Balsam Swamp State Forest

Balsam Swamp is a sprawling state forest that stretches almost 5.5 miles east-west across 4 towns. The area is very rural, and the landscape surrounding the State Forest is predominantly forested. Balsam Swamp State Forest is comprised of a mix of native hardwood forests, hemlock swamps, and conifer plantations. There are no designated recreational trails on the forest, but there is ample opportunity for self-guided day hikes to explore the diversity of habitats represented on this State Forest. Additionally, the western section of Balsam Swamp State Forest is adjacent to Five Streams State Forest to the south.

The main attraction of this forest is Balsam Pond. The impoundment is approximately 152 acres and is a popular destination for fishing and paddle boat sports. Balsam Pond is a warm water fishery that contains a mix of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow perch, brown bullhead and sunfish. Tiger muskellunge have been stocked in the past with the last stocking occurring in 1995. However, there have been very few reports of anglers catching any of the adult tiger muskies. A shallow gravel boat launch is suitable for launching small fishing boats.

A small rustic camp ground is also located at Balsam Pond. Camping spaces are available at no cost on a first-come, first-serve basis and there is no running water or electricity. A fire ring, outhouse, and picnic table are provided for each camping space. A sign on Balsam-Tyler Road in Pharsalia designates the entrance to the boat launch and camping facility. This is a carry-in carry-out facility. Please do not litter.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/8261.html

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How many quarters do I need to register my bicycle ? 🪙

Andy | July 17, 2023

The town fee schedule doesn’t list it. I checked the town code, and it says one quarter. Twenty five cents! Cheaper then a payphone, if you can find one. I thought it used to be 75¢ the last bicycle I registered but that was 15 years ago and my memory could be bad. I’ll bring a handful otherwise the town clerk’s office is just going to have to make change from a five.

Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Fog 🌫 and 66 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 66 degrees. The AQI is only 25 right now, good, but expected to drop into the unhealthy range of 150-200 by afternoon. Look forward to the air burning your lungs and making it hard to breathe with the Cannunks burning their forests. The muggy weather ends Thursday around 2 am. 😓

That said, the first thing in my agenda this morning is to register my bicycle 🚲🎫 with the Town Clerk before heading downtown. I have a $70 hardened steel u-lock 🔒 to secure my bicycle should I decide to park it outside, though my plan is to bring it inside the office 🏢 most days. At lunch time I’ll walk 🚶 up to the hospital 🏥 to visit a friend recovering there. Hopefully at that hour the air pollution won’t be quite as bad. 🌆 Yesterday walked 2.5 miles and rode my bike 28 miles including to the Corning Preserve and Five Rivers Environmental Education Center. 🐸

Started out my morning with a hard boiled egg 🥚, a good source of protein and not so good saturated fats which I will follow up with cream of wheat, fresh blueberries 🫐with a dap of plain non fat Greek yogurt. It’s nice knowing now that should I run low on yogurt or other supplies mid week the grocery store is just a quick ride from home – I figured out a back way involving the rail trail and sprawl roads to avoid Delaware Avenue completely when going to Hannaford. ☺ Cold black coffee ☕ with ice to get me moving.

Once the black beans are done this morning🧆 I should be done cooking for the week as I’ll have plenty of good things to eat all week either fresh, in the freezer or refrigerator. 🐔 Have five remaining hard boiled eggs in the fridge, cold kidney beans waiting for maple syrup, cooked chicken and shrimp, couscous with edamine and spinach, brown rice with edamine and lentils along with all the usual suspects – red and sweet onions, tomatoes, hot and regular peppers, cherries, grapes, blueberries and a long list of other good eats. Getting fresh sweet corn at the farmers market on Wednesday and will enjoy with MSG. Lots of lemons and stevia for ice coldy lemonade 🍋 in the evening. Good eating this week.

