Facts To Know About Bermuda

1. Bermuda is known to be 21 miles in length and 3 miles wide.
2. It lies east of North Carolina about 650 miles. Bermuda is an archipelago with 7 main islands and with more than 180 islands and islets.
3. You can have any kind of paint color for your Bermuda house, but all rooftops are painted white and are all made of limestones.
4. No tax for everything, except property/real estate tax.
5. Bermuda was discovered by Juan de Bermudez, a Spanish explorer in 1503 but didn't attempt to land due to treacherous reefs surrounding the uninhabited islands. Admiral Sir George Somers, established an English claim of the islands later in 1609 after his ship "Sea Venture" was wrecked on reefs off the shores of Bermuda.
6. Almost everything is expensive!
7. You can't own a house/property in Bermuda unless you are a Bermudian, your parents/family are Bermudian, or you are a millionaire!
8. Bermuda is part of the British colony but they have their own government, and they don't get the same benefits like the British have.
9. The Bermuda currency is Bermuda dollar (BMD) which is on par with US dollar.
10. Bermuda became an English colony in 1684, and is the oldest British colony and has the 2nd oldest parliamentary democracy in the world.
11. Head of the State is Queen Elizabeth II and is represented in Bermuda by a governor whom she appoints internally. It has a parliamentary system of government.
12. Water in Bermuda is rain-dependent. If there is no rain in longer months, they have system to convert sea rain into household water. These tanks are stored underground for each home or property.
13. No snakes, no sharks in Bermuda, but beware of jellyfish in beaches. They sting real bad!
14. Bermuda is well known for pink sand beaches.
15. They drive on the left side of the road.
16. No McDonald's, Burger King, Starbucks or American franchises because local businesses would die. Only KFC is present and is expensive with a bucket of chicken costing to $39.00!
17. A triangular area in the Atlantic called "Bermuda Triangle" is believed to be known for mysterious shipwrecks, disappearances and plane crashes. The apexes of these traiangles are Bermuda, Miami, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
18. Bermuda's head of the government is the premier, who is also the leader of the majority party in the House of Assembly. The cabinet has ministers chosen by the premier from among the members of the House of Assembly and the Senate.

The Gardens at Yaddo - A Visiting Tour!

I had a quick visit at the Yaddo Gardens in Saratoga Springs, NY in early fall of 2016, and unfortunately, not much was to be seen. There were few roses at the rock garden, but other than that, there was nothing more interesting to see except for the pergola where I found it unique for a photo opp! :).

The pool and fountain are the areas that are "catchy" and attractive. I noticed many who come here usually do their photo shoots!

The pool is designed with upper and lower parts with fountains and with a long connecting rill of flowing water bordered by dolomite rocks with a separating rocky incline.

The present location of Yaddo Gardens used to house a farm, a gristmill and the Barhyte tavern. During the years between 1830-1840, many famous writers dined at the tavern, among them Edgar Allan Poe.

In 1881, Spencer Trask, a famous financier in New York city and his poet wife Katrina Trask bought the property and named it "Yaddo" as suggested by their daughter. The Trasks built the present mansion which was completed in 1893, where scenes of famous house parties were held attended by prominent statesmen, artists and even industrialists.

The Trasks has 4 children and all died leaving them without heirs, so that in 1900, they established the Corporation of Yaddo endowing it in perpetuity to administer a working community of artists.

Today, Yaddo's mission is to provide artist uninterrupted time to work, good working conditions and a supportive community which has remained central in its operation throughout the years.