Hammersmith Farms

Some time has certainly passed since this blog was updated. It has not been forgotten though, and I hope this update will be the first in a regular string of posts that will at the very least serve as a written record for me of what has happened. The title alludes to a trip I will be taking soon, which I also find interesting because it reminds me of London.

Loads have happened since March. My internship in D.C. ended in a fizzle, rather than the bang I was hoping for. I thought that would disappoint me, but what I am doing now makes me thankful I am home now. I am a self-professed history person. I always knew I lived in an area rich in history, but I never really knew the extent of it until I got home from Washington and had time to burn before graduation. Within an hours drive of home there are so many sites to see; houses of different generations, feats of architectural genius from ages past, and battlefields marking some of the most important engagements in our nation's fight for independence.

I've had the opportunity to see and appreciate the Saratoga Battlefield, B.H. Solomon National Cemetery, FDR's house in Hyde Park...along with the two other cottages on his property. I explored the Schoharie Creek State Historic Site (chronicling the development of the Erie Canal), and visited Forts Ticonderoga and Crown Point. A lot has happened, and I have so much more planned to do. I wish I had done this earlier, but I'm glad I have taken the time to do it now.

A byproduct of having no job - there's no reason to avoid talking about it - is the abundance of time to meet up with old contacts and devise different jobs I could apply for. One such meeting eventually - actually a lot faster than I thought - resulted in me joining a political campaign in my home county for the Board of Supervisors. I'm not knocking on doors or calling people, I'm writing...exactly what I've always wanted to do. I'm writing statements on the issues, scripts for videos and helping edit speeches. It's really been a dream. I digress a bit though, I have a ton of pictures of the trips I've been on, so I'll include a couple here that really represent the trips I've taken:

FDR's house 

Where Franklin and Eleanor are buried; it's right near the house. 

William K. Vanderbilt constructed this mansion down the road from FDR's estate. The ranger told me it was one of the smallest mansions built by the Vanderbilt family. 

Servants staircase in the Vanderbilt house...watching too much Downton Abbey can make your imagination run wild looking through the servants corridors of this place. 

Clermont, the generational home of the Livingston family. A Livingston was a founding father and a framer of the Constitution. Many of the hisotrical homes that line the Hudson River were built by Livingston's.

Olana, an artist colony from what I could understand.

Saratoga Battlefield Monument...which isn't in Saratoga Springs. The Battle of Saratoga took place in Schuylerville. 

I was just talking about Schuylerville, well this is General Schuyler's house. He was a wealthy landowner who pretty much held all the property that makes up the present-day town that shares his name. His original house, a massive Georgian structure, was burnt to the ground as General Burgoyne tried to retreat after Saratoga. Schuyler immediately began to rebuild. He has a much larger mansion in Albany, which is where the family spent most of its time. 

The infamous "boot" statue commemorating the efforts of one Benedict Arnold at the Battle of Saratoga.

Val-Kill, the home of Eleanor Roosevelt after FDR died.

Top Cottage, where FDR entertained King George and Churchill during WWII

Hildene, the home of Robert Lincoln, the only Lincoln child to survive into adulthood.

Formal gardens at Hildene.

The observatory at Hildene.

My first Covered Bridge!!! The Arlington Green Bridge.

Fort Ticonderoga

Fort Ti from Point Defiance

The Pavilion, built by the affluent Pell family as a getaway, served shortly as a hotel, but has since fallen into disrepair...and the posession of the same people who run Fort Ti. Perhaps some restoration will happen soon, it was a striking building.

One of my favorite garden layouts 

For Crown Point; at least 4 or 5 times the size of fort Ti, it was a British Garrison up the river during the French and Indian War. Its powder magazine exploded, which is why the barracks are the only two structures left.

Built by the Spencer and Katrina Trask, Yaddo was their Saratoga home, and has since been used as a retreat for artists. It's gardens are open to the public.

In person, this looks like something out of Lord of the Rings. 

The Empire Lock, part of the first expansion of the Erie Canal, before it joined the Mohawk River at this juncture. 

I don't see any ice....

Schoharie Aqueduct; it allowed canal barges to be moved over the Schoharie Creek without having to deal with the dangerous currents of the Creek. 

The Creek was really low for some reason, so I got to get right down into the Creek bed.

Lock 28 and General Store. This store ran a bootlegging operation during prohibition, and it got busted by State Police a couple times. 

The Mohawk River.

National Museum of Racing

Want to learn how to bet on horse races, come on up and this board and accompanying audio recording will show you how!

This horse made it into the hall of fame...I wonder what happened to Cougar I....

I probably have at least 50 pictures per outing, and I have some more trips planned to boot. It's been a lot of fun so far, and I'll update this the best I can as this campaign goes on...and of course when I get that ever elusive full time job. In a week or so, I'll be going down to Newport, Rhode Island for the only grass court tournament to happen on American soil, at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. On that same island, the family home of Jackie Kennedy Onassis - Hammersmith Farm - sits in private ownership. When JFK was President, it was known as the Summer White House for all of the time spent there. Hopefully I'll have the chance to go back and see all of the mansions when tourist season is over.

"Sometimes the questions are complicated, but the answers are simple"
~ Dr. Seuss

Stay Tuned....