Today will be widespread haze and wildfire smoke after 10am. 🚬 Think it’s going to be a half pack kind of day outside this afternoon. Otherwise, mostly sunny ☀, with a high of 87 degrees at 2pm. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 67 at 7am. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 92 degrees. The record high of 99 was set in 1900.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 68.6° from the due south horizon (-2.2° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.4 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:49 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (294°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (300°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:31 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 21 seconds with dusk around 9:03 pm, which is 41 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the New 🌚 Moon in the borthwest (305°) at an altitude of 0° from the horizon, 251,045 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:47 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 79 degrees. The dew point will be 66 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 33 seconds over yesterday.

This evening 🌆 I plan to ride out to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center 🐸 and some walking out there and read 📖 until 8:15 pm when I’ll head home. I have both a front and rear light installed for safety. My new goal 🥅 is to walk 7.5 miles or ride 15 miles daily or any combination of the two. I figure based on calories that 1.7 ridden equals 1.0 miles walked. That said, it takes me roughly 16 – 20 minutes to walk that equal calorie burn on the bicycle in 8-12 minutes.

Tonight will have scattered showers, mainly after 5am. Widespread wildfire smoke and poor air quality. Partly cloudy 🌫, with a low of 67 degrees at 4am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 4am. Southeast wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2022, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It became very sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 73 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1939.

I superglued my boots 👢 so I can get a few more weeks out of them, but I do think I’ll need to replace them come vacation. Might want to bring and wear the old ones while camping 🏕 if the woods is a complete swamp like I fully expect it to be though the Finger Lakes haven’t been quite as wet as locally.

I found I was down to a 36″ waist size for my shorts, 🩳 which I bought another pair on sale this weekend. Amazing thinking I used to get 42″ shorts only a year or two ago, as I liked to have them run big for comfort. They are remarkably comfortable, though very lightweight but that’s good in the heat we’ve had lately.

On this day in 1944, Near the San Francisco Bay, two ships laden with ammunition for the war explode in Port Chicago, California, killing 320. Also on this day, another deadly tragety. 💣 In 1981, A structural failure leads to the collapse of a walkway at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, Missouri killing 114 people and injuring more than 200.

A picture perfect summer weekend on tap. 😎 Saturday, a chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 65 at 9am. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Maximum dew point of 62 at 10am. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

This weekend I’m definitely heading out of town ⛺ probably take off Friday or maybe Monday for a schedule similar to what I had planned for last weekend bar obviously the auto show. 🚘 Might be fun to do the Catskill Scenic Trail 🚲 and get a lot of swimming 🏊 in. I feel like with a little practice and my stronger muscles 💪 I’ll be a good swimmer and great at the diving board. 🌽 Shaul’s is open for lots of good sweet corn and other veggies. 🫑

A week from Friday is summer vacation 🏖 and I’m ready for it. I’m hoping for some nice weather, if anything Western NY has been quite dry compared to any place locally. Hopefully that trend continues into early August. 🌻 Really too far out to know for sure but that’s the week I have off rain or shine. I’m hoping for nice warm weather though for sure.

Looking ahead, there are 5 weeks until World Mosquito Day 🐞 when the sun will be setting at 7:50 pm with dusk at 8:18 pm. On that day in 2022, we had another hot old late summer day – partly sunny and temperatures between 88 and 70 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 82 degrees. We hit a record high of 98 back in 1916.

55 miles so far with Blackie

Andy | July 16, 2023

Good morning! Clouds after the rain this morning and 75 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ There is a south-southeast breeze at 7 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 73 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around 1 am.

Well yesterday wasn’t a wash out but last night especially late it rained quite a bit and will rain more this afternoon. ☔ I wish I could have gotten out of town this weekend but it was not a great weekend. I did finally break down and get new mountain bike, 🚲 which I call Blackie, though it’s more of a silver color. Like anything it’s both good and bad. I ended up getting a Marlin 5 mountain bike, it’s heavy and slow on the roads but awesome on gravel and dirt packed trails. ⛰ I totally get blown past by the road bikes on the rail trail but it will be great on gravel up at camp. Gearing ⚙ is a bit low though on asphalt but is great for climbing steep hills slowly.

Finally had those oatmeal banana 🍌 pancakes 🥞 that I love this morning, then rode down to the Corning Preserve for a while in the rain, mostly to test the brakes out in the rain – those hydraulic disc brakes are awesome even in the rainy weather.

