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.
There is this campsite on lower Jessup River Road, up on Hartwick Hill which offers a nice view of the mountains when camping there. Not a lot of shade in the campsite proper, and it’s kind of exposed to the elements, but it offers a fantastic view and cellphone service to boot.
I ended up spending the weekend up there during Labor Day Weekend 2018, it was a nice place to camp, despite only modestly nice weather. But with the bright open area, the view and the good cellphone reception, I think i might go back there next June once the road opens for the summer.
There is some traffic on Jessup River Road, especially in the morning when people are heading out to the mountains to hike, or as with Labor Day Weekend, people heading up to camp. Traffic means noise and dust, but I didn’t find it overly bothersome.
I can’t say enough about the great views for sure. Too bad when I camped most of the weekend was trapped in fog and rain, but next time I go up I expect the weather would be nicer. I would probably go up there in June, when I’m on-call for work, as I could sit up there, do work business using my phone, while sipping a cold beer or leaning back in the hammock.
The great thing about the big open campsite, is it makes for a great place for looking at the stars, and of course having a great big ol’ fire into the night.
Still a few more weeks until June but I sure look forward to those nice nights come the summer.
Computers, computers, computers wherever you turn.
Those chips are so loaded with hot information
You’d think they would burn.
Some of it’s factual, actual,
Some of it’s made of thin air.
Whatever gets in a computer
Stays there.
You can put almost anything in there that comes to your mind.
The programmer gets lost in the shuffle, the scuffle,
The dope stays behind.
Some of its factual, actual,
Some of it is double-faced.
Whatever gets in a computer
Isn’t erased.
Our lives have been fed to computers, every thought, every dream,
Everything that we’ve bought that has rusted or busted
Or split at the seam,
Every up, every down,
Every howl, every glimmer of luck.
When something gets in a computer
It’s stuck.
The stuff that we have in our heads is a different affair.
We’ve hoarded and sorted, amended and bended
And let in the air.
But computer banks grow like a cancer,
They can always produce a wrong answer
And they never are troubled with doubt.
And once you get in a computer
You never get out.
I don’t use Microsoft Windows much. But when I do use it, the thing that is most noticeable is the enormous security and features updates that take forever to update. Literally, it took my laptop 25 minutes of unusable time complete with multiple reboots to get working the other day, meaning I would have missed my Zoom meeting if not for my phone.
In Linux, all updates can be done in the background using apt-get or a similar package manager. Linux doesn’t require reboots during updates, nowadays even kernels can in many cases be hot swapped. Most other software and libraries can be updated in the background. Yes, every two years there are big distribution updates for Ubuntu which often require a single reboot to load the latest kernel and features but it’s not usually mandated right away, and the reboot is just an ordinary reboot with no delays.
The windows update process really should be faster, requiring less files be downloaded for patching bugs and should occur in the background. The windows infrastructure should be redesigned to allow libraries to be updated behind the scenes without reboots and if a library has breaking changes, it should only require you to restart that app. Likewise, windows should tell you exactly what is updating during system updates, not keeping you in the dark – maybe hide the real technical information but at least give you a much better idea what is happening in the background (patching the security bug that could xxxx) along with estimated time, percent done and progress.
I think the Senate is done but like usual, our chamber is running late. I guess we are making up for all the early adjournments. I’m hoping to bank that time and use it to extend my Juneteenth weekend. My only concern is that next weekend might be cool and rainy. But I haven’t gotten out enough in recent weeks and I can string up tarps, though the idea of hot weather spent at the Potholers or the swimming hole by House Pond Campsite seems to be fading away. But it’s still good to get away.
Good morning, Happy Saturday. Partly cloudy and 55 degrees in Delmar, NY. ⛅ There is a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 52 degrees.
Out walking and getting my steps 👣 as much as I can before things get too crazy today. I worked until 3 AM but was able to do part of the night from home, so I could nap every once and while listening to session, setting my alarm 50 minutes on a hour, ⏰ as usually that’s when important emails and things occur like committees called and debates starting and ending. 👩⚖️ Funny how you learn that technique that lets you get a little shut eye 👁 while still keeping up with the work. But I’ve been doing this 16 years now, so you learn a bit, and with computers and possibility of remote work 👩💻 at times, especially late night, it makes it more possible. Being in the research department, being in person isn’t as necessary as it once was as a coordinator when I was constantly running over the Capitol to meet with members and staff.
Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 74 degrees at 4pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 27th. Maximum dew point of 53 at 9am. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. It’s been a remarkably cool spring from May into June. Had a few warm days but not a lot. But pleasant. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 76 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 2008.
Somehow I had this thought in my head 🤪 that the legislative session would wrap up on Friday, potentially late in the night, and I would mostly have my Saturday off, 👨💼 though that seems unlikely at this point as that did not happen, well except for the other chamber. But I’ve been able to work from home, allowing me to catch a few naps between working. But still I’m not going to be able to go to the Gas Up 🚜 with dad today as I hoped. Too bad, it would have been a beautiful day, but I’m thinking tomorrow I will be able to do this.
