Good morning! Happy Sunday. Exactly one week of vacation left. Six weeks to the last Sunset Before 7:30 PM 🌆. Autumn is coming, but first I should enjoy summer. Sunny and nice and 75 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. 🌞There is a north-northwest breeze at 15 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 70 degrees. With the breeze, you don’t really feel the humidity, laying back in the hammock.

Today will have a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny ☀, with a high of 86 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 71 at 11am. Northwest wind 5 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 84 degrees. The record high of 101 was set in 1930.

On this day in 1925, Dayton, Tennessee high school biology teacher John T. Scopes is found guilty of teaching evolution in class and fined $100. 🙊 Darn criminals ruining our country. 👮 The judge incorrectly set the fine, rather then letting the jury do it, so his conviction was overturned on appeal. The law would remain on the books until it was repealed 1967. Also in 1983, the world’s lowest temperature in an inhabited location is recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica at −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F). ❄They should build a pipe and send it up north to cool off people efficiently. Probably doesn’t follow the laws of thermodynamics.

The sun will set at 8:38 pm with dusk around 9:10 pm, which is 50 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 77 degrees. The dew point will be 65 degrees. There will be a north-northwest breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 48 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 45 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 65 degrees at 5am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 67 at 6pm. West wind 3 to 7 mph. In 2018, 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 64 degrees. The record low of 47 occurred back in 1970.

So far summer vacation is going fairly well, 🏊 although I was very disappointed that the swim beach at Cayuga Lake at Taughannock Falls was closed due blue green algea pollution. First time that’s happened while I’ve been coming here in the summer. I ended up going to Robert Treman State Park and swimming in Enfield Glen. It turned out to be a nice afternoon with lots of sun and despite traffic delays getting in past the park gates. It’s obnoxious that they charge park fees in New York. 67 degrees in the water which is remarkably warm for Enfield Glen.

I also stopped at Montezuma for a while but it was incredibly hot. 🐦 There was some wildlife, especially butterflies but it was oppressively hot after coming out of my well air conditioning truck. Plus I was looking forward to the beach. The beach closure was such a disappointment.

But the flip side is I did get the campsite I really like on Chicken Coop Road 🐥 so I’m here through Wednesday morning. I set up a tent for my surplus gear and dirty clothes, ⛺ and the flags, hammock and table. I set up camp relatively slowly and it got dark fairly early as some clouds pushed in.

I laid back in the hammock until quarter to ten, and then went for a walk to Foster Pond 🐸 to watch the moon rise 🎑. I figured it would be cool to watch the moon rise fifty years after the moon landing. Unfortunately I waited until 11:20, but it didn’t rise until later. I ended up walking back to camp 🚶after which it rose. But it was buggy and I was worried 😯 about getting caught in a thunderstorm. ⚡ That was kind of obnoxious. But it was a nice night back at Foster Pond with lots of fireflies 🐝 and stars ✨ with flashes of lightning ⚡ in the distance.

I got back to camp, cracked open another beer 🍻 and had a small fire 🔥 mostly to burn up the garbage and just watch the flames. I got to stop throwing the sweet corn husks and cobs on the other camp trash, 🌽 they don’t burn well. What was supposed to be nice fire a stinky mess of smoldering plastic and food waste. Yuck. Maybe I should have built a hotter fire 🔥 with more wood. Instead going forward I’ll toss the husks and food waste 🍲 in the bucket shitter 💩 and bury them in the woods when I break camp. They’ll rot away pretty good. I know when I own my off-grid home, 🏡 I’ll definitely want to do lots of composting – at least mixing the food waste with animal manure rather than burning it with the trash in the pit. Plus rather then becoming air pollution it will become fertilizer. 🌺

I had a nice breakfast of eggs and sausage this morning 🍳, and I’ve been sitting in the hammock enjoying the breeze. I got some firewood but I should grab some more before I head out to swimming in Watkins Glen 🏊. I fear 😱 the nice weather may not last all day so I probably should think about heading out, maybe around noon. 👍I’m on vacation so I’m in no rush. That said, tomorrow doesn’t look great so I’ll probably hang out in camp. Going to be cool and gray tomorrow, I might stay close to camp, instead just hiking around in the National Forest. Also going to get something good at the Watkins Glen Dairy bar.

