About two weeks ago we made an excursion to the upper Hudson Valley to visit the home of one of the most beloved presidents of our time, Franklin Roosevelt. The grounds of his estate are kept wonderfully with may old buildings and gardens as well as quite a few miles of nature trails, which to our surprise eventually led along the scenic Huson River over to another estate of one of the Roosevelt's close friends the Vanderbilts. The houses on these properties required admissions for the family so we made the most of the good weather and explored the grounds and the surrounding lands. I also managed to get 3 new varieties of seeds for my ever expanding Iris collection at the breathtaking (yes even in the late fall) Vanderbilt gardens.

Our Rosie of the Blessed Sedum.

Rosie bean standing by a naked chick on a cell phone in the main garden at the Vanderbilt estate.

Always looking for a free ride, well as long as they stay little.

This was one of the biggest praying Mantis, I have ever seen. I still cant tell if it was gorged and getting ready for the long winter or if it was ready to give birth. I tend to lean towards the latter.

Little monkey just cant resist a tree

Either of them!!