La La La

I haven't been up to much lately. Most of my days consist of writing the course I'll be teaching July and August. In between thinking about sub-basic physics and how to teach it, I've been crafting away. Hurray! I've done a lot of knitting. Sadly, my first sweater's arms are too small, and the yarn is too textured for me to take it apart. Hopefully my next sweater (which I need to knit sleeves for) will work out better. I've also completed a couple of strappy tops, perfect for summer! And a few other smaller things.

Who knew that I could spend so many hours looking at yarn online?! Or at knitting patterns? (Which is odd, since I rarely follow a pattern.) And now that we have a sewing machine, I've been reading about sewing techniques. And after quite a long time, I've gotten back into reading books again. Hurray! As always, I feel as though I haven't enough time for everything. There are art projects I've had brewing in my mind for ages, but haven't realized yet.

So, yes, I can spent lots of time on the internet. Here are some of my favourites:

The Gothamist for my local news

Overheard in New York is rather like a train-wreck: it's disturbing but I can't stop watching! These are supposed actual overheard conversations. Many are unnerving in terms of the self-absorption and snobbery that reaches new levels in this city!

Cute Overload: Everyone needs a dose of cuteness at least a four times a day!

Psypets are virtual pets who do things on their own. It's very cute, and fun to check in (a few times a day for me nowadays) and see what my pets have been up to. And then to pet them and feed them and tidy up my virtual house. Sadly, my psypets probably get more attention than my real-life pet fishies.

And for ultra-geekiness, this is my latest favourite from CheezBurger

Physics and knitting: what a fabulous combination!

8 Random Facts About Me

I've been tagged by Allena! Check out the rules on Chante's blog.

The Rules:(Copied verbatim from Chante 'cuz I'm lazy like that.)
1. Each player starts with 8 random facts about themselves.
2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their 8 random things and post the rules.
3. At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and post their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Sadly, I don't know eight bloggers who haven't yet been tagged. Does that make me a loser in the blogosphere? Anyway, here goes my eight random facts:

1. My favourite colour is blue. A deep, rich, yet vibrant blue. Think "lapis lazuli" blue. I used to get a near-spiritual feeling upon seeing this shade. That has faded, but I still love this blue.

2. Currently I am obsessed with bunnies. The furry ones, that is. Preferably with long ears and big feet and hopping. *boing*


3. I got into physics because I loved the night sky. Partly it was because I wanted to do something as antisocial as possible, and studying cosmology seemed to fit the bill. Partly it was because there is nothing quite as awe-striking and beautiful as staring up into the stars. Happily, I have since changed my disposition about the former, but not the latter, sentiment.

4. I'm allergic to just about anything that grows. *achoo*

5. I used to write a lot of poetry. Then I took a class on it during university. There is nothing like formalism to drive the passion out of any activity.

6. I have a need for creative outlets. Here is a photo of the doors to our nearly-8-foot-tall wardrobe. I'm quite proud of my very first painted dragons!


7. I'm terrified of water - specifically, of being in it. (Except baths, of course. I love baths!) Strangely, I'm also very much drawn to large bodies of water. If you figure this one out, please let me know!

8. I love to eat. Once, I went from all-you-can-eat dim sum directly to all-you-can-eat sushi. Alas, my digestive system no longer allows such indulgences.

The Great Saunter (May 5)

This was an entry I wrote weeks ago, but has sat on my desktop unposted since then...

Today was the annual "Great Saunter" organized by New York City's "shorewalkers" -- a group dedicated to exploring the city on foot and ensuring access the the shore of the city wherever possible. The Great Saunter is their flagship event and has been occurring annually for 22 years, originally with just a few core members but more recently with hundreds of participants (I think there were about 500 this year). It is a day long hike along the edge of Manhattan, beginning at 730am at the South Street Seaport, and ending (you guessed it...) at the South Street Seaport about twelve hours later. It was beautiful weather, sunny and seventy degrees with little wind.


Many started the walk, somewhat fewer finished...



This is not the sort of walk I would have finished alone, since it is long and at times ugly, but in a group it made for a great day. At first we followed the edge of the river down to Battery Park and then up through Hudson River Park and Riverside park. The walkways here were very well maintained and quite wide. This was good thing since there were hundreds of us (although we were spread out over a couple of miles) and the regular cyclists and runners trying to dodge us. The walk continued up to Inwood (at the northern tip of Manhattan) where we stopped for lunch. This was sort of the halfway point, about 16 miles into the walk. People were starting to thin out a bit, and I think many people were happy to head home after this portion -- it had been a long morning of walking and 16 miles is nothing to sneeze at.


