Surprise, surprise, surprise...

Jim Nabors always uttered the line, "Surprise, surprise, surprise," in just about every episode he played the country bumpkin, Gomer Pyle, on the Andy Griffith Show.  Well, today, "G" became my Gomer Pyle when he surprised (shocked) me with the suggestion that we go down to the office and book two more weeks.  That would make our stay extend to five weeks, in total.  I had no problem agreeing with the idea, but he surely "surprised" me!  I don't know how long we will actually be staying, but it will definitely extend another week, at least.

Poor "G" had a dentist appointment today and is now giving Gracie her first bath.  It's a big job - a lot bigger than washing my Nissan Sentra - and will take a couple of hours to complete, but, boy, did she need to be cleaned.

After lunch today, I took a walk with my camping neighbor, "R" and it turned out to be an adventurous day full of "surprises" and historical finds.  We came across yews that had been planted in the 1850's by one of the Underhill brothers and oyster shells on the shoreline of the Hudson River from the days when Native Americans inhabited this area.  Archaeologists claim that these middens, which are the oldest oyster shell middens on the North Atlantic coast, are approximately 7,000 years old. I picked up two, of the thousands of shells and shell pieces, to save as a remembrance of my discovery.

Look closely, upper right, at the "v" to see the hawk.  Bad shot, but it was a sort of "point and click" moment.

A view through the trees

One of the four yews

Oyster shells I found along the shore.  Holding them in my hands, thinking how old they were, and that Native Americans could have eaten what they contained, was a moving experience. 

Beautiful Bleeding Heart Bush in perfect bloom

Deep thought for the day:  I find that learning something new makes me feel so excited.  Today, I learned several things about Croton Point Park and "G."