I decided to start my visit at the top of the dam. So how to get there? Well, there are steps at either end of dam so I walked up one side, then walked across the dam and then down the other side. I counted the number of steps: there were 205 of them (that’s one way)! My stamina and stability are not what they once were, so I was surprised that I made it up. Going down was much easier. But I managed it. I must be fitter than I thought. I used to be a lot heavier than I am now. In those days I don’t think I would have been able to do it. I would have been gasping for breath after a short time.

Note the yellow sign at the base of these steps. It reads: “Please use caution on the steps”.

I spoke to the woman in the picture. The picture gives the impression that she was struggling on the steps. That was far from being the case. She ran up the step to about where she is in the picture and then walked back down. She explained that she is a frequent visitor to the park and usually runs up the steps on one side, across the top, and then down the other side. The only reason she wasn’t doing that today was for lack of time. There was somewhere she had to be. She appeared to be extremely fit, and I saw her later running around the plaza at the base of the dam.

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

I’ve often driven past the Kensico Dam. It’s set back quite a bit from the road and from a distance it doesn’t look all that interesting. Still from time to time it occurred to me to get closer and take some pictures. But I kept putting it off. The other day I decided to go so an Uber, a short train ride, and a short walk and there I was.

The Official Website for Westchester County Government describes it as follows:

The Kensico Dam was built under the old dam that formed Lake Kensico, using stone taken from the adjacent Cranberry Lake Park. More electric power was applied for its creation than any other construction work for the Catskill water supply. The crushing plant at the quarry was the largest ever placed on contract work, and a railroad was built solely for the purpose of carrying debris from the construction site to landfills. At the quarry village, a school operated for the children, sewing classes for the women, and English language classes for the predominately Italian male workers.

The dam was completed in 1917. It is 307 feet high and 1,843 feet long, and forms the Kensico reservoir. It was acquired as parkland in 1963 from the New York City Watershed Commission and remains the property of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Bronx River Parkway Reservation.

…

The park provides a unique setting for a wide variety of activities including cultural heritage celebrations and concerts, fitness classes and a fitness course, as well as areas for picnicking, in-line skating, walking and nature study.

During the holiday months of November and December, thanks to the Westchester Parks Foundation and its sponsors, the Kensico Dam Plaza is transformed into a winter wonderland full of sparkling lights and splendor. The annual Westchester’s Winter Wonderland Drive-thru Holiday Light Extravaganza.

Wikipedia provides significantly more information.

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

This house looks as if it was built by Josiah Wedgwood. My late wife used to collect blue and white China. I have a house (and a garage) full of it and I have a certain fondness for it. So, of course, I like the way this house looks.

Again, I haven’t been able to find out anything about its history. I suppose it can’t be anything of significance because the excellent, mammoth (299 page) and comprehensive “Village of Ossining, New York Significant Sites and Structures Guide” does not even mention it.

Taken with a Fuji X-E3 and Sigma 18-50mm f2.8