Rensselaer Plateau Life

Shadblow Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Sat, 18 May 2013 21:41:00 +0000

Amelanchier canadensis

Last November I had a post about the Elhannon Nursery and the shadblow tree we purchased last November. The photo above, taken this week, shows what it's like in bloom.

Also called Canadian serviceberry, chuckleberry, currant-tree, juneberry, shadblow serviceberry, shadbush, shadbush serviceberry, sugarplum, and thicket serviceberry (gasp for air!), the shadblow tree is named for its masses of white flowers that bloom in the early spring when the shad run up the rivers to spawn. Native to eastern North American, it is a member of the rose family. It has nice silvery gray bark its leaves turn to rusty red and orange colors in autumn. It produces berries that birds love and is very disease resistant. The shadblow tree with grow well in sun or partial shade and thrives in moist soils, so it should do very well with our high water table.

Click here for an interesting video on Edward Steichen and his Shadblow Tree.

Wild Hydrangea

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:33:00 +0000

Wild Hydrangea
Hydrangea aborescens

Goldthread

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Thu, 16 May 2013 01:48:00 +0000

Goldthread
Coptis trifolia

True Forget-me-not

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Wed, 15 May 2013 01:33:00 +0000

True Forget-me-not
Myosotis scorpiodes

Trillium

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Sun, 12 May 2013 21:10:00 +0000

Purple Trillium
Trillium erectum

Early Morning Sounds of Spring on the Lake

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:47:00 +0000

Taconic Lake - May 8, 2013 at 5:35am (video)

Morning Has Broken

Cat Stevens

Number 44 on the Billboard Top 100 Songs of 1972

Early Morning Geese on the Lake

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Thu, 02 May 2013 11:22:00 +0000

Six O'Clock (video)

Lovin' Spoonful (written by John Sebastian)

Hit #18 on the charts in 1967

Coltsfoot

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:45:00 +0000

Tussilago farara

Once again, the first wildflower to appear. Spring has indeed arrived on the Plateau.

An extract of fresh Coltsfoot leaves can be used for cough drops or hard candy and a tea made from its dried leaves.

Tree Time

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:04:00 +0000

A LOT of trees came down this winter. If you enlarge, by clicking on the above photo you'll see three in just one small area here at the lake.

The Rensselaer County Soil and Water Conservation District's 42nd Annual Spring Arbor Green Tree & Shrub Sale ordering continues through April 26th. Click here for details and ordering form.

On a another note, the lake didn't complete thawing out until yesterday. It's been a loonnnggg winter. Not a particularly rough one. Not outstanding in terms of snow. But long!

Here Comes Summer (video)

Jerry Keller

Red Squirrel Tracks

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 21:26:00 +0000

Red Squirrel Tracks

I took these photos late yesterday afternoon on our deck. There was about a 1/4-inch of slush providing a good imprint medium for these tracks. The lake is about 40% thawed. It's been a long winter!

Red Squirrel Tracks

Hill Hollow Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 20:08:00 +0000

Hill Hollow Farm

This is an unsolicited, unabashed plug for the Hill Hollow Farm CSA in Petersburgh.

The "Lamphere and Winters Wedding And Birth Announcement" in last week's Eastwick Press caught my eye. A refreshingly frank announcement, with a wonderful photo of the smiling new couple, Nathan and Eliza Winters proudly holding, Mathilda Marie Winters, their new baby. I loved it. I'd provide a link to it, but the online Eastwick Press now requires a sign-on. However, you can go to the Hill Hollow Farm blog for the couple's own version of the story.

Reading the announcement, I learned that the new couple run an organic vegetable CSA. That took me to the Hill Hollow Farm website. Feast your eyes on the photo of those scrumptious tomatoes! This is a local business that should be easy to patronize. I wish them the best of luck and will definitely be dropping by their farmstand in the coming months.

The Eastwick Press article noted that the bride's father is Terry Lamphere, a local stonemason. I've never met Terry, but I've been told he built a beautiful fireplace that's in my house.

Muddy Dirt Road

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 21:20:00 +0000

We live on a dirt road almost exactly a mile north of the highway, a road that is a pleasure six months of the year and a problem the other six.

Granville Hicks (1901-1982), Grafton, NY, Small Town, page 3

Red Dirt Road

Brooks & Dunn
(Video)

How to React in a Black Bear Encounter

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 23:23:00 +0000

Black Bear Tracks

It's March and, while taking a solitary walk through the woods last weekend, it occurred to me that the black bears will be coming out of hibernation and it's time for a refresher on how to react to a confrontation with a bear. Click here and here for some excellent advice on this subject. I've come across several sources that suggest making direct eye contact with the bear. Further research reveals this to be poor advice. There's a difference between keeping an eye on the bear as you back off and staring him down (not wise!).

