Sleepy Hollow

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow...

Originally a short story written by Washington Irving, published in 1820, tells the story of a headless Hessian Trooper who "rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head" which he 'lost' thanks to a stray cannonball round during a 'nameless' battle of the Revolutionary War.

On the night of Halloween, the Headless Horseman chased Ichabod Crane, a Connecticut schoolteacher, through the Tarrytown NY subsidy called Sleepy Hollow, and especially, over the old bridge recreated below.

Irving is burried in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, along with Samuel Gompers (founder of the AFL), Andrew Carnegie (yes, that one), Walter Chrysler (guess what car company he founded)... and thousands of others.

This is seriously the first, if not only, cemetary that I've been to and NOT been a little weirded out by. It's incredibly peaceful and almost like a park. You can even FISH there! For more information on the place, you can go to http://www.olddutchburyingground.org/ and http://www.sleepyhollowcemetery.org .

You're welcome?

The original bridge is long gone, but this is a replica of the bridge that the Headless Horseman chased Ichabod Crane over. When a car drives over it -at any speed- it sounds like the clap of thunder. More like a cannon actually.

Current desktop background.

-AK

Fairytale Forest... Take 2

"Hey!"
"What?"
"There's someone over there!"

Oh shit

Me and Sweetheart, or rather Sweetheart and I went back to the Fairytale Forest earlier this afternoon, and after poking around a bit, discovering new displays and buildings, we froze.

A maroon station wagon off in the distance, part of the self-storage place, with it's owner walking around.

We spent the next half-hour picking our way out of there, using over and moving only when we knew it was safe.

It was probably just somebody who rented space there, but with time of the essence, we made our exit.

Our hearts were beating so loud I'm amazed we did hear each others, and having enough skulking around, we set course for our third and final stop of the afternoon, Sleepy Hollow.

We went to the Forest today to basically check up on it, and dispel the rumors I keep hearing that it's about to be torn down. There's no benefit to using the land what left of it is on, too hilly, too densely forested, and by the looks of the self-storage facility, they already have more than enough room to work with.

Shrooms... they're everywhere.

Donkey!

The Skunk and I

The Great Pumpkin

-AK

Gingerbread Castle

Or rather, what's left of it.

Gingerbread Castle in Hamburg NJ was -for ages- a fun little attraction off of Rt. 23 for children of all ages.

Having never been there myself, I had to rely on Sweetheart's word that the place looked a LOT better than this when it was open.

Today, Gingerbread Castle has been barbed-wired up and access is nearly impossible.

Notice how I said 'nearly'.

The place looks like it had a lot of demolition work done recently on it. Well by recently, I mean within the past few years. We went there today in the early afternoon and there wasn't a soul to be found.

We couldn't get inside, but maybe someday, before it's gone for good.

Dodge Avenger Cop Car
They see me rollin... they hatin

The Castle

Wheatsworth Mill

Pie?

-AK