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September 14, 2017 10 PM Update

Good evening! Mostly cloudy and 70 degrees in Delmar. Calm wind. The dew point is 64 degrees. Feels more like summer this evening then the middle of summer. Despite the warm weather, its still pretty cloudy, and the sun sets early. The skies will clear tomorrow around 10 pm.

Tonight will be scattered showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then isolated showers between 1am and 4am. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low of 61 degrees at 5am. Nine degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 65 at 10pm. Muggy!  Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2016, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 48 degrees. The record low of 33 occurred back in 1975.

Tonight will have a Waning Crescent Moon with 19% illuminated. The moon will rise tomorrow at 2:26 am. The New Moon is on Tuesday night with partly cloudy skies. The Hunter Moon is in 3 weeks. The sun will rise at 6:35 am with the first light at 6:07 am, which is one minute and 4 seconds later than yesterday. Tonight will have 11 hours and 30 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 51 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers between 9am and 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high of 79 degrees at 3pm. Six degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 66 at 12pm. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 71 degrees. The record high of 92 was set in 1915.

Still the forecast looks super nice for the weekend. Saturday, a chance of showers, mainly after 2pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 81. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Maximum dew point of 67 at 4pm. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Maximum dew point of 65 at 4pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 72 degrees.

So the kayak is on the roof of my truck, and the dry goods are packed in the truck. Still working on packing the clothes and getting some of the other gear ready, but a lot of that can be done in the morning. The truck is all gassed up but I will need to stop either in the morning or on the way up to camp to buy firewood as I expect to be setting up close to dusk or maybe even after dark. I just rain to Stewart’s for milk but didn’t buy firewood because I didn’t want to have to carry it home. I do need to load the persishables, sweep the floor and take out the garbage before I go. That’s fine though, as I will have the electric cords up where I can quickly plug them in and light the campsite once I find a site to camp at.

I am very excited about exploring Moss Island on Saturday. I confirmed that the canal will still be open so I won’t have to worry about low water levels. I probably will hike Moss Island first then put in at the boat launch, and paddle around it. I’m undecided if I am going to go through a lock or not. My feeling is based on how short the days are, I probably won’t, but I might paddle downstream a short distance from Little Falls down by Finks Basin, and then up towards the falls. I hope to get some interesting video and picutres, especially now that I found my big camera once again.

Up on Piseco-Powley Road I’m hoping to get either the bridge site or better yet the site up in the plains. I am thinking with hunting season not really under way and with summer over, there will be a lot less people up there, but who knows with the nice weather. I mean, how often do you have 85 degree weather in mid-September? I’m glad we are finally going to get summer, now that September has rolled around, and that I have my kayak paddle so I can get back out on the water.

I do need to get back to Albany relatively early on Sunday, so I won’t have a lot of time to dilly dally around at the potholers. But if I get an early start, I should have enough time to enjoy my day, and enjoy those wonderful cold waters before winter fully kicks in and it’s too cold and the road is closed due to snow.

I wonder how much fall color I will see while I am up there. I heard on Facebook that there is already quite a bit of color, even if the maps put out by the state tourism bureau suggest elsewise. It turns out with the cool nights, that colors are popping out, even if this weekend is expected to be quite warm. I might go to Moose River Plains next weekend if the colors are nice. It will depend on the weather and what kind of family obligations I have. I might go the following week, otherwise. I probably will take off a day or two for a long weekend up at Moose River Plains.

I picked up a little Bluetooth Keyboard to use with my cellphone for typing longer blogposts. At first it took a while to get used to, and I’m not sure it really saves that much time over using the on screen keyboard, but it was only $20. I had originally planned on using my wireless keyboard with the dongle and the usb on the go adapter I bought, but I found that didn’t work right with my phone. But the Bluetooth keyboard works fine.I probably could have ordered the same thing for a bit cheaper online, but I wasn’t sure if it would work with my phone, for I figured with Walmart I could always return it if I couldn’t get it to work right. Works fine, but the keyboard layout is slightly different form my laptop, so it took a while to master. It is a bit lagging at times with the screen but I may be able to fix that by playing with the the settings a bit more.

Filled up the windshield Reservior and topped off the oil I my truck. I have plenty of gas now, so I should be ready for a good weekend adventure. I think I will take my contacts out shortly and retire to bed.

