Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. 💰 Gotta get back to work, well remotely and chase that money. Money buy toys and quite apparently pig feed as I’ve been reading 📖 about lately. 🐽 Next Monday is Average High Falls To 79 ️Degrees ⛱️️️. A true sign summer is on its way out. 🍁🍂 Partly cloudy and 61 degrees in Delmar, NY. ⛅ Calm wind. The dew point is 58 degrees. At least it’s not going to be a real hot day. More humidity though later.

Today will have isolated showers, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny 🌦, with a high of 78 degrees at 2pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 28th. Maximum dew point of 65 at 5pm. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became thunderstorm by afternoon. It was sticky. The high last year was 88 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1913.

People are already asking me what my plans are for the week. 😳 I’m like I have no idea what my week looks like at this point in the morning. ☕ Barely even had that first cup of coffee, I had to get milk 🥛 and then get the day underway. I’m just swamped these days.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:00 pm with sun having an altitude of 60.6° from the due south horizon (-10.2° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.4 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:16 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 7:55 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 4 seconds with dusk around 8:23 pm, which is one minute and 30 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:02 pm. At sunset, look for thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 71 degrees. The dew point will be 65 degrees. There will be a south-southwest breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 48 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 35 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 2am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 60 degrees at 4am. Typical for tonight. Maximum dew point of 65 at 6pm. Light southwest wind. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was sticky. It got down to 67 degrees. The record low of 40 occurred back in 1981.

I am already really missing the Finger Lakes 🐮, the earthy smell of silage, cows and fields with freshly applied manure after the second cutting. I like the small towns and some of the odd balls ⚽ you meet out there. Maybe not as wonderful as some other states but still spending time in the rural country is wonderful.

On this day in 1977, the Soviet icebreaker Arktika becomes the first surface ship to reach the North Pole. 🎅 Now with climate change that’s gotten a lot easier. 🍹And in 1982, the first Compact Discs (CDs) are released to the public in Germany. 💿 Such a throw back technology ⚙ now. I don’t know, I usually have all the music 🎶 I want on my laptop or can download it from YouTube .

A picture perfect weekend on tap. 😎 Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Maximum dew point of 64 at 10am. Sunday, scattered showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Maximum dew point of 66 at 10am. Typical average high for the weekend is 80 degrees.

As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Labor Day 👨‍🏭 when the sun will be setting at 7:18 pm with dusk at 7:47 pm. On that day in 2019, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 73 and 52 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 76 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1945.

Good evening! Cloudy and 70 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. ☁️ There is a south-southeast breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 64 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around 5 am.

Final night of summer vacation. 🌃 All things have to come to an end. It’s been a very unusual year with the pandemic smoldering all around the world 🌎 but in some ways it inspired me to find new places to visit and new forms of socially distant recreation. 😷 Without the pandemic I might not have explored the Keuka Outlet Trail or the Catherine Valley Rail Trail or the Catherine Swamp WMA 🐸 and missed some really beautiful and wild country.

I don’t know how I had never driven or walked 🤔 Rock Cabin Road in Watkins Glen but it sure is beautiful. I wish I hadn’t left my binoculars in the truck as the marsh was full of wildlife 🦆 I wish I could have seen up close. It looks like there are some good paddling possibilities from the marsh but I didn’t have time with the threat of thunderstorm ⛈ and the sky getting dark. When I started to hear rumbles and looked at the radar I was concerned but if the weather was bad enough I could have probably thumbed 👍🏻 a ride back to the truck or found a relatively safe low lying place in the marsh or along the road. But it sure was dusty. 🌫️

I had tuna fish 🐠 salad 🥗 for dinner with several beers to wash it down. 🍻 I’ve used up most of the last of the cold food so I didn’t buy ice today. I doubt the mayonese or sliced cheese 🧀 will go bad if it gets a bit warm by evening but if it does its not a big loss. 🔥 Had a nice roaring fire for a while but I’ve let it burn down by bed time. I tried to straighten up camp ⛺ for easier take down after spending nine days at this site. Returned a bunch of cans at Walmart this evening so I have a lot less trash to bring home and I got my deposit back and a fresh case of beer 🍻. I know I won’t be littering and my campsite super clean when I leave.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 65 degrees at 5am. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 6pm. South wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was humid. It got down to 63 degrees. The record low of 41 occurred back in 1972.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent 🌘 Moon with 12% illuminated. The darkest hour is at 1:13 am, followed by dawn at 5:46 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:16 am in the east-northeast (70°) and last for 3 minutes and 3 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 3 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 6:55 am with sun in the east-northeast (77°). Tonight will have 10 hours and 8 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 32 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny 🌦, with a high of 80 degrees at 3pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 18th. Maximum dew point of 64 at 8am. Southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became rain by afternoon. It became humid as the day progressed. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1936.

