Catskill, NY

We learned from the tour guide at the FDR home that the "kill" used in so many place names here means water (as in river or lake) in Dutch. We are in the lovely city of Catskill - on the water, obviously. From town you can see the beginnings of the Catskill Mountains. This is the area that inspired Washington Irving to write about Rip Van Winkle.

The town has a yearly competition of decorating cats - much like the bears in New Bern. The difference is that after the judging, the cats remain on display for a year and are then auctioned off. The process then begins again. Some of previous years' cats can be seen in store windows. For those who are interested, I will include a separate entry with all the cats. For those who are not, I am using a small selection of my favorites. In addition, there is a wooden statue of Rip Van Winkle at the end of the main street. Following the artistic tradition, there are several galleries in the downtown area (and a chocolate shop too)!

We are leaving today for Albany. Diane and Joe will be leaving us tomorrow for home.

Coming into Catskill

Our marina in Catskill

Beautiful church!

Except that it's a fitness center.

Joe with one of the cats.

Diane with the "nutcracker" cat.

This one really is a church.

Cats from previous years.

What is this bear doing here? He's supposed to be in New Bern, NC.

This beautiful cash register was in a consignment store.

Love the mice!

Rip Van Winkle

A mural on the side of a building

A nod to The Scream

The Picasso cat

Diane and Ryder having a tug-of-war over a carrot.