Happy New Year, 2012.

The sense of time is relevant as Einstein observed, though he had motion and mass objects in mind. He theorized that the faster the object the slower the time. Amazing concept. I think the scientific discoveries are truly more fascinating than fiction, especially the fiction we were given as truth when we were kids.

Scene at Rockefeller Center with the famous xmas tree on the left

 Yet, it's nice to have occasions to celebrate, and this is a good time to do so. Since the early days, humans celebrated the winter solstice, when the sun was being reborn and the days began to get longer. It was a time when little could be done outside due to the weather, and apparently beer was readily available!

A NYC landmark, Radio City hall, view from 6th Avenue.

From my perspective, time moves faster or slower according to the mood and the particular circumstance I'm in. One thing for sure--and I think the older among us will agree--time is way too short and way to fast. In a few hours, we'll mark the passing of another year and celebrate the arrival of a new one, because it's what we make of time!

In 2004, the year I got my first digital camera, the Hudson River froze in December.

Nothing really happens at midnight Saturday. It's not a solstice nor any special point in our revolution around our sun. It's us who give meaning to time... and, that's a good thing.

Happy new year to all, and I hope 2012 is exciting, rewarding and fulfilling.

Maybe Lady Gaga Is Controlling Our Weather

This past weekend we've had some nice weather, in the 50s, though when the sun goes down the cold returns as a reminder that this is winter. But, for New York, it's been very mild. It feel a bit weird actually. Like lady Gaga's outfits. The windows at Barney's (Madison/61St) are all Gaga!

I know NYC is consumerism central, but some of the stores' windows are nicely decorated for the holidays.

Do you know that all this glitter, the expensive shops, the $30 hamburgers, and the overall extravagance in NYC is supported by tourism and about 65,000 people of the super wealthy elite? Yeap, most NYorkers can't afford most of the expensive stuff. NYS and particularly NYC have the worst wealth & income distribution in the US, and among the worst in the world! Something to keep in mind when you hear that NY has streets paved in gold...

 

Thanksgiving 2011 in NYC

Thanksgiving is a special holiday, because it's not religious but rather inclusive. I don't think it's about the Pilgrims and the natives and all the other made-up "history." It's about thinking of the good people we have in our lives and the good things that surrounds us. 

The World Trade Center new tower under construction (view from Broadway)

There's a crowd Thursday afternoon at Zuccutti park

It's also a nice time to be in NY city, as it's the most quiet and fan to walk around day in all of the year. If the weather is good--we're having unusually warm weather for this time of year--a walk in Central Park or the various neighborhoods of this great metropolis is particularly rewarding; it doesn't feel rushed or too noisy.

Great folk band got the people dancing at the park

Trinity Church interior. This church has been helping OWS.

Northern Central Park

The Rumble in Central park.

It's been a tradition of mine to forgo invitations for bigger gatherings, especially out of the city, and spend the day in NYC. This year, I paid a visit to the Occupy Wall Street Liberty square. There were lots of people there. The kitchen group prepared and handed out some 3,000 meals on Thursday! 

In a frenzy consumerism, many stores are opening midnight to boost holiday sales. I think it's crazy that people can't wait for a few more hours before going shopping. It's the stores competing to capture early sales, but if people didn't rush to shop...   Besides, I wouldn't want to be an employee who has to skip Thanksgiving dinner to work the 11 pm Thu to 7 am Fri.

Actually, it feels liberating to me not to have to go shopping. I give gifts throughout the year and I refuse to be part of this insane holiday shopping activity. I expect no gifts either during this time. Well, material gifts--you know, the ones you buy from the stores--but otherwise, yes, it's a nice time to be exchanging and appreciating the gifts that really matter. 
;)

Autumnal Snow in New York

This is highly unusual. One day it's sunny, nice kinda autumn weather, and today it's snowing heavily! I've been waiting for the leaves to turn around here so I could take some pictures but it seems it won't happen. The colors aren't as spectacular this season and with the early arrival of snow it's the end of the autumnal colorful spectacle in the northeast.

