Overlook Mountain Hike, June 9, 2016
4/366

Trish and I hiked the Overlook Mountain Trail in Woodstock, NY.  It's 2.5 miles up, and by "up", I mean the trail is about a 30-45 degree incline for 2.5 miles.  It was a tough one for me.  I guess I wasn't conditioned enough by the time we did it.  After all, it was still only the middle of June.  Fortunately it was very cool and fairly breezy.

About 2 miles up is an abandoned hotel~~The Overlook Mountain Hotel.  It was built in the late 1800s and experienced two fires over the years.  After the 2nd fire, plans were made to rebuild, but the owner encountered some financial difficulties and it was never finished.  The original hotel could accommodate 300 guests, so it must have been quite impressive.  By looking at the remaining ruins, you can just imagine how elegant and beautiful the facility must have been and why it was so popular. 

The bathtub below is the only remnant of human habitation that I could see.  According to one website, all other materials were removed on purpose or by vandals.

A second nearby structure still contained some window frames.

A half mile beyond the hotel is the "overlook".  It offers a beautiful 180 degree view of the Catskills.

There is also a fire tower, but the very top level was blocked off.  Just like the tower on Kane Mountain, there are 9 sets of steps of 9 steps each~~total of 81 steps.

Before heading out on the hike I decided I was going to try to work up the nerve to ask other hikers if I could take their photos.  The inspiration came from the facebook posts and book by Brandon Stanton "Humans of New York" better known as HONY. 

 I did manage to get some photos.  As time goes by I hope to ask a few questions so I 

can have a little story to go along with each image.

"This is her first hike.  It was enough for her.
We're not going to the overlook.  We'll head back down now."

We met this couple again at the overlook and talked a little about cameras
and photography.  He only had his cell phone this day, but had a
Canon back home.

"I'm retired now.  I'm from Ireland, but after I retired I moved to Spain.
My daughter still lives in Ireland.
All of this green is making me home-sick for Ireland."

God's Timing

3/366

There's nothing like It.  God's Timing. 

While we kick and scream and shake our fists and demand what we want NOW, God has a plan for each of us that we know nothing about.  We still get to make decisions, and by His Grace we make the right ones, or at least not the worst ones, but His plan for us was put into place before He created the world.  

How awesome is that?  How incomprehensible is that?

My daughter has wanted a marriage and children since she was an older teenager.  It didn't happen and it didn't happen, until finally it looks like it will. Happen.

I Can't Wait to meet this guy.  From what she tells me it sounds like he was raised in our household with our values and goals.  He sounds like a great fit for our family.  

Many times over the years I've wondered to myself where in the U.S. I would like to live if I didn't live in upstate NY.  There are places I know I would definitely NOT enjoy specifically any place that gets into the 3-digit temps in the summer accompanied by severe humidity. 

Hahaha, just to show you want kind of a God we serve and what kind of sense of humor He has, this guy, who will probably become my second son-in-law, lives in Lubbock, Texas.  Oh My Goodness, who, who WHO lives in Lubbock, TX.  And why???

I've said all of this just to say that I guess I will be spending some significant time living in TX (a hot, humid place) once babies begin arriving.  

There's a country/western song with this line in it:

If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans.

So true, so true.

The Skatepark

2/366

Wow, it's been a long, long time since my last post.  I don't know what's up with that.  I guess I've just lost the impetus to post.  I don't need international acclaim for my blog, or even just a hundred readers, but I basically have 2 (two) followers who comment, and this is after almost 10 years.

But really, I always treated this blog as more of an online journal than anything else, so it really shouldn't matter if I have followers, readers or people who comment.  But in a small way, it does. 

So many things in our lives happen.  Big things that are important to remember and little things that seem inconsequential and very forgettable, but the fact is that everything that happens is worth remembering, both good and bad.  The good brings us joy, the bad sanctifies us and builds character.  So, ultimately, it's important to keep this thing going...

