FDR, Seneca Wine Trail and a Glimpse of Rivendell

Before I left the Poughkeepsie area of New York I took my godmother's advice and stopped at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt library. This is the first Presidential library and the only one to be used by a President during his terms in office.

You drive into a great big estate and make your first stop in the new visitor's center. Above the service desk is a large sign which shows you the different tours and prices, as well as the times at which tours take place. I found this somewhat confusing. I had about an hour before I had to head to my shoot so I chose the general fee which allowed you to walk the grounds and enter some of the buildings. The gift store was one of few that made me want to purchase things. But I thought, I could always look online at a time when I had the dough to by something.

Making my way at back, I found the separate library building. Passing the statue of FDR's head I entered the door, showed my ticket and took a long look at the President's desk. On it was an organized clutter of the things he had on his desk at one time or another. Toys, office items, many things which had a specific story and some which were mysteries.

In another room you can see his study. I has a great big painting of his mother, book shelves, furniture from the 1700's, a replica (bummer) of the Washington desk he used and one of his actual wheelchairs. He did not tend to use those available at the time. Instead, he had an actual chair converted and made sure it had a swiveling ashtray.

Downstairs you find his Phaeton. FDR used to drive people around his estate and in order to do so, a mechanic converted the pedal controls to hand controls.

Back upstairs there are many display cases housing many different aspects of both Eleanor's and Franklin's lives. You can see his leg braces, with a note of specific adjustment instructions that he sent to his doctor. There is a family history, with portraits of different predecessors, locks of his old boyhood golden hair, his children's books and a separate case with doggie things. These belonged to his dog Falla. He was quite close to this black Scottie and it accompanied him on many Presidential trips. He can see three of his collars, dishes and a little 'foot.'

One of my favorite displays was the room devoted to Eleanor Roosevelt. The most beautiful woman in American History! Well, that might be an exaggeration, but few individuals move me as much as this woman. FDR was quite fortunate to have married her. She was the one with the worldly experience and compassionate awareness that helped to influence many of FDR's decisions. She was a character of incredible learning, restless drive and boundless compassion for other people.

During her marriage she did so much for the President, including coping with his wandering ways. During WWII, while many in our nation protested the use of black pilots, she championed the cause by actually going up in a plane with one of these Tuskegee Airmen! (Important note: so effective were these P-51 "Red Tailed Devils" that they never lost a single bomber they escorted! We had the only red tail P-51, which the Woodbury father crashed and died in the same year his son died when he crashed his F-18 in Iraq. Pardon that tangental...)

When FDR died, Eleanor discovered that he had died while with his mistress. It was then she also discovered he had many secret meetings with this woman and his accomplice was their own daughter. That woman's poor tortured heart!

Well, Eleanor had close companions herself and some of these relationships were with woman. What kind of relationships these were is open to speculation, but it also shows the degree of identification she had with the human struggle. African Americans, the handicap, homosexuals, the poor and the oppressed, all had this woman as a supreme advocate.

Finally, Eleanor single-handedly championed the cause of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This lone woman, in a sea of male world leaders, was the loudest and most outspoken leader. Even with the resistance of countries like the Soviet Union she was successful in ratifying the document. Her legacy is one which we still have fallen short of. But where is greater beacon of hope than in this woman's story!

They had a great deal on the industrial recovery act. The NIRA (from which our family got the name for our cafe/bar on 7th Street), helped jump us out of the depression. We may yet see a similar rallying cry in our current history coming from the next Presidency.

Their tombs are simple and their rose gardens were still in bloom. You can see the great view they had of the valley behind their mansion. There are statues of FDR and his friend Winston, who used to like to showcase his 'jumpsuits' to the U.S. press when he visited the estate.

There is much to see and I thank my godmother for telling me about it. It deserves much more time. And when you cross that Roosevelt bridge over the Hudson, the grand view of the valley hits you with such beautiful awe - the changing colors of leaves and the massive river, once the home of the only President to serve 4 terms in office!