Tempting resting place?



Walking north through Riverside park



Arriving at Inwood Park



The rest of us (still a couple hundred people I think) continued on down the east side of the island. The first half of this leg was characterized by its lack of river access. Instead we spent a good portion of our time zigzagging through streets. Even where we were along the river we were way too close to traffic, or walking through trash. But heh -- that's part of living on Manhattan. In this section it was neat to see the beginning of streets that I think of as running down the center of Manhattan. Since the north end of the island is so narrow, roads such as Lexington Ave just end in big metal guard rails -- not surprising at all, but still an interesting image to contrast with Lexington Ave further south.


Leaving Inwood



Stretching next to the Harlem River



Scenic riverfront property...



After a few more hours (at about 5pm) we were back on maintained walkway in the upper east side. By this point everyone was pretty damn tired and I think most people had bandaged at least two blisters. People had been gradually dropping out as their feet became too sore to continue, and we didn't meet too many walkers that weren't exhausted past this point. Never the less, it was only about 5 more miles and I suspect there weren't too many people stopping beyond this point.

It was a slow but steady plod on down through Sutton Place, past the United Nations, then back down to the riverfront as we passed under the last three bridges on our route -- the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn bridges. And lo and behold, 32 miles and twelve hours later we were back at the seaport. This time of day, however, there were many more tourists and certainly a larger proportion of people stumbling on the cobblestones in their stupid evening-wear outfits.


The end of the walk is visible just past the Brooklyn Bridge



I must have missed the party -- it's certianly messier than when I left this morning



Thanks to everyone with whom I chatted along the way -- it was fun! (although I find myself somewhat sore and stiff now...)

Nyack to Peekskill (April 10)

In April I hiked from Nyack to Peekskill via the Bear Mountain Bridge; unfortunately this entry has been sitting on my computer desktop since then...

Last year Kris and I walked along the New Jersey Hudson shore for a few miles just north of the George Washington Bridge. There was a quiet path, with not too much activity, and it made for a pleasant day. Since then I have been meaning to walk a little further along the river, and to that end worked out a hike a little further north. I used the "Batt to Bear Trail" as my guide (see www.shorewalkers.org for details), and decided to walk up the west shore from Nyack (a town just north of the Tappan Zee Bridge) to Bear Mountain Park. Since it was a weekday, and public transportation is a little scarce in that neck of the woods, I planned to cross over the Bear Mountain bridge and walk down the other side of the river until I reached Peekskill, with a handy commuter rail station that would get me back to Manhattan.

The route kept me pretty close to the river most of the way, although there were time when the waterfront was dominated by private property, or industry, and there were times when I choose a woods trail over walking along the highway beside the river. The geography was pretty diverse, as was the scenery.

Starting in Nyack (a $6.75 bus ride from the George Washington Bridge bus terminal) I walked along residential streets on the way towards Hook Mountain, a ridge that parallels the river to the north of town. The part of town I walked through seemed to be divided into an area of pleasant, modest houses lining quiet streets and an area of riverside mansions.


Trail near Nyack



As I got closer to the ridge I began to notice a fair number of soaring birds well above me -- through the day I would see dozens of what I think were vultures, although it was hard to tell at a distance since I forgot my binoculars. When I arrived at the park there was a nice big sign informing me that the bike path I was going to take was closed due to "hazardous conditions." This sign was further supported by a locked gate about 1km down the trail. But if there is one thing I've learned in New York it is that rules don't really apply to you unless someone in a uniform blocks your path, so I started along the path as originally planned. As it turns out, the most hazardous condition I encountered was a two inch deep mud puddle. The day was sunny, and the breeze cool, so it was excellent walking weather. The first section of the path (before the gate) was frequented by dog walkers, and people out for their morning constitutionals. But at the end of the section, where it left the riverbank and entered the woods, I came across a pileated woodpecker digging for something in a dead tree at the trail's edge. It seemed so engrossed that it took no notice of me, another walker, or a bike zipping by within 20ft of its perch.


Leave me alone, can't you see I'm busy pecking?



Just after climbing around the gate I spooked a wild turkey -- another type of bird I would see lots of on the walk. I really like these birds, I mean how could you not like a bird named after a brand of whisky? The path continued within sight of the Hudson, but somewhat back from the river's edge for a few miles, passing many ruined stone houses along the way. I'm not sure what the story is on them, but this route must have seen a lot more use decades ago than it does to day. Finally, just past a plaque commemorating the treason of revolutionary US General Benedict Arnold, the path gave way to pavement and I walked through a small hamlet, followed by a huge gravel plant. Walking underneath conveyor belts carrying gravel over the road was a new and unnerving experience, and one I would repeat a number of times during the day. This first experience was most harrying because every few seconds a "small" piece of crushed rock would tumble off the edge of the belt to the ground forty feet below. Yikes.