Today will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Cloudy 🌧, with a high of 79 degrees at 5pm. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 1st. Maximum dew point of 75 at 1pm. South wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 88 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1900.

Every week I try to find a new food to add to my meals. This week edamine – used it last night with spinach and couscous with some tuna fish to add some omega 3 fats to maximize the benefits of eating fat soluble vitamins.🥗Today I’m cooking brown rice with lentils and edamine (both I would note are soy though edamine is full immature seed like you might find in a farm field). Mostly plan to freeze that for later in the week.

Also cooked red kidney beans which is such a good snack on a hot day with sugar free maple syrup and have soaking black beans to use in cold lunches and dinners usually with chopped red onions, mushrooms and peppers. 🍲 Beans are a great source of protein and often are very low in saturated fats. Cold black beans and red onions are the best on a hot day. I cooked and froze a lot of chicken breasts last week, will pull them out of the freezer as needed to add to various dishes.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 68.8° from the due south horizon (-2° 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 🏅 starts at 7:50 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (294°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (301°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:32 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 22 seconds with dusk around 9:04 pm, which is 40 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:48 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 75 degrees. The dew point will be 72 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 2 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 31 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 66 degrees at 5am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 73 at 6pm. Southeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It was humid. It got down to 67 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1974.

In 1956, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closes its very last “Big Tent” show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, due to changing economics all subsequent circus shows will be held in arenas. 🤹‍♂️ 🎪 Now the only thing in tents is fireworks dealers and car dealers when their show rooms are being renovated.

Looking ahead, there are 8 weeks until 6:30 Sunrise 🌇 when the sun will be setting at 7:16 pm with dusk at 7:43 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 83 and 56 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 77 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1931.

I remember Allegheny County, singing along with Jonathan Edwards

Andy | July 16, 2023

I remember that time on that rough as fuck road in Allegany County, singing along with Jonathan Edwards.

Sunshine go away today

I don’t feel much like dancing Some man’s gone, he’s tried to run my life Don’t know what he’s asking He tells me I’d better get in line Can’t hear what he’s saying When I grow up I’m going to make it mine But these aren’t dues I been paying How much does it cost, I’ll buy it The time is all we’ve lost, I’ll try it But he can’t even run his own life I’ll be damned if he’ll run mine, Sunshine Sunshine go away today I don’t feel much like dancing Some man’s gone he’s tried to run my life Don’t know what he’s asking Working starts to make me wonder where The fruits of what I do are going He says in love and war all is fair But he’s got cards he ain’t showing How much does it cost, I’ll buy it The time is all we’ve lost, I’ll try it But he can’t even run his own life I’ll be damned if he’ll run mine, Sunshine Sunshine come on back another day I promise you I’ll be singing This old world, she’s gonna turn around Brand new bells’ll be ringing.

Partisan Politics, 1800 edition

Andy | July 16, 2023

“Can serious and reflecting men look about them and doubt that, if (Thomas) Jefferson is elected and the Jacobins get into authority, those morals which protect our lives from the knife of the assassin, which guard the chastity of our wives and daughters from seduction and violence, defend our property from plunder and devastation and shield our religion from contempt and profanation, will not be trampled upon?” ~ Timothy Dwight, president of Yale University, 1800.

Aren’t you glad that nasty partisan politics is a new thing in America?

Kind of a shitty weekend again 💩

Andy | July 15, 2023

The poop emoji is a good way to understand this weekend. Elon Musk’s favorite emoji. Cloudy and humid, might get hot out when the sun comes out later.

Good morning! Mostly cloudy and 70 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ Calm wind. The dew point is 68 degrees. The skies will clear around 9 am.

It’s getting closer to nine 🕒 when I’m out doing my morning walk 🚶 as I decided to have breakfast 🍳 and coffee ☕ before walking. Just doing the two mile superblock around the High School now, I’ll get some steps in at the store 🏬 and later on walk down to the library 📚 or do an evening walk around dusk 🌆 when it cools down.

