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.
Usually when I want to research a New York organization I start at NY Open Government, which is a website put out by the NY Attorney General and brings together several open datasets.
One way to find people’s addresses is to find them in the voter file. Voter Ref contains the voter files for several states, which can be handy for looking up people’s addresses, date of birth, party registration.
You can confirm the latest information on people’s voting registration and address by using the state board of election’s voter lookup. You will need their county, date of birth and zip code which you can get from Voter Ref.
See Through NY has listings of many though not all government employees, which can be useful when you are trying to find information on government workers. No addresses here, but you can find salaries and who people work for in government. If you need bulk data, I wrote a scraping script.
Another good way to gleam people’s addresses and the candidates they search is NYS Campaign Finance Search. If you think somebody might work for a candidate or campaign, you can search the campaign expenses section.
Every county in New York State is required to post their tax rolls to their website. Tax rolls can be usually found by searching on Google: “XXXX County Tax Rolls” without the quotes. Not only can you find all of the properties owned by a person that way, you can find their address, assessed value and other information. Often the county tax rolls include information on tax exemptions, such as the Guilderland Solar Exemption and Veterans STAR Reduction, which can help you find people who have solar on their homes or are Veterans. I wrote a script to convert the PDFs into Excel spreadsheets.
If you need to search a whole county or the even the state, you will want to get the full roll from NYS GIS. You don’t need mapping or GIS software to use the Shapefiles — Microsoft Excel and OpenOffice can natively open .DBF which contain the data tables. NYS GIS offers selected countys tax-maps as a Shapefile or GeoPackage too.
In addition, most counties offer their tax maps as ArcGIS REST/Services that can be used in a GIS Program like QGIS. You can find them by searching on Google: “XXX County “REST/Services” parcel”.
Good morning! January is almost done. Tomorrow is February and then Friday it gets cold. But warm next week.
Tuesday. ⚙ Put your foot on the clutch, let the engine slow slightly. Pull the shift lever down let your foot off the clutch and give it some gas. Do it what seems like a million times and it seems like a very natural process.
Snow flurries and 31 degrees in Delmar, NY for the morning walk. ❄ There is a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. There are 2 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ Bare patches around. ️Things will start to thaw out at Thursday around noontime. 🌡️And then that one very cold night, relatively speaking in the context of the year.
Today will have a chance of snow showers, mainly before 8am. Mostly cloudy 🌦, with a high of 32 degrees at 2pm. One degree below normal, which is similar to a typical day around January 25th. Northwest wind 6 to 13 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 17 degrees. The record high of 58 was set in 1913. 6.9 inches of snow fell back in 2000.❄
Maybe not the nicest morning ever for the walk 🚶, kind of gray and chilly though not as cold as it can be in the winter. But we are heading into February so that’s to be expected. The next few mornings will be clearer but colder. And what will the Ground Hog 🐻 see on Thursday? Nose 👃 is running a bit in the cold and I had a bit of a headache yesterday but it was a Monday and I’m not a sick puppy 🐶 even if I’m a bit of a redneck and a pyro.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 30° from the due south horizon (-40.9° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 10.4 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:26 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (240°). 📸
The sunset is in the west-southwest (247°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:07 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 9 seconds with dusk around 5:37 pm, which is one minute and 19 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon in the east-southeast (102°) at an altitude of 52° from the horizon, 247,924 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:11 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 28 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 2 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 20 seconds over yesterday.
Pay day today 💵 and I look rich for five minutes though I think my landlord and my brokerage firm is laughing 😂 and I might have fifty cents 🪙 after I pay down the IRS tax bill lol. One step closer to the future 🔮 I tell myself. I could live out in the country and pay even more in taxes. 🐐 Property taxes are a bitch in New York State. a
Tonight will be cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy ☁, with a low of 14 degrees at 5am. One degree below normal. Maximum wind chill around 15 at 12am; West wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm after midnight. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 10 degrees. The record low of -20 occurred back in 1920.
Brushed the snow off Red 🛻 especially the solar panel so when the sun comes out it can keep the batteries topped off in the cold. With the solar, the truck often starts the best on cold sunny days ☀ as the battery is fully topped off. 🔋 Then it’s just a matter of waiting for the lubrication of the engine to kick in after a second or two.
Cold but sunny forSaturday. ☀ Saturday, sunny and cold, with a high near 10. Warms up come Sunday, a chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Typical average high for the weekend is 34 degrees. I don’t think that quite averages to 34. Little on the low side. National Gird needs their pound of flesh and I need a odd grid cabin out in the country with a wood stove so I can stop paying the heat the earth’s climate.
Looking ahead l, there are 2 weeks until Valentines Day ❤️ when the sun will be setting at 5:27 pm with dusk at 5:54 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly cloudy, snow showers and temperatures between 28 and 15 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 36 degrees. We hit a record high of 63 back in 1946.
Good evening! Snow squalls and 31 degrees in Delmar, NY. ❄ There is a north breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. There are 2.5 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out at Thursday around noontime before the deep freeze on Friday night. 🌡️
It was a Monday. 🏢 Not a bad one, I was home by around 6:20 zapped some food 🍲 I had previously froze and had dinner. Out for the evening walk 🚶 and then it’s off to bed 🛏 for the night. Another mild night though cooler weather than recent.
