STGorman  Nov.09.2015

by Shaun T. Gorman

Apparently, no one got the message that Sunday was a day of rest.... A long Sunday walk on the autumnal OCA trail in Yonkers yielded a pair of surprises! What's this? A crew repairing the masonry on the famous "lion's gate"? We were tickled to see a half dozen men diligently cutting, fitting, and mortaring the curious west entrance gate of the Untermyer Gardens, using the pink and gray granite that defines so much of Westchester County. I wondered, if these men are working on the headless horse, could they be the headless horse men I've heard so much about? Or is it a unicorn, as Mavis Cain believes? Hmmm, more research is needed.... Not more than a half mile north, we came upon another happy crew constructing a new stair connection to the Lenoir Preserve trail system. They called themselves the "Jolly Rovers" and are a recently organized group of volunteers committed to perpetuating the traditional methods of stone masonry. It seemed like there was nowhere they would rather be than working on the trail on a sunny Sunday in Yonkers. They took five to gather and commemorate the moment with a group shot. Check out the link to their website below. If you didn't already know, Lenoir is a 40 acre gem of the county parks system. It boasts an unusual selection of trees and is a fave haunt of local birders. The butterfly & hummingbird garden is maintained by the Hudson River Audubon Society. We sense the ever-growing interest in the OCA and hope to accelerate the beautification of the trail within the borders of our beloved Yonkville. The Jolly Rover's homepage: http://jollyrovers.org