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Twenty two years ago on this September 11th ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

Hard to believe it was 22 years ago that I was a freshman in college at Hudson Valley Community College on that day with the bright blue skies, listening to Amy Goodman and seeing those terrorist attacks on television at my college statistics class before college adjourned for the day and I spent it just walking along High Point Road in Berne, looking up and noticing the skies without airplanes above.

Good morning! Rain showers and 69 degrees in Delmar. โ˜” Calm wind. The dew point is 65 degrees. The skies will clear Wednesday around 11 pm.

Catching the earlier express bus ๐Ÿš downtown so I walk ๐Ÿšถ in the Plaza before work as it’s really not a particularly nice day. Kind of a dreary autumn day, though at least not so hot. Certainly not the crisp, clear day of 22 years ago. I don’t want to go back to those days with all trials and tribulations ahead of me as I started in college, ๐ŸŽ“ it’s kind of nice to be in the midlife even if things aren’t perfect every day. That was quite a time, when so much possibility ahead existed, when I was learning so much and changing so quickly. I was bad yesterday, didn’t get my steps in, ๐Ÿ‘ฃ but this morning I plan to do the stairs maybe twice at work, and walk the Plaza in an attempt to get in 10,000 steps for the day.

Twenty two years is a long time โณ even if in the grand scheme of things it’s not. 14 ½ years from now my mom was pointing out I will be 55 years old and if I’m still working for the state at that point I’ll have in close to 30 years and can collect my Tier 4 pension if I decide to do alternative things. ๐Ÿ’ต Maybe move out west, have that off-grid homestead property I want. By then I’m hoping to have $1.5 million in assets put away though some I won’t be able to tap until 59 1/2 (IRA) but it’s still young enough that if I stay healthy and continue to improve my physical shape there is a lot of possibilities at that age. September 11th in 2001 seems like just yesterday but it was a long time ago now. ๐Ÿ™

Today will have showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 71 degrees at 1pm. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 24th. Maximum dew point of 67 at 1pm. Calm wind becoming north 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 74 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1931.

Listening to Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning while doing my morning walk ๐Ÿšถ around the Plaza. I’m actually surprised there is less of a police ๐Ÿ‘ฎ presence as there was in years past on the anniversary. I guess September 11th has been forgotten but then again it was more than a generation ago now – and I’m sure the threat analysis by terrorism center kept the color code green or blue. I remember that day so well, listening to the attacks live with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now, followed by that somewhat old lady troublemaker sounding Rezsin Adams who read ๐Ÿ“– from the Nation Magazine like she did every morning after Democracy Now on WRPI. It’s been decades now since she was kicked off the radio, ๐Ÿ“ป and going on three years since her passing. It’s good I got to know her when I was at her house folding the Save the Pine Bush newsletter.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:53 pm with sun having an altitude of 52° from the due south horizon (-18.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 6:38 pm with the sun in the west (271°). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west (277°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:15 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 55 seconds with dusk around 7:41 pm, which is one minute and 46 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:17 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and temperatures around 70 degrees. The dew point will be 65 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 12 hours and 44 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 50 seconds over yesterday.

Yesterday, after a few hours of cussing including on Facebook ๐Ÿคฌ and playing around with controls on my bike and some internet research, I got the bicycle shifting smoothly again. โš™ ๐Ÿšฒ I think what happened is a snagged the front derailleur cable on some bushes when I was riding at the back country at Thacher Park, plus over the past 750 miles or so of riding, cables have stretched. I think it’s good enough for now, though come the end of the year, I’ll take Blackie to the shop for a full tune up — the gears professionally adjusted for smooth shifting along with the wheels trued again. ๐Ÿšต‍โ™€๏ธ If I have continued problems with noisy operation or rough shifting, I will just take it back to Steiner Sports to get tuned up and maybe that cable replaced in the front. Sucks I have to put more money into the bike already, but in the grand scheme of things it’s not going to cost that much, even in these inflationary times. The gear adjusting is actually pretty simple to do, I can’t imagine they would charge a small fortune for 5 minutes on the bike stand to index the gears.

