John Boyd Thacher State Park

John Boyd Thacher State Park, is situated along the Helderberg Escarpment, one of the richest fossil-bearing formations in the world. Even as it safeguards six miles of limestone cliff-face, rock-strewn slopes, woodland and open fields, the park provides a marvelous panorama of the Hudson-Mohawk Valleys and the Adirondack and Green Mountains. The park has volleyball courts, playgrounds, ball fields and numerous picnic areas with nine reservable shelters. Interpretive programs are offered year-round, including guided tours of the famous Indian Ladder Trail. There are over 25 additional miles of trails for summer hiking and mountain biking, and winter cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and snowmobiling.

http://nysparks.com/parks/128/

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Notable history in New York State on September 16th

  1. 1776: During the American Revolutionary War, the Battle of Harlem Heights took place in what is now the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. This battle was part of the New York and New Jersey campaign and saw American forces successfully engage the British.

  2. 1908: General Motors (GM) was founded in Flint, Michigan, but its co-founder, William C. Durant, was originally from New York. The establishment of GM would have significant implications for the automotive industry and the state’s economy.

  3. 1920: A bomb explosion on Wall Street in New York City killed 38 people and injured hundreds more in what became known as the Wall Street bombing. The incident remains one of the deadliest acts of terrorism in U.S. history at the time.

  4. 1940: The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, the first peacetime draft in the United States, went into effect. This event had a significant impact on the nation, including New York State, as men were drafted into military service in preparation for World War II.

  5. 1960: The Brooklyn Dodgers played their last game at Ebbets Field, their historic home stadium. The team would relocate to Los Angeles the following year, marking the end of an era in New York City sports history.

  6. 1992: The trial of JoaquΓ­n “El Chapo” GuzmΓ‘n, the notorious Mexican drug lord, began in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York. This trial garnered significant media attention and was a landmark case in the fight against drug cartels.

Cold start to the morning ❄

Kind of a cool start to the morning and probably even cooler come the weekend with the clouds and the breeze from the hurricane off the coast.

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Partly clear and a chilly 49 degrees in Delmar for the morning walk. πŸŒ… There is a north-northwest breeze at 6 mph. πŸƒ.

Out for the morning walk 🚢 getting things ready to head out of town for the weekend but first work in the office. Going to ride Blackie 🚡 to work today and then leave work at 4 PM, catch the express home an then head up to camp. πŸ• Just a quick weekend camp, planning to be out to the folks house on Sunday back 2 PM to do apple picking with dad. Seems like a lot of work to go away for two nights, and really just a full day, but I’m keeping it simple. 🍏 🍎

Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 70 degrees at 2pm. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 26th. Maximum dew point of 51 at 1pm. North wind 6 to 11 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 70 degrees. The record high of 92 was set in 1915.

Went to Walmart and bought some more jeans πŸ‘– and supplies. Couldn’t believe the bill was $161 but I got two pairs of jeans and needed a lot more supplies for camping and cleaning around home then I had realized. Things are just more expensive these days with inflation. I spent some time studying food processors, and other kitchen equipment there. I’m leaning towards getting a Ninja 850 watt, 9 cup food processor for $100 but I want to study the reviews and think about it before laying down my money next week. That said, once I have a lot of apples from apple picking this weekend, I am going to want ways to quickly chop a bunch of them up πŸ”ͺ and make apple sauce and the alike.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:52 pm with sun having an altitude of 50.5° from the due south horizon (-20.3° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour πŸ… starts at 6:30 pm with the sun in the west (269°). πŸ“Έ The sunset is in the west (275°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:08 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 55 seconds with dusk around 7:34 pm, which is one minute and 47 seconds earlier than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:09 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies πŸŒƒ and temperatures around 64 degrees. The dew point will be 48 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 12 hours and 33 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 51 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy πŸŒ₯, with a low of 55 degrees at 3am. Two degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 11th. Maximum dew point of 49 at 6pm. North wind around 10 mph. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 45 degrees. The record low of 32 occurred back in 1964.

Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy πŸŒ₯, with a high of 73 degrees at 3pm. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 19th. Maximum dew point of 50 at 12pm. Northwest wind 13 to 15 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 71 degrees. The record high of 92 was set in 1939.

