14-May-2021
National Disrepair
The National Historic Park of the Great Falls of Paterson opened in 1986. Not much has been done to preserve this site. Windows have been busted. Pidgeons roosting everywhere. The falls and surrounding areas are protected as part of the National Park Service. Unfortunately, there is little evidence of work being done and keeping the area clean and inviting for visitor. Handicapped access is limited. There are many obstacles. While we were there we were pelted by gravel, thrown at visitors by workers doing lawnmowing and using handheld edge trimmers. It could be a great place, but it needs a lot more work.
14-May-2021
Alexander Hamilton looking towards The Great Falls
On July 10, 1778, Gen. George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette joined Alexander Hamilton, Washington's most trusted aide, in what would become Paterson, at the spot where the Passaic River plummets 77 feet over basalt cliffs. They shared a picnic of cold ham, tongue and biscuits.
14-May-2021
This is what Alexander Hamilton sees all day long
18-Jan-2021
Ominous Moment
We had decided to take a break from sitting at home and visit the High Point Monument in winter. A storm was brewing when we arrived.
0ctober 2017
Gettysburg Battlefield Remembered
15-Oct-2020
Small bear statue seen in Milford, Pennsylvania.
21-Sep-2020
William the Silent and what he means to Rutgers
The Huffington Post recently decreed that William the Silent, the bronze fixture on Voorhees Mall at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, is one of the “Most-Loved Statues on College Campuses.” William, one of 22 statues chosen from around the nation, is keeping some august company: Homer (University of Virginia), Abraham Lincoln (University of Wisconsin–Madison), Margaret Thatcher (Hillsdale College), First Down Moses (University of Notre Dame), and the Bruin Bear (University of California, Los Angeles), among other lights. In weighing the criteria for such lofty status, the statue was considered for its role in “students’ traditions, legends, and a penchant for pranking” and whether the statue is a “source of luck, a symbol of pride and achievement, and the world’s most trustworthy confidante.” Legend has it that William—a.k.a. Willie the Silent and Still Bill—only breaks his code of silence to whistle when a virgin walks by him.
William the Silent (1533–1584) was the Count of Nassau, Prince of Orange, and national hero of the Netherlands—appropriate for Rutgers, given its Dutch origins. The one-ton statue was a gift of Fenton B. Turck, a physician and biologist who acquired William in the Netherlands after World War I and stored him in his Manhattan laboratory for eight years. He and Leonor F. Loree RC1877 anonymously presented the statue to Rutgers through the Holland Society; William was unveiled at his present location during a ceremony on June 9, 1928.
06-Sep-2020
Fire Globe
This globe will be filled with wood pallets and set ablaze at the end of winning baseball games. Due to the pandemic this action had to be abandoned. It is still a great looking globe or fire pit.
12-Jul-2020
Apple Valley Gardens and Restaurant
12-Jul-2020
Part of Apple Valley Restaurant and Gardens
I liked the display of the old sewing machines.
21-Jun-2020
Part of the Great Falls of Paterson