I also glued back together the lid on my mini food processor/chopped ๐Ÿ‘จ‍๐Ÿณ and it’s working fine after shattering yesterday, but I got looking at getting a full-sized food processor with a dough blade and a big enough motor to knead dough. I would then “retire” my mini-food to my camping supplies, as it works well enough now glued together but I really want something for more power for at home, especially if want to use it to help automate the bread and dough making processor, make chickpea and red lentil flower, larger batches of hummus, etc. ๐Ÿž ๐ŸŒ I don’t mind kneading dough, but it sure would be convenient to dump the ingredients in, have things kneaded for me without a full bread machine. Looking at $60 model at Wally World, which is not a super high-end but should do that trick with enough power, assuming my dough aren’t so sticky and far more powerful then the 70 watt mini processor.  Truth be told I don’t need the mini-food processor for camping, but I sure like the sauces it makes, and how it mills the oatmeal perfectly for oatmeal-banana pancakes, and perfectly scrambled eggs. And it really has minimal current draw on the inverter.

I am a little worried about money, ๐Ÿค‘ but this week is a pay week and my credit card bill gets retired on Friday automatically, so that will help restore my credit limit. It’s funny but when you do the Autopay, it does it the date the bill is due, so it really covers the cost of summer vacation now. Plus I’ve had more costs with inflation, high food and gas prices โ›ฝ and a lot more summer travel over the past few months — to say nothing of getting more spices and kitchen supplies for doing more cooking. ๐Ÿฅ˜ But it’s good as eating healthier is an investment in my future. And it most of my concerns are short-term, if I have to move money around for a few days from a rainy day fund, it’s not the end of the world.

Tonight will be scattered showers, mainly before 7pm. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy โ˜๏ธ, with a low of 61 degrees at 5am. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 19th. Maximum dew point of 66 at 6pm. North wind around 6 mph becoming calm after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2022, we had light rain in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was humid. It got down to 65 degrees. The record low of 36 occurred back in 1875.

I think I might have a bladder infection ๐Ÿšฝ as I am going to the doctor’s this afternoon to get checked out. For a while I was chocking going to the bathroom at night and having to stop so much when traveling to just eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables with farm stand season underway, especially all those aciditic tomatoes and peaches, ๐Ÿ‘ ๐Ÿ… but I was talking to my parents this weekend, and I think it’s best to get it checked out, especially before it could spread to my kidneys. Turns out it’s a simple test, and then antibotics if necessary. And then relief from pissing all of the time. It’s kind of bad that I can’t go anywhere these days without needing a pee break every hour or so, especially in the morning. Maybe I need to cut back on the coffee but I think I might also have an issue — and I’ve noticed some soreness since Friday.

Cool almost autumn like weekend ahead. ๐Ÿ‚ Maybe the North Country will have it’s first hints of autumn this weekend. I thought about heading north, but I think I’d rather wait for more color. It will be refreshing after all the heat and humidity of late. Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 72. Maximum dew point of 53 at 12pm. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Maximum dew point of 58 at 12pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 75 degrees. ๐Ÿ˜€

This weekend I would like to head out of town. โ›บ Maybe Rennselearville State Forest or hammock camping at Cole Hill State Forest is an inexpensive option, I know mom wants me to go apple ๐Ÿ picking with dad come Sunday. Not totally sure, the sunsets are so much earlier this time of year. If I want to head north, it’s best to take off Friday and just leave early that day to get north. That said, I think I’d rather wait until there is more color for a trip up north. ๐Ÿ‚ I wouldn’t mind a couple of quiet nights in the woods, even though the nights are much longer now, and some trail riding.

Looking ahead but not forward, next Monday is 7 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ† with dusk at 7:28 pm. On that day in 2022, we had rain and temperatures between 80 and 62 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 74 degrees. We hit a record high of 91 back in 1891.

Tree on Bank of Lake Ontario

Grooving along, living in the new world with Oliver Anthony

Songs about about of populism and nostalgia dominate the radio while people think back to the simpler more innocent times of the 2000s and 2010s when Climate Change induced storms didn’t lead the news headlines a leading presidential candidate wasn’t an octonian or an multi time indicted felon. As we count down the days until America turns 250 with all the signs and banners to be erected and days to be celebrated with fireworks and picnics.

