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Time … it’s running out โŒ›

One of the things I am starting to realize more and more in my forties is how precious every since hour is, and how fast time comes and goes. I shouldn’t take things for granted, especially not people, as they can come and go quicker then you can imagine. The decline in health is rarely sudden, but when it happens, there often is no going back.

I spent a lot of time with John Wolcott and his wife during his later years. I watched his decline in health, as gradual as it might have been, before his final hours. I heard the warnings, but I knew there would always be a least one more time to visit and go for a walk in the Crossings town park before there wasn’t. There was no more fall days left to push him around in the wheel chair, spotting the occasional Pitch Pine in the woods of the Crossings. I had hoped to get him back to Albany Pine Bush one last time, but that didn’t happen. It’s really hard to know what words to say to somebody who is dying slowly but surely before your eyes, you want to believe there always is another time to visit.

I’ve been thinking more and more about this closer to home when it comes to my parents, who are getting up there in years. Come Thursday, I am planning to go with them up to the Adirondacks to have a picnic up in Speculator, then probably drive back down along Piseco-Powley Road to show them where I often camp, and enjoy the beauty of the autumn colors which will likely be showing up north this week. Then go out dinner together. By the time they return from vacation, most of the colors will be gone, and I don’t want to pass up this chance to spend some time together. That’s why I’m taking off a day mid-week, as they don’t want to go up as they pack for vacation.

Likewise, while I am eating healthier and have really started to shun the unhealthy but delicious meals I grew up on — macaroni and cheese, lasagna, stuffed shells, and so forth — I realize there is only a limited amount of time to enjoy mama’s cooking. It would be a mistake to shun too much of her food in favor of health, or even refusing the delicious left-overs that can be frozen and eaten in moderation. I know I’ll never cook or make meals like mama, and while she is supposedly writing down her recipes, now is the time to enjoy them in moderation, knowing before long it will just be a memory as she gets older, her hands weaker and ability to cook may soon be impossible. Just because I am worried about all the sugar and saturated fat in mama’s cooking, I really shouldn’t shun it.

At the same time, I have some worries about my own health. While since turning I’ve really emphasized healthy diet and exercise, learning a lot more about cooking, my pissing problem continues to bug me — even though I got checked out by the doctor and they ran several urine and blood tests. It really could be just that I’m drinking too much coffee in the morning and not enough water at night, or all the fruits and vegetables I eat — or a simple infection, but I do have this fear of cancer or other serious kidney or liver disease not yet diagnosed. I think I’m healthy as most of my numbers are excellent, but it’s a worry in the back of my mind. It’s one of the reasons why I am thinking of going to West Virginia this year, in case it’s my last chance to do it. Probably not, but you never know.

Things always seem good, time endless until it’s not.

Davies River, Six O'clock Shadow

I have to say this has been the best vacation in my life โ›บ ๐Ÿšต ๐Ÿฆ ๐ŸŠ ๐Ÿ›ถ

The weather has been absolutely fantastic, my days packed with adventures and cold ice cream and swimming holes. I’ve ridden like 250 miles through farm and forest land. Many nights with campfires, watermelon cold beer and fresh squeezed lemonade. Dinners with Vadellia onions and peppers, lemon pepper chicken and salmon, beer boiled clams with sweet corn, zucchini and tons of fresh fruit with Greek yogurt. Many amazing sunrises and sunsets. Just not nearly enough hours in the day.

Good morning! Happy Sunday. I do know what this means, after 10 days all good things must come to an end. ๐Ÿ˜” Don’t look so sad, life goes on this world keeps turning. Summer 2024 is but a few winks ๐Ÿ˜‰ of the eye away, as is a long weekend trip up to the Potholers maybe next weekend or in two weeks. Then maybe an extended Labor Day Weekend at Spectulator Tree Farm to close out the summer. Except for the hammock, flags, bucket shitter and the kayak on the roof of the truck my home for nine short nights has been taken down. ๐Ÿ›ถ

Stunningly beautiful morning like so many this past week. Mostly sunny and 68 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. โ˜€ There is a southeast breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 57 degrees. I heard the seven o’clock chime ๐ŸŽ on my phone and it was followed by the eight, nine and ten o’clock chimes on my phone about five minutes later as I took down camp, carefully packing things for the return trip to Albany.