Gravel transporter ... watch out below!




After winding my way through a few streets I was in downtown Haverstraw, a town literally built on the brick industry (they excavated so much clay locally that they caused a large landslide in the early 20th century, killing a number of town residents). They don't make too many bricks anymore, and whatever it is the town does now it seems to be fueled on latin american food. If it wasn't still early I would have been tempted to stop in for lunch. At this point I had walked about 10 miles, and had reached the end of the portion of the hike I had topo maps for. From here on, I had a hiking guide with poorly reproduced maps (it also tended to recommend walking along the active railroad tracks just about all the time, which made me uneasy).

After a quick break on the bleachers of the local little league field, I continues north along a roadway. There were lots of deer and ducks and not too many cars. There as a small boat launch along this section, part of the Hudson Valley Greenway effort to make the entire river accessible to canoes and kayaks. The idea being that every fifteen miles or so there should be an accessible boat launch with some minimal facilities. It's a great idea that opens up the river to just about anybody able to rent a canoe for a weekend. Another mile along the road I cam across the Marina -- filled with boats that most of us couldn't afford to rent for the weekend.

The next village (Stoney Point) I walked through had a large population of woodchucks -- I saw two in a period of ten minutes, and heard movement in the brush that probably meant there were many more. I wonder what was special about this place, since I didn't see any other woodchucks before or after this area. The route of of town was to walk along the shoulder of the highway -- not very pleasant, although it did offer unobstructed views across the Hudson to the twin cooling towers of the Indian Point nuclear plant that helps provide power so that I can write this blog entry.


Cooling towers by the river



After a stroll through the quieter streets of Tompkins Cove, I was back on the highway until a place named Jones Point -- where there was a kestrel swooping around doing some hunting. The highway used to pass through this hamlet, but was rerouted years back. The old roadbed is used as a biking and walking trail and brought me to Bear Mountain Park along a much more pleasant route than the highway. The trails through the park were pleasant, and much narrower than anything I had been walking on so far -- this is definitely the type of walking trail I prefer. After passing by the park facilities (a big lodge, a merry-go-round, and parking for untold thousands of cars) I picked up the Appalachian trail across the Bear Mountain Bridge. If I had arrived a little earlier I might have been able to pass through the trail side zoo (yes, the Appalachian trail _does_ go through a zoo!), but instead I walked along the highway (again) to the bridge. This section of the Appalachian trail was the first to be opened as such, in 1923.


Bear Mountain bridge



Once across the bridge, I followed the Appalachian trail until a second trail split off going south over "Anthony's Nose," skirting the edge of the National Guard Reservation (and by the sound of things, quite close to their rifle range). I didn't realize quite how much rough rocky up-and-down this entailed, and it was pretty slow going especially since I had already covered twenty miles before starting the ascent (and I am somewhat out of practice in terms of hiking). At any rate, the view from the Nose was wonderful, and gave me a good idea of the geography of this region of the Hudson valley. It was worth it, but boy were my feet ever tired after the descent on the far side.

Unfortunately, there was still another three or so miles into town and a quickly setting sun. Walking along the side of the highway again, in failing light is not my idea of a safe trip, but there weren't a lot of alternatives, and I made it into Peekskill as the evening light went from failing to gone. Somehow I managed to speed up enough to hop onto the 8pm MetroNorth train back to the city (I made it with about 90 seconds to spare, and arrived back home at 930 pm -- almost 15 hours after leaving in the morning. It was a neat walk, although at the upper end of my abilities in terms of distance (about 26 miles for this walk).


A view from on top of Anthony's Nose, north up the Hudson River



Close to the trail's end...



It is wonderful to walk along these areas since it really gives you an exposure to the places and sets in my mind the geography and relationships between various places. But I have to admit that I would prefer a walk in the woods over most of the pseudo-urban walking almost any day of the week.

Toronto

While in Toronto, I took the opportunity to get a new passport. That took all week, so Toby and I had times to just enjoy the city. We stayed with my lovely and talented aunt in the downtown-ish area, who made sure we were well-fed with her delicious home-cooking. Got to have dim sum with my grandma. And my grandma got to show off her amazing crafting talents! She's making miniature beaded sculptures, knitting and reknitting sweaters, growing incredible plants, making paper-folded 3D creatures, and has taken up quilting! She's busier than I am!

