Elm Ave Park & Ride – CDTA

The Elm Avenue Park and Ride offers a convenient way to get downtown without the hassles of urban traffic. Located next to the Elm Avenue Park at the end of the Delmar Bypass (NY 32), it is serviced by several buses that will quickly transport you downtown.

There is a new, expanded schedule for the Elm Avenue Park and Ride. 5 morning buses depart there, 5 buses in the afternoon plus a mid-day bus schedule. Very convenient. http://www.cdta.org/uploads/Route719.pdf

Next Time – Friday January 24

Today’s sunrise was at 7:16 am. The next time the sun will rise later then today πŸŒ„ is in 44 days on Sunday, March 8.

The average high for today is 31 degrees. 🌑 The next time it will be on average cooler then today is in 350 days on Friday, January 8, 2021 when the average temperature will be 30 degrees.

Today’s sunset will be at 4:57 pm. The next time the sun will set earlier then today πŸŒ† is in 282 days on Sunday, November 1.

Wild Turkey Prints

My winter sleeping problems return.

This winter I’ve developed a problem I often have by the second half of the winter – trouble sleeping. I can get to bed at a reasonable hour but I still have problems getting to sleep and and then waking up early in morning and then not being able to get back to sleep.

Tired Dog

Spending time out in the wilderness is the best treatment I know of for sleeping troubles. I need to plan at least a night or two hot tenting before the month is done. March it might be mild enough to truck cap camp or maybe some time in a lean to. Real darkness, the light next to the fire helps enormously.

Roaring campfire

I’ve tried keeping the lights dimmed in my bedroom in the evening, using more red light to counteract the impact of blue and UV light from screwing with sleep. That helps as does having the lights dim automatically as the night progresses and it’s the time I should be getting to sleep. That feature is still being rebuilt on the new microcontroller.

But it’s still not as good as good natural air that you get with windows open or camping in the wilderness. I’m sure though it won’t be that long until those days return.

Open Window

January 17, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! If you look through the cold blue skies you can see the weekend not that far in the distance. Four weeks to Valentines Day ❀️. Sunny and 12 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌞 Breezy, ️16 mph breeze from the northwest 🌬 . The current wind chill is -5. No snow on the ground but it is frozen hard. 🍃 Going to be cold the next few days and the frackers will get rich or so I’m told by the people who want to stop the pipeline. β›” Things will start to thaw out at Sunday around 8 am. 🌡️

Cold morning ❄ but that’s to be expected on the coldest week of the year. That said with the heat turned in the past last night it felt quite comfortable so no complaints there. I had pancakes for breakfast 🍳 and was out early getting milk from Stewarts 🐮. Honestly before sunrise 🌅 this morning it was quite nice even if the mercury was low because the wind had died down before dawn.

Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 21 degrees at 2pm. Nine degrees below normal. Maximum wind chill around 0 at 10am; Northwest wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. So does that mean no wind chill? A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 24 degrees. The record high of 62 was set in 1889. 10.9 inches of snow fell back in 1994.❄

Looking at the Hudson River β›² it is still totally unfrozen with open water 💦 all the way. I guess that’s not unheard of this time of year and it was quite warm last week but still a bit odd for mid January. Mid freeze in February, who knows it seems like we are in a cooling trend.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:06 pm with sun having an altitude of 26.6Β° from the due south horizon (-44.3Β° vs. 6/21). Not going to help a bit today. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:05 pm with the sun in the southwest (235Β°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (242Β°) starting at 4:46 pm and lasts for 3 minutes and 17 seconds with dusk around 5:20 pm, which is one minute and 11 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:55 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies 🌃 and temperatures around 20 degrees. The wind chill around sunset will be 7. β˜ƒοΈ Tonight’s the night I kind of wish I had my old office back. 🏢 Mountains would be purty. 🗻 There will be a northwest breeze at 13 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 27 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 42 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have increasing clouds ☁, with a low of 4 degrees at 5am. 10 degrees below normal. Maximum wind chill around 2 at 6pm; Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 21 degrees. The record low of -19 occurred back in 1957.

Tomorrow will snow, mainly after 3pm. 🌨 High of 25 degrees at 6pm. Four degrees below normal. Light and variable wind becoming south 9 to 14 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 35 degrees. The record high of 59 was set in 1973. 7.9 inches of snow fell back in 1891.❄

Looking ahead to Sunday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. West wind 13 to 16 mph. ☁ With that wind it will feel cold on Sunday but I’m thinking between the wind, the above freezing temperatures and the modest snow expected I’m not thinking that much snow will stick around. Typical average high for the weekend is 30 degrees.

🌹🌻🌼Only 62 days remain until the first day of calendar spring!🌹🌻🌼

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until Valentines Day ❀️ when the sun will be setting at 5:25 pm with dusk at 5:54 pm. On that day in 2019, we had snow showers, partly cloudy and temperatures between 37 and 26 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 34 degrees. We hit a record high of 63 back in 1946.