This morning was a delightful breakfast ๐Ÿฅฃ of cream of wheat, freshly squeezed lemon, a bit of stevia to make it sweet plus chia seeds ๐ŸŒฑ for fiber and the remaining Greek yogurt I had so it wouldn’t go bad without ice. I also had the last hard boiled egg ๐Ÿฅš a little while after for additional protein and as I wasn’t sure if it would survive to mid day without any more ice in the cooler. Plus two cups of cold black coffee โ˜• not that I really needed it as I made sure to get my eight hours of sleep yesterday for the long drive home.

Today will be sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 79 degrees at 4pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 1st. Maximum dew point of 62 at 5pm. East wind around 7 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. It was very sticky. The high last year was 93 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1900.

I told myself that I should leave Ithaca by 4 pm to ensure my arrival home by 7 pm, ๐Ÿก well before dark and so I have time to unpack and run to the laundromat and grocery store before bed ๐Ÿ› at 9 pm. I’d like to get back into the habit of rising at 6 am for the morning walk ๐Ÿšถ and to bed nightly at nine, as I find that’s the most natural sleep pattern for me. Of course if I ride my bike ๐Ÿšฒ to work I can get a later start as I won’t need to do a morning walk before catching the express downtown. ๐Ÿš Do plan to resume doing the stairs to the 18th floor twice a day at work ๐Ÿข at least when I’m working downtown for that extra push of intensive cardio each day. Truth be told, I really should plan on leaving Ithaca at 3 pm knowing I’ll inevitably be running late, ๐Ÿƒ stopping at farm stands ๐ŸŒฝ and pee breaks ๐Ÿšป, parks and scenic vistas. ๐Ÿ“ธ

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:14 pm with sun having an altitude of 64.2ยฐ from the due south horizon (-6.5ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:43 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (287ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (294ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:23 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 9 seconds with dusk around 8:52 pm, which is one minute and 16 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:33 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies ๐ŸŒƒ and temperatures around 73 degrees. The dew point will be 63 degrees. There will be a east-southeast breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 20 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 20 seconds over yesterday.

Thinking ๐Ÿ’ญ today I’ll go to Buttermilk Falls State Park ๐Ÿž and hike the gorge and swim. ๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ I don’t love the idea of parking ๐Ÿ…ฟ in that tight little parking lot so I might find a city park to park at or on street, and ride some of the Ithaca bike ๐Ÿšฒ trails to get there, bypassing delays at the toll booth to boot not that it matters as I have an Empire Passport ๐Ÿ›‚.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 1am and 5am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Increasing clouds ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 66 degrees at 6am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 66 at 5am. South wind 6 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was very sticky. It got down to 76 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1994.

Yesterday I mountain biked ๐Ÿšต riding both gravel and trails at Sugar Hill State Forest. Posted many pictures to Facebook some on the blog. About a fifteen mile loop. Swam at Watkins Glen pool ๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ but didn’t ultimately go floating on my tube โญ• on Seneca Lake as it was too cool and the lake choppy ๐ŸŒŠ by afternoon. Rode another ten miles down Rock Cabin Road, ๐Ÿšฒ along old Airport Road at Catharine Valley WMA, then down to Montour Falls. Rode over to Glen Dairy Bar ๐Ÿง via the Catharine Valley Trail and the Watkins Glen High School ๐Ÿšธ and had a great hot apple pie ๐Ÿฅง sundae with vanilla soft ice cream. Rode over to the Watkins Glen Pier and watched the sun set โ›ต and then through Clute Park ๐Ÿž back to my truck and back to camp by nine. Dinner was sweet corn ๐ŸŒฝ, peppers and peaches ๐Ÿ‘ that I got at the Burdett Exchange ๐Ÿ’ฑ along with a hard boiled egg ๐Ÿฅš. Night rode over to Foster Pond, sat and looked at the stars โœจ for a while but didn’t see any shooting stars but I didn’t stay that long as it was chilly and I wanted to get back to camp โ›บ as it was after 10:30 PM for a small campfire to warm up ๐Ÿ”ฅ before lights out.

Looking ahead, there are 5 weeks until 6:30 Sunrise ๐ŸŒ‡ when the sun will be setting at 7:27 pm with dusk at 7:54 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 83 and 56 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 77 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1931.