In four weeks on October 12 the sun will be setting at 6:16 pm, which is 48 minutes and 51 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2016 on that day, we had partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 67 and 47 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 61 and 41 degrees. The record high of 85 degrees was set back in 1954.

Looking ahead, Autumn Begins is Next Friday and Average High is 40 is in 2 months.

July 12, 2017 Evening

Good evening! Cloudy, muggy as all sheet and 86 degrees in Albany. There is a west breeze at 6 mph. The dew point is 71 degrees. The heat index is 79. On and off rain this evening with 1.8 inches of rain is expected before it ends Saturday around 7 pm.

The bus was running late and I forgot my sweet corn, cherries, and mushrooms in the refrigerator at work. I guess I will I’ll be able to enjoy it tomorrow night. It won’t be quite as fresh but should still be good. I wish I would have thought of that earlier. At least at this hour, traffic is light at this hour. 

The sun will set at 8:32 pm with dusk around 9:06 pm, which is 33 seconds earlier than yesterday. At sunset, look for partly cloudy conditions with possible thunderstorms and 83 degrees. The dew point will be 70 degrees. The heat index around sunset will be 79. There will be a northwest breeze at 5 mph.

Tonight will have a Waning Gibbous Moon. The Last Quarter Moon is on Sunday night. The Strugeon Moon is on Monday, August 7th. The sun will rise at 5:29 am with the first light at 4:55 am, which is 47 seconds later than yesterday. Tonight will have 8 hours and 57 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 22 seconds over last night.

Tonight will have showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 7pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 7pm and 4am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low of 72 degrees at 5am. 10 degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 71 at 6pm. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2016, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 70 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1939.

Being such a humid night, I think I will go to the library after dinner to enjoy the air conditioning assuming that it isn’t pouring later in the evening. Tomorrow might be a little wet for packing but I still see a decent weekend in the forecast. 

Going to be be hazy, hot and humid this weekend. Saturday, a chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 66 at 7pm. Sunday, a chance of thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 66 at 8pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 83 degrees.

One of the things I’ll be interested about this weekend is the phone coverage I will have in the Adirondacks. It looks like from the coverage maps I should have excellent coverage in many parts of the Adirondacks but I’m skeptical. One place I have reception per coverage maps is up by Willis Lake and Pumpkin Hollow and if that is true that would be amazing especially for weekends that I’m on call for work.

I am still leaning towards the camping around Wells and Speculator and doing all those activities I’ve been thinking about. It could be a nice weekend even if it’s not as remote as Piseco-Powley Road and there are no Potholers. But there are still future weeks of summer left.

I’m taking off August 21st so I can watch the solar eclipse. They have many pairs of inexpensive solar eclipse glasses one can wear. Don’t want to go blind staring at the sun. Plus then I can take a long weekend to go camping, fishing and swimming somewhere. 

In four weeks on August 9 the sun will be setting at 8:04 pm, which is 28 minutes and 10 seconds earlier then today. In 2016 on that day, we had mostly sunny skies and temperatures between 86 and 57 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 82 and 61 degrees. The record high of 96 degrees was set back in 2001.

Looking ahead, Last Sunset After 8 PM is in 1 month, Last Day with Average High of 80 is in 6 weeks, Harvest Moon is in 8 weeks, 6:30 PM Sunset is in 12 weeks, Coldest Day of Year (Avg. 14-30 degrees) is in 26 weeks and Inaugeration Day 2021 is in 184 weeks.

Stay cool and remember if we had more sun it would be much hotter. It’s just muggy. 

June 23, 2016 Night

Good evening! Mostly clear and 64 degrees in Delmar. There is a north-northwest breeze at 6 mph. The dew point is a comfortable 44.

Mostly packed for camping this weekend. I do have to stop on the way out and pick up some groceries. But should be a great but warm weekend. Fishing, camping, paddling Sprite Creek from Stewart Landing to West Canada Lake, camping and the Potholers.

Tonight will be clear, with a low around 52. Seven degrees below normal. Northwest wind 3 to 5 mph. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1932. Only eight degrees above the record low tonight – but still late June is fairly warm.

Tonight we have a Waning Gibbous Moon with 80% illuminated. July’s Buck Moon is on Tuesday, July 19th.

Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:18 am with the first light at 4:44 am, which is 21 seconds later then today. Mornings are slowly but surely getting later each day. In contrast, we are still picking up a few additional seconds of daylight every day. The latest sunset of the year is on Sunday, June 26th. After that, the days start getting shorter.

Friday will be sunny, with a high near 81. One degrees above normal. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph. The record high of 96 was set in 1943. Should be a very nice day with more low humidity temperatures.

Looking ahead, State Fair Opens is in 9 weeks and Thanksgiving is in 22 weeks.

A nice warm but low humidity weekend on tap.

Friday Night. Mostly Clear and 56 degrees.
Saturday. Sunny and 85 degrees.
Saturday Night. Mostly Clear and 58 degrees.
Sunday. Sunny and 91 degrees.
Sunday Night. Partly Cloudy and 62 degrees.

More humidity next week but cooler with a possibility of some much needed rain in the form of thunderstorms.

Monday. Partly Sunny and 85 degrees.
Monday Night. Chance of Showers and 64 degrees.
Tuesday. Chance of T-storms and 83 degrees.
Tuesday Night. Chance of T-storms and 60 degrees.
Wednesday. Mostly Sunny and 80 degrees.

I’ve started to dig into CDC death statistics. They make some pretty interesting maps. Suicide statistics are fascinating, especially how suicide is much more common in the western part of the United States and parts of the Bible belt, but rarer in Texas and parts of the deep south. A follow up map will have to look at the rate of firearm suicide versus non-firearm suicides in each county. With the gun debate this would be an interesting one. Then maybe look as the other fatal diseases like lung cancer. Interesting stuff.

January 3, 2016 evening

Good evening! Currently 37 degrees and cloudy this evening. It cleared out for a while this evening before dusk, but the clouds have returned with the approaching front. We are expecting some snow showers later this evening that might make the roads slippery.

Tomorrow starts the new work week for the new year. Five day work-week. January seems to have come so quickly, without the harsh weather we’ve gotten use to. Tomorrow is going to be cold, with temperatures around 20 degrees all day. A stiff breeze will make windchills appear below zero, but the mercury will be at least in the positive single digits. It will feel cold though. Not as cold as late February and early March last year, with temperatures in the morning in the negative 10 degree range. Last year was so bitterly cold, but we might once again get some of that cold, but not this week.

Did you notice how late the sunset was tonight? Or more properly, how late darkness came once civil twilight came to an end? Civil twilight tonight was at 5:06 PM, so when you get out of work at 5 PM, it won’t be totally dark out. That’s nice. Sunset is at 4:34 PM in Albany, and even later in later parts of the state. Not having clouds dominating the sky sure made it seem like the day was a lot longer today. With the colder weather of Monday and Tuesday plus the clear weather expected through Thursday, nicer days and later sunsets will be the norm. I’m sure glad for that.

Where did the time go? It seems like it just wasn’t early fall. Certainly it can’t be 2016 already. Then ago the lack of snow plus that Big Buddy Heater I’ve been able to camp until last week – and I’ll be camping next weekend or the weekend after, once my truck is back from repair and the weather is not too cold or snowy. It will be like a winter without winter, which is kind of nice. Granted, I can’t get back far in the Adirondacks from a plowed state highway but I still can spend nights in the wilderness, toasty by the Big Buddy and with bright light with my lantern. Local wilderness camping or in a lean-to is a possibility too – I have my mind on a particular spot in the woods where I want to set up camp. Spring will approach quickly. My winters are usually quickly consumed by the long days I put in at work. Four weeks and we’ll be in the first weekend of February. Eight weeks the time changes. But for sure, in the mean-time we will have some snowy and cold weather, even if El Nino keeps us relatively warm for most of the winter.

Pretty quiet day, although I did make some maps up in QGIS. I had a problem in QGIS that took a while to diagnosis – somehow I had a layer that was malfunctioning, but now it working correctly. I cranked out a batch of maps, including Google Maps of most of the competitive races in the County Legislature. At this point, I’m pretty much done with mapping Election Results at least until after primary day – although maybe I could get some of the old LATFOR data from 2008 and so an interactive primary map comparing Hillary Clinton versus Barack Obama. I think the next time I’m down at the library, I will have to get some more census data, although honestly on that front of running a bit thin on data to map too. Maybe some historical data might be interesting.