Zooming up to the Finger Lakes region of New York brings you past vineyard after vineyard after vineyard. This region is perfect for the growing of the Reisling grapes and this white wine abounds.

This lakes are called "Fingers" based on the Native American creation story of the creator's hand making the long indentations. Lake Seneca is over 600 feet deep!!!

The lakes sit down in a gigantic depression. Up on either side of the lake are the vineyards, resorts and rental properties. I was shooting and staying at one of the most popular. A place that was made from a previously existing Franciscan monestery. Upon the grounds were Roman and Greek statues such as the Venus de Milo and a rear garden of gelded bushes encircling bocce ball and croquet lawns. By the pool stood large concrete urns atop pillars and the whole property looked down upon the lake.

The owners were owners of a furniture company. You cannot by a piece of this furniture for less thatn $1,000.

The room in which I was staying was furnished with this Mission Oak style. I was lucky enough to be staying in the loft. This room had a kitchen and a big living room. You took two steps up to get into the separate bed chamber and there was another stairway to the open loft. These were the tope center windows of the building.

There were many pictures of the owner with famous celebrities such as the Clintons, Wynton Marsalis, Bill Cosby and many other politicians, conductors and world celebrities. The owner was so pleasant and kind, it only helped to add the my enjoyment of the experience. I just wish I had more time there, to read a book up in the loft, consume the complimentary wine and peak out the windows, down to the garden below.

But shooting calls and I was set up for a meeting at two different wineries. This first was the most popular on the stretch and I got a quick tour of the grape vines and watched as they pressed grapes. I grabbed a bite to eat, looked down at Seneca and drove to the next brewery.

The second, while not as large, was much more friendly and informative. (When I asked the tasting room manager for a abbreviated version of the wine making process, he just looked at me with disdain and said that it was barely possible to do that on an actual tour! Thanks buddy. I'll be sure to give you a much smaller plug.) Well, at this second winery I was brought out to this fellows garden. Some of it was just for fun and ambiance. You could tell he really loved his little garden! The moonflowers which bloom at night and fill the air with fragrance! The Hyacinth pods -great big purple things which climb a structure like 'Jack and the Beanstalk!' He also had a educational example of rows of the different varieties of grapes they grew at the vineyard.

He brought me over to the fermentation tanks, great shiny things, each with a chrome-like dimpled band around them. These help to regulate the temperature and affect the fermentation process. Inside he brought me to the winery masters, at work beginning the fermentation process by hosing water on the outside of the tanks. I saw the crates of purplish foamy fermentation and filmed it while he gave me an overview.

I wish we had a full crew - videographer, talent and director. With one person all you can do is man that camera and do your best to capture video of the scene, the guide, his narration and provide feeding questions throughout the shoot. You could not have asked for a better tour, however! Friendly, action-filled, informative, well-lit and with a smooth flow.

That night I had a dinner reservations awaiting me. A harp was playing and couples were lovey-dovey and soft-spoken in the candle light. The room was converted from the chapel. I looked at the single menu and began to be overcome with fright. It was $60 a person! This way exceeded my limit. So, I was polite and ordered from the four-course menu. But with each course I choked down, my nerves made me unsettled. I knew it wouldn't be a huge deal, but still, $70 with tip at least! Who can afford this, especially in today's economy! Is this right?! Well, the liberal tendencies in me started thinking about what could be done with that money. Started thinking of the contradiction of a place once filled with Franciscans, that order who believed in living a life of poverty above all other things!

As I listened to the pluck of the harp strings and ate with the mechanical and purposeful etiquette called for by the setting, I was eventually approached by the waitress who said I was all set. The meal was compliments of the house.

I retired to my chambers. The place was beautiful. I have to say it has been my favorite yet. It was simple, beautiful and unique. I felt respected by the spirits of the place and gave them back a mutual respect tenfold. Such a room must have been the quarters of the Monsignor, or whichever head body presided there.

