Out and About

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Tour

On July 9, a van-load of Kendalites took a trip to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery — and returned to tell the tale! The final resting place of the famous, non-famous, and infamous alike, they visited select graveside monuments and heard stories beyond the grave told by Christina Urban-LaSalle, Director of Visitor Services.

Henry Villard told his own story on the back of his monument, but Christina told it better.

Steel magnate Andrew Carnegie chose a modest monument with carved Celtic knots. He acquired considerable wealth and was noted for his philanthropy.

While some graveside monuments were simple or wordy, some let the monument itself tell a story.

Photos by Marianne Bloomfeld

Away for the Summer

Cynthia Ferguson and family are livin’ the good life up in Lake George, experiencing their own version of lovely sunsets.

Occasional visitors include a friendly neighborhood beaver.

Photos by Cynthia Ferguson

Electronic Devices Driving You Nuts? Help Is Available!

July 18, starting at 1:30 pm, bring those problematic laptops, cell phones, etc. to the Residents Association Office and get the help you’ve been longer for.

The Computer Committee provides diagnostic and curative assistance that leaves the rest of us in awe.

Even if your hardware (i.e. physical equipment) isn’t a problem, if you have questions about “how to,” come on in!

Don’t be shy! Help is not only on the way . . . but there!

I Never Knew That . . .

Why Are They Called “Restaurants”

The word “restaurant” literally means “food that restores” and once referred to broths.

French cuisine is often considered the epitome of fine dining, and that could be because French cooks are said to have launched the modern restaurant — and even invented the word “restaurant” itself. Many etymologists and historians attribute the origins of both to A. Boulanger, a Parisian soup vendor who set up shop in 1765. Boulanger peddled bouillons restaurants — so-called restorative meat and vegetable broths, from the French restaurer, meaning “to restore or refresh” — an act that wasn’t entirely revolutionary, since other cooks were selling healing soups from “health houses” around the same time. But Boulanger’s approach was different because he also offered a menu of other meals at a time when most taverns and vendors served just one option, dictated by the chef.

Boulanger’s concept of seating guests and allowing them to choose their desired meal exploded in popularity after the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century, as kitchen workers who formerly served aristocratic households set up their own dining rooms or joined new eateries. By 1804, French diners could choose from more than 500 restaurants across the country.

But, while the etymology of “restaurant” is settled, is that the true story of the origin of public feeding venues? Some historians disagree with this long-told tale of the restaurant’s origin, suggesting there isn’t much evidence by way of historical documentation to prove Boulanger was a real person. And others believe attributing the public dining room to French ingenuity isn’t wholly accurate, since humans have been offering up their cooking talent to the hungry masses for millennia. Take, for example, how Chinese chefs in major cities such as Kaifeng and Hangzhou customized menus to appeal to traveling businessmen looking for familiar meals nearly 700 years before France’s iteration of the restaurant. Or the excavated ruins at Pompeii dating to 79 CE that include ornately decorated food stalls called thermopolia, where hungry Romans could choose from a variety of ready-to-eat dishes. Though the names have differed, smart humans have been selling snacks to each other for a long, long time.

Source: Interestingfacts.com

Contributed by Jane Hart

Art by Hart

Hambright's apartment was short on square footage, but the high ceilings provided lots of wall space

Fendleman’s stories were complicated

Celia had storm debris to deal with

The Tour de France officials had to say no

At Camp Woofy, all the kids could be who they were

Art and photos by Jane Hart

In and Around

By the Rockets’ Red Glare

Whether on the near or the far banks of the Hudson, the Fourth of July is a time for the awe and beauty of fireworks.

The Nyack brand, seen reflected in the Hudson (and photographed by Art Brady):

Or Fireworks seen reflected in Clermont’s

Photo by Carolyn Reiss

Bocce, Kendal-Style

When it’s not too cold and not too hot — and, definitely not too wet — Kendal’s Bocce athletes come together on the Bocce Court (aka the lawn between Alida and Fulton) on Wednesdays at 1:30. On July 3, Pace students Alejandra and Jessica, interning with Physical Therapy, joined them.

