I set sail out of Colonie on July 17 and after a brief layover at the home of a librarian, arrived at Bethlehem Public Library on Monday, July 20. I was given a berth in their Story Hour Room and was ready to explore.

That first evening I attended a program about family song writing. It was really interesting to see the families explore their own history and represent it in music. The librarian and I wrote our song together, but I didn’t know what this “spaghetti” is that she liked to eat so much. I have been assured that it was discovered by a previous explorer and I can’t take credit for the discovery.

On July 21, 2009 a reception was held in my honor and many Bethlehem and Delmar residents came out to see me. During the reception they were treated to a retelling of my life and accomplishments in video form. Each child in the community (and a few adults) stepped up to have their photos taken with me to commemorate my visit. I even had the honor of meeting Spiderman, although he was much shorter than I had been led to believe he would be. Bethlehem’s town historian came to meet me and we set up a date to explore together later. The children made flat replicas of me to serve as an inspiration for their future explorations. A few of the children encouraged me to don some more modern accessories, but I must say that modern style is not for me.

 

For the next week I spent time in the library, meeting residents and attending library programs to explore this area. In particular, I was present at a program conducted by Ginger from the Tang Museum and had my photo taken with artwork from the museum, as well as the river replicas made by the children.

 

I also attended the “Make Your Own Half-Moon” program with a roomful of children. There they learned about my trips across the Atlantic Ocean looking for a passage to Asia. Did you know it was not until my third crossing that I discovered the Hudson River? It was so long ago I had almost forgotten! I was so taken by the river valley that I wrote, in great detail, about the land’s features, flora, and fauna as we sailed past. These observations helped the Dutch explorers and settlers who followed after me. It is certainly a beautiful area! After our trip down Memory Lane, the children and I carved and decorated our own boats out of Ivory soap! I have to admit, there were some mighty fine vessels floating about!

I was also able to spend time with some local teens during their gaming sessions and it’s possible that if I had had a Wii 400 years ago, the Hudson River may have been left unexplored.

 

Then one day the Town Historian picked me up to show me around town. We visited a park named after me, as well as some local historical sites. Lastly, she took me by the town supervisor’s office, where I was able to answer some important questions by phone.

   

All in all, my time at Bethlehem Public Library was well spent. I’ll be sailing off again to explore another place very soon.