Going to be a cool and cloudy start to the weekend, but I figured it’s good get away β›Ί for a few days. Next weekend might be better, might head to the Adirondacks for that. Just some nice meals over the campfire, πŸ”₯ and doing some trail and road riding with Blackie. 🚡‍♀️ It’s the first weekend of autumn next weekend, though I’m not expecting much color at this point because it’s been such a mild late summer, bar this past day through the weekend. 😎 But come Sunday and especially next week after the hurricane πŸŒ€ moves further off shore it looks like it could warm up quite a bit again.

Looking ahead to Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 77. β˜€ West wind around 7 mph. Maximum dew point of 56 at 5pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 75 degrees. Will be nice weather for apple picking 🍏 though got to watch out for clouds and rain showers come the evening.

Looking ahead, next Friday is Autumn πŸ‚ when the sun will be setting at 6:54 pm with dusk at 7:21 pm. On that day in 2022, we had rain and temperatures between 71 and 51 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 72 degrees. We hit a record high of 95 back in 1895.

Darker

Nutritional Yeast sounds interesting πŸ§€

I like cheese and I’m not a vegan.

But cheese is so calorie dense and loaded with saturated fats that you really should consume it in moderation. And I don’t like moderation.

I’m interested in experimenting with nutrional yeast as part of my diet. It’s just yeast that’s been deactivated and apparently has a cheesy – umami flavor. Good source of protein and fiber too.

I’m always interested in trying new ideas and foods – not wedded to any one orthodoxy. If it’s vegan or if it’s meat I don’t care. South Mall or Mediterranean? Doesn’t matter to me. But how healthy is it? How does it taste? How does it fit into the picture of who I am and want to become?

With the oatmeal pancakes off on this mid-September morning πŸ₯ž

The sun is rising and it’s going to be a nice day. While I prefer to walk before eating breakfast it’s too dark now. Just got to moderate the coffee.

Good morning! Happy Thursday. Partly sunny and 55 degrees in Delmar, NY. πŸŒ… Calm wind. The dew point is 52 degrees.

Well rested, feeling good this morning. πŸ› This week on many levels has been a struggle but the good sleep and sun with low humidity this morning helps a lot. Much more energy ⚑ this morning and less achy compared to a rainy day like yesterday. Trying to cut back on the coffee β˜• in the morning, even though I get up early and drink more water πŸ₯› in the evening like the doctor says. πŸ§‘β€βš•οΈ

Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 70 degrees at 2pm. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 26th. Maximum dew point of 54 at 9am. Light northwest wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Relief from last week’s humidity. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 79 degrees. The record high of 93 was set in 1931.

Should be a great day, 🚲 looking forward to the bike ride to work today. I think with the chain πŸ”— well lubricated and the gears indexed βš™ it should be a nice commute. None of that sitting in the shitty traffic yesterday on the bus 🚍 just waiting to get home. 🏑 Heck of it is by afternoon it wasn’t bad out and I probably could have almost beat the bus home on my bicycle and gotten free exercise to boot. πŸ‘’

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:52 pm with sun having an altitude of 50.9Β° from the due south horizon (-20Β° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour πŸ… starts at 6:32 pm with the sun in the west (269Β°). πŸ“Έ The sunset is in the west (276Β°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:09 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 55 seconds with dusk around 7:36 pm, which is one minute and 47 seconds earlier than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:11 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies πŸŒ„ and temperatures around 63 degrees. The dew point will be 49 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 12 hours and 36 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 51 seconds over yesterday.

Remembered last night that I had egg plant πŸ† in the fridge so with mini onions and potatoes, πŸ₯” and the last of the olive oil plus some garlic and seasoning made up a good dinner in the broiler. Last night I pulled salmon out of the freezer and that should be defrosted for dinner tonight. Also cooking down kidney beans this morning for dessert or maybe just a side this evening. Also good go bring up to camp this weekend. 🍚

Tonight will be mostly clear πŸŒƒ, with a low of 49 degrees at 6am. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 24th. Northwest wind 5 to 9 mph. Temperatures in the forties are a true sign of autumn coming. . In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 51 degrees. The record low of 33 occurred back in 1975.