I was going to have banana pancakes this morning 🍌 but I had too many bananas yesterday in my office, so I decided to stay away from the sugars in favor of using up the remaining frozen spinach I had, fried up along with broccoli, peppers, onions, jalapenos and eggs run through the food processor to make a quiche like scrambled egg breakfast. It’s a good way to start the morning with a lot of fiber and protein, though eggs are really high in saturated fat and cholesterol. 🥚 Eggs though are cheap these days. Greek yogurt is slightly better on a ratio of protein to calories though.

I’m moving slowly this morning 🛏 as I woke up around 4 am and didn’t get back to sleep until 5. I don’t sleep as well as I once did, though usually a few nights in the woods helps a lot with that. ⛺ Sucks the weather is so bad this weekend but it rained heavily a lot of last night, and will be raining more come Saturday into Sunday with potentially heavy rain on Sunday. ☔ Not worth it to drive out to Schoharie.

I am sweating like a pig 🐽 out walking this morning, it’s so humid. Not going to be a nice day too do much outside, maybe poolside wouldn’t be bad as the sun comes out, but I am not sure how long we have before the thunderstorms come rolling through.

Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 87 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 72 at 12pm. South wind 3 to 7 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 86 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1997.

Working on my grocery list 📜 🏪 for the weekly shop once I get home and shower. 🚲 But first I will stop by the bicycle shop and see what is going on with my Marlin 6 bike. I hope it’s ready and somehow they didn’t call me or I lost the message somehow on my phone. Or at least find out when I will be able to take delivery, and if needed test ride the Marlin 5 bike in my size and figure out where else I can order the Marlin 6. I have a fairly long grocery list, as I only got a few things at Price Chopper last week. This week I want to shop at Walmart as there is certain things Walmart only has or at least has at a price I’m willing to spend. 🍏

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 68.9° from the due south horizon (-1.9° 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 🏅 starts at 7:51 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (294°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (301°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:32 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 22 seconds with dusk around 9:05 pm, which is 37 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:49 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 81 degrees. The dew point will be 72 degrees. The heat index around sunset will be 71. ⛱ There will be a south breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 3 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 27 seconds over yesterday.

This afternoon I’m keeping open. 📚 The library is a good place to cool off but I’ve also thought about taking a drive up to Guilderland to check out some thrift stores to see if I can get some clothes that now fit me at a reasonable price. 👖 I don’t want to spend too much as I don’t know what my final weight will end up being, though I’m quite committed at this point to healthy eating, 🥦 and I think I have a plan that will let me continue being the healthy weight I now am. 💪 Yet, I am constantly reminded of the temptations and how hard it is to be healthy with peer pressure. 🍰 But at least I live single and don’t have a TV so I don’t have quite as much pressure as some folks do. Camping without junk food is hard but I’m learning how to make that quite delicious minus the junk, which I no longer buy. Then maybe go to the Pine Bush 🌲 or visit John Wolcott. 👴 It would be a surprise visit as I hadn’t planned it. Alternatively, if I get the bicycle today, 🚲 ride out to Voorheesville.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3am. Mostly cloudy 🌃, with a low of 72 degrees at 6am. Nine degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 72 at 6pm. South wind around 7 mph. Not good sleeping. Very much lay by the fan all night long, sweating kind of night. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It became somewhat humid as the night progressed. It got down to 60 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1946.

Then I want to soak the red kidney beans 🍽 and if I can find space the chickpeas for cooking tomorrow. I want to get lemons 🍋 and try again at making hummus, this time putting the ingredients together correctly and pulverizing the chickpeas better. That said, I like chickpeas in with my lunch roasted, or roasted mixed with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and walnuts. I’ve gotten into cooking, though not in the 10,000 ingredient perfectly portioned fatty-sugar-salty cooking recipe ways popularly promoted on the color television and internet forums. 📺 If it needs a recipe, in my book, it’s not worth cooking. I am also going to get stevia to make lemonade, minus the sugar and calories, and maybe plain Gelatin to make lemon or other fruit jellos using frozen fruit 🍓, the food processor, and some stevia. I have an orange juice squeezer I can use on the lemons and run through the food processor to recover not only the lemon juice but the all important fiber for health. Can’t under estimate the importance of lots of fiber in one’s diet. Americans don’t eat enough fiber, period. Just looking for something cold and sweet without tons of calories, besides my now favorite plain, no-fat Greek yougurt with frozen fruit (or fresh fruit up at camp).

