It’s always great for new residents to just dive into Kendal activities. Along that line, Pete Catapano sent this photo, explaining that it “was taken at Flushing Bay near LaGuardia Airport [seen in the background] and the site of the 1964 World’s Fair. It demonstrates to me that it’s in [childrne’s] nature to find a way to play. No matter where they are or what the situation, unless they are restrained, curiosity, spontaneous movement, and a lust for life will take over.”
Goldenaires on the Fourth
This year’s Kendal Fourth of July celebration was special: the Declaration and the Bill of Rights, the singing, a reenvisioned American flag, the Emma Lazarus poem, the unsung women of the Founding era, the debate. But even in all that excellence, the “Linda and the Goldenaires” piece stood out. We saved a special section in this Residents Website to salute them.
If you remember, these usually jovial Kendalites were deadly serious. They began in a line, each dressed in a shirt printed with American flags—reading a quote from the past—near or far —he felt pertinent to our Democracy. Then, rotating in line, each read a second quote.
THE QUOTES
Mike Kornfield Quotes:
I cannot believe that war is the best solution. No one won the last war and no one will win the next war. Eleanor Roosevelt
There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with the power to endanger the public liberty. John Adams
Greg Lozier Quotes
True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. Arthur Ashe
The fact is, with every friendship you make, and every bond you establish, you are shaping the image of America projected to the rest of the world. Michelle Obama
Jon Masters Quotes
I don’t want to be the President who built empires, or sought grandeur, or extended dominion. I want to be the President who helped to end hatred among his fellow men and who promoted love among the people of all races and all regions and all parties. President Lyndon B. Johnson
We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. Abraham Lincoln
Philip Monteleoni Quotes
To lodge all power in one party and keep it there is to insure bad government and the certain and gradual deterioration of public morals. Mark Twain
When we unite in purpose, we are greater than the sum of our parts. Maya Angelou
THE SONG
The height of the evening was the group’s performance of a singing of The Battle Hymn of the Republic, again reenvisioned for our day, and written by Mike Kornfield and Linda Mahoney.
Linda and the Goldenaires, photo by Harry Bloomfeld
Battle Hymn for July 4th
Our country is in trouble Now of that there is no doubt So we must resist all tyrants From within and from without Who try to take our rights away And crush democracy Reclaim our liberty
Chorus: Glory, Glory, let us all be strong Glory, Glory let us right what’s wrong Glory ,Glory let us sing one song Unite and we’ll be strong
On city streets and country roads We’re neighbors one and all We’ll bear each others’ burdens And help them if they fall We must build a new community And try to sing one song Unite and we’ll be strong
Chorus
We all live on this planet And we all must learn to share This Earth has been our mother And her gifts are everywhere The trees, the birds, the animals, The water and the air We all must do our share
Chorus
Our spirit is awakening We’ll do what must be done We will practice love for neighbors Until the battle’s won We will keep our nation friendly. To the stranger who’s in need Be true in word and deed
Chorus
By the final chorus, the entire audience seemed to be singing, with vigor, along with them.
Well, done Linda and the Goldenaires!
Try Something New . . .
Weekly Construction Report
New RC Waiting Room
New Pool Bench
New Pool Mirrors
From the Office of Ellen Ottstadt
If You Can't Say Anything Nice, Say It With Wit
These insults are from an era before the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words.
1. “He had delusions of adequacy.” Walter Kerr
2. “He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.” Winston Churchill
3. “I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.” Clarence Darrow
4. “He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.”William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)
5. “Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?” Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)
6. “Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it.” Moses Hadas
7. “I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” Mark Twain
8. “He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.” Oscar Wilde
9. “I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend, if you have one.” George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill
10. “Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second . . . if there is one.” Winston Churchill, in response
11. “I feel so miserable without you; it’s almost like having you here.” Stephen Bishop
12. “He is a self-made man and worships his creator.” John Bright
13. “I’ve just learned about his illness. Let’s hope it's nothing trivial.” Irvin S. Cobb
Contributed by Barbara Bruno
I Never Knew That
The Long Road to Sliced Bread
Prints and Photographs Division/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Bread has been made for thousands and thousands of years. But the convenience of commercially available presliced bread? That is a much more recent development, relatively speaking.
