October Challenge, Day 11

Summer cabin, Adirondack Mountains Lake
Built in 1923 for a General Electric Vice President and constructed primarily of logs made from native pine, the two-story building is large, compared to others nearby. Surrounded on three sides by pines and ashes, it served as the summer home for the family for 55 years until the last son died heirless.
Inside, the openness accommodates a kitchen, living space for a couch and two chairs, an end table and a coffee table. In the back sits a master bedroom, a queen-sized bed inside. On the second floor are two more bedrooms and one full bath.
The exterior is three-quarters surrounded by a porch, several chairs on the lakeside to view the dawn coming over the mountains and reflect off the lake.
The trees on the three sides served well to hide people, making it a perfect place for an ambush.

Schenectady NY single-family house, three stories
Built in the mid-1950s, the original intent of the house was to be a single-family, living on the first two floors, with an in-law apartment on the top. Before the Vaughn family purchased it in 1974, the estate of the late owner converted it to a single-family entirely, removing the separation walls and door.
The location to the park made it a great place for someone that exercised or was athletic in nature. The relatively big back yard was ideal for a large family.

Albany Convention Center
Originally constructed to hold conventions and political gatherings, in June of 1982 the use by Albany High School for its senior prom necessitated several changes:
The senior class installed a dance floor and several tables while removing the arena and bleacher seating.
A full-service restaurant kitchen replaced the snack bar type originally built.
Crape paper streamers and a disco ball added to the atmosphere, along with softer lighting.

Albany NY single-family home, two stories
Constructed in the mid-1920s, this home was the first on the street, a small side road off the only route from Albany to the small community of Glenmont. As the years passed, more were built.
A small but warm living area welcomed friends and family. Down a small hall was the in-eat kitchen. Beyond that was a bedroom, bathroom, and pantry.
On the second floor are three more bedrooms, two bathrooms, one for the master.

Central Park, Schenectady NY
A wooded oasis in the middle of the city. Pines, red maples, sugar maples, birches, and ashes were planted and allowed to thrive. Three play areas for children were originally constructed, though one was torn down in 1980 and replaced with a covered picnic area.
A country-style swimming hole allows children and adults to cool off in the summer. It sits between two other water areas: A large pond with a fountain in the middle, stocked with fish - a natural pond, expanded to accommodate more fish and returning waterfowl.

Linton High School, Schenectady NY
In its 25th year of existence, the single level school has educated thousands of children, including a few professional athletes.
The classrooms could comfortably have between 20-30 students.
Professor’s office, Union College
Stereotypical small office, papers, books, and file folders in every available space. The desk is old, 1800s oak. The couch is new and leather. The chairs are 1960s plushy.
French-type pastry café/bakery
A recent addition to the downtown Schenectady businesses, the café serves up a variety of old World pastries, especially award-winning fruit filled croissants. It holds eight, four-person tables, four, six-person tables and four booths that can hold six people, but are usually filled with students from Union College, Schenectady County Community College, and the high schools.

Farm, Schoharie County NY
The farmhouse is old, built in 1878, with six bedrooms. The barns are relatively new: The dairy barn finished in 1968, the hay barn in 1969, and the equipment barn the previous spring.
There are three large fields, one each for hay, corn and different vegetables, the later a new purchase, for the grandchildren.
Less than a quarter mile from the farmhouse is the Schoharie Creek, the main source for fish for the family. Half-mile in the opposite direction is a hillock and heavily wooded area, owned by the Vaughn-Pettijohn clan.
The opening to a cavern system was discover in 1799, but left unused until the 1920s.

Small Apartment, Colonie NY
Part of a three story, three units building, the living area had enough space for a television cabinet, two comfortable chairs, and a couch. The kitchen was small but very functional. The one bedroom had space for a Queen-sized bed, a dresser, and two nightstands. The one bedroom window led out to a fire escape that the occupants used to place a grill.

Coffee shop, Potsdam NY
A small café, the shop serves coffee, tea, and hot chocolate for the SUNY-Potsdam students and locals alike. The limited menu includes breakfast staples and sandwiches, though the students mostly come for the seating and bottomless cups of coffee.
There is a diner-style bar, several 4 and 6 person booths, and two large corner booths, constructed for students.

Bonus:

Farm, Schoharie County NY

Viewpoint #1
From the top of the hillock, one can see the house, old but not in disrepair. Painted recently to a soft green color, the home, Victorian in style, appeared warm and welcoming. On the large front porch, four wooden rockers awaited for those that wished to relax.
Atop the house, someone built a “Widow’s Walk.” Usually seen on Eastern Coastal homes, this more than likely served as a look out for Indian attacks or for the mother to call her children in for supper.
The hillock, the small rise covered in wild clover and strawberries, showed signs of use. Legends said Mohicans and Mohawks used it as a summer camp while the women planted corn in the flats and the men hunted deer, wildfowl, and other game animals. Children over the years had collected arrowheads.

Viewpoint #2
Midsummer on the farm meant the corn was green and “as high as the eye.” It would be a few weeks before the men would harvest it and put it away in the silos for the winter. The children always used this time to play in it, able to hide well and easily, from each other and the adults. For generations, boys and girls played “Cowboys and Indians”, “Bandits and Outlaws”, or “Hide and Seek” amongst the crops.
In the 1920s, someone came to the farm, a stranger. Legend says he buried something in the cornfield, but subsequent plowings and diggings found nothing. Other legends say the man drop dead in the field after being in the cavern for days. Townsfolk snuck into the cavern but found nothing, no evidence that someone had been in there.