Over the Pine Creek

That moon to rising at nine o’clock essentially over South Hill in Ithaca last night was amazing. ๐ŸŒ•

Maybe we are day past the official full moon but turning onto Potomac Road from Searsburg Road, the moon rise was most impressive and so large looming over the pasture lands. Not sure if it’s a super moon but it certainly was super from the angle I was viewing it high from the Hector Backbone looking down towards Cayuga Lake.

Good morning! What day is it? Hump Day, of course. Mostly sunny and 62 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. There is a south breeze at 5 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 53 degrees. Cool start to the morning, I got chilled through wearing shorts and t-shirt, had to get my hoodie on to warm up. The cold is delaying my start this morning but I want to leave fairly soon as today is the calmest forecasted day of the week and I want to go paddling ๐Ÿ›ถ and swimming ๐ŸŠ on Seneca Lake before the wind picks up later.

Today will be sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 76 degrees at 4pm. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 11th. Maximum dew point of 53 at 9am. South wind 3 to 5 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 89 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1975.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:14 pm with sun having an altitude of 65.3ยฐ from the due south horizon (-5.5ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.8 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:48 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (289ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (295ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:28 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 12 seconds with dusk around 8:58 pm, which is one minute and 10 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:39 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 69 degrees. The dew point will be 54 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 29 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 12 seconds over yesterday.

Long day yesterday, I didn’t get back to camp โ›บ until nearly 9:15 pm as I was in Geneva until after 8 pm and stopped in search of clams, Greek yogurt and milk at Tops in Waterloo. ๐Ÿช But still the sunset is pretty late in the Finger Lakes but by the time I was past Ovid heading into Lodi it was definitely approaching dusk. ๐ŸŒ† That said the open landscape helped a lot keeping things from being too dark as I drove back to camp. But regardless I was tired ๐Ÿ˜ด. I was so fortunate to see last night’s moon rise.

Rode from Seneca Lake to Kueka Lake yesterday via the Kueka Outlet Trail. ๐Ÿšฒ Touched both lakes with the wheel of my bicycle. It’s a lot quicker of a ride then when I walked it. Poked around Dresden and Penn Yan for a while ๐Ÿซ I was very impressed with the Downtown on Penn Yann, it was largely untouched by urban renewal ๐Ÿ—๏ธ and still had many vibrant small businesses and shops. ๐Ÿฌ

I ended up driving ๐Ÿš˜ back to Penn Yan after getting Frozen Custard ๐Ÿฆat the Spotted Duck ๐Ÿฆ† because I decided I had to visit the Penn Yan old fashioned bulk candy shop. I was going to get fudge but ended up getting black chocolate ๐Ÿซ peanut ๐Ÿฅœ brittle that I’m saving for a future day. That place is a throwback not many places like that anymore, especially on Main Street. Reminded me of the old Blue Churn in South Westerlo I used to go to as a kid before it burned down. Spotted duck blueberry Blue Fluer custard was good, the Carmelt caramel custard was amazing. ๐Ÿฆ Maybe it’s vacation FOMO but who knows when I’ll ever get back to Penn Yan again.

The ice cream was wonderful ๐Ÿฆ and the two scoups – duck egg ๐Ÿฅš sized each, wasn’t too much but the sugar fueled a full out anxiety attack in my mind and kept me roaring with crazy ๐Ÿคช energy well into the evening though by 11 pm enough sugar burned off I was okay. Truth is I’ve been having a wonderful vacation โ˜บ but every time I consume any quantity of non natural sugar I get so sick ๐Ÿคฎ. But I’ll probably get a small ice cream at Glen Dairy Bar again tonight and remember the crazy thoughts in my head are just that. But not a mega large dish ๐Ÿจlike on Sunday. Go for the quality not the portion. I don’t know if it’s my fear ๐Ÿ˜ฑ of the calories and getting fat, knowing how bad sugar is for you, or something else but my mental health is so much better the farther I stay away from added sugar. I’m fine eating delicious fruit all day long ๐Ÿ‡ ๐Ÿ ๐Ÿ‘ but give me ice cream and a few minutes later I’m super wound up.

