Fall Cometh

When I woke up on Sunday, I could smell Fall. For the first time this year, I stepped outside my apartment and the smell of dank earth and dying leaves punctuated the air. The sky was grey, the temperature was below 20 degrees Celsius and the smell was definitely Fall.

I think I'm ready. We had such an incredible summer, I can't complain now about the dropping temperatures. It signals a total overhaul of the clothes cupboards, moving the whites to the back and the camels and darker colors to the front. It means shorter days and colder nights. Cups of hot chocolate instead of pineapple juice, and thick, yummy soups instead of salads. It also means a totally different color palette surrounding me; red apples, bright orange pumpkins, burnt yellow grass, chocolates, caramel and tartans. I know I'm ready.

To herald this change, I stole the Anesthetist's car while he was tinkering on the boat and went for some heavenly ambles in a new-found and now favorite Ward Pound Ridge Reserve, an hour north of the city. It is 4200 acres of rivers, pastures and forest. A great place to relish these wonderful fall colors and smells!

Up the Hudson

I love the Hudson Valley. I love the farms, the produce, the quaint towns and of course, the mighty Hudson River itself.

There are so many places you can access the river for walks, a quick dip or some quiet contemplation. On Saturday, I dragged the Anesthetist up to Garrison, an hour's drive from the city. There we wandered along the moss-lined paths of the river before stopping into the view Russel Wright's grass-walled cliff house at Manitoga, a very special place. All in all, a very green, serene Saturday!

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

Summer Dance

Take one phenomenal Finnish dance group, an architectural wonder in the middle of a lush, green valley and a stunning summer night. What do you get? The perfect Saturday evening with Tero Saarinen at the Fisher Centre for Performing Arts in the Hudson Valley.

Located 2.5 hours north of Manhattan, The Fisher Centre is an example of what art benefactors have given the world. The Bard Centre of Performing Arts is apparently one of the best arts colleges in the States. It was on this campus that someone had the ingenious idea to commission Frank Gehry to design an extraordinary, world class arts centre to provide "risk taking performances and provocative programs" in theatre, opera, orchestra and dance. Each summer, the centre hosts a festival of national and international artists. People from all around the area - and beyond - come to savour some amazing culture in the spectacular setting of the Hudson Valley. Located essentially in a green field and surrounded by huge trees and rolling lawns, the Centre has to be one of the world's greatest buildings.

My photos don't do it justice as it was dusk when we arrived. But hopefully they will give you a taste of this not-to-be-missed wonder of modern design.

image 1: whitebird, 

Hiking in the Hudson

Spectacular day last Sunday. The perfect day to climb to the top of Bull Hill!

Also known as Mt Taurus, this mountain overlooks the charming town of Coldspring, an hour out of Manhattan in the Hudson Valley. You take the train from Grand Central and follow the Hudson River all the way up. The river keeps going and you get off and walk to the bottom of the mountain. It was a little early in the season as the leaves weren't fully formed, but what an exhilarating way to spend a Sunday! Here are some visual moments along the trail:

Typical forest low down

Abandoned farmhouse

Some slimy creatures in an old well

Reservoir

Another abandoned something

 A swampy part

 The final ascent

View from peak over the Hudson toward the Catskills

On the other side looking over the Hudson River & Valley

 The slow descent

An old quarry