Dancing Bear

Momas and Papas

(video)

Conservation Plan Meeting Tonight

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:08:00 +0000

Draft Rensselaer Plateau Regional Conservation Plan

Public Workshop #3 - Thurs, March 21

Thursday, March 21st
6:30 pm - 8:30pm
Grafton VFW, South Rd. Grafton, NY 12082. Map!
Free! Pizza and dessert will be served.

Recent Press

Albany Times Union Story.

Troy Record Story.

Where Do Turkeys Go in the Winter?

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 19:33:00 +0000

Turkey Track

No, not all of them go to Washington, although a rafter of them (Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio... ) were spotted there last week. I spotted a huge rafter of turkeys traipsing through the woods Saturday. I hoped to get a photo, but didn't get my iPhone out of my pocket quick enough. I take the majority of the photos on this blog these days with my iPhone 5. Up until last fall, I used a small Canon, but with the iPhone I no longer have to lug it around. Sunday, I took a walk in the wooks and found photo-friendly impressions of tracks everywhere due to a thin layer of snow on an icy base.

As for the answer to the title of this post, I read a handful of articles and like Ahh.. the life of a wild turkey in winter best. And, if you're ever in the market for a good book on tracks, I researched this very carefully and acquired the excellent Mammal Tracks & Sign; A Guide to North American Species, by Mark Elbroch and published by Stackpole books. It was a winner of the National Outdoor Book Award.

Tracks of my Tears

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (1965)

(video)

Rensselaer Plateau Conservation Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:50:00 +0000

The Rensselaer Plateau Alliance just released the draft of its Regional Conservation Plan. Click here to access it. The release of this draft, was accompanied today by an article in the Times Union, Plateau Plan Sees No Central Control. See details below on the public debut of this plan scheduled for Thursday, March 21, at 6:30pm at the Grafton VFW.

I'm a member of this organization and encourage you to join as well. Its voluntary staff are doing fabulous work to benefit all who live on, or simply visit and enjoy, the Plateau. Click here to access membership information.

Rensselaer Plateau Alliance Website

City vs Country

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 02:03:00 +0000

Brooklyn Taconic Lake Road - Grafton

Bird On A Wire

Leonard Cohen - London, 2008

(video)

Where do water snakes go in the winter?

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:58:00 +0000

Northern Water Snake - Summer 2012

They undergo a a kind of hibernation known as brumation in the winter, remaining awake yet inactive. They don't need to eat for many months, though will occasionally emerge to drink water. A snake in brumation locates a suitable place protected from frost: hollow tree trunks, caves, burrows, abandoned beaver lodges, or deep under piles of leaves. Decaying organic matter will give out heat, keeping the temperature above the freezing point. It not uncommon for them to share such a refuge with many other species of snakes -- scent trails left by the initial den occupants "guiding" others to the winter refuge.

February 2013

Hibernation Song
Brent Valenzuela

Ray Darling (1945-2013)

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:09:00 +0000

Ray L. Darling Sr. (1945-2013)

Troy Record:

Obituary

Grafton Supervisor Ray Darling dies at 68

Town of Grafton Supervisor remembered fondly by family, fellow politicians

Searching for Sugarman: Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 02:54:00 +0000

Rodriguez: The rock icon who didn't know it (video)

I hope you've had a chance to watch Searching for Sugarman recommended in one of my previous posts and winner of the 2013 Oscar for Best Documentary. I can't shake the impact it had on me. What a Cinderella story! This humble man labored away in burned-out Detroit as low-level construction worker while, meanwhile in South Africa, unbeknownst to him, he was more popular than Elvis.

Since then, I've come across a 60 Minutes segment done on Sixto Rodriguez. If' you've seen the movie, the first half of the segment will be familiar, but the second half contains a rare interview with Rodriguez. I think he's an amazing individual, an otherworldly philosopher with extraordinary musical talent.

Sugar Man (live - video)

42nd Annual Arbor Green Program

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 10:52:00 +0000

This White Pine seedling I planted last year is doing great!

The Rensselaer County Soil and Water Conservation District's 42nd Annual Spring Arbor Green Tree & Shrub Sale has kicked off. Click here for details and ordering form. Their prices, service and trees are terrific!