With all that energy, I drove up to Seneca Lake State Park in Geneva, ๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ hoping to get a swim in the lake and a shower ๐Ÿšฟ the later I did but I had forgotten they a few years back had replaced the life guarded beach ๐Ÿ– with a kids splash pad due to the pollution on the lake from blue green algea. Hell of it is, this part of state has been cool and relatively dry so not a lot of water pollution this year compared to many years. But I also wangtted to do the Cayuga – Seneca Bike Path ๐Ÿšฒ from Geneva to Waterloo, as much to say I did it. And to use time up. ๐ŸŒฝ Not a lot of exciting view along it, some view of both the Old Erie Canal and the modern barge canal, lot of marshland, corn and soybean fields. Poked around Waterloo for a while ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ and visited the Civil War monument. ๐Ÿฆณ Ended up going to Tops in Waterloo on Mound Road, you know the one next to Seneca Meadows landfill and getting milk, plain non fat yogurt not Greek as they’re out, and a small two servings bag of salmon. Made it back to camp by nine o’clock, wasn’t super dark out at that point and had a fire ๐Ÿ”ฅ until eleven.

Tonight will be partly cloudy ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 60 degrees at 6am. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 20th. Maximum dew point of 54 at 8pm. South wind 7 to 14 mph. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 64 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1976.

Cool this weekend with temperatures running 9 degrees below normal but otherwise sunny. ๐Ÿ˜ƒ Then again it’s always cooler in the Finger Lakes compared to Albany records. Good for bike riding, maybe not so great for swimming ๐ŸŠ. Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Maximum dew point of 59 at 8am. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 75. Maximum dew point of 59 at 7pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 83 degrees.

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until Average High Falls To 79 ๏ธDegrees โ›ฑ๏ธ๏ธ๏ธ when the sun will be setting at 7:46 pm with dusk at 8:14 pm. On that day in 2022, we had rain and temperatures between 90 and 66 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 80 degrees. We hit a record high of 98 back in 1953.

Mooreville Range

After a cloudy start the sun is out โ›… ๐Ÿ‘‰ โ˜€

Starting to finally get nice out this morning. Going to be a beautiful day.

Good morning! Happy Sunday from Vacationland 2023. Partly sunny and 60 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. There is a north-northwest breeze at 8 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 57 degrees. Much cooler than before the front came through.

Woke up pretty early this morning, thinking that it would be a nice morning ๐ŸŒ… and I could get up, use the bucket shitter ๐Ÿšฝ and they have coffee โ˜•. I even thought ๐Ÿ’ญ about taking a ride over to Searsburg Road and watching the sun rise. They promised it would be a beautiful day, and it probably will be but it didn’t clear out by nine o’clock last night as promised by the weathermen. โ˜๏ธ I looked to the sky this morning and all I saw was clouds. Maybe I should have pooped ๐Ÿ’ฉ and gone back to bed but instead it was apple banana pancakes ๐Ÿฅž using the remainder of the pancake mix I bought last winter mixed with whole oatmeal, fried apples and mashed bananas. Through
In chia seeds ๐ŸŒฑ for an extra health punch ๐Ÿ‘Š.

Going forward I won’t buy any more pancake mix but instead use that whole grain oatmeal with water and bananas. ๐Ÿฅž I like the hardy more fiber rich oatmeal over the bleached flour, sugar and chemicals of Aunt Jamina’s pancake mix. Less garbage and cost too by using just simple oatmeal and bananas. Really don’t need to waste money ๐Ÿ’ต on packaging to burn. Likewise I’m using real silverware and dishes now while camping as paper plates, and plastic silverware have gotten so expensive with inflation plus who wants to burn all that toxic plastic trash? ๐Ÿ—‘

Today will be sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 71 degrees at 3pm. 13 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 24th. Maximum dew point of 57 at 8am. Northwest wind around 9 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. The high last year was 82 degrees. The record high of 100 was set in 1933. Cool but getting sunny for sure.

Today I have a busy agenda planned. ๐Ÿ“œ But it’s going to be a great one. I plan to 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. Then back to camp for some hammock time before bed. Greased my chain ๐Ÿ”— up well on my bike this morning, cleaned off the mud, and set up the GoPro mount on my bike ๐Ÿ“ธ so I can do some video today riding for the blog and YouTube and other social media. ๐Ÿ“น