Good morning! Happy Thursday. Mostly cloudy and 58 degrees in Delmar for the morning walk. โ˜ There is a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 54 degrees. The skies will clear Saturday around 4 am.

Woke up early โฐ as I was asleep early at nine 9โƒฃ and made an omelet with chopped zucchini and tomatoes that I ran through the food processor with garlic and onion. Added a little bit of milk and corn starch to make the egg extra fluffy. Breakfast first then the walk. Normally I prefer the other order but it was dark out early.

Today will have a chance of showers, mainly between noon and 3pm. Cloudy ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 69 degrees at 2pm. 12 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 28th. Maximum dew point of 61 at 2pm. South wind 6 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 partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was humid. The high last year was 86 degrees. The record high of 95 was set in 1947.

Maybe it won’t be a wash out today๐ŸŒง๏ธ but I think it probably best to take the bus ๐Ÿš in today to work as it likely will be rain by evening. I’ve also noticed a numbness in my finger tips ๐Ÿ–• and that’s a sign of carpal tunnel syndrome developing in my hands ๐Ÿ‘ by putting too much weight on them and pinching the nerves. Not as bad yesterday as I was more careful about putting so much weight on them heading home climbing that big hill out of gorge but I got to be careful about pinching the nerves and causing permanent damage needing surgery.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:59 pm with sun having an altitude of 58.5° from the due south horizon (-12.3° 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 ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:07 pm with the sun in the west (280°). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (286°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:45 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 1 seconds with dusk around 8:13 pm, which is one minute and 36 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous ๐ŸŒ” Moon in the south-southwest (194°) at an altitude of 20° from the horizon, 234,641 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:51 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and temperatures around 67 degrees. The dew point will be 60 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 13 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 34 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 41 seconds over yesterday.

Yesterday I rode out to Voorheesville ๐Ÿš‚ along the rail trail and spent a little bit of time out at the park ๐Ÿž with a book before it got dark out. 25 miles ridden and 4 miles walked yesterday. Today I doubt ๐Ÿคท‍โ™‚๏ธ I’ll do much riding today but I’ll walk five miles plus do the stairs at the office. As previously noted, I was in bed before 9 PM and didn’t bother to watch the Republican debate. ๐Ÿ˜ It’s not like I plan to vote for any candidates, as I’m an enrolled Democrat and I think I prefer Biden over any of the GOP candidates, not that I’m a big lover of Biden either but he does seem to be doing some meaningful things on the environment and climate change — to say nothing of labor and civil rights. Maybe he’s the best option, but I’ll cast my protest vote come November 2024, as New York is almost certain to go blue regardless of my vote. ๐Ÿ’™

Oliver Anthony’s Rich Men North of Richmond, ๐ŸŽค might be rocking the country charts, with it’s anti-establishment critical view of what’s happening in our government, but he also has a pretty good mixture of other songs worth listening to even if you don’t like his controversial lyrics for putting the government in a bad light. ๐Ÿฐ I was listening to more of his songs, and really enjoying it. There is a lot of other good artists over at RadioWV.

Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2am. ๐ŸŒง Low of 63 degrees at 5am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 63 at 1am. ๐Ÿ–๏ธ Breezy, with a south wind 13 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It was humid. It got down to 60 degrees. The record low of 35 occurred back in 1940.

Been researching how to bake bread ๐Ÿž as I am thinking from fresh homemade bread would be good come this winter, and I could make it with less oil and sugar then many of the commercial breads. Not looking at recipes that much, but trying to learn how all the ingredients play together and alternative forms of bread, especially whole grains and oatmeal. ๐ŸŒฟ Thinking it would be good with a good split-pea or other homemade soup, or dipped in extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Already using balsamic vinegar for acidity in many of my foods, it really gives a lot of meals a lot of extra flavor.

Back in 1967, the Yippies of Abbie Hoffman’s Youth International Party temporarily disrupts trading at the New York Stock Exchange by throwing dollar bills from the viewing gallery, ๐Ÿ’ต ๐Ÿคก ๐Ÿ’ธ causing trading to cease as brokers scramble to grab them. As they say, it’s all about the money. Or something like that Dan Halloran said in his bid to sell the NYC Mayorship. ๐Ÿ‘ฉ‍โš–๏ธ Money matters a lot, it’s a way to get a lot of things done.

