Delmar, New York

Delmar is a hamlet in the Town of Bethlehem, in Albany County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of the neighboring city of Albany. The community is bisected by NY Route 443 (Delaware Avenue), a major thoroughfare, main street, and route to Albany.

A census-designated place (CDP) has been established since 1980 by the U.S. Census Bureau for tabulating the population of what the census has defined as the boundaries of the urbanized area in and around Delmar. The population was 8,292 at the 2000 census, but it was not included as a CDP in the 2010 census.

In 2005, CNN/Money Magazine named the Delmar ZIP Code (an area larger than the Delmar hamlet or CDP) as one of the “Best Places to Live” in America, rating it the 22nd best place to live among what it called “Great American Towns.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delmar,_New_York

What does ‘defund the police’ mean? The rallying cry sweeping the US – explained | US policing | The Guardian

What does ‘defund the police’ mean? The rallying cry sweeping the US – explained | US policing | The Guardian

In the past four decades, the cost of policing in the US has tripled and is now $115bn, according to a recent analysis. That steady increase comes as crime has been consistently declining. In most cities, spending on police is significantly greater than spending on services and other departments ($1.8bn on police in Los Angeles, for example, which is more than half the city’s general fund). The Covid-19 economic crisis has led cities and states to make drastic budget cuts to education, youth programs, arts and culture, parks, libraries, housing services and more. But police budgets have grown or gone largely untouched – until pressure from protests this week. 

June 7, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Happy Sunday β›ͺ! Next Sunday is Fathers Day πŸ‘¨. Mostly sunny and 51 degrees at the Perkins Clearing. There is a north-northwest breeze at 8 mph. πŸƒ. The dew point is 43 degrees.

Absolutely stunningly beautiful morning. β˜€ Deep blue skies and a breeze but not really cold. Sitting back with a cup of coffee having some breakfast and taking down camp. Today unfortunately is check out day β˜‘ for this campsite, I may camp at Mason Lake tonight but that’s not 100% certain.

Today will have increasing clouds ☁, with a high of 66 degrees at 3pm. 10 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 5th. North wind 8 to 10 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 82 degrees. The record high of 95 was set in 1999.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:57 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.3Β° from the due south horizon (-0.6Β° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour πŸ… starts at 7:54 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296Β°). πŸ“Έ The sunset is in the west-northwest (303Β°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:37 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 31 seconds with dusk around 9:11 pm, which is 39 seconds later than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:59 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies πŸŒ„ and temperatures around 58 degrees. There will be a north-northwest breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 19 minutes of daytime, an increase of 55 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, partly cloudy 🌀, with a low of 39 degrees at 5am. 15 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 21st. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm after midnight. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 53 degrees. The record low of 38 occurred back in 1951.

On this day in 1965, the Supreme Court of the United States hands down its decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, effectively legalizing the use of contraception by married couples.

 Pride

June 6, 2020 Night

Good evening! Clear and chilly around 55 degrees at the Perkins Clearing. β˜” There is a northwest breeze at 10 mph. πŸƒ. The dew point is 47 degrees. That breeze along with the dampness of the rain earlier make it kind of chilly.

I did lay back in the hammock for a bit until I decided it was getting cold and I put my jeans, πŸ‘–, hoodie and vest on. I don’t think I was fully prepared for how chilly this evening would be after the rain shower and strong winds pushed through followed by the rainbow 🌈. Stars ✨ are real pretty now that I’ve cut the lights for the night πŸŒƒ but it’s cold so after sitting by the fire πŸ”₯ for a while I hit bed in the truck.

While this campsite β›Ί is quite beautiful πŸ—» it is very exposed to the weather. Sunny days are hot. The wind is always quite strong here. πŸ’¨ It’s a great place to be cold and get a sunburn. A few of the days working under the screen tent πŸŽͺ may have pleasant but they sure where hot.

It was nice hiking 🚢 through logging roads down from Mud Pond Road to NY 30, through mixed age woods and some more recently cut areas. Part of the less used part of the logging road was a bit muddy but the recent cut areas are well maintained. 🌲🌲🌲Definitely see a lot of grassland birds including grouse that are relatively uncommon in other parts of the Adirondacks. Seeing the pig rock 🐽 up close was neat – I’ve only driven by it before and while I’m not sure if Jessup River under NY 30 has currently enough water to paddle 🚣 it looks like good fishing 🎣. More photos to come when I get home.

I am afraid my love 😍 of apple juice 🍏 as an alternative to beer 🍻 due to the recycling returns β™» restrictions due to Coronavirus caught up with my after dinner in the sense I had to run to the bucket shitter πŸ’© twice after dinner. That plus the greasy sausage patty despite the cheese and sauce toping did not help. At least mornings are nicer with no hang over. πŸ˜– Feeling fine now but I was hot and I pounded the apple juice rather than the water πŸ’¦ when I got back to camp.

Tonight will have a slight chance of showers before 11pm. Partly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 46 degrees at 6am. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 14th. North wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 53 degrees. The record low of 37 occurred back in 1958.

Tonight will have a Full 🌝 Moon with 97% illuminated. The moon will rise at 9:51 pm. Late enough for some star viewing ✨ before the moons light pollution drowns out everything. The darkest hour is at 12:57 am, followed by dawn at 4:43 am, and sun starting to rise at 5:18 am in the east-northeast (57Β°) and last for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Sunrise is 19 seconds earlier than yesterday. πŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 6:01 am with sun in the east-northeast (64Β°). Tonight will have 8 hours and 40 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 57 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 65 degrees at 3pm. 11 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 2nd. North wind around 10 mph. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 82 degrees. The record high of 95 was set in 1999.

I am still kind of ruminating about the loss of Eli the family dog 🐢 I hadn’t seen in weeks due to the pandemic. I knew he wasn’t doing all that well and he was getting old for a dog but it just bothers me a lot about so much of the world 🌍 keeps moving on while we social distance. Virtual life isn’t the same as human contact. I should call πŸ“ž mom again on Monday. I’m probably going to camp for one or two more nights at a different campsite and work up here for a few days before heading home. I’d still like to do some shore fishing 🎣 at Mason Lake.

In four weeks on July 4 the sun will be setting in the west-northwest (303Β°) at 8:41 pm,πŸŒ„ which is 5 minutes and 56 seconds later then tonight. In 2019 on that day, we had hot and humid weather, mostly sunny and temperatures between 91 and 66 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 82 and 61 degrees. The record high of 104 degrees was set back in 1911.

Looking ahead, Summer ️⛱️ is in 2 weeks.

North 3

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I doubt there is conspiracy over the lower than expected unemployment numbers… πŸ‘·

Unemployment numbers come from state Department of Labor following long standing national statistical standards. The projections can be wrong based on incomplete data and may be revised in future months when more data is in. It’s common for unemployment numbers to be revised up or down in subsequent months.

Solar truck cap

Somebody on Facebook was asking about tips for solar on a truck cap… πŸ”‹

  • Solar is great but remember it takes time in the bright sun to charge – I have a 100 watt panel
  • Use a low voltage disconnect that protects the battery from under voltage to keep you from destroying your battery when you leave lights on too long or draw too much power. Disconnect the battery below 12.1 volt or 50% discharge, maximum safe discharge for lead acid batteries
  • Make sure all connections are tight. They will bounce around on the road, loose connections mean wasted power, melted wires, blown fuses
  • The more battery storage the better but remember batteries are heavy and bulky.