Historic Landmark on the Hudson River

Category: Keepers Log

  • Keeping vigil

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    I set my alarm for 1:00 AM. High tide is at 2:07 AM. The Esopus Creek is expected to crest later tonight. When I woke to my alarm and took a look around, I was surprised to see the floodwaters within 6 inches of topping the granite plinth. Windblown waves splashed over the north side.…

  • It snowed!

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    A wet dusting of snow on the ground overnight.

  • Clearwater shake-down

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    The sloop Clearwater set sail on the river today to train the new crew. When they motored down the creek, I was busy hauling laundry and supplies from the parking lot to the barge Yuck Finn at Boone’s dock, so I missed them on their way out. Nevertheless, I watched from a distance as they…

  • Portable Toilet

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    This morning, I had an appointment to get the portable toilet serviced. That means waiting for hide tide to slide the porta-potty from the dock onto the barge, motoring up the creek to the Coast Guard station, and meeting a pump truck to empty the toilet holding tank.  Since the pump truck drives from Catskill,…

  • Winter Lingers

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    The first green plants are starting to poke up from the ground. Yet, the temperature continues to dip below freezing at night, and flurries frequent the weather forecast.

  • Hickory, dickory, dock

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    Today was time to bring the dock and barge back from the “mythical” south cove.  The floating dock and Yuck Finn barge spend the winter in the cove protected from the river ice.  Retrieving the dock and barge requires coordinating with the tides, timing the operation with a tide high enough to float them both…

  • Pied-billed Grebe

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    On a calm and overcast morning, the only stirrings on otherwise unruffled waters of the creek was a solitary Pied-billed Grebe, diving along the bulkhead.

  • Question for the keeper: the light at night

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    Does the light in the tower bother you at night? If I suffer sleep-deprivation and insomnia, it’s not because of the flashing beacon in the lighthouse tower.  I barely notice that it’s on. To be sure, the light is bright and visible for at least four nautical miles.  However, it is difficult to see for…

  • My neighbors

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    One of my neighbors made an appearance this morning after hiding away at home for the winter. My neighbor is a beaver and lives in a lodge catty-corner across the creek. Also, a male-female pair of mallard ducks are hanging out around the lighthouse again this spring. I suspect that they are the same pair…

  • Thawing out

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    Air temperature: 58 degrees F Water temperature: 42 degrees F Wind: 20 mph, NNE Sunny. A few patches of snow remain along the trail, the last remnants of winter.