536. Dashing

536. Dashing
Definition: (adj) stylish or fashionable
Location Placed: Hyde Park Brewery, Hyde Park, New York
Date Placed: 7/19/13 at 2:35pm





After a thoroughly hot day of adventuring, I decided I needed to stop for a bite to eat and a cool spot to sit. It definitely was cool and the bar tender was welcoming! I'm glad I ended up stopping because there wasn't all that much on my way back home, and the traffic had me getting in a little after dinner time. Short trips are definitely necessary to keep me re-charged between larger vacations. I'm also glad I was able to see some historic National Parks that I hadn't been to before.

535. Independent

535. Independent
Definition: (adj ) free from outside control, self-sufficient
Location Placed: Stone Cottage, Hyde Park, New York
Date Placed: 7/19/13 at 1:47pm





After seeing Val-Kill, our tour guide offered to show us Stone House, which was also on the property. It had been home to Eleanor's friends, Nancy and Marion. It is currently holding a few historical pieces, as well as some art pieces, waiting to be put together as a small museum. I think, in all, I was most impressed with Eleanor and her independence. She was the first First Lady to take up causes of her own and to advise her husband the President on issues of great importance to her, such as desegregation. I was extremely pleased to learn so much more about an influential women and all around solid person.

534. Eager

534. Eager
Definition: (adj) avid, keen, zealous
Location Placed: Val-Kill House, Hyde Park, New York
Date Placed: 7/19/13 at 1:30pm





My last stop of the adventure was to Eleanor Roosevelt National Site, housing her home, Val-Kill. Val-Kill, which is Dutch for Valley Stream, was the only place Eleanor Roosevelt felt at home. Although not all the items in the house were original to Eleanor, the home was put back together in the manner her relatives remember it to look like. It definitely had a homey feel, more so than Franklin Roosevelt's home. I can see why Eleanor enjoyed this home and lived in it after FDR's passing. It was a lovely tour, and I appreciated knowing more about Eleanor and her life's work.

533. Paradise

533. Paradise
Definition: (n) a place or state of bliss, felicity, or delight
Location Placed: Vanderbilt Mansion, Hyde Park, New York
Date Placed: 7/19/13 at 11:28am





 My next stop during the day was the Vanderbilt Mansion. It was owned by one of the 8 Vanderbilt children, Frederick Vanderbilt. It is the smallest of the 43 Vanderbilt Homes, which include Biltmore in North Carolina, The Breakers and Marble House in Rhode Island, and  several homes that were in New York City. That said, at 54 rooms, "small" is a relative term. The decoration was over the top gorgeous with lots of lovely pieces that didn't all belong to Frederick. He left his fortune not to his Vanderbilt family, but to his niece on his wife's side and his servants. Talk about generous!

532. Gem

532. Gem
Definition: (n) a highly prized or well behaved person
Location Placed: Franklin D. Roosevelt Museum, Hyde Park, New York
Date Placed: 7/19/13 at10:37am





The first picture behind the crane is the grave where Franklin D. Roosevelt was buried. He was particularly fond of the rose garden and wanted to spend his eternity there, looking all over the flowers. It was a lovely home garden with well-kept plants. I certainly wish my garden looked even a portion that pretty! I am a sucker for some lovely landscape, so I definitely appreciated this site.

531. Sharing

531. Sharing
Definition: (v) give a portion to another
Location Placed: Franklin D. Roosevelt's Home, Hyde Park, New York
Date Placed: 7/19/13 at 10:08am





Off to an early start, I decided to stop at Franklin D. Roosevelt's House at the FDR National Site first. I watched an interesting 20 minute movie about his life prior to heading over to his house for a tour. It was quite a lovely house. I think I was most impressed by his ability to get around his house, given that he was unable to climb stairs and his home is two stories. He used a huge dumbwaiter-esque shaft to pull himself up to the second floor! Most impressive, I must say. I appreciated that the items in the house were as they had been back then due to his stating he wanted the home donated to the National Park Service upon his death.

530. Constant

530. Constant
Definition: (adj) steadfast, permanent, continual
Location Placed: Eveready Diner, Hyde Park, New York
Date Placed: 7/19/13 at 8:52am





I stopped by the Eveready Diner when I saw it was a Diners, Drive-Ins, and Drives location. Guy Fieri, so far, has not steered me wrong when choosing those locations. And I certainly wasn't disappointed with my breakfast. I enjoyed an order of the Banana Foster French Toast on Challah bread. It was nice and hot, basically like a dessert for breakfast. My sweet tooth thanked me for the rest of the day. It definitely had a quintessential diner feel, which is exactly what I was hoping for. It was definitely the highlight meal of the day.

529. Plentiful

529. Plentiful
Definition: (adj) copious, plentiful, rich, ample
Location Placed: Starbucks, Hyde Park, New York
Date Placed: 7/19/13 at 8:19am





My adventure definitely was plentiful in all that I had planned. Perhaps a tend to over schedule my day trips and vacations to within an inch of their existence. But I just want to make sure I get the very most out of my time away. A trip to me doesn't include relaxing, because that's something I can do in the comfort of my own home. I know of, and am friends with, people who definitely don't agree with me on that count. Which sort are you? Do you plan a lot on your time away or do you prefer to relax?

528. Liberated

528. Liberated
Definition: (adj) freed, released
Location Placed: Starbucks, Newburgh, New York
Date Placed: 7/18/13 at 9:47pm





After a long drive, I figured a cool beverage and a crane release would be the best way to settle in before hitting up the hotel. I've found a new favorite drink there, the Peach Green Tea Lemonade. I never use to be one to get drinks out, but a few free well-timed free gift cards have changed that. Plus it is a lovely bonus that it is a good location for releases (and quite plentiful everywhere!)

527. Okay

527. Okay
Definition: (adj) agreeable, acceptable, correct
Location Placed: Barnes and Noble, Newburgh, New York
Date Placed: 7/18/13 at  9:32pm





As a book lover, I find it impossible to pass by a bookstore and not go in. It seems wrong on many levels. So I popped in to have a quick jog around the store and see if anything caught my fancy. (Not that I don't already have more than enough books to read that I own...) I didn't find anything I absolutely needed, but I left the store feeling pretty jazzed anyway. Perhaps it was just being on an adventure, but I feel like walking around the aisles of a bookstore is sort of rejuvenating. So many worlds and plots and characters all coinciding under one roof. The hours one could spend reading amongst those books...

Do you have a place you just love going that you feel wonderful when it's time to head out?

526. Thrive

526. Thrive
Definition: (v) to grow of develop vigorously
Location Placed: Sloatsburg Rest Stop, Sloatsburg, New York
Date Placed: 7/18/13 at 8:52pm





With a free day off from work, I decided to take an overnight adventure. I pushed off shortly after the end of the work day and drove North. I had never been that far north into New York before, so I took advantage of the rest stop location for a crane release and a cool bit of A/C. (Can we take a minute to just jointly lament how hot it has been outside this summer? I am an autumn girl through and through!) I still had a little ways to go before finding the hotel and it made for a decent place to snag a little walking time after a long drive. It was quite busy, so I imagine a lot of other people had the same idea!

525. Steadfast

525. Steadfast
Definition: (adj) dutifully strong and unwavering
Location Placed: The UPS Store, Freehold, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/8/13 at 2:38pm





A productive day off from work lead to an errand with a crane placement. Most of my productivity has been home based so it was nice to get out and about a bit. There is just something about getting a task done that leaves me feeling energized and more jazzed about tackling another task, and then another. So I'm trying to get my lists together and start a productivity stream. But how to get started? What sorts of things do you do to boost your productivity?