Probably will work a bit from home, 👨💻 and then work down from the library mid-day for a while, hopefully it will be good from a picnic table outside and my battery will hold up on my laptop, but if need be I can work from my truck. Or just from home with the hotspot, though I don’t want to use too much data if I can avoid it as my phone plan and 5 GB hotspot just renewed for the month. That said, I rarely keep my laptop at home and during the summer I don’t know if I’ll use the hotspot much at all. 📶 I can basically do nearly everything with my phone these days. Who knows though I’m ready to hop in my pickup truck and go downtown if necessary. 🛻
At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 68 degrees. The dew point will be 55 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 6 mph. Sunset is at 8:34 pm with dusk lasting for 26 minutes concluding at 9:07 pm. Then later tonight, it will be partly cloudy, with a low around 50. 😴 West wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. Patchy fog after 5am.
It wouldn’t be a bad evening to hammock camp, 🏕 but truth be told I will likely be too tired and it’s better to catch up sleep in my own bed. Plus I want to take a good solid nap this afternoon 💤 and then go to Walmart and Market32 to refresh my pantry. 🍏 I really wish I had some fresh fruit to snack on this morning. I had a good breakfast of reheated quiche in a wrap with some extra spinach and olives but I wish I had something sweet to go along with it but I’ve eaten down all the fruit. 🥫 I should get some canned fruit for my pantry for times like this, as much as I dislike having to canned stuff that has be washed and recycled. ♻️ Plus, I even though you can get canned in water, you have been careful and some of that crap sneaks in salt, especially for vegetables. 🤰 I have excellent blood pressure but I know salt can very quickly make that all go to crap.
For Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 82. 😎 Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. I think Sunday’s forecast has improved enough that hopefully it good for the Gas Up with dad. 🚜 I was hoping for some time to check it out myself, but that’s fine. I guess if next weekend turns out to be rainy and cold, I could camp in Schoharie and visit during the day time, but I still kind of want to head north for the long weekend. 🏕
Really the big question is next weekend — Juneteenth on my mind, though also Sunday now that looks like the best day for the Gas Up with dad. 🚜 But first I got to get through this crazy weekend with work, so things can slow down for summer next week. 🏊 🏕 I am a little worried about the long range for next weekend, though truth be told most models beyond seven days are complete crap, projections easily thrown off by a butterfly flapping his or her wings in South America effecting the global climate model that far out. The good news is it looks like beneficial rain come Monday as things have been so dry lately. 🌧
Today. Feels like … May 27th.
Partly sunny.
Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. and
74 degrees
,53 max dew point,
8:34 sunset.
Tonight. Feels like … May 23rd.
Patchy fog after 5am. Otherwise, partly cloudy.
West wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. and
50 degrees
,
5:15 sunrise.
Sunday. Feels like … July 4th.
Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny.
Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. and
83 degrees
,59 max dew point,
8:34 sunset.
Sunday Night. Feels like … July 2nd.
Isolated showers and thunderstorms, then a chance of showers after 8pm. Cloudy.
Southeast wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. and
61 degrees
,60 max dew point,
5:15 sunrise.
Monday. Feels like … May 23rd.
A chance of showers before 2pm, then rain after 2pm. High near 73. South wind 9 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. and
73 degrees
,62 max dew point,
8:35 sunset.
Monday Night. Feels like … June 22nd.
Rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 2am, then rain likely. Low around 59. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. and
59 degrees
,
5:15 sunrise.
Tuesday. Feels like … June 8th.
Rain likely before 8am, then a chance of showers after 8am. Partly sunny.
Chance of precipitation is 60%. and
77 degrees
,60 max dew point,
8:35 sunset.
Tuesday Night. Feels like … June 5th.
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy.
Chance of precipitation is 40%. and
54 degrees
,
5:15 sunrise.
Wednesday. Feels like … May 19th.
Showers likely.
Chance of precipitation is 70%. and
72 degrees
,58 max dew point,
8:36 sunset.
Wednesday Night. Feels like … June 1st.
A chance of thunderstorms before 8pm. Partly cloudy.
Chance of precipitation is 30%. and
53 degrees
,
5:15 sunrise.
Thursday. Feels like … June 11th.
A chance of showers. Mostly sunny.
Chance of precipitation is 30%. and
78 degrees
,56 max dew point,
8:36 sunset.
Thursday Night. Feels like … June 8th.
Partly cloudy.
and
55 degrees
,
5:15 sunrise.
Friday. Feels like … June 4th.
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny.
Chance of precipitation is 30%. and
A lot of advertising is popping up these days urging folks to buy various commodities to fight inflation. Sounds like a dumb idea as commodities are likely already overpriced and at some point in the future will come crashing back down.
While I wish now that I had bought more energy stock years ago, I stayed away from adding more due to the high level of dividend payments. Paying taxes on dividends you reinvest sucks. It’s just money out of your pocket to the tax department every four months that your not seeing until you cash out. My original idea was to hedge against inflation but I feel like it just makes you more vulnerable to the ups and downs of one sector rather than cheaper index funds.
Inflation is a problem it kind of bites. The markets are down although nothing like what they’ve been up the past ten years. A slight dip today shouldn’t take away from long term thinking. It’s sucks to look at your portfolio and think your spinning wheels, with values only increasing slightly over the past year even though the total number of shares actually is getting a boost due to the down markets.
