Refresher: who = "Judy" (as my family has always called me) visits Cousin Barbara, 3rd cousin on my mother's paternal side. We're both descendents of Irish, surname Doyle. My grandmother --one Whilhemina Christina Doyle--was born in Ellenville, very near where Barbara lives even today.
The front portico of the 79-room mansion shown above on the river... contrasted to the stone house, built 1663--the oldest home in the Hudson Valley.
Where = Mid-Hudson River Valley in the Catskill Mts.
Let me hasten to mention that this spectacular view was taken from behind the Staatsburgh Beaux Arts mansion built in 1895 (now a state historic site).
Where Barbara lives: west of the river, up in the mountains
on acreage. Address: Cairo, New York.
on acreage. Address: Cairo, New York.
This view? From my guestroom bed, second story of her house, hence the "looking down" feel of the photo. Gorgeous magnolia, of course.
What we saw during our seven days of my Grand Tour was so much natural beauty, and plenty of architectural heritage representing the growth of .... America! From still-standing, occupired farmhouses of Dutch settlers to spectacular residences of the rich and famous.
The front portico of the 79-room mansion shown above on the river... contrasted to the stone house, built 1663--the oldest home in the Hudson Valley.
Of course, as this trip was all about my ancestors, we browsed cemetaries. Luckily, Barbara had already done most of the legwork and knew where "the bodies were buried," yikes, literally. Here I'm trying to record what has been inscribed (but almost worn away) about my great-great grandparents Daniel Meyers and Christine Ulrich who settled in Ellenville, NY probably in the 1850s.
Here ends the "overview." Next up, some of my fave places.
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