On July 7, 1928, bread loaves that had been presliced—with the first commercial bread slicer—were sold for the very first time. And the person responsible for this, one of the most revolutionary inventions in the baking industry, was . . . a jeweler? Indeed. The creator, Otto Rohwedder, was a jeweler by trade, but he liked to invent things in his spare time. He had graduated with a degree in optics from the Northern Illinois College of Ophthalmology and Otology. (Rohwedder was a man of many interests.) He eventually left the jewelry business entirely and took a chance on an idea: a machine that would automatically slice loaves of bread. By 1917 he had a viable prototype and a factory that was ready to produce it. So why didn’t his invention debut then? That year a fire destroyed the factory that housed Rohwedder’s prototype and blueprints. The setback meant he would have to start over.
Rohwedder got back to work. He partnered with Frank Bench, the owner of the Chillicothe Baking Company in Missouri, which would go on to produce the first loaves of bread that would be sliced by Rohwedder’s invention in 1928. The day before the first sales of their presliced bread, they advertised in a local newspaper, touting the innovation as “The Greatest Forward Step in the Baking Industry Since Bread Was Wrapped” and “a fine loaf sold a better way.”
Customers agreed.
As the demand for sliced bread increased, the use of commercial bread slicers spread across the country. The sale of presliced bread has been ubiquitous ever since—with one small hiccup in 1943, when there was a brief ban on it in the U.S. (But that’s a story for another time. Stay tuned.)
Source: Britannica.com, “Today in History,” Amy McKenna
For Your Funny Bone
Contributed by Maria Harris
Contributed by Barbara Bruno
Hope XIV Collage, by Sheila Benedis
Art and photo by Sheila Benedis
Art by Hart
Late in life, Aunt Lulu fell in love with floofy fabrics
Mac was asking more and more questions that his parents couldn’t answer
For many on the island, ride-sharing was a good option
If Cinderella had been an elephant, she would have remembered to go back for her shoe
Karen’s new cruelty-free shampoo was unable to keep rabbits out of her hair
Art and photos by Jane Hart
In and Around
The End of a (Very Short) Era
Remember the house being built in Rockwood Park—the one to serve as the setting for a soon-to-be released mini-series saga? Well, it’s gone. Done and dusty. End of story. Here it is on its last legs—a dumpster nearby—courtesy of Carolyn Reiss.
The Beginning of the End
It will not come as news that, in the past week or so, we have been struggling with a profound heat wave. The evening of July 3 was the first hint of its breaking, and Greg Lozier got in down in before-and-after pictures.
Evening sky before the rain
After the rain
Feathered and Four-Legged Friends
Standing Guard. Photo by Ed Lannert
When You Don’t Have Goats, Bunnies Will Do. Photo by Jane Hart
Getting in a Quick Visit Before Thanksgiving. Photo by Carolyn Reiss
When You Least Expect . . .
Ed and Joyce Lannert have a friend who owns Chappaqua’s Susan Lawrence Bakery/Cafe. Their friend organized a special reception to celebrate another friend and invited Ed and Joyce—and the Clintons. Ed reports it was “a great event and even greater to spend some time with them.”
Photo by Ed Lannert
Meanwhile, From a Kendal Birthday Party
Barbara App celebrated a birthday recently, and her daughter went all out with goodies from Chappaqua’s Les Tulipes. File under the category of “Too Beautiful to Eat”!
Photo by Jane Hart
A Growing Family at Kendal
Naomi Gross has become honorary Grandma to a robin family that moved recently into her patio. Now baby —of the feathered variety—makes three. And Papa Robin is definitely a modern dad, taking on the feeding role to a seemingly insatiable offspring.
Photo by Carolyn Reiss
Salvation from the Season’s Heat
Sweet Summer Rain, photo by Peter Sibley
While Walkin’ in the Park One Day
Carolyn Reiss captured the beauty of a summer morn in the park . . .
And—what do ya know—there’s another Kendal photographer out for a stroll: Ed Lannert.
Photos by Carolyn Reiss
Inspired by the imagery suggested by America the Beautiful, Marilyn Bottjer produced a work of art for our 250th anniversary.