Tonight it’s off to Walmart and get supplies πŸ›’ and rack up more on my credit card πŸ’³ after retiring the debt this week. Really need more good fitting jeans πŸ‘– now that the weather is cooling, refill my pantry πŸ₯« and look at food processors as my mini chopper after working a bit more has quit again. I’ve been overloading it I think, I really need something more powerful especially when I’m grinding and milling so many foods. Plus soon after I go apple 🍏 picking with dad I’m going to need to be able to process a lot of apples.

Cloudy β›… and blustery come the weekend especially Saturday from the hurricane πŸŒ€ off the coast. Saturday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. Northwest wind 14 to 16 mph. Maximum dew point of 51 at 12pm. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Maximum dew point of 56 at 4pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 75 degrees.

It’s been quite a week β›Ί and I’m looking forward to getting out of town for a couple of days even if it’s going to be quite a windy day on Saturday and cloudy, maybe a bit cool. But I just need some quiet and time away from all this crap πŸ’© of the week that was. Then I guess apple 🍏 picking with my parents on Sunday.

Falls Pond Creek

Reflections of my life 🎲

But I don’t want to die.

Ever since I got that call from that nurse friend who was asking me if I was dying because of my weight loss and asking many questions about my diet and health status, I’ve been deeply troubled by that question that too many other people have asked of me lately either to my face or behind my back.

I went to the doctor earlier this week, ostensibly because I was concerned about having to take too many pee breaks on morning road trips since I’ve gotten into healthy eating especially in the season of so much fresh zucchini, watermelon, peaches and fruit go eat. Mom told me it’s probably just a bladder infection but I should get checked out lest it spread to the kidneys.

All the tests came back negative but the doctor told me I have to cut back on the morning coffee and make sure I’m having a glass or two of water with dinner. Still awaiting the results of the blood work but the doctor didn’t seem particularly concerned as all my other health indicators remain excellent. It’s probably $50 pissed into the toilet between the doctor visit and blood work co-pay. They’re busy I was told and not to expect any numbers back until Friday at the earliest.

Still I’m discomforted by this all. I’m in my forties, and this is the decade where things can go terribly wrong. What if it’s bladder or prostate cancer. Or another issue with the prostates. My mind quickly drifts into a dark place, questioning whether it’s my healthier food choices and more exercise – or if it’s masking something underneath. I mean I’m not eating much less – but these days I’m more stuffing my face with rice-lentils, beans, vegetables and fruits. Not the multiple pounds of cheese, glasses of milk and pounds of white pasta and ravioli. I’ve askewed much of the typical American diet for healthier options and I’m learning to cook but not in the junk food way popularized by the cooking shows.

At the same time, something more discomforting is happening in the world, time is passing by much too quickly. Too many friends and colleagues both of today and yesteryear have passed on. Summer seemed to pass me by in a blink of an eye. It was too much of an ordinary summer. And the world keeps changing though maybe not in ways I always find agreeable. I’m continuing to save and invest towards my tomorrow but money grows much too slowly. My future keeps being delayed in favor of one more investment, one more day of growth and development. And it’s not just money in the bank, but wisdom, skill and knowledge which I’m growing both professionally but also by learning on my own. My blog has been a major source of learning and growth for myself – if not for the blog I doubt I’d ever had become such a good R programmer or talented with QGIS.

I still have the dream of owning my own land but it’s not something I dwell on too much these days as it’s obvious in my mind that it’s still something I’m not quite ready for. And if I want to move to a Red State – that protects my second amendment rights doesn’t attack rural living like the socialists so gleefully do in blue states – I would have to give up my career and it would require a complete reboot of my life, lost connections of family and friends. With my parents getting elderly, I can’t walk away now never to see them again. My best course of action is to stay the course, keep advancing my career, skills and investments but I’m well aware such things involve risk and I might never get the chance to take advantage of all I forgo today.

