Week 35 - 26.04.24 - Babies & Confirmation

This week was the week of babies! 

Before the Triform Camphill Community was founded, there was a farm with a special concept on the site. City dwellers from New York City could live on the site for a while in purpose-built houses, help out on the farm and get a taste of the country air. Today, young adults with disabilities live and work here, continuing to care for the farm animals in the old stables. This week we converted the old gatehouse, where visitors used to be welcomed, into a chicken coop. We bought 85 chicks, 83 of which survived the first few days. Our farm manager explained to us that this is not unusual, some animals are born weak or with a poor immune system and their death cannot be prevented. One of our tasks is to feed the animals every day and provide them with water. When you step inside, all the chickens immediately rush at your feet, so you have to shuffle rather than walk to avoid accidentally stepping on one of the excited chicks. 

Two of our pigs were pregnant and we now have lots of cute piglets! The first group is two weeks old and originally consisted of 14 animals, now there are only 9. The second group is five weeks old, of which 6 out of 7 animals have survived. Unfortunately, this is a repeat of a tragedy that took place immediately after my arrival at Triform in September last year. The pigs run wildly through the enclosure and are always trying to get to their mother's teats. When trying to lie down, the mother has unfortunately crushed several babies under her enormous weight. We have set up a separate area that is not accessible to the mother, where the piglets can lie down safely under a heat lamp. However, the piglets must still have access to their mother to drink her milk, so this risk cannot be completely eliminated. 

One of our cows has also given birth to a calf, which was initially kept alone with its mother, but is now grazing with the herd. Like the other baby animals, the calf is also a big highlight at Triform and now regularly draws many residents who do not work on the farm to the barn to marvel at the cute animal.

As the Turkish volunteer moved house, we needed a new volunteer again. After the Spring Break vacation, a new volunteer from the USA moved in with us. Not alone, but with her 2 1/2 year old daughter, who she is bringing up on her own. At first it was very unusual to have a child in the house alongside the residents. I'm very happy with the new addition, it's a completely different atmosphere in the house, the child brings a smile to everyone's face and brings a lot of joy to the house. She eagerly helps with the cooking and also gets on well with the residents. I said that the second half of my time at Triform now feels like a whole new year of volunteering. With the departure of the long-time resident and my Turkish colleague, the arrival of the mother and her child and my new off-day group, everything feels completely new. 

The family's son, who at the age of 14 celebrated his confirmation in the anthroposophical church, is no longer a child. In the first half, the pastor held a service which, according to my Christian colleagues, only differed in details from the confirmation in the Protestant church. During the break we enjoyed a lovely buffet and met lots of people from other Camphills who have become friends with our houseparents over the years. During the second half, the teacher who taught the confirmation classes spoke. While I couldn't do much with the first half as I lacked context as an atheist, I really enjoyed the second half. She talked about the individual confirmands and what makes them special. Everyone got the chance to perform their own presentation. Some, like the son of my house parents, played something with their instruments. One confirmand read out a poem to which he drew a picture. My highlight was the confirmand who wrote his own song and played it on the piano. Anthroposophy places great value on art and music, so many parents have a special focus on the musical and creative education of their children. 

On my day off, the three of us had breakfast at the Plaza Diner. I treated myself to a Philly beef sandwich and ordered a soda float after seeing it advertised on my vacation. It's a glass of Pepsi with a scoop of vanilla ice cream floating in it. Sounds unusual and is also quite a sugar shock, but I'm glad I tried it once. 

In the evening, we met up at my colleague's house and the five of us watched the series “How I met your Mother”. I've heard a lot about the show, but I've never watched it before because I'm not really a fan of sitcoms with canned laughter. Take a look at the episode “The Sweet Taste of Liberty” (season 1, episode 3), we had a great time. We want to meet up again in the future to continue watching the series, also because it's set in New York City and we're expecting some interesting insights into the city. 

