As we approached New England, we took some serendipitous diversions along the Hudson River : the CIA (training cooks, not spies), Valley Forge, where Washington’s army weathered a challenging winter, and the stately grounds of Hyde Park, FDR’s home where his and Eleanor’s legacy are preserved.
The extraordinary sacrifices and productivity of civilians on the home front were as important to winning World War II as were the soldiers they equipped with food, weapons, clothing and transport. The 1940s propaganda posters felt very fresh indeed, raising the specter of foreign enemies lurking everywhere around us.
I especially loved the image of FDR’s little dog Fala as Truth itself, chasing the Republican party’s lies.
At Valley Forge, reconstructed log cabins showed how the Revolutionary army lived during the harsh winter of 1777-8 before the French agreed to join us, and turned the tide in the war against the British Crown. The national park “honors and celebrates the ability of citizens to pull together and overcome adversity during extraordinary times,” the Valley Forge plaque read.
We stopped for a serendipitous lunch created by students of the CIA—the Culinary Institute of America, with its gorgeous campus overlooking the Hudson River.
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- The CIA buildings
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- Elegant CIA foutain
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- CIA’s view of the Hudson
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- The dining room
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- Just a little too salty
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- Our student server
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- Lunch awaits