I’m planning to stay in the Finger Lakes through Wednesday morning then will head to Allegany County on Wednesday. Thursday I might either go up to Letchworth State Park or maybe Cattaraugus County and then the Allegheny National Forest. ⛺ While I have a camping permit for the Tioga State Forest in Penna for three nights, I doubt I’ll stay more than two.

One month 📅 from now the State Fair Opens 🎡 when the sun will be setting at 7:59 pm with dusk at 8:28 pm. The average high temperature is 80 degrees.

Good evening! Mostly cloudy and 73 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ There is a south-southeast breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 67 degrees. Another hot and sticky evening although the mercury has dropped a fair bit. The skies will clear tomorrow around 6 am.

I’ve packed what I can tonight, I’ll do the personal items come morning and the coolers, propane and a few other things after work. I want to be on the road by 6 pm but 6:15 is acceptable as the sun doesn’t set until late and it’s going to be hot evening. 🌇

Didn’t have laundry soap do I ended up visiting the grocery store first to buy done groceries and supplies. Then I did the laundry thing, packed my clothes, checked the oil in my truck and topped off the windshield washer fluid. 🚙 Sat out back for a little while. I also tested the campstove and cleaned it with mixed results. But regardless the stove is working well. Now just to not forget the price propane.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 66 degrees at 5am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 11pm. South wind 3 to 5 mph. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 55 degrees. The record low of 47 occurred back in 1875.

Tonight will have a Waning Gibbous Moon 🌖 with 90% illuminated. The moon will set at 8:00 am. The Last Quarter Moon is on Tuesday night with partly cloudy skies. The Strugeon Moon 🌝 is on Wednesday, August 14th. The sun will rise at 5:34 am with the first light at 5:01 am, which is 53 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 9 hours and 6 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 39 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5pm. Partly sunny and hot 🌞, with a high of 92 degrees at 3pm. Nine degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 73 at 4pm. Heat index values as high as 101. That humidity won’t be nice but at least I’m leaving for vacation after work tomorrow. South wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 83 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1904.

Tomorrow I climb out of the valley to the hills and hollows of Madison County, then Saturday the hills give way to rolling country and drumlins then to long hills of the Finger Lakes. From there it’s back in hill and hollow country of Allegany and Cattaraugus County which fades to the long hills and plateaus of Allegheny National Forest. Then it’s back to the hills and hollows outside of Wellsboro and the Pine Creek Gorge which eventually becomes more rolling and gentler as I head back towards the western most Poconos and ultimately back in New York nine days later near Binghamton.

In four weeks on August 15 the sun will be setting at 7:56 pm,🌄 which is 32 minutes and 18 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had hot, humid, partly sunny and temperatures between 88 and 67 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 81 and 60 degrees. The record high of 96 degrees was set back in 1959.

Looking ahead, August 🌻 is in 2 weeks and Last Sunset After 7 PM 🌆 is in 11 weeks.

Good afternoon! Happy National Nude Day. Partly sunny and 79 degrees at the Mine Kill State Park. Not nude here but wearing my bathing suit as I swim. There is a west-northwest breeze at 14 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 58 degrees. This is a nice day with lots of sun but the breeze is a bit chilly when you get out of the pool. But I guess that is to be expected, it’s often cool here in the foot hills of the Catskills.

It’s been a nice weekend in this vacationatte of sorts, and overnight trip to Schoharie County, ⛺ although I ended up drinking, well getting over served, 🍻 beer and shots with the other camper down at the big campsite on the Betty Brook. But it was a fun night hanging out with some cool people from Jefferson who are converting an old school bus 🚍 to a camper using junked RV components. Small town life must be fun.

After hanging out with them until quarter to midnight I built a small fire to burn some camp garbage and just to have a fire 🔥 I could have brought it home but fire is more fun, watching as the paper blackened and the wrappers melted. Cracked open yet another beer 🍺 and then laid back in my hammock until 1:30 am listening to a podcast, probably dozing off until a rain shower came through. 💦 The fake lightening bugs were neat although not as pretty as up at Moose River Plains.