Tonight will rain and snow likely before 1am, then a slight chance of snow between 1am and 3am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 26 degrees at 5am. 11 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 15th. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. In 2022, we had clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 7 degrees. The record low of -26 occurred back in 1948.
It’s a nice night 🌃 for the evening walk 🚶 with some snow 🌨 coming down but not really sticking to the pavement. Salters are out so it wouldn’t be a good night to wash my truck plus I’m tired. I’m thinking Thursday will be mild but will things be really salty come the cold blast?
Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon with 72% illuminated. At 7 PM, the moon was in the south-southeast (154°) at an altitude of 69° from the horizon, some 245,655 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. 🚀 At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by August 5th. Buckle up for safety! 💺
The Snow ❄ Moon is on Sunday, February 5. The darkest hour is at 12:09 am, followed by dawn at 6:43 am, and sun starting to rise at 7:13 am in the east-southeast (114°) and last for 3 minutes and 10 seconds. Sunrise is 58 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 7:55 am with sun in the east-southeast (121°).Tonight will have 14 hours and one minute of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 18 seconds over last night.
My phone is still dropping out 📶 a lot at home 🏡 but not other places. Seems like it’s happening less frequently now and it’s not that I’m getting throttled because when I’m connected to other towers I’m fine, locally it just keeps breaking up in the general area around home. First time this has been an issue since the start of the pandemic.
Tomorrow will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 29 degrees at 11am. Four degrees below normal. Northwest wind 9 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with sunny skies in the afternoon. The high last year was 17 degrees. The record high of 58 was set in 1913. 6.9 inches of snow fell back in 2000.
I was noting it is only three weeks until President’s Day Weekend. 👴🏻 I’m thinking that would be a good weekend to get away – and maybe tack on a extra day if the weather allows. Snow makes it hard to get away to a lot of places in the back country but I have options. There is always Rennselearville but I’m a bit tired 😴 of that.
In four weeks on February 27 the sun will be setting in the west (260°) at 5:43 pm,🌄 which is 36 minutes and 9 seconds later then tonight. In 2021 on that day, we had mostly cloudy, snow showers and temperatures between 44 and 30 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 39 and 21 degrees. The record high of 61 degrees was set back in 1997.
Looking ahead, Save the Pine Bush Turns 45 🦋 is Next Monday, Presidents Day 👴 is in 3 weeks, 8 PM Dusk 🌆 is in 10 weeks, May 🕊 is in 13 weeks, 8:30 PM Sunset ️⛱️ is in 18 weeks, Average High is 80 🏖 is in 20 weeks, World Mosquito Day 🐞 is in 29 weeks, Average High Falls To 79 ️Degrees ⛱️️️ is in 7 months, Labor Day 👨🏭 is in 31 weeks, September 11th 🇺🇸 is in 32 weeks, 7 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 33 weeks, Average Night Below Freezing 🌌 is in 41 weeks, Cyber Monday 🛍️ is in 43 weeks, First Sunday of Advent ✝️ is in 44 weeks, Bake Cookies Day 🍪 is in 46 weeks, Christmas 🎅 is in 47 weeks, and Bacon Day 🥓 is in 11 months.
Night before dawn is 6 hours and 41 minutes, Dawn starts at 6:41 am and runs for 28 minutes, Sunrise is at 7:09 am which is 4 hours and 50 minutes before noon, High noon, the transit of the sun, is at 12:08 pm, From twelve noon to the sunset at 5:07 pm is 5 hours and 7 minutes, Dusk lasts for 31 minutes concluding at 5:35 pm, Leaving 6 hours and 24 minutes until midnight.
Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. We all knew it would happen but did we actually believe it on Friday? Mostly cloudy and 30 degrees in Delmar. ☁ There is a west-southwest breeze at 10 mph. 🍃. There are 3 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out at around 10 am. 🌡️
Kind of a cold and damp morning. 🌅 Of course we can discuss the meaning of cold come the weekend when the first cold blast of the season really comes. Seems like in recent years the really cold weather happens after the Ground Hog 🐻 see his shadow.
Enjoy one more mild day. ☺ Today will have a slight chance of rain and snow showers between 1pm and 2pm, then a chance of rain showers. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a high of 37 degrees at 2pm. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 18th. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with sunny skies in the afternoon. The high last year was 17 degrees. The record high of 56 was set in 2013. 11.0 inches of snow fell back in 1966.❄
Back to work after turning forty. It’s the usual Monday routine. 🧑🏻💼I boiled my muzzles yesterday while unpacking my camping 🏕 gear and I’m doing the morning walk 🚶 after having biscuits and oranges 🍊for breakfast. My jacket still smells like the weekend that was 🔥 but will air out as the week goes on. Shower, iron put on my politicians suit and take the local downtown to my office 🏢 and water the plants. 🌱 Work, work, work 📄 and get paid Tuesday and invest two thirds of that towards a better tomorrow.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:09 pm with sun having an altitude of 29.7° from the due south horizon (-41.1° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 10.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:24 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (239°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (247°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:06 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 10 seconds with dusk around 5:35 pm, which is one minute and 18 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇
At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon in the east-southeast (119°) at an altitude of 59° from the horizon, 245,505 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:10 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and snow 🌨 and temperatures around 36 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 9 hours and 59 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 19 seconds over yesterday.
