Finnegan's First Communion and Confirmation, March 30th 2013

Finnegan completed two rites of passage in the Catholic Church last week. He received his first communion and was confirmed. His sponsor was my long-time friend since 1989, Helen Brocker. Jennifer, Finn's mother, two of his friends from school and I attended to watch this go down. The entire mass was combined with an Easter Vigil and a few baptisms as well. It lasted over 2.5 hours. I neither made the baptismal font boil nor attracted lightning from the clear, cold sky.

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Another Mt. Beacon Hike

The last time we did this was March.

About dead center, behind a tree, is my house.

Twisted metal.

Old motor in the Beacon funicular wheelhouse.

Bugs fucking.

Smut, mold, lichen, moss?

Someone's lawn on 9D on the walk home.

Various panorama shots from the summit of Mt. Beacon. Click to make bigger.

DeWit Garden tools

Years ago when I bought my first house my grandmother visited and helped weed out an old bed. She had a hand tool that she called a 'slicer' - it was a long handled thing with a blade that went to left like a small scythe. She pulled it toward herself through the soil and down came weeds. I wanted one, but hers was hand made a long time ago.

Walking through the garden center at Adams the other day I came across nearly the same exact tool, but made a little better. It's called the DeWit Cape Cod Weeder (the one shown at this link is a left-handed version, there is a right-hand one available, too). They had a whole range of tools including this cultivator, so we got one of each.

The tools are hand-forged in the Netherlands and they have a solid wood handle that seems like oak. 

I'd love to get more. They are expensive, but they seem worth it.

There is a video here demonstrating many of the tools they make and sell. 

Madame Brett Park, Beacon, NY

Finn and I took a walk around Madame Brett Park in Beacon. We had some rain a few days ago so the falls were percolating well.

The Lord Of the Flies.

Still water upstream.

Sluice gate control at the falls.

Near the old hat factory. Beacon was once second only to Danbury, CT in hat production. I have lived in both towns.

A door was open near the location of the previous photo.

Kayaker comes up stream from near Denning's point.

Some guys fishing off the walkway. Just as a PSA, always remember to ask permission when you don't know the subjects in your shot. Most people will politely agree to being photographed, but it is better to find this out before taking the shot. If you're not a journalist, people get suspicious or just plain annoyed. These guys were happy to oblige when I asked. I did not ask the kayaker, alas. He was too far away.

A storm started coming in. This is looking west-souithwest, down the Fishkill. You can see the hills of New Windsor, NY -which is across the Hudson - in the background.

Shot these on the way back to the car.

Beacon Harbor During Storm

The Mystic Whaler was docked the other night in Beacon when a storm came in.

The crew watched it roll in.

There was a crew on the Woody Guthrie waiting for the storm to pass.

Before & After - New Garden 'Round the Pergola

Before:

After: three clematis, three honeysuckle, and three other plants whose name escapes me at the moment.

We hope to make Dee proud of us.

We're going to place trellises on these two sides for the vines. You can see them in the background leaning against the garage. With a little luck, by next year all will climb up and provide a sweet-smelling screen.