Birds in Briarcliff

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We’ve been down working in the garden in our house in Briarcliff Manor and I took the dog for a walk through the village and into Law Park. We were down by the pond when I saw the rather nondescript bird above. I don’t know what it is – maybe a cormorant? It was certainly very comfortable in the water and at one point dove in and disappeared completely for a while.

While I was taking pictures of it I saw a flash of white and the rather impressive egret below flew in. I was far to slow to get a picture of it in flight but pursued it around the pond trying to get close enough for a decent picture. Whenever I got close it would fly to the other side of the pond so I eventually gave up.

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Egret

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Egret again.

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The two birds together.

Graymoor. The home of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement

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Altar of the Atonement. “…surmounted by a 16-foot-high crucifixion scene. Flanking the altar are Stations of the Cross leading down to the St. Anthony Shrine”.

Driving north on Route 9, just before the turnoff for Route 403 you’ll see the entrance to Graymoor on the right. Also known as “The Holy Mountain” it’s the home of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement”.

Its website says:

Over a century ago, Fr. Paul Wattson, the founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, was searching for a name for a new religious society. Opening the scriptures at random, his eyes fell upon the eleventh verse of the fifth chapter of St. Paul’s epistle to the Romans: “…we also joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” The last word of the verse stood out with a vividness that was to him overwhelming at-one-ment. And so, the Society had found its name.

It’s a pleasant place to visit with some nice shrines, spectacular views, and interesting views. It would be a very tranquil place to just sit around for a while – but not at the moment. There’s lots of construction going on, which distracts from the tranquility and also blocks access to an views of some of the nicer buildings.

Text in quotes is from the official “Map of Graymoor” brochure.

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Detail of the Altar of Atonement.

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St. Anthony Shrine. “Erected in 1960, this is the largest shrine at Graymoor. The culmination of Father Paul’s dream to build a grand shrine to the Saint, it is constructed of granite and fieldstone and features a marble statue of him holding the child Jesus.”

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Father Paul’s Tomb. “Dedicated in October 1971 and occupying a spot Father Paul called Calvary Rock, his tomb bears the words of Christ, “That They All May Be One”, which compelled him to spend his life praying and working for Christian Unity. A replica of Michelangelo’s Pieta overlooks the tomb. Beyond the Pieta is a spectacular view. On a clear day you can see New York City.”

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The spectacular view, but not looking in the direction of New York City.

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One of the many statues. This one is spooky. Reminds me of the “Weeping Angels” in Doctor Who. Don’t like the way it’s reaching out towards me!

A walk up Nimham Mountain

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View from Nimham Mountain

The description on the wonderful “Hike the Hudson Valley” site says: “Fire tower, easy stroll, beautiful 360-degree views” and later: “It took us about 30 minutes to reach the top, walking at toddler speed (you could probably do it in 10 or 15 at normal-person speed).” So I thought this would be nice, quick and not too strenuous place to walk the dog. It turned out to be a bit more eventful than I thought.

First the directions were from Poughkeepsie and I didn’t fully understand what that meant. I drove up the Taconic to pick up the directions from Route 52 and followed them from there. After some time things started to look eerily familiar. Didn’t I recognize that church? A one room schoolhouse – how many of those could there be. I’d driven over 45 minutes to end up about 10 minutes from where I’d started. My fault. I should have checked more carefully.

Then I couldn’t find the turnoff to the parking lot and spent some time looking. I turned out that I’d given up to soon. If I’d gone on for about 30 seconds I would have found it.

From the parking lot it turned out that it was not a “10 to 15 at normal person speed” walk. It took my 62 year old body about 45 minutes – all of it uphill. OK, it’s not breakneck ridge, but a 45 minute walk uphill is not a “stroll”. Admittedly it took longer than it should have done. Three quarters of the way up I noticed that my camera, which I carry on my belt, was no longer there. After the initial panic had subsided I backtracked and sure enough after about five minutes there it was – lying in the middle of the trail. This little detour added about 10 minutes to the walk.

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The fire tower

On to the spectacular views. They’re certainly there, but only if you’re willing to climb the 90 foot fire tower (the trees growing around the base block the views), apparently the highest in NY state. I had the dog with me and tied him to the bottom of the tower while I went up. He suffers from separation anxiety so I didn’t want to leave him for too long lest he start howling. I only went high enough (about half way) to get the views. I’d like to go back some other time (without the dog) and go all the way to the top.

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Closer view

It really was a very pleasant walk. On the way up you pass a couple of Putnam County’s famous stone chambers. The first one, right next to the parking lot, doesn’t seem too ancient. The stones are held together by mortar. The second one, about five minutes up the road, seems older.

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Stone Chamber near the parking lot.

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Second Stone Chamber

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Interior of Second Chamber