Trees

January 8, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Happy Bubble Bath Day 🧼! I think you have to have a bathtub for that, my landlord took out the faucet and honestly the stopper hasn’t worked for years in my apartment. πŸ›€ Not that I’m a big fan of bubble baths, πŸ—°but maybe it would fun if I had a sauna some day on my land. And, no I probably wouldn’t bother with biodegradable soap. I think that’s kind of silly — as long as your not dumping your soapy water in a creek it’s not a big deal. Sure, some of the commercial surfactants might not be organic, but they do breakdown over time. This morning is partly sunny and 33 1/3rd degrees in Delmar, NY. β˜€ Calm wind. There is a dusting of snow on the ground. β˜ƒ Not a half bad day, although the sun angle is still so low, it’s still the golden hour, not even six percent yet angle. Looks like there is some fog 🌁 in the city. I’d say it’s smoke but they tore down the ANSWERS smoke stack although the other fracked gas steam plant is still operating. 🏭

Taking the local bus 🚍 to work, as I don’t like walking 🚢 down to the express bus with a suit and tie on. πŸ‘”The dress shoes have a limited life and who wants to get all sweaty and salt covered in one’s suit. This earlier bus is a lot more crowded, especially compared to the express but I might actually be late taking the express due to all the protestors crowding into the Empire Plaza parking πŸ…Ώ garage, slowing traffic. Sitting and listening πŸ‘‚ to Don McLean’s American Pie.

Today will have a chance of snow showers, mainly after 10am. The snow could be heavy at times. Partly sunny 🌨, with a high of 36 degrees at 12pm. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 19th. Breezy, with a light and variable wind becoming west 19 to 24 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. The high last year was 41 degrees. The record high of 60 was set in 2008. 8.3 inches of snow fell back in 1923.❄

I’ll be first to say I’m glad I have nothing to do with the legislative session this year – it’s going to be a wild one. 🏫The winds of change are in Albany this year and I’m quite happy in my basement office protected from the storm. Plus I get to go home at five o’clock, so no late nights waiting for and riding the bus home half awake. Plus no managing gun votes on my birthday πŸŽ‚, that was not a fun day last year, but at least I got paid and saved for a better tomorrow. It’s not only the cattle farmers πŸ„ I follow on the YouTube that shovel manure for a living, even on their birthday. πŸ’© Gotta make a living whether you live in South Dakota or the Albany.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:03 pm with sun having an altitude of 25.1Β° from the due south horizon (-45.7Β° vs. 6/21). The golden hour πŸ… starts at 3:54 pm with the sun in the southwest (232Β°). πŸ“Έ The sunset is in the west-southwest (240Β°) starting at 4:36 pm and lasts for 3 minutes and 22 seconds with dusk around 5:10 pm, which is one minute and one second later than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 5:46 pm. At sunset, look for snow showers 🌨 and temperatures around 29 degrees. The wind chill around sunset will be 15. β˜ƒοΈ Breezy, 24 mph breeze β›… from the west-northwest with gusts up to 45mph. Today will have 9 hours and 13 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 11 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of snow showers, mainly before 7pm. Partly cloudy πŸŒƒ, with a low of 12 degrees at 6am. Three degrees below normal. Maximum wind chill around 3 at 1am; Breezy, with a northwest wind 15 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. In 2019, we had mist in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 32 degrees. The record low of -20 occurred back in 1968.

Not quite as wet this weekend as earlier forecasts. β˜” Saturday, rain, mainly after 1pm. High near 59. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Sunday, a chance of rain before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Typical average high for the weekend is 30 degrees. It will save on the heat and I have no real outdoor plans. I’m doing that filming πŸ“Ή for the Resin Adam’s documentary. πŸ“„ That said, I’m not convinenced even on Sunday it will be nice enough to go for a walk somewhere in the wilderness. πŸ¦‰

🌹🌻🌼Only 71 days remain until the first day of calendar spring!🌹🌻🌼

Every day is one closer to the mud and black flies of spring. 🐜 Trout fishing 🎣 and later sunsets and warmer nights in spring. And more nights in the wilderness. πŸ”₯

Sunlit Trees

January 7, 2020 – Next Sixteen Weeks

Next week is typically the coldest week of the year, 🌨 with the temperatures starting to moderate slightly thereafter as we head towards February. Notice how much later the sun is setting now, and how quickly the temperature will start rising a month out from now, as we start to climb towards the first day of spring. I know I will be looking forward to those longer days.🌸

