Sunday

There was a very cute church very close to where we were staying. I'd discovered it on my walk Saturday evening - thank goodness I took a photo on Saturday when it was bright and sunny!.




I'd never been to a Dutch Reformed Church, so I thought that would be the perfect destination for me on Sunday morning. It was definitely a great choice! The service was very "sheep related" - the bulletin cover featured a very cute sheep and we recited my favorite Psalm - the "23rd Psalm", and the sermon was about shepherds and sheep - how cool is that!!!

The church attendants were few that morning - 11 of us on a very dreary and chilly Sunday. The Pastor was part Mohawk Indian and it turns out that his grandmother was a master Mohawk weaver! One of the parishoners is a spinner...and chatting with me for a while made her want to "dig out her wheel" and start spinning again. Leave it to me to find a fiber link....even at church!

Next, we headed off to Phoenicia to check out their Earth Day Celebration. Even though it was a very dreary day, I managed to capture a few scenic views along the way. The Catskill Railroad actually runs as a tour in the summer months....it's "dormant" right now. In a couple of weeks, all the brown and grey mountains will be bursting with lush greenness!
















The Earth Day Celebration in Phoenecia was held in the parish hall and was a nice little festival definitely focused towards the children. There were several activities for the kids as well as a display of artwork using recycled items. I managed to pick up a copy of the "Complete Works of Beatrix Potter" from the "book table" while I was there. My donation will be put to good use and I got a book I treasure - definitely a "win-win" situation!

Back in the car.....and we're off to take old Rt. 28 around to the reservoir. Unfortunately, it was a very dreary day, but you still can get the idea of how beautiful the whole region is. Even with overcast skies, the majestic beauty is apparent.



Next stop....back to Woodstock to drive up the mountain to the Buddhist Monastery. There was a lot of construction going on as there's a major event later this year. They've added a forty room addition to accommodate all those expected. Therefore, the grounds weren't open for touring for safety reasons. Oh, well. Maybe next time.












The views from atop the mountain by the Monestary are gorgeous as well - the sun even tried to come out a bit while we were there.











We ended the day with my friend Pete and his wife, Rose Marie. They are both the chefs and innkeepers of Catskill Rose. Normally, they're very busy with the Restaurant and Inn and we really don't get a chance to visit, but they were taking a brief vacation as well - what timing!

They had us over dinner - an absolutely delicious meal of salad, ravioli, and bread. Dessert was a fabulous chocolate mousse cake....mmmmmm! The company was fabulous! It was a real treat to be able to sit down and chat with them in a relaxed atmosphere. I had never met Rose Marie until that evening, but we all meshed like we'd known each other for years! It was a very relaxing way to end a fabulous vacation. Many hugs to Pete and Rose - our fabulous hosts!