We are home from a short overnight visit to see Dan and Alex in Wallkill, New York. It may have been a bit past peak leaf peeping time but the ride there and back was lovely and the view from their home was spectacular--looking up at the Shawangunk Ridge (I think that is what it is called--Gertrude's Nose was one rocky cliff).
We began our visit with a walking tour of New Paltz's Huguenot Street in which our guide Eddie told us the history of the first settlers with an emphasis on debunking the usual theories of their fleeing religious persecution. He included accounts of the Lenape Indians who were there first and the slaves who lived and worked in the homes of the patentees.
We had a very nice dinner at One With Land, a new restaurant that had taken over from one called Owl and paid tribute to its predecessor with its new name. After dinner, Jim and I were introduced to the Great British Bake Off so we feel we are now more culturally aware.
This morning we did a bit more sight-seeing beginning with a look at the extensive garden Dan and Alex have created. Then our first stop was the Shawangunk Reformed Church founded in 1730. The church doors were open for visitors. The cemetery was huge--with almost 300 years of burials.
The next stop was the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge where Dan and Alex look for birds that are native to the diminishing grasslands in the USA. I was fascinated to see what grasslands look like--not just reading about them in the memoirs I've read recently about prairie life. The grass is taller than I imagined and waves in the breeze. Dan and Alex feel privileged to live so close to a national wildlife refuge. They spotted fellow birders Tom and Jane (a lot closer to our age!) and exchanged ideas of what they could see in the area today. (cattle egret--not usually in Ulster County)
It was an easy ride home and we are glad that there is no evidence of our mouse invasion--no smell. We shall see if it is quiet tonight.
Our children have always enriched our lives with their interests and activities and they continue to do so as adults! We are thankful!
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