In and Around Kendal

It’s a Puzzlement!

Fulton puzzlers intent on getting those last pieces in!

Photo by Carolyn Reiss

The Penguin Puzzle

A mysterious new member of the Kendal community showed up on Halloween. Upon conversation with the old bird, its voice sounded oddly like Sharry Lukach. Strangely, Sharry did not appear at dinner that night . . . perhaps she was out trick-and-treating.

Photo by Jane Hart

The mysterious new avian Kendal member seems to be a contract-holder; it votes. Clearly a penguin with a community spirit. But will it show up for the Election Run-Off?

Photo by Joe Bruno

Rockwood Magic, by Carolyn Reiss

An early morning moon

'Tis the Season . . . the Dwali Season

Have a fun and festive Diwali! This is but one of the traditional greetings for the celebration of India’s biggest and most important holiday of the year. Diwali, which generally lasts five days, is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar months of Ashvin (according to the Amanta tradition) and Kartika — between around mid-September and mid-November. This year (in the western calendar), it on October 31! Thanks to Meera Srinivasan alert, we can delve into this fascinating (and gorgeous) holiday while it takes place.

 Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, symbolizes the spiritual victory of Dharma over Adharma, light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. The word Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word Deepavali, which means "row of lights." During the festival, celebrants illuminate their homes, temples and workspaces with diyas (oil lamps), candles and lanterns. "The light from these lamps symbolizes the illumination within all of us, which can overcome ignorance, represented by darkness," the Hindu American Foundation says.

In northern India, they celebrate the story of King Rama's return to Ayodhya after he defeated Ravana by lighting rows of clay lamps. Southern Indians celebrate it as the day that Lord Krishna defeated the demon Narakasura. And, in western India, the festival marks the day that Lord Vishnu, the Preserver (one of the main gods of the Hindu trinity) sent the demon King Bali to rule the nether world.

 As with so many celebrations around the world, food is a major focus of Dwali, with families partaking in feasts and sharing mithai. The festival is an annual homecoming and bonding period not only for families, but also for communities and associations, particularly in urban areas, which organize community parades and fairs or music and dance performances in parks. Some people send Diwali greeting cards to family near and far during the festive season, occasionally with boxes of Indian sweets. Another aspect of the festival is remembrance of ancestors.

In the lead-up to Diwali, celebrants prepare by cleaning, renovating, and decorating their homes and workplaces with diyas (oil lamps) and rangolis (colorful art circle patterns) and jhalars (colorful fabric and fringes). Meera’s own entrance shelf holds Diwali decorations.

And she’s sent along a video of the preparation of a rangoli by a rangoli master.

Rangolis can be small, medium-sized, or huge. Click on the button below to see a large variety being prepared in a public place.

We started this piece with a traditional Diwali wish. Here are a few others: 

May your Diwali be free from darkness and abundant with light.

 Have a fun and festive Diwali!

 Hoping your Diwali brings health, wealth, and happiness.

 May your Diwali bring peace and love to your life.

Source: Wikipedia (where else?)

I Didn't Know That

From the Sissman Chronicles

A Brief History of Photography

Following the wide variety of interesting and excellent photographs taken by Kendal residents in each issue of this website has stimulated me to review briefly (and selectively) the history of still photography.

The inventor of photography, in 1839, was a Frenchman, Louis Daguerre; for many years thereafter photographs were called daguerreotypes.

Louis Daguerre

He coated glass plates with silver oxide which turned gray to black when exposed to light; where these “negatives” were “printed” the dark areas were light and thus the print resembled reality.

The first cameras were very large (using film plates the size of letter paper) and needed to be mounted on sturdy wooden tripods. The ensuing decades led to steady progress in making larger more accurate lenses and faster shutter speeds that finally could open and for as short a period of time as 1/1000th of a second.

Many refinements followed, most significantly when an American, George Eastman, added the chemical to a celluloid roll. By designing a camera in which the roll could be advanced after each shot, photographers could take as many as 24 exposures without reloading.

After Eastman incorporated this technique into a light easy-to-use camera called a Kodak Brownie, photography was available to the general public.

In 1935, Kodachrome was developed, the birth of color photography. Around 1957, digital technics were introduced, resulting in photographs that did not require negatives or printing. The refinements that followed led to our current universal IPhone cameras.

Norman Sissman

Made In NYC: Brands, Trends, and Inventions That Began in the Big Apple

Hip Hop

By Bigtimepeace - Own work, Public Domain

DJ Kool Herc gets credit for Hip Hop’s birth, at an August 11, 1973 back-to-school party in the recreation room of his apartment building at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx. He used two turntables to extend the instrumental breaks of songs, allowing people to dance longer, and laying the foundation for “breakbeat” DJing.