On our day off, we had a picnic in Olana. I already wrote about the Persian villa close to the hudson river in week 15. For breakfast we always have granola with raisins, yoghurt, milk and fruit salad (apple, banana, orange), so I'm always happy to have a breakfast of baguette, pretzels or croissants on my day off. Unfortunately, the baking section of the Hannaford supermarket nearby is not very good, most of the breads are packaged and not crispy. However, I discovered pretzel bites, small round mini buns made from pretzel dough. Very tasty and great for sharing at a picnic. Served with cream cheese, Nutella, orange juice and Polish kielbasa sausage, which I learned about in my ISHA seminar at the University of Warsaw in 2018 (https://ishaberlin.wordpress.com/2018/07/29/an-isha-experience-newbie-report/ ) . I am currently reading the book "Moonraker" by Ian Fleming. Published in 1955, the book is considered one of the best works in the James Bond series, but apart from a few elements, it doesn't have much in common with the 1979 film adaptation of the same name starring Roger Moore. James Bond is tasked with finding out more about the industrialist Hugo Drax. He is said to have been a British soldier during the Second World War. Drax was badly injured in a bomb blast by German "werewolf" saboteurs at a British headquarters, half his face was disfigured and he suffered amnesia. He could no longer remember his name, so the officers went through the files with him to identify him. He showed interest in the orphan "Hugo Drax" from the Liverpool docks and the descriptions seemed to more or less match, so they assigned him this identity.  In 1946, he bought three tons of columbite, which cost around 3000 pounds per ton. Gradually, he bought larger and larger quantities of the valuable ore, which was needed for the construction of jet engines, among other things, due to its high melting point. He bought up used ore dumps in South Africa, which later became interesting again for uranium mining. He made a fortune and quickly became popular with the population through his expensive balls, houses and donations. One day he donated his entire stake in Columbit to Great Britain and offered to build a nuclear missile for the UK with 10 million pounds from his private fortune and resources. Against the backdrop of the Cold War, the British government accepted the gift and the Queen knighted him. He comes to the attention of Director "M" of the secret service MI6 because he is apparently cheating at cards in an elite club in London. So James Bond sets out to get to know the multimillionaire better and discovers a few secrets along the way. An exciting novel with an interesting premise that I can highly recommend. It's not surprising that an English intelligence officer born in 1908 wrote books that are out of date in some respects, such as the image of women, and need to be read with a critical eye. Nevertheless, I am very fascinated by the James Bond films and after the books, as they manage to transport me to exotic places, tell exciting stories about secret services and convey the feeling of the Cold War like hardly any other series. 

After the picnic, we went to Stewarts for ice cream. They have huge scoops of ice cream with creative flavors. I ordered a scoop of "Win-Place-Dough", chocolate ice cream with caramel and cookie dough pieces. Plus a scoop of "Hip! Hip! Churr-Ay!", Mexican horchata chocolate ice cream with churro pieces. Horchata is a popular Mexican rice milk drink made from rice, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. A fantastic ice cream that makes me want to visit Mexico. Interestingly, a distinction is made in restaurants between "Coke" and "Mexican Coke". In Mexico, Coke is made from cane sugar, whereas in the USA it is made from corn syrup. I have not yet been able to do a direct taste test. Coke in fast food restaurants, diners and snack bars often comes from "soda fountains", the machines we know from McDonalds or movie theaters. I can taste a clear difference here, as this cola tastes much sweeter than the cola I drink from bottles. 

On April 27, we went to Great Barrington with the entire community for a concert. Great Barrington is the birthplace of W.E.B. Du Bois and a famous ski resort (Ski Butternut). On Memorial Day, 5/29/1995 F4 tornado that killed four people. Natural disasters, except for floods that occurred a little further away during my time here and destroyed roads, are rather rare here, but they are not impossible. The worst natural disaster my house parents have experienced here was a blizzard (ice storm) that knocked out power to some houses. On the drive I enjoyed the beautiful scenery here, huge fields, hilly roads, misty marshes and breathtaking views of the Catskill Mountains in the distance. 

At the "Music in Praise of Dignity & Care" concert at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, our bell choir performed under the direction of Akiko Suesada, along with several other musicians (Eugene Drucker, Dana Kelley, Gili Melamed-Lev, Joana Genova, Roberta Cooper). I was delighted to see some residents from my home on stage. The choir has performed in the past at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, as well as the Herbst Theatre in San Franciso. The choir is the flagship of Triform and often has performances from events and benefit concerts. The conductor stands in front of the residents and points to the residents ringing their bells. The many different bells and the rhythm make a fantastic sound; despite their disabilities, all the residents here can contribute and experience a lot of self-efficacy. I am not part of the bell choir as I work a lot on the farm and am active in the drama group. Nevertheless, I enjoy every performance and am very proud of the residents! All proceeds from the concert go to Camphill Village Copake, who support adults with disabilities. 

