Search Results for: photo in the woods in the kayak

A cloudy and dark Tuesday for rounding out August ☁️

Listening to Rich Men North of Richmond as I’m out for the morning walk, living in the new world with and old soul. A big pot of brown rice, red and green lentils are cooking down for the week – already had my first cup of coffee and looking forward to cream of wheat with chia seeds, yogurt and frozen fruit.

Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Dark and gray and 64 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ But when there is no hope, there is help – see today’s forecast in the third paragraph. It’s already clearing to the east. There is a south-southeast breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 64 degrees.

I was hoping to ride home last night 🚲 but when I started down Madison it started raining ☔ and I ran over to Broadway in front of the old Union Train Station and put my bicycle on the bus 🚍 and rode home. I should remember that is always an option and riding even one way still burns calories and saves money 💵. Bike rides secure but bounces a lot on some of the bumps. Heck of it is was just a light drizzle I’d probably had been fine to ride home but whatever – my left eye 👁️ was kind of irritated at any rate.

Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 81 degrees at 4pm. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 27th. Maximum dew point of 67 at 6pm. Going to be sweating a bit on the ride out of Norman’s Kill. Maybe not a good day for making those spinach pizza things I’ve been thinking about cooking this afternoon. It will depend how hot and sweaty I am when I get home and if I want to ride out to Voorheesville in twilight of the day. Maybe tomorrow with the rain. South wind 5 to 8 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was sticky. The high last year was 91 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 2018.

Wearing my glasses into work today 👓 so I can totally have the four-eyes are better then two eyes look today. I don’t l like my limited view from the glasses, but I also don’t want to do any more damage to my sore eyes. I am hopeful by mid-day and evening commute I can be back to contacts. Then assuming the weather doesn’t crap out, it will be back down the Madison Street Hill, and then to Albany County Rail Trail making the climb 😅 up through the Normans Kill George 🚲 to home.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:57 pm with sun having an altitude of 56.8° from the due south horizon (-14° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:59 pm with the sun in the west (277°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (284°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:37 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 58 seconds with dusk around 8:04 pm, which is one minute and 40 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Blue 🌝 Moon in the southeast (124°) at an altitude of 7° from the horizon, 226,316 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:42 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 76 degrees. The dew point will be 67 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 7 mph. Tomorrow will have 13 hours and 18 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 45 seconds over today.

Went to bed 🛏 early around 7:45 and I was asleep by eight. My left eye 👁️was very irritated as I forgot my contact solution when I went out to my parents house yesterday overnight and by afternoon it was a mess. Kind of a dark and rainy evening ☔ and because I get up so early it’s hard for me to stay up late. Had a great dinner of tofu – zucchini parmesan with the sauce made from delicious paste tomatoes that I got from my parents house. 🍅 Dessert was opening up that cantaloupe that I got at the store 🍈 on Sunday. Good stuff.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 4am. 🌧 Low of 66 degrees at 6am. Seven degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 67 at 6pm. 🏖️ South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It became very sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 66 degrees. The record low of 38 occurred back in 1982.

Yesterday, I got a call from a friend who was a nurse 👩‍⚕️ in her younger years, concerned about all my recent weight loss. Apparently a lot of people have been talking about how much thinner I’ve gotten, concerned that I’m not eating enough. 📩 She sent me an article about the dangers of loosing weight too quickly, with fatty liver disease and other things that can happen if your crashing with your calorie intake. But truth be told, But the thing is when you don’t eat a lot of processed foods and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, 🍏 it’s hard to eat excessively and keep pounds on. 🤰Trust me, I’m often very stuffed after eating and keep filling my mouth throughout the day with quality food. I don’t just eat 3 times a day, but non-stop from morning to night.

