Terry and I drove up the Hudson River Valley to a small town called Cold Spring. we stopped at a bed and breakfast inn which had beautiful Victorian decorated rooms. The rooms were rather pricey so we walked down Main street to the riverfront. There we found the Hudson House which is right across the street from the waterfront. A small gazebo is located at the foot of a wide cement public pier. A sign indicated that a band would be playing in the band shell so I sat on a wooden bench and started to sketch. After a loud sound check “The Steve Claire Band” started to play, They played a combination of folksy urban rock. A woman in the audience set out a bunch of Hula Hoops and she began to hula to the music. She was good, being able to move the hoop up her arms and around her neck all while moving to the beat of the music. She offered lessons to a friend but the friend moved with a staccato urgency never being able to keep the hoop going for more than a minute. 0thers tried with a bit more success.
Children were playing on the rocks at the rivers edge and families rested on blankets listening to the music. A little boy who had obviously just learned to walk, made his way over to Terry and myself and smiled at us. He then pointed at my boots and started playing with the shoelaces. His father told him not to untie the shoes but he was infatuated and determined. Terry laughed uncontrollably and soon I was laughing as well, though I’m not certain why. I’m not comfortable around children, but they always seem to gravitate to me. This is my own private curse.
The following morning we got up early and had breakfast before walking up Main street. Within a few blocks I sat down and started to sketch the buildings. It was a quiet Monday morning and nothing was open yet. Terry wandered looking in all the store front windows. When the sketch was done we went back down to the waterfront. There we saw the Clearwater which is a replica of a Dutch river sloop. Terry and I met because of the environmental mission of this boat 23 years ago. The sloop silently disappeared behind the concrete pier. As Terry walked away from the pier, she said, “I wish I could memorize this view.”