Weekend forecast is improving. โ˜บ Saturday, a slight chance of showers between 8am and 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Northwest wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 65 at 11am. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Maximum dew point of 59 at 12pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 81 degrees.

Looking ahead, there are 7 weeks until Columbus Day โ›ต ๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿ when the sun will be setting at 6:20 pm with dusk at 6:47 pm. On that day in 2022, we had partly sunny, shallow fog and temperatures between 71 and 41 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 63 degrees. We hit a record high of 85 back in 1954.

Pond's Edge

Second half of August ๐ŸŽช

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. โ˜” There is a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 63 degrees. The skies will clear around 3 pm.

Out walking ๐Ÿšถ this morning, red kidney beans cooking down on the stove ๐Ÿฒ to enjoy with maple syrup up at camp this weekend. Thinking cold black coffee โ˜• this morning, cream of wheat with chia seeds, yogurt, lemon ๐Ÿ‹ maybe a touch of stevia and some cherries ๐Ÿ’ to get the day started. And maybe some of the red beans with maple syrup for protein. Save the rest for camp. ๐Ÿ•

Today will have patchy drizzle with a chance of showers before 10am, then a chance of showers between 10am and 2pm. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฆ, 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 ๐Ÿšต 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 ๐Ÿก and saves on the bus ๐Ÿš 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 โ›ˆ. 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. ๐ŸŒฝ ๐Ÿฅฆ

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž 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 ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:19 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (283°). ๐Ÿ“ธ 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. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent ๐ŸŒ’ Moon in the west-northwest (291°) at an altitude of 1° from the horizon, 252,188 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:05 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ 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 ๐ŸŒ†, 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. โ˜€๏ธ 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 ๐ŸŒ… 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 ๐Ÿฅฆ ๐ŸŒฝ then to Walmart in Johnstown for a few groceries and supplies ๐Ÿ›’, then maybe Rogers Orchards ๐ŸŽ for fresh apples, then up hopefully to the House Pond Campsite. By noontime, I want to get camp set up ๐Ÿ• , 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. ๐Ÿ“ป 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. ๐ŸŒง 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 ๐Ÿ“š and plan on reading it on Friday morning. โ™จ 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, ๐ŸŽช as it’s been such a wet summer and I’m thinking it could be buggy. ๐Ÿœ By evening it shouldn’t be too bad, might go for a nice ride on Blackie ๐Ÿšฒ 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. ๐ŸŒ†

A picture perfect weekend after we get past Friday on tap. ๐Ÿ˜Ž 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. ๐Ÿ›ถ 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. ๐Ÿฆ 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, ๐Ÿ˜Ž 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, ๐Ÿง it would become the basis of many forms of Linux like Ubuntu Linux, which is currently what I run on my home computer. ๐Ÿ‘จ‍๐Ÿ’ป 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. ๐Ÿต 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 ๏ธDegrees โ›ฑ๏ธ๏ธ๏ธ 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

Day 2 of summer vacation waiting for the front to come through โ›ˆ๏ธ

Just taking it slow and easy, it’s summer vacation and it’s a hang out in the National Forest kind of day with rain and thunderstorms almost certain come midday.

Good morning! No rain yet but a fair amount of clouds, muggy. I’d call it times of clouds and sun about 75 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. โ›… More sun would be nice to charge the solar. ๐Ÿ”‹ There is a west breeze at 7 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 69 degrees. Muggy but relief coming with the front this afternoon. The skies will clear around 9 pm.

Been having fun, so far a great vacation, very relaxing. ๐Ÿ˜ Got the campsite I wanted, I have so many good healthy foods to eat. ๐Ÿ went for a ride over to Teeter Pond ๐Ÿšฒ and the Horton Pasture hoping to catch a nice sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ though it turned out to be grayer than I had hoped with a lot of clouds but listening to the bull frogs ๐Ÿธ and cows mooing as dusk approached was nice. Rode back to camp, laid in the hammock for a bit. The brighter light from my headlamp I mounted on my bike works decent, better than the bike light I have. Then around 9:30 decided to ride over to Foster Pond though it was buggy and cloudy when I got there so I didn’t stay long except to watch the froggers ๐Ÿธ out in the edge of the pond looking for some frog legs to cook up for dinner. Headlights on that dark road though from oncoming vehicles were quite blinding I must admit!