I am glad that I had coffee ☕ for tomorrow morning. I have to think that I’m an caffeine addict but I’m sure was much happier this morning with my cups of joe. I have muffins for tomorrow which will be good. ☺

I am in no rush to get going tomorrow and packed up and heading home. 🏡 It all will depend if it’s raining ☔ come morning but I’m quite content to lay back in the hammock and read a bit before taking down camp and then doing some of the Taughannock Rim Trail before heading home. Still thinking about going through Marathon and taking NY 23 at least part of the way home. Summer vacation has to come to an end but there are always future trips or so I hope. 🏖 COVID-19 is real and out there, but I tried to stay safe while enjoying the Finger Lakes.

Then it’s back to work Monday 👨🏻‍🏫 but with remote work 🖥️ it’s either a matter of going down to the library parking lot or using my new phone to get done what needs to be done. All the signs point 👉🏻 to a busy week next week but after my week off camping without cell service at camp I’m ready to make it happen.

I was looking and it seems like I need to renew my blog contract 📜 come October. I’ll probably do it sooner than that and do the 3 or more years – whatever is the cheapest rate. 💵 I like doing my blog and while I don’t make any money from it, really isn’t that expensive and it gives me an opportunity to think 🤔 and express my thoughts 💭 and experiences 🌲🌳🌲.

I saw another one of my colleagues bought a house 🏡. Nice mid-century modern house, probably in the more suburban part of the city. ☺️ Yeah, I’m a bit jealous but it’s certainly not may way of living. But I’m only a few steps behind him and if I keep saving and investing I’ll be closer to that goal 🥅. Of course, I think if rather live somewhere surrounded by corn fields 🌽 or forest 🌲, some place small without grid power 🔌 where I can have fires 🔥, shoot guns 🔫 and live the good life without any neighbors to give a damn. With cheap taxes 💰, no special government permission to carry guns 🤠 or improve your land or run my hobby farm 🐐. Land in rural areas is a lot cheaper and freer – especially in other states but it’s hard to make a living in the rural countryside, 🌲🐺🐮🦋🌱 although maybe the pandemic and increased remote work is changing that. ⌨️🖱️

As Malvina Reynolds once sung, “Little Boxes made out of ticky tacky”. If that was my only choice, I’d choose my moldy apartment. 🏘️

While my hammock stinks tonight after getting wet today in the rain and the Martin’s Permethrin I applied earlier in the week being somewhat unlocked, I continue to be very happy 😊 with the replacement hammock I bought more than two years ago to replace the shitty Eno / LL Bean branded hammock that had bad carabiners and then only months later ripped and wouldn’t be warranted. 😯 While I got the LL Bean with credit card reward points 💳, it was expensive and within a year was placed in the camp trash 🗑 and ultimately burnt to a crisp. 🔥 The cheap Chinese replacement I got on Ebay for $15 has lasted more than two years now and is still in good shape. That said, I do like the Eno straps, I still use them today with the China hammock. 🇨🇳 God bless those factory 🏭 slave workers who make quality inexpensive products.

In four weeks on September 12 the sun will be setting in the west (276°) at 7:22 pm,🌄 which is 46 minutes and 14 seconds earlier then today. In 2019 on that day, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 68 and 51 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 74 and 53 degrees. The record high of 94 degrees was set back in 1947.

Looking ahead, Average High is 60 🍂 is in 2 months, Northern Zone Regular Season 🦌 is in 9 weeks, Halloween 🎃 and the Blue Moon 🌕 is in 11 weeks, Small Business Saturday 🛍️ is in 15 weeks, Repeal of Prohibition Day 🍺 is in 16 weeks, Bill of Rights Day 📜 is in 4 months, Boxing Day 🥊 is in 19 weeks, Static Electric Shock Day 🧼 is in 21 weeks, National Cheese Lovers Day 🧀 is in 23 weeks, Save the Pine Bush Turns 43 🦋 is in 25 weeks, 5:30 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 27 weeks and Snow Moon 🌕 is in 28 weeks.

Good evening! Clear and 72 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. 🌃 There is a north-northeast breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 58 degrees.

It was a nice day 👍 to explore part of the Finger Lakes I had never been to before. The Kueka Outlet Trail is pretty darn neat winding through a gorge past numerous ruins of old mills. 🏤 One thing that surprised me that there was enough water power to run all those mills – when I was there the water was flowing but hardly a torrent. It might be different in the spring or after a heavy rain storm ☔ – it’s been a pretty dry summer in the Finger Lakes although nothing like 2015.

