Our getaway destination wasn’t in the Caribbean, but it could have been.  Our late afternoon arrival found the temperature to be in the low eighties, the skies were a clear blue with the smallest of white puffy clouds floating slowly by.  The sun was bright and wouldn’t be setting for a few more hours.  We had arrived early enough to take our time getting settled down in a good spot to enjoy the management arranged musical event for the evening.
 

     An orchestral arrangement of show tunes followed by post sunset fireworks created a stir of anticipation among the early arriving guests.  We decided to sit on the patio overlooking the unusually green lawns and the colorful flowers surrounding the outdoor performance area.  A few yachts from distant places were tying up along the dock also anticipating the upcoming entertainment.  We were enjoying chilled Chablis while watching some seniors stroll the walkways and young children playing on the molded plastic slides and ladders off in the distance.

    Not too far from where we were sitting on the patio, two very small intriguing islands sat out in the water.  The islands provided refuge for the gulls which were busily landing after harvesting their afternoon catch.  The lush green vegetation on the other side of the waterway made it seem much cooler than it actually was.  The evening’s outstanding entertainment and the excitement of the spectacular fireworks made the evening pass by all too quickly. 

    We were so impressed with our choice of destinations and its economic cost that we kept our vow to return and were back on the same patio only a few weeks later.  This time we were met by some other family members and friends who were impressed with our tale of the little paradise. 



    We were pleasantly surprised to find the evening entertainment was a Latino group, possibly eight or ten men, who performed cultural music that was enjoyed by all.  One obviously well traveled couple who had arrived by yacht performed the merengue as if they had just stepped out of an Arthur Murray dance lesson.  Some young couples were also impressive with their affinity for the Salsa beat.  As the evening darkened, the golden glow from the ornamental lighting made us feel as if we had ventured to some distant paradise once again.

    Reality returned when we returned to our vehicle and drove to our home just five minutes up the hill in Amsterdam, New York.  Where were we?  Oh, that’s easy...  we were down at Riverlink Park.