It's beginning to look alot like Christmas

It is definitely that time to start thinking about decorating for Christmas.Like all good innkeepers, Thanksgiving weekend is the time to bring the boxes up from the basement or down from the attic, rearrange the furniture and promise not to put up as much as last year, but that promise is rarely kept.
 For us the best part is going to our local Christmas tree farm, Primrose Hill Farm,which has been in the same family since the 1730's and they are the nicest folks you'll meet.  We take this job of chopping down our Christmas tree very seriously.......1st you get your cart( that they provide) so you can lug back your downed tree and they'll even loan you saws, though we do bring our own and don't forget the heavy-duty  gloves.. As you walk out onto the tree farm, you need to peruse the various types, sizes, check the branches and then make sure you take a whiff of that wonderful smell of Christmas.

We keep to family tradition....one year I pick ...the next year she picks... it just doesn't matter how old you get..... weren't you raised the same way?! It is a sight for sore eyes to see these city girls chopping away at the tree...... it ain't a pretty sight but we do get the job done and rather quickly I might add.This year we were lucky, the weather was beautiful, mild and sunny, unlike other years when we have tramped through snow, rain and blistering winds.
We have also bowed to the times where "less is more" and we can now decorate the entire B&B in 1day, a real feat for us.So we are sitting down with our cup of tea and hot coca this Sunday afternoon of Thanksgiving weekend, our home is decorated, inside and out and now it's on to baking those Christmas cookies by the thousands, the cookie dough is the best part! Christmas is so much fun and we haven't even gotten to the giving of the gifts!!
We wish you a most bountiful holiday season and an exciting and adventuresome New Year!

Come and discover the fabulous photo exhibit at FDR's Presidential Library. You will not be disappointed. It's like looking at any American  family's photo album.........however, in this case it's the Roosevelt family!

"THE ROOSEVELTS:
PUBLIC FIGURES, PRIVATE LIVES"
From May 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013—while our permanent exhibit galleries are closed for the final stage of the Library’s renovation—the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is presenting the largest photography exhibition ever assembled on the lives and public careers of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. "The Roosevelts: Public Figures, Private Lives," is a new and very different kind of exhibit that takes visitors on an immersive photographic and film journey through the lives and times of the Roosevelts. The exhibition features nearly one thousand images that vividly depict both their public and private lives.
These photographs include famous and familiar images, many reproduced in dramatically large formats. But the exhibit also presents visitors with new visual perspectives on the Roosevelts through large numbers of unique and rarely-seen personal photographs from the unparalleled photographic collections at the Roosevelt Library. Shot by family members, friends, government officials, and other insiders, these images offer fascinating views into the private lives of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and their family and political associates. These include childhood images, candid snapshots of family life and trips, humorous moments, behind-the-scenes views of famous figures, and unusual perspectives on historic meetings and events.
Special audiovisual programs accompany the photographs and include projections of little-known film shot by Roosevelt family and friends that depict their more unscripted moments. The highlight of the exhibit is a multimedia presentation featuring original audio recordings of Eleanor Roosevelt speaking about her family life.

SAVE YOUR TICKET!
Purchase a ticket to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum’s special photography exhibit "The Roosevelts: Public Figures, Private Lives" between May 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013. Tickets dated in this time period will be honored for an additional visit after the Library and Museum opens its new permanent exhibition in late summer 2013. We look forward to seeing you again when the Library brings a new deal to a new generation.

Autumn in Hyde Park holds a special spot for us, because it was in the fall that we 1st found our home. We had been looking for almost 2 years, we had seen every possible home that was on the market and we were just starting to get a little discouraged. We had a particularly disastrous weekend in late August, when we received a call from a Hyde Parker, (whom we had confided in what we were looking for) & she said "I think I found something for you here in town. I don't know how many bedrooms or bathrooms it has and I don't know the price but Joe, the owner, had a lot of children, it's a big house and it's right across from The Vanderbilt Mansion."
Out of courtesy  to Marie we called and made an appointment to see the house in Sept 1995 @ 5pm. Having seen one disaster after another that day, we mumbled and grumbled all the way to the house. I said, the 1st question we'll ask is how much are they asking for the house and my sister ( you'll be able to figure out who the older one is by this response) said" Now be nice when you say that!). We went through the house once and we looked at each other and said ..."let's go through it again" but we knew and while it had no charm, no architectural interest, it had a very comfortable flow, the number of rooms we needed, and the location doesn't get better then this. Most of  what was needed was cosmetic work and we could add the details, which we have done. By mid-October we had agreed to the price and we went across to The Vanderbilt's and looked at that magnificent view and realized these were our new neighbors!
The house was built in 1964 and it looked liked time had stopped in 1968......wood-paneling throughout much of the home, florescent lights, gold-brocade carpeting on the staircase and in the hallway. Wait....it gets better......we have the pink bathroom, the blue bathroom and yes...the yellow bathroom. When you come, we have the "before" photo album to share with you. We had fleetingly thought of leaving the house exactly how we found it and call it "The Pink Cadillac" and play '50 & 60's music! Alas, saner heads prevailed, but we do have a miniature "Pink Cadillac" on our kitchen window sill!

So for each of the last 15 years, when that 1st smell of the  fall leaves is in the air, we look around at our labor of love, think back to how it all started, go across and visit our neighbors and offer a toast to everyone who has helped us along the way, for  this journey could never have been accomplished without them. What a fabulous time we have had!

