I mean Dan Halloran wasn’t wrong. Sometimes you got to swim in the mud and muck in the Cesspool of New York State to pay for the days riding Blackie through the cow shit and horse manure of Schuyler County. Those ten days went by so quickly and I’m back in Albany with the rain falling down doing my morning. The first day back is always the hardest, especially on such a dreary day but those eighteen flights of stairs must be climbed even with the door to door service of the local.
Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Time for the morning walk and that old John Prine record. And maybe Paul Simon. 🎶 Rain I know I’m shocked and 65 degrees for the morning walk in Delmar, NY. ☁ There is a south-southeast breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 60 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around 9 am.
Out walking this morning 🚶 in the rain like so many days lately back in the Albany. The weather was so unbelievably nice out in the Finger Lakes. 📻 But it also was nice camping 🏕 somewhere without cell service 🔕 and no radio – avoiding the shit known as the news, all bad and useless crap – and the even worse social media. I heard that Florida Man got indicted for even more felonies over the past week and might soon be subject to a protective order. Good for him and I do think his cases will ultimately for first amendment law ⚖ and restorative justice. I mean he will likely be the first felon ever to be a major presidential party candidate. 👩🏻⚖️Maybe he’s bad for our country but he’s a good force for it’s laws. Crises are often best the time for reform. I’m excited about some of the second amendment cases in front of the Supreme Court in the coming year. 🔫 Whatever you think it Florida man, be has been a voice for change in the justice system – many times unintentionally.
Not to be overally negative after vacation, but I know I wouldn’t return to Albany if I didn’t like playing in the shit of the Cesspool, 💩 and making that big boy money 💵 from my corner office that overlooks the Capitol, Empire State Plaza and also the Hudson River and Dunn landfill that is when the caustic smoke from the Canada wildfires doesn’t drown out the skyline. I mean I wouldn’t listen to Paul Simon’s Duncan if I didn’t like that song. Like so many things in this world. It’s so hard to get up and going after 10 days of pure delight out in the Finger Lakes. I wish I could live every day out in the woods, in the country. 🚜 But alas, I’m back in the city, back taking the local bus downtown to work. I know it’s going to be a great week, 😀 I have good healthy food to eat,
Today will have showers and thunderstorms before 10am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 10am and noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. 🌧 High of 75 degrees at 4pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 8th. Maximum dew point of 71 at 3pm. 🏖️ Southeast wind 8 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New not rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. It became very sticky as the day progressed. The high last year was 91 degrees. The record high of 102 was set in 1918.
Pots of red kidney beans, brown rice with red lentils and split peas are cooking down this morning on the stove. 🧑🍳 Good carbs cooking down to be the basis of many meals this week. I double checked to make sure they were properly refrigerated or frozen and the stove off before leaving for work on the local bus 🚍. I was hoping to ride to work today 🚲 but the weather is not cooperating and I wasn’t running early enough to catch the express after all that cooking and breakfast to say nothing about the morning walk. Oatmeal pancakes 🥞 for breakfast with some chia seeds mixed in and topped with frozen peaches, strawberries, mango and whatever else was in the blend with a little sugar free maple syrup.
I ended up spending a shocking 🤯 $120 in food this week at Hannaford, I fully admit I should have gone to Wally World last night but I was tired and my pantry was bare. I did end up rugged getting a lot of things, many things like the 5 lb bag of brown rice should last a few weeks. They didn’t have store brand only 5 lb of Carolina brown rice but the price was reasonable for a bag that size. They also had non-fat plain Greek yogurt actually in stock at Hannaford so I ended up buying 2 large containers as it can be hard to get locally. Unopened Greek yogurt has a shelf life of about two months refrigerated and two years frozen, which I was reading how good it freezes. Not that it would ever last that long because that’s how I get my dairy fix 🐮 these days, though I try to eat in moderation st least when I’m not on vacation. 🍋 I also bought big bags of red and Vidalia onions 🧅and lemons because I enjoyed such things a lot on vacation. Both can be used in so many meals, plus I’m hooked on fresh squeezed stevia lemonade especially on a hot summer evenings. There is worse things to be hooked on.
I do wish I had stopped at that farm stand I passed in Chenango County to get zucchini and more sweet corn 🌽 🍆 but summer isn’t over and I should be able to get both at the farmers market at the Plaza this week. I forgot how wonderful zucchini I when I got some and chopped it up and fried it. I was tired 😴 and just kind of focused on getting home yesterday after vacation then stopping at farm stands. 🤷 I also would like to get more peaches 🍑 from the farm market, as they are so much better then the store-bought ones that are rock-hard and less tasty. Yesterday, I got plums 🫐 at the grocery store and they are pretty good. They are supposed to make your skin really shinny. Good after that sun tan I got last week. Trying to try new fruits when in season to learn new tastes, and maximize the health benefits of variety. Changes it up from apples and bananas 🍌 🍏 every week, though I still keep both of them in my office and like to have those for snacking.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 63.9° from the due south horizon (-7° 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 🏅 starts at 7:30 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (287°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (294°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:10 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 9 seconds with dusk around 8:40 pm, which is one minute and 18 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:20 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 73 degrees. The dew point will be 70 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 18 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 22 seconds over yesterday.