As I laid in bed, I left a little tiffany lamp on. It illuminated a picture labled 'Firenze' and beheld a Medieval bearded monk, at study with his head resting on his fist and gazing out at me as I slept.

I shot to yet another historic building built in the 1830's. It was a long shoot, but my room was a gigantic four post bed, draped in flowing fabric. The view was fabulous, though the weather had kicked up a nasty blowing rain and temperatures that chilled you to the bone.

I arose around four for a long drive to Oswego on Lake Ontario. It was dark, the wind and rain wipped at the car and I wondered when the heck the sun was going to rise! This was simple fishing-lodge-like property with taxidermied bears, deer and fish. It was right near 3 nuclear power plants that evidentaly go into outage frequently. The reason is that the don't seem to be able to keep people in the area due to the excessively high property tax.

After that shoot I sped back down to Canandaigua (rounding out 2,000 miles driven for this trip) in time for my next shoot only to discover they decided that they didn't want to shoot since they weren't ready. This was quite rude and there would be no guarantee that we'd be back this way any time soon. But, it gave me more time to get to the next place. This next place was in Ithaca and had actually offered to put me up for an additional night. So, I checked into another nice, but contemporary resort.

Beforehand I was able to visit Rivendell (Lord of the Rings Reference). There were a series of short steps from the parking lot that looked down and across a great chasm. On the far side was a thin band of waterfall, that fell hundreds of feet from the equal height below to the rocks below. The scene was speckled with the oranges of turning trees, the flutter of passing birds and falling leaves. You could see the final days of the elven kingdom full of beauty and a graceful sorrow like you'd see at passing of a dear friend, who's time had come. I'd never seen a falls like that.

Ithaca is a college town. With historical houses and tall scenic structures built right into the hills surrounding the lake. The downtown is a bustling center of hip college students with the 2008 fashion-styles of boot cut jeans and sneakers, scarves, off-center visored stocking caps, moppy hair, hoodies and untucked dress shirts.

I was yearning for Asian food and found perfection. It was a Korean restaurant with chopsticks already sitting on the table a wonderful menu of enticing concoctions and Asian cliental. I ordered something new to me, it's name escapes me, but it was stir-fried beef and onions in a red houses sauce. I ordered some miniature shrimp dumplings and within five minutes of placing my order, the sizzling metal plate came out, with an army of little cups of pickled onions, sautead tofu, cabbage and other such curious delicacies. Spectacularly yummy! Flavorful and spicey and it led my nose to run but I did not find the need to retreat to my water.

Within a a span of twenty minutes I had ordered and consumed the most satisfying meal in weeks and weeks. I did not feel bloated and regretful but instead was at the height of satisfaction. Leave it to such a place where you can order a complexity of tastes, be served quickly, eat with a zest and frivolity with such flavors, with the aid of chopsticks enhances, and feel like you've never been more satisfied in your life!

The following day with shoot finished, Treman Park and the surrounding falls were paid a visit and the Paleontological Museum was too.

As far as meals that are memorable, it's often the smaller, less-advertised joints that really impress. Like the duck hash at the Tree House in Kennebunkport, the salmon chowder at the Rowan Tree in York Harbor or the feast at the Asian Cuisine in Ithaca. Small espresso-serving cafes, are nice places to catch something a little more healthy and it's easy to find the best place in town by having it 'greet' you. It stands out, believe me!

There has been a lot of beauty on this trip from the heights of Arcadia in Bar Harbor, to the changing leaves alon the Kanc highway in New Hampshire, routes through Connecticut and the Hudson Valley of New York. The waterfalls in the Finger Lake region are breathtaking, one after the other. All in all, autumn is a perfect time to head out in this direction. While you risk being hit with the fast-advancing winter, the reward is in the views of surroundings you will find nowhere else.