Photo by Marilyn Bottjer
Out and About
Politics Wheresoever Ye Turn
While in London recently, Joe and Barbara Bruno came across an interesting political sign indicating an extreme threat of action:
Photo by Joe Bruno
On Stage
Doin' It Up Right for The 250th Fourth
First, a Bit of Fueling for the Event
And Then: The Show!
Kendal’s traditional Fourth of July celebration was all that more special this year because we were also celebrating the USA’s 250th anniversary.
We hasten to say that photographs are very difficult to take given the lighting in the Gathering Room. But we still wanted to remember this wonderful gathering.
Muriel Fox and Bobbie Roggemann put together a great show. We were all delighted to have Muriel Fox back as our traditional emcee.
And we were, as usual, grateful for the musical talents of Linda Mahoney and Donn Williams.
The Reading of the Declaration of Independence
Long a Kendal tradition is to have the Declaration of Independence read. This year, the Founders’ words were read by our Founders. Here are three:
The Bill of Rights
Another tradition: Reading the Bill of Rights. This year—to balance our Founders’ reading of the Declaration—some of our newest Kendal neighbors took turns with each of the Constitution’s first 10 amendments. Again, a sample of three:
The American Flag: a New Interpretation
The American flag in E Pluribus Unum mode hung in the Gathering Room during the event. A creation of Philip Monteleoni’s, Philip gave a brief talk on what it represented: America as a tapestry woven of immigrants ever since its founding. The stars are still there, and the white stripes, too. The red strips have been reimagined as the flags of many of the countries from whence Americans have originated (there are more flags, but they wouldn’t all fit!).
Philip also read Emma Lazarus’ poem A New Colossus in its entirety. We all know its inspiring end verses:
“Give me your tired, your poor Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
The Gold of the Goldenaires
The Goldenaires provided a new interpretation of The Battle Hymn of the Republic. We will provide more on this next week—stay tuned.
At the end of their performance, there was an announcement of a change in the name of this popular Kendal group. It will henceforth be known as “Linda and the Goldenaires.” Gold, indeed.
Unsung Women of the American Revolution
Bobbie Roggemann brought us Part I of an examination of the great women who have helped shape American history and its great experiment: government by and for the people. With only a brief time to try to squeeze in all women have done to bring our country into being, she promised Part II next year.
The Great Debate
Each year, a question is posed and Kendalites take part in a debate, presenting varying points of view. This year, the question was: Will the United States Elect a Woman President?
Stan Amberg’s approach: Yes, but only if she’s a conservative.
Marjorie Gilbert’s approach: Yes, but over time and only if she’s a moderate.
Barbara Kornfield’s approach: Yes, but only if she is a progressive.
Following the three presentations, the audience voted. The winner: Barbara Kornfield’s argument: Yes, but only if she is a progressive.
Time will tell.
Photos by Harry Bloomfeld
Get Your Steps In and Serve the Environment, Too
Okay, this is from two years ago—but bears repeating! The Spotted Lanternflies are back! So here we go:
The Stages of the Life of a Lanternfly
A new dance crazy has captured Kendal. We’ve noticed it on the terrace, the surrounding sidewalks, even in the cul-de-sac. It is called the Lanternfly Hop.
The dancer stands erect, then slowly, fluidly advances. He—or she—slowly raises one leg in a march-like step, then stomps (!), followed by a quick hop towards the retreating lanternfly. This is followed by another glide, stomp, hop, until the dancer raises arms in victory or loses interest—or energy—and retires.
At times of victory, a movement similar to the 1960s Twist or the Mashed Potatoes is added at the end of the stomp. The Lanternfly Hop can be undertaken by partners or individuals (as in the Watusi or Frug). It can also be a group activity ala a square dance, with a caller directing movements (“That one! That one! Get that one!”)
Some dancers add lyrics to the music in their heads: “Dammit!” “Son-of-Bitch!” or, in victory, “Gotcha!” These are, however, not required.
As of this time, no official song or orchestration accompanies the dance. If anyone would like to provide one, we encourage recording it (along with dance in video, if possible) and sending it our way. We will post it on the Residents Website for the edification of the community.
