Historic Landmark on the Hudson River

Category: More Logbook

  • What's with all the bass boats?

    —

    by

    keeper
    in ,

    This morning at breakfast, my guests wondered why so many bass boats were zooming around on the river. The boats were out in force this morning, speeding en masse down the river with a few peeling off from the pack to fish the waters of the Esopus Creek near the lighthouse. I wondered the same…

  • Life on the Hudson

    —

    by

    keeper
    in ,

    Born and raised in the show-me state of Missouri, I was schooled by the big rivers of the meandering Missouri and the muddy Mississippi in St. Louis.  As a result, my experiences on the Hudson River are colored by those formative years at the confluence of two of the continent’s great waterways. If I allude…

  • mid-Hudson River regatta

    —

    by

    keeper
    in ,

    Today was a beautiful day for sailing, as evidenced by the half-dozen or more sailboats that whisked past the lighthouse, riding northerly breezes all afternoon.  The volunteer docents arrived by sailboat to lead tours at the lighthouse. Dick skimmed past the dock in the Alary to drop off a package I’d been expecting. How fortunate…

  • Butternut

    —

    by

    keeper
    in ,

    On several occasions, I’ve noticed a squirrel carrying a nut in his mouth. Apparently, the squirrel is gathering nuts from the butternut tree on the outer island, making repeated trips between the deck and the dock.

  • Fresh vegetables

    —

    by

    keeper
    in ,

    This is a great time of year to be a resident of the Hudson Valley. These days, you can’t bump into a neighbor without walking away with an armload of vegetables. This morning, I made a trip up the creek with the barge to pick up some lumber. Al Lawless is kind enough to let…

  • More about the White Pelican

    —

    by

    keeper
    in ,

    Tom Lake of the Hudson River Almanac informed me that White Pelican sightings on the Hudson River are rare but not unheard of.  According to Tom, White Pelicans are seen about about once every 5 years. The last recorded sighting in the Hudson River Almanac white pelican was May 3, 2004  at Kingston: “We spotted…

  • American White Pelican

    —

    by

    keeper
    in ,

    During a tour inside the Saugerties Lighthouse, someone exclaimed, “A white pelican!”  Somewhat skeptical, I went to the first floor window for a look. Sure enough–a large white bird perched on the the jetty at the mouth of Esopus Creek opposite the lighthouse. It’s orange bill and mouth pouch were unmistakable.  American White Pelican. That’s…

  • Bosun's chair

    —

    by

    keeper
    in

    Captain Jerome pulled his 24′ sailboat alongside the dock. “Do you have a bosun’s chair?” he wondered. “No, but I could probably make one,” I said, glancing over at the stack of lumber on the dock.  A bosun’s chair is basically a rope swing–a board for a seat with a rope attached–used to hoist a…

  • Dragonfly

    —

    by

    keeper
    in ,

    On Boone’s dock, a newly-emerged dragonfly stood atop its molting skin, yet to unfold its wings.

  • A bit of river history

    —

    by

    keeper
    in

    Today, I made my regular trip to Sauer farms for a few dozen eggs.  While waiting on the front porch as Mrs. Sauer helped another customer, I got into a conversation with Mr. Sauer. He told me about the time when he used to ride the ferry from Saugerties across to Tivoli: “In 1938 or…