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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February 20, 2023 Morning

Good morning! Cloudy and 36 degrees at the Moscow Hill Camping Area. ๐ŸŒฅ There is a south-southwest breeze at 9 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 5 pm. โ˜ƒ๏ธ

The past few days I’ve decided to take a break from social media and the blog ๐Ÿ“œ so I can spend more time in the woods hiking and thinking, ๐Ÿ‘‚ listening to podcasts and drinking ๐Ÿป beer and being away from it all. Two nights is never enough, especially since I got used to remote work from camp. I could have taken tomorrow off but rain is coming.

I was on the fence about where to this long weekend โ›บ but settled on Brookfield as there was more trails I wanted to explore and the forecast while cloudy for Sunday and today looked less wet. I had been at Rennselearville State Forest three weekends ago and wanted to mix things up especially so I didn’t burn up too much firewood. Plus I like the rural landscape ๐Ÿšœ heading out to Brookfield. Longer drive though but a pleasant one.

Saturday I walked around Glimmerglass State Park ๐Ÿž and it was cold by the lake but in the woods with the wind ๐Ÿƒ blocked by the mountains it wasn’t so bad. I didn’t stick around very long as such. Deep blue skies and a pretty sunset ๐ŸŒ‡. Got to Moscow Hill Horse Camp ๐Ÿด and set up camp then hiked over to Elmer’s Place and then bushwhacked over Grassy Hill trying to find a good view which didn’t exist but I did flush out a ton of grouse. ๐Ÿ•Š

By the time I got back to camp it was 6:10 and nearly pitch black but I had previously gathered firewood, set up the lights and propane, ๐Ÿฎ had everything ready to go so it was a pleasant night. Had a big fire ๐Ÿ”ฅ though it was smokey at times due to all the wet wood, wet stuff in the burnables as I’ve been eating healthier. Heard a local fire station whistle go of ๐Ÿš’๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿš’ and thought I might have some unplanned visitors but no it was some other call. This place isn’t as remote as some places I camp. โ›บ Forgot to buy lighter fluid but once I got the somewhat damp and frozen wood going it burned well but was sparky until the wind died out. Saturday was a star filled night โœจ and very mild which was nice.

Sunday was cloudy and breezy at times ๐ŸŒฌ๏ธ especially up on the hills. I hiked the bulk of the day, visiting most of the outer truck trails at Charles Baker State Forest ๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒณ๐ŸŒฒ as I didn’t want to hike muddy horse trails. Checked out the Elmer Spring Campsite which is remote but accessible by vehicle and is really nice and private. โ›บ Hiked the Ledges Trail which was kind of interesting as was Truck Trail 7 which is cut into a ledge on the side of the mountain โ›ฐ๏ธ. Icy in spots especially on the road but cold enough even the horse ๐Ÿด trails weren’t too icy.

For today, Washington’s Birthday will have showers likely, mainly before 11am. Cloudy ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 40 degrees at 11am. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 28th. Not bad for the high country in in. Just wearing the vest. Southwest wind 9 to 13 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 28 degrees. The record high of 66 was set in 1930. 11.2 inches of snow fell back in 1977.โ„

While it hasn’t been sunny โ˜๏ธ the mid weather has been nice. Not having to deal with frozen water ๐Ÿ’ฆ, frozen food like milk ๐Ÿฅ› or eggs ๐Ÿฅš is good for a change. The batteries are healthy and happy ๐Ÿ˜Š in my truck ๐Ÿ”‹, I haven’t had to start the truck all weekend long. Used the propane heater โ™จ a lot less than I have in recent trips, no icy propane lines to deal with. But it’s been cold enough that things have remained generally frozen in the ground, keeping the trails from being too muddy.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:16 pm with sun having an altitude of 36.2ยฐ from the due south horizon (-34.4ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 8.2 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 5:01 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (249ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-southwest (256ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:40 pm after setting for 3 minutes with dusk around 6:07 pm, which is one minute and 17 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent ๐ŸŒ’ Moon in the west-southwest (253ยฐ) at an altitude of 2ยฐ from the horizon, 228,419 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 6:41 pm. At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies โ˜ and temperatures around 34 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 50 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 47 seconds over yesterday.

