Lodge Gates

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Once up a time the gates below stood at the entrance to a magnificent luxury hotel in Briarcliff Manor, NY. Built in 1902 It was called the Briarcliff Lodge (see above) and was destroyed in a fire in September 2003. Although the lodge had gone the stone pillars that held the gates remained, apparently not damaged in the fire. However, the gates themselves had disappeared. They were a long way from the Lodge and were, in all probability, not destroyed in the fire. So, what had happened to them?

According to a local newspaper (See: Historic Briarcliff Lodge Gates Find New Home):

The two ornately designed gates, which stand over 8 feet high and 16 feet wide, were salvaged by the village after a major fire destroyed the main buildings on the site in 2003. At the time, the property was abandoned and had been the campus of the King’s College. For the past seven [the article was written in 2011] years the iron gates have been stored at the Village of Briarcliff Manor DPW [Department of Public Works] facility on Pleasantville Road.

It’s good to see them back where they belong.

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Taken with a Panasonic Lumix GX85 and Lumix G Vario 14-140 f3.5-5.6

Hot Dog Man

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This rather strange figure in a shop window in Ossining, NY caught my eye. I found myself wondering if it was a one off or something that was more generally available. After a while spent browsing the internet I discovered that it’s quite common and always contained the same elements: a hot dog bun, a hot dog, a ketchup bottle, a mustard bottle, a human-like face, and an association with the US flag. It was often referred to as “Hot Dog Man”, so that what I decided to use for the title of this post.

I felt, however, that this one was different from the others I’d seen. They were usually very happy, smiling creations. This one seemed to me to be more “creepy”, malevolent and rather surrealistic. Maybe it’s just the angle from which I took the picture. Or maybe I’m reading too much into it. Some people have remarked that quite a few of my pictures are rather surrealistic. So maybe I’m pre-disposed to see that kind of thing.

Taken with a Panasonic Lumix GX85 and Leica DG Summilux 15mm f1.7

Another Cemetery in Mount Kisco

by Posted in Black & White, Buildings/Structures, Cemeteries Leave a comment
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According to Patrick Raftery:

The entrance to the Saint Francis Cemetery, Mount Kisco is on the west side of Lexington Avenue opposite its intersection with Smith Avenue. The cemetery adjoins the northern border of Oakwood Cemetery. The cemetery has been active since 1908.

The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi was found in 1868 to serve Roman Catholic residents of Mount Kisco, Bedford, Pleasantville and part of New Castle. During the late 19th century, the Catholics of the Mount Kisco area would have interred theire deceased friends and family at All Souls Cemetery in Pleasantville, St. Augustine’s Cemetery in Ossining or the small burial ground near Succabone Road in the Town of Bedford. After the church in Pleasantville became its own parish in 1894, however, the parishioners of Saint Francis no longer had a cemetery of their own. This dilemma was solved in 1908, when James Wood and his wife, Emily, donate a parcel of land on the north side of Oakwood Cemetery to the Reverend Francis X. Kelly, pastor of the Church of Saint Francis. Interestingly, the Woods were not the parishioners of Saint Francis. However, James was a “founder and trustee of Oakwood Cemetery” and may have “felt that a Catholic cemetery would be an appropriate neighbor”. Today the cemetery still serves the parishioners of Saint Francis of Assisi. (Patrick Raftery, “The Cemeteries of Westchester County, Volume II“. Westchester Historical Society, 2011.)

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“The picture below shows a monument, which does not have the name of the family on it. It marks the grave of several young people who died in the first half of the 20th century. In addition to containing a Pietà, it also contains an engraving of a motorcycle, perhaps reflecting the interest of one or more of the deceased.” (Patrick Raftery, “The Cemeteries of Westchester County, Volume II“. Westchester Historical Society, 2011.) I particularly liked the wasps/bees/hornet’s nest at the top right of the picture.

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Taken with a Canon EOS Elan and Canon EF 35-70mm f3.5-4.5