In the afternoon, I almost wish I had gone down to the park rather then the library, it was so nice. But whatever. Nicer days will certainly come, once we get past the coldest week of the year – typically next week. I do look forward to going to the park with a book from the library and reading to dusk or beyond. Or even just bringing my laptop down there, and playing on the WI-FI. Library Internet is fine, but I sure prefer to be outside when it’s nice. I wonder if they’ll even operate the ice rink at the town park this year, with the weather being so mild all winter. Below freezing temperatures are bound to come. This is Albany and winter, after all.

After this mild winter, it means there will likely be some hot and toasty summer days. I can feel the potholers already on a 90 degree day. I sure love those waterfalls on a hot day, and camping up by the East Canada Creek in the summer. It really is my home away form home. Summer nights are really quite wonderful, even if they last such a short time. It really can’t be a hot enough day for time in the potholers, although an extended drought I guess could really sap those waterfalls compared to more normal water conditions. I am also looking forward to heading out to the Finger Lakes for summer vacation, with hot days going in out of the pool at Watkins Glen. 2015 was an amazing year, and I hope to build upon it this year.

Have a great evening! I’m off for my evening walk.

August 16, 2015 evening

Good evening, on this hot and sticky Sunday evening. 77 degrees and pretty sticky. Going to be warm evening tonight, only getting down to 66 degrees. Tommorow will be a scorcher, with temperatures expected to reach 92 degrees in the city by mid-afternoon. Lots of humidity to make the weather feel even warmer, with dewpoints pushing 70.

I ended up deciding to go to Piseco Powley Road this weekend with the temperatures expected to reach 90 degrees and preferring the increased shade and Potholers over camping at White House and driving into Wells in the daytime to fish and swim. I’d rather be in the deep Adirondack woods in this weather.

Friday night driving up to the Adirondacks was not too bad with traffic being light leaving the city but once I got to NY 5 near Rectors it started to pour and it was almost tricky driving at times. The rain mostly stopped by the time I got to St. Johnsville, and I stopped at Stewart’s to buy worms and firewood. Gathering and trying to burn wet wood is no fun. I then had to stop at Price Chopper in Johnstown to buy salsa which I forgot to buy and plates and forks to replace the ones I left home. The Hefty-brand Styrofoam plates are much more durable then the Walmart ones, you don’t end up needing to double up the plates, which ends up reducing the number you use. And they help the garbage burn just fine.

The rain had stopped by the time I got to camp but I set up a tarp to be safe. It didn’t rain at all after I got set up but the trees were shedding rain all evening. A group of people were fishing off Powley Bridge until almost 11 p.m. so I kept the music down and didn’t spend the time I would have liked staring at the stars on the bridge. Later on it didn’t matter much for the stars as it was pretty cloudy, so the stars were either really soft or non existent. Plus by then I was a pretty drunk.

The next morning was cloudy. I made up a nice breakfast of eggs and all the fixings on the grill. It was pretty good. All morning though it looked like it was going to pour. I was a bit hung over from the night before, so I didn’t get much of an early start – plus why drive all the way to Piseco if you think it’s going to rain. I saw some hunters head back to Big Alderbed. They were in camo and had shotguns slung on their backs. Struck me as unusual, but then I realized, they’re probably our looking for buck scrapes and many hunters carry long guns in NY because not everyone has a pistol permit in our fine state.

Went up to Piseco but it looked like the swimming beach at Poplar Point Campground was closed. I probably should have stopped and asked the attendant, but I figured it was getting late and I’d rather spend my afternoon paddling Big Bay off of NY 10. Piseco Lake is kind of big and choppy for kayaking and you’d have to watch for power boats. It was really a bit too chilly for swimming on Saturday with clouds and a breeze making it seem cooler than what the mercury said.

Big Bay was nice but didn’t catch any fish. I could only use the artificial lures that I had because I was out of fish hooks again. I did buy worms but without hooks they were pretty useless. Big Bay is a nice paddle, however it is shallow in many places and you will bottom out your canoe or kayak quite easily. The pointy Irondequoit Mountain on the north-side of the lake adds visual interest, as does Mud Lake Mountain and Three Sisters Mountain to the east. You can paddle Big Bay up through the narrows on the west end until it turns north, heading up to Piseco Lake. At that point boulders block the way. If the lake level was higher, you still wouldn’t be able to reach Piseco Lake as there is a small dam at the end of Piseco Lake. Campsite 3 at the end of the narrows looked quite nice. For details, see the map of Big Bay on the blog .