On July 24, a large part of Triform traveled to New York City. Once a year, the Camphill Foundation holds a large benefit concert, where a big banquet is organized for Camphill supporters and art by Camphill residents is auctioned off. Founded in 1983, the Camphill Association of North America now has 15 member communities and 5 affiliated communities, with 100 communities in 20 countries worldwide. Many of our coworkers, householders and residents drove to the gala in evening dress to perform with the bell choir and mingle with representatives from other Camphills and supporters. For the coworkers and residents who are not part of the Bell Choir, the parents of our residents even bought expensive tickets to thank them for their work. Also at the gala were some friends from my preparatory seminar who work in other Camphills in America. The event took place at the Yale Club, a private club in Manhattan next to Grand Central Terminal. The 22-story clubhouse for alumni and faculty of the elite Ivy League university Yale opened in 1915 and is still the largest clubhouse ever built in NYC. It has hosted many wealthy supporters, some of whom have donated five-figure sums for art produced by our residents. So there was also a fantastic meal and cocktails, and the big event was even reported on the news on "Fox News 5 New York":

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6Oi43etbYY/

Photos and complete recording:

https://camphillfoundation.org/springbenefit/

I watched the bell choir concert live on my cell phone while I bathed my assigned resident in Triform. He can't go on such a long trip, so I had to stay behind in Triform to look after him. The two weeks before and after the event were all about anticipation and reports from the event, in the house and on the farm the residents and my colleagues were constantly raving about the fine food, the great conversations and the class trip atmosphere on the trip to New York City, many count this trip to the city as one of their highlights at Triform. I tried my hardest to block it all out, but I didn't succeed. 

To get out of this slump, I went to Bethel with my two colleagues on our off-day. Bethel probably doesn't mean much to many people, but from August 15 to August 18, 1969, an event took place there that everyone should be familiar with: the Woodstock Festival! 

The Woodstock Festival, which contrary to its name did not take place in Woodstock, 70 km away, but on the pasture fields of a dairy farmer in White Like near Bethel, was the high point of the hippie movement. 400,000 visitors, many of them under the influence of LSD, mescaline and marijuana, traveled to New York to see 32 bands and solo artists from the folk, rock, psychedelic rock, blue and country music genres. They included Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Sly and the Family Stone, Santana and The Who. The Oscar-winning film "Woodstock" from 1970 is still one of the most successful documentaries today and helped to spread the myth of Woodstock around the world. In 1996, the American billionaire Alan Gerry bought the almost unchanged festival grounds. He donated 150 million US dollars and opened the Bethel Wood Center for the Arts, including an amphitheater, in 2006; a museum was opened in 2008. The site has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2017, and numerous events and concerts are once again held there in the summer, bringing the place to life. The festival site itself is a large field with a monument commemorating the festival. We got talking to a man who told us about the festival and recommended that we walk barefoot across the large Woodstock meadow. Although it is located behind the wooden fence and is not officially open to the public, the staff at the center are very friendly and tolerant. We took off our shoes, walked across the meadow, lay down on the hill and, with the sun on our faces, enjoyed the feeling of being in a place where history was made. We imagined how people gathered here 54 years ago, united in their love of nature, anti-racism, criticism of consumerism, rebellion against conservative moralizing and their commitment to a peaceful and more humane world in the face of the Vietnam War, the Cold War and rearmament. The themes of the hippie movement are more relevant than ever, especially today, when public opinion is increasingly being stirred up against alternative lifestyles and free love (LGBTQI+), right-wing conservative and authoritarian parties are on the rise, environmental protection is being discredited and two terrible wars are raging not far from Germany. "Love and peace still persist", the man told us. This trip had an emotional impact on me and made me think. I am very grateful to have been able to visit this special place.

