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Art by Hart
Blair seemed like an odd choice for nature counselor at the Kiddie Camp
Miss Paunce’s was the only pre-school with a certified climbing teacher
The Schaye brothers were always on the outside looking in
Nobody knew if Chloris or Doris was the real evil twin
More and more, Matt and Myra lived in their own separate maelstroms
The Whitmores hadn’t factored in a heat wave
Art and photos by Jane Hart
Poetry by Sheila Benedis
Tree Apparel
I relate tree’s apparel
its leaves
to tree’s true feelings
in all four seasons
trees in winter
have lost their leaves
but not their life force
trees are compelled
to shed their apparel
in the cold
proudly show off their structure
their beauty their power
their magical world
for all to see
as spring descends
buds sprout tiny delicate
moss green leaflets
lively bright colored flowers
trees still look elegant
still happy
still magical
in the warmer weather
minimal covering of authentic life
but gradually leaves grow
into a deep forest green
completely cover the branches
summer reigns
apparel takes over
trees have lost their life force
in the heat
very dark very
almost despondent mood
until fall approaches
after a brilliant show of color
trees happily drop their leaves
shed their apparel
disregard the cold
get ready for winter spectacle
bring armature back to life
so strong
so happy
so excited
in their glory
a mystical world
through an underground
network of roots and soil fungi
trees perceive and interact with environment
share water and nutrients
communicate their needs
in cooperative ways
have intelligence
store memories
send distress signals
respond to attacks
trees are social beings
support each other
have a consciousness
similar to humans
have a positive effect
on our emotions
In and Around Kendal
Near and Far in Rockwood Park
Photos by Carolyn Reiss
And Speaking of the Park
What’s up in Rockwood Park?!
Photo by Joe Bruno
If you’re asking what’s with the digging in the park next door, Joe Bruno reports that they are planning to put in a bathroom with a septic tank and they were testing the soil to see if the leach fields would work there. He was also told they will also be putting in a new parking lot with the exit being near Kendal.
The Sound of Music
The Harpsichord in Mary Powell, just before the entrance to Alida, is up and running (e.g., it’s tuned!). And clearly already in service.
Photo by Philip Monteleoni
Happy June Birthdays — And to All Centenarians, Too!
All the June babies — including Ellen!
Photos by Harry Bloomfeld
Out and About
Democracy in Action
An ardent display of democracy occurred in Sleepy Hollow recently. And a Kendalite was right in the middle of it. The issue under debate was whether the town should or should not fly the traditional LGBT Pride flag each year in the month of June to honor Pride Month.
At the June 11 meeting of Sleepy Hollow’s Trustees, the public gathered to give testimony. Anne White was among them. To see the measured process of the meeting in a video of the meeting, click the button below. The testimony begins with its introduction by Mayor Rutyna at the 13:43 mark. Anne’s testimony begins at the 22:17 mark.
A motion to approve the flying of the flag was made and approved. On June 14, the flag was raised above Sleepy Hollow’s Village Hall in celebration of Pride Month. Anne White was there to help and celebrate.
Photo by The Hudson Independent Newspaper
The Mermaids Are Coming, The Mermaids Are Coming
Have you heard the legend of the Hudson River Mermaids? You will . . . At the very, first annual Mermaid Festival, Saturday, July 20, at Kingsland Point Park.
The Mermaid Festival is a community celebration that encourages Hudson River access and education. Its goal is to connect residents with the river today so we can all be part of its future. The mission: is teach river stewardship through history, art, safety education, story-telling — and fun. The festival seeks to inspire river use through the exploration and participation in water activities and to celebrate the magic and myth making in the Hudson River and along the banks of Sleepy Hollow.
There’ll be a costume parade (on both land and water), music, face painting, food trucks, and a bouncy houses. That all? Nope. Look forward to fun art, history, and beach activities, too.
So, what’s it mean to Kendal? Well, if you don’t want to march in costume or get your face painted, or bounce, or even if you do — and if you come from this area at any point in your life — be part of the Kendal Mission for the Mermaid Festival Mission, the history part! We have been asked to help the festival and the Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow Historical Society develop a history of Kingsland Park and use of the Hudson River.
They are particularly interested in having anyone who has memories of using the park and/or swimming in or otherwise using the river to provide some oral or written history or old photos.
If you have any such memories, please let Carol Monteleoni (cubby 4311 or ext. 1803) or Jon Masters (cubby 3306, ext. 1875) know. DEADLINE IS JULY 1.
The Elections Are Coming, The Elections Are Coming!
June is the month for primary elections! This year, there is no Republican primary. The Democratic primary will be held on June 25, 6 am - 9 pm, at Philipseburg Manor.
Three offices are included on the ballot for Sleepy Hollow: US Congressional District 16, 92nd New York Assembly District, and Westchester County District Attorney.
The League of Women Voters of Westchester recently held Candidate Forums for the candidates running for these positions. You can view videos for each forum by clicking on the buttons below.
