Down at the Rip Van Winkle Bridge

As this blog evolves, I sometimes try to show what’s up in those hills, as seen from the hills like this one in March 2017, instead of

what you see in instances when then light is unfavorable.

Olana is the hilltop mansion above the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, built by an artist whose commercial success allowed him to travel, become inspired by the 19th century “near east,” and scrap his plans to engage architect Richard Morris Hunt and instead design and build a neo-Persian palace on the site where once he painted with his mentor Thomas Cole, whose home was just across the bridge in Catskill.

The photo below looks down the Hudson Valley toward the south.

This looks along the south side of the house facing west and the town of Catskill.  Kaaterskill Falls is lost somewhere below the front of the jet trail.

Looking out a south side window, there’s a northbound tug/barge just barely visible.

Directly behind me are these treasures.  Mark Twain–see his own house here— once stood on that stage and discoursed on all things wise, hilarious, exotic,  and jaundiced.

I used the word “treasure” above because here’s a closer-up of that unit approaching from the south–it’s Pearl Coast with a cement barge.

And now a more focused view along the south side and toward the Rip . . . Bridge, see the tug/barge there southbound?

 

It’s Treasure Coast, with another cement barge.  I know there’s a work of Church’s with a steam ship on it, but it’s so far eluded me.

Olana is just one place up on the hilly banks, and so other many places along the river I hope to visit . . . one of these months or years.

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who has posted Hudson Valley photos here and here, and in many other places as well.

As to seeing Olana from the river, here’s what morning light does,

and here below, late afternoon.

Go visit Olana some time in 2018, and while you’re there, visit the Cole home across the river..