Hare Krishnas

Photographer: City of Toronto Planning and Development Department, ca. 1971. Flickr

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness or ISKCON, better known as the Hare Krishnas, has a worldwide reach. There are millions of followers today, but the organization can trace its origins to New York City, where A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada founded the movement on July 13, 1966.

Fantasy Sports

Fantasy sports are a monster, worth nearly $30 billion in economic activity every year. The start of this behemoth was low key, a not-much-loved French restaurant on East 52nd Street. La Rotisserie Française was where the first players of modern fantasy baseball met for lunch and the game became known as Rotisserie Baseball accordingly.  Journalist Daniel Okrent gets credit for pioneering the competition, back in 1980.

Source: “Made In NYC,” by Ethan Wolff, March 2024, City Guide New York

Contributed by Bobbie Roggemann

In and Around Kendal

Happy October Birthdays!

Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

While Walking in the Park One Day . . .

An October Maple

Photo by Alice Clague

A beautiful fall, only enhanced by two Kendalites and their pups

Photo by Maria Harris

A Kendal photographer at her craft

Photo by Aruna Raghavn

Photo by Joe Bruno

New Garden Plots Are Growing Outside Mary Powell

Photo by Joe Bruno

A View Across the River

Photo by Joe Bruno

And Closer to Home

A Mock on Top

Photo by Naomi Gross

Three chairs and a tree — just waiting . . .

Photo by Naomi Gross

Happy Halloween

The Mahoney-Herrings prepare for the big day

Photo by Linda Mahoney

Out and About

Mimi Tells It Like It Is

On Wednesday, October 23, the Rotary Club of the Tarrytowns had a special speaker at their monthly luncheon meeting at Doyle’s Restaurant: Mimi Abramovitz. Her topic was timely: The Election and Threats to Democracy.” Mimi doesn’t shy away from the scary — whether electoral or Halloween-al, as evidenced by her introduction to the Halloween magic that is Sleepy Hollow.

New York Times Voice of an Expert: Understanding the Present through the Past

When the New York Times needed a learned voice on the question of fascism, it turned to “one of the foremost American experts on fascism and perhaps the greatest living American scholar of mid-20th-century European history.” Who just happens to be a Kendalite: Bob Paxton. The result: a 6-page spread in the October 27th New York Times Magazine Section, which was both fascinating and worrying. Click below to read the article in its entirety.

Election 2024: It's More Than Just Candidates

While the votes you cast for candidates, on page one of your ballot, is always important, don’t forget page 2! Turn your over your ballot and you’ll find 2 ballot proposals. And they are these (as taken from the website of the League of Women Voters of Westchester):

Proposal #1 The NYS Equal Rights Amendment

Description of Proposal: This proposal amends Article 1, Section 11 of the New York Constitution. Section 11 now protects against unequal treatment based on race, color, creed, and religion. The proposal will amend the act to also protect against unequal treatment based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes, as well as reproductive healthcare and autonomy. The amendment allows laws to prevent or undo past discrimination.

Question as it Will Appear on Ballot: This proposal would protect against unequal treatment based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity and pregnancy. It also protects against unequal treatment based on reproductive healthcare and autonomy.

A “YES” vote puts these protections in the New York State Constitution.

A “NO” vote leaves these protections out of the State Constitution.

Proposal #2 Westchester County Ballot Proposal: Increase the Term Length for County Legislators from Two to Four Years

Description of Proposal: This proposal amends Chapter 107 of the Laws of Westchester County, known as Westchester County Proposition No. 2024-1, to extend the terms of County Legislators from two to four years, while keeping existing term limits in place. According to the proposers, “[t]his change would allow legislators to concentrate more fully on the needs of their constituents, focus on policy proposals rather than constant campaigning, reduce the cost of administering elections, and align with the standard set by a majority of New York State county legislative bodies, which already have four-year terms.”

Question as it Will Appear on Ballot: Should individuals serving in the position of Westchester County Legislator serve four-year terms instead of two-year terms?

A “YES” vote extends the terms to four years.

A “NO” vote leaves the terms at two years.

Made In NYC: Brands, Trends, and Inventions That Began in the Big Apple

SBARRO

Sbarro is an airport food-hall staple and it seems like there’s one around every touristy corner. (That’s not entirely your imagination: there are 600 locations in 28 countries.) The brand can be traced back to Besonhurst, Brooklyn, where Italian immigrants Gennaro and Carmela Sbarro started up an Italian grocery story in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. The family held on until 2007, when the chain flipped to private equity investors.

