In and Around Kendal

Spring Is Springing Up All Around Us

A Harbinger of Spring: The First Robin Has Been Sighted!

Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

Photo by Peter Sibley

Photo by Carolyn Reiss

Queen Esther Arrives for Purim!

Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

Hudson-River Calm

Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

March Kendal Birthdays

Photo by Marianne Bloomfeld

Doesn’t He Get Cramped in There?

Photo by Joe Bruno

Discovered in Rockwood Park: Proof of the Dreaded Logasaurus from the Jurassic Period

Photo by Edward Kasinec

Dear Friends Come to Dine

(Yes, play on words intended . . . )

Photo by Carolyn Reiss

A Sky Full of Contrails— Where Are They All Going?

Photo by Carolyn Reiss

Don't Get Phished!

Phishing and Scamming have picked up speed all around us—in phone calls and in emails, especially in the Senior population.

Protect Yourself!

Do NOT give anyone you don’t know cash or gift cards, especially in person

Do NOT accept phone calls from the “bank” or “cable company,” etc.  Always tell them you will call them back. Do not accept a call-back number they give you. Get the number from the internet or the phone book.

If you have any questions, check with Jean Eccleston (CEO), Carmela Carino (CFO), or Ellen Ottstadt in Resident Services.

Sage Advice from the Kendal Administration

March 21: Computer Committee Meeting

As spring is springing, the next Computer Committee will be meeting—and all are welcome to attend.

 Friday, March 21, 1 pm, in the Garthering Room

There will be lots of things to discuss, including:

  • the new Video-on-Demand,

  • the new Icon (Catie replacement)

  • The next help session to be held the following week, March 28, 1 pm, in the GR

Even if the only thing you know how to do is push the On button to your computer, you may find the discussion interesting.

Made in NYC: 123 Brands, Trends, and Inventions That Began in the Big Apple

A Heartland Heavy-Lifter: The Mack truck

A legend of American highways, most people would never guess this brand began in Brooklyn. The history dates back to John M. (“Jack”) Mack getting a job at Brooklyn carriage and wagon company Fallesen & Berry in 1890. By 1893, Jack and his brother Gus had bought the company and by 1900 they had opened their first bus manufacturing plant on Atlantic Avenue. They added the brand name “Manhattan” to their vehicles and the company took off from there.

Jack Mack

One of the World’s Most Famous Trademarks: Dixie Cups

Recognize his symbol? You’d think Dixie Cups hailed from the heart of the southland, but this trademark owes its origins to Chelsea in Manhattan. It was actually a bit of laziness that gave the cup its name—the headquarters at 220 W. 19th St. had a tenant named Dixie Dolls, which took that name because the owner didn’t bother to switch a sign from a previous tenant. When the “Health Cups” name was a fail, the cup manufacturer asked his neighbor if he could borrow the Dixie moniker and the rest is trademark history.

A Breakfast Staple That Originated in New York, Not the UK

If you guessed Thomas’ English Muffins, you got it right. In 1880, Samuel B. Thomas opened the first Thomas’ bakery in New York City, after emigrating from England. Renovations by residents in an apartment building at  337 W. 20th St. in 2006 revealed one of the brand’s original ovens.

Samuel B. Thomas

Source: “Made in NYC,” City Guide, March 20, 2024

Contributed by Bobbie Roggemann

The Weekly Kendal Low-Stakes Poker Report

March 12’s Grand Winner: Norman Sissman, with $16! [Insert uproarious cheers and applause]

The aim is fun, not financial windfall. Fear not any Atlantic City high-rollers joining in. All skill sets are welcome. Stakes are 25-50 cents.  

Want to join the fun? Call or text John Vacher: (404) 556-0557. He’ll even come and provide a short tutorial, so you’ll fit in seamlessly your very first Wednesday night.

I Never Knew That

Queen Elizabeth Had Black Teeth

You may think you have a sweet tooth, but it likely doesn’t compare to the sugar craze that swept through the English upper crust in the 16th century. Due to colonial trade, sugar — a rare seasoning and preservative in the medieval period — flowed into Elizabethan England. Yet because of its high cost, the sucrose could only be purchased by the wealthy. The treat became the central ingredient of lavish banquets, and cookbooks of the well-to-do began to collect delectable dishes made with this new confection. However, sugar’s deleterious dental effects weren’t as well known at the time, and the most high-profile victim of this sweet ignorance was none other than Queen Elizabeth I herself.

It was no secret that the queen possessed a legendary sweet tooth; historians say she even used a sugar-based toothpaste to polish her teeth, which 10 out of 10 dentists don’t recommend. In 1599, a German traveler named Paul Hentzner described the 65-year-old queen and revealed what a lifelong sugar addiction can do: “Her Lips narrow and her Teeth black… a defect the English seem subject to, from their too great use of sugar.” Yet the queen’s black, rotting teeth didn’t detract from her appeal. Because only the rich could afford sugar (and the tooth decay it engendered), black teeth became seen as fashionable, and people would artificially blacken their teeth with soot to fit in, a fad that eventually faded after the reign of Elizabeth I.