From this picture in my backyard:

To this today:

It's pretty nevertheless, but I already can see the problems coming if this continues for a few hours. This is a very wet snow and it's catching on the leaves. Many of the branches are bending dangerously; trees will come down because of the weight. The next thing will be power lines coming down. I can't be without electricity for too long....


UPDATE 10/31/11. Happy Halloween!  Except it has been canceled in my town due to the continuing blackout and unsafe conditions! Booooh. It's been like winter camping in the house! No damage though other than several big branches that broke off trees in my backyard. My neighborhood, however, has suffered lots worse. 
It takes a situation like this to be reminded how important electricity is... 

UPDATE, 11/3/11: With power restored and nicer days, this is what I'm seeing out of my window:

 

Where Did the Summer of 2011 Go?...

I can't believe it's been months since I posted here; not that I forgot but it wasn't the best summer I've had. Nothing too seriously wrong, just too many loose ends and stuff. So, I looked into my Summer picture folder and found a few pictures worth posting. 

Some weird performance in the Lincoln Center reflection pool

Lincoln Center had several free, open air events this past summer.

A view of Jersey City from Battery Park City. NJ is building its own skyline now.

On the ferry to Governor's Island with a view of the financial district and the 3 East river bridges.

A great summer day on Gov's isle.

The Staten Island ferry is free and a great way to "sail" the NYC harbor.

 As I'm writing this, the leaves are starting to turn. I hope this autumn is spectacular, though I hear it may not be. If it its, I'll take a drive up to Vermont, or at least up to the Berkshire mountains--one of the best places in the country to see the magnificent nature in the autumn. 

Soon....

From the Finger Lakes to Lake Ontario

Recently, I took another trip upstate New York and camped in the Finger Lakes region. I've done the Watkins Glen hike before. It's about a mile or a little more, uphill & stairs; not bad though. A few people (probably because it's not well known this option is available) park at the top rim, hike down and take the shuttle bus back up. Haven't done it, so basically it takes 2-3 hours to go back and forth from the parking lot at the lower end.

Watkins Glen

I'd recommend this hike as it's easy for anyone with moderate physical ability. Bring some water to drink and, of course, your camera. You'll probably get a little wet because of the proximity of the paths to the waterfalls, but it's not a problem.

Watkins Glen

Watkins Glen, NY

Watkins Glen

Seneca Falls, meeting place for American suffragettes.

Chimney Bluffs state park, NY

On the shores of this great lake, there's a park (free admission!) where there are a few trails that take you either along the shoreline or through the forest to the Chimney Bluffs. There are soft rocks eroded by the weather, standing tall over the lake. Ontario lake is very big, because even on a clear day you can't see Canada on the other side. As a matter of fact, you can see the curvature of the earth between the two countries!

Chimney Bluffs, lake Ontario, NY

Chimney Bluffs, lake Ontario, NY

Taughannock Falls, by Cayuga Lake (near Ithaca, NY)

These falls are part of a state park on Cayuga Lake. There's camping (nice one) and a marina. From this campground, you can explore many other beautiful places nearby--within 1 hour of driving. However, going north to Lake Ontario will take longer, having to drive through many little towns on secondary and tertiary roads... but, that's a good opportunity to see that region up close.

The big highways are very useful in covering long distances, but even a mile of a detour can take you through a very pretty town, like Owego, NY that we discovered by accident. Later I learned that Owego was voted the "coolest town" in 2009! So, there you go!

Summer Solstice 2011. What's Next? Lots of Summer Left!

