NICHE Lighting Sample Sale

Today in Beacon a local business was selling hand-made blown glass globes. They were rather expensive, even at 50% off, but they are beautiful. 

Another artist was selling bowls.

Here are the glassblowers themselves:

More Rocketry

It was a fine day to break out one of last Christmas' presents, a model rocket, and go to Beacon Memorial Park to launch it. 

The first picture is of one we've had since last year. This was the last one we fired off, and I put too strong of an engine in it. It sailed over 1000 feet then drifted far away to the southwest. 

You can see the exhaust gasses starting to flare out.

Gone.

This yellow one, below, is the one I gave Finn for Christmas last year. In the nose there are three blades that fan out and cause the nose cone to drift to the ground like a helicopter. The fuselage and fins drift with the typical parachute.

The problem was that the exhaust that is supposed to push the nose cone off and the parachute, too, was not strong enough or I packed the 'chute too tightly. The first time the nose cone came off and functioned just fine. But the 'chute failed to deploy and the fuselage fell straight into the dirt. The second time, neither deployed. The rocket is pretty beat up at the moment. But it was fun.

We only did these two launches before a concerned parent asked us to move. He was afraid that his little league game or whatever was going on would get hurt somehow. It was about 1000 ft from us, and the last rocket we fired drifted high over them, but the first two went in the opposite direction.

More Pictures From Lake Ontario

First day, just minutes after pulling in.

Finn enjoying the first day.

The first Lake Ontario Sunset I had seen in over ten years. 

The view before the rains of Irene hit.

Wide-angle shot of the upstairs.

After being cooped up inside all day, Finn enjoys the water after Irene abates.

The day after Irene.

Dee and Bill visit. We had not seen them in 27 years.

We convinced Dee and Bill to stay for dinner and sunset.

Finn is not sure what to do with the goats at Old MacDonald's Farm, a petting  zoo near Sacket's Harbor.

Jennifer loved the guinea hens.

Whence the expression, "happy as a pig."

That is a big cow.

One advantage of a telephoto lens - you can get in close and see stuff people don't think you are seeing....

...like Cara being visibly pissed off at Mike.

A little later she was overjoyed to fly a tiny kite.

Ken arrived and things got real exciting.

Finn found some way to have fun every day.

We have some weird rule that we have to take pictures of each other running, it seems.

Finn's light painting with a glowing stick.

Somehow a tiny island developed just a few feet from the water line. Finn and I build what I came to call  Mont. Saint. Michel.

Detail of that famous drip method that all kids seem to know.

Ken's castle

Detail of Ken's castle.

Castle with moat.

Mont Saint. Michel in the sun.

Detail of tunnel in Jenn's castle.

Jenn's castle.

Assorted Sunsets

Lake Ontario offers some spectacular sunsets, especially from the eastern shore facing west. I grew up visiting the Henderson Bay area, where we'd occasionally see the sun drop off behind the archipelago of islands that rim that bay. When I went to school in Oswego, I saw them sink below the water of the open lake.

Trite as the art is, this is why sunset pictures are dear to me. They take me back to many an evening where I watched this seemingly mundane event with my siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. At the same time that they give me this nostalgic feeling of comfort, they make me feel insignificant, which gives me perspective.

After some 30 years since my parents afforded us one and two-week stays, I was able to do the same for my family this year. We rented a lovely and well-appointed cottage south of Stony Point. Finally I was able to see more than a few sunsets from my dorm room in the winter time. Here are some of the better ones from my week of vacation in Jefferson Park, NY.