Today will have showers and thunderstorms before 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 4pm and 5pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5pm. ๐ŸŒฆ High of 74 degrees at 11am. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 11th. Maximum dew point of 71 at 1pm. ๐Ÿ–๏ธ Northwest wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. An improvement over yesterday’s forecast but will be wet. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 89 degrees. The reI aglsotvycord high of 97 was set in 1894.

I plan to get firewood under the tarp before the rain ๐ŸŒง๏ธ. It’s only a matter of time before the rain comes. I actually was expecting a wetter morning then turned out to be, as I put away the hammock last night and anything that I didn’t want to get wet as I’m so used to Albany where a threat of rain always turns out to be a certainty for rain but maybe not so much in the Finger Lakes. Only time will tell. Midday hopefully before the rain, want to ride over to Foster Pond and then up to the top of Hector Backbone ๐Ÿšต for the views and to get podcasts to listen to this evening back at camp. ๐Ÿ“ป Then probably read in the afternoon, cook up onions and more salmon for dinner. ๐Ÿ  Thinking beans with maple ๐Ÿ syrup for a light lunch.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:14 pm with sun having an altitude of 66.2ยฐ from the due south horizon (-4.5ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:52 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (290ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (297ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:32 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 14 seconds with dusk around 9:03 pm, which is one minute and 4 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Full ๐ŸŒ Moon in the south-southeast (159ยฐ) at an altitude of 16ยฐ from the horizon, 230,641 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:45 pm. At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies โ˜ and temperatures around 65.

Hoping it will clear out this evening for a nice Finger Lakes sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ and it will be starry โœจ and clear to sit down at Foster Pond watching shooting stars. Probably though will be cold and damp though I expect the humidity to drop after the front comes through.

Tonight will have a chance of showers before 8pm. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 58 degrees at 5am. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 30th. Maximum dew point of 64 at 6pm. Northwest wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. In 2022, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 64 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1968.

Tomorrow and the next four days should be beautiful โ˜€ and I plan to make the most of them. Tomorrow get a fairly early start, bike most of the Cayuta Valley Rail Trail. ๐Ÿšฒ Then swim at the Watkins Glen Pool, get ice cream at Glen Dairy Bar ๐Ÿฆ, ride along Rock Cabin Road, watch the sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ on Seneca Lake. Monday I’m thinking of exploring the gorge at Cornell University and Ithaca bicycle trails and maybe swim ๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ at Taughannock before heading back to camp. โ›บ Tuesday either paddle Seneca Lake and float in the tube there or maybe head up to Penn Yann – Dresden for the Keuka Valley Trail and ice cream at the Spotted Duck ๐Ÿฆ†. Then take it from there.

Looking ahead, next Saturday is Work Like a Dog Day ๐Ÿฉ when the sun will be setting at 8:24 pm with dusk at 8:54 pm. On that day in 2022, we had hot, humid, partly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 93 and 71 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 83 degrees. I guess if swimming and bicycling is working like a dog I’ll be doing that on my final evening of vacation. We hit a record high of 99 back in 1955.

 Sunset

First Friday of Summer! ๐Ÿ–

Well offically at least, though in a few hours it will really feel like it with the muggers returning, assaulting you as soon as you step outside of a non air conditioned building. And I’ll be like I’m morally superior for not having air conditioning at home while working in an air conditioned office all day and taking my big jacked up well air conditioned truck to the Adirondacks I camp every time it gets truly hot out.

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Mostly cloudy and 61 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ˜ Calm wind. The dew point is 57 degrees. The skies will clear Sunday around 10 am.

Feeling good this morning as I got to bed ๐Ÿ› by 8 pm last night. It feels werid going to bed with the sun still being up but lately I’ve been getting deprived of sleep as I’m often up at the five o’clock hour and many nights I’m up pushing ten o’clock as it’s not real dark until 9 pm and I’m out walking ๐Ÿšถ.