Photo by Pete Roggemann

Yes, Goats Have Personalities, Too

“You lookin’ at me?!”

“Oh, my, are you looking at me?”

Photos by Mimi Abramovitz

Celebrating the Fourth — the Kendal Way

The Show Did Go On!

She who organizes everything: Muriel Fox awaits the start of the festivities and her role as EmCee . . .

Frank Neuwirth reads the Declaration of Independence. He first explained that the honor falls to him since he — and Bill Rakower — were there at the time.

Under Bob Singleton direction, the Kendal Singers provide song . . .

. . . and the audience joins in “America the Beautiful”

To break the serious mood, Jon Masters, Mike Kornfield, Greg Lozier, and Philip Monteleoni perform “A Little Tin Box” from the musical Fiorello, accompanied by Linda Mahoney. They brought it up to date with a new verse about “a little gold bar in his wife’s car.”

Jon Masters with his best “Who me?!”

And a surprise Thank-You bouquet to exceptional accompanist Linda Mahoney Herring

And, finally, the item long awaited: a debate. The question: Who was the worst president before the 21st century?

Carol Monteleoni, quoting many historians, makes her case for James Buchanan. 

Norman Sissman discusses the presidency of Andrew Johnson.

Ann White delivers her argument for Warren G. Harding.

All those in favor . . .

The majority rules. “Winner” of the Worst President before the 21st century goes to [drum roll] . . . Andrew Johnson.

And the evening is wrapped up with a lusty rendition of The Star Spangled Banner.

Not Everyone's Meat and Potatoes . . .

Recently a certain benevolent set of grandparents treated their foodie grandson to lunch at Stone Barns. They had chosen lunch due to the exorbitant price of dinner at this restaurant of renown ($350-450 per dinner, plus a required 22% “service charge” — yikes!).

A Stone Barns lunch is a more relaxed affair. Cafeteria-style service, and you have to take the “salad” out of its plastic protective covering yourself, ala our own Bistro-dining here at Kendal (so no service charge, ).

All three diners found the “small plate” menu interesting. And tasty. And . . . small.

Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

The bill: $48 bucks — per person (center green stuff included). Worth it? Everyone must decide for themselves.

Dr. Seuss at KoH?!

Most — if not all — of us remember not simply the prose but the pictures in Dr. Seuss’s many, many, many books. We were read them as children — or read them on our own — and/or read them to our children and grandchildren (per chance, and those beyond!).

Gerry Mahoney has raised an interesting question. Have the characters from Dr. Seuss’s books . . .

. . . migrated to Kendal on Hudson?

It doth give one pause to think . . .

For Your Funny Bone

Contributed by Sally Kellock

Art by Hart

A sentimental pack rat, the princess saved the pea that won her the prince 200 years ago

Titania wondered if she was imagining Arnold or vice versa

Bobo was waiting out the noisy fireworks

Milton’s ideas sounded crazy, but they worked

Mrs. Renfrew was deeply connected to her climbing vine

Art and photos by Jane Hart

Art and Poetry by Sheila Benedis

Two Worlds

Inner world

Inspired by democracy                                        

compassion for oppressed

lightness of peace hope justice

life fragile and precious

                    

outer world

devastated by autocracy

darkness of war

precarious safety and health

innocent people in fear

 

Inner world

calm peaceful  

place of freedom 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

fragrant 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

welcoming oasis of joy and excitement

other apartments

more neutral

 

may I feel my inner beauty

may my creativity uplift the outer world

Diverse Paper Weaving

The Great Grillers Grilling Greatly

Last year, the Kendal Grilling Club kicked off, with great reviews. Now that summer’s back again, so are the Grillers! The first (but by no means the last) “meeting” of 2024 was June 28. And it must be said (yes, it must) that the Great Grillers did greatly with their grilling. Interested in joining them as a Griller Club member? Contact Grill Master Peter Roggemann. (And start salivating!)

Photos contributed by Peter Roggemann

Things You May Not Know: About the Oreo

Background for an Idol

Afficionados of junk food — and their grandparents — may be interested in the history of the Oreo cookie. So here it is. 