Today I decided to hike back and explore a few more ponds ๐Ÿธ in the northern part of the state forest. Then midday head back home. I figure enjoy and explore as much of the land while I’m here. Then I’ll have to head home. I thought about taking Tuesday off but it looks like rain โ˜” and maybe snow here.

Tonight will have a slight chance of snow showers after 4am. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 23 degrees at 2am. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 5th. Maximum wind chill around 17 at 4am; Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 20%. 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 13 degrees. The record low of -10 occurred back in 2015.

Planning to go out and see the folks ๐Ÿ‘ช when I get home, that is after showering ๐Ÿšฟ and unpacking. Then I want to run to the car wash ๐Ÿš™ and then Walmart for fruit and vegetables for the upcoming week. ๐Ÿ

Brookfield looks cold and snowy for next weekend. ๐ŸŒจ But I got my fun in. Saturday, a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 25. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Sunday, a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Typical average high for the weekend is 39 degrees.

I don’t necessarily plan on being back to Brookfield anytime soon though I might do my April trip to Cazenovia rather than the Adirondacks East Branch Sacandaga River for a change. ๐Ÿ—ป Easter is late this year and depending on how mild the spring is things could be greening up by then. Probably few black flies up north ๐Ÿœ but I’ve been itching to do the Gorge Rail Trail is Cazenovia – Canestota for some time again. March maybe a camping trip โ›บ to Rennselearville State Forest again or Burnt Rossman. Depends on how much snow. It will be after the time change at this point.

Looking ahead, there are 7 weeks until 8 PM Dusk ๐ŸŒ† when the sun will be setting at 7:39 pm with dusk at 8:06 pm (Daylight Savings Time) in Brookfield. Earlier back in Albany. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy, warm and temperatures between 74 and 49 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 57 degrees. Thinking spring thoughts ๐Ÿ’ญ on this cloudy but mild morning. We hit a record high of 86 back in 1922.

Red Trail Marker

February 17, 2023 Morning

Good morning! Happy Friday. Cloudy, dark and 51 degrees for the morning walk ๐Ÿšถ in the land of the Delmaratian. Maybe the reason it’s so dark is that it’s still 6:15 and February but I’m moving. There is a south breeze at 14 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 49 degrees. Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 5 pm. โ˜ƒ๏ธ

Grabbed my hoodie and headed out and then took it off. ๐Ÿ˜ฐ Only a few more hours of the warmth though before the mercury starts dropping. That said, it wont get that cold tonight as it’s still February but I don’t be leaving my windows open while at work today. But April is like 45 days off a fact I’m sure my friends in the government budget office are well aware of.

Today will rain before 4pm, then a chance of rain and snow. ๐ŸŒจ๏ธ Temperature rising to near 54 by 10am, then falling to around 33 during the remainder of the day. Breezy, with a south wind 13 to 20 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. You get a little of everything in that forecast. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 24 degrees. The record high of 60 was set in 1981. 11.9 inches of snow fell back in 2003.โ„

No rain yet โ˜” but I’d say there is a decent chance I’ll taking the bus from the stop closest to where I live at 8 though who knows. Often they are overly pessimistic when it comes to rain. There are a ton of dog ๐Ÿถ walkers out bright and early today. Probably because it’s so mild.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 35.3ยฐ from the due south horizon (-35.5ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 8.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 4:51 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (248ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-southwest (255ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:30 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 1 seconds with dusk around 5:58 pm, which is one minute and 17 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 6:32 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and snow ๐ŸŒจ and temperatures around 33 degrees. The wind chill around sunset will be 21. โ˜ƒ๏ธ Breezy, 20 mph breeze โ›… from the northwest with gusts up to 30mph. Tomorrow will have 10 hours and 45 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 44 seconds over today.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear ๐ŸŒค, with a low of 19 degrees at 6am. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 19th. Maximum wind chill around 6 at 5am; Blustery, with a northwest wind 15 to 22 mph. In 2022, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 19 degrees. The record low of -21 occurred back in 1973.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 41 degrees at 3pm. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 3rd. Northwest wind 7 to 13 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 24 degrees. The record high of 63 was set in 1981. 6.3 inches of snow fell back in 2000.โ„

