sunday, I walked from my apartment across the street into an oasis of calm that I have lived beside for the past five years and never entered. I chose the lovely empty seat you see above and took a couple of hours to - literally - smell the roses. I wandered the brick paths, visited the goldfish, sat under a tree and listened to the world carry on around me.

I do think it's important to continue to grow as a person, but I also think it's important to take time out and enjoy who you are now. Even thought it wasn't silent around me - it's Manhattan for heaven's sake - it was nice to be silent in my head for a moment. I think I will start growing again tomorrow.

Open House

The month of May heralds spring and all things new. It also heralds the beginning of sticky beak time for those who love getting behind the closed doors of the 1% in this world! Between now and the end of July, houses and gardens from Manhattan to Maryland, will throw open their doors and gates to the 99% - for a fee. But don't be deterred by this. Now is the time to peek inside some magnificent architectural gems and wander through some dreamy gardens, in search of inspiration for your own little patch. And take heart in the fact that most of the fees charged for these tours are going to some worthy charity. Here are a few of the places I would love to visit.

Petra Island
Any one can visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water in Pennsylvania, but what about a residential home he designed on Petra Island? Originally designed in 1950 for the previous owners of the island, this house wasn't built until 2005, when it took 4 years to construct. The current owner, a rabid Wright fan, secured permission  from the Wright institute for the house to be built and it now stands exactly where it was originally intended. It even comes with a helipad!
putnamsecretgardentour.com

Greenwich Village, Manhattan

Who doesn't want to get inside all those glorious brownstones near me? Home to SJP of Sex and the City fame, amongst other celebs, this tour includes 7 houses including Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney's former studio.

http://www.gvshp.org/_gvshp/events/tour-main.htm  

Connecticut

Who isn't a fan of designer Bunny Williams? She has written so many books and appears to have so many homes! But her passion is her Greek revival home in Connecticut, which she generously opens to the public once a year. It is surrounded by acres of wonderfully landscaped gardens. If you fall in love with it, you can buy her book. tradesecretsct.com 

New Jersey

It would appear the much maligned New Jersey has more to offer us than just that terrible show the Jersey Shore. For the first time, the historic Glynallan Castle will be open to the public this month. It is modelled after the English castle Compton Wynnyates, apparently a favorite of the British royal family, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

http://mansioninmay.org/ 

images: dans papers, flickr, nymag, flickr, mine, rural intelligence, trade secretsct, amazon, skylands, filming locations

Caramoor

"We built a home my husband and I, not to be old or new, just to be beautiful. And we built it for music."

- Lucie Rosen

Last Sunday the anesthetist was playing on his boat. I couldn't join him for fear of falling overboard and sinking straight to the bottom of the Long Island Sound due to my boot being as heavy as an anchor. So I threw caution to the wind and "stole" his car to drive further north to visit Caramoor, a lovely house & garden designed for the sole purpose of music and the arts.

Caramoor is the legacy of Lucie and Walter Rosen, a well-traveled and clearly well-heeled couple who purchased the property of more than 100 acres in 1928. They were both passionate collectors and musicians. They built the rambling stucco mansion that exists today, fulfilling their dream to create a place where they could entertain friends from around the world and host legendary musical evenings. In 1945, they bequeathed the estate as a centre for music and art and it is now the home of the hugely successful annual Caramoor summer outdoor concerts, featuring artists performing jazz, operetta and classical music.

What is most remarkable are the surrounding gardens. They're magical. They have evolved over the past 80 odd years and include sunken gardens, a cedar walk, a rose garden, a sense circle for the visually and physically impaired, and general rolling lawns dotted with picnic tables for the festival guests to enjoy.

It's a garden lover's paradise and a place where you would expect to see wood nymphs and sprites dancing amongst the trees. It's a far cry from the concrete of Manhattan.

Italian Pavilion

Pegasus Gates

300' cedars now 70 years old

Juliet Gate, a 17th C portal opening into the Sunken Garden

Sunken Garden

Green Thumb

It's been really wet and humid here. Terrible for sinus issues but great for the plants. The anesthetist lives in a dreadful part of Manhattan - waaaaay way over east near Avenue D which he won't even let me walk down at night for fear of me being attacked by Puerto Rican gangsta rappers from the projects - but his apartment's one redeeming feature is the shared courtyard and his own little balcony.

Now, I know he is a great handyman, but who knew he also had a green thumb? Every time we drive somewhere, he has to pick up another box of herbs or a bright pink something or a weeping other thing. But now I'm not complaining. With the help of all this rain, I think he has created a tranquil little urban oasis amongst the filth of the very East Village.