A Leaf

by Posted in Nature Leave a comment
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Fall’s coming. Just a little over a week to go and I, for one will be happy when we get there. In my opinion Summer in New York is dreadful for photography: everything is some shade of green; the sun is usually too intense; the heat and humidity make it unpleasant to go out; and when it’s not hot and humid it’s raining. To me even Winter is better than Summer. In order of preference my favorite seasons are Fall, Spring, Winter and (a long way behind) Summer.

Of course that’s just my opinion. I grew up in a place that was not as hot and humid as New York, and if the temperatures get above 80F/26C I’m distinctly uncomfortable.

So, I’m definitely looking forward to Fall!

Taken with a Sony RX10 IV.

A Walk through Peekskill – McGregory Brook

by Posted in History, Nature, Parks Leave a comment
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I was walking back down it was much easier going down than going up) along Central Ave. to catch my train I heard the sound of running water. I looked across the street and noticed a pocket park with a couple of benches, and an information board (see below). In case you can’t make out the rather small text it reads:

McGregory Brook flows from the hills just east of Peekskill to the Hudson River at Riverfront Green Park. Kitchawank people, of the Wappinger confederacy, inhabited the area surrounding McGregory Brook and nearby Annsville Creek prior to Dutch settlement, led by Jan Peeck.

King William III of England granted 1,500 acres to Hugh MacGregorie in 1692, and the brook became the boundary between the original settlement known as Peekskill and surrounding Van Cortlandt lands. Numerous mills and factories diverted McGregory Brook for power, including Dain’s Lumber Company, Naylor Brothers machine shops, Mackellar’s Mills, and Union Stove Works. For many years, Peekskill residents drew water from the Tan Yard Spring, which also surfaced near this site.

Today, McGregory Brook enters a series of culverts at Field Street, flows beneath Downtown Peekskill, and emerges just east of this site. Remnants of industrial infrastructure can still be seen from the footbridge overlooking the waterfall.

Although McGregory Brook is no longer visible on most maps, FEMA’s 100-Year Flood Map clearly shows the pathway of McGregory Brook from Penelope Pond to the Hudson Riverfront. The lack of sunlight inhibits the brook’s natural ecosystem. While few fish, amphibians, or aquatic invertebrates inhabit the brook, filamentous green algae thrives on its surfaces, likely supported by nutrient enrichment from stormwater runoff and other sources.

For more information about Peekskill’s waterways and all of its natural features, explore the Peekskill National Resource Inventory at www.peekskilnri.com. For more information on Peekskill’s rich history, visit the Peekskill Museum at 124 Union Avenue.

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Taken with a Sony RX10 IV

A walk to Sparta Cemetery – The Scarborough Presbyterian Church Manse

by Posted in Buildings/Structures, Flowers, Nature Leave a comment
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The Manse is across the road from the Presbyterian Church.

According to Mary Cheever.

During his pastorate at the church, Mr. Blessing lived with the Misses Dennis, cousins of Mr. Shepard, whose home was on the site of the Arcadian Shopping Center. With the arrival of the second minister, Benjamin T. Marshall, a manse was established in the house Dr. Holden had built for his son George Clarence Holden on the hill on the hill between the Holden homestead and Scarborough Road (later the Easton House). The present manse next to the Sparta Buying Grounds on Revolutionary Road was given by Mrs. Shepard and completed in 1913. It was designed by William C. Holden, son of George C. Holden, who was the builder, and who owned and operated the Ossining Pressed Stone Company on the river front in Ossining Village. (Mary Cheever. The Changing Landscape. A History of Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough, pp.53-54).

I don’t have much to say about this other than that I found it interesting.

The flower bed is located directly in front of the entrance to the Manse.

Taken with a Sony DSC-H50