Looking ahead to Sunday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. South wind 5 to 11 mph. ๐ŸŒฅ Rain showers later in the day for President’s Day, 50. Typical average high for the weekend is 37 degrees. Not bad for President’s Day Weekend. ๐Ÿ˜Š

Probably heading out of town for the weekend ๐ŸŒฆ๏ธ but I’m not set on it. Going to be mild for sure though after Sunday more cloudy. I sleep so much better after a few nights in the woods and I doubt I’ll have much of a chance come March until maybe later in April.

One month ๐Ÿ“… from now will be St. Patrick’s Day ๐Ÿ€ when the sun will be setting at 7:05 pm with dusk at 7:31 pm (Daylight Savings Time). The average high temperature is 34 degrees, with a record high of 61 in 1895.

Clarksville South Road Heading Towards Dormansville

February 16, 2023 Evening

Good evening! Clouds, damp and 47 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ˜๏ธ Calm wind. Mild tonight but cold later. Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 5 pm. โ˜ƒ๏ธ

It’s nice to be able to walk ๐Ÿšถ for one more night without any more than a vest. Tomorrow though the heat will probably have to come for a few more days. Like so many days that threaten to rain, turned out to be just a few showers.

Tonight will have showers likely, mainly after 5am. Cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 46 degrees at 12am. 28 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 8th. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. 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 13 degrees. The record low of -16 occurred back in 1973.

Another busy day came and went at work. ๐Ÿข But it made the time go by quickly. I’m doing good at eating up all the fruit and vegetables I bought on Sunday. ๐Ÿ I swear I’ve noticed some small changes since I’ve started my calorie reduction program. I’m just not nearly as hungry when I always have an apple or orange in my mouth. And I’ve done good with the steps every day.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent ๐ŸŒ˜ Moon with 14% illuminated. The Worm ๐Ÿ› Moon is on Saturday, March 4. The darkest hour is at 12:10 am, followed by dawn at 6:23 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:52 am in the east-southeast (106ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 1 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 24 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 7:32 am with sun in the east-southeast (113ยฐ). Tonight will have 13 hours and 18 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 43 seconds over last night.

Did some cleaning this evening ๐Ÿงนaround the apartment after making macaroni and cheese ๐Ÿง€ with a ton of veggies and real cheese, eat only one bowl and froze the rest for future meals. Getting milk ๐Ÿฅ› for the first time in over a week, a big drop from drinking two gallons a week. I also am skipping apple juice, the bottle I have left I bought in January. I’m spending less on groceries even if I am buying more and more fruits and vegetables which haven’t been impacted by inflation nearly as much.

Tomorrow will rain showers before 4pm, then a chance of rain and snow showers. ๐ŸŒง๏ธ Temperature rising to near 52 by 9am, then falling to around 33 during the remainder of the day. South wind 10 to 18 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. A year ago, we had mist. The high last year was 24 degrees. The record high of 60 was set in 1981. 11.9 inches of snow fell back in 2003.โ„

In four weeks on March 16 the sun will be setting in the west (269ยฐ) at 7:03 pm (Daylight Savings Time),๐ŸŒ„ which is one hour, 34 minutes and 21 seconds later then tonight. In 2021 on that day, we had cold, mostly cloudy and temperatures between 33 and 13 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 45 and 26 degrees. The record high of 82 degrees was set back in 1990.

