Next weekend is Labor Day Weekend, words that I find almost find hard to write. As that garage in Johnstown has on the sign, summer should get a speeding ticket.
Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Clouds with a break in the rain and 65 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ There is a south-southeast breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 63 degrees. 0.52 inches of rain is expected before it ends tomorrow around 4 am.
Another day for busing it 🚍 as I’m not convinced that it won’t turn to heavy rain last night. At least this time I’m prepared with my rain coat 🧥 so that almost guarantees that it won’t rain. Next week at this time I’m hoping to be well on my way to Spectulator so I can set up camp ⛺ before nine o’clock for the long weekend. I’ll see if I can remote work otherwise I’ll take off a personal day.
Today will have showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 9am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 9am. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 75 degrees at 3pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 14th. Maximum dew point of 70 at 2pm. South wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. It could be a swamp for bicycling home, assuming it’s not raining. And I’m not convinced that will be the case. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 87 degrees. The record high of 99 was set in 1947.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:59 pm with sun having an altitude of 58.2° from the due south horizon (-12.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:06 pm with the sun in the west (279°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (286°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:44 pm after setting for 3 minutes with dusk around 8:11 pm, which is one minute and 38 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon in the south (180°) at an altitude of 20° from the horizon, 232,021 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:49 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 73 degrees. The dew point will be 69 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 13 hours and 32 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 42 seconds over yesterday.
If it’s not raining too much today, 🍞 I am thinking of riding down to Hannaford and getting some whole-wheat flower and yeast so I can start experimenting with making bread again for the first time in years. Looking to make some simple, relatively healthy wholegrain bread as a way to mix up my diet more, especially with winter coming and wanting to have something to dip into the various vegetable soups I want to make come winter. 🍲 And maybe some more frozen fruit, though that could wait to the weekend as I sliced into the pineapple 🍍 last night and still have bananas left.
Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then a slight chance of showers between midnight and 5am. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 66 degrees at 6am. Seven degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 70 at 6pm. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was humid. It got down to 62 degrees. The record low of 40 occurred back in 1942.
On this day in 1950, President Harry Truman orders the U.S. Army to seize control of the nation’s railroads to avert a strike🏗️ So much for the boy from Missouri being a socialist. 🇨🇳 For those looking for more processed food and unhealthy levels of salt in their diet, in 1958 world’s first publicly marketed instant noodles, 🍝 Chikin Ramen, are introduced by Taiwanese-Japanese businessman Momofuku Ando. And for us Linux users, in 1991 Linus Torvalds announces the first version of what will become Linux. 🐧
Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny 🌦, with a high of 79 degrees at 3pm. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 1st. Maximum dew point of 66 at 9am. Northwest wind 5 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 mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 83 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1948.
John Wolcott’s funeral is on Saturday at ten AM, ⚱ so I will be needing to get up at the normal time, go for my walk, have breakfast 🥞 and then shower 🛀 and get on the suit and black tie. 👔 After the funeral, I am thinking I will run to Albany Walmart or maybe just Aldi’s as it’s out in the Colonie, then maybe to Indian Farms and Our Families Harvest to stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables, namely apples and sweet corn. 🍏 🌽 Also I’m quite interested in the Farmer’s Indian Market off Central. Might be some good spices and unusual vegetables at an affordable rate there. Plus bulk bags of rice, lentils and MSG. Got to have that MSG. 👹 Lol! Honest, it doesn’t turn you into a monster but it makes food taste so good.
Looking ahead to Sunday, partly sunny and cool, with a high near 74. ☀ North wind around 6 mph. Maximum dew point of 60 at 11am. Very autumn like. Should be a nice day for the clam bake with my parents. I’m actually tempted to get up early and do a hike or bike ride early in the morning. 🚴♀️ Typical average high for the weekend is 81 degrees.
Looking ahead, next Friday the Average High Falls To 79 🎑 when the sun will be setting at 7:31 pm with dusk at 7:59 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly sunny, rain showers and temperatures between 73 and 55 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 during the 1953 heat wave 🌊 . Summer comes to a close.
as it heads down Elm Avenue, maybe the Lutheran Church or down by Mike Whyland’s House, whatever that bus stop is called. Going to cook some onions, peppers, mushrooms and a ton of frozen spinach, and scramble some eggs and call that a protein-and-fiber rich breakfast that will get me going, despite not getting to bed until closer to 10 PM then I would like. 