The heck of it is despite all my weight loss, I am eating more then ever and spending more on food. 💸  Some of it’s inflation but also I’ve been trying to expand my pantry and keeping healthy eating interesting, with new and different foods every week. At first I was very picky about what should be in my diet 🐠🔍 but now I focus more on overall, doing a lot more home cooking with quality ingredients and very little sugar, saturated fats, and a reasonable amount of carbs. And lots of fruits and vegetables, consistent with Harvard guidelines for such things. 🍽 That said, I am surprised how much I’ve lost even since May. The 36×32 jeans I bought this weekend which I was afraid would be too tight, where almost too loose, almost necessitating a drop to 34. Figuring a year ago was I was primarily wearing 40 inch jeans, and even at times some of them were a bit tight, I’ve become so much thinner and healthier. I think it’s doing the stairs at work and lately bicycling to work. It’s not the limiting the plate size for sure.

I did do that physical back in late May, 👩‍⚕️ I’ve thought about reaching out to my Health Insurance’s nurses line to see if they have any advice on my recent weight loss. I am not concerned as I think it’s just I”m burning more calories then I’m taking in ⚖ but folks still seem to be very concerned. I am hearing that from a lot of people. Maybe I should see if my insurance covers the visiting of a dietitian to help me better understand my food choices, and come up with a better balanced meals, though I think my food choices are basically the consensus of what most of the health experts are saying, 🥑 and I’m NOT under in-taking healthy fats or proteins — or have some kind of undiagnosed disease. It’s not just that one nurse friend either, it’s relatives, co-workers and others.

On this day in 1966, the Beatles perform their last concert before paying fans 🎸 at Candlestick Park in a wicked thunderstorm ⛈ San Francisco. After this, if you wanted to hear the Beatles, you had to listen to them on vinyl records or AM radio. 📻 Their next album would be Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Club Heart band, and it would have a dramatically different sound then the Love, Love Me Do records. 🎶

I have Labor Day Weekend Off 🏕 including the Friday before so I can go up to camp bright and early. I probably will do like I did two week ago — pack Thursday night — leave very early, maybe before seven, get gas in Rotterdam, ⛽ then stop at Samdil Farm for sweet corn and vegetables and maybe meat, 🌽 🥩 Walmart for supplies 🛒 and then try to make Speculator as close to 9 AM as possible to get the campsite I want and get set up. Then hang out for a bit, have lunch, then maybe mountain bike 🚵‍♀️ in the afternoon and do some fishing. 🎣 Maybe kayak Indian Lake on Saturday, if not to choppy. 🛶 Saturday evening I might do an after-dark hike up Watch Hill to spot fire towers lit for the firetower light-the-night event. 🏃 🔦 Later in the weekend, probably Sunday or Labor Day I’ll have to go back down to Spectulator for some swimming. 🏊. Should be a wonderful weekend, especially with some fresh-locally sourced steak and shrimp. And so much delicious sweet corn and other good things to eat.

A picture perfect Labor Day Weekend 🇺🇸 weekend on tap. 😎 Friday, sunny high around 75 with a maximum dew point of 57 come 7 pm. Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Maximum dew point of 61 at 4pm. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Maximum dew point of 65 at 1pm. Labor Day is going to warm, may hit 87 degrees with lots of sun. I’ll be on the kayak 🛶 on Lake Pleasant. Typical average high for the weekend is 79 degrees. Won’t be quite as warm up north.

Looking ahead, there are 9 weeks until Halloween 🎃 when the sun will be setting at 5:51 pm with dusk at 6:19 pm. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 64 and 37 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 56 degrees. We hit a record high of 75 back in 2019. Been interested in making some baked pumpkin dishes, come the autumn. Plus pumpkins are a lot of fun to shoot with the ol .22 rifle up in the woods.

Little Moose Lake

Those forty inch jeans 👖 don’t really fit anymore and are so baggy

I really need to get some new jeans that are better fitting though I only got this pair a few months ago, not realizing what was despite the warnings I was given. Especially because the Salvation Army shirt I got is so nicely fitting. Still I’m hesitant to invest in a new clothes of any expense as I know what I’m up against in a culture that prioritizes low quality calories, excessive sugar and fat. I’m good but the social pressures are so bad, and it can be lonely eating things that are actually half decent for you.

Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Rain and 66 degrees at the Elm Ave Park and Ride. ☔ There is a north-northeast breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 66 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around 2 pm.

Too rainy 🌧️ for the morning walk and I wasn’t moving fast enough to catch the earlier bus 🚍 downtown. The rain let up and I walked down to the later express 🚏but in part I delayed as I didn’t really want to do laps in the Plaza in part because that would add another time up and down the eighteen flights at work and I didn’t want to do that. Lousy excuse but I’m still not doing elevators at work.🛗 It’s stupid, I’m not afraid of the state elevators and I’m sure the state police 🚨 would come and rescue me when the elevator breaks down but I like the exercise of climbing 🧗‍♂️ all those stairs. The worse thing that could happen is I get trapped in the elevator with the head of the Assembly Republicans and after a few awkward seconds maybe talk about deer 🦌 hunting or something in the wilderness.

Morning was eggs 🍳 with a bunch of onions, spinach, and peppers. Lots of fiber and protein there. Had a few cups of coffee ☕ though I really should cut back on the fluids as I’ve been having to piss a lot due to 6000pall the water I’ve been consuming from the watermelon 🍉, zucchini 🍆, egg plant and the fruit 🍏 I’ve been eating. Last night was breaded egg plant with panto breadcrumbs using egg as a glue, with a sauce made from tomatoes, jalapeños, onions and Italian spices and a bit of dried Parmesan on top. Broccoli 🥦 on the side. It was good in the broiler all crispy.

Today will have showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 3pm. 🌦 High of 71 degrees at 3pm. 11 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 24th. Maximum dew point of 69 at 2pm. 🏖️ Northeast wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 87 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1959.

Another work day today, then one tomorrow, then it’s off to camp in the Adirondacks. 🏕 I’m not sure how nice Friday will be and Saturday looks chilly up north, but I might end up bringing both the heater and bug screen, along with tarps. 📚 I’m sure Lynne is going to ask if I want to go to the Guilderland Meeting regarding the Senior Home Development in the Pine Bush 🌲 but I’ll see if I can get out of that because I don’t feel that great, and I’m tired of attending meetings regarding the Pine Bush, yelling and screaming and being mocked in the press. 📰  I really have other priorities, and I’d like to get books from the library and get packed for camping. I doubt I’ll leave before early on Thursday morning, but if I get ready, it’s less to do tomorrow. Pine Bush stuff is kind of important, but I don’t want to be on the forefront, and so many of these hearings and being shoved down by the town board is kind of boring. Plus I have salmon 🐟 to cook up tonight with spinach, and I’m looking forward to that on this rainy night.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 61.5° from the due south horizon (-9.3° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:20 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (284°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (290°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:59 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 4 seconds with dusk around 8:28 pm, which is one minute and 27 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:07 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 70 degrees. The dew point will be 67 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 13 hours and 58 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 32 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then a slight chance of showers between 1am and 2am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 65 degrees at 4am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 6pm. East wind around 5 mph becoming south after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 58 degrees. The record low of 41 occurred back in 1972.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music Festival Opens on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, 🎧 🎸🎷 much to the distaste of his neighbors and fellow community members. 🐮 I’m sure he just thought of it as a way to make some money on a wet, muddy field that wasn’t growing much hay or silage that year due to the weather. He used to run the largest dairy farm in Sullivan County. Of course, they cut his milk contract in subsequent years, and was forced out of the dairy business. His son would go on to be the Sullivan County Clerk some years later. And the farm became a tourist destination in recent years. 🗑 The hippies trashed the land more then Yasgur could have ever expected, to say nothing of what they did to the neighbors. And he just wanted a little money from the hippies, and expected after the weekend, the muddy field could be tilled up and put back in production.

