Winter is just around the corner. I'm beginning to feel the very first hints of its icy grip in the air - and in my bones.
On Tuesday I decided to take a final fall hike on 1403 ft (427.6 m) Stissing Mountain. The air was clear and the sunshine plentiful - a perfect day to be outdoors. I realize that compared to the mountains that many of you know (and at least one of you climb) this one is more of a foothill, or perhaps a speed bump - but around here, we're rather proud of it. And there is that 90 ft (27.4 m) fire tower on top...
I was hoping to enjoy a last bit of colorful fall foliage. There were plenty of leaves to be seen on the trees the previous time I was there, about three weeks earlier. The pictures are from both visits. There's no need to label them with dates - it's painfully obvious when each one was taken.
The big new this week was the Leonid Meteor Shower. I love meteors, and astronomy in general. I've been going outside to gaze up at the night sky for as long as I can remember. I often see the occasional rogue meteor, but I haven't witnessed a shower in several years. The weather has simply refused to cooperate. The peak this year was on November 17 and the sky here was completely clouded over, but the next night was crystal clear, and I was rewarded with a plethora of sightings beginning around 3:15 am. I'm already keeping my fingers crossed for good conditions the evenings of the next big shower in mid December.
I've been taking it pretty easy the rest of the week. I've had a series of terrible migraines. I get them sometimes. I've been sleeping, reading (thank goodness that I've been able to...) watching the birds and communing with my cat. Rhiannon is always happy to be engaged in a friendly chat - or to take a nap! I really can't complain - all things considered it's been an excellent week.
I enjoy watching movies on my computer, but my DVD drive died on Wednesday. I suppose that I could hook my TV back up again but that would require a certain amount of effort... The new drive should arrive on Monday. I watched two films this week
Star Trek (2009) J.J. Abrams and
Pornografia (2003) Jan Jakub Kolski
...a bit off my usual pace.
In between naps (and headaches) I've read
Hominids - Robert J. Sawyer
Return to the Hundred Acre Wood - David Benedictus with decorations by Mark Burgess
The Death of Innocents - Sister Helen Prejean
Girl in Landscape - Jonathan Lethem
Anyone who is still in favor of capital punishment needs to read Sister Prejean's book. Thanks again to Liathach for recommending it.
Hominids is the first in a series of three novels concerning a parallel world where Homo sapiens became extinct, and Neanderthals continued to evolve and thrive. A Neanderthal quantum computing experiment drops one of their scientists into our world. How we deal with each other, and the contrasts between our two societies, is quite entertaining - and illuminating. A wonderful, well researched novel.
I'm becoming a huge fan of Jonathan Lethem. He's been favorably compared to several of my favorite writers (Kurt Vonnegut, Margaret Atwood and Philip K. Dick, among others) and, like Paul Auster (another favorite) he's from Brooklyn, NY. I don't know why it took me so long to discover him. By the way, if you're also an Auster fan, Invisible is his best book in many years...
New Pooh. Enough said. Yay! (Thanks ferkixllL)
The Poughkeepsie Bridge (Walkway Over the Hudson) on 4 November
I'm looking forward to hearing about what you've been doing, thinking, reading and watching. I hope that all has been well.
Best wishes!
On Tuesday I decided to take a final fall hike on 1403 ft (427.6 m) Stissing Mountain. The air was clear and the sunshine plentiful - a perfect day to be outdoors. I realize that compared to the mountains that many of you know (and at least one of you climb) this one is more of a foothill, or perhaps a speed bump - but around here, we're rather proud of it. And there is that 90 ft (27.4 m) fire tower on top...
I was hoping to enjoy a last bit of colorful fall foliage. There were plenty of leaves to be seen on the trees the previous time I was there, about three weeks earlier. The pictures are from both visits. There's no need to label them with dates - it's painfully obvious when each one was taken.
The big new this week was the Leonid Meteor Shower. I love meteors, and astronomy in general. I've been going outside to gaze up at the night sky for as long as I can remember. I often see the occasional rogue meteor, but I haven't witnessed a shower in several years. The weather has simply refused to cooperate. The peak this year was on November 17 and the sky here was completely clouded over, but the next night was crystal clear, and I was rewarded with a plethora of sightings beginning around 3:15 am. I'm already keeping my fingers crossed for good conditions the evenings of the next big shower in mid December.
I've been taking it pretty easy the rest of the week. I've had a series of terrible migraines. I get them sometimes. I've been sleeping, reading (thank goodness that I've been able to...) watching the birds and communing with my cat. Rhiannon is always happy to be engaged in a friendly chat - or to take a nap! I really can't complain - all things considered it's been an excellent week.
I enjoy watching movies on my computer, but my DVD drive died on Wednesday. I suppose that I could hook my TV back up again but that would require a certain amount of effort... The new drive should arrive on Monday. I watched two films this week
Star Trek (2009) J.J. Abrams and
Pornografia (2003) Jan Jakub Kolski
...a bit off my usual pace.
In between naps (and headaches) I've read
Hominids - Robert J. Sawyer
Return to the Hundred Acre Wood - David Benedictus with decorations by Mark Burgess
The Death of Innocents - Sister Helen Prejean
Girl in Landscape - Jonathan Lethem
Anyone who is still in favor of capital punishment needs to read Sister Prejean's book. Thanks again to Liathach for recommending it.
Hominids is the first in a series of three novels concerning a parallel world where Homo sapiens became extinct, and Neanderthals continued to evolve and thrive. A Neanderthal quantum computing experiment drops one of their scientists into our world. How we deal with each other, and the contrasts between our two societies, is quite entertaining - and illuminating. A wonderful, well researched novel.
I'm becoming a huge fan of Jonathan Lethem. He's been favorably compared to several of my favorite writers (Kurt Vonnegut, Margaret Atwood and Philip K. Dick, among others) and, like Paul Auster (another favorite) he's from Brooklyn, NY. I don't know why it took me so long to discover him. By the way, if you're also an Auster fan, Invisible is his best book in many years...
New Pooh. Enough said. Yay! (Thanks ferkixllL)
The Poughkeepsie Bridge (Walkway Over the Hudson) on 4 November I'm looking forward to hearing about what you've been doing, thinking, reading and watching. I hope that all has been well.
Best wishes!
VIEW 14 of 14 COMMENTS
its been a bit painful the first days, i suppose im getting used by now, im feeling not that bad phisically but somehow my body is proving me wrong since im kind of tired easily or quicker during the day.
Anyways im hoping that they will get out of my system quick, it would do lots for me for sure.
Anyways, yeah im coming in december, im pretty glad about it!
its going to be my first time in NY and i have always wanted to be around and visit the nature stuff will also be my first time with the snow in case that that happens!