Art Brady really outdid himself this year with his portraits taken at the New Year’s Eve party. Have a look:
And the artist himself, along with his muse . . .
Photos by Art Brady
Wit Fit to a Tee . . .
Contributed by Jane Hart
For Your Funny Bone . . .
Contributed by Donald Butt
Two Worlds, Poetry by Sheila Benedis
Two Worlds
Inner world
democracy
compassion for oppressed
lightness of peace and hope
life fragile and precious
outer world
autocracy
darkness of war
lack of safety and health
innocent people suffering
Inner world calm peaceful place to create art
outer world chaos and terror
Inner world
texture and movement of natural organic shapes
bright cheerful colors
soothing sound of grateful clouds
fragrance of flowers
taste of honey
outer world
jagged geometric shapes
harsh colors
shrill sound of loud thunder
smell of rotten eggs
taste of bitterness
Entrance to my apartment is a lively oasis of joy and excitement
Other apartments seem more neutral
May I be happy healthy healed safe strong
May the outer world be happy healthy healed safe strong
May I feel my inner beauty
May the outer world be uplifted by my creativity
Art by Hart
Celeste was always playing peacemaker between her two best friends
The local dance company broke new ground, doing Copland's Rodeo as a water ballet with real water
With his bird of prey, his non-skid cane and his compression socks, Hubbard felt invincible
Almost everyone loved Owen's dollar bill Origami
Art and photos by Jane Hart
In and Around Kenda
Last Day of 2023: Early Morning Views of Rockland County
Photos by Cynthia Ferguson
First Snow Fall of 2024
First Showball of the New Year!
Photo by Joe Bruno
First footsteps in the snow . . .
A winter harvest from the residents’ gardens
Photos by Maria Harris
Kendal Snowboarders Beware!
Photo by Edward Kasinec
Out and About
Should you be out and about this winter, there’s a show in Cortlandt that will hook you for sure. Located in the Cortlandt Town Hall (1 Heady Street—for directions, see below), Cortlandt Fiber Arts: A Contemporary Survey, featuring our own Marilyn Bottjer’s works among them, is on view through February 1, 2024. Marilyn’s work there includes our own recently Resident-Website-featured “Thriftilla,” crafted from upcycled fabrics ranging from t-shirts to tea towels and combined with new materials. Marilyn transforms the discarded materials beyond their original purpose.
Marilyn has been a traditional rug hooker for over 50 years. Indeed, she’s taught at the American Folk Art Museum, Connecticut’s Brookville Craft Center, and the Croton Cortlandt Center for the Arts. And she’s led the Hudson River Rug Hookers, centered in Croton, for 30 years, along with exhibiting widely in the US, Canada, & Japan. Her work has been published in fiber arts books, seen on TV, & is in private collections, as well. Among the other of her works in the Cortlandt show are:
Mermaid Tales
Red Comet
Palisades Sunset
For directions to the show at Cortlandt Town Hall, click here
Coming Up This Week . . .
Friday, January 12
1 pm, in the GR: Matt Kornfield, will give a presentation based on his book Don’t Get H@cked Grandpa! Secure Your Data.
January 14
3 pm, in the GR: Charlotte von Hardenburgh will speak on the current Cooper-Hewitt exhibition on Dorothy Liebes (including original textiles by resident Shirley Wu-Zanger). Textile designer & weaver Liebes was a force of creativity & an enduring influence on American modernism.
January 10, in Sleepy Hollow
Learn More at sleepyhollowclimate.com
New Year's Eve: The Show and the Glow
The Show, by Caroline Persell
New Year’s Eve Is Here Again—the Kendal Way
Our Amazing Jean was front and center
One Liners by two showmen
Leonard Cohen (aka Bill Rakower) arrived again with a message we all believe in: I’m Your Man
Brush Up Your Shakespeare, with a comic touch the Bard would undoubtedly have enjoyed
The Cure, ‘cause humor is the best medicine
Too Many Barbaras, by one who knows . . .
Please Don’t Come, when two Kendalites meet, uhm, a formidable and discouraging challenge
Our own Poet Laureate
Ten . . . nine . . . eight . . .the New Year arrives at Kendal time
Photos by Caroline Persell
The Glow, by Harry Bloomfeld
The first pictures of the post-show party . . .. More to follow—stay tuned . . .
Wit That Fits to a Tee
Contributed by Jane Hart
Happy Birthday, Sleepy Hollow!
