Indigo Bunting
Fitzgerald Falls
Fitzgerald Falls after a rainy Memorial Day weekend.
Little Bear
Iron Mine Trails
I recently found an out-of-print book documenting local iron mines in the New York and New Jersey Highlands, and have made light plans to hike each of the trails this summer.
The nearby Green and Wawayanda iron mines in Wawayanda State Park were my first priority, even though there’s not much to see (the adits and most of the shafts have been filled in for years); I’ve hiked within 50 feet of them a dozen times and never knew they were there.
I Bought a New Camera Just to Take Pictures of Birds
Entering my old-man era.
House Finch
The birds are back.
Pochuck Boardwalk
The Pochuck Boardwalk is a short section of the Appalachian Trail that snakes through the marshes in Glenwood, NJ.
It’s a popular spot, often too crowded to even find parking, but we got lucky this weekend.
Heard Helicopters? Hudson Valley Farms Fight Frost Overnight
Heard Helicopters? Hudson Valley Farms Fight Frost Overnight:
Did you hear helicopters flying low across the Hudson Valley this week? Local farms and orchards are using helicopters to protect their crops after the drastic temperature drop.
The combination of 80° temperatures last week (which set many orchards into bloom), and then 20° temperatures this week (which killed most of those blossoms), has been a disaster for our local apple orchards. Apples are a big part of the Hudson Valley’s economy: Ulster is the second-largest apple-producing county in the US, and millions of New Yorkers visit the region’s orchards every fall, impacting tourism as well.
I was surprised to learn amongst all of this that helicopters are often used to help save crops from freezing temperatures: “Helicopters mix warmer air currents with cooler air near the ground to raise temperatures and reduce frost risk. A single helicopter can increase the temperature of a 30-acre orchard by 4°F just one minute after passing over the field.”
Coney Island
Coney Island’s mascot, the Steeplechase Face. Not to be confused with Tillie, the knock off from Asbury Park.
“A pile of shit has a thousand eyes.”
Stand By Me is back in theaters for its 40th anniversary.
Small Batch
Only a small batch of maple syrup this year. We started collecting sap in March, which is later in the season for New York. Late-season sap produces a darker maple syrup.
James Turrell’s Avaar
We took a drive to the Catskill Art Space in Livingston Manor this weekend to see James Turrell’s Avaar. The installation is essentially a pitch-black room, through which you navigate by feel, for minutes, until your eyes eventually adjust and a large canvas emerges from the darkness:
As visitors enter a seemingly pitch-black space, the eyes need several minutes to adjust before the aperture becomes apparent, looming first like a flat field, then seeming to open into a never-ending abyss of pure light. The artist has compared such works to how, shortly after you turn off a porch light, your vision can penetrate the night.
I recommend it, just perhaps warn any of your claustrophobic companions what they’re signing up for. My wife and I went in completely unprepared (blind, literally and otherwise).
Making Collections
Maple syrup hobbyist, in his natural habitat (mud).
First 60° Day of the Year
Front yard vs. back yard.
Eel Man Ray Turner: End of an Era
Eel Man Ray Turner: End of an Era:
The timeworn fish weir on the East Branch of the Delaware River may have trapped its last eel. The stone-and-wood structure in Hancock, New York, has been operated for decades by Ray Turner, whom locals refer to as “The Eel Man.”
Turner is something of a recluse, a throwback to earlier times and the analog world.
We rent a house on the East Branch for a few days most summers, walking distance to Ray’s smokehouse, and have enjoyed both his stock and his stories over the years.
On our last visit he told us he’s no longer running the eel trap, the “geezerism” got him.
Tapping Trees
We took a few years off from our maple syrup hobby, and got a late start this season, but the sap is now officially flowing!
Status Light
“Are you on the phone?”
I’ve worked from home for 15 years, and have heard this question from my wife or kids a thousand times. I made Status Light so they never have to ask again.
Status Light is a simple macOs menu bar app that detects when your camera or microphone is in use and triggers an Apple Shortcut to let the people around you know you’re busy.
That Shortcut can do whatever you want: turn on a smart light (make it red!), change your Focus, send a message, or anything else that helps keep kids, partners, parents, or roommates from wandering into frame to ask if you want a sandwich.
When you start a call, Status Light knows. When you end the call, it knows that too.
Download it on the App Store for $1 (and if you work at Automattic, ping me for a coupon).
Heads Up
Shipwreck at El Morro
We’re traveling in Puerto Rico with the family this week, while the kids are on their winter break.
Took a brief trip to Old San Juan, and checked out Castillo San Felipe del Morro (then drank piña colada’s… evidently mixed by an imposter, but still delicious).
Apparently a fuel barge ran aground on the rocks directly in front of El Morro, only last week! You can get a neat view from the ramparts, an unexpected bonus with your ticket to the park.
Pocket Dial from Dad
He was watching the news.