Autumn

Carving a Pumpkin

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This year for my November camping trip, I am thinking of buying a pumpkin I can carve with a knife 🔪for a jack-o-lantern. 🎃 I can carve out the guts of the pumpkin in the woods one day, bake the pumpkin seeds for a snack, and have the jack-o-lantern with a candle to light up the long nights.

I think having a pumpkin will be a lot of fun. At the end of the trip, I can blast it with the shotgun or the twenty-two 🔫 and leave it back in the woods to rot. It’s zero-waste, wildlife like deer will eat it up, and it’s supporting local agriculture too.🚜 Plus I like baked pumpkin seeds, 🍰 they’re pretty yummy to boot.

Pumpkin Left By Columbus Day Campers

Summer is Done, Next Fall is Done

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Summer is done. Maybe not calendar wise, but as a practical matter once school is back in session and Labor Day comes to an conclusion, summer is concluded. The sunset is before 7:30 PM and with the recent cold snap the mountains are showing a hints of color to come. I am kind of sad that it’s been such a crazy but odd summer with remote work and the pandemic, but I look forward to autumn.

Looking Back to Wakely Dam

Along the banks of the James River

October 22, 2019 – Next Sixteen Weeks

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During the second half of October, the weather gets much cooler with much earlier sunsets. Winter starts creeping in, and within a few weeks we might even have a big snow storm. But still we have a few weeks in Albany before freezing becomes the norm most nights.

Week Date Dawn Sun-
rise		 Sun-
set		 Dusk Day Avg High Avg Low Record Hi Record Low
0 Oct 22 6:47 am 7:16 am 6:02 pm 6:31 pm 10:46 57 38 86 (1979) 20 (1959)
1 Oct 29 6:56 am 7:25 am 5:52 pm 6:21 pm 10:27 55 36 77 (1946) 19 (1969)
2 Nov 5 6:04 am 6:33 am 4:43 pm 5:13 pm 10:09 52 34 75 (1994) 17 (1951)
3 Nov 12 6:12 am 6:42 am 4:35 pm 5:05 pm 9:53 49 33 68 (1909) 15 (1976)
4 Nov 19 6:20 am 6:51 am 4:29 pm 5:00 pm 9:38 47 31 71 (1921) 12 (1972)
5 Nov 26 6:28 am 6:59 am 4:25 pm 4:56 pm 9:25 44 29 67 (1979) -11 (1938)
6 Dec 3 6:35 am 7:07 am 4:22 pm 4:53 pm 9:14 41 26 63 (2009) -1 (1976)
7 Dec 10 6:42 am 7:14 am 4:21 pm 4:53 pm 9:07 38 23 64 (1966) -4 (1902)
8 Dec 17 6:47 am 7:19 am 4:22 pm 4:54 pm 9:03 35 21 59 (1984) -8 (1942)
9 Dec 24 6:51 am 7:23 am 4:26 pm 4:58 pm 9:03 33 18 72 (2015) -15 (1989)
10 Dec 31 6:53 am 7:25 am 4:31 pm 5:03 pm 9:06 32 16 53 (1984) -21 (1933)
11 Jan 7 6:53 am 7:24 am 4:37 pm 5:09 pm 9:12 31 15 56 (1915) -12 (1878)
12 Jan 14 6:51 am 7:22 am 4:45 pm 5:16 pm 9:22 30 14 66 (1932) -24 (1957)
13 Jan 21 6:48 am 7:19 am 4:53 pm 5:24 pm 9:34 30 14 61 (2006) -18 (1994)
14 Jan 28 6:43 am 7:13 am 5:02 pm 5:32 pm 9:49 31 15 56 (1916) -16 (2005)
15 Feb 4 6:36 am 7:06 am 5:11 pm 5:41 pm 10:05 32 15 61 (1991) -13 (1978)
16 Feb 11 6:28 am 6:57 am 5:21 pm 5:50 pm 10:23 34 17 59 (1981) -18 (1962)

November On Old Erie Canal Trail

November

Hazy December Day

West

Cold and Wet Today

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Today sure would be a cold and dreary day if I was out camping. I would probably stay out in the wilderness, as it beats being home, hiding out under a tarp or in the tent, with a book, reading and studying. I’d be next to the Big Buddy Heater, and probably would bake some bread and cook up some stew to eat. The wilderness represents freedom, even if sometimes freedom is cold and raw.

The latest 8-14 day outlook looks like we might end up getting fairly warm and less wet weather, although it gives a 33% chance of above normal precipitation.  I am sure hopeful, it’s been a long and tiresome time working out here in Syracuse. I need to get away. But regardless I’m saving for a better tomorrow, when eventually I’ll have a place with a nice solid roof, and a toasty warm wood stove, located in the wilderness for days like today.

Festive in the Rain

The Plastic Pumpkin

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Meet The Mascot Of Our Broken World: The Plastic Pumpkin

"Jack-o’-lantern season is here, and if you have $23.49 to spare you could always get yourself a styrofoam pumpkin from Walmart to truly bring the horror of Halloween to life. You’ll need to be fast though; the orange version has already sold out online. Fake pumpkins seem to be everywhere. 🎃 Dollar Tree has a styrofoam range that you can “cut, carve, paint, and add props to.” And Target is offering an $8 carve-your-own plastic pumpkin with “highlights” including its compatibility with most pumpkin carving kits."

"Truth is, there’s something else that fits these descriptions: a natural pumpkin." 🎃