The Democratic primary will be held on June 25, 6 am - 9 pm, at Philipseburg Manor. Closer to the election, you can sign up at the front desk for a Kendal van taking voters to the site.
There Are Authors Among Us
Muriel Fox’s book is hitting the shelves as of June 18! Want to know what it’s about? Here’s what the NYU Press had to say about it:
A Rare First-Person Account of the Women’s Movement
A comprehensive, indexed memoir about the Second Wave women’s movement by the cofounder of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Muriel Fox offers rare, firsthand stories of 29 women and one man, including Betty Freidan, but also many who have not previously been recognized for their contributions.
As NOW's public relations director, Fox orchestrated nationwide outreach. She was NOW's vice president, then Chair of the Board, then chaired the National Advisory Committee. As Betty Friedan’s main lieutenant and director of operations, Fox drafted numerous letters sent by NOW under Friedan’s signature to government officials demanding faster action to reduce sex discrimination, including a letter that helped persuade President Lyndon Johnson to add gender to Affirmative Action and open opportunities for millions of women.
Unlike books relying on secondary sources, Fox’s memoir is built mainly from her own Feminism Files containing hundreds of letters, clippings, notes, and photographs that she archived.
* * * * * * *
Muriel will be delivering the Monday Night Program in the GR on June 24. And there’s a Book Party in the GR on June 26 from 4 to 6 pm.)
Words, Words, Words
I can’t believe I got fired from the calendar factory. All I did was take a day off.
Buying a new toilet was a big expense for me, so I decided to sit on it for a while.
I bought a vacuum cleaner six months ago and so far all it’s been doing is gathering dust.
I was addicted to the hokey pokey . . . but, thankfully, I turned myself around.
I have a few jokes about unemployed people, but it doesn’t matter, none of them work.
Did you hear about the guy who got hit in the head with a can of soda? He was lucky it was a soft drink.
It was on the news the other day that a person at my condo got arrested for stealing cement. But they had to let them go because there was no concrete evidence.
I recently took a pole and found out 100% of the occupants were angry with me when their tent collapsed.
Contributed by Jane Hart
I Never Knew That . . .
Q. What is the history of the invention of the microwave oven?
A. In 1946, an engineer named Percy Spencer was studying electromagnetic radiation which had been harnessed in WWII. One day he discovered that a Mr. Goodyear candy bar that he had in his pocket to nosh on in the afternoon, had melted. It gave him an idea, and he and his colleagues at Raytheon (where he worked ) set about to build an oven that generated heat from this source.
By 1961 they had succeeded, but its size (six feet tall and weighing 350 pounds) made it suboptimal for distribution and widespread use. Subsequently many others joined in the search and, by 1974, an oven similar to what we use today had been constructed.
A recent poll concluded that about 90% of American homes now have a microwave.
Contributed by Norman Sissman
For Your Funny Bone
Art and Poetry by Sheila Benedis
Social Butterfly
my mother
a Phi Beta Kappa cum laude college graduate
a mathematics teacher
wanted a child
who was a social butterfly
she never accepted me
tried to give me social skills
mainly dancing lessons
ignored my good qualities
my intelligence
never exposed me to normal childhood activities
never took me to museums
never allowed me to take piano lessons
or go to concerts
I lost friends easily
felt very lonely
in high school I was on the high honor roll
a friend called to congratulate my mother
she finally told me
social skills were easier than academic skills
she felt college was not important
I majored in mathematics in college
but was starved for music
attended every classical music concert possible
worked at inception of computer industry
found my love of art later in life
with support from my husband
why couldn’t I be a social butterfly?
my mother had no knowledge of Aspergers
even less concern for me
my blooming as an artist
was left for me to carry out
to leave behind to the world
Meditation 3
Art by Hart
Chuck had avian charm, but Lizzy did not date seagulls
Little Orphan Annie’s line of retro clothing had yet to take off
Kira’s algae hair gloss treatment was a mixed blessing
Finch wasn't sure he liked being Brenda’s Little Tomato
Sophie’s stories were by far the most interesting
Art and photos by Jane Hart
In and Around Kendal
Another Beautiful Rockwood Day
Early Morning
Photos by Carolyn Reiss
Uh Oh
Did the goats really get that hungry?
Photo by Gerry Mahoney
Ah, but then the culprit (not a resident) confessed. Seems some people — even with the flashing lights — don’t know the meaning of S-T-O-P. Ignoring same, they ran the stop sign, jumped the curb, and — voilà! — the sign in front of Alida. A cautionary tale?
Photo by Joe Bruno
Summer Is in the Air—and New Art Is on the Walls!
Photos by Harry Bloomfeld
A Walk in Springtime
A Well-Cropped Meadow
Green Meadow by the Still Waters
Falling Waters
Gold on Mount Kendal
Photos by Edward Kasinec
On the Terrace at Day’s End
Photo by Cynthia Ferguson
Celebrating a Job Well Done
All the work was done and the result was a great success. Those who had pitched in to make the new Summer Is in the Air art show happen (and assorted spouses) held an FDR celebration (after a couple of days of sleep).