Oatmeal ๐Ÿฅฃ this morning with fruit but I’ll also add a spoonful ๐Ÿฅ„ of Greek yogurt and some white beans to boost fiber and protein levels to avoid the blood sugar crash mid morning and the cravings to eat more food. Plus I’m trying to use up the white beans so I can cook up the red kidney beans over the weekend as they are so good with a little bit of maple syrup or mashed and cooked with eggs. ๐Ÿฅš

Today will have isolated showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 81 degrees at 3pm. Typical for today. The muggers are expected as the day continues. Maximum dew point of 68 at 6pm. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 73 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1888.

Going to be hot and humid by afternoon but I’m ready for it. ๐Ÿ˜ฐ Worse comes to worse I’ll delay my evening walk and can do laps in the Plaza at lunchtime. I’ll have to get my big fan โš›๏ธ out of my crawl space but that’s fine as I have to put away my Big Buddy heater and the screen tent. ๐ŸŽช Summer returns again.

Got a co-payment bill for my blood ๐Ÿ†Ž work after my physical a few weeks back. I guess I expected that $25 fee but it’s just a reminder that your free yearly health screening isn’t just that. So much of the medical industry is rather scammy, they don’t tell you much as they assault you with paperwork. Being able to study the online health records though is nice. ๐Ÿ”Ž All my numbers are very good, especially sodium levels, cholesterol LDL to HDL though some might be I’m still relatively young, eat a pfairly good diet and have lost quire a bit of weight. ๐Ÿ‹๏ธ Blood sugar was in the normal range but slightly elevated as I eat breakfast before the blood draw. White blood cells was a bit low but it might have been the sample due to delay noted in processing but the actual infection fighting components were good. Honestly at this point my goal ๐Ÿฅ… is to avoid doctors ๐Ÿง‘โ€โš•๏ธ๐Ÿฅ as much as possible.

Tonight we are looking at scattered showers and thunderstorms. ๐ŸŒฉ Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Sunset will be around 8:38 PM, one of the latest for the year. ๐ŸŒ† Muggy with dew points in the heading up to the upper 60s by afternoon.

This evening probably after walking ๐Ÿ›’ I should probably go to the grocery store although I could wait if I am going to see John tomorrow. I emailed ๐Ÿ“ง Linda and haven’t heard back but I could stock up at Market 32 after visiting them and the Albany Pine Bush. ๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒฒI kind of do want to get a scale tough at Walmart so I can better monitor my weight. Also I need some more under shirts as I’m pretty much out of clean ones and I would like to have XL sized ones that fit better.

Saturday it looks like showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80.ย  ๐ŸŒฆ South wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Maybe not the nicest Saturday ever but we could use the rain. Muggy still with dewpoints pushing 70 at times.

I am hoping to get a bicycle tomorrow, ๐Ÿšฒ as I want to start to biking back and forth to work, as many days as possible both for health and saving money. Plus being able to get around town better. I was thinking some days I could bike out to Five Rivers before work, then take the rail trail downtown from there. I just keep putting this off but I really should bite the bullet tomorrow if there is a bike I like.

Sunday will have scattered showers before 11am, then scattered showers and thunderstorms between 11am and 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.ย  ๐ŸŒฆ South wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Not as wet, with rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Picnic Area at Somerset Reservior

Good Evening – November 9, 2021

Good evening! Nice evening camping up at Canaan Heights. ๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒฒ

I’ve been enjoying being in the National Quiet Zone, although it’s nice to be not so cut off from the world. Really mild afternoon, I’ve been laying in my hammock since setting up camp earlier this afternoon.

Partly clear and 56 degrees at the Monongahela National Forest. There is a west breeze at 9 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Saturday around 4 am. โ˜ƒ๏ธ

I hiked the trail to the summit of Seneca Rocks and also drove up Spruce Knob, โ›ฐ both in the High Country of West Virginia today. I thought about going to Dolly Sods and camping up there, but with the strong, frigid on Spruce Knob, I decided that would be too cold. Plus I was tired of all that mountain driving, with all the hairpin turns and steep descends, carefully driven in first or second gear, to keep from burning up the brakes too much. ๐Ÿ—ป

My good digital camera’s battery is dead ๐Ÿ”‹ and the charger isn’t working right. That’s kind of a bummer because it means I won’t be able to take as good, sharp photos with my cellphone camera. ๐Ÿ“ธ But I have done enough photography over the years, that I can make it work, although I’m not sure how good it will be with the large format pictures on my blog.