Week Date Dawn Sun-
rise
Sun-
set
Dusk Day Avg High Avg Low Record Hi Record Low
0 Jan 7 6:53 am 7:25 am 4:37 pm 5:09 pm 9:12 31 15 56 (1915) -12 (1878)
1 Jan 14 6:51 am 7:23 am 4:45 pm 5:16 pm 9:22 30 14 66 (1932) -24 (1957)
2 Jan 21 6:48 am 7:19 am 4:53 pm 5:24 pm 9:34 30 14 61 (2006) -18 (1994)
3 Jan 28 6:43 am 7:13 am 5:02 pm 5:33 pm 9:49 31 15 56 (1916) -16 (2005)
4 Feb 4 6:36 am 7:06 am 5:12 pm 5:41 pm 10:05 32 15 61 (1991) -13 (1978)
5 Feb 11 6:28 am 6:57 am 5:21 pm 5:50 pm 10:23 34 17 59 (1981) -18 (1962)
6 Feb 18 6:19 am 6:48 am 5:30 pm 5:59 pm 10:42 35 18 63 (1981) -21 (1973)
7 Feb 25 6:09 am 6:37 am 5:39 pm 6:07 pm 11:01 37 20 70 (2017) -14 (1914)
8 Mar 3 5:58 am 6:26 am 5:47 pm 6:16 pm 11:21 39 21 64 (2002) -10 (1950)
9 Mar 10 6:46 am 7:14 am 6:56 pm 7:24 pm 11:41 42 23 72 (1977) 0 (1996)
10 Mar 17 6:34 am 7:02 am 7:04 pm 7:32 pm 12:02 45 26 75 (1990) -1 (1916)
11 Mar 24 6:22 am 6:50 am 7:12 pm 7:40 pm 12:22 48 29 69 (1976) 0 (1875)
12 Mar 31 6:09 am 6:37 am 7:20 pm 7:49 pm 12:42 51 31 89 (1998) 12 (1923)
13 Apr 7 5:57 am 6:25 am 7:28 pm 7:57 pm 13:02 55 34 87 (2010) 13 (1982)
14 Apr 14 5:45 am 6:14 am 7:36 pm 8:05 pm 13:22 58 37 83 (1968) 19 (1973)
15 Apr 21 5:33 am 6:03 am 7:44 pm 8:14 pm 13:41 61 39 89 (1923) 20 (1875)
16 Apr 28 5:22 am 5:53 am 7:52 pm 8:23 pm 13:59 64 42 92 (1990) 25 (1947)

Huntersland Hollow

Windham High Point

Dirt Road To Farm Tower

Across the Schoharie Valley

January 7, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Lots of sun this morning. Next week is typically the Coldest Week of the Year 🌬. Partly sunny and 29 degrees at the Elm Ave Park & Ride – CDTA. 🌞 It’s actually a pretty sunny morning and not that cold, even though the sun angle is only about 7 degrees at this point in the day. There is a west-southwest breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. There is a dusting of snow on the ground. β˜ƒ Things will start to thaw out at around 9 qam. 🌡️

So far a nice smooth commute downtown. 🚍 Traffic is moving well, the sun through the bus window is nice. 🌞 But alas soon I’ll be in my basement office 🏢 with no windows to look out. The good news is that it’s supposed to cloud ☁ up later so I won’t have to look at the gray lights. Florescent lighting has its advantages and disadvantages for sure. I see they are running the 1900E battery 🔋 electric ⚑ battery on the CDTA Route 233 again. Despite having no tailpipe, I’m noticing a bit of heat radiating off the battery pack as suggested by heat waves 🌊 in the cold which is a bit surprising as that seems like a waste of energy. Stuck in traffic behind it, looks like that bus isn’t set up for overheat power line charging like a trolley 🚎 but it has a place for them add the extra assembly to it.

Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 39 degrees at 1pm. Eight degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 1st. West wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. More clouds later. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. The high last year was 29 degrees. The record high of 56 was set in 1915. 7.2 inches of snow fell back in 1994.❄

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 25Β° from the due south horizon (-45.9Β° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:53 pm with the sun in the southwest (232Β°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (240Β°) starting at 4:35 pm and lasts for 3 minutes and 22 seconds with dusk around 5:09 pm, which is one minute later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:45 pm. At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 35 degrees. There will be a southeast breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 12 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 8 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of light snow, mainly before 3am, then a slight chance of snow showers after 4am. Mostly cloudy 🌨, with a low of 25 degrees at 6am. 10 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 14th. Light southeast wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. In 2019, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 29 degrees. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1878.

Rainy β˜” mild remains the weekend forecast Saturday, rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 54. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Sunday, a chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Typical average high for the weekend is 30 degrees. I guess it’s better than bitterly cold, at least as far as the heating bills are concerned. ♨

🌹🌻🌼Only 72 days remain until the first day of calendar spring!🌹🌻🌼

But first, next week is typically the Coldest Week of the Year 🌬 when the sun will be setting at 4:45 pm with dusk at 5:16 pm. On that day in 2019, we had partly sunny, snow showers and temperatures between 28 and 8 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 30 degrees. We hit a record high of 66 back in 1932.

I started looking at the price last night for plastic milk crates. 🎁While I have one I use at home for paper recycling β™», I’m thinking about getting one or two clean and new ones to use for hauling groceries home now that the single use ones are banned. While a milk crate is a little more bulky to store and haul into the grocery store, it’s perfect for stacking groceries, bringing them out to the truck and taking home. Plus they can be easily sanitized at home with soap and water 💦 and possibly a few drops of bleach. Plus they are big so hard to forget at home and your unlikely to misplace groceries in them like a bag. 🛄 Some of those reusable grocery bags are so deep it’s easy to loose stuff in them or things get crushed in them. 💥

Hurley Ridge