Photos by Arthur Brady
Out and About
Maria in Wonderland
Recently, Maria Harris and family took a trip to the New York Botanical Gardens. Suddenly, they were down the Rabbit Hole and Through the Looking Glass in the new exhibit Wonderland: Curious Nature, on view now ‘til October 27.
Inspired by Alice’s cottage-crushing adventure in Wonderland, the bricks of this little house are made — wait for it — from mushrooms!
Maria et al happened upon the Red Queen (and company).
The show explores the life and times of author Lewis Carroll and myriad influences that shaped Alice’s iconic journey and its enduring impact on popular culture. Spanning 250 acres of gardens and exhibits, it also highlights the bizarre worlds of real-life plants and fungi that make up the eccentric ecosystems that produced them.
Think you’ll want a nosh while there? Wonderland: Curious Nature offers a range of dining possibilities, from tea-time treats to hearty meals at the Looking Glass Cafe and The Rose Court.
For more information, click here.
I Never Knew That
Q. What causes lightning and thunder?
A. Since Kendal was built, two handsome large pine trees in Rockwood Park have been destroyed by lightning; one was observed by residents living in the northern ends of Robert Fulton and Alida.
I was surprised to learn that, in our age of sophisticated science, the mechanisms of lightning and thunder are not completely understood. What we do know is that positively charged ions sometimes accumulate in storm clouds. When they reach a high enough level they burst out and stream into areas of negatively charged particles, creating a flash of light and electricity aimed at the ground or at other clouds. This bolt creates rapid heating of the adjacent air and the noise this makes is the thunder. The reason we hear the thunder after we see the lightning ( when actually they occur simultaneously) is that sound travels considerably slower then light. In fact, if you could measure the interval accurately, you could determine how far away the lightning occurred, based on the known speed of sound.
Contributed by Norman Sissman
Words, Words, Words . . .
I can’t believe I got fired from the calendar factory. All I did was take a day off.
Buying a new toilet was a big expense for me, so I decided to sit on it for a while.
I bought a vacuum cleaner 6 months ago and so far all it's been doing is gathering dust.
I was addicted to the hokey pokey . . . but, thankfully, I turned myself around.
I have a few jokes about unemployed people, but it doesn’t matter; none of them work.
Did you hear about the guy who got hit in the head with a can of soda? He was lucky it was a soft drink.
It was on the news the other day that a person at my condo got arrested for stealing cement. But they had to let them go because there was no concrete evidence.
I recently took a pole and found out 100% of the occupants were angry with me when their tent collapsed.
Contributed by Jane Hart
For Your Funny Bone
Contributed by Cathie Campbell
Art by Hart
With his morning workouts and his high-tech roller shoes, Dobbin had a chance at the Belmont
Bodie identified as a Norwegian Forest Cat
Alvin’s puppy had already outgrown his under-the-seat travel carrier
Grace, an empty nester, had to think about her next move
Fiske, a super-sized mosquito, camouflaged as a flower for hunting purposes
Art and photos by Jane Hart
Art and Poetry by Sheila Benedis
Two Worlds
From the darkness of the outer world
Chaos
Terror
War
Jagged geometric shapes
Shrill sounds
To the lightness of my inner world
Peace
Calm
Beauty
Soothing sounds
Creating art
Soft organic shapes
May I be safe happy healthy healed protected
May the world be
May I feel my inner beauty
May the world be touched by my beautiful work
Meditation 2
In and Around Kendal
8:20 pm from the Clermont Bridge
Photo by Cynthia Ferguson
Adventures in Rockwood Park
Purple Martins, Mother and Child
Photo by Carolyn Reiss
Rockwood Adventures with Daphne
For those who sadly followed the recent demise of Daphne (aka “The Lady Tree”) in Rockwood Park, we give you Her Final Resting (and Disposal) Place and . . .
. . . not a stone’s throw away . . . could it be a new Daphne rising from the proverbial ashes?
Photos by Mimi Abramovitz
Out and About
Maria’s Memorial Day Walk
On Memorial Day, Maria Harris decided to take a walk by the river. The day was warm and only got warmer. But then she arrived at an enchanting sight: the Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse, unsheathed, renewed, and — dare we say it—refreshed.
Lynn and Art’s Great Adventure, by Art Brady
In mid-May, Lynn & Art Brady spent 5 days in Chincoteague Island, VA, and were entranced by the birds, the “beasts,” and the beauty of the area.
The Birds
American Oyster Catcher
Black-Headed Gull
Cormorant (possibly?)
Ibis
Turkey Vulture
Duck (interested in kicky tires?)
The Beasts: Mares with Foals — and, Finally, a Stallion
Stallion (he’s the third from the right) with Mares and Foals
The Beauty
Surf at Assateague Beach
Coast Guard Assateague Lighthouse
Photos by Art Brady