Welcome to Portals to the Past! My site is a bit eclectic, with information and photos on subjects ranging from Orthodox Christian sites to local wildlife and pet photos, from the fascinating narrative of Garrit Storm, a merchant and real estate developer and speculator in 18th century New York City to my 2008 trip to Poland to visit my son. I also have a link to my eBay auction page.
Please use the link on this page to visit our church website, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church .
If anyone is in the Middletown, New York area, please feel free to stop by Holy Cross for an in person visit! The first weekend in June, the church holds it's annual Holy Cross Greek Festival, featuring great food and Hellenic Dancers so mark your calendars for next year!
I have included photos and video of St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery and their museum, on the following pages. St. Tikhon's is an OCA, Orthodox Church in America, monastery. It has roots in the Russian Orthodox Church, the "Saints" traveling and establishing churches in Alaska and finally the lower states. The museum at St. Tikhon's features many fascinating Orthodox Christian relics and icons. The Icon Museum attracts the faithful, as well as those interested in the art, theology and history, from all over the world.
This site is linked to my eBay auction page, as well. You may view items which I am currently offering by clicking here. I have an eclectic assortment: antiques, collectibles, some designer swimwear, books, antique watches, etc. Many items have come from the Hoffman estate, whose genealogy and relation to Garrit Storm can be found on the "Narrative" page.
I have posted a slide show of our 2008 trip to Poland on the "Travel Olsztyn Poland" page. It was a wonderful experience and I hope that you enjoy the photos.
For the history or genealogy buff, I am in the process of posting some pages of Garrit Storm's Memoirs. He was one of the Hoffman family ancestors, having settled in New Amsterdam in the late 1600-early 1700s, he started the real estate business that the Hoffman's eventually made their fortune by. The family originally owned much of the land that is now Manhattan, New York. Many of the items that I have offered on eBay come from this family's estate. My grandmother married into the family in the 1960s. Mr. C.G. Hoffman, her husband, was a most fascinating man. He attended Oxford where he made the aquaintence of many famous individuals: Josiah Royce, George Santayana, John Masefield, the Prince of Wales. He knew the "blue bloods" of New York society. " Govey" was a flight instructor during WWI. He flew for the RAF. He drove in the Harjes Ambulance Corp in France.
Mr. Charles Gouverneeur Hoffman's portrait by artitst Linzee Prescott, appears below. The plane represents the plane that he flew in WWI, the volcano is Mt. Etna in Sicily, where my grandmother and Mr. C. had a villa and the pipe was something that he enjoyed. The portrait is a click through link to the Garit Storm Narrative page.
Thank you for stopping by and sign my guest book if you are so inclined!
I am offering several merchant and product links that relate to content on my site:
If you need pet medications or flea products, I can recommend PetRx. I have used them and been pleased with their service. You can purchase supplies through any PetRx link on this site.
I am also posting nature and wildlife photos, birds, salamanders, interesting plants, etc. taken on our Sparrow Bush property. You can purchase Kodak cameras and supplies through the site by clicking any link or ad. I use Kodak.
If you enjoy researching your family and tracing your roots, you can easily access Ancestry.com through this site.
And, for those that enjoy reading, you can purchase the Kindle Reader and books through this site, as well! You will find the Kindle and its accessories and available books in my Amazon store on the "Shopping Portal" page.