Looking ahead, Read Across America Day ๐Ÿ“š is in two weeks, Average High is 60 ๐ŸŒท is in 2 months, Arbor Day ๐ŸŒณ is in 10 weeks, 8:30 PM Dusk ๐ŸŒ† is in 11 weeks, 8 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ is in 11 weeks, 9 PM Dusk ๐ŸŒ† is in 15 weeks, June ๐Ÿน is in 15 weeks, 8:30 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ is in 16 weeks, Last Sunset After 8:30 PM ๐ŸŒ† is in 5 months, Ugly Truck Day ๐Ÿšš is in 22 weeks, Campfire Day ๐Ÿ”ฅ is in 24 weeks, Columbus Day ๐Ÿ›ฅ๏ธ is in 34 weeks, Average High is 60 ๐Ÿ‚ is in 35 weeks, Thanksgiving ๐Ÿฆƒ is in 40 weeks, Tea Party Day ๐Ÿ is in 10 months, First Day of Winter โ˜ƒ๏ธ is in 44 weeks and 4:30 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ† is in 45 weeks.

One Mile to Hunter Fire Tower

February 16, 2023 Morning

Good morning! Happy Thursday. Mostly clear and 44 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a north breeze at 8 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. Is it May? It sure feels like that for the morning walk at 6:15. Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 4 pm. โ˜ƒ๏ธ

Absolutely stunning morning ๐ŸŒ… for February. I can’t think of a clear mild morning this nice in February ever. Waning crescent ๐ŸŒ™ moon almost to the due south. Of course we pay for this come the evening with rain then cold by tomorrow evening.

Today will have a chance of rain, mainly after 5pm. Increasing clouds ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 53 degrees at 2pm. 17 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 2nd. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming east in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mist. The high last year was 34 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 2006. 17.3 inches of snow fell back in 1958.โ„

No more session days this week, which means getting out at five although it matters less now that I can take the express at five regardless of the weather or dress. ๐Ÿข Busy day ahead but I like to be busy and keep stuff moving along. ๐Ÿ“„

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 35ยฐ from the due south horizon (-35.8ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 8.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer.

I want to get as many steps as possible before the rain ๐ŸŒง๏ธ but who knows it might not add up to much. ๐Ÿ‘ฃ But first breakfast after my morning walk as I’m already a bit hungry ๐Ÿ˜‹. Not a reheat day. But it will save time this morning as I don’t have to iron my shirt ๐Ÿ‘š and if I’m running late I can catch the express bus ๐Ÿš near home.

The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 4:49 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (247ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-southwest (254ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:29 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 1 seconds with dusk around 5:56 pm, which is one minute and 18 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 6:30 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and temperatures around 50 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Tomorrow will have 10 hours and 43 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 43 seconds over today.

Tonight will rain, mainly before 1am, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1am. ๐ŸŒง Low of 47 degrees at 7pm. 29 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 11th. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 9 mph in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. 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 13 degrees. The record low of -16 occurred back in 1973.

President’s Day Weekend starts out nice with clouds and ultimately showers come Washington’s Birthday. โ˜€ โ˜” Saturday, sunny, with a high near 41. Northwest wind 8 to 14 mph. Sunday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. Washington’s Birthday still cloudy with rain showers late, 50 or so. Still mild. Typical average high for the weekend is 37 degrees.

I am a bit undecided about the upcoming weekend. โ›บ Mild but gray after Saturday. And it would nice to go somewhere different for the weekend. But where is the question? Or I could just stay home.

Looking ahead, there are 2 weeks until Read Across America Day ๐Ÿ“š when the sun will be setting at 5:47 pm with dusk at 6:14 pm. On that day in 2022, we had cold, mostly sunny and temperatures between 24 and 9 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 40 degrees. We hit a record high of 65 back in 1991.

