Tag Archives: Hudson

3/18 – 4/7/2020 – Coronavirus Isolation

Wednesday 3/18/2020

Hudson Area Library closes; all programs stop.

Friday 3/20/2020

Gov. Cuomo announces shit down of all non-essential businesses.

Saturday 3/21/2020

HAL hold first online Board of Trustees meeting; library closed

Tuesday 4/7/2020

Today marks the end of the third week of isolation. Excepting for a couple of trips to the grocery, bank, and liquor store we have had no contact with any one closer than 6 feet.

Walks

Fortunately for us we have been taking daily walks, sometimes lengthy enough to be called hikes. It has been remarkable how few people we see during these walks. You might think that people would be getting out for exercise, air, nature…. maybe this reflects how sedentary we have become as a society. Our walks have mainly featured a route up Warren St. around the hospital and then back down the hill to home – about 2.5 miles (4K). We have extended and varied this to make it both longer and more challenging. 

Here are reports for a few.

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1/9/2018 – work, Hudson River bridges at HAL

Tuesday

UTMH meeting with RPM team at Columbia Memorial Hospital.

Exhibition at Hudson Area Library

We are pleased to announce the installation of “Bridges Past and Present: Crossing the Hudson River,” an exhibition of the work of artist Otto Miranda. This exhibition consists of 63 watercolors of bridges from the 1800’s to the present that all pass over the Hudson River from New York City to the river’s beginning in the Adirondack Mountains at Lake Henderson’s Tear of the Clouds. The bridges represented include vehicle, railroad, pedestrian, and even a troop bridges. They will be on exhibit in the library’s Community Room from Friday, January 5, until Wednesday, February 28.

The artist, Otto Miranda, has been a watercolor artist for 18 years. He moved to Columbia County in 2009, where the wonderful mountains and the Hudson River inspired him to take on this project. He spent 15 months researching and then traveled with his wife Dale, and her GPS, from the river’s beginning to the lower end. Together they photographed many of the existing bridges, which Miranda then painted. Bridges no longer in existence are painted in sepia tones. Miranda states, “My greatest expectation and satisfaction is to show this project at as many libraries, museums and other venues as possible so everyone can enjoy the history as much as I have preparing it for presentation. (http://hudsonarealibrary.org/2017/01/exhibition-bridges-past-and-present-crossing-the-hudson-river/ (accessed 03042020))

6/14/2017 Slavery in Hudson and Columbia Cty NY

Students presenting their work at HAL.

It is doubtless a fact that most Northerners, including the writer, think that slavery in America was a Southern problem. In the North slavery was an occasional institution, or so we think.

A week ago on Thursday 6/8/17 I attended a program at the library, “Abolition and Women’s Rights in Local History” presented by the students of Hudson Community Schools’ Writing Center at the Hudson High School. More about this project here.

“James W. C. Pennington” by Cecille Ruiz – click to see full size image

The bulk of the program revolved around presentations by the students of their research and creative projects about slavery, abolitionists and women’s rights activists of the 1830s-1850s in upstate NY. The word and image projects are on display in the library now.

Slavery in Hudson and Columbia County

But, I want to focus on just one aspect here. The program opened with readings of notices of runaways slaves from the Hudson River Valley. Many were notices from slave owners in Hudson and Columbia County dating roughly from 1795 to 1840. The source of these notices is In Defiance: runaways from slavery in New York’s Hudson River Valley, 1735-1831 ((Stessin-Cohn, Susan, and Ashley Hurlburt-Biagini. In Defiance: Runaways from Slavery in New York’s Hudson River Valley, 1735-1831, 2016.))  It is available in the library.

One hint about the deep history of slavery in our region is the fact that over 50% of the runaways spoke both Dutch and English. ((p324. Stessin-Cohn, Susan, and Ashley Hurlburt-Biagini. In Defiance: Runaways from Slavery in New York’s Hudson River Valley, 1735-1831, 2016.))  This is clearly an indication that they lived here long enough to learn two languages.

Here are a few samples from the book: (click on images for full size)

 

Concrete Dumping – more than a local Hudson nuisance

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Thanks to GossipsOfRivertown for the image.

Carole Osterink reported in her post “Unbelievable” on May 3rd about the dumping of waste concrete by F.H.Stickles Concrete on a site off north 2nd Street adjacent to a small stream that drains into the Hudson River perhaps a hundred yards away. 

This practice is in violation of state and Federal regulations of concrete washouts of concrete trucks and other equipment used to deliver concrete at constructions sites. A quick internet search found EPA guidelines as well as NYS regulations about the handling of this hazardous waste.

Here is more from engineers in Wisconsin: “Why concrete washout is harmful to the environment“

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Tuesday – 3/14/2017 – big snow storm

8am

Karen informs that it was snowing at 3am. I was asleep. A few inches at 8 am. 

 

Noon

Noon

3pm

 

 

6pm

 

 

Spent the day in the house excepting a couple of forays to shovel  

March Trip Packing List

#todo
☐ 6 underwear
☐ 6 socks
☐ 6 t-shirts
☐ 6 shirts
☐ 1 pants
☐ 1 sweater
☐ baseball hat
☐ sun glasses clip on
☐ bathrobe
☐ toiletry bag
☐ pill cases
☐ antacid
☐ laxative
☐ amoxicillin
☐ anti-viral
☐ viagra
☐ oil
☐ toothpicks
☐ nail clipper
☐ nose clipper
☐ sports coat
☐ rain gear
☐ lightweight jacket
☐ camera + case
☐ extra camera batteries
☐ camera battery charger
☐ iPad
☐ iPad case
☐ backpack
☐ iPad power supply
☐ iPhone charger
☐ iPhone earbuds
☐ notebook
☐ airplane cushion
☐ power outlet adaptors
☐ passport
☐ Black garbage bags
☐ Cardboard

 

Sunday – 2/26/2017

Karen still quite sick with a cold. NYTimes with breakfast. Wrote a response to Joe Keenan then posted on currentmatters.markorton.com . “How Much Money Would It Take to Eliminate Poverty in the US.” – Spent much of the morning working on the search function for the volunteer site for the library. Then wrote instructions.

Walked up to Subway for sandwich and salad for our lunch. Stopped along the way to talk with Joan Damiani. Her art production is very high. She said that she sold two paintings in January. “Never happened before, probably won’t happen again. But, energizing.”

Also ranted about Trump.

New use of this term. Store on Columbia near chocolate store/

At 7th St. park. Had a medallion saying it is a Plymouth?

One or then worst looking buildings in Hudson

600 block of Warren. Reminds me of the student sculptures at the library

In front of The Spotty.

Two doors down from The Spotty.

Ride to Fairview Booze and the Bank

Went on errands and took drive down Kips Lane in Greenport where there is a large trailer park. Deer herd grazing.

Thursday – 1/26/2017

Karen’s new iPhone restored successfully this morning. Just need to download all the apps. Farted around most of the day. Time spent somewhat fruitlessly setting up a new iPad that turns out to be just a bit faster than my old one. New one bought as part of promotion at Verizonwireless yesterday.   

new iPhone 7 camera at night.

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Sunday – 1/15/2017

Read Sunday NYTimes.

Walk at Art Omi.

The 5 architects presentation was vacuous. Lots of new sculpture along with some favorites. Very nice weather.

Demo

Back to Hudson for a demonstration in support of Obamacare at the 7th St. Park. Organized by the County Democrats. Started on time, well organized, reasonably fervent.

 

Potluck Dinner at Rasners.

Cooked Indian dishes. New guy in charge of Olana with his partner. Miranda Barry and Charlotte??. OK evening, but these are not people with whom we are socially at ease with.