Glen Cove Mansion And Environs

Jennifer belongs to the NYCBTA, which had a retreat last weekend in Glen Cove, NY. I was one of the spouses fortunate enough to attend and enjoy the scenery on Long Island.

The retreat was held at the Glen Cove Mansion, an estate converted into a hotel, banquet and conference center.

Here is a picture of the front of the mansion, taken the Friday night I arrived.

A closeup of the fountain in front.


The next morning I checked out Long Island Sound from Pryibil Beach.



The camera is pointed away from the municipal Pryibil Beach, toward a private neighborhood.

Mussel and razor clam shells.

Beach glass and interesting rock.

Another interesting conglomerate rock.

Trees on Lattingtown Road.

The Glen Cove Mansion, again.

Lamp above the front door.

Detail of wrought iron railing.

Jennifer takes in the view.

Jennifer in the great hall.

A bar in the main building. Those are sculls on the wall.



The house was owned and built by one Pratt Family. It is used often for scenes from movies, and is involved in Cold War history. Across the street (so to speak) is the Russian Consulate, and some government agency often camped out at Glen Cove Mansion to spy on the Russians.

The Planting Fields

While Jennifer was at her conference at the Glen Cove Mansion, I got a tip from her friend and took a ride to the Planting Fields in nearby Oyster Bay. I purloined the following from their website:

"Situated between Oyster Bay and Locust Valley on Long Island's North Shore, Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park is one of Long Island's premier public arboretums and historic sites. A former Gold Coast estate of over four hundred acres, Planting Fields is rich with history. In addition, current information about innovative garden techniques and new plant selections is available.The Arboretum contains greenhouses, gardens, woodland paths, and outstanding plant collections.The grounds, landscaped by the Olmsted Brothers of Brookline, Massachusetts, are spectacularly beautiful year round. The estate buildings include Coe Hall, the 65 room former residence of the Coe family which has been restored as a museum bringing the past to life. Planting Fields is an ideal location for wedding photography and concerts, and hosts over 200 diverse events annually."

This is the first greenhouse I walked into. The smell alone reminded me of my Grandparents Domachowski's garden.
They had a lot of nice cacti, some of which are caged for your protection.


I am not that much of a flower photographer, so I didn't try very hard.
Cold frames outside the main greenhouses.

Here is the outside of one of the administrative buildings.

Approaching this, I thought it was just a huge, dense bush. Then I saw children walk out from within.
I climbed in myself to find a wonderful hideaway.


Inside another greenhouse a couple and their newborn twins were sitting for photos.



This is the Coe House.


A curious-looking sundial that was wrong by two hours. At the time I took the shot it was just after 2pm EDT. Perhaps the schedule of time was different when it was constructed?

This small pond was just in front of the sundial.

Here is a view of the house from before the pond.

Detail of a gate around a walled garden.

Detail of a Cherub just inside the above gate.

Arbors arc over a walkway.

Detail of another arched gateway.

Garden house.

Detail of window on garden house.

Beneath a tree that - even in mid-November - has not lost its leaves.


A curious statue.



Front door to Coe House.

Detail of front door.

Archway around house.

A closeup of Tudor Style adornments.

Porch upon which a wedding party was being photographed.

Detail of gargoyle on gable-end of roof peak. Note the curious twist to the brick pattern on the chimney.

Above the front door.

Looking For the Origin of 'BirThankMas'

'BirThankMas' is a combination of the words 'birthday', 'Thanksgiving' and 'Christmas'. It names an ad-hoc holiday in which one combines the three events for the honor of one person. For example, let's say my sister and her husband were born about the same day, and I have not visited them for Christmas or Thanksgiving in a long time. My wife and I might take them to dinner and a show for their BirThankMas present.

I don't know the origin of this, but I know I did not make it up. I believe I heard of it in a movie or a television show. If you know the origin of the word, please post a response here.