The three day weekend that I invented was nice though nothing that special for my birthday. 🎂 The skiing 🎿 was great especially on Friday and it was mild and sunny 🌞 for Saturday but Rennselearville is only 32 minutes from home so it’s not that much of a trip. But I had my fires 🔥 burned up all that paper and burnables, had a few drinks 🍻 and some nice meals. 🍴 Did a lot of skiing and a nice hike on Sunday though nothing extraordinary.
My phone service keeps dropping out in Delmar 📱 which has been annoying. 📶 Not sure what the problem is though I heard Verizon has had capacity issues lately. I know my cheap service gets the lowest priority and I live on the outskirts of town where service is a bit spotty but it’s been good over the decade and a half I’ve had it. 🤷♂️
Tonight will have a chance of rain and snow showers before 8pm, then a chance of snow showers between 8pm and 2am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 24 degrees at 6am. Nine degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 8th. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. In 2022, we had clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 7 degrees. The record low of -26 occurred back in 1948.
I don’t think today will be a good one to go to the car wash 🚿 but maybe tomorrow before it gets too cold out. Shopping 🛒 on Friday I tried to get everything I would need for the week but some things inevitably got left off the list 📃. I’ve misplaced my needles and need to pick some up to fix a shirt. 🪡 So maybe Tuesday after work.
Frigid weekend ahead. ❄ Saturday, sunny, with a high near 13. That’s cold. Sunday, a chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Typical average high for the weekend is 34 degrees. I guess if I don’t want my pipes to freeze I’m going to have to turn the heat above 48 degrees feel like a husky on a hot summer day. 🐺 It’s been such a mild winter though no 70 degrees days like that year a few years ago.
Next Monday Save the Pine Bush Turns 45 🦋 when the sun will be setting at 5:16 pm with dusk at 5:44 pm. Makes me feel young. On that day in 2022, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 36 and 12 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 34 degrees. We hit a record high of 55 back in 1991.
Good morning! Happy Fortieth Birthday to Me. 🎂 I’m not telling anyone on Facebook, we’ll see if anyone notices, lol. 😂 Getting up and starting breakfast shortly. Then taking down camp and heading out for a walk. Later on depending on my mood I might go to Rennselearville Falls and hike there though it’s a cloudy day and I doubt there will be much ice this year due to being so mild. Come next weekend might be a different story though it’s going to be frigid then and I doubt I’ll be camping then.
Mostly cloudy and 33 degrees in Rennselearville State Forest. ☁ There is a south breeze at 7 mph. 🍃. There are 3 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ The warmth and sun was tough on the snow yesterday and it will be warmer today for just one more day. ️Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 5 am. ☃️
Yesterday was a beautiful day for skiing 🎿. Lots of blue skies and sun ☀ and not much wind. Still the morning was cold enough the snow was good though midday it got a bit tacky by melting and a few bare patches. But much better than the initial forecast. I did a lot of skiing last night. 🎿
Today will have a chance of showers, mainly after 1pm. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 41 degrees at 1pm. Eight degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 3rd. South wind 7 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 14 degrees. The record high of 54 was set in 2002. 8.3 inches of snow fell back in 1990.❄
Does forty feel much different than 39? 👴🏻 Not really. I don’t think I’m much more gray than yesterday. But it’s still both an exciting and somewhat scary time as things are bound to change at an accelerating rate. But I’m ready to embrace it and take the necessary steps to make my 50th birthday in ten years especially special. There are so many things I want to do but there are steps in the mean time to follow. 🔮
Sunset tonight is at 5:06 pm with dusk 🌆 around 5:37. 9 hours and 56 minutes of daylight an increase of two minutes over yesterday. Cloudy breezy and 36 at sunset with a chance of rain showers. And then cold for mid week into next weekend. Cold then even by January standards, though Wednesday starts February and the Ground Hog reports to duty on Thursday. He’ll see his shadow and it will be cold ❄ for a while.
Later on today, going out to my parents house 🏡 for Sunday dinner and to spend the evening with them. Than back to work next week. A real five day work week. 🏢 Like everything it will go by quickly. Not planning any more trips in the near future as it’s going to be cold but maybe if it warms up for President’s Day Week I’ll plan a long weekend somewhere to be decided. Maybe Five Rivers next Saturday though it will be cold or maybe I’ll go up to see John Wolcott and his wife. I guess I could always mall walk if it’s truly frigid with the muzzle on. 😷
Since the start of December I’ve camped eight nights ⛺ only two of them in the heated tent the rest in my truck cap. 🛻 I actually prefer to sleep in an unheated place, I sleep better 😴 although even the heated tent isn’t heated while I sleep for obvious safety reasons. While the trip to Rennselearville State Forest wasn’t as invigorating as Madison County with all the farms and rural landscapes 🐮 its nice to get away from the city 🏙 for a few nights. 🌲