On this day in 1970, President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors. 💰 Much was made out of it, but truth be told the US hadn’t been pegging it’s currency to gold since the 1930s and by the 1960s the value of the US currency had grown with the size of the economy and inflation, it was getting harder and harder to come up with enough gold to settle the currency, especially as investors sought more gold as a hedge of growing inflation as the sixties slid into the 1970s. 📈 Truth be told, regardless had the gold standard ended or not, the gas crisis would have still occurred, and it would have done a lot of damage to economy, though a lot of that was baked in after the sixties, and all the post-war expansion including the baby boom and the construction of the Interstate system which produced a enormous boom that was petering out by the seventies as major legs of the system were finalized. 🛣

Cool but sunny this weekend. 😎 Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Maximum dew point of 58 at 2pm. Sunday, sunny, with a high near 84. Maximum dew point of 64 at 4pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 82 degrees. Actually, Sunday will be fairly warm and muggy. But Friday the high is only 66 degrees with rain showers. I am going to bring my heater up north I guess this weekend, along with the screen tent as the bugs may be bad. 🎪 I wasn’t sure if I was going to bring my kayak up north, but Sunday could be a very nice day for kayaking on the Mohawk River around Moss Island, 🛶 especially if I do a bike ride first. Although do I want to spend more time at the Potholers at Piseco-Powley? 🏊‍♀️ Decisions! 🤔

Looking ahead, there are 11 weeks until Halloween 🎃 when the sun will be setting at 5:51 pm with dusk at 6:19 pm. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 64 and 37 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 56 degrees. We hit a record high of 75 back in 2019.

When Big Bay turns north to Piseco Lake it becomes too shallow to navigate

This year, a quiet summer week in Finger Lakes

This year, a quiet summer week in Finger Lakes

Last summer was naturally a bit of a toned-down summer due to COVID-19 on my vacation, as social distancing was a necessity with no vaccine available at that point to make travel and exposure to strangers safe once again. But I actually kind of liked the toned-down week, staying in the same campsite and several days spent with my truck parked, hiking around the National Forest exploring the woods and having a few drinks while reading a book, rather then the go-go nature of so many vacations past. I also intentionally camped where I wouldn’t have good cell service, to keep off the phone.

This summer I can kind of want to do the same thing, with an emphasis on what I did last year that I found memorable – exploring new places and doing new activities. That doesn’t mean necessarily traveling long distances but instead just hiking trails and kayaking places I hadn’t been to before. There are some gorges in Ithaca I haven’t hiked, and several different trails I haven’t done. They call Watkins Glen “Trail Town”, at least in the downtown where the Finger Lakes and North Country Trail Intersect, there are many trails I haven’t done. If the wind is good and calm, I want to paddle up more of the shore of Seneca Lake, and there is much more time I want to spend at the Big Bad Indian Swamp observing the birds and wildlife and fishing.

South from the observation platform

Towards Seneca Lake

Big fire ? to close out the trip

Burnt Hill

 

June 4, 2021 Morning

Good morning! Happy Friday! Up in the Adirondacks for a few days of camping and remote work 💻 while Albany bakes in the heat wave, although I do have to be in Albany come Wednesday and maybe sooner depending on how things go. Six weeks to Last Sunset After 8:30 PM 🌆. Partly cloudy and 62 degrees in Speculator, NY. ⛅ There is a west breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 57 degrees. While it was raining ☔ when I left Albany it is super nice here, maybe a bit cold with the lake breeze there is a lot of sun and it’s quite nice up north. I kind of wish I brought my kayak 🛶 but that gets difficult with remote work and needing sunshine to make solar energy so I can stay cool and my laptop charged.

Today will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. 🌩 It’s called summer. Mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 76 degrees at 3pm. Typical for today. Maximum dew point of 57 at 9am. Southwest wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 90 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1919. Probably not that warm in Spectulator, as that’s the Albany record.