This morning was a slow one, as I was a little bit hung over, 😩 after the previous evening. Plus I left my propane tank home, so I had to build a fire, get good coals to make coffee ☕ and eggs for breakfast, but a campfire breakfast 🍳 sure is good when your hung over. I got to do more campfire breakfast on vacation, maybe with charcoal as that’s easier to light then building a fire every time. I also spent some time swinging back and forth on the most nice of mornings in the hammock. Departed camp at noon 🕛.

Today I hiked up Vromans Nose 👃 and stopped for a few pictures. Also visited Looking Glass Pond 🎣 but did no fishing as I was running late. Got blueberries and cherries 🍒 at Boreingers, got sweet corn 🌽 at Max Shauls, and ice cream 🍦 at the restaurant at Fultonham. And now I’m swimming 🏊 at Mine Kill State Park.

Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 53 degrees at 4am. Nine degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around June 5th. Maximum dew point of 57 at 7pm. Northwest wind 8 to 13 mph becoming light in the evening. In 2018, we had partly cloudy skies. It was sticky. It got down to 72 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1950.

The sun will set at 8:33 pm with dusk around 9:07 pm, which is 36 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 71 degrees. The dew point will be 56 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 11 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 59 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 25 seconds over yesterday.

Tomorrow will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 79 degrees at 3pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 21st. Maximum dew point of 58 at 6pm. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It became sticky as the day progressed. The high last year was 93 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1997.

On this day in 1969, the $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 bills are officially withdrawn from circulation. After this date, if you wanted to buy a large purchase in cash, you needed a lot of hundred dollars in bills. 💵 Or just use a credit card or a bank check. 💳 They had last been printed in 1945, and were finally dropped from circulation in 1969, in part as an effort to reduce corruption and money scams.💰👿

One month 📅 from now the Altamont Fair Opens 🎡 when the sun will be setting at 8:00 pm with dusk at 8:30 pm. They say that all good things must end some day, autumn leaves must fall. 🍁🍂 But first fair season.

Good morning! Happy Hottest Time of the Year 😅! For the next two weeks the average high is thirty, then it will drop back to 82 and slowly and surely decline until six months from now in January when the average high is 30. Next Saturday is Ugly Truck Day 🚚. I bet that is a holiday they celebrate in the upper Midwest.

This morning is a nice one. Partly sunny and 69 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 60 degrees.

I didn’t get a very early start today, as I was pretty tired after a long and busy week at work😴 and with things going on every day after work except Monday.

After I go to Walmart, return beer cans and buy groceries 🍻 I’m going to gas up my truck ⛽and then head out to Schoharie County to swim 🏊 and hike at Mine Kill and spend an one-night at Burnt Rossman camping. ⛺

Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 85 degrees at 3pm. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 6pm. Southwest wind around 6 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 88 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1894.

The sun will set at 8:32 pm with dusk around 9:06 pm, which is 34 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 79 degrees. The dew point will be 65 degrees. There will be a west-southwest breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 2 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 22 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 1am and 3am, then a slight chance of showers after 3am. Partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 65 degrees at 4am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 65 at 7pm. Southwest wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2018, we had partly cloudy skies. It became somewhat humid as the night progressed. It got down to 72 degrees. The record low of 49 occurred back in 1940.

Last night, I spent quite a bit of time going over tax maps and records building another map for Save the Pine Bush. 🌐This is going to be a long ongoing project, I want to invest several nights this week down at the library working on it.📚

Last night I also spent some time working on fixing the EEPROM storage on my display in my bedroom, discovering that it wasn’t working right due to an implicit cast of a float into an integer in the code.📟 It was not an easy thing to debug.

Then I ended up laying back in bed, watching some videos on the various off-grid and farm channels I enjoy watching. 📹 I watched a very interesting video about a cow 🐮 being treated with milk fever, which dairy cattle in particular can get when they calve and they send too much calcium to their milk for their calves to sustain their own bodies.

On this day in 1977, the Great 1977 New York City Blackout begins, plunging New York into 24 hours of darkness, chaos, and crime. 🌆 It really was a dark time in the city. Much different than the 1965 black out. New York’s power problems didn’t extend to Upstate. The grid is so closely connected and a minor problem can cascade into a bigger problem.

As previously noted, next Saturday is Ugly Truck Day 🚚 when the sun will be setting at 8:27 pm with dusk at 9:00 pm. On that day in 2018, we had hot, sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 88 and 57 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 83 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1991.