Sights to See Near Millerton

OLANA


A couple of weeks ago we decided to go for a drive and visit Olana and the town of Hudson.

Olana was the home of Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900), a famous American landscape painter during the time and one of the major figures in the Hudson River School. Olana (named after a fortressed city in ancient Greater Persia) is an eclectic villa composed of many styles, which overlooks parkland and a working farm designed by the artist. As well, the residence has a wide view of the Hudson River valley, the Catskill Mountains and the Taconic Range. The stone, brick, and polychrome-stenciled villa at Olana is an unusual mixture of Victorian structural elements and Middle-Eastern decorative motifs from different times and places. Moorish elements blend with contrasting Italianate themes. And although Church never actually made it to Persia, the Middle-Eastern architecture is apparent.

We took a tour of both the upstairs and downstairs of the residence, much of which has been painstakingly restored to its original state. Olana is now a state historical site and therefore photographs of the inside were not allowed for “security reasons”. For more information, visit their website at www.olana.org.

Here are some photos of Church’s work. As you can see, his paintings are absolutely magnificent and the detail is extraordinary -- keep in mind most of his work is done on very large canvasses. I highly recommend taking a trip to Olana as these photos absolutely do not do it justice. And the inside of Church's home is remarkable.

Boating and Fishing in Millerton

During a visit with family to Rudd Pond, Mid-July 2010, we caught this adorable Catfish from the shore. He was about 8 inches long, whisker to tail. After careful examination, we set him back into the pond - hopefully he learned his lesson.

Also, this year the park made a terrific swimming area, directly in front of a small but nice beach, the depth gradually reaches about 5 feet and since the park has removed the weeds the area is a lot of fun for all ages. It's much warmer than the Ore Pit; its clean and lifeguards are on duty from noon to 6pm.

September 2009. Fishing In Rudd Pond, Millerton, New York

Millerton is surrounded by lakes, rivers, streams and ponds. Rudd Pond is just one and it’s a great place for fishing, camping and picnicking. It is not recommended for swimming, however, because of the heavy vegetation below the surface.

A part of the Taconic State Park, you can rent small boats for fishing or just rowing and in the winter, weather permitting, there is Ice Skating (so I'm told).

For more about Rudd Pond or the other parks within the Taconic State Park, check out this link: http://www.nysparks.com/regions/taconic/default.aspx

Our House

August 2009. This is Our House...

Circa 1919 she’s a lovely Victorian era village home.

(This is a photo of Our House in the Spring of 2011.)

(This is the image of the home when we first saw it, Spring of 2009)

Unfortunately, I have been unsuccessful in identifying her true architectural style other than I believe she is partially Folk Victorian and partially Queen Ann Victorian. Apparently Folk Victorians do not have bay windows or turrets and are simple square houses. Queen Anns, on the other hand, generally have much more elaborate detailing and are non-symmetrical. Our House is somewhere in between. If you know what she is, please let me know.Regardless of her architectural category, we adore her with all of her amazing attributes like the wraparound porch you can see here. Inside, the woodwork is stunning -- arched entries to the living room and dining room, French doors, oak floors and wood trim.