The Oreo was first made in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco, later Kraft Foods). Developed to compete with the Hydrox chocolate cookie, the Oreo became so popular that the Hydrox eventually ceased to exist altogether.

The origin of the Oreo’s name is still in dispute, but the word oreo, in Greek, means “beautiful.”

Throughout the 100+ years of its existence, only one change was made in an Oreo’s ingredients. In the early 1990s, lard was discarded as one component of the filling and replaced with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Soon this switch attracted two new groups of customers: Jews who chose Kosher diets and Vegans! 

It is estimated that more than 500 billion Oreos have been consumed worldwide, mostly by humans but probably also by a few hungry inquisitive pet dogs — and some voracious kitchen ants. Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. 

A few non-culinary aspects of Oreos history should be mentioned:

  • the word Oreo was a derogatory term once applied to a Black person who was perceived as adopting the characteristic mentality and behavior of white middle-class people

  • During the notorious Superbowl XLVII power outage, Oreo enthusiasts tweeted the phrase “you can still dunk in the dark.” That, for a while, became a popular refrain 

  • Finally, the word Oreo is a frequently requested answer to crossword puzzle clues. Why? Well, probably because — with the equally popular “oboe” — 3 of its 4 letters are vowels.

Contributed by Norman Sissman

The Science Behind “The Dunk”

Scientists have studied the ideal amount of time for dunking an Oreo in milk. Turns out, there is a right way and a wrong way to accomplish the deed for maximum results.

In 1998, a professor at the University of Bristol in the UK looked into the ideal method for dunking a British biscuit (aka “a cookie”) into a drink, using the concept of capillary action — the way fluids move spontaneously through small tubes in porous materials — and Washburn’s equation, which describes their journey. Eventually, he determined that the typical British biscuit is best dunked for 3.5 to 5 seconds.

Using this same technique in 2016, scientists at the University of Utah’s Splash Lab determined the perfect dunk time for the much-beloved Oreo. Although the amount of time to get to “perfect” depends on preferred sogginess levels and milk-fat content, the Utah researchers determined that 3 seconds was enough to thoroughly saturate the Oreo without losing structural integrity.

Here’s the journey in slow motion. Cookies are porous. Milk travels through the small holes inside them the same way ink does through blotting paper — or a spill through a paper towel. During tests, the Oreo soaked up 50% of its potential liquid weight in 1 second. That number shot up to 80% at 2 seconds, flatlined at 3 seconds, and maxed out at 4 seconds — meaning the cookie could absorb no more milk. So if the goal was to saturate the cookie but not lose structural cohesion, 3 seconds was the perfect number.

While this test used 2% milk as its dunking medium, the optimal dunking time will vary slightly when using other milk. The higher the milk fat (like whole milk or cream), the longer a cookie can be dunked, but only by mere fractions of a second.

And now you know. Happy dunking!

Source: interestingfacts.com

Photo by Dmitry Kuzmenko/ Unsplash

Contributed by Jane Hart

In honor of the mighty Oreo and the practice of dunking there with, we present the perfect Oreo-eating accessory:

Poetry and Art by Sheila Benedis

Future World

I look at myself on the zoom screen

I see my wavy hair

My artwork in the background

 

With the magnifying glass

My hair looks like tangles

The world in chaos

Shadows of war

My art like an arm reaching out

Trying to innfluence others

Is the world really so dark

 

Hopefully the future will bring

Changes in the world

A more peaceful time

Appreciation of art

Perhaps my arm is reaching out

Trying to reassure the world

Hopefully a more peaceful future

Meditation 3

Art by Hart

Carlton found comfort and joy among the squid

Diana had imagined her stage debut a thousand times

The square dance fell apart when the caller got hiccups

Cedric’s pricey orthopedic recliner required as many adjustments as he did

Weird but endearing, Ace was the first AI-generated child

Art and photos by Jane Hart

© Kendal on Hudson Residents Association 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 all rights reserved.  Please do not reproduce without permission.

Photographs of life at Kendal on Hudson are by residents.