In and Around Kendal

A Milestone for Joe Kratovil

This year, Joe Kratovil reached a milestone in birthday celebrations: his 100th! Here’s one on the actual day!

100 birthdays may have come and gone, but Joe is still out, about, and movin’ along. The Bloomfelds met him on the way to Rockwood Park, and Joe gave them a detailed guided tour, including tree identification, a lesson on stone walls, and an explanation of the mansion layout.

Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

Workin’ on the River

Photo by Joe Bruno

Runnin’ by the River

The Rivertown Runners were out in the Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon, and Caroline Reiss and Donna Nye just happened across the Rockwood Park part of it—and the piper who serenaded them.

Donna Nye knows great piping when she hears it.

Road Runners running!

Photos by Carolyn Reiss

It’s Early Spring in Kendal Land

Soon to Bud, by Edward Kasinec

Soft Forest Floor, by Carolyn Reiss

Something Old, Something New, by Greg Lozier

Magnolia Ready to Burst, by Carolyn Reiss

A Cluster of Pines, by Edward Kasinec

Yellow Blossoms—Ready, by Carolyn Reiss

A Swallow Sets Up Housekeeping in the Park, by Carolyn Reiss

Travelin’ by the River

City-bound, by Greg Lozier

Late Afternoon Sky

Photo by Greg Lozier

Out and About

Kendal’s Trip to the Blauvelt Art Museum

Last week, Kendalites journeyed to Oradell, NJ, to visit the Blauvelt Art Museum, which features wildlife art by contemporary artists.

Watching Spring A-Bursting

Amanda Slattery and Ruth Dinowitz rode over to the NY Botanical Gardens for the 2025 Orchid Show—and saw lots more than orchids!

Poppies and forget-me-nots in March! Gives one hope.

Ruth Dinowitz marvels at the NYBG Orchid Show.

From the Attic

We all came with them: boxes of who-knew-what. Things we’d always meant to go through: photographs, souvenirs, old report cards, other memories of years before. Cathie Campbell recently found this treasure, created in her high school years:

Some sharp eyes may note that this work of art was actually created by one Helen Ellingson. An explanation from Cathie: “I was named for two grandmothers, Helen and Alice Catherine. Forget Alice! And although they wanted me to go by Cathie, they [her parents] thought Helen Catherine was more euphonious than Catherine Helen. So I was Cathie, until third grade, when I decided, Well, if my first name is Helen, that’s what to call me. I would not answer Miss L, my third grade teacher unless I was addressed as Helen.” Clearly, Miss L’s influence remained in Cathie’s subconscious, because sooner or later she reverted to Cathie. And then she married Mr. Campbell. There you have it.

So, consider this “From the Attic” a new section. Do you have any favorite, humorous, or just plain weird items that tell a story? Send pictures of them—with your explanation—our way (kohresweb@gmail.com)!

A Relaxing & Delicious Break in a Spring Day

There’s Still Room for Afternoon Tea
April 25, 2-4 pm
“April Showers Bring May Flowers”
 FDR

Menu:

Choice of Tea Fred’s Homemade Scones
with Clotted Cream and Jam
Tea Sandwiches
Finger Desserts

Still about 15 spots available—but don’t hesitate! Make a $25 check out to “KoH Residents Council” and write “Dining Services Tea” on the memo line. Leave your check in Cynthia Ferguson's cubby, #2211 by April 17. Your check reserves your place.

Ladies and Gents, let’s celebrate Spring at Kendal!   

The Weekly Kendal Low-Stakes Poker Report!

March 26’s Grand Winner

Hubert Herring, with $15!

[Insert uproarious cheers and applause]

The aim is fun, not financial windfall. Fear not any Atlantic City high-rollers joining in. All skill sets are welcome. Stakes are 25-50 cents.

Want to join the fun? Call or text John Vacher: (404) 556-0557. He’ll even come and provide a short tutorial, so you’ll fit in seamlessly your very first Wednesday night.

