Born in the USA New York is a funny thing. I don't know any other place in the world quite like this one. There is real beauty here. The land is fertile, we're surrounded by water, the nights are quiet and the woods are deep. Beyond its natural beauty, this capital region has some terrific architectural design and rich history. The Dutch settled the area and had it called New Amsterdam back in the 1600s, and during their stay here had built some impressive structures; some of which survive until today. Then, during the birth of America, during the revolutionary war, many battles were fought on this land. It was a highly contested area, because of the hudson river and the connecting waterways: to the north there was lake george (Fort William Henry), Lake Champlain (Fort Ticonderoga) and further up, the St. Lawrence river which of course filters out into the Atlantic, and itself an area of rich history for Quebec and the colonial battles fought there. To the south the hudson filters into the Atlantic at New York City, and from the west, you can follow the mohawk river all the way to lake erie. George Washington stayed in the colonial house of the Van Schaick family, one of the original Dutch settlers of this area, right down the road from where I stay now, battles for independence may have taken place right on my land.

And then, after the birth of America, there was great industrialization of this area. The Cohoes Harmony Mills, at one time the largest textile mills in America were powered by the falls of the Mohawk river and brought many workers (mostly French Canadian) to the area near the end of the 19th Century. Troy NY was named the Collar City for its great 'Collar' industry, I guess...thems the times before they learned stitching the Collar and cuffs onto the shirt and marketing it as one big package made more sense. These industrialists left behind a bunch of terrific Victorian Mansions, many now stand dilapidated near the riverfront of the valley. And Uncle Sam. The real Uncle Sam was born and is buried in Troy NY. I guess during one of the big wars, he had sent care packages to many of the soldiers overseas and had received the moniker 'Uncle Sam', his image later being used as a marketing tool for the US armed forces.

And on and on and on. But the most impressive thing about this area is that I feel everyone takes this rich history and natural beauty for granted. There are those who do find the time to experience our history and travel outside their homes to enjoy nature, but I think they are a minority. I feel it is greatly important for the people of this area to embrace this culture, history, beauty. We have all let ourselves become slaves to a history that is not our own, one that is an ideal and not a reality. The pace of our lives is too quick to allow us our respite; reverence of our forefathers. That is the true revolutionary spirit that created the nation, the battles fought on our soil, places that we have now come to pave over with road and parking lot. Ideas we have buried under the ground that we now build our luxurious homes on. There is hope for you yet New York, and America. If your time has indeed come, though, let it be known to all that your history was rich and your people hardy.  ¶ 23:41