Got back to camp a little before 5 pm. It was kind of hot and it looked like a storm was about to come through. Got the charcoal fired up and started getting dinner set up. Discovered that I left the hamburger home. Fortunately, I packed Italian sausage from last week and had some rice to go with it along with freshly grilled mushrooms and broccoli that I got at the farmers market of Friday to go with it. Had a brief rain shower, but with the tarp up it was no big deal. Probably was over in 5 minutes.

Read some more of the Gun Guys book until well after dark. They were back fishing on the bridge but quit around 9:30 p.m., so I could once again crank up the music. The fire started good then kind of burnt out while I was reading. Found some tinder and with a quick squirt of lighter fluid was burning brightly again. Stayed up to 11 PM when I was exhausted and ready for bed.

Had another great grilled breakfast on Sunday, the same thing that I had Saturday. Eggs with all the fixings. It was a beautiful sunny morning, not too hot or humid, at least in the Adirondacks. Had a couple of cups of coffee then took down camp. Did a little shooting, until the shotgun magazine tube jammed. I got the shotgun unjammed and managed to get dirt in the muzzle after removing it and proceeding to accidentally stick it in the dirt. I wasn’t able to clean it because the solvent leaked out in my truck and I was out of solvent. Fine, I was done shooting for the weekend.

Paddled about the 1/2 mile stretch of the East Canada Creek between the beaver dams. The water level was a foot lower than last time so if I wanted to go beyond the first beaver dam downstream I would have to get out of the kayak and portage it. I hate portaging beaver dams so I skipped that and headed back. It was fine, I was running somewhat late.

Get the kayak mostly loaded up and the ropes tied, and I start tying the final bungees and rachet straps and I fall from the side of the cap step onto the ground. It’s only a two foot fall but there is a small drainage ditch somebody has dug there for a potholes in the can driveway – and I hear a loud crack – my left ankle. Sitting in the mud, I know I have a problem. I didn’t cuss or scream but I could have. Using my upper body, I pull myself into my truck seat and sit. I’m fucked I tell myself. I guess I can flag down a few passing motorist and get help tying that last set of bungees and rachet straps to the truck. After a few minutes I can put a little weight on the ankle and decide I can pull my body up to at least do the rachet strap and the bungees. I manage to get up there mostly on one foot and tie it on. I didn’t think I could do the front ropes but they are mostly for my peace of mind and to keep an eye on the kayak while driving.

I leave the campsite not doing a final sweep to look for things left behind. At the time I just didn’t have the strength to do much walking. Tightening up that final rope was tough. But by the time I got to the Potholers, by not using my foot it seemed better. I limped out of the truck, and climbed up one last time to get the front rope hooked up. I was able to climb up there one more time with my one leg and hands. I then limped down to the Potholers, and proceeded to spend some time there. I had to walk back to my truck (1/4 mile away) to get the sunscreen. I was okay, but in a little bit of pain and doing a lot of limping. The sore foot didn’t help the cooling off much. The potholers were low, and I was kind of afraid of slipping and falling on granite, being that I was doing so much limping. The water was refreshing but it’s fun when there is a bit more water going over the falls.

I drove back to the campsite and did a visual inspection to make sure I had everything. I didn’t really get out of the truck but the campsite looked fine with nothing left behind, and I knew I had my keys, and a few other critical and relatively expensive or important things in my truck. I drove home barefoot, not stopping once. My foot didn’t bother me much on the way home.

I got home and was able to again climb up with my hands to get to the roof to untie the kayak. Dropping the kayak off the roof wasn’t too difficult once I got the ropes off, I could do it by leaning against the truck and gravity doing most of the work. I didn’t actually drop it, but carefully lowered it with my hands. Granted, that’s not a good way to do it with my back, but I wanted it off because if the sprain sets in overnight, I might otherwise be stuck with the kayak on my roof for a while. Certainly you have to be tall and nimble to get it on and off.