Somehow, it seems to me, we have lost our appreciation for trees. Click here to read a previous post on why trees are important. Help the planet and plant at least a couple every year. And, for you young 'uns, there's nothing cooler than gazing at a tall, stately tree that you planted as a youth.

Tree Song (video)

Carolyn Carlson-Rene Aubry

THÉÂTRE DE LA VILLE, Paris (1984)

Searching for Sugar Man

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:27:00 +0000

Working in a library has its little perks. Like getting first shot at newly acquired DVDs and books. I love nothing more than uncovering a hidden gem. Still Bill and Monsieur Lazhar being examples I've previously posted on. Well I just watched another one: Searching for Sugar Man.

From the DVD jacket, "Searching for Sugar Man tells the incredible true story of Rodriguez, the greatest 70's rock icon who never was. After being discovered in a Detroit bar, Rodriguez's sound struck two renowned producers and they signed a recording deal. But when the album bombed, the singer disappeared into obscurity. A bootleg recording found its way into apartheid South Africa and, over the next two decades, he became a phenomenon. The film follows the story of two South African fans who set out to find out what really happened to their hero."

As David Letterman says of this documentary, "It's jaw-droppingly fascinating... and wildly entertaining and incomprehensible, but true." The Amazon.com Customer Reviews list 133 "5 stars" and 18 "4 stars."

Searching for Sugarman

(Trailer)

Crucify

Rodriguez Performs on The David Letterman Show - August 18, 2012

(Video)

Fish Farm Homework

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 00:59:00 +0000

For Sale: Grafton Elementary School

The February 1st issue of the Eastwick Press has an article, Grafton School of Fish, that caught my eye. It reports on a planned offer for the Grafton Elementary School property by a Williamstown, Massachusetts contractor who would like to develop a fish farm on that site. The property, buildings and 15+ acres, is offered for sale at $175,000 by the Berlin Central School District via the realtor Prudential Commercial.

The article mentions that project is expected to provide about 18 local jobs -- always a good thing. It also mentions that the buyer has done extensive planning, contacted the DEC and the Fish and Wildlife Service and spoken to numerous town, county, state and federal officials. What I don't see mention of is an independent environmental impact assessment underwritten by the Town of Grafton. This would be the prudent thing to do now rather than later -- witness the lawsuits in response to water pollution caused by hydrofracking.

The contractor (unnamed in the article) is obviously going to have his/her own interests at heart in any planning he/she has had drawn up. Grafton may not be the focus of attention by the DEC and the Fish and Wildlife Service. Politicians are going to be influenced by the opportunity for job creation (as anyone would today). Notwithstanding the attraction of incremental new jobs to the area, and an economic engine feeding the tax base, it's incumbent on Town and Plateau residents to protect the other local economic engine and the reason why many of us live here -- the beauty of our natural environment. There's a local resident of Grafton -- ecologist Dr. David Hunt -- who, I would think, is a logical candidate to produce such an independent environmental impact study.

This fish farm could be a good thing, but has the homework been handed in?

Incidentally, the Town of Grafton has a relatively new website. Included on the homepage is a link to scheduled Town Board Meetings. The next town meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 11th at 7 p.m.

Tilapia Acquaculture Dialog Standards(Video)

Additional Reading
Acquaculture Impacts on the Environment
Fish Farming and the Environment: Good or Bad?
Overview of the Environmental Impacts of Canadian Freshwater Aquaculture
The Pros and Cons of Fish Farming

Rensselaer Plateau GIS Maps

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 02:27:00 +0000

I was just looking over the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance's website and noticed they now have a section on GIS (Geographic Information System) maps of the Plateau. There are views on Biodiversity Values, Rare Plant Sites, Important Natural Communities and more. Quite nice... thank you RPA!

Click here to join, as I have, the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance.

Thermal Leak Detector

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Mayo) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:20:00 +0000

When the temperature dips below 0 degrees, as it did last night and early this morning when my weather station indicated a frosty -15 degrees, I often find myself reaching for my Black & Decker thermal leak detector. It uses infrared sensors to measure surface temperatures. Press the button, aim and the LCD display provides the temperature at the target spot, plus projects a blue light for problem areas.

It's much cheaper than paying a consultant to do an energy audit of your house and -- if you're like me -- you will be surprised at the unexpected spots where trouble lurks. Last night, I found a spot inside a closet (with poor insulation between it and the mudroom) that was a whopper! Didn't take long to fix that source of heat loss.

Video on how to check for leaks using this cool tool from Black and Decker, the TLD100