Why is May 4 a special holiday? Many at Triform couldn't answer this question, as it's a special holiday that not everyone knows about. But our house decided to celebrate this day because my Scottish colleague and I are big Star Wars fans. The famous phrase "May the force be with you" is certainly known to many and because "May the force" is pronounced like "May the 4th", in 1979 this date became an unofficial holiday for Star Wars fans, and since 2011 official celebrations have also been held on this day in Canada. We both wondered which of the now nine major Star Wars films would be the best to introduce our beloved movie series to our residents, some of whom have never been exposed to it. I suggested seeing "Star Wars 6: Return of the Jedi" as it is considered by many (including myself) to be the best Star Wars movie and the cute and clumsy Ewoks would definitely generate enthusiasm. In the end, we wavered between Star Wars 6 and 7, but decided on Star Wars 6 in the end. In the evening, we had a movie night and watched the film with the residents. For me, it was the first time I had seen the original English version. It was interesting to see the movie from this new perspective, so I found the beginning in Tatooinne with Jabba the Hut a little scary for them, but our residents stuck with it anyway. The subsequent scenes on Endor with the Ewoks, reminiscent of wild teddy bears, often caused great laughter among the inhabitants. The space fairy tale about the victory of the defeated good guys against the seemingly overpowering bad guys fascinated our residents very much, especially the space scenes captivated them. The resident assigned to me is known to laugh heartily when disaster strikes the movie hero, he often seems to be more on the side of the antagonists. He had a good laugh during the battle scenes on Endor and the final duel. I watched a lot of the reactions of the inhabitants, it was a magical moment to see people for the first time in their lives watching the movie series that has been with me since childhood. Everyone really enjoyed the movie (and the M&Ms and chips), there's no better way to celebrate Star Wars Day.

When I walked into the living room, I was also delighted to see the Lego sets that the family's son had left on the table. As a Star Wars fan, I took a close look at the models and was fascinated by the many details, especially the spaceship from the series "The Mandalorian". As a child, I once wished for the Lego AT-AT, but it was too expensive. Now I was able to see it up close, which awakened the child in me. When asked if I would play with the Lego, I said no and said I just had to arrange the models for my blog photos...  ;)

On Sunday we took the house to the Plaza Diner in Hudson. A resident's mom treated us to this outing so we could enjoy pancakes, waffles and eggs together. I ordered French toast, which I'd never had in Germany but tasted fantastic. 

On my off-day, I went to the cinema and watched the movie "Civil War":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDyQxtg0V2w&pp=ygURY2l2aWwgd2FyIHRyYWlsZXI%3D

Director Alex Garland (director of “Annihilation”, screenwriter of “22 Days later”) shows a politically torn USA in the near future, in which a civil war is raging between several states. Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jesse Plemons and Nick Offerman can be seen in the leading roles. A team of journalists embark on a journey from New York City to Washington DC to interview the President as he fights back against the invading army of a coalition from California and Texas. Here you can see that Garland deliberately distances himself somewhat from the current politics of the day, California and Texas couldn't be further apart politically. His aim is not to take up the Trump vs Biden conflict, but to distance himself from any attempts to draw parallels with the current situation with this unusual coalition. An advertising poster shows snipers taking up position on the torch tip of the Statue of Liberty. Contrary to the impression created by the advertisement, this is not a war movie. Who is at war with whom, or why, is revealed in passing, as the film is not about big politics or war strategy. It's basically a road trip movie in which you accompany a group of journalists as they travel from station to station and see the horrors of war and the abysses of humanity. Since I took the bus from New York to Washington over the Christmas break, many of the places looked very familiar to me. It makes a big difference whether you see the war in the distant desert of Afghanistan or in places you have visited yourself or know directly from your neighborhood. The movie is very similar to the 2015 film “A Perfect Day” by Fernando León de Aranoa starring Benicio del Toro. This is about a team of crisis aid workers who are traveling together in a war zone at the end of the Yugoslavian war. The focus is not on the war, but on the suffering of the people and the bitterness of a group of people who witness the consequences of the violent conflict. At the end of “Civil War”, I was surprised when the credits rolled. The movie was very entertaining, had interesting ideas such as the insertion of the photos of the photojournalists and has a scene with Jesse Plemons that will stay with me for a long time (“What Kind of American are you?”). If my description sounds interesting to you, go and see the movie. But it's not a must-see, it doesn't make enough of the actually interesting premise. 

I went to the cinema one evening after work with two colleagues from the USA and Scotland to see the movie "Abigail": 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PsP8MFH8p0&pp=ygUPYWJpZ2FpbCB0cmFpbGVy

A group of criminals (including Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kevin Durand and William Catlett) kidnap a twelve-year-old girl in order to extort a ransom. The client Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito from Breaking Bad) has the girl taken to a remote mansion where they are supposed to look after her until the 50 million dollar payment from her rich parents arrives. But the little ballet dancer is not a normal girl, so the group gradually shrinks and the movie turns from a heist film into a horror movie. The director duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have already made Scary Movie 5 and 6, so you shouldn't expect a serious horror movie here, but an over-the-top movie with a wink. We had a lot of fun with the exaggerated blood effects, the humor and the dynamic between the actors. The movie is admittedly a little trashy, predictable, more splatter than horror and certainly not a must-see, but a good choice for a cheerful evening with friends. 