Once again my sleep has been suffering since I got the bicycle, as I’ve been getting home late, like last night after shopping then bicycling home. 
Something has to be wrong with that bicycle front light I have — it might be a crappy cheap incandescent bulb but despite the new batteries, it really is terribly dark for riding on those suburban side streets without street lighting after dark. 
It is an Abus Granite 460 u-lock, security Grade 9. I was originally thinking Grade 10 or even higher, but it’s plenty beefy hardened-steel compared to what a lot of people use for locks out in the suburbs. It should be plenty secure if I park the bicycle at the State Capitol, near the security desk, at least during the day time. Ultimately I decided to mount the lock on the back, off the rack, mainly because I couldn’t fit the lock on the frame up front anywhere it wouldn’t be brushing against my legs.
this time the Mohwak Hudson Land Conservancy’s Normanskill West Preserve, which is across from Delaware Plaza at the end of Normanskill Boulevard. It is a really nice preserve, 
with much better views and some nice benches along the creek, along with better access for the creek for fishing, and some minor rapids. The preserve is much smaller then the Normanskill Ravines Preserve I visited yesterday, but much nicer. Gets dark early there in the ravine, though it probably is a good place to keep in mind for hot summer days. Then follow it up with ice cream 
at Jim’s Tastee Freeze, though I didn’t partake this time as I did that on Saturday. 
I was pleasantly surprised how many groceries I could load into the basket on the back. I was a bit worried about the weight, as the $5 Walmart crate I bought isn’t super heavy, but it worked out fine. I think it will hold up for any load that I am likely to put on my bike. The U-lock comes off and connects my bike securely to the bike rack quickly and easily. It’s an extra-large U-lock and is pretty heavy, but it is secure. Then it slides back onto the mount on the rack. At some point, I’ll post a video showing off all the features of Blackie 
as I put it together. 
that comes with rubber straps to hang on the down tube. This would put a lot of light over and under the front wheel, making for much safer riding, then keep the existing too dim light on the handlebar. I might see if I can clean the contacts or replace the bulb on of the existing fixture. I see they now make 
though I think it will likely be thundery. 
That said, I should spend some time cleaning and getting gear loaded up in my truck for a quick start tomorrow morning for heading out to Schoharie. 
My kitchen and bathroom has gotten pretty dirty from all the mud I’ve tracked in and could use a good cleaning. It’s been so humid so I should get out the ammonia and tackle the places where the mold is starting to pop up again.
Darn criminals ruining, I mean running our country. The judge incorrectly set the fine, rather then letting the jury do it, so his conviction was overturned on appeal. The law would remain on the books until it was repealed 1967. 🚨 Also in 1983, the world’s lowest temperature in an inhabited location is recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica at −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F). They should build a pipe and send it up north to cool off people efficiently. ☃️
by early to mid-morning, for several hours of riding, 🚴 before heading to Mine Kill Pool 🏊 to swim for a few hours before it closes at six o’clock then head back to the state forest to camp. 
Days are getting a bit shorter now, though even at six o’clock I should be good to get to camp and set up. Maybe this is the day best to do Shauls and hike Vromans Nose, 
though it’s kind of out of my way before the riding the Catskill Scenic Trail and Mine Kill.
However, I also have a desire to visit Shaul’s this weekend. They are open on Saturday and Sunday from 9 AM to 5 PM, but closed on Monday. 
Perhaps I could go on Saturday, taking a northern route, then drive south to Grand George and experience the beautiful Catskill Scenic Trail. Finally, I can head back north to Mine Kill State Park. 
On the other hand, I don’t want to deal with the inconvenience of maneuvering in that tight campsite, securing everything, and driving on bumpy roads multiple times. It would also result in burning extra fuel. 
there for a few days without venturing out daily. I have some tough choices to make! Worse comes to worse, the real vacation starts Friday.
