Historic Landmark on the Hudson River

Category: More Logbook

  • Black Swan update

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    I’ve received several inquiries about the black swan last seen in the cove north of the lighthouse. Alas, for several days, I had nothing to report. No recent sightings.  Now, after a week’s absence, the black swan has returned to the north cove, in the company of a dozen white Mute Swans. The story of…

  • Cup of sugar

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    The captain of the sailboat Leda phoned while I was preparing breakfast this morning. “Got some sugar?” he asked. “What kind? I have brown sugar, raw sugar, powdered sugar.” The captain was taking some friends for a morning breakfast sail on the Hudson, but they forgot sugar for their coffee. Raw sugar would do the…

  • Black swan

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    Last week, I heard reports from visitors of a black swan hanging out in the cove north of the lighthouse. I was skeptical and figured it was probably just an immature, gray swan, so I never bothered to look. Well, two days ago, I saw it fly past with a half-dozen white ones. It was…

  • Tide talk

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    Inspired by his visit to the lighthouse, Astronomer Bob Berman published an article about the Hudson River tides in the local Almanac: Moon River.

  • And to think that I saw it on Esopus Creek…

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    This afternoon, I ran an errand in my kayak up the creek to Lynch’s Marina. On the return trip to the lighthouse, I noticed an animal swimming across the creek. Initially, I thought it must be something obvious like a beaver or muskrat. As I approached, I noticed its fuzzy tail and realized that the…

  • Lone katydid

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    Walking the trail in the dark, I heard clicking in the tree canopy. It took me a moment to recognize the sound as the call of a katydid. Usually heard in the heat of August nights, the katydids fill the forest with a raucous, rhythmic chorus of hundreds. Now, that cacophony has been reduced to…

  • Coalstove

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    On a chilly autumn evening, I lit the first fire of the season in the coalstove in the upstairs bedroom. It will probably warm up again before it really gets cold in earnest, but this is definitely a sign that it’s time to winterize.

  • Autumn soul food

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    I stopped by the Germantown Community Farm for their annual Harvest Festival dinner. A hungry crowd lined up to partake of the bountiful harvest, which was served inside the old apple barn. Too many people for an “enigmatic loner” like myself, so I didn’t stick around for the square dance which followed the meal. I…

  • Quack-quack, bang-bang

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    Today is opening day for duck season.  This morning in the pre-dawn twilight as mist curled off the water, the gun-fire started.  Pop. Pop. Pop.  The sound traveled over the water from nearby coves, tidal wetlands and river mudflats. It was like Fourth of July fireworks but without the light show.  Waterfowl took flight over…

  • Lost & Found

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    At the beginning of the week, I received a phone call from Anna, who lost a canoe on North Tivoli Bay. During an outing with a friend over the weekend, she was forced to abandon the canoe in a minor emergency. Both her and her friend were okay, but when Anna returned for the canoe…