On this day in 1959, the Steel Strike of 1959 gets underway, forcing contractors to either import steel or delay construction projects. 🏗️👷 Many chose to import lower-cost steel, with the result being the US Steel industry never recovering. Demand was strong with the interstate highway program but with inflation and the winding down of the peak road construction in the 1970s, a lot of the outdated American mills would be shut down for good.

Looking ahead, there are 3 weeks until Work Like a Dog Day 🐩 when the sun will be setting at 8:12 pm with dusk at 8:42 pm. Plunge into darkness time of the year as September approached. Always happens that way. On that day in 2022, we had hot and humid weather, it was partly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 93 and 71 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 83 degrees. We hit a record high of 99 back in 1955.

More trips in August into Autumn ? 🏖️🎣⛺🚲

Andy | July 14, 2023

I’m hoping that next weekend ends the drought of trips out of town. It’s been tough with the weather and my search for a bicycle. But also there is a darker truth – I don’t enjoy camping as much as I once did, especially those shorter trips with the longer drives – now that I’m in my forties.

It’s just a lot of work to pack, drive out of town to set up camp for one or two nights. It’s gotten more and more expensive with inflation, namely food and fuel prices. But also I find it harder and harder to find new and novel places relatively close to home to explore. It’s boring to do the same trip over and over again, I get little out of it.

Vacation is in two weeks. I am really hopeful to take delivery of my mountain bike soon. I will be at the shop that was supposed to be assembling my bicycle on Saturday to get a status update and find alternative plans as necessary, such as ordering at a different shop. And I might get out next weekend for a long weekend, depending on the weather.

Still, I want to get up to the Potholers at least a few more times before it gets cold out in mid-to-late September, likewise I would like to swim at the Mine Kill Pool a few times before it closes in seven weeks after Labor Day Weekend. With two weekend allocated to summer vacation that last and first week of August, Labor Day Weekend will be here before you know it.

Labor Day Weekend I am still thinking about Speculator Tree Farm, namely Hardwood Hill if I can get and riding around the Tree Farm, and doing some paddling in Lake Pleasant. Later in September, I would like to get out to Charles Baker State Forest to ride the many forest roads there, and paddle Nine Mile Swamp in Hamilton which I haven’t done in years.

Later in the autumn, I am still thinking about a trip up to the Black River Valley, and maybe a trip to North-Central PA to ride in the Grand Canyon / Pine Creek Gorge trail which could be combined with a trip to the Finger Lakes National Forest or Allegheny National Forest. Maybe camp at Burnt-Rossman around Columbus Day Weekend. so I could ride those roads and do more of the Catskill Scenic Trail once the leafs start to pop.

And also maybe a trip to Cazenovia / Stoney Pond to camp there after it’s open without reservation in the autumn after the crowds are gone for the season. That could be a good one for November or early December if the snow holds off. Then a December trip to NY 8 – East Branch to close out the year.

Rensselearville State Forest remains a good option for autumn camping and or even winter camping once hunting season is done. But I’d rather go other places a little farther from home, though it sure is convenient and easy to get a campsite in the winter. Plus that road is plowed year round. The dirt roads for the most part would be good on the mountain bike, and I wouldn’t mind exploring the OSI parcel further, especially after a good cold snap when the ticks aren’t so bad.

Totally agree that walking in that thunderstorm last night wasn’t a great idea ⛈

Andy | July 14, 2023

I didn’t think it would be nice enough to go out walking last night but then I stepped outside it seemed okay, the wind blowing the opposite direction of the clouds to the west. It risk of thunder seemed pretty low, and I wanted to get at least 8 miles in for the day. But the time I was farthest from home the lightening was too close for comfort and five minutes from home the sky opened up. Ultimately I did get in 8 miles for the day, not the ten I normally walk and didn’t make it to the park, but that’s fine.