I am planning to camp somewhere in the Greater Spectulator-area for the weekend, and then decide how long next week to stay up north. 🏕 The thing is on my remote days, it’s a lot cooler to work from the woods, but I will need to be back next week by Wednesday for my in-person days in the office. I figure it’s best to maximize remote work until we have to be back in the office more days of the week. Next week I have my therapy session 👨‍⚕️ but the following week I will either go out Schoharie County or the Potholers if it’s nice, as it’s a three-day weekend with the new Juneteenth Holiday. If I do the Potholers, then I will definately want to bring the kayak, for either the East Branch or Lily Lake. By then maybe lillies will be out?

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:57 pm with sun having an altitude of 69° from the due south horizon (-1° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:52 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (303°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:35 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 29 seconds with dusk around 9:09 pm, which is 45 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:55 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 69 degrees. The dew point will be 54 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 16 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 8 seconds over yesterday.

My fishing license is expired but I plan to renew it today, 🎣 so I can do some fishing tomorrow. I don’t have my kayak and it’s a few weeks before bass season opens up, but based on the number of anglers there was in Wells this morning, I probably should go down there to fish. That said, I am a bit tethered to Spectulator as I need I need to have good cell service and wi-fi to work, especially if I decide to stay up this way for the first half of next week.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7pm. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, partly cloudy , with a low of 55 degrees at 4am. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical night around June 6th. Maximum dew point of 57 at 2am. West wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2020, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It became humid as the night progressed. It got down to 71 degrees. The record low of 39 occurred back in 1990.

Tomorrow will have patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 80 degrees at 1pm. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 16th. Maximum dew point of 61 at 1pm. Southwest wind 8 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1925.

Looking ahead to Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 83. West wind around 9 mph. Maximum dew point of 61 at 8am. Typical average high for the weekend is 77 degrees.

One month 📅 from now will be Independence Day 🇺🇸 when the sun will be setting at 8:41 pm with dusk at 9:16 pm. The average high temperature is 76 degrees, with a record high of 97 in 1919.

Big Alderbed Mountain

August 16, 2020 Night

Good evening! Partly cloudy and 68 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌃 Calm wind. The dew point is 61 degrees.

Made it back home 🏡 by around 9:15. Not too bad time as I left Danby around 5:30 and took NY 23 across the state for a change. Not the fastest way back home but I get tired of driving the same route back from the Finger Lakes. It was all and all a good trip and I got a lot rammed into the week while at the same time picking less crowded places to explore. Plus I had to stop for gas, ⛽ a bite to eat 🌭 and a bathroom 🚽 break. Hopefully I didn’t get Coronavirus from pissing at the Interstate 88 rest area bathroom. I washed my hands 👐🏻 a second time good when I got home. 👾

The Danby State Forest overlook was fine 🗻 but I really visited it during the wrong time of the day, the sun ☀ was in my eyes 👀 and made it nearly impossible to get a good view of the overlook. Hot in that sun too. I’m not sure if I would drive Bald Mountain Road again, it sure was rough and parking 🅿 is very limited although next time I would have parked in designated Campsite 4.

I did enjoy poking around Catharine Marsh some more 🐦, I saw several Great Blue Heron, Semipalmated Plover, Monarch Butterfly 🦋 and lots of frogs 🐸. While the loop trail through the woods is in disrepair, the former Airport Road Trail is hardened with gravel as it runs over a sewer pipe and offers more than a mile of trail to observe the marsh from points south and west along the Barge Canal. Really a great area. I want to study satellite 🛰 photos for future ideas on whether or not I can explore the area with a kayak 🛶.

Also the Watkins Glen Pool 🏊🏻‍♂️ was nice and not too crowded today. Stayed until 1 pm today, I would have stayed longer but there was a lot to see and do on my final day of summer vacation.

Tonight will be partly cloudy ☁️, with a low of 59 degrees at 4am. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 21st. Maximum dew point of 61 at 9pm. Light south wind. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It became very sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 67 degrees. The record low of 40 occurred back in 1979.