That said, I’m deeply troubled by the week’s developments in the state. The $2.50 ammunition tax and $9 gun tax and having to wait for delays to buy is a major infringement on our rights, one the liberal press seems either seems gleeful about or otherwise ignore. It reminds me of burn ban which in a month was enacted in a very similar fashion 14 years ago. Or the many back country roads and campsites closed due to the demands of wilderness advocates, the loss of ATV trails, the bans on farm seeds and traditional sustainable farm practices. Most of these things don’t directly impact me but I know they’re so bad for my people and the rural communities. I think I’m so troubled by this all as I personally profit from these changes while the state goes to complete shit. I want to move to a Red State where I can have my freedom but I worry about running out of time. So every little health scare and loss of a loved one seems to strike a bit deeper at the heart.

A Rainy Hump Day β˜”

It looks like it’s going to be a wet one for at least a few more hours and then some clearing. I’m not moving fast, I stayed up too late after doing some cleaning in the kitchen putting away clothes and fine tuning the indexing on my bike after really greasing up the gears, leading to some good smooth shifting again.

Good morning! What day is it? A wet one, of course. Rain and 64 degrees at the Elm Ave Park and Ride. β˜” Calm wind. The dew point is 64 degrees. The skies will clear around 8 pm.

I’m really not in the groove this morning, moving slowly but surely though the eggs and spinach 🍳 are helping a bit. I didn’t catch the earlier express bus 🚍 downtown, so I can do some extra steps in the Plaza but maybe not as many as I should before work but I’ll get off my butt and certainly do the stairs up to the 18th floor.

Totally ignored the doctors advice β˜• and had the extra cup of coffee this morning. πŸ§‘β€βš•οΈAnd hot peppers with the eggs so I’ll probably have to piss extra but whatever I’ll be in the office and I’m not taking my bike to work. 🚳I thought about putting the bike on the bus but I figured between the rain and riding on the front of the bus down the expressway in the rain my grease job would be for naught by the afternoon commute. Traffic will be heavy at rush hour and I won’t be able to get exercise while riding the bus 🚍 home but I can walk 🚢 after getting home. Forgot to get the salmon out of the freezer before work 🐠 so I’ll have to plan something else. Maybe finish off the sweet corn 🌽 and I guess I can defrost some chicken in the microwave if I’m really looking for something warm for dinner. Or maybe just heat up some of soup or rice-lentils I have in the fridge. πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ

Today will have showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. 🌦 High of 73 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 19th. Maximum dew point of 65 at 12pm. πŸ–οΈ Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had light rain. It was humid. The high last year was 79 degrees. The record high of 92 was set in 1948.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:52 pm with sun having an altitude of 51.3Β° from the due south horizon (-19.6Β° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4.8 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour πŸ… starts at 6:34 pm with the sun in the west (270Β°). πŸ“Έ The sunset is in the west (276Β°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:11 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 55 seconds with dusk around 7:37 pm, which is one minute and 46 seconds earlier than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:13 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies πŸŒƒ and temperatures around 67 degrees. The dew point will be 62 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 12 hours and 39 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 50 seconds over yesterday.

I was thinking πŸ’­ today would be the day to go to Walmart πŸ›’ and get all the things on my list πŸ“ƒ that Hannaford didn’t have at a good price, but I might wait until tomorrow as I want to go for an evening walk and then I can get fresh spinach, berries or anything else I might want. I think it will be warm enough tomorrow to wear shorts to work but I want to try on 34×32 pants πŸ‘– for l size before I order a few more pair online. I’m going to one of these days put most of my XXL clothes into the attic, as they really don’t fit well anymore and they really look like when I wear them I’m starving and just got out of a concentration camp. Plus between the too large and good fitting clothes, I really have too many to put in my dresser.

Tonight will be partly cloudy πŸŒƒ , with a low of 53 degrees at 5am. Typical for tonight. Maximum dew point of 62 at 6pm. Calm wind. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 57 degrees. The record low of 32 occurred back in 1963.

Weekend still looks cool and sunny, though some models show more clouds then sun on Saturday. 😎 Saturday, partly sunny, with a high near 72. Maximum dew point of 53 at 4pm. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Maximum dew point of 56 at 12pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 75 degrees.

Looking ahead but not necessarily forward, there are 2 weeks until More Night then Day 🌌 when the sun will be setting at 6:46 pm with dusk at 7:12 pm. I guess it means more time by the campfire in the evening. πŸ”₯ On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 68 and 50 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 70 degrees. We hit a record high of 89 back in 2017.

Indian Ladder Farms