The start of the new year was not just about the Ball Drop in Times Square — or our own at Kendal midnight (9 pm). While the world celebrated the new year on January 1, with a traditional Ball Drop, Sleepy Hollow marked an old year — the beginning of its 150th anniversary — on January 2, with, as befits the self-proclaimed Halloween Capital of the World, a Pumpkin Drop. Mayor Rutyna extolled the village’s historical ability to continually reinvent itself as need arose. Assemblywoman Maryjane Shimsky wished the village “Happy Birthday!” And then — after unwinding the seemingly endless rope attached to it — the orange-light-encircled pumpkin was slowly dropped (courtesy of the volunteer firefighters of Sleepy Hollow) to the chant of “ten . . . nine . . . eight . . ..” And Kendalites Hildegarde Gray, Peter Sibley, John Vacher, and a representative of the Residents Website were all there to cheer in Sleepy Hollow’s 150th Old Year!
Mayor Rutyna
Assemblywoman Maryjane Shimsky
Monthly events for will continue the 150th anniversary celebration this year. We’ll let you know what and when!
For Your Funny Bone . . .
Contributed by Barbara Bruno
I Never Knew That . . .
This is what Paris looks like from the Eiffel Tower.
Art by Hart
The Adlers did a lot more thinking than talking
As usual, Dobbin’s New Year’s party was a full trailer
The nice amphibian lady on the bus said shed be glad to watch the Renfrew children for a month, no problem
There were simply not enough stalls in the ladies' lounge
Wyatt loved riding the Broadway subway line for days on end
It was the Chiltons' favorite gift: a series of private in-home bird-watching classes
Art and photos by Jane Hart
Life Movement Artist Book, by Sheila Benedis
It's 2024!
Contributed by Art Brady
In and Around Kendal
And the Final Decoration Picture of the Season Is . . .
The Costa’s front door, by Art Brady
Rockwood Wanderings
Whether you go there for inspiration, exercise, relief, or relaxation, Rockwood Park feels like our very own backyard. Several Kendalites sent pictures of a final (or near-final) 2023 stroll through the park, each with their own view of its beauty.
Mimi Abramovitz
A Hudson view: a mirror image
Another family out for a stroll in the park
Edward Kasinec
Kendal on Holiday
Misty River
Vigilant Sentries
A Tree from a Rock
Carolyn Reiss: “Walked today in the mist and the fog. Mild, beautiful and soft feeling in the air.”
Out and About
Indiana Jones had nothing on the Kendal Winter Warriors. On December 13, around 9 pm, they gathered together to brave the near-freezing night to admire The Geminids — an upcoming meteor shower promised by astronomers worldwide! The best place to view the shower was assumed to be along RTE 448 (Bedford Rd) somewhere near Stone Barns, since there was a great deal of open sky in that area, very little traffic on the road, and very few buildings and hopefully minimal light pollution. The shower (The Geminids) was expected to be quite active (about 70/hour!) and multicolored. Sadly, it either didn’t appear or the cloud cover obscured it. But the Warriors are undeterred! All — or, anyway, some will be tracking the celestial calendar for the next display in full expectation of a magnificent display!
New Year's Eve Prep
‘Twas several days before New Year’s and all through the lounge
Marianne Bloomfeld and crew were prepared — need to scrounge.
The months leading up to the date were well-spent
And to make all it happened they worked on — did not relent!
That’s it! I leave the rest to poets like Llyn Clague. But you get the idea. The New Year’s Eve magic all started to come together several days before the grand evening event. By now, you were either there or heard about the gala and party thereafter. There will be plenty of event pictures to follow. These pictures will give you an idea of how it all came about:
Wonder Woman pauses in the process of being Wonder Woman
Don't Get Hacked, Grandpa . . .
For Grandpas and Grandmas, alike! On January 12, at 1 pm, Matt Kornfield will speak on just this topic: getting hacked — and, more important, avoiding getting hacked. Kornfield is a software engineer on the West Coast and recent author of the guide to living a hackless life, for our age group: Don’t Get Hacked, Grandpa . . . The man knows his stuff!
(More important, he’s the grandson of Barbara and Mike Kornfield. Now them’s credentials!)
All are invited. Especially those wishing to remain unhacked in the New Year.
Wit That Fits to a Tee
To Be Continued . . .
Contributed by Jane Hart