Tessi the Squirrel Watcher

"I'm a squirrel watcher- I'm a squirrel watcher" The song wasn't playing in the background but Tessi had the most fun watching a squirrel retrieve french fry after french fry this past week. He would go down into the garbage and then come up with a fry and sit and eat it. Note her focused look in the rear view mirror.

Honors to Dev

So it isn't the golden ticket but close. Devin has been invited to join the Golden Key International Honor Society. Congratulations!

Skene Manor - Whitehall, New York

We took a trip to Vermont this past week-end. Before entering Vermont we spotted a stone house on the hill overlooking Whitehall, NY. Following the Mountain Road leading up the hill we found the entrance to what is now called Skene Manor. An elderly gentlemen came over and invited us in to have a look around.

We learned that it was built by New York State Supreme Court Judge Joseph Potter who contracted with the architectural firm of Isaac H. Hobbs & Sons of Philadelphia to design a permanent home for him. Contracting Designer Almon Chandler Hopson built the home with the finest materials and stone quarried from the site. The reported cost of construction was $25,000, which was a very expensive structure by 1874 standards. Judge Potter called his home "Mountain Terrace". Judge Potter died in 1902, and his widow Catherine sold Mountain Terrace to Edgar Lowenstein in 1906. Renamed "Lowen’s Castle", gas fixtures were installed and the carriage house built. It changed hands several times over the years but ended up vacant for several years as well. During this time there was water damage and kids vandalized it. Being the last of five such "castle" houses built in Whitehall a group of concerned citizens have raised money to buy and restore the home. They are in the 12th year of restoration but lack of funds and resources have made the process extremely slow.

October brings apples; lot and lots of apples!

The road is done- would be a great drag racing spot.
The mountains are multi colored now and the deer are on the run. The tourists are here driving around to see the leaves, go on hayrides, buy a pumpkin or a bushel of apples. Soon, the snow will fall so for now I will enjoy the journey.