Despite a fairly soggy day yesterday, ๐ŸŒง๏ธ I’ve been feeling great without the alcohol and calories ๐Ÿคฐ of years past, choosing healthier nutrient dense meals ๐Ÿด and whole fruits and vegetables ๐Ÿซ‘up here at camp. โ›บ A healthy diet I believe really does improve ones mental health. โ˜บ While I’m not one to blame the chemicals in processed foods – most of them are relative safe, ๐Ÿงชโš—๏ธ most of them mask crap ingredients that are rich in low quality fats and sugars while providing not much vitamins, fiber or protein. Plus being skinner I feel great though I certainly have been stuffing myself this weekend ๐Ÿ‘ but with higher quality whole foods.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:14 pm with sun having an altitude of 66ยฐ from the due south horizon (-4.7ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:51 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 8:31 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 14 seconds with dusk around 9:02 pm, which is one minute and 5 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Full ๐ŸŒ Moon in the southeast (146ยฐ) at an altitude of 11ยฐ from the horizon, 228,672 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:43 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 64 degrees. The dew point will be 53 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 35 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 6 seconds over yesterday.

Yesterday became a wet day, though later then expected. Rochester got the rain early, we got it later in the Finger Lakes. ๐ŸŒง๏ธ Breakfast was eggs with tomatoes, onions and peppers with a side of old breakfast sausage I bought last winter. Rode Blackie ๐Ÿšต to the top of Hector Backbone though I admit I dismounted and pushed the bicycle part of the way. I had lower gears โš™ to drop it down to but I wasn’t feeling motivated. At the top by Blueberry Hill Campground ๐Ÿซ it started to rain – it was already one o’clock before that happened. More of a passing shower, waited waited it out under a tree. ๐ŸŒณ Rode around the campground, the fee is now up to $15 a night though I can’t imagine camping so packed in with others. I like my fires ๐Ÿ”ฅ and music ๐ŸŽถ, I would be a nuisance if I had to camp around others. ๐Ÿคซ

Tried to get good cell service up there ๐Ÿ“ถ without much luck. A few bars but it was slow, possibly due to the weather. โ›ˆ Rode down the backbone to Potomac Road, much more fun going down then over to Potomac Ponds which I started back, started slinging mud ๐Ÿฝ and decided to turn back when the trail got too muddy. I rode down old Chicken Co-op Road as my GPS calls it ๐Ÿ—บ and the sky just opened up. โ›ˆ๏ธ I wanted to see my favorite old campsite and see how the mud wallow was holding up after all the stone I dumped in it last year. Still quite muddy. Glad I got the site I like on Potomac instead. I headed back to camp, I didn’t mind being soaked as it was still quite warm. ๐Ÿง… Fried up another delicious ๐Ÿ˜‹ Vadella onion on the griddle – sliced it into rings, put it on a cast iron skillet and added a little MSG to really make it pop. Dessert was red kidney beans with some maple syrup ๐Ÿ and a beer ๐Ÿป. Had two beers yesterday between lunch and dinner which is my limit though the first day I had one and maybe none today.

As the front came through the rain picked up and the temperature dropped. ๐ŸŒก๏ธ I read for a while ๐Ÿ“– and listened to a podcast ๐Ÿ“ป from Focus on Albany with Cynthia Pooler interviewing Leon Van Dyke. Interesting history about how the Democratic ๐Ÿด machine worked and the $5 votes ๐Ÿ—ณ and the fear people had about ever speaking up about the machine. Found out John Wolcott is returning home Monday for hospice care, ๐Ÿง‘โ€โš•๏ธ but he’s still pretty much in his final hours, hope to visit him at least one more time when I get back from vacation. Had some great interviews with John Wolcott and Leon Van Dyke over the years though I wish we had started years earlier ๐ŸŽค before John lost much of his memory and became so frail after getting bit by a tick and collapsing one day in his bathtub ๐Ÿ›. Tick born illnesses are no joke. ๐Ÿœ

After a while with the wind and the rain โ˜” I started to get chilled through at camp and decided I needed to take off my wet clothes. ๐Ÿ‘š I got jeans and a hoodie on, bedded down in my truck with the remainder of the Boggleheads investing book ๐Ÿ“™ which I finally finished off before putting on a different podcast about the history of Mad Magazine before nodding off. ๐Ÿคก Got some shut eye ๐Ÿ‘๏ธ for a few hours before dinner time.

