July 20, 2018 Morning

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Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! It’s the overdrive of the week, and a beautiful day. I’m ready to head up to the Adirondacks after work. 🌄Five weeks to Average High Falls To 79 Degrees ⛱. Sunny and 73 degrees in Delmar. 🌞 Calm wind. The dew point is 58 degrees. Going to be a really nice day.

Today will be sunny 🌞 , with a high of 84 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 58 at 10am. South wind 3 to 7 mph. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 88 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1991.

The sun will set at 8:27 pm with dusk around 9:00 pm, which is 49 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for clear skies and 77 degrees. The dew point will be 57 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 50 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 44 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly clear 🌞 , with a low of 61 degrees at 5am. Four degrees below normal. Maximum dew point of 57 at 8pm. South wind around 6 mph. In 2017, we had partly cloudy skies. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 63 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1974.

I am ready for the weekend, 🏞 spending time up in the Adirondacks doing some camping and paddling from Stewart Landing to West Canada Lake on Lily Lake. 🚣  It may not be a wilderness lake but it still offers some nice paddling, and isn’t that far from Piseco-Powley Road. Between driving there and the time that kayak is off the truck when I’m out paddling, I should have the battery fully-recharged so I have plenty of power come Saturday night. Before I had the panel, I would often have less charge in the battery on the second night then the first. Based on my schedule and plans, this will probably be the last time I get up there this year for Piseco-Powley, although I guess I could go up there in September if we have some nice weather and time allows it. Burgers, hot dogs, and the potholers on Saturday evening or Sunday. Might also hike back to House Pond for some fishing.

Gased up the truck this morning, ⛽checked the tire pressure, oil and windshield fluid. Still need to pick up  hamburger buns, beer, cookies, and eggs for breakfast. I’ll probably stop somewhere on my way out to Johnstown. 🛍 Everything seems to be going well. Should be a nice weekend.

After I parked today, 🅿 I noticed some glass on the road where I parked. I swept it up with the hand broom I normally use for keeping my truck cap neat. I hope I don’t get a flat tire — the tires are fairly durable on my truck. I do have a full-size spare with TPMS (!), but it will be a bitch to put on and I may not leave tonight if that happens. Still would need to get the TPMS sensor reset, to avoid the tire warning, but the full-size spare is completely matching the other ones — I sometimes run it like the other ones. Didn’t hear any leaks and I don’t see any glass on the tires. Bottle broke when they were picking up the garbage I guess. 🍷

I really hate glass.😡 It’s heavy, it breaks, you can’t burn it when you in the back country. Supposedly glass is infinitely recyclable, but for the most part the markets don’t exist and the way most glass is recycled locally is fill for building landfill roads. Plastics haven’t caught up with all the benefits of glass when it comes to sealing certain air-sensitive goods, but its’ pretty good stuff. That said, we should be looking more to reusable and returnable containers — I don’t think it’s a big deal to bring back a milk jug or soda jug for recycling as back in the day.

At least it’s a nice shady spot and my truck should remain cool. 😎 While I pack the propane tank with a some extra ice, I always worry a bit about things getting too hot and the tank over-pressured — even though the windows are tinted in the truck cap, and I always cover the tank to further shade it. Plus I don’t want the ice to go too quickly in the coolers 🆒 — I want it to last all weekend, especially as I have a fresh gallon of milk I bought today.🐄

On this day in 1969, Apollo 11’s crew successfully makes the first landing on the Moon 🌝 in the Sea of Tranquility. Today, Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon, well at least in England.  Us Americans would get to watch it the next day due to the time zone difference. 🤔

Looking ahead, there are 5 weeks until Average High Falls To 79 Degrees ⛱ when the sun will be setting at 7:42 pm with dusk at 8:11 pm. On that day in 2017, we had partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 75 and 56 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 79 degrees. Well, shocking. 😜We hit a record high of 95 back in 1947.

Meet The Invasive Insect That Is Changing An Entire Forest Bird Community

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Meet The Invasive Insect That Is Changing An Entire Forest Bird Community

"In an unusual role reversal, one tiny invasive insect is controlling the species composition and architecture of a large community of forest birds along the East Coast of the United States."

"Throughout the eastern United States, forests of eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis, are under attack by a tiny invasive insect with an insatiable appetite for these giant trees. This attack is causing the decline of eastern hemlock and as a consequence, it is driving the disappearance of a variety of birds that are specialized to them, according to a recent study. This study also found that birds that live in habitats not dominated by eastern hemlock are expanding into these dying hemlock forests, and this is diminishing avian biodiversity. Remarkably, in an unusual role reversal, this less diverse bird community is apparently due solely to just one invasive species of insect."

July 19, 2018 Night

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Good evening! Clear and 71 degrees in Delmar. Calm wind. The dew point is 53 degrees. A very pleasant evening after another insanely crazy day at work. The crash on Interstate 787 hauling construction debris to the Rensselaer Landfill didn’t make it any better.

Tonight will have patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, clear 🌞 , with a low of 52 degrees at 5am. 10 degrees below normal. Maximum dew point of 54 at 12am. Calm wind. Finally can sleep with the fan off. In 2017, we had mostly cloudy skies, clearing in the early hours of the next day. It was humid. It got down to 68 degrees. The record low of 49 occurred back in 1974.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous Moon 🌔 with 54% illuminated with the moon setting at 12:42 am. The moon will set at 1:00 am. The Buck Moon 🌕 is next Thursday with heavy rain expected. So much for enjoying that. Might make getting packed for vacation difficult too. The sun will rise at 5:35 am with the first light at 5:02 am, which is 55 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 9 hours and 8 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 42 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, sunny 🌞 , with a high of 86 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 58 at 6pm. Warm but pleasant. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 88 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1991.

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. 😕 Saturday, sunny, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Maximum dew point of 59 at 5pm. Going to be a beautiful day. Sunday, showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 2pm, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Maximum dew point of 70 at 5pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 83 degrees.

In four weeks on August 16 the sun will be setting at 7:54 pm,🌄 which is 33 minutes and 11 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 83 and 60 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 81 and 60 degrees. The record high of 97 degrees was set back in 1936.

I am pretty much packed for camping this weekend except for the cooler and personal products. I didn’t go shopping as I only need a few things tomorrow. Might do it before work or maybe after. 👜I’m undecided. Kayak is on the roof of the truck cap and ready to go.

I’m so happy that I found the wireless headphones that I really like. 🎧 Last week I bought another pair which are water-resistant – perfect for using in the potholers but I don’t like them as much as the other pair. I guess keep both charged and swap out as needed.

Changed the VMS display sign I built in my bedroom to shut off at ten o’clock rather than eleven as lately I’ve been going to bed earlier and the sign is very distracting. 🕘 Saves more energy that way and if I’m up late I can always just use my phone for the time. Most the time I’m up late in the summer at any rate I’m at home.

Looking ahead, State Primary Day 🗳️ is in 8 weeks, November 🥧 is in 15 weeks and Thanksgiving 🦃 is in 18 weeks.

Good night. Sleep well. 💤💤💤