TGI FRIDAY’S

Today TGI Friday’s can be found in 55 countries, with over 600 locations. But location #1 was right here in Manhattan. The address is 1152 First Avenue to be precise, and remnants of that first version can be seen in the current tenant at the space, the bar Baker Street Irregulars. TGI Friday’s started off on March 15, 1965, when Alan Stillman launched the concept in his search for a bar where singles could mingle — a space between male-oriented beer joints and private cocktail parties. He helped launch the singles-bar genre, before selling his stake in the company and moving on to steak (he co-founded the Smith & Wollensky chain).

The Escalator

NYC had the world’s first elevator, and the first escalators as well. Several inventors came up with the concept but didn’t actually produce one. That honor goes to Jesse W. Reno, who put the world’s first escalator into place alongside the Old Iron Pier on Coney Island in 1896. The second installation was also in New York, on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, given a trial run a few months later. Today, it’s estimated 3.5 billion people use an escalator every single day.

Source: “Made In NYC,” by Ethan Wolff, March 2024, City Guide New York

Contributed by Bobbie Roggemann

Good News for Those Driving to Tarrytown

Parking Just Got Easier!

River towns are famous for their lack of parking. These municipalities were built before cars. Once cars came on the scene, they co-existed with streetcars, so a family either didn’t need 1 or only needed 1 automobile. Now-a-days the 2-car family is the norm, and it’s not unusual to find a 3 or 4-car family. But where ya gonna put ‘em all?! The Hudson Independent reported recently on a Tarrytown “innovation” that will help greatly for those Kendalites still driving:

First Public Parking Garage in Tarrytown Unveiled The Hudson Independent October 17, 2024 By Rick Pez­zullo 

Finding a parking space in downtown Tarrytown just got a little easier with the unveiling Wednesday of a 68-space in­door public garage on the western side of South Washington Street. 

“This garage is going to be a game changer,” Tarrytown Mayor Karen Brown said at the ceremonial ribbon cutting ceremony with other village officials and local business leaders. “I’m excited about the positive impact this will have on our downtown businesses.” 

The municipal garage was part of a public/​private partnership between the village and Wilder Balter Part­ers (WBP), developers of the 109-unit affordable, multifamily apartments for seniors in the former YMCA building at 62 Main Street.

Village Administrator Richard Slingerland said the parking spaces in the garage will function the same as the lot across the street—open seven days a week for a maximum of six hours at a rate of $1 per hour. (Sunday is free).

Slingerland noted the indoor municipal lot is the first of its kind in the history of Tarry­own.

“We’re cer­tainly open to considering similar projects if they were to come up,” he said.

Bjorn Olsson, Executive Director of the historic Tarrytown Music Hall, said the garage will make it easier for residents and visitors to enjoy the shows at his venue and frequent the many restaurants and shops downtown.

“I’m proud of Tarrytown for pulling this together,” he said. “This is an amazing thing.”

Oxymorons to Spare

Why do “tug” boats push their barges?    

Why do we sing “Take me out to the ball game” when we are already there?

Why are they called “stands” when they are made for sitting?  

Why is it called “after dark” when it really is “after light”?  

Doesn’t “expecting the unexpected” make the unexpected expected? 

Why are a “wise man” and a “wise guy” opposites?  

Why do “overlook” and “oversee” mean opposite things? 

Contributed by Bobbie Roggemann

I Never Knew That

Where Did Halloween Come From?

It’s not exactly clear what ancient Celts did during Samhain, the pagan holiday we now link with Halloween, but historians have some idea thanks to a surviving bronze calendar. The first written mentions of Samhain appeared in Europe around the first century, marking winter’s swift approach and the start of the Celtic new year. Celebrated on October 31, Samhain was a time when the wall between the spirit plane and the living world was thought to be at its weakest, allowing spirits to cross the boundary with ease. In an effort to curb vandalism and mishaps from angsty ghosts, the Celts hosted welcoming bonfires and left food offerings; eventually, the practice transitioned to dressing as ghouls themselves and traveling door to door in search of refreshments and merriment. Modern Halloween has held tight to many Celtic traditions, like fortune-telling and bobbing for apples, but Roman Christian attempts to squash pagan ceremonies, starting around 600 CE, started the slow transition from religious festival to the spooky secular event.

Colonists in early America brought some Halloween traditions with them (telling ghost stories, pulling pranks, and sharing harvest meals) but strict social and religious rules in Puritan communities scaled back the death-centric influence of early celebrations. Halloween would gain back some of its edge around the mid-1800s when a large influx of Irish immigrants began sharing their holiday traditions passed down from Celtic ancestors, such as carving pumpkins and donning costumes. The Halloween we’re familiar with today slowly spread across the US, and by the 1920s, trick-or-treaters across the country were looking forward to their one night of socially acceptable mischief and candy collecting.

Source: Interestingfacts.com

© 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.