I got things cleaned up and put away in about two hours which is longer then usual, but I was limping around. I wanted to make sure I didn’t leave out any dirty dishes or food, because again, I’m unsure of how bad the ankle will be in the morning. The stairs were mostly crawled up and down, because I could only put minimal weight on the ankle before it started to hurt like a mother.

Dad picked me up for Sunday dinner so I wouldn’t have to climb into Big Red on Monday. I could probably do it but if my ankle is really bad, it could be very difficult. After dinner it started to set up a little more and become more sore, but hopefully it will only last a couple of days. Tommorow I will go to the doctor and get an x-ray and the ankle checked out. Hopefully I will be feeling good enough to take a trip on Thursday through Sunday next week, but at this point I’m skeptical. WebMD says it only will last a few days, but it hurts something awful right now.

Second half of August 🎪

So it would seem as time marches on so quickly. Altamont Fair is underway. Tomorrow it’s off to the Adirondacks and it should be a nice day and hopefully Friday won’t be too cold and wet. Got some books to read on Friday, I’ll toss in the heater in case I want to warm my hands.

Good morning! What day is it? A a happy Pseudo Friday for Me Day, of course. Rain and 65 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☔ There is a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 63 degrees. The skies will clear around 3 pm.

Out walking 🚶 this morning, red kidney beans cooking down on the stove 🍲 to enjoy with maple syrup up at camp this weekend. Thinking cold black coffee ☕ this morning, cream of wheat with chia seeds, yogurt, lemon 🍋 maybe a touch of stevia and some cherries 🍒 to get the day started. And maybe some of the red beans with maple syrup for protein. Save the rest for camp. 🏕

Today will have patchy drizzle with a chance of showers before 10am, then a chance of showers between 10am and 2pm. Mostly cloudy 🌦, with a high of 79 degrees at 4pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 1st. Maximum dew point of 69 at 2pm. South wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. 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 87 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1936.

I’m on the fence about taking Blackie 🚵 to work today. I don’t think it’s going to rain but there is always the chance. On the other hand, I kind of like taking my bike to work, doesn’t add much time but it’s free exercise especially the ride back home 🏡 and saves on the bus 🚍 fare. Food Festival is today, so I’ll have to take Howard rather than ride across the Plaza at the end of the day and they’re a risk of thunderstorm ⛈. Time wise it doesn’t make much difference, but I also don’t want to be too tired when I get packed tonight. Plan is to leave by around 8 AM or so tomorrow, though not too early as I’m not sure when Samdill Farm Stand opens, though I want to hit that on the way up. 🌽 🥦

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 61.2° from the due south horizon (-9.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:19 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (283°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (290°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:58 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 4 seconds with dusk around 8:26 pm, which is one minute and 29 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west-northwest (291°) at an altitude of 1° from the horizon, 252,188 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:05 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 77 degrees. The dew point will be 67 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 55 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 33 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have patchy fog after 5am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy 🌆, with a low of 64 degrees at 5am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 6pm. Light south wind. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It became somewhat humid as the night progressed. It got down to 62 degrees. The record low of 40 occurred back in 1979.

Tomorrow looks beautiful with only a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm, as it’s summer. ☀️ Partly sunny, with a high near 81. South wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Then Thursday night it turns wetter with showers and thunderstorms likely. Hopefully late enough, it won’t impact my evening. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southeast wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Plan is to leave early 🌅 hopefully around 8 AM or 9 AM, then head north with the first stop to top off my tank in Rotterdam, then Sandil’s Farm in Tribes Hill for veggies 🥦 🌽 then to Walmart in Johnstown for a few groceries and supplies 🛒, then maybe Rogers Orchards 🍎 for fresh apples, then up hopefully to the House Pond Campsite. By noontime, I want to get camp set up 🏕 , inflate the tube, and get floating in the East Branch, as it might be the warmest day. Then in the evening, ride up to Potholers and cool off in the Potholers. 📻 I’ve downloaded several podcasts and Youtube videos to listen to while up at camp.

Come Friday, it’s a bit of a wet start. 🌧 Showers and thunderstorms likely before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 5pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Southwest wind 6 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Maybe not a washout. Then Friday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.