What better way to usher in fall then with an evening's graveyard tour......the characters you'll meet, may surprise you! It's a hoot and you better be kind to the spirits.....

St. James' Episcopal Church, Hyde Park

Historic Graveyard Tours 2012

• 
  Tour guides will lead you by lantern light!
• 
  Take a Historic Graveyard Tour!
• 
  FDR’s mother, New York’s third governor, and three other "inhabitants" will tell their stories of American patriotism and local notoriety.
• 
  Tour guides will lead you by lantern light!
• 
  Take a Historic Graveyard Tour!

Come Join Us This Fall!

FDR’s mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, will solve the mystery behind her relationship with Eleanor. See Nathaniel Pendleton and hear how he missed signing the Declaration of Independence. Two special "guests" will tell us about life in wealthy households in the late 1800s and the 1960s. Hear from New York’s third governor and General in the War of 1812, Morgan Lewis, and see his bathtub gravemarker.

Photo: Dana Gavin, Hudson Valley News
After last year’s overwhelming response, we have added additional tours by reservation only.

Photo: Bryan Henry
Groups are small so you’ll see every costume detail and hear every word of this special tour!

Photo: Bryan Henry
“I learned more history in an hour than I did at school all semester!” - 2011 attendee

Location

4526 Albany Post Road
Hyde Park, NY 12538
Church Website
www.stjameshydepark.org
Contact Us

Get Tickets

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children. All proceeds go to maintaining this historic property.
No refunds or exchanges. All sales are final.

Tour Details

The tour is an hour long, rain or shine.
Suitable for ages 10 and over.
Free parking is available.

Tour Tips

Please wear clothing and shoes appropriate to the weather.
The grounds may be rough at times and is not suitable for wheelchairs. Flashlights are welcome.

St. James Episcopal Church © 2012 All Rights Reserved | Contact Us | View Cart

Art Studio Views a true find in the Hudson Valley

One of the many gems of the Hudson Valley is the annual Art Studio Views  held every Labor Day weekend On Saturday & Sunday artists and photographers open their studios for you to peruse their art work. You'll see their work surroundings, which can be as interesting as the art work itself. Their venues are as different the artists themselves. You'll get to see the beauty of the Hudson Valley as you meander from place to place. The artists are as gracious about speaking with you as they are in opening their private studios.Hope to see you there.......I wouldn't think of missing it!

Journey through the Hudson Valley's scenic back roads to discover Art Studio Views! Mark Your Calendar.. it's almost here! Thanks to our PRESENTING SPONSOR The 5th annual Art Studio Views is a free, self-guided tour designed to promote the artwork and talents of local artists in the Northern Dutchess County area. Artists from Hyde Park, Rhinebeck, Red Hook, Staatsburg, and Tivoli will open their studios to the public, share their creative environment, and help visitors understand the inspiration that drives their passion. Art Studio Views presents an online auction of wooden ART BOXES, artistically designed and donated by the artist, being held through September 2nd. All auction proceeds benefit: Vassar Brothers Medical Center Pediatric Unit Oncology Arts Program at Vassar Brother's Hospital in Poughkeepsie, NY. Check out the ART BOXES in storefront windows in Red Hook, Rhinebeck, and Hyde Park or preview them at http://benefitevents.com/auctions/artstudioviews. friend on Facebook Copyright © *|2012|* *|Art Studio Views|*, All rights reserved. *|www.artstudioviews.com|* *|Artists|* Our mailing address is: *|PO Box 626, Rhinebeck, NY 12572|*  unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

Going to a farmer's market in the Hudson Valley

The farmer's markets throughout the Hudson Valley are just fabulous! You can go to a different one every week or just frequent your favorite one. Hyde Park's farmers market is held every Saturday morning in the  town hall's parking lot, rain or shine from 9am to 2pm from June to the end of October.

 The fruits and vegetables, you can tell were just picked that morning.....how much fresher can it get? !If you're lucky, the farmer may give you a sample of some of his produce before you decide what to purchase.

 You'll have to try some farm-fresh eggs, the yolks are such a brilliant yellow, they are truly amazing and not to be missed.

And don't forget about the local honey and maple syrup vendor. There is nothing healthier for you then eating the local honey. And wait till you taste and savor locally produced maple syrup, it is so light to the taste and not overly sweet, you'll be wondering how you have survived all these years with the store bought stuff.

Going to the local markets lets you eat fresher and healthier foods. You'll also will have the chance to talk with the farmers, as you stand at their vendor table, you'll be able to ask questions about their crops and other products.They'll share with you their farming tales but all you really need to do is study their hands, it will tell you everything you'll need to know about being a farmer.

So you want to be an Innkeeper?

That is what my sister said to me after I told her what I had been thinking about for awhile. We talked for hours that evening, then she said .... "I'll do it with you" and our partnership was launched!

The year was 1995, we wanted to settle in the Hudson River Valley with all of it's history, culture, arts, walking trails and food (The Culinary Institute of America is just 3 miles from our bed and breakfast), what was there not to love about the Hudson Valley! We would still be close to "the city" (New York City) where we are from, just a quick train ride away.

So we opened Journey Inn Bed & Breakfast in Hyde Park, New York (Franklin D. Roosevelt's Home & Presidential Library), we are just across from The Vanderbilt Mansion ... it doesn't get much better than this!

We are celebrating our 15th year as innkeepers and we've never looked back.