Once a year, a birthday meeting is held for each resident. The householders, the work leaders, the leaders of the afternoon courses attended and coworkers who live with the resident are invited. Parents are also invited to reflect together on the past year and the resident's development. On the one hand, these meetings are incredibly nice because the parents are happy to see how their child has developed in many different areas. On the other hand, it is also a great challenge for the residents, as all the relevant people come together and talk about them. The resident concerned was visibly uncomfortable when it came to negative developments and the need for improvement, so she covered her face. Nevertheless, she was happy that we all see her as an intelligent person who can overcome all challenges if she manages to motivate herself. Of course, I can't go into details, but it was a great opportunity to meet the parents and see how the resident has developed outside the home at work and during afternoon activities. There was also the Biography Sharing, which doesn't take place every year but only once when a person has settled in at Triform. Here we meet in a somewhat larger group, where coworkers from the work areas, administrative staff, therapists and other householders who have regular contact with the resident are also invited. The resident in question does not take part here, as the focus is on the parents. They talk about how they met, the pregnancy, the physical and psychological development of the child, the decisive moments of childhood, the experiences in nursery and school, puberty, challenges with other children, changes of school and the search for the perfect place for their child up to the decision to send their child to Triform. The parents bring photo albums to make the development of their child tangible for everyone. Talking about this so openly in front of so many people is very difficult for the parents, so tissues are always available here, which the parents gratefully used. It is a great challenge for the parents to open up in front of us, but it helps tremendously to understand the resident better. Why does she behave the way she does in certain situations? Why does the resident have difficulties here, what are her fears based on? What are her dreams and hopes, where has she developed over the past few years? What is the relationship like with her siblings, what feelings does the awareness of not having the same opportunities generate? The stories told by the parents were also very emotional for me, as they opened up in all confidence. Not only does this knowledge help me to better adapt to the needs of the resident, but I can now better understand what it means to grow up with a disability and the challenges that come with it for the child and family. 

We then celebrated the resident's birthday with a campfire, to which she invited friends and volunteers from other houses and nearby camphills. Her mother ordered food from the Thai restaurant Isaan Thai Star in Hudson, which we ate around the campfire. We all had great fun and had a round where everyone could say what we appreciate about the resident and why we value her as a friend. We danced to a music playlist she had put together and then I had a long chat with the other volunteers while we washed up. After washing up, we went straight on to the next party, as it was the birthday of two of our volunteers from India and Brazil, and they were celebrating at the house of a friend in the neighboring neighborhood who also had a birthday. It was a long night and we had a great time. On Sunday, work starts at 7 a.m. here too, so it wasn't really worth going to bed. But as Jack Nickolson said as Jack Torrance in "The Shining" in 1980:

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"

One evening, our householders were invited to a conference, so we were split up into different houses. I was invited with a resident to a barbecue evening in a house where I was barbecuing for the first time this year. We had delicious sausages, burgers, salad and pasta salad. One of the coworkers bought a great music system in America, so we sat in the garden and had great conversations while listening to beautiful music. Afterwards we had a campfire. Unfortunately, three coworkers I've spent the last few months with are already leaving us this weekend. One volunteer from Hamburg, one from Lebus near Frankfurt Oder (where my grandparents regularly visit the fish restaurant "Anglerheim an der Oder") and one from Turkey. Thank you for the wonderful moments and conversations, I hope that we will meet again one day and that you will get closer to your dreams by then. 

On May 19, we celebrated "Whitson". It is about the sending of the Spirit of God to the disciples of Jesus. The New Testament tells us that the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and disciples when they were gathered in Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Shavuot, the date known as the founding of the church. 