I got from “Salt, fat, acid, heat : mastering the elements of good cooking” by Samin Nosrat from the library 📚 and plan on reading it on Friday morning. ♨ I think I will pack the heater, so I can warm up next to it in case it’s cold. Also going to pack the screen tent, 🎪 as it’s been such a wet summer and I’m thinking it could be buggy. 🐜 By evening it shouldn’t be too bad, might go for a nice ride on Blackie 🚲 along Piseco-Powley Road with the headlight as I get back late, as sunset is around 8 PM. Maybe too cold to swim, but who knows. 🌆

A picture perfect weekend after we get past Friday on tap. 😎 Cool but sunny. Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Maximum dew point of 56 at 1pm. Sunday, sunny, with a high near 84. Maximum dew point of 64 at 7pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 82 degrees. I am thinking I want to ride most of Piseco-Powley Road and hike back to Goldmine Stream Falls or maybe Sand Like on Saturday. Sunday, maybe the Potholers and then end the day in Little Falls, exploring Moss Island and the Herkimer Home, and riding the Erie Canal Trail. I am not planning to get home until dusk, so I will have the full afternoon and evening. I am undecided if I’ll bring the kayak, I’m actually leaning against it at this point. 🛶 Paddling the Mohawk River might be fun but I can see more on Blackie on the bike trail.

Today in 1916, the Migratory Bird Treaty between Canada and the United States signed. 🐦 It was designed to save Migratory Birds by giving them international protection for the first time by placing limits on hunting and other means of taking. It became a center part of protecting the flock of birds, requiring duck stamps among other things.

In 1989, a solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, 😎 leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto’s stock market. Sometimes the sun isn’t so nice, not that we’ve had much of it recently but hopefully tomorrow and most of the weekend, bar maybe a few hours of showers on Friday morning. We are though overdue for a big solar storm, and that could be very disruptive to every day life across the world, as the power grid gets shutdown and radio networks go dead during the storm.

Also, in 1993, Debian Linux is announced, 🐧 it would become the basis of many forms of Linux like Ubuntu Linux, which is currently what I run on my home computer. 👨‍💻 I’m not sure I love the direction Ubuntu has been going lately with the snaps, but I do like the XFCE window manager and I don’t know if I want to change over to a totally new distro, having to reinstall everything. Maybe eventually when I get a new laptop when my current one wears out — it’s now going on 7 years old, and while I don’t care it’s getting old but I do worry physical components wear out after a while. That said, I don’t carry it around as much now as I use my phone for most things.

And in 1966, the House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigations of Americans who have aided the Viet Cong. 🏵 The committee stated to intended to introduce legislation making these activities illegal. Anti-war demonstrators disrupt the meeting and 50 people are arrested. A long time ago now — but it reminds me a bit of the War in Iraq when I was young with Bush as President.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Average High Falls To 79 ️Degrees ⛱️️️ when the sun will be setting at 7:35 pm with dusk at 8:03 pm. On that day in 2022, we had rain and temperatures between 90 and 66 degrees. We hit a record high of 98 back in 1953. The 1953 heat wave!

West Towards Burnt-Rossman Hills

This morning is a drag 🐲

Puff the magic dragon by lived by the sea, and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee. A dragon lives forever but not so little boys.

Good morning! Happy Thursday. It’s cloudy and 60 degrees in Delmar, NY. ⛅ Calm wind. The dew point is 60 degrees. Fog around, and it’s in my head this morning and I’m not stoned but maybe I wish I was as I stumble around this morning skipping my morning walk.

So I can get at least some steps in 👣 taking the long way around the High School 🚸 superblock to the express bus 🚍 as I have enough time. Breakfast was a bowl of light red kidney beans with sugar free maple syrup and a little bit of Greek yogurt and fresh fruit. I have a bit of sore throat this morning and maybe that’s my excuse for my dragging ass, though truth be told it’s the gray skies my struggle to recover from summer vacation. 🛏 I was in bed shortly after 9 pm and slept well but had to run to the bathroom 🚽 a few times during the night as I had a bunch of lemonade 🍋 after my evening bike 🚲 ride to Voorheesville.

Today will have a slight chance of showers before noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between noon and 5pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 5pm. Mostly cloudy 🌦, with a high of 78 degrees at 12pm. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 5th. Maximum dew point of 67 at 1pm. Lighyg south wind increasing to 5 to 9 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 in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 79 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1949.