I'm nearing the end of my stay in Hawaii for this year.  It's Ap 20 and I leave on May 5.  It's both good and bad.  I'll miss the fantastic weather and the easy access to the beaches, but I'll be happy to return to my home and be surrounded by my family, friends and my "things". ("things" being my familiar kitchen supplies, craft supplies, etc)

The other day I decided to finally go to one of the local skate parks.  What fun photographing the kids there.  I will have to find some skate parks back in NY.  

It's A New Year

1/366

New Year's Eve was quiet around here.  Just the same old, same old.  I don't mind.  I'm not big into the party scene, even if it is just a bunch of us getting together to play games.  That's my first choice, or is it my second choice?  The first choice being staying home, working on crafts, reading and just generally being grateful for the blessings I have.  I'll get back to you about that.

First thing this morning I headed into the kitchen to bake some cranberry bars.  They're a knock-off of Starbuck's Cranberry Bliss Bars, so even though that's really what they are, I won't use that name for them because, who knows if it's really the EXACT same recipe, and anyway, a cranberry bliss bar by any other name is still a delicious cranberry bar.

We're headed to a friend's house this afternoon for food and games and my contribution will be these bars, and, of course, a couple of games.  

So here's wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a blessed 2016.  Let's all count our blessings even in the darkest times we experience and let's make it our goal to pay-it-forward as often as possible in the coming year.

Smoke Art

20/365

I recently took a tutorial class to learn how to photograph smoke.  It was so fun.  The class was small so everyone had a chance to practice, and it turned out to be much easier than I thought it would be.

It's five days before Christmas.  I finally finished all the handmade gifts I started, all the events at church are over, I don't have any appointments or meetings today...so I got things set up and practiced. Yay for a Day at Home once in a while!

It worked!~!  I'm so psyched.  Now the only thing left to do is practice the editing part so that I can made the smoke different colors.  But until then, this is what ya get. 

Victorian Stroll 2015

19/365

Today was the annual Victorian Stroll in Troy.  It's the only one in the area (that I know of) that takes place during daylight hours, so it's perfect for taking photos.  And this year was glorious because the temperature was pretty tolerable with no wind.

It was very crowded, probably because the weather was so nice.  

I met up with a new friend, Cindy, and we spent hours just walking around looking for photo ops.

This percussion band, named Troy Samba (at least that's what I think the name was on their shirts) went above and beyond to provide great performances throughout the afternoon.  There were probably 20-25 members all together.

2015 Tiny Miss Uncle Sam and one of the drummers were getting it on together.  

Santa was performing as usual but his elf didn't seem to be there this year.  It's always fun to take pics of someone posing with Santa.

So many people were walking around in period-correct garb, and every one of them was more than willing to pose for a photo.  

It was a fun afternoon, and next year's event is already on my calendar.

An Afternoon in Ft. Hunter
18/365

The Capital Region Photography Meetup group held a field trip to, of all places, the Schoharie Crossing, a mere 7 minutes from my house.  That's almost unheard of.  Usually I have to travel an hour or more to join one of their field trips. 

Now....I've been to the Schoharie Crossing and the surrounding areas many, many times, and right now it's not very attractive because it's just past the peak of Fall color, so I was really wondering what in the world these people were going to photograph.

But I went anyway, cause spending time outdoors for any reason is better than sitting on my couch all day.  Well, because I was the only one who knew the area, I became the tour guide.  They all had a great time...this location is completely new to them, so they were inspired.  And then I got inspired.

We went to the boat launch, where it just so happened there was a fishing tournament taking place, so there were a good number of boats in the water (photo op) and when we got there the boats began coming in with their catches (photo op).  The fella in this first pic saw me with the camera and joyfully asked if I wanted to take his picture (photo op).  When I said yes, he posed...and he even followed my prompting to move over a little so I could get a better shot.  He said if I posted the pic, I should be sure to caption it "the Fishing Hairdresser".  Yup, he's a hairdresser by trade.  So funny. 

I saw a tractor in the recently plowed field on the other side of the parking lot (photo op) and did my best to get something interesting.

This is the old aqueduct (falling to wrack and ruin, sadly) with one of the fishing boats nearby. 

