RQS and I planned to visit Olana for a long time, but couldn't get out of bed early enough to make the drive to Hudson, NY. Today was the day we finally made it.
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The first thing on my docket for the day was a Zoom meeting that took up the better part of an hour. I had gotten dresses in a red floral dress I bought from Target a year or two ago. When I had come out of my bedroom (this is where I usually work on the computer), I found that RQS had decided to wear the exact same dress in her size! Today, we would look like the Bobsey Twins whether we planned to or not. This would be my first time at Olana since I was there with XGFJ several years ago. My visit with RQS would be different - we'd be able to see the second floor of the house as well as the main floor.
Instead of driving straight up Route 9, I decided to cross over the Hudson at Newburgh, and then speed up to Catskill on the Thruway, instead of getting caught in slower traffic on the East side of the river. This was a wise choice, as we were able to make it to Olana by 2 pm. Given that the house tours end at 3:45 pm, I figured that we needed the extra time on site if things were busy.
For those unfamiliar with Olana, it is a 250+ acre site that was landscaped and developed by one of the leaders of the Hudson River School of painting. Frederic Church was extremely successful at his craft, and had the money to make this site both a work of art, and a masterpiece of site location - it is impossible to get a scenic view that isn't fantastic from this property.
With Olana's setting in mind, Church's house is priceless. .For the most part, it looks exactly like when it was lived in by the Church family, and New York State was lucky to acquire it when it did. (Could you imagine Church's artistic studies and his own art collection being sold off at auction? I can't.)
However, the house was very warm when we visited, and I needed to cool down within an hour of starting the tour. (Don't worry, I saw everything, missed nothing, and chatted with the docents quite a bit.) So RQS and I got in the car, and started our drive home through scenic rural landscapes. Eventually, we reached Poughkeepsie, where we stopped to eat (too much), then drove home.
All in all, it was a good summer day, and we had a great time together....