I am a bit concerned about an occasional squeak of what I think is a wheel bearing on the truck. โšซ I might head back north to Cumberland to get that checked tomorrow or if it seems okay, start heading back towards Pennsylvania and New York. I hate to cut my vacation short but I’d rather have it fixed this week rather then having to rent a car or stay in a hotel over the weekend, while I wait for it to be fixed. If it is a wheel bearing, I doubt I’ll be able to make it home. Obnoxious that is had to happen during vacation though.

I really do love West Virginia though. ๐Ÿ˜ I might alternatively stay another night here through Thursday, so I can explore more of the Canaan Heights. If I’m not putting  miles on the truck, it shouldn’t make anything worse. I don’t think I want to push my luck too much though, as I don’t know how long that wheel bearing will hold out, and I would much prefer to have it fixed while I’m home and not paying for a hotel or rental car. Stuff happens, and sometimes as the most inconvenient times.

Even if this trip is cut short, there is always tomorrow. ๐Ÿค” I could come back to West Virginia next year or maybe that year after that. I think though I would do it either earlier in October or maybe during the summer when the days are longer. I’ve though about a summer trip to West Virginia but I feel like it might be really hot, ๐Ÿ’ฆ and possibly crowded, ๐Ÿ‘จ‍๐Ÿ‘ฉ‍๐Ÿ‘ง‍๐Ÿ‘ง especially around Dolly Sods.

November 7, 2020 Night

Good evening! Partly clear and 52 degrees at the Stoney Pond State Forest. There is a west-southwest breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 43 degrees.

Walked down to Stoney Pond but there is enough clouds โ˜๏ธ that the Syracuse light pollution makes the stars โœจ much more difficult than previous nights. Came back to camp and sat by the fire ๐Ÿ”ฅ for a while. Definitely some nice scenery hiking along the Canastota-Cazenovia Trail and poking around Fenner. The wind farm and all the various livestock farms up that way are quite interesting to see. ๐Ÿฎ It’s amazing what people can make from the earth ๐ŸŒŽ tillage and grass. ๐Ÿšœ God bless the grass.

Joe Biden is the president elect and I listened to his speech ๐ŸŽค๐Ÿ‘ด๐Ÿป. Honestly with socially distant drive in rally due to COVID-19 it sounded like it was held at the median of the Belt Parkway. ๐Ÿš˜ I get it but it’s weird to hear car horns at a political speech. I voted for Jo Jergenson but I think Biden will be a much better president than Trump. Biden has so much more experience, he listens to experts, and he’s a calming influence during the pandemic. ๐Ÿ‘พBut even if I felt differently, I don’t have much say in the presidency beyond a bubble I marked on the voting Scantron machine. ๐Ÿ–‹๏ธ I don’t do many political rally anymore – protests are fun but I’m not interested in defending any particular cause. ๐Ÿคœ

Maybe Trump to a certain extent was a good thing. ๐Ÿคฌ He tore down the old rules about obscenity, brought down the presidency in some ways to the people by replacing the class and decorum of the office with that of a cheap suit worn by Billy Fuscillo. ๐Ÿ•ด๏ธ He made politicians a lot more free on their social media and many ways elevated politics over bureaucary and decorum which had gotten awful stuffy ๐Ÿง for the modern era. I think it’s fine for the world to know the president poops ๐Ÿ’ฉ and tweets from his gold plated toilet ๐Ÿšฝ. His three justices he appointed in the Supreme Court will provide an effective check on the new administration. โš– No one party should be too powerful. ๐Ÿ›ข That farm I passed with the very well used and blacked with melted plastic all over them burn barrels had a big ol Trump flag out front. But as a farmer I’m sure he’s done more than most to conserve our earth ๐ŸŒŽ and probably doesn’t send much trash to the landfill. ๐Ÿ”ฅ

Tonight will be mostly clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 47 degrees at 6am. 13 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 27th. Southwest wind around 6 mph. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 23 degrees. The record low of 18 occurred back in 1971.