Hiked 🚶🏽 from Penn Yan to Dresden a total of 13 miles round trip. While this is not a strenuous hike by any means – it’s a 200 feet ascent heading west over 6 1/2 miles it was still an all afternoon hike and I was tired 😴 with the heat. I did do a short walk around downtown Penn Yan 🏙 which still has a fairly intact main street then visited the village park overlooking the lake. Ironically, when you are at one of the tips or Keuka Lake you really don’t get that scenic of a vista as all you see is the tine of the fork 🍴and big hill in the center.

Came back and got ice at Dandy Mart. Forgot to buy coffee ☕ again for the morning. Spent a little time down at Clute Park but I was tired 💤 and didn’t want to drive to camp in the dark so I left before sunset 🌇. Came back and had hot dogs and beer 🌭🍺, I’m definitely ready for bed now.

I thought about hiking to Foster Pond but after a few beers 🍻 and all the walking 🚶🏽 I did today, I decided it’s not advisable. I’m just super tired. I find it hard to get as good of night sleep in the woods as I do at home, especially if I stay up late and then wake up when the sun ☀ is pouring in my window. ⬜

I have a bunch of pictures to upload 🗺️ but I’ll wait until tomorrow when I head into town. I wanted to process them a bit more on my phone before uploading. I also have some pictures I want to get off my dash cam to upload.

Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 64 degrees at 5am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 60 at 1am. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 66 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1941.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent 🌘 Moon with 28% illuminated. The darkest hour is at 1:13 am, followed by dawn at 5:43 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:14 am in the east-northeast (69°) and last for 3 minutes and 4 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 4 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 6:53 am with sun in the east-northeast (76°). Tonight will have 10 hours and 3 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 29 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 87 degrees at 3pm. Six degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 63 at 9am. Calm wind becoming northeast 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning, which became thunderstorm by afternoon. It was sticky. The high last year was 84 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1988.

Going to be another hot and sunny day tomorrow. 🏊🏻‍♂️ I think it would be a good day to spend one more day at the Watkins Glen State Park pool on a relatively quiet weekday. and maybe hike more of the Catharine Valley Rail Trail, maybe south of Montour Falls this time. 🚂 And maybe one last ice cream cone at Glen Dairy Bar. 🍦Saturday I will probably stay in the National Forest for social distancing purposes but I’m thinking of doing some fishing 🎣 and swimming of Caywood Point and maybe if it seems like the water is calm, paddling from Watkins Glen to Hector Point. Sunday I probably will hang out at camp for a while then maybe go for a hike around the rim of Taughannock and then head home around 1 pm, probably via NY 23.🛣️

It seems odd that this trip I haven’t visited the Taughannock Gorge so far 🕋 or Enfield Glen. While I like those places a lot they tend to be crowded and I have little interest in visiting any crowded places during the pandemic. I am trying to keep this trip simple and relaxing plus visiting new places in the Finger Lakes that I’ve not spent a lot of time in the past. Gorges are great but I am really truly hard to maintain social distancing. 👨‍👨‍👦‍👦While COVID-19 doesn’t have me hiding all the time in my home, I really try to avoid places where maintaining social distancing is impossible.🗣️

Before hiking today I sprayed heavily my hammock with another coat of Martin’s Permethrin. 🐜 Bugs haven’t been bad camping but I figured it’s a nice low humidity, non windy day so it should soak in good as some time in the future might be buggy again. Permethrin has a bit of a funny smell at first but it dissappears after airing out. 👃

In four weeks on September 10 the sun will be setting in the west (277°) at 7:25 pm,🌄 which is 45 minutes and 37 seconds earlier then today. In 2019 on that day, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 77 and 52 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 75 and 54 degrees. The record high of 96 degrees was set back in 1931.

Looking ahead, 6:30 Sunrise 🌇 is in 4 weeks, Constitution Day 📜 is in 5 weeks, October 🛥 and Harvest Moon 🌕 is in 7 weeks, Average High is 60 🍂 is in 9 weeks, Average Night Below Freezing 🌌 is in 3 months, Thanksgiving 🦃 is in 15 weeks, 7:15 AM Sunrise ⌛️ is in 17 weeks, Christmas Eve 🎅 is in 19 weeks, New Years Eve 🎆 is in 20 weeks, Make Your Dream Come True Day 🏡 is in 5 months, Coldest Week of the Year 🌬 is in 22 weeks, Wolf Moon 🌕 is in 24 weeks, Don’t Cry over Spilled Milk Day 🥛 is in 26 weeks and National Drink Wine Day 🍷 is in 27 weeks.