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Posted on August 8, 2014 2 Comments
At the back of the property, behind the carriage house, the land sloped downward and ran all the way to the railroad tracks and beyond that, the Hudson river and the magnificent Hudson-Athens lighthouse. The views of the Hudson and the lighthouse must have been stunning when the house was first built. But, by now […]
Posted on August 7, 2014 Leave a Comment
The drive from Nanny and Poppy’s house in Claverack to Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Hudson was about 5 miles. The route is filled with some of Columbia County’s most historic homes. It passes by the Cedar Park cemetary where all the Giffords are buried. My favorite site though, was the Marilyn Monroe house, just […]
Posted on August 7, 2014 Leave a Comment
Augustus Saint-Gaudens by Kenyon Cox Saint-Gaudens (March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who most embodied the ideals of the “American Renaissance”. Raised in New York City, he traveled to Europe for further training and artistic study, and then returned to New York, where he achieved major […]
Posted on August 6, 2014 Leave a Comment
Miniature portrait of Robert Fulton by Thomas Sully In researching my new book, I stumbled across this minature portrait of Robert Fulton painted by Thomas Sully. It has intrigued me to do further research on the early American art movement of miniature. But, that’s another book entirely. Fulton (born Nov. 14, 1765, Lancaster county, Pa., […]
Posted on August 5, 2014 Leave a Comment
I’m deep in the research phase of my new book – a story about art, architecture, murder and the trial of the century. Actually it covers two major trials that involved New York County District Attorney William Traverse Jerome. I’ve read hundreds of articles in an effort to fully understand the legal system that supported […]
Posted on August 5, 2014 Leave a Comment
One of our earliest encounters with the Gifford clan happened one late summer day while we were playing in the backyard. Gram had the rear door under the spiral staircase open to allow some air into the house. The grandchildren were playing in the yard along the older part of the house. My brother BJ, […]
Posted on August 4, 2014 Leave a Comment
Alex Helmer died at the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium. His death inspired his friend John McCrae to pen the poem “In Flanders Field”.
Posted on August 3, 2014 Leave a Comment
In the livingroom along with Grandma’s Steinway there was a pipe organ. Sometimes on Sunday mornings, organ music would fill the house like a clarion calling all good christians to rise. I’d tiptoe down the spiral staircase, still in my footy pajamas, to spy on whomever was making this magical music. Sometimes, when I was […]
Posted on August 2, 2014 Leave a Comment
Lieutenant Colonel John Alexander McCrae, MD (November 30, 1872 – January 28, 1918) was a Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I, and a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. He is best known for writing the famous war memorial poem “In Flanders Fields“. McCrae died of pneumonia […]
Posted on August 1, 2014 Leave a Comment
I became obsessed with WWI in the fall of 2011. A new bakery and coffee shop called Doughboy opened in the West Village. It was at the corner of Charles and Hudson streets. Not only was it a refreshing alternative to Starbucks, they made the best banana bread I’ve tasted since my grandmother died in […]
Culver McCall 