Historic Landmark on the Hudson River

Year: 2009

  • Question for the Keeper: outer island

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    The Fischer Family from North Carolina wrote to inquire about the outer island adjacent to the lighthouse. We’re wondering if you might share some information about who helped create this magical space: who created the island, who planned the deck (with the backs of the side benches hinged to lift up! (for what purpose, we wonder), who planted…

  • Historic tugs and more

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    Thanks to downriver-neighbor Dock for alerting me to this fleet of boats on the river. A flotilla of historic working vessels will be traveling the Hudson River and visiting riverside communities in coming weeks. Tugs, fireboat, steam launches, canal schooner, dutch barge, etc. will be featured. I am particularly interested in the lighthouse tender Lilac.…

  • Dam builders

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    This morning, my cross-river neighbor Tim mentioned that he recently noticed a beaver swimming along the shore at the Tivoli Landing. Probably the same beaver I saw one evening while kayaking home from Tivoli last week. I wonder where its lodge is located. Beavers are known for their dam-building activity, but I wouldn’t want to…

  • Water temperature

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    Water temperature reading: 78 degrees F. In recent days, the water temperature climbed above 75 degrees for the first time this summer.

  • Question for the Keeper: meteor shower radiant

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    Last week’s Perseid meteor shower prompted the following question: Why do meteor showers appear to radiate from single point in the sky? Meteor shower particles are actually all traveling in parallel paths and at the same velocity, but they appear to an observer below to radiate away from a single point in the sky. This…

  • Star-gazing and lighthouse pollution

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    A lesson from lighthouses on light pollution: A hometown friend of mine asked me (jokingly) if I ever turn the beacon off for star-gazing. Well, of course not, for obvious reasons, especially obvious to commercial cargo vessels trying to navigate the narrow river channel at night. Even so, it’s not necessary to turn off the…

  • Saugerties Lighthouse Vacation

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    A family who were recent guests at the lighthouse posted two videos on youtube.com about their stay at the lighthouse. The videos provide an interesting overview of what it’s like to visit the lighthouse. Everyone has a different experience, and these videos show one example. For anyone looking forward to staying at the lighthouse, watching…

  • August

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    August was called the “Sturgeon Moon” by fishing tribes because the sturgeon was easier to catch in late summer. I call this month “Katydid Moon” because the katydids start up their nighttime chorus. This year I first noticed their sing-song stridulation the night after the August full moon. Male katydids rub their forewings together to…

  • Question for the Keeper: ripples

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    Question: Why are some patches of the river’s surface smooth and other rippled during a drizzle? This question arises from observation of the texture of the water’s surface. In a drizzle, rain droplets ripple the surface of the water. Although the rain is falling uniformly, smooth patches appear of the water’s surface amidst the ripples.…

  • Outdoor artwork on display at lighthouse

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    Artwork was installed this week outside the lighthouse as part of the “Explore Saugerties Artists Treasure Hunt.” The art on display at the lighthouse is one of twenty-four artworks installed throughout Saugerties Township for people to find by following clues. The Treasure Hunt is presented by the Saugerties Artists Studio Tour in celebration of the…