Elm Avenue Town Park

The town’s largest park is located on Elm Avenue, one-fourth mile south of the Delmar bypass (Route 32). The park includes a pool complex, tennis and basketball courts, pavilions, fitness trail, playing fields, volleyball courts, shuffleboard, a dog park, and a playground. The basketball courts and four tennis courts are lit at night beginning in late May until late October. Winter facilities include a large ice skating rink, sledding hill, cross country skiing, and an area for snowmobiling.

http://www.townofbethlehem.org/247/Elm-Avenue-Park

Exploring Wholesome Breadmaking and Culinary Adventures 🍞

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Returning to the art of breadmaking, my interest has been piqued by the idea of occasionally indulging in whole wheat bread without the additions of sugar or oil, and keeping salt to a minimum. It’s a delightful companion to both olive oil dipping and homemade soups. The monotony of constant brown rice and lentil dishes has left me a tad fatigued, making soup a comforting option to utilize a plethora of winter vegetables, while offering warmth.

My dietary choices have led me to abstain from added sugars, save for a couple of exceptions during special occasions such as indulging in ice cream on summer getaways or partaking in a rare slice of homemade pie during birthdays. I also steer clear of refined carbs, although I occasionally allow myself to savor cream of wheat coupled with zesty lemon, chia seeds, Greek yogurt, and fresh fruit. Similarly, a modest serving of couscous accompanied by edamame or chicken, and generously augmented with vegetables—predominantly spinach—makes its way into my repertoire.

The decision was made yesterday to refurbish my Dutch Oven. Swiftly biking to the store, I acquired King Arthur whole wheat flour and yeast. Employing a no-knead approach, I combined whole wheat flour, yeast, water, and a pinch of salt for flavor. The dough rested for approximately 20 hours on the countertop before being baked tonight. Although the resulting bread was commendable, the dough’s excessive moisture posed challenges in shaping it. While the crust turned out excellent, I do ponder the possibility of reducing water and slightly augmenting yeast for a fluffier consistency. One slice was enjoyed, dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, while the remainder found its place in the freezer.

For the next attempt, I intend to employ slightly less water and a greater amount of yeast to conduct a further experiment. Contemplating back-to-back preparation of two loaves not only conserves energy by utilizing the high-temperature Dutch Oven but also ensures a month-long supply of superior bread for dipping and accompanying soups.

The day of John Wolcott’s funeral ⛪⚱️🙏

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It’s kind of odd how a man’s final days come. You never think these days will come, it’s a long but steady decline and then it’s finally over with the funeral. I knew John from Save the Pine Bush, then helping him with computers and GIS, then sorting out through his files and interviews for a future documentary though between his house fire and failing memory after anaplasmosis brought him crashing down in the bathtub much was lost. I’ll never be the red headed radical who preserved so much history but it was good to know him over the years.

Good morning! Partly cloudy and 68 degrees at the Elm Avenue Town Park. ⛅ Calm wind. The dew point is 66 degrees. The skies will clear around 9 am.

Time is tight ⌛as I go for a walk 🚶 at the Elm Ave Town Park 🏞 after riding Blackie 🚵 down here for a few minutes of serenity 🧘‍♂️ before heading back home, ironing the pants and shirt, putting on the black tie for the funeral in Colonie at 10. I was up early and should have gotten an earlier start but I feel uneasy about the funeral ⛪ and a lot of other things in my life. In the coming weeks I’ll be moving to a new position with work, out of downtown 🏢 into a suburban office complex but if I take a shuttle bus or ride my bike 🚲 things don’t have to change much but still it’s a lot to chew over with today’s funeral. 💭 It’s good for my future and the company I work for.

Today will have isolated showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 81 degrees at 2pm. Typical for today. Maximum dew point of 67 at 9am. Light northwest wind increasing to 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was sticky. The high last year was 83 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1948.

The weekend has turned out better than expected especially today, ☺after putting off the clam bake 🦪 with my parents but it’s fine, I need time to process John Wolcott’s death. I ended up spending a lot of time with him in his final years though maybe not enough and I certainly didn’t ask the right questions in the time remaining or take him out to the Crossings one last time. 🏞 You never know when it’s over even while you watch the decline. He did so much good for the community while I’ve focused my life primarily around my future, saving and earning money though occasionally speaking up and doing a little activism but mostly remaining a private citizen outside of my quiet little blog on the internet.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:58 pm with sun having an altitude of 57.9° from the due south horizon (-13° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.8 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:04 pm with the sun in the west (279°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (285°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:42 pm after setting for 3 minutes with dusk around 8:09 pm, which is one minute and 38 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon in the south-southeast (165°) at an altitude of 18° from the horizon, 229,775 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:47 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 74 degrees. The dew point will be 63 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 29 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 42 seconds over yesterday.

After the funeral I plan to go to Farmer’s Indian Market 🍚 to see what kind of rices, bulk spices, seasonings I can get there. Then Yonder Farms for apples, peaches 🍑 and anything else good I can get there. Then Stantons for sweet corn 🌽 and veggies. 🍆 If time allows I’m thinking 💭 of taking the Nature Bus 🚍 and Blackie 🚵 up to Thacher State Park for a ride. Then home this evening 🌃 bake the bread 🍞 and head to bed quite early.

Tonight will be scattered showers and thunderstorms before 9pm, then isolated showers between 9pm and midnight. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 60 degrees at 6am. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 25th. Maximum dew point of 64 at 6pm. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had cloudy skies. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 64 degrees. The record low of 41 occurred back in 1969.

Today in 1920, the 19th amendment to United States Constitution takes effect, giving women the right to vote in federal elections.🧑 It’s unfortunate after all these years we still haven’t been able to elect a women president. It seems hard to believe that for many years only white, property owning men could vote. 🗳 Really kind of elitist when you think 🤔 about it.

Looking ahead, there are 10 weeks until Daylight Savings Time Ends 🕒 when the sun will be setting at 5:46 pm with dusk at 6:14 pm. That seems much too soon but winter will be back before you know it. On that day in 2022, we had sunny, warm and temperatures between 71 and 46 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 54 degrees. We hit a record high of 76 back in 1994.

Butterfly