Windmills

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I would have preferred it if the two windmills had been closer, but it was so cold that I didn’t feel like fiddling around trying to find a better viewpoint (it may not have been possible to even do so.

Taken with a Sony RX10 IV

Lyndhurst

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For those who don’t know the area:

Lyndhurst is a Gothic Revival country house that sits in a 67-acre park beside the Hudson River in Tarrytown, New York. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. The home was designed in 1838 by Alexander Jackson Davis and owned in succession by New York City mayor William Paulding Jr., merchant George Merritt, and railroad tycoon Jay Gould. Paulding named his house “Knoll”. Its limestone exterior was quarried in present-day Ossining, New York. Merritt, the house’s second owner, doubled the size of the house in 1864–1865 and renamed it “Lyndenhurst”. His new north wing included an imposing four-story tower, a new porte-cochere, a new dining room, two bedrooms and servants’ quarters. Gould purchased the property in 1880 to use as a country house. He shortened its name to “Lyndhurst” and occupied it until his death in 1892. In 1961, Gould’s daughter Anna Gould donated it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The house is now open to the public.

I went there just before Christmas with my friends George and Martha. Although I’ve been to, and through the property many times I’ve never actually been inside. It was good to see the interior. As you can see they had put a lot of effort into preparing for Christmas. Maybe too much. Very festive, but maybe a Christmas tree (sometimes more) it every room was a bit too much

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Taken with a Sony RX100 M3

By the Ossining Boat and Canoe Club

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I went down to the river the other day. It was really too cold to take photographs. I had to take a few photographs, put my camera and my hands in pocket (luckily, I was using a very small, pocketable camera). Wait until my hands warmed up. Then take a few more quick pictures and repeat the whole process until I’d taken as many pictures as I could.

The pictures were taken around the Ossining Boat and Canoe Club. According to the Club’s website:

The Ossining Boat and Canoe Club was founded in 1915. At first it doesn’t sound like it was that long ago, but then we realize that cars were not all that common and that the highways in our area were not yet built. There were no malls or shopping centers and all goods where bought on Main Street or from a catalogue. The Tappan Zee Bridge would not exist to take us to the other side of the river for another forty years. Canoeing was an active national sport in those days and the club put a group in the water called the “Black Hawks”. This team competed as far away as Canada in a four-man racing canoe.

Building. The original clubhouse was erected by the members on the present site, just south of the Ossining RR Station on Westerly Road, in 1921. With the exception of some minor changes to the façade, the structure remains identical to its original frame. Some recent renovations to the club property include: a newly constructed ramp from the clubhouse to the docks, ample docking space for visitors and boaters in distress, and a completely refurbished upper deck offering magnificent views of the Hudson River and its shores. In addition to these, heating and air-conditioning were added to the club building.

Today the clubhouse is owned by the Town of Ossining and is exclusively licensed to the boat club.

Function. The boat basin itself is not so different from the days of the original site though modern moorings have replaced the wooden tree poles of the past. The club’s location on the east bank of the Tappan Zee has always provided sailors with miles of open water and fishermen with ample fishing spots. The club was conceived so that members could have access to the river at a reasonable rate. In order to maintain these reasonable rates all clubhouse maintenance and repairs are completed by the membership. There have always been two classifications of membership – working and associate. To accommodate schedules that do not allow for volunteer work hours, a third status was added as non-working. Our application form requests that the applicant list his or her skills and professions – in that way we make use of an invaluable pool of resources.

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Taken with a Sony RX100 M3

In Ossining again – Shattemuc Yacht Club

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The Shattemuc Yacht Club describes itself as:

A family-oriented sail, boat, swim and social club located on the Hudson River. We feature a renowned sailing academy, outdoor pool, private beach and a clubhouse overlooking the scenic Hudson River.

With 125 boat slips and over 20 moorings, we accommodate boats of all sizes from kayaks to 40 foot cruisers. Our clubhouse on the Hudson is our crown jewel and our members use it year-round for social events, family picnics or just relaxing after a day of boating.

The well-known Boathouse Restaurant is located at the south end of our property and offers our members discounts to a delicious assortment of fine food.

A quite lengthy section on the history of the club begins:

Shattemuc Yacht Club’s roots can be traced to the old Sing Sing Yacht Club, which held its first regatta in 1858, over 156 years ago! Although that club became extinct, there was active canoe sailing in the late 1870’s and early 1880’s, and talk of organizing another club. What eventually became our club was first incorporated as the Sing Sing Yacht Club in 1888. Our history is rich with boat races dating back to the earliest days and continues even today.

For more on the club’s history see a brief history of the Shattemuc and Short Topics.

I often go to The Boathouse so the discount would be attractive. I also like the location. Although I don’t have a boat and don’t enjoy boating all that much, I might consider becoming a member.

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Taken with a Sony RX100 M7

In Ossining again – Overview

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The other day I had lunch at one of my favorite riverfront restaurants (See: Lunch at the Boathouse, Ossining, NY). I planned to go for a walk afterwards. Normally, I would turn right from the restaurant, continue to the metro-north station, cross of the train tracks and then go up main street. This time I decided to try something different. I would turn left from the restaurant, cross the tracks there, and then go up Snowden Ave., pass through Matilda Street, and then go up North Malcolm Street. When I got to North Highland Ave. (Route 9) I planned to turn right, walk along Route 9 until I got to Ellis Place where I would turn left, and then along Wolden to Holbrook Road where my house is.

I wasn’t very familiar with this area so, in addition to getting a good walk I hoped to find some new opportunities to take a few pictures.

Taken with a Sony RX100 M7