Dinner was more salmon ๐Ÿ  with delicious pearl onions, mini red potato ๐Ÿฅ” , sweet corn and fried slices of tomato ๐Ÿ… – the second half of the big juicy one I got at the farm stand. I still have a full tomato left, it’s like heaven. Eating good. Rode up to Searsburg Road ๐Ÿšฒ hoping to catch the sunset but it was still gray last night but I do have good reception ๐Ÿ“ถ there. Maybe tonight though I think I’ll watch the sunset tonight from Seneca Lake ๐ŸŒ‡. Decided I wanted to get some more miles in before bed ๐Ÿ› after a fairly lazy day ๐Ÿ˜ด so around dusk started over to Foster Pond on the bicycle but turned back as drizzle started. ๐Ÿ”™ Had a small campfire ๐Ÿ”ฅ at warm myself and retired to bed around ten ๐Ÿ”Ÿ. Early by vacation standards when it’s not really dark out until around nine.

Tonight will have increasing clouds โ˜, with a low of 56 degrees at 5am. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 6th. Maximum dew point of 54 at 6pm. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming southwest in the evening. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 60 degrees. The record low of 49 occurred back in 2021.

One month ๐Ÿ“… from now will the Average High Falls To 79 ๏ธDegrees โ›ฑ๏ธ๏ธ๏ธ when the sun will be setting at 7:47 pm with dusk at 8:14 pm. As they say, all good things must come to an end, autumn leaves must fall. But first, summer vacation! ๐Ÿ–

Mud Lock In Cayuga Lake

A hot day before summer vacation vacation ๐Ÿ–

The breeze and the clouds are making it not as quite as hot as it could be, though also the dew point is kind of modest. I’m dragging my butt to get walking this morning, but it’s getting done. I was up late last night doing some cleaning and packing, I’m inching closer to leaving tomorrow fairly early for summer vacation.

Good morning! Happy Thursday. Cloudy and 70 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ˜๏ธThere is a south breeze at 11 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 67 degrees. The skies will clear around 6 pm.

So, yep it’s morning. ๐Ÿ˜ต I’m going, I’m doing my morning walk. ๐Ÿณ When I get back home I’m planning a quick breakfast of eggs with spinach, tomatoes, peppers and mushroom. Then I am hoping to walk down and catch the express bus downtown. ๐Ÿš ๐ŸšŒ Yesterday, I rode my bike to work and it was a nice ride, ๐Ÿšต‍โ™€๏ธ but to be honest I think it’s going to rain or storm by afternoon, and I figure it best to catch the bus downtown. Plus I’m just not feeling real energetic this morning, though I’m doing my walk and hoping the eggs and spinach with some coffee โ˜• will get me moving.

Today will have showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 1pm and 5pm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Mostly cloudy and hot ๐ŸŒง, with a high of 90 degrees at 2pm. Six degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 72 at 12pm. South wind 11 to 14 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. 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. The high last year was 83 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1955.

Last night I went for a ride down to Normans Kill West Preserve ๐Ÿ“– and sat down by the Normans Kill for a while with a book before returning them to the library. Then I went home, cooked down and froze the black beans ๐Ÿ‘จ‍๐Ÿณ and did some cleaning in the bathroom, and further packing to prepare for the trip. โ›บ I have a few more things to do tonight regarding packing, but I think I’ll skip the laundromat as I can wear shorts a second time on vacation, and I probably need additional pairs of clothes, as many that I own really don’t fit well at this point but I can always pick some up in the Finger Lakes. ๐Ÿ‘•

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:03 pm with sun having an altitude of 66.6° from the due south horizon (-4.2° 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 7:42 pm in the west-northwest (291°). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (298°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:23 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 15 seconds with dusk around 8:54 pm, which is one minute and one second earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous ๐ŸŒ” Moon in the south (186°) at an altitude of 24° from the horizon, 235,816 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:36 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and thunderstorms ๐ŸŒฉ and temperatures around 81 degrees. The dew point will be 70 degrees. The heat index around sunset will be 77. โ›ฑ There will be a west breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 42 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and one second over yesterday.