Source: historyfacts.com

Contributed by Jane Hart

Art by Hart

Nunzio, the world-famous fish choreographer, saw raw talent in the Clearwater tank

Mary Sue had been an Avon cosmetics rep and Cal had sold Electrolux vacuums, and they still loved to meet in doorways

It would have been a five-star resort, but it had only the one little unisex restroom

Even the second graders knew that Ms. Cordwood’s bark was worse than her bite

The morning stretch class was spirited, as usual

Art and photos by Jane Hart

In and Around Kendal

Fog Over the Hudson

Photo by Greg Lozier

Milkweed: Butterfly Cuisine ala Winter

Photo by Greg Lozier

Signs of Spring

Promise of Rebirth

Photo by Edward Kasinec

An Early Swan (Maybe a Scout)

Photo by Mimi Abramovitz

Outside Mary Powell

Photo by Carolyn Reiss

Changing Light and Sky

Photos by Carolyn Reiss

Returning Empty

Photo by Greg Lozier

Photos by Carolyn Reiss

A St. Paddy's Day Celebration, Sleepy-Hollow Style (and Tarrytown)

The Good News: Sunday, March 16 is the glorious Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow St. Patrick’s Day Parade!

The 2025 Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown St. Patrick’s Day Parade is scheduled for Sunday, March 16. The parade kicks-off at 1:30pm from Main Street in Tarrytown, then proceeds north on Route 9 to Beekman Avenue in Sleepy Hollow, where parade participants pass the reviewing stand. This year, the Parade posthumously honors the late Sister Susan Gardella as Grand Marshall. Sister Susan, who passed away in January of 2025, served as Executive Director and Co-Founder of the RHSM Life Center in Sleepy Hollow. The Life Center has been serving the needs of the community in Sleepy Hollow for more than 25 years.

Now the Bad News: Sunday, March 16 Is the Glorious Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Which means that after about 1 pm, trying to get through Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown on Route 9 will be impossible! Go by way of Pocantico Hills and the Tarrytown Lakes. Either that or plan to be through Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown by 1 pm.

Made in NYC: 123 Brands, Trends, and Inventions That Began in the Big Apple

A Paint Like No Other: Benjamin Moore

Benjamin Moore Paints Archives

This international brand got its start in Brooklyn in 1883. The first factory at 55 Atlantic Avenue burned down just a year after it opened—but that didn’t slow down Benjamin Moore and company. They were back in business three days later.

An International Finance Innovation: The Credit Card

In 1949, Frank McNamara realized he’d left his wallet in another suit after a client meal on West 33rd Street. He was inspired to avoid future embarrassment by creating a card that would substitute for cash. From Majors Cabin Grill (see below) to an innovation that changed the world: NYC was home to the first credit card, Diners Club. (It’s still in business today, with operations in 59 countries.)

Bring Out the Best

Recognize this condiment’s blue ribbon? Hellmann’s has been enticing cooks to “bring out the best” since 1905, when immigrant Richard Hellmann started selling mayonnaise out of a delicatessen at 490 Columbus Avenue on the Upper West Side. By 1913 he had incorporated the business as Hellmann’s Blue Ribbon Mayonnaise, which is still thriving today, albeit under multinational ownership.

Source: “Made in NYC,” City Guide, March 20, 2024

Contributed by Bobbie Roggemann

The Weekly Kendal Low-Stakes Poker Report!

                   March 5’s Grand Winner:                  Bob Root with $7! [Insert uproarious cheers and applause]

 The aim is fun, not financial windfall. Fear not any Atlantic City high-rollers joining in. All skill sets are welcome. Stakes are 25-50 cents.

 Want to join the fun? Call or text John Vacher: (404) 556-0557. He’ll even come and provide a short tutorial, so you’ll fit in seamlessly your very first Wednesday night.

I Never Knew That

The World’s Smallest Park Is About the Size of Four Pieces of Paper

If you want to take a stroll around this park in Japan, you will have to be very nimble on your toes.

A park roughly the size of four sheets of paper in Japan’s central prefecture of Shizuoka was recently crowned the world’s smallest, according to Guinness World Records. Despite measuring just 2.6 square feet, the recreational space offers a stool made up of a block of wood held up by a rock, with a little bush encircling it. From afar, it could easily be mistaken for a bonsai, an example of the Japanese art of manicuring miniature trees.

The park is a short walk from the town hall of Nagaizumi, about 68 miles southwest of the capital Tokyo. The previous official world’s smallest park was Mill Ends Park in Portland, Oregon, which helped inspire the Japanese contender that officially took the title on Tuesday, according to Guinness.

When a Nagaizumi local was on vacation in the US, “they found the previous record holder for the smallest park,” Shuji Koyama, a team leader of the town’s construction division, told Guinness. “So, they wanted to create an even smaller park.”

Locals have been referring to it as the world’s smallest park since it was built in 1988, despite a lack of official recognition. To qualify for the Guinness title, Shizuoka officials brought in a certified surveyor to measure the park.

Koyama told Guinness World Records he was relieved that the park was finally recognized. “We want to continue maintaining the park with the community, as well as creating a landscape that is more social media friendly, so that even more people will find attractions of our town,” he said.

Source: CNN Travel, Chris Lau, February 28, 2025

Contributed by Jane Hart

Art by Hart

When Adam and Eve left the Garden, the snake launched 4BiddenFruit.com, becoming the Earth’s first billionaire

Kinney could produce convincing crocodile tears in no time flat

Granny loved the munchkins’ visits

Hattie didn’t even exist an hour ago, but she was already worried about impermanence

Betsy couldn’t forget the freckled elephant

The Chatfield brothers all had good ideas, but only Matthew knew how to make people listen

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.