I Never Knew That

There Were Female Gladiators in Ancient Rome

If you learned everything you know about gladiators from a certain Ridley Scott movie, there’s a lot left to discover about the ancient Roman blood sport. Most compelling, perhaps, is the fact that there were female gladiators. Details of their exploits are scant compared to those of their male counterparts, but scholars and historians agree that gladiatrices had their share of glory in the arena.

Though most came from lower classes—including enslaved women—some middle and upper-class women also took up the sword and sandal, despite their lifestyle being frowned upon by Roman society, where they had far fewer freedoms than men and were defined in relation to them. As for why women of means would choose to enter the arena, the University of Michigan’s David S. Potter offers this timeless explanation to History.com: “It’s exciting. It’s different. It pisses off their parents.”

Though these female fights were relatively rare and mostly presented as novelty acts, literary and archaeological evidence suggests that a select few women received as much reverence as the men did. The most famous example is a bust (see above picture) depicting two gladiatrices using the stage names Amazon and Achillia, who fought to a noble draw—proving what we do in life really does echo in eternity.

Art by Hart

Tarleton’s upstairs neighbor loved to sing through the night

Heffernan had so many new movies on his list, he had to watch two at a time

Rosie’s new separation anxiety made it hard for Lance and Cecily to leave for work

Mopsy’s moral compass was a half-sour pickle

Huddleston and Primrose imagined traveling to Planet Earth

Art and photos by Jane Hart

Out and About

Kendal Goes to The New York Historical

Last week, Kendalites set out for New York Historical (formerly the New York Historical Society) to roam the exhibits and enjoy the City.

The “We the People” exhibition featured an Oval Office replica at a third of the size of the White House version, shown in the style of the Reagan administration (note the jelly bean jar). Visitors were encouraged to try it out—and Carol Levin was one who did. The first executive decision: which jellybean to test out. Her campaign slogan: “First do no harm.”

Madam President Carol Levin

Photo by Marianne Bloomfeld

Another distinctive feature of the exhibit was the “We the People” sign—made of shoelaces.

Photo by Marianne Bloomfeld

Peter Roggemann noticed a Kendal-related feature in an exhibit on New York steamships: a model of the Mary Powell.

Photo by Peter Roggemann

This Is What Democracy Looks Like

Kendalites of every ilk recognized their individual right and responsibility to take part in their democracy. And that’s what several did on several occasions over the past week or so.

Hastings-on-Hudson, NY

Pearl River, NY

Pearl River, NY

Tarrytown, NY

Tarrytown, NY

Tarrytown, NY

Photos by Mimi Abramovitz

We Remember Them . . . And They Remembered Us

Each year, we have a lovely gathering to remember those who have passed in the year before. Every year, at the end of the gathering, we, together, recite “We Remember Them.”

In 2022, Kamal Bahary and his beloved partner, Susan Blackwood, joined our community. Sadly, late in 2023, we lost Susan; and last year Kamel passed. This year, The Baharys have chosen to memorialize them both in our community, replacing the weather-weary pergola with a lovely gazebo.

Stage 1

Stage 2

Looking again at “We Remember Them,” it seems like such a wonderful choice of memorial for Kendal on the Hudson:

We Remember Them 

At the rising sun and at its going down; We remember them.

At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter; We remember them.

At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring; We remember them.

At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer; We remember them.

At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of the autumn; We remember them.

At the beginning of the year and when it ends; We remember them.

As long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as We remember them.

 

When we are weary and in need of strength; We remember them.

When we are lost and sick at heart; We remember them.

When we have decisions that are difficult to make; We remember them.

When we have joy we crave to share; We remember them.

When we have achievements that are based on theirs; We remember them.

For as long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as, We remember them.

