Salisbury, CT, June 9

Given that the cheapest accommodation I could find in this part of CT was a room for $231 a night, I’m camped in the woods 25 yards off Rt. 44 about a mile north of the village. I dined in a village bistro and on my walk back tried to see my tent from the road. I couldn’t. So I assume people whizzing by in cars, who have no reason to look this way, will not notice my presence. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes know I’m here. Two slipped into my tent but they will die before I sleep. 

The day started with a fellow in Hyde Park handing me a $20 bill as a donation to ALS. Coupled with the $5 I was given yesterday outside a convenience store, I have now collected $75 in cash. An anonymous donor has come forward to match dollar-for-dollar every cash donation that I receive. If you‘re thinking of making a donation and would like to double the amount, please write me a check and send it to me at: 68 High St., Naugatuck, CT 06770. I’ll cash it and it will be considered cash by the anonymous donor. I swear with my hand on my sister’s head this is legit.

With my day starting on such a positive note I rolled across the road for a tour of Springwood, Franklin Roosevelt’s home. Situated on a grassy hill overlooking the Hudson River, the house, while impressive, is not of the grandeur of the Vanderbilt’s down the road.

Gardener's cottage

What I find most intriguing about FDR is how a person of privilege and wealth, educated by governesses and tutors, giving him little contact with children his age, came to stand so forthrightly for the average man.  And who was a master communicator.

It seems that the Rev. Endicott Peabody, headmaster at Groton, where FDR was sent when he was 14, had a large influence on the teen. Peabody taught that in exchange for the privileges and respect the Groton boys had been taught was their birthright, they owed a duty to society, to the less fortunate. I assume that encouraged a sense of social responsibility in young FDR.

FDR's and Eleanor's tomb.

(Footnote: FDR’s first vice president, Henry A. Wallace, died of ALS.)

It rained off and on the rest of the day as I made my way here.

 As I approached the tiny village of Pine Plains, to my left appeared huge mowed fields, each many times larger than a football field. At first I thought it might be a grass farm, but the massive barns behind the fields looked like horse barns. Down the lane I rolled.

I had come upon Mashomack Polo Club, 1,900 acres of five tournament class fields, one practice field, an outdoor polo arena, shooting range and scores of horse stalls in four large red barns.

Leaning on the fence of the outdoor arena was Dagny Potter of Sharon, CT. She was watching her husband and a friend learn how to ride and play polo at the same time. Not advisable things to do together. They were being taught by a retired professional polo player. On one of the distant fields properly outfitted players, one being Potter’s son-in-law, were having a rousing pick-up match.

Despite the seeming isolation of the place, 50 miles from New York City in a little berg called Pine Plains, Mashomack is very well known in national and international polo circles, Potter said. Matter-of-fact, this weekend teams from the U.S., Great Britain, Italy and France will tear up the fields in the 15^th annual Mashomack International Polo Challenge.

Directly across the road from FDR's home.