I like all seasons, and I live in a part of the globe that I can experience the whole range of them. The earth wobbles as it goes around the sun and it's this tilt that makes the seasons. The sun just reached the northernmost point and now will go south, reaching the equator on September 23, 2011. [here's a more comprehensive explanation]

There's lots of summer left though. This season is special to many people and it's not just the weather. We all probably have fond memories from our childhood when this was the season we could enjoy the most since, well, school was out! How many discoveries and experiences we had this season especially.

The Naked Cowgirl

 






Anyway, last Saturday, as it happens on the closest Saturday to the summer solstice, Coney Island had its annual Mermaid parade. I've seen a few of them over the years, each one being different. This one and the Village Halloween parade are worth attending every year.

Of course, I had my camera with me, I took lots of pictures that I can't possibly post them all here, but here's a good sample.

The Queen Mermaid and King Neptune cutting the ribbon to start the summer!

 The festivities begin at 2 pm and continue on for about 3 hours, which is the parade itself, but it doesn't end until the Mermaid Ball later in the eve/night.


The boardwalk is buzzing on any summer day, but on this one it's even more active. Lots of music too, as you can see from an impromptu concert on the beach.


This year the Queen Mermaid was Cat Greenleaf and Adam Richman (both notable TV celebrities).





This band (below) of young musicians set up on the beach after it marched to protest the new development of CI.




The event takes place rain or shine, but this 29th Mermaid parade was favored by good weather--not too hot, and a nice ocean breeze. It's the largest "artistic" parade in NYC and I'd guess in the country.

Having fun protesting...

This traveling troupe from New Orleans was doing burlesque on the boardwalk. They were really good!

The new Fear amusement park in Coney Island

Spring Has Sprung! More to Come....

A beautiful night sky, with the moon hiding in tall trees but illuminating the cloudy sky. No special effects, just a time (about 1.5 sec) exposure in camera's auto setting.
....
Even though the picture below with the boats doesn't indicate the season, I took it in Beacon, NY, during the Strawberry Festival (yumm). In the center, the Woody Sloop sailing the Hudson.

....
..In a span of a couple weeks there has been a natural transformation. Not all the blooms are out but it's amazing what I'm witnessing in my own backyard.

I've neglected taking pictures because I've been super busy lately but I will grab my camera once again in a few days and take some more pictures of the changing of the season.

Actually, the weather here in the Northeast has been crazy. We've had a very harsh winter that depleted our energies (and our wallet with high heating bills), and in the last month or so we had big fluctuations between cold and hot days/nights.

....

OK, here's another one I snapped at my workplace

Last Gasp of Winter

On campus, 3/23/11, early morning

There's more snow on the ground as I'm writing this. I had trouble getting up the hill to reach home this evening because there's ice on the roadway. It's probably the last gasp of winter this season, and this after having temperatures in the 70s just last Friday--the day I decided to work in the attic to lay down insulation while the temp up there was like 90 degrees F.

I took this picture as I got to work this morning. The whole campus looked pretty. Long day but it ended with a reception by the Board of Trustees; they always have the best food and booze. Too bad that so much good stuff is left over and is probably thrown out.


I haven't taken many pictures because on my free time I work around the house fixing stuff. Once those projects are done, I'll post a collage of the process. Very interesting how a house is put together and how home improvements is a never-ending process and a money pit.

 

December 2010 and January 2011 in "Lower" New York State

It's a while since I posted here, actually since (gasp) last year! I've been preoccupied with house stuff and, of course, the other occupation--the one that pays the bills.

Anyway, it's been very cold and very snowy here in the northeastern US. You might say that we could use some ..global warming. More extreme weather is caused by changes in the composition of our atmosphere and in the acidity of the oceans. I wish I had been out there more often with my camera, nevertheless, I managed to shoot a few cool pictures. Here are some from December and January.

Along 5th Avenue, NYC

Festive Fifth

Rock Center with tree

Our pasture

Hmmm..

Frozen people

Frozen Hudson by Peekskill

Croton Dam in January 2010

Frozen Croton reservoir

 By clicking on the pictures, you can enlarge them.