The day began with me walking through the forest with my assigned resident to find gifts for the maypole. Special leaves, moss, flowers, bark and other natural treasures that caught our eye. We all gathered around the maypole and recited verses from the Bible in all the languages represented. I was allowed to recite the German text with two other volunteers. We also heard the text in Hindu, Nigerian, Japanese, Spanish, English, Portuguese, Dutch and French:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" - John 1, 1 - 18 

We danced around the maypole and then had a big feast on the lawn, for which many of the volunteers and householders cooked and baked country-specific dishes and desserts. From Japanese rice balls, Indian poha, Chinese cobb salad, Spanish omelette, American battered sausages ("pigs in a blanket"), Scottish cock-a-leekie soup, Brazilian cheese pies, American tater tots, Tennessee sweet potatoes, German pancakes, strawberry/rhubarb cake and chocolate covered carrot cake, there was a wide range of international dishes. I was lucky enough to be at the front of the queue and really enjoyed the food. At the end of the event, we made a beautiful mandala together with the materials we had collected in the forest at the beginning. I would like to record the recipe for the carrot cake as it was really wonderful:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rapeseed oil

• 4 eggs

• 3 medium carrots

• 2 cups sugar

• 1 tablespoon baking powder 

• 2 1/2 cups white flour 

Cake:

• Chop carrots, process with eggs and oil

• Add sugar and process for 5 minutes

• place in a bowl and add the flour and mix with a mixer, then add the baking powder and mix with a spoon

• place in the preheated oven at 350°F for 40min

Topping: 

• Brazilian brigadeiro (truffle praline) topping: mix condensed milk with cocoa powder and butter

• stir on the stove at medium temperature until you can see the end of the pot

On our day off, three of us went to Woodstock, one American and one Spanish volunteer. Not to Bethel where the Woodstock Festival took place, but to the town of Woodstock, which is 70km away. At the entrance of the trail is the "Karma Triyana Dharmachakra", a Tibetan Buddhist monastery and the North American seat of the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, the head of the Karma Kagyu lineage. It was founded in 1976 by the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa with Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche as abbot. We didnt went inside, but our householder raved about the events that bring people closer to the Buddhist religion. I find Buddhism very interesting and keep an eye on their events for the future. We hiked up the mountain for an hour and worked up quite a sweat, but were richly rewarded in the end. We explored the ruins of the Overlook Hotel, a crumbling hotel with a long history. The first attempt to build a resort on Overlook Mountain took place in 1833. Until the Civil War, the Catskill Mountain House was the premier first-class resort hotel. Today's Overlook Mountain House was the third hotel on the site, the first having been built in 1871. The Mountain House had room for 300 guests and was destroyed by fire in 1875. It was rebuilt in 1878. In 1921, a secret organizational meeting of what would later become the Communist Labor Party of America was held here. The second version of the Overlook Mountain House was destroyed by fire in 1923. Architect Frank P. Amato was commissioned to redesign and rebuild the hotel. It was quickly rebuilt in concrete, but never completed. Further fires occurred in 1941 and 1963, and since then the ruins, which are open to the public, have attracted many hikers. It can certainly be very spooky at night, and signs warned us of black bears and poisonous timber rattlesnakes. We didn't let this put us off and marveled at the huge hotel ruins. I was particularly fascinated by the fireplace, which, unlike everything else in the ruins, still looks as it probably did before the fire. The chimney was blamed for at least two of the fires. After visiting the hotel, we walked to the 18-metre-high Overlook Firetower, which was erected on this site in 1950. From up here you can enjoy a wonderful view, as the 18-metre-high fire tower is located at the top of Overlook Mountain with a height of 3,136 feet (956 m) and an prominence height of 620 feet (190 m). Unfortunately, it was very foggy and extremely windy that day, so we felt like we were almost blown away at the top. Much of the surrounding landscape was shrouded in rain clouds, which didn't give us the view we had hoped for, but it did make for an adventurous experience. Afterwards, we walked to a cliff from which there was quite a drop. At one point, the clouds cleared for a moment and we were able to enjoy the wonderful view of the Hudson Valley. Hungry from the excursion, we then went to the Pearl Moon restaurant, where we had a delicious meal. I ordered fish and chips, delicious fish in a perfect crispy breading. For dessert, we went to Redhook to treat ourselves to a nice ice cream at Fortunes. I had Hojicha Milk Chocolate ice cream. Hojicha is made by slowly roasting tightly rolled tea leaves, stems, stalks or twigs. Like matcha, hojicha can also be ground into a superfine powder that can be used to prepare food and drinks. The ice cream was very tasty and rounded off the lovely off-day wonderfully.