I don’t know it feels colder than that already, โ„ but truth be told it was so warm and sunny today that everything seems a lot colder then it is. But sitting the next to the campfire ๐Ÿ”ฅwith my vest and cowboy hat ๐Ÿค  it’s quite warm. I realize that there is so much I can’t change about the world today but I can continue to enjoy my own life free and work to save for a better tomorrow. ๐Ÿ’ต The politicians are going to do what they do but I can’t turn off the radio ๐Ÿ“ป and avoid the social media. ๐Ÿ“ฑ I don’t think I’ll ever own of those colored televisions ๐Ÿ“บ,

Tonight will have a Last Quarter ๐ŸŒ— Moon with 54% illuminated. The moon will rise at 10:33 pm. The Beaver ๐Ÿป Moon is on Monday, November 23. The darkest hour is at 11:47 pm, followed by dawn at 6:16 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:46 am in the east-southeast (112ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 9 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 16 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 7:27 am with sun in the east-southeast (119ยฐ). Tonight will have 13 hours and 59 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 26 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 68 degrees at 2pm. 17 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 27th. Maximum dew point of 46 at 5pm. Light west wind. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 37 degrees. The record high of 75 was set in 1975. 1.7 inches of snow fell back in 1894.โ„

Tomorrow I have to take down camp โ›บ, officially by eleven o’clock when my three night tenancy expires. I will miss the wild Hill and Hollow country of Madison County ๐Ÿฎ but it’s not going away any time soon. I mean this was the exact same campsite I was at a decade ago. But with the mild weather โ˜€ I haven’t been able to enjoy the solitude that was the case a decade ago – people are enjoying the nice weather. Can’t blame them. Me too!

Central NY ๐Ÿ—ฝ is different than the Adirondacks or the Green Mountains but I like the agricultural landscape for a change. ๐Ÿฎ There are a lot of neat trails and scenic vistas out along this way. I honestly haven’t spent a lot of time out in Cazenovia area in years and the Trailway is quite nice. ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿป That said, Chittenango Falls was way too crowded but particularly the high country part of the Trailway was super quiet. ๐Ÿคซ I just wish more people would wear masks on the trail ๐Ÿ˜ท. Apparently social distancing isn’t as popular here. ๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ

Iysa beautiful landscape out here, and some day I want to live back out in the country ๐Ÿก๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿท but not one of those big fancy houses. More ramshackle like those often rundown farms I pass on by. There is something so beautiful about how nature grows back and works to take over everything – the abandoned homes and equipment, and just the mud and muck that can be found on every farm.

In four weeks on December 5 the sun will be setting in the west-southwest (239ยฐ) at 4:28 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 18 minutes and 45 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2019 on that day, we had mostly cloudy, snow showers and temperatures between 38 and 28 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 40 and 25 degrees. The record high of 65 degrees was set back in 2001.

I may do a December trip โ›บ but I don’t really know, as I expect soon for remote work ๐Ÿ’ป to be ending and I don’t have a lot of vacation time left at this point before the end of the year. I feel like the abnormally warm weather is soon to switch to be cold โ„ and snow ๐ŸŒจ. And once the roads are icy and snow covered, camping season is likely done for me unless I hot tent ๐ŸŽช locally as I’ve done some years during the holidays.

Looking ahead, Regular Deer Season in Southern Zone ๐ŸฆŒ is in 2 weeks, Small Business Saturday ๐Ÿ›๏ธ is in 3 weeks, Repeal of Prohibition Day ๐Ÿบ is in 4 weeks, Boxing Day ๐ŸฅŠ is in 7 weeks, Static Electric Shock Day ๐Ÿงผ is in 9 weeks, National Cheese Lovers Day ๐Ÿง€ is in 11 weeks, Save the Pine Bush Turns 43 ๐Ÿฆ‹ is in 13 weeks, 5:30 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ† is in 15 weeks and Snow Moon ๐ŸŒ• is in 16 weeks.