(photo op)

We then went to the Yankee Hill Canal location were we started fooling around with alternative shooting (more photo ops):  using a slow shutter speed while zooming, moving the camera, and panning.  The other folks enjoyed it.  This is one of my favorites that I took.

 And then there was an old, old, very large tree with this gnarly bark (yup, you guessed it, another photo op).  Couldn't resist it.

We ended the day by going to the Garden Bug where the folks had a great time photographing the pumpkins and gourds and purchasing pies and gifts from the great gift shop there.  It was a really good afternoon.

9/11 Stair Climb 2015

17/365

Today is the 14th anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers in NYC.  Utica hosted its first annual Stair Climb in honor of that tragedy.  A tall office building in Utica was the venue for the event.  The responders included fire fighters, EMTs and law enforcement personnel.  Registration was required, and the hope was that there would be 343 volunteers to represent the 343 responders who perished that day.  

Each volunteer was encouraged to wear full gear.  Each wore a lanyard with an ID card of a fallen responder (there were about 200 volunteers, so many wore two IDs so that all the responders who perished would be represented), and each climbed the stairs in the office building as many times as necessary to simulate the 110 stories of the Twin Tower buildings.  

The event was scheduled to begin at 8:35 am, the time when the first tower was struck.  Before that there was a group photo session.  Even though I got a little lost once I got off the thruway (what a surprise), I got there in time to grab a few shots of the assembled group.  Just before they broke up, someone told them all to look up.  I'm guessing someone was on an upper floor getting a shot.  

While they were queuing for their turn (they entered the building in three groups spaced apart), I wandered around taking photos.  It was so fun talking to all the personnel, and finding out where they were from.  Everyone was super-cooperative and happy to have their photos made.  

The group below came from Odessa, Texas just for this event.

The two in the next image are in different fire departments, but they attend the same training classes.  The guy is 17, the girl a little younger.  Yay for volunteers!!

After deleting the obviously bad photos, I still had almost 100 that I like.  No way could I post them all, so I just randomly chose some for this post.

This was a truly moving tribute to the tragedy of 9/11.  I'm not going to say I can't wait till next year because that would be rushing time.  But I will say that the event is on my radar and my plan is, God willing, to attend again.

The Deck

16/365

For the first time in many weeks I didn't have to rush out of the house first thing in the morning.  Although it's going to get pretty hot later today, right now it's a beautiful 70 degrees so I decided to do my devotional on my back deck.  

Winter will be here before we blink a few times so I want to enjoy the balmy weather as much as possible while it lasts.  I'd probably be in the hammock but it's too tricky to read, write and drink coffee while supine.  So for now, the deck it is!

It's Been a While

15/365

I knew it had been a while since I posted to the blog, but when I checked the date of the last entry, I was totally surprised.  Wow.

See, the thing is, I recently purchased a data phone.  I get email and facebook notices on the phone, so I often scroll through them quickly and then say to myself, "there, you're done" and then I don't think about getting on the computer.  

I've been pretty busy this summer--really...can it be over already?  Didn't summer just begin a couple of weeks ago??  (sad face)

Anyway, I've been doing some hiking with my hiking friends and with my grandchildren.  I made this stream image on one of the hikes.

August is racing season at the Saratoga Race Track and I managed to get there a couple of times for the early morning workouts.  It's not as exciting as the actual races, nor as colorful, but there are more photo ops because there are more horses on the track for longer periods of time...  It's a great way to spend a morning.

Then one day my photo buddy, Trish, and I went to Renssealear to photograph some artwork on the columns of the overpasses.  Looking across the river you can see the cityscape of downtown Albany.  

So altogether it's been a busy and fun summer.  I hate to see it end.

The Hammock

14/365

It was a picture-perfect day today.  The weather made everyone happy.  Clear blue sky, warm temps, low humidity.  We've been so blessed in this part of the country with rain and cooler temps, unlike some places that are Parched and Hot.

Anyway, I spent the morning inside puttering around and getting ready to attend a church picnic at one of the homes.  After hanging at the picnic for a few hours,  I arrived home around 6:30.  The sun was low in the sky, the breeze was blowing and the temps were cooling a little.  