Doesn’t seem like the big washout 😭 they were originally promising for tomorrow. That’s fine its good to be home for a while and I have a busy work week ahead and sometimes being home means less distractions than trying to work from the woods. I did think 🤔 about staying at Cherry Ridge 🍒 at least overnight but I decided it best to come home. I was out of food and for many reasons it just made more sense to come home and work from there.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent 🌘 Moon with 5% illuminated. The darkest hour is at 1:01 am, followed by dawn at 5:34 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:05 am in the east-northeast (71°) and last for 3 minutes and 4 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 4 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 6:43 am with sun in the east-northeast (77°). Tonight will have 10 hours and 9 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 35 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 74 degrees at 1pm. Seven degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 11th. Maximum dew point of 65 at 2pm. Southeast wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, which became thunderstorm by afternoon. It became sticky as the day progressed. The high last year was 88 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1913.

It will be a busy day when I get stated in the morning 📑 but I’m ready for a good week that goes by quickly. Already thinking 💭 about a Schoharie County trip for next weekend including some time at the Mine Kill Pool. 🏊🏻‍♂️

In four weeks on September 13 the sun will be setting in the west (275°) at 7:08 pm,🌄 which is 46 minutes and 49 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2019 on that day, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 72 and 45 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 73 and 53 degrees. The record high of 92 degrees was set back in 1948.

Looking ahead, Average High 70 🎑 is in 5 weeks, More Night then Day 🌌 is in 6 weeks, Last Sunset After 6:30 PM 🌆 is in 7 weeks, November 🥧 is in 11 weeks, First Sunday of Advent ✝️ is in 16 weeks, Saint Nicholas Day 🎅 is in 16 weeks, Tea Party Day 🐍 is in 4 months, Latest Sunrise of the Winter 🌄️ is in 20 weeks and Valentines Day ❤️ is in 26 weeks.

Along Osgood Pond

August 16, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Happy Sunday. Final day of vacation, plan to make the most of it. 🏖️ Summer not expected to last. Five weeks to Average High 70 🎑 . Partly cloudy and 73 degrees at the Watkins Glen State Park. ⛅ There is a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 62 degrees.

The morning started out chilly 🌤️ but the clouds parted. I made up coffee ☕ and finished up the muffins. 🍪 I am surprisingly less hung over then expected, I had a few Genesee’s with dinner last night and they’re the kind of beer 🍻 you drink when you are having more than one. 🤮

Sat back, paused briefly then made a final video 📹 of my campsite. 🏕️ I find it hard to believe that I’ve been camping here for 8 nights and nine 9⃣ days, it seems like I just set things up yesterday. ⌛I think camping here in one site all week made the time go by faster.

All packed up, site is clean 🏡 and after visiting a few more places in the Finger Lakes it will be back home. 🛣️My goal is to be home by dusk 🌆. I am not terribly worried about getting unpacked 💼 tonight although I’ll need to grab the cooler and empty that out ❄, grab my clothes 👕👖and unpack things like razors and toothbrush.

I am going to go for a swim 🏊🏻‍♂️ once the pool opens. I wanted to be here early in case the lot filled up with social distancing. Seneca Lake looked so calm this morning, I was tempted to go for a paddle but with things heating up ☀ the wind 🍃 is picking up. This afternoon I want to explore Catharine Creek Marsh 🦆some more wildlife observation 🔭 this time with binoculars. I could go for a paddle later. 🛶 I don’t know though time is limited but I made sure to leave the sleeping pad so I could get the kayak off my truck if choose. Then starting to head home, I want to visit Danby State Forest 🌲and check the overlook out there.

Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 81 degrees at 3pm. Typical for today. Maximum dew point of 62 at 10am. Southeast wind 6 to 8 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, which became thunderstorm by afternoon. It became sticky as the day progressed. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1936.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:13 pm with sun having an altitude of 61.2° from the due south horizon (-9.7° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:30 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (283°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (289°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:08 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 3 seconds with dusk around 8:36 pm, which is one minute and 28 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:15 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 74 degrees. The dew point will be 61 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 50 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 32 seconds over yesterday.

I thought it was a pretty good week, ☺ with about the best weather one could hope for during these times. Everything was a bit off and the wood full of people during these times of social distancing. 👨‍👨‍👧‍👦It’s really good that people are getting outside and enjoying nature but I do miss the solitude especially around Foster Pond – the nights 🌌star gazing with no one else around. While my campsite was far back from the road and quite remote, every time I hiked in the woods it didn’t seem quite as quiet 🤫 as years past. While I’d be pressed to say that I couldn’t find solitude but things just weren’t like years past.

The Finger Lakes are a very different place than the Adirondacks. 🐮🌱🌾🌿🕸️🦋🍷 I think it’s a fun summer place, a lot lighter and more relaxing than the Adirondacks. 🗻 Everything in the Adirondacks is much more touristy, while the Finger Lakes are more rural and the gas stations ⛽ and groceries 🛒 aren’t so overpriced as they are up north. 👃🏻 The smell of the silage and grass, the gentle mooing of the cows is a nice change.

There are definitely a lot of places on my 🅱️ list I’ve gotten to see this week and enjoy that would have otherwise been overlooked. I think it’s good to think outside of the box 🗃 and look for new places to visit in the same general area I’ve been before but previously overlooked. 🐦

One of my annoyances that seems to be a problem all over this year is the amount of litter 🚮 dumped in the woods. Seems like this week there is a growing pile of trash 🗑 dumped at Foster Pond, the same is true for the campsite on Backbone Trail. Now I’m not calling for more jack booted thugs 👢 to unsuccessfully patrol the woods and stop dumping but folks should be more responsible. 👮 You can’t stop 🛑 people who want to dump trash when no one is looking.

Bring your gawd damn deposit cans back for the nickle. 💵 Bring your aluminum foil, cans and glass home for the recycling bin ♻, it’s not that much trash if you smash it. Chances are your having a fire 🔥 so you can burn the rest of the largely burnable packaging 📦, just make sure to pack out anything that doesn’t fully become smoke or water vapor. And bury your poop 💩 and toilet paper 🚽 deep in the woods. ⚰️ Personal responsibility not jack booted thugs. ☠️

If people want to drink 🍻 and have a little fun in the woods 🤣 then good for them. Public lands are for the publics use but they shouldn’t trash them. 🌲🌳🧔🧔🏼👱🏾‍♀️👱🏼‍♀️I had my fun but my campsite was cleaner than when I got there – I cleaned up abandoned fire pits, removed bottle caps and made sure things were generally more organized than when I got here.
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I am hoping by next summer 🏖 things will be a bit quieter and back to normal. 👾 Been such an odd summer and while I’ve made the most of it I could see doing some things differently next year. 💭 I’d like to spend some time in Pennsylvania, maybe later this autumn. 🍂🍁 Yeah, while New York rednecks are fun, Pennsylvania rednecks are more fun as they have more guns 🔫 and everybody out in the country burns their trash and everything else that burns from brush piles to old mobile homes. 🔥

Continuing to read that book about hog farming. 🐷 There is a lot I didn’t know about pigs, 🐽 they are kind of fascinating creatures. I figured start my summer reading program with cattle, then pigs and maybe then goats 🐐 and chickens 🐔. Pigs are a lot more accessible to a beginning homesteader than cattle 🐮 plus they can do a lot to help restore rocky ⛰️ worn out soils as can often be found in areas with affordable acreage. 💩 I’m sure that’s why North Country Off Grid makes pigs such a big part of his homestead in North Idaho. Plus bacon 🥓.