More rain quite possibly tonight. They’re calling for a chance of showers and thunderstorms to start out the evening, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 10pm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. 🌩 Cloudy, with a low around 68. South wind 9 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. 💦 I have to say I’m glad I’m not camping this week at least not in the Albany-area. 🏘 The Finger Lakes have been much drier then locally. I guess there isn’t much of a fire danger locally at this point. 🚒 But I’m still hopeful to get out for my evening walk 🚶♀️ after my dinner of salmon, rice, spinach, onions and any other thing that wets my appetite. 🐟 😋
That said, we do have more good weather to look forward to come this weekend. 😎 Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 66 at 1pm. Sunday, 😂a chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 68 at 11am. Typical average high for the weekend is 83 degrees. Just kind of a chance of thunderstorms, but that’s to be expected on a summer weekend. The plans for the weekend are to be decided, but it seems so nice. 🦷 I have my dental cleaning on Friday, so I have to take off the first part of the morning for that but it could also be jumping off start to the weekend. Schoharie? Potholers? Adirondacks? So many options, though it seems like lately I’m always on the road burning up increasingly expensive gasoline. ⛽ If the forecast slides downhill, I’m thinking of doing some mountain biking in the Albany Pine Bush, and getting some watermelon at Market 32 🍉 which apparently is on sale this week. I do dig the sweetness of watermelon like that one I chomped on summer vacation.
Looking ahead, there are 2 weeks until World Mosquito Day 🐞 when the sun will be setting at 7:50 pm with dusk at 8:18 pm. On that day in 2022, we had hot weather partly sunny skies and temperatures between 88 and 70 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 82 degrees. We hit a record high of 98 back in 1916.
as it heads down Elm Avenue, maybe the Lutheran Church or down by Mike Whyland’s House, whatever that bus stop is called. Going to cook some onions, peppers, mushrooms and a ton of frozen spinach, and scramble some eggs and call that a protein-and-fiber rich breakfast that will get me going, despite not getting to bed until closer to 10 PM then I would like. 
Once again my sleep has been suffering since I got the bicycle, as I’ve been getting home late, like last night after shopping then bicycling home. 
Something has to be wrong with that bicycle front light I have — it might be a crappy cheap incandescent bulb but despite the new batteries, it really is terribly dark for riding on those suburban side streets without street lighting after dark. 
It is an Abus Granite 460 u-lock, security Grade 9. I was originally thinking Grade 10 or even higher, but it’s plenty beefy hardened-steel compared to what a lot of people use for locks out in the suburbs. It should be plenty secure if I park the bicycle at the State Capitol, near the security desk, at least during the day time. Ultimately I decided to mount the lock on the back, off the rack, mainly because I couldn’t fit the lock on the frame up front anywhere it wouldn’t be brushing against my legs.
this time the Mohwak Hudson Land Conservancy’s Normanskill West Preserve, which is across from Delaware Plaza at the end of Normanskill Boulevard. It is a really nice preserve, 
with much better views and some nice benches along the creek, along with better access for the creek for fishing, and some minor rapids. The preserve is much smaller then the Normanskill Ravines Preserve I visited yesterday, but much nicer. Gets dark early there in the ravine, though it probably is a good place to keep in mind for hot summer days. Then follow it up with ice cream 
at Jim’s Tastee Freeze, though I didn’t partake this time as I did that on Saturday. 
I was pleasantly surprised how many groceries I could load into the basket on the back. I was a bit worried about the weight, as the $5 Walmart crate I bought isn’t super heavy, but it worked out fine. I think it will hold up for any load that I am likely to put on my bike. The U-lock comes off and connects my bike securely to the bike rack quickly and easily. It’s an extra-large U-lock and is pretty heavy, but it is secure. Then it slides back onto the mount on the rack. At some point, I’ll post a video showing off all the features of Blackie 
as I put it together. 
that comes with rubber straps to hang on the down tube. This would put a lot of light over and under the front wheel, making for much safer riding, then keep the existing too dim light on the handlebar. I might see if I can clean the contacts or replace the bulb on of the existing fixture. I see they now make 
though I think it will likely be thundery. 
That said, I should spend some time cleaning and getting gear loaded up in my truck for a quick start tomorrow morning for heading out to Schoharie. 
My kitchen and bathroom has gotten pretty dirty from all the mud I’ve tracked in and could use a good cleaning. It’s been so humid so I should get out the ammonia and tackle the places where the mold is starting to pop up again.
Darn criminals ruining, I mean running our country. The judge incorrectly set the fine, rather then letting the jury do it, so his conviction was overturned on appeal. The law would remain on the books until it was repealed 1967. 🚨 Also in 1983, the world’s lowest temperature in an inhabited location is recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica at −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F). They should build a pipe and send it up north to cool off people efficiently. ☃️
by early to mid-morning, for several hours of riding, 🚴 before heading to Mine Kill Pool 🏊 to swim for a few hours before it closes at six o’clock then head back to the state forest to camp. 
Days are getting a bit shorter now, though even at six o’clock I should be good to get to camp and set up. Maybe this is the day best to do Shauls and hike Vromans Nose, 
though it’s kind of out of my way before the riding the Catskill Scenic Trail and Mine Kill.
However, I also have a desire to visit Shaul’s this weekend. They are open on Saturday and Sunday from 9 AM to 5 PM, but closed on Monday. 
Perhaps I could go on Saturday, taking a northern route, then drive south to Grand George and experience the beautiful Catskill Scenic Trail. Finally, I can head back north to Mine Kill State Park. 
On the other hand, I don’t want to deal with the inconvenience of maneuvering in that tight campsite, securing everything, and driving on bumpy roads multiple times. It would also result in burning extra fuel. 
there for a few days without venturing out daily. I have some tough choices to make! Worse comes to worse, the real vacation starts Friday.
I keep waiting for that call from the shop, though I realize it’s only been two days, or maybe three. Maybe I’ll get the call this afternoon, though I’m not sure if I can leave work early today, but maybe tomorrow. I guess I don’t need to have the rack on my bicycle, I can use a backpack 
for this weekend for supplies along the rail trail but I do want to get things tested out. I haven’t decided about Monday yet, but it looks like a much better day to take off then Friday.
