Wrapping up a llloonnnggg trip

We enjoyed our time with Felicity.  I’m sure she feels the same way.  We made many stops and did a lot of work.  She was pretty hungry and exhausted.  We brought her to our local Italian restaurant, Piazza Roma, for dinner.  As you can see, she worked up quite the appetite.  It’s the least we could do since she helped with our house.  After we got home Felicity took a bath and went to bed.  She has a long trip back to North Carolina.  It’s very important that she gets her rest.  I hope everyone enjoys the stories she has to share!

Felicity helps build our house

Marcie and I closed on our house this New Year’s Eve. The house was in terrible condition and needed to be completely rebuilt. We’ve been working on it constantly. We couldn’t stop just because Felicity was here, so we put her to work! She helped knock down some walls and clean out the house. We took a picture of her helping us. As you can see in the picture, safety first! We provided her with her own mask and safety goggles. She was a big help. We’ll have to keep her updated as we move along.

Felicity can’t be a scaredy cat in Sleepy Hollow!

I was very proud of Felicity’s courage during this part of her stay.  We took her to Sleepy Hollow to look through the legendary cemetery for the ghost of the Headless Horseman.  Luckily for all of us, we didn’t find him, shwew!  If you don’t know the story of Ichabod Crane and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, you should read it right away.  The story takes place during the late 18^th century.  This is another example of how much important history is right here within 30 minutes of home.  Who knew!  According to the legend, the cemetery and village is haunted by a dark figure that rides through the nights on his horse.  The figure is believed to be a revolutionary war soldier whose head was shot off by a cannon ball.  The story was written by Washington Irving.  You can see Felicity sitting on Mr. Irving’s gravestone.  The cemetery is one of the oldest in the entire country.  Andrew Carnegie and William Rockefeller are also buried here.  Felicity also took a picture on the Headless Horseman Bridge.  This famous wooden bridge was part of the frequent path of the Headless Horseman.  The bridge has been rebuilt because of its age.  Felicity also wanted to take a picture next to the Old Dutch Church.  The church was built in 1697 and was also made famous by the legend.    

Wow, up close with a U.S. Army tank!

Peekskill is also home of Camp Smith.  Of course, we’re not allowed to enter the premises, as this is a United States Army training facility.  Felicity was excited that we could get close enough to take a picture of this tank.  It’s a restricted area so she wasn’t allowed to actually sit on the tank.  I had to hold her back from jumping across the chains.  The United States Army almost arrested her!  The training facility opened in 1882 and is still in use.  One of my best friends is with the military police and works there training new recruits! 

Remembering the heroes of 9/11

Felicity really wanted us to take her to ground zero, the site where the twin towers stood before that fateful Tuesday afternoon.  I very much wanted to go there.  Unfortunately, time didn’t allow for a trip.  I often question if other parts of our country are still feeling the effects from the actions of that dreadful day.  For us New Yorkers it’s something that you just can’t stop thinking about on a daily basis.  Luckily we didn’t personally know anyone who lost his or her life in this awful catastrophe.  On the other hand, everyone knows at least one person who did.  I’ve been to ground zero at least a few times since the attack.  There are memorials in downtown Peekskill between the train station and Hudson River.  Felicity took pictures on a steel beam taken from the rubble and with a statue of a fireman who is grieving the loss of his fellow servicemen.  It’s important to keep these heroes in our memories as we often take for granted the many freedoms and opportunities we have while living in our great country.

Felicity meets Abraham Lincoln

Felicity is continuing to realize why this city is referred to as “Historic Peekskill”. This statue of Abraham Lincoln was recently erected in honor of his inaugural train journey in 1861. He stopped in several major cities in our state but Peekskill was his only stop in Westchester County. He arrived on February 19th, 1861. This was his final stop before arriving at NYC. At that time the Peekskill train depot was in use.  You can see the brick structure behind the statue. The city is in the process of restoring the site. You can click here to see Lincoln’s actual speech to the people of Peekskill.

Felicity follows the yellow brick road

I’m sure you’re all familiar with the timeless classic, The Wizard of Oz.  It’s one of my favorite movies!  What’s not to love about Dorothy’s adventurous trip down the yellow brick road?  The story involves a wizard, a wicked witch and a few unique friends who would do anything to help Dorothy and Toto return to Kansas.  You might be asking yourself what does all this have to do with our time with Felicity.  Well, what many people don’t know, including many in our own area, is that there is a connection between Peekskill, NY and The Wizard of Oz.  L. Frank Baum is the author of, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  His books led to the making of the movie in the early 20^th century.  Baum was originally from upstate New York.  In 1869, as a teenager, he joined the Peekskill Military Academy.  He was only there for a very brief period.  However, he was there long enough to discover the original yellow brick road.  Felicity was there and can tell you all about it.  The yellow bricks are located at the corner of Hudson and Water St. just a short walk from the train station and Hudson River.  There is evidence to prove these bricks predate the time period of Baum entering the academy.  Can you believe it, the yellow brick road is right in our own back ya

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Felicity arrives!

Felicity has arrived for her brief vacation.  We have a few fun and historic places to see.  We live in what is considered the Hudson Valley.  This basically includes all of the towns and villages along the Hudson River.  The background image on this blog is actually the Bear Mountain Bridge.  It connects Westchester and Rockland Counties.  When completed in 1924 it was the longest suspension bridge in the entire world!  The Hudson Valley is extremely rich in history.   The reason for this is simple…. Several hundred years ago, the only way to get around was by ship.  Nowadays, everyone over the age of 16 has their own car.  This is something we take for granted.  Can you imagine how hard it would be to hang out with your friends if you had to take a boat to get there!  One place we didn’t get to visit was West Point.  West Point is the oldest active military academy in the United States.  It’s located right on the Hudson River and is visible only minutes from our house.  Every now and then you will see an Army helicopter fly over our house.  This location played an important role in the Revolutionary War.  The Continental Army was able to strategically place troops at various locations around West Point to prevent the British from entering and sailing up river.  Here’s another interesting tidbit… We have a road named Old Albany Post Road.  It is still unpaved because it’s the actual path traveled by George Washington and his troops.  If Felicity were here longer she could write a book on everything she learned.   Enough with the history lesson, let’s get on with Felicity’s journey!