I am thinking about getting a clip on telephoto lens 🔭for my smartphone 📱. I am quite happy with the quality of the photos 📸 my phone takes but I would like to be able to zoom 🔎 in closer to wildlife. 🦅🦉🐸🐦They aren’t really expensive either. 🖼

Tonight will have a chance of showers, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 62 degrees at 5am. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 61 at 7pm. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It became very sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 67 degrees. The record low of 40 occurred back in 1979.

Today in 1916, the Migratory Bird Treaty between Canada and the United States signed. 🐦 It was designed to save Migratory Birds by giving them international protection for the first time by placing limits on hunting and other means of taking. Good day for walking in the marsh. 🐸

In 1989, a solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, 🌞leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto’s stock market.🖥️

Also, in 1993, Debian Linux is announced, 💾it would become the basis of many forms of Linux like Ubuntu Linux, which is currently what I run on my home computer.

And in 1966, the House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigations of Americans who have aided the Viet Cong.🏛️ The committee intends to introduce legislation making these activities illegal. Anti-war demonstrators disrupt the meeting and 50 people are arrested.

Looking ahead, there are 5 weeks until Average High 70 🎑 when the sun will be setting at 7:07 pm with dusk at 7:35 pm. On that day in 2019, we had partly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 79 and 42 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 71 degrees. We hit a record high of 90 back in 1946.

Almost hit a fawn descending Denton Summit. Pressure wave hit fawn, collapsed on shoulder of road.

August 4, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Rain showers and 69 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☔There is a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 68 degrees. The skies will clear around 10 pm.

I dropped my truck off for the oil change 🛢 and walked home. 🚶 A nice walk not raining too hard but everything is kind of damp and cloudy today but at least it not hot. So no complaints there. I’ll either walk down or take a bus 🚍 down to pick up the truck during my break or lunch. I’m a salary employee once again so I guess it doesn’t matter all that much. I can always work late to finish up on work. 💼

Did I misplace my new flash drive 💾again? Darn. I need that for work. I’ll find it. I’m sure it’s around here somewhere. I do really like my new phone 📱 despite some of the minor flaws I discovered last night and it’s less than pocket and hand friendly size. 🖐️

Today will be tropical storm conditions possible. Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 2pm, then rain and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. 🌀 High of 76 degrees at 1pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 5th. Maximum dew point of 71 at 2pm. 🏖️ Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 84 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1955.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 64.5° from the due south horizon (-6.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:33 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (288°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (294°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:13 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 10 seconds with dusk around 8:43 pm, which is one minute and 14 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:24 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 70 degrees. The dew point will be 68 degrees. Blustery, 🌬 with a stiff breeze at 29 mph the west with gusts up to 40mph. Today will have 14 hours and 20 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 17 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will continue to have tropical storm conditions possible. Rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 11pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 11pm and 2am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low of 65 degrees at 5am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 69 at 6pm. 🏖️ Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 54 degrees. The record low of 43 occurred back in 1972.

I think when I go to pick up my truck 🚚 I’ll catch a bus 🚍 down there.

Going to be a nice, hot summer weekend. 🏊 Saturday, sunny, with a high near 86. Maximum dew point of 65 at 10am. Sunday, sunny, with a high near 88. Maximum dew point of 67 at 11am. Typical average high for the weekend is 82 degrees.

I am still thinking next weekend I’m going to go to the Finger Lakes National Forest ⛺ 🐮 for the week. I just got to figure out how many of those days I’ll be working – I want some days to swim 🏊 at Watkins Glen State Park 🏞 and some time to kayak 🛶. With social distancing though I am going to avoid the parks in favor of more hiking in remote woods 🌲and kayaking.

Looking ahead, there are 13 weeks until Election Day 2020 🗳️ when the sun will be setting at 4:45 pm with dusk at 5:14 pm (Standard Time). On that day in 2019, we had partly sunny, rain showers and temperatures between 53 and 30 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 53 degrees. We hit a record high of 75 back in 1990.

Paddling through Pond Lilies