Distance to Buildings in the Catskill Park

February 15, 2023 Evening

Good evening! Clear and 58 degrees for evening walk in Delmar, NY. ๐ŸŒƒ There is a south breeze at 11 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 41 degrees. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Friday around 4 pm. โ˜ƒ๏ธ

Not a half bad evening for February. ๐ŸŒŸ The skies are full of stars and it’s quite mild. It was nice having the windows open today and enjoying some fresh air before it gets cold again after the rain tomorrow. โ˜” Then cold come Friday but bouncing back to normal by the weekend. After my walk I’ll sit out back until nine. ๐Ÿ› Going to close my windows then bed time.

Tonight will be mostly clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 41 degrees at 6am. 23 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 25th. South wind 7 to 11 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Too good to be true, won’t last. In 2022, we had light snow in the evening, which became mist by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 21 degrees. The record low of -20 occurred back in 1943.

Still enjoying the almost door to door service ๐Ÿšof the express Voorheesville bus. ๐Ÿš Great on session days but also like tomorrow evening when it rains. โ˜” That said, I do worry about not getting in as many steps ๐Ÿ‘ฃ without walking to the Park and Ride but on nice days I still can. I was happy ๐Ÿ˜Š to see somebody on the bus today actually coming from Voorheesville as I know the bus I take isn’t as popular as earlier but I hope it doesn’t get canceled right away as long as there are other riders.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent ๐ŸŒ˜ Moon with 22% illuminated. The Worm ๐Ÿ› Moon is on Friday, March 3. The darkest hour is at 12:10 am, followed by dawn at 6:25 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:54 am in the east-southeast (107ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 1 seconds.

It was a quiet ๐Ÿคซ half of the day at work until a big project came in mid afternoon. Sometimes it’s so quiet and then so busy, ๐Ÿ–ฅ but when I have down time I try to use it well to analyze data, and learn new data science methods and sources of data. I’ve learned a lot of clever techniques to automate or at least speed up things at work. ๐Ÿ‘จโ€โš–๏ธ I might not be a PhD in data science but I’m learning some valuable techniques using R to mine a lot of value out of data.

Sunrise is one minute and 23 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 7:33 am with sun in the east-southeast (114ยฐ). Tonight will have 13 hours and 20 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 42 seconds over last night.

Today was such a nice day ๐Ÿข but I was stuck in my office all day except when I went to the farmers market to get mushrooms ๐Ÿ„ and did a short walk ๐Ÿšถ on the Plaza. Got home and spent more time reading ๐Ÿ“– up about machine learning. ๐Ÿค– Too bad the weekend isn’t as good looking.

Tomorrow will have showers likely, mainly after 4pm. Increasing clouds ๐ŸŒž ๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐ŸŒฅ , with a high of 55 degrees at 1pm. 19 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 6th. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had light snow in the morning, which became mist by afternoon. The high last year was 34 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 2006. 17.3 inches of snow fell back in 1958.โ„

I decided that I can do my state taxes on paper ๐Ÿ“„ to avoid paying to file. There is a few different open source things to compute my federal taxes, and then once they are done the state is easy to do. I like paper in the sense it’s easier to carefully review. I feel like the online services you spit too much of your information into a black box ๐Ÿ—ƒ and it spits it back out and you don’t really know if it’s done right. I can compare to last year – forms are the same but the numbers ๐Ÿ”ข now are just slightly higher or maybe not if I reduced things down enough by retirement plan deductions.

In four weeks on March 15 the sun will be setting in the west (268ยฐ) at 7:02 pm (Daylight Savings Time),๐ŸŒ„ which is one hour, 34 minutes and 29 seconds later then tonight. In 2021 on that day, we had cold, mostly sunny and temperatures between 30 and 11 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 45 and 26 degrees. The record high of 72 degrees was set back in 2019.