If the weather was going to be better today ⛈ I would definitely be riding into work. 🚲 It was a nice bicycle commute yesterday, although my ride home was a bit heavy with all that sweet corn 🌽, zucchini, cucumbers 🥒 and that watermelon 🍉 I had loaded into the back of my bike. Howard Street does get a bit crazy 🚘 at 5 o’clock but once I hit the bike path under 787 and do the climb out of the valley it’s a bit of serenity. Tomorrow I’ll ride down to the dentist 🦷 and then to work.

Yesterday I rode close to 30 miles or maybe more. 🚲 Not sure though I did GPS log it. Sunset is getting earlier 🌇 and I was running late 🏃 after dinner but it was still a great ride. That said my mountain bike is so slow compared to the road bikes and it’s boring 💤 to ride on asphalt but take it to the places I like to camp ⛺ it’s wonderful and it beats walking 🚶 around town. It just annoys me as road bikes fly by on the bike path, and general boredom of the bike path, but I remember it’s a compromise compared to the great places I can get up in the wilderness. I am thinking the gravel/stone dust of Pennsylvania’s Pine Creek Gorge might be fun this autumn. 

I’ve been kicking myself for not stopping in Triangle on my way home from the Finger Lakes to get more zucchini and have been desperate ever since. 🥒 The zucchini I had in the Finger Lakes was so good that all I’ve been dreaming of all week is more zucchini. Fried with onions, some MSG, some pepper and a bit of stevia and olive oil it was so good. Eat way too much but there are worse foods to over indulge in. Sweet corn also for dinner and a plum for dessert. 🌽 This morning as I mentioned it was red kidney beans and syrup, and lunch is going to be onions, rice with peas and lentils and then some edamame thrown in. Haven’t had edamame in a few weeks, and it’s good, mostly because of vacation. 

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 63° from the due south horizon (-7.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:27 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (286°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (292°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:06 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 7 seconds with dusk around 8:35 pm, which is one minute and 22 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:15 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 71 degrees. The dew point will be 66 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 11 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 26 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms likely before 1am, then a slight chance of showers between 1am and 2am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 61 degrees at 4am. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 13th. Maximum dew point of 66 at 6pm. South wind around 8 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 63 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1941.

Another summer weekend on tap. 🏖 Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. South wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 66 at 5pm. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Maximum dew point of 68 at 10am. Typical average high for the weekend is 83 degrees.

This weekend I’m thinking of either riding or driving out to Our Families Harvest farm stand 🌽 in New Scotland to stock up on produce then maybe some mountain biking / trail riding in the Albany Pine Bush 🦋, I think that could be a lot of fun. Do it early as I see thunderstorms ⛈️ and rain popping up by afternoon. Then maybe go to see John and get some groceries at the Walmart in Albany. I specifically like those little pearl onions they have, I haven’t seen them at other grocery stores. They’re like candy and you can eat them raw after you peal the outer skin or toss them in a frying 🍳 pan and they quickly get brown and extra sweet. Maybe head a bit further north in Colonie and do some of the Canalway trail but I doubt it. Quiet day Sunday, maybe Five Rivers Environmental Education Center 🐸 and go out and see the folks. 👪

I asked the secretary 🗓 to schedule no meetings for me on Thursday and Friday of next week, lest I want to head up to the Potholers for a long weekend and to ride Piseco-Powley Road on Blackie 🚵 and camp at House Pond Campsite ⛺ assuming it’s open. I could go for a nice few days at the swimming 🏊 hole there maybe with some clams again 🦪 and tons of fresh farm produce 🌽 🥒 🍅 🧅 to toss in the beer and clam broth. We’ll see, it depends on the weather. I could use some time floating on the tube ⭕ and cooling in the Potholers before summer is done. I can’t do the following week as the other director is off. Right now the second half of next week looks good, and we might finally get some warmer and drier weather. One last stand before summer is done. I’m also thinking of seeing if I can work remote or take a personal day that Friday before Labor Day Weekend 👷‍♀️ so I can get camp set up early on Friday, then work or have fun as time would allow.

One month 📅 from now will be 6:30 Sunrise 🌇 when the sun will be setting at 7:16 pm with dusk at 7:43 pm. It will mean darker mornings especially for walking 🚶 although I should be able to walk for a few more weeks after then at 6:15 as dawn is about a half hour earlier and I do that most of the winter at any rate. The cooler air will be refreshing and help wake me up when those days come.

South in Gorge