Thank you, William, Susan, Emil, and Laura

FYI: KoH's New Ad-Hoc Medical Care Committee

The first meeting of the Ad-Hoc Medical Care Committee is this week: March 27. The quickly changing medical industry of today has made Kendal’s medical-care commitments problematic, to say the least. The ad-hoc committee was created in the effort to identify ways to better answer those commitments. It is made up of members of the administration, KoH Board members, and residents knowledgeable about medical care.

Members are, in alphabetical order:

Jessica Baron, Resident, retired physician

Jo Cameron, Resident

Jean Eccleston, CEO

Erin Hennessey, Resident Care Center Manager

Ellen Ottstadt, Director of Resident Services

Hank Schacht, Resident, KoH Board member

Claire Tenney,, Resident, retired physician

Mike Kornfeld, Resident, retired physician

Jeff O'Donnell, Resident, retired nurse practioner

Art Vecchiotti, Resident, retired physician

Lisa Wacht, Director of Health Services

Sharon Wexler. KoH Board member, BsN, RN, Ph. D

The Weekly Kendal Low-Stakes Poker Report!

Sadly, the Weekly Low-Stakes Poker Game, this past week, was cancelled due to the unexpected lack of actual Low-Stakes Poker players. Some were excused due to a virus. While that certainly is acceptable, others actually claimed to have “family duties” to attend to. Imagine! 

As a result, no one landed the financial windfall consistent with the group’s weekly tournament. The win the week before was a bountiful $16!

So, the call goes out to all levels of poker experience: Come join us! Wednesday nights, 7 pm. The aim is fun, not financial windfall. Fear not any Atlantic City high-rollers joining in. All skill sets are welcome. Stakes are 25-50 cents. 

Want to join the fun? Call or text John Vacher: (404) 556-0557. He’ll even come and provide a short tutorial, so you’ll fit in seamlessly your very first Wednesday night.

I Never Knew That

Pablo Picasso’s full name was more than 100 letters long

Pablo Picasso is one of the most recognizable names in art history, but if the painter had opted to go by his full name, it’d be a lot harder to remember. He was baptized with one first name, two last names, and 12 middle names, for a grand total of 112 letters: Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Crispín Crispiniano María de los Remedios de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz Picasso. (The exact order and spelling vary by source.)

It’s common in Spanish-speaking cultures to have two last names, one for each parent. In Picasso’s case, Ruiz was his paternal surname, Picasso was his maternal surname, and he was given his first name, Pablo, in honor of a paternal uncle who died a few years before his birth. His many middle names each had their own meaning, too. Some are family names: He was given Diego for both his paternal grandfather and oldest uncle, Francisco de Paula for his maternal grandfather, Juan Nepomuceno for his godfather, and María de los Remedios for his godmother. Others are religious. Santísima Trinidad means Holy Trinity, while Crispín and Crispiniano come from St. Crispín and St. Crispinian, whose feast day, October 25, is also Picasso’s birthday.

Some of the artist’s earlier works are signed P. Ruiz, P. Ruiz Picasso, or P.R. Picasso — but eventually, he settled on the name known by millions today, choosing just “Picasso” for his signature.

Source: history facts.com

Contributed by Jane Hart

In and Around Kendal

Spring Is Springing Up All Around Us

A Harbinger of Spring: The First Robin Has Been Sighted!

Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

Photo by Peter Sibley

Photo by Carolyn Reiss

Queen Esther Arrives for Purim!

Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

Hudson-River Calm

Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

March Kendal Birthdays

Photo by Marianne Bloomfeld

Doesn’t He Get Cramped in There?

Photo by Joe Bruno

Discovered in Rockwood Park: Proof of the Dreaded Logasaurus from the Jurassic Period

Photo by Edward Kasinec

Dear Friends Come to Dine

(Yes, play on words intended . . . )

Photo by Carolyn Reiss

A Sky Full of Contrails— Where Are They All Going?

Photo by Carolyn Reiss

© Kendal on Hudson Residents Association 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 all rights reserved.  Please do not reproduce without permission.

Photographs of life at Kendal on Hudson are by residents.