Looking ahead, March ๐ŸŒจ is in two weeks on Wednesday, Ides of March โœ is a month away, Tax Day ๐Ÿ’ฐ is in 2 months, Average High is 70 ๐Ÿฎ is in 12 weeks, Pack Rat Day ๐Ÿ€ is in 13 weeks, Summer ๏ธโ›ฑ๏ธ is in 18 weeks, Hottest Time of the Year ๐Ÿ˜… is in 20 weeks, Dog Days of Summer ๐ŸŒป is in 20 weeks, Cow Appreciation Day ๐Ÿ‚ is in 5 months, Average High Falls To 79 ๏ธDegrees โ›ฑ๏ธ๏ธ๏ธ is in 28 weeks, More Night then Day ๐ŸŒŒ is in 32 weeks, Last Sunset After 6:30 PM ๐ŸŒ† is in 33 weeks, Average High is 55 ๐Ÿ‚ is in 37 weeks, November ๐Ÿฅง is in 37 weeks, Day After Election Day ๐Ÿ›€ is in 38 weeks, Saint Nicholas Day ๐ŸŽ… is in 42 weeks and Bill of Rights Day ๐Ÿ“œ is in 10 months.

February 15, 2023 Morning

Good morning! What day is it? Second Half of February, of course. Is that a day? Not really but it is mild. Mostly cloudy with a few rain showers and 37 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ˜ There is a south-southeast breeze at 10 mph. ๐Ÿƒ with gusts up to 21 mph ๐Ÿ’จ๐Ÿ’จ๐Ÿ’จ. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Friday around 5 pm. โ˜ƒ๏ธ

I keep pushing my morning walk ๐Ÿšถ earlier and it’s pitch black out being cloudy out and starting my walk at 6:15, which is about 10 minutes before dawn. But we are adding daylight quickly to the days. I prefer walking before breakfast.

Today will be cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny โ˜ ๐Ÿ‘‰ โ˜€ , with a high of 58 degrees at 4pm. 22 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 12th. Breezy, with a south wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. I’m going to have to open a few windows before work to let some fresh air in. A year ago, we had light snow in the morning, which became mist by afternoon. The high last year was 23 degrees. The record high of 55 was set in 2006. 9.0 inches of snow fell back in 1894.โ„

Too bad I’ll be in the office downtown ๐Ÿข all day but the sun will be nice. I want to try and get to the farmers market and get mushrooms ๐Ÿ„ and a few more things. Now if we could only have such nice weather for the weekend. At least looks like it would be mild.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 34.7ยฐ from the due south horizon (-36.2ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 8.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 4:48 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (247ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-southwest (254ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:27 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 2 seconds with dusk around 5:55 pm, which is one minute and 17 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 6:29 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 55 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 13 mph. Tomorrow will have 10 hours and 40 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 42 seconds over today.

Tonight will be partly cloudy ๐ŸŒƒ , with a low of 41 degrees at 5am. 23 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 25th. South wind 5 to 11 mph becoming northeast after midnight. In 2022, we had light snow in the evening, which became mist by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 21 degrees. The record low of -20 occurred back in 1943.

A picture perfect weekend on tap. ๐Ÿ˜Ž Saturday, sunny, with a high near 40. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 48. NOAA is optimistic than other predictions. ๐Ÿ”ฎ Typical average high for the weekend is 37 degrees. Lately I’ve been thinking about heading to the Adirondacks but it depends on how much snow is up north.

Looking ahead, there are 2 weeks until March ๐ŸŒจ when the sun will be setting at 5:45 pm with dusk at 6:12 pm. I wouldn’t be shocked ๐Ÿ˜ฒ if we are due for one more big snow storm this winter. โ„ On that day in 2022, we had mostly cloudy, snow showers and temperatures between 41 and 17 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 40 degrees. But at least the snow won’t last. We hit a record high of 66 back in 2017.

North from Tower

February 14, 2023 Evening

Good evening! Happy Valentines Day Eve. February is halfway done and tomorrow is going to be warm enough to open up the windows and let some fresh air in. That makes me happy.

Mostly clear and 43 degrees for the evening walk ๐Ÿšถ here in Delmar. ๐ŸŒƒ Calm wind. With those clear skies cooling off quickly. But it will rebound quickly tomorrow as we have our first real spring thaw.