Good morning! With a few loud cracks of rain and thunder it’s morning. The sun is is rising, the skies are clearing somewhat and let’s call it 66 ⅔ degrees at the 6:30 for the morning walk in the land of the Delmartian. ⛅ Calm wind. The dew point is 64 degrees.

Last night I got home 🏡 from work glad that I didn’t get soaked and figured that the evening walk 🚶 was off the agenda. Then at 6:30 I stepped outside and looked at the radar and decided it would be okay. And it was for a while until the wind shifted and thunder ⚡ pushed closer. In the end it was fine, though I got a bit wet and went to bed early. 🛏 Walked 8 miles for the day plus 39 flights of stairs up and down. I was asleep by around 8 pm and up around 5 am.

As it was still raining out when I awoke 🍳 I decided to have breakfast before walking which was cold black coffee ☕ with cold eggs and spinach from the other day. I also had a half of banana 🍌 from last night. At lunch time yesterday I walked up to Market 32 in Albany and got a bunch of bananas to hold my pantry over until Saturday when I can do a bigger shop 🏪. Cold lunch today with black beans, mushrooms, chopped farmers market tomatoes, peppers. Avoids the line for the microwave at work, though I’ve figured out the technique is to cook lunch at 12:50 PM before the 1 PM rush.

Today will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 5pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy 🌧, with a high of 83 degrees at 2pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around July 4th. Independence Day! Maximum dew point of 71 at 2pm. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 99 was set in 1995.

I’ll have to keep that Market 32 in Albany in mind 🛒 for when I need stocking up of a few ingredients downtown. Much better than the old Ghetto Chopper and really only a few blocks away from work if I take South Swan to Elm Street. They don’t have much in household supplies – I was hoping to get super glue to fix my boots 👢 – but the fresh fruits and vegetables looked good. It’s small so a fast shop. Probably can’t get frozen things there and I decided to skip getting plain non fat Greek yogurt just because of the hot day walking back to the office and the bus ride home but in the winter I think that’s an option.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.1° from the due south horizon (-1.7° 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 🏅 starts at 7:51 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (294°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (301°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:33 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 22 seconds with dusk around 9:06 pm, which is 36 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:50 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 74 degrees. The dew point will be 70 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 5 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 25 seconds over yesterday.

Six months into healthy eating 🍎I am finally starting to notice how much thinner I am. I have a feeling that my BMI is now below 25 though I don’t have a scale so I don’t know but I know I have lost weight since the last time I visited the doctor at the end of May when I was 209 lb and needed to get to 194 lb to be a healthy weight at 6′ 2.5″ though most others say I’m 6′ 4″ or 6′ 5″ with the boots on. My love handles have virtually disappeared and my stomach is much smaller, and I’m pretty sure that size 36 pants 👖 are now the proper size, the smallest since probably I’ve been since elementary school. The problem is finding clothes in my closet that don’t make me look like a clown. Still have a little more belly fat I’d look to loose, not just because of the look but because outer fat is associated with inner muscle fat, especially in the heart which is rather bad. But I feel like I am starting to get in great shape, mostly from eating a nutritious diet but also because I’ve kept up with the walking and stairs. And hopefully cycling too. Steiner, you are biting me with this bicycle thing. 😠

Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 66 degrees at 5am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 70 at 6pm. Southeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 57 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1950.

I need to think about getting new boots before vacation. 👟 Or at least rugged sneakers, something I can use for mountain biking and maybe jogging which I tell myself that I’m thinking 💭 about taking up 🏃 maybe half seriously since becoming thinner. Around camp and certainly st the swimming pools and holes the knock off crocks are fun but they’re not appropriate for much else. They have no ankle support, get my feet muddy, and worse of all let in any stones and sticks into my foot 👣 where I can step on them.