I Never Knew That
Italy Once Called for the Abolition of Pasta
Pasta is a culinary staple worldwide, but in Italy it’s also a cultural institution—which is why it’s shocking to consider that the country once tried to abolish the food.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Benito Mussolini’s fascist government pushed a campaign against pasta that was framed as an attempt to improve public health. Some officials and allies of the regime argued that a modern, stronger nation would be better off with fewer carbohydrates and more protein. People who ate pasta, proponents claimed, were sluggish and bloated, and merely trying to fill an insatiable emotional emptiness. But the campaign had ulterior motives. Since pasta relied heavily on imported wheat, the anti-pasta rhetoric was really an effort to reduce foreign economic dependence and to tighten control over everyday civilian life by increasing domestic crops such as rice.
Many Italians, perhaps unsurprisingly, resisted Mussolini’s efforts. In the rice fields of northern Italy, working-class women known as the mondine organized strikes and protests over poor wages and conditions. Elsewhere, the mayor of Naples defended pasta by saying, “The angels in Paradise eat nothing but vermicelli al pomodoro.” By the 1940s, the fascist control over Italians’ everyday diet had shifted, overtaken by the realities of World War II and a population far more concerned with eating at all than with the details of the menu.
Source: historyfacts.com, Nicole Villeneuve, June 17, 2026
Contributed by Jane Hart (via Steven Price)
For Your Funnybone
Hope XII Collage, by Sheila Benedis
Art and photos by Sheila Benedis.
Art by Hart
Humphrey’s left brain was usually his active side
Bernie found summer school more fun than he’d expected
Lavinia was proud of her newly-mapped brain
Erica kept a lot of memories alive
Hardly anybody recognized Therese, a toucan, after her cosmetic surger
Art and photos by Jane Hart.
In and Around Kendal
Albany-Bound—Avoiding Summer Traffic
Photo by Joe Bruno
Pickleball in the Cul de Sac: Staff Appreciation Week, Day #4
Photo by Cynthia Ferguson
Family Planning Is for the Birds
Naomi Gross noticed new neighbors moving into the neighborhood, i.e. her patio. Papa, Mama, and—since these pictures were taken—three little ones.
Papa checks out the new abode
Mama settles in
Photos by Harry Bloomfeld
Summer Travel—Without the Traveling
Clermont Puzzlers took a trip to Amsterdam without the hassle of suitcases, passports, and time change. Just pullin’ the pieces together.
Photo by Peter Sibley
Down-to-(the)-Earth Neighbors
Trusting on his own camoflauge, by Edward Kasinec
Up close and personal, by Carolyn Reiss
Celebrating the Flip Side of Celebration
While Kendalites ate, drank, and made merry celebrating the Gazebo behind Clermont, the Bistro staff—usually at that time on the run solving problems, doing favors, clearing up, and dishing out—got some unexpected down time. They don’t seem disappointed that we’re all not there . . .
Nature’s Beauties
Amaryllis about to open
And in full bloom
Photos by Lynn Brady
Day Is Done, Gone the Sun . . .
Photo by Carolyn Reiss
Out and About
Music in Weir-d Spaces
Donna Nye and Carolyn Reiss recently attended a concert in a rather unusual setting in Ossining: the weir of the Old Croton Aqueduct. They report that the music flowed beautifully. Everything went swimmingly. (And that’s the best I can do with “aqueduct.”) Photo by Carolyn Reiss.
In June, One’s Thoughts Turn to Weddings
Marianne and Harry Bloomfeld’s grandson announced his intent to marry—the first of that particular Bloomfeld generation. One catch: the wedding was a bit out of the way—in Tuscany. Marianne waved caution to the wind and started preparing—for the wedding and a few days traveling around the area. Who wouldn’t? Well, for one: Harry. After all, foreign travel is not so easy-peasy the older one gets. But he’s home and we’re celebrating ‘cause he’s getting pictures!!
Picture perfect: the wedding dinner at a Tuscan hotel.
Groom (and grandson) Jake and his brand-new wife Logan
The beauty of Tuscany, a handsome groom, and a more than enthusiastic Grandma Marianne.