Now the entrance to The Club, a senior living community this was once the entrance to The Briarcliff Lodge, a 300+ room luxury resort hotel. It was a notable example of Tudor Revival architecture, and at the time was one of the largest wooden structures in the United States. It was built by Walter W. Law in 1902 and the Law family owned it until 1937. When the lodge opened it was one of the largest resort hotels in the world.

In 1933, the lodge ended year-round service and housed a “health-diet sanitarium” until the Edgewood Park School for Girls began operation there from 1937 to 1954. From 1936 to 1939, the lodge was run again as a hotel in the summer months while the school was closed. From 1955 to 1994, The King’s College used the lodge building and built dormitories and academic buildings. Abandoned and unmaintained after 1994, the Briarcliff Lodge was destroyed between 2003 and 2004.

Although the Lodge is long gone the gates seen in the picture are original and were found some years ago in storage at the Briarcliff Manor Department of Public Works.

Taken with a Sony RX100 III

I described our lunch in Mount Kisco, New York in an earlier post (See: Lunch in Mount Kisco). As we walked back to the car we noticed what looked like a mobile pizza oven (it didn’t look that interesting so I didn’t take a picture of it).

Then I noticed the piece of sculpture the brick wall of a building (I have no idea what the building was, or why the sculpture was there).

Stonefire is directly opposite Oakwood Cemetery (See: A Cemetery in Mount Kisco). These monuments were a long way away, but once again the 31-465mm (35mm equivalent) lens did a decent job.

Taken with a Sony DSC-H50

Kingsland Point Park is an 18-acre park located on the eastern shore of the Hudson River at the mouth of the Pocantico River in the Village of Sleepy Hollow. With spectacular overlook areas and views of the historic Tarrytown Lighthouse, Kingsland Point Park was one of the first parks developed by the Westchester County Parks Commission.

The park, which was built in 1926, offers picnic areas, ballfields, hiking, fishing and playgrounds.

Above: Approaching the park, old stone bridge over the Pocantio River with just visible Hudson River in the background.

Next three images below: The Kathryn Wasserman Davis River Walk Center. I was last there in November, 2022. For what I said at that time follow the link.

Below: the Pavilion.

Taken with a Sony RX100 M3

A great view over the Dam Plaza looking south towards the traffic circle where the Bronx River Parkway and the Taconic State Parkway join and White Plains.

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

Or at least that’s what I think they are. According to the North American Mycological Association in Lichen Basics:

Lichens are amazing organisms. They are all around us and we hardly notice them. Found on soil, tree bark, rocks and even some under water, they are actually two organisms living together (symbiosis). The major component is a fungus (mycobiont), hence they are classified as fungi — the vast majority being ascomycetes. The other component is photosynthetic (photobiont) and may be green algae or cyanobacteria (once known as blue-green algae) or sometimes both. The photobiont can make food — sugar. The fungus can kill some of the algae cells or penetrate the algae cells to obtain food. So… the symbiotic relationship is actually a controlled parasitism. The algal cells, however, are protected from damaging excess light. Lichens are fungi that have taken up farming, and they are known as lichenized fungi.

Certainly, these complex organisms can inhabit many conditions and substrates that would deter other kinds of species — hence they are known as pioneer organisms in ecological succession.

I just like the way they look: the often pastel color and the textures. Fungi to me are rather disturbing. They make me think of death and decay. Lichen on the other hand seem rather cute, as if someone has made them.

Taken with a Sony A6000 and Venus Optics Laowa 85mm f5.6