I was pleasantly surprised that I got released at 5 o’clock on this Valentines Day โ™ฅ and was able to take the express bus ๐Ÿš home. It’s nice having that option on a session day though who knows how long it will last as there isn’t a lot of riders right now heading out to Slingerlands or Voorheesville at least not on 5 pm bus which is less popular than the earlier express bus. The thing is that some of the former riders retired and more people nowadays are able to do hybrid or work from home ๐Ÿก. Our department wants that option but the people up top say no. Getting hard though to be competitive without that option.

It was annoying this morning that the ramp to 787 was closed again. ๐Ÿšง I wish they could wait until the off hours or at least until the end of rush hour. I don’t understand their decision making process on that. To boot the express bus ๐Ÿš was 20 minutes late due to the driver making a wrong term. I ended up walking ๐Ÿšถ most of the way to the Park and Ride as I wanted to get more steps in and it was a very pleasant morning.

Tonight will have increasing clouds โ˜, with a low of 31 degrees at 1am. 13 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 30th. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph after midnight. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 17 degrees. The record low of -22 occurred back in 1943.

Got paid today ๐Ÿ’ต and it looks like my bills aren’t as bad as I thought they would be. I might actually have a bit extra, I might start adding more to the savings account, the first time I’ve saved money in a year but interest rates are going up and I’m concerned more about mid range expenses.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent ๐ŸŒ˜ Moon with 33% illuminated. The Worm ๐Ÿ› Moon is on Thursday, March 2. The darkest hour is at 12:11 am, followed by dawn at 6:26 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:55 am in the east-southeast (107ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 2 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 21 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 7:35 am with sun in the east-southeast (114ยฐ). Tonight will have 13 hours and 23 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 40 seconds over last night.

Been really digging into the ins and outs of machine learning. ๐Ÿค– Lately I’ve been about better ways to target ๐ŸŽฏ and estimate voting patterns using election results and the enrollment rolls. It would be interesting if you could target based on actual past results and demographics. I have used imputation in the past for making maps and are considering other ways I could use machine learning to better understand data. Decision trees ๐ŸŽ„ and random forests are particularly interesting methods.

Tomorrow will be cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing ๐ŸŒƒ, with a high of 58 degrees at 3pm. 22 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 12th. Breezy, with a south wind 13 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 23 degrees. The record high of 55 was set in 2006. 9.0 inches of snow fell back in 1894.โ„

I think tomorrow will be a good day to have the windows open ๐Ÿ”ณ and let all that fresh air in. ๐Ÿƒ While I’ll probably only open windows without storm windows it should be nice to enjoy the fresh air.

In four weeks on March 14 the sun will be setting in the west (268ยฐ) at 7:01 pm (Daylight Savings Time),๐ŸŒ„ which is one hour, 34 minutes and 36 seconds later then tonight. In 2021 on that day, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 41 and 19 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 44 and 25 degrees. The record high of 75 degrees was set back in 1946.

Looking ahead, Average High is 40 โ˜€๏ธ is Next Tuesday, First Day of Spring ๐Ÿ’ฎ is in 5 weeks, Average High is 50 ๐ŸŒธ is in 6 weeks, Mothers Day ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€ is in 3 months, Primary Day ๐Ÿ—ณ๏ธ is in 18 weeks, Independence Day ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ is in 20 weeks, World Population Day ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘งโ€๐Ÿ‘ง is in 21 weeks, National Nude Day ๐Ÿ‘ฑ is in 5 months, August ๐ŸŒป is in 24 weeks, Halloween ๐ŸŽƒ is in 37 weeks, Average High is 50 ๐Ÿ‚ is in 9 months, Election Day ๐Ÿ—ณ๏ธ is in 9 months, Repeal of Prohibition Day ๐Ÿบ is in 42 weeks and Boxing Day ๐ŸฅŠ is in 45 weeks.

Starting Up the Spruceton Trail