The plan is to mostly finish packing tonight ๐Ÿ’ผ except for a few things I will need in the morning. I am not sure if I will put the kayak on my truck until the morning, as I think it might rain or thunderstorm โ›ˆ and I don’t want to drive out to the Finger Lakes with the kayak sloshing full of water, on the roof of my truck. ๐Ÿ›ถ  I was going to replace the front tie down rope for the kayak but I’ll hold off on that for now, but the next time I’m at Walmart I should pick up some more rope and maybe cut that down to size for use the next time I load the kayak up.  ๐Ÿฅš I think I may hard boil the remaining eggs I have at home tonight, so I can have that as a protein boost before leaving tomorrow, which I want to leave at 8:45 AM so I can swing by my insurance agent to ask them about the new spousal insurance law, and if I can decline that coverage. ๐Ÿฆ Then try to be on the road a little after 9 AM, then maybe stop first down Oneonta to get fuel โ›ฝ and pick up a few supplies at Walmart, ๐Ÿ›’ and a bathroom break. ๐Ÿšฝ The plan then is to not stop until I’m at the National Forest ๐ŸŒฒ and can start setting up camp by mid-day. ๐Ÿ•

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Partly cloudy ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 69 degrees at 5am. Six degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 72 at 6pm. West wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It became sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 67 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1971.

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. ๐Ÿ˜• Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 70 at 11am. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Maximum dew point of 58 at 7am. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

As previously noted, next Thursday is Campfire Day ๐Ÿ”ฅ when the sun will be setting at 8:15 pm with dusk at 8:45 pm. On that day in 2022, we had hot, mostly sunny and temperatures between 90 and 64 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 83 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1975.

Mud Lock In Cayuga Lake

A pleasant evening last night before the rain later today. ๐ŸŒง๏ธ

For the first time in a while I sat out back until late into the evening. After a hot day it was a very pleasant evening. Today is more cloudy and humid, a lot of rain is on tap for the next few days.

Good morning! Happy Sunday. Clouds and 70 degrees in Delmar for the morning walk out to Five. โ˜ Calm wind. The dew point is 68 degrees. The skies will clear Tuesday around 2 am. But first, 4-6 inches of rain. โ˜” Best to get my steps in early. ๐Ÿ‘ฃ

Walking ๐Ÿšถ out to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center which may be one of the last times in the near future. Bicycling will be so much quicker, even if I take the long way to avoid traffic and hills. This morning to change it up, heading out Fisher Boulevard and will walk back Delaware Ave, though that way is a bit more narrow. Already when the sun is out I’m feeling the humidity. ๐Ÿ˜ฐ Really dripping in that sweat.

Today will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2pm, then rain and thunderstorms likely between 2pm and 5pm, then rain likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 5pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a high of 81 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 23rd. Maximum dew point of 72 at 11am. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 80 degrees. The record high of 103 was set in 1936.

After I do my walk ๐Ÿšถ I’ll probably cook up the chicken ๐Ÿ” for the week and lunch. Hot day for turning on the oven but I figure I’ll take a cold shower after cooking and then I’m heading out to the folks house in the evening which with the rain should give time for everything to cool down. ๐Ÿฒ Home cooked chicken breast are so much healthier than the frozen ones and I can refreeze them. Also will toast the remaining chickpeas I have soaked. ๐Ÿ˜

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.8ยฐ from the due south horizon (-1.1ยฐ vs. 6/21). The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:53 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (295ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (302ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:36 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 25 seconds with dusk around 9:09 pm, which is 25 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:54 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and thunderstorms ๐ŸŒฉ and temperatures around 69 degrees. The dew point will be 69 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 11 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 8 seconds over yesterday.

Yesterday besides getting a bicycle ๐Ÿšฒ and going shopping ๐Ÿ›’ it was a very hot and humid kind of quiet day. Besides the morning walk around the park I ended going back to the town park ๐Ÿž to watch the sun set and went to the library ๐Ÿ“š for a few hours to heat the heat. I thought about plinking down the seven or eight bucks to swim in the town park pool ๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ but being do hot and humid you never know when a thunderstorm โ›ˆ would come rolling through. One clap of thunder and the pool closes for a half hour. ๐Ÿ’ธ I tried making hummus and that was a disaster after buying expensive Tanani sauce. I paid good money for the ingredients, I’m going to have to try again. ๐Ÿ˜–

Tonight will rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then rain and thunderstorms between 8pm and 11pm, then rain and possibly a thunderstorm after 11pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. ๐ŸŒง Low of 66 degrees at 12am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 70 at 6pm. ๐Ÿ–๏ธ West wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 52 degrees. The record low of 47 occurred back in 1963.

Looking, next Sunday is Last Sunset After 8:30 PM ๐ŸŒ† with dusk at 9:04 pm. On that day in 2022, we had a rather hot day, that was mostly sunny and temperatures between 88 and 60 degrees. Did I spend it at the Potholers? Yes. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1900.

Double X

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