On this day in 1969, the $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 bills are officially withdrawn from circulation. 💵 After this date, if you wanted to buy a large purchase in cash, you needed a lot of hundred dollars in bills. 💰They had last been printed in 1945, and were finally dropped from circulation in 1969, in part as an effort to reduce corruption and money scams. Nowadays a hundred 💯 dollars seems almost a paltry amount with inflation not that I ever carry anything bigger than $5 bills because it’s just easier to use the credit card 💳 for anything bigger.

Tomorrow will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 87 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 72 at 11am. Muggy, swamp weather. South wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 86 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1997.

Tomorrow I will walk 🚶 early to best the heat. 😰 Then it’s those oatmeal banana pancakes 🍌 🥞 love with blueberries and maybe some sugar free maple syrup and cold black coffee. So good! Then it’s off to Steiners to check on the status of the bicycle 🚲 they promise to be assembling for me. They don’t have it, I’ll test ride the XXL of the Marlin 5 and order and pay for the Marlin 6 as long as they can give me a set date for delivery. 🚚 Otherwise I will order online with another shop. This purchase needs to be closed down this weekend.

Then the next thing to do is get grocery shopping 🛒. I want to get more red kidney beans for maple syrup 🍘 next week and get them soaking to be cooked come Sunday morning. Plus all the usual, more Greek yogurt, 🐮 frozen fruit 🍓, peppers 🫑🌶️, mushrooms 🍄 and the usuals. I also need shampoo and extra deodorant the later this keep in the office 🏢 after climbing the stairs. Then I’m not totally sure. If it’s hot and looks like thunderstorms will stay away, maybe go to the town pool. I would have to register though to get a pool fob, maybe I should do that and it’s $5.25 to enter. And you have to do that in advance. Seems like a pain. If I get the bike, ride out to Voorheesville and probably the Black Creek Marsh. If it’s hot and I don’t want to spend money, go to the library for a while with my computer, then come home, sit by the fan and get through some more of the stack of library books I have at home.

Looking ahead to Sunday, showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 83. ⛈️ South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. Not just a few passing showers. Maximum dew point of 74 at 12pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

And so is the weekend forecast. 😖 But if I can get this damn bicycle 🚲 thing closed down, I’ll be happy. I am thinking about taking off at least one day next week, where and what to do is to be decided but I need to get a few things ready for my vacation, I’ve taken fewer days off this summer than expected. Maybe it will be to get the rack on the bicycle, break it in or pick it up. Maybe the Potholers or Schoharie the second half of the week.

Two weeks from now, God willing, 🏖 I will be well on my way to the Finger Lakes. I really want to leave by eight AM on that Friday to get the campsite I want in the National Forest ⛺ and then have the afternoon to set up and relax. 🎣 Do some fishing, a nice bicycle 🚲 ride and maybe watch a Finger Lakes sunset 🌇 across a cow pasture in the National Forest.

After vacation, August 11th I have a dentist appointment at 10:15 AM which I will follow up probably with a long weekend. Maybe Schoharie or the Adirondacks. Have to be strategic at this point as there are only three weeks left in August at that point before Labor Day Weekend, and I want to have at least a few more long weekends before summer is done. That said, except for the Mine Kill Pool there is no reason I can’t take lots of long weekends come September and October. I am not doing a West Virginia trip — or even a week-long trip at this point this autumn, so that leaves other days to allocate. I would like to do some kayaking, fishing, hunting, and bike riding this autumn. Charles Baker State Forest roads probably would be wonderful for autumn bike riding, as would the Chenango Canal Trail and others.

Looking ahead, there are 7 weeks until September 1st when the sun will be setting at 7:31 pm with dusk at 7:59 pm. That’s the start of Labor Day Weekend. On that day in 2022, we had mostly sunny skies with rain showers and temperatures between 73 and 55 degrees. Cool day. The average high is 79 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1953. I might do Spectulator that weekend, especially if they have fire tower lighting that I could observe from I don’t know, Watch Hill (?). Some of those truck trails through the Conservation Easement might be nice on the mountain bike, as would be camping up on Hardwood Hill, looking at the stars, lighting off ground fireworks and sparklers.