I heard the hammock calling my name.  And I had a few pages in a book left to finish--a Perfect Combination.  So I indulged myself and took a little while to enjoy the day.

Fieldtrip top Hudson, NY

13/365

My good friend and photo buddy, Trish, and I took a road trip to Hudson, NY today.  After a very slow start (nail in tire/a stop at Sears/a long, protracted conversation with hubby about buying new tires/tires changed and balanced/getting lost on the way to Hudson/searching for quarters for the parking meter/finding a place to eat) we finally got out of the car with cameras in hand and began our photo shoot.

Hudson is a sweet little town filled with an abundance of photo ops.   We spent some time walking up and down the main road when I (serendipitously, I might add) remembered that we had only put enough money in the parking meter for two hours (in my defense~~the meters only take enough quarters for two hours at a time).  In light of my extreme reluctance to paying a parking ticket, we turned around and hustled back to the car.

It was really hot today, so instead of continuing our walk, we drove to the next destination which was the waterfront.  It was a bust, so we drove to the train station.  Then we left.  But we put some icing on the photo field trip by stopping at a Stewarts and treating ourselves to a yummy ice cream cone.

It was a GREAT day.

First Mohawks Game of 2015

12/365

Last night was beautiful cool, dry and sunny weather (following 2-3 days of rain which was sorely needed), ushering in the first 2015 home game of the Amsterdam Mohawks Baseball Team.

I got to the field very early because I was already in town and didn't want to go home and then right back out again.  So I dragged along my knitting bag and my camera to occupy myself until my friend arrived and the game began.  

Pregame warm-up

Pregame Mohawks

Unbeknownst to me, the Amsterdam Middle School (now known as the Lynch Literacy Academy~~since I don't know when, but what's up with that name?) band was going to play for the opening ceremony.  The granddaughter is in that band so I was excited to see her and hear the band again.  (she's the one whose music is touching the other girl's leg)

Pregame performance

Then the game began.  I always challenge myself to capture the ball right at the bat or near the catcher's glove.  I think I nailed it in this image.  Woot, woot.

We left at the end of the 7th inning.  The Mohawks were way ahead, so I'm guessing they won. 

With A Little Help From My Friends
11/365

Last Saturday I attended a 60th Anniversary Party.  It’s difficult for me to process that Number (60) in relation to people being married that long–but how Awesome is that??  I fully intended to be a guest and I even entertained the thought of not bringing Any camera to the event (so you can see where my head is lately).  I don’t own a data phone so I wouldn’t have even had that for photos.  But, alas, as God ordained, I received a phone call LATE the night before the event from the hostess (the Daughter of the Anniversary Couple) imploring me to take pics at the event because she had totally forgotten that   Wee.   Little.    Detail.

Hahaha, how could I refuse?  The couple and I have been friends for 43 years and I Love Her Dearly, so of course I said “yes”, but in my head/heart I was muttering.  Well, it turned out fine and, of course, I had a great time.  So, during the event, which was basically dinner at a venue (Turf Tavern in Scotia–which, btw, I HIGHLY recommend), a few speeches from anyone willing to hold the mic, and some great dessert, I took a few shots of The Couple with various people, etc.  As the event was winding down I announced that everyone had to get their photo taken as a keepsake for The Couple and they should meet me right outside the door as they were leaving.  Amazingly, everyone was super-agreeable.

The thing is, it’s been so long since I did an “event” that I was way too serious and the first few photos were just “for the record”.  But then, I Got A Little Help From My nutty Friends.  And, of course, those photos are my favorites of all the ones I took that night, except, maybe, the photo of the couple Cutting the Cake.

In the following photo, we were having a very intense discussion about whether the women should pull their dresses up a Little on their legs.  One said, Absolutely Not, while at the same time her 80-something-year-old-mother was cooperating.  Too funny.  I think this is my All Time Favorite of the night.  Check it out.  All the men are looking at the camera and All the Women are looking at each other.  What a hoot.

And here's the Anniversary Couple.  What a testimony to Hanging in There through good and bad times.  I Love Them.