Our ride in to my aunt's place had us on a streetcar where we saw a huge group of knitters! If I hadn't been so tired from the early morning flight and carrying our luggage, I would have jumped off and followed them when they got off. Turns out this was some yarn crawl, as documented by the Yarn Harlot. I missed out! )=

My brother Ed was to be in NYC (how ironic) that week, but his trip was cancelled so we got hang out with him too. Which meant more eating (Korean hot-pot was fun, and desserts were delectable!) And I got to see a few friends from the area, having yummy Indian food with Fidel and Moira, and hanging out at the park and pigging out on crepes and sushi (separate meals) with Caroline.

Toby and I spent a day at Centre Island. The ferry ride has gone up to $6, a steep increase from the $1 trip I remember from my high school days. But still, it was great to get away from the city and spend time in a park without tonnes of people. Came across these old moorings on Ward's Island:



A fibre artist has certainly discovered the cool moorings too:


We also went to the Metro Zoo. It was a long commute (nearly two hours each way), but so worth it! And what's a trip to the zoo without lots of photos?

Let sleeping hyenas lie:


Stretching after the afternoon nap:


The tree kangaroo Chrissie had a joey about a year ago! This 'little' guy has been out of the pouch for one 3 months. He evidently still needs to be near his mother, and likes to imitate her. We spent lots of time watching these two clamour awkwardly in their enclosure. (Why do tree kangaroos seem uncomfortable in trees?)

Science School Reunion

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Science School at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto! So they had a big reunion party at the end of May to celebrate. I decided this was a good excuse to head to Toronto for a vacation and to see the OSC since it's big renovation. It's hard to believe that it has been 15 years since I was a student there. Some parts of it have faded into the long-forgotten distant past, while others are as fresh as yesterday. It was fantastic to hang out with the Giggle Chorus: a group of us who have managed to stay friends since our sleep-deprived days of Science School. Amazing how much we've grown up since, and yet, how much of ourselves have remained the same. It was great fun to hang out with the spouses and families too! What a great place to get to know one's friends' children!

The Giggle Chorus and daughters: Sabrina, Kris, Danica (who didn't like being scanned), Chris, Zee and Janet:


Shane, Janet and Zee test their driving reflexes:


Nick and Sabrina on a nighttime bobsled run:


Aleksa dances in the steam tornado and Terry gets to rest for a few minutes:

Where Did the Month of May Go?

Wow, time flies when you're busy! After our trip to Montauk, I was finishing up lectures and trying to get final exams sorted out and all that end-of-semester stuff. (My semester didn't end until the end of May, though.) We did a few hikes; Toby more than me. I managed to get sunburned on our first one - I still can't get used to the idea of needing sunscreen. Grrr! Toby needs to post his hiking adventure blog entries; hopefully they'll be up this week. The weather was mostly quite pleasant, so I figured I should take advantage of it all before the icky summer humidity set in. So glad I spent as much time outdoors as I possibly could, because I think that short window of opportunity has closed. I'm now confined to air-conditioned spaces only, and will remain so until... oh... September?

Here's a photo of me and Bear on a nifty bench in Central Park, taken in early April.



I've been reading a book on tulips, and have become rather fascinated with them this spring. Lucky for us, gardens here seem to be infatuated with tulips as well, so I had plenty of oppurtunity to inspect at my leisure. One of my favourites are these Parrot Tulips: they have red, yellow and, amazingly, green streaks on their petals!


And check out the delicate feathering on the edges of these petals:



The Brooklyn Botanic Garden had their annual Cherry Blossom Festival; we hadn't intended on attending that particular event, but our chosen day to visit the gardens happened to be that weekend. We arrived early, and still had to fight for a spot to enjoy the blossoms. Alas, the cherry lane was filled with tents for festival performances and those blossoms hadn't opened up yet. Next spring, we'll have to plan our trip better so as to witness a long grassy lane doubly lined with full-bloom blossoms!



We escaped the increasingly crowded Gardens and went across the park to the Prospect Park Zoo. Hadn't been to this area zoo before, so it was an opportunity to check out the cuteness in this neck of the woods. Plus, it was the annual sheep-shearing weekend. What knitter could pass up this event? I had never seen a sheep being sheared before, and it had recently been pointed out to me that all wool in the world comes from some person shearing a sheep; sheep can't be sheared by a machine. Ponder that for a moment...

Before: woolly sheep.


After: naked sheep.



Anyway, our friend Karen from Vancouver Island came to visit during my last week of school. 'Twas a busy week. We started off hanging out at the Hell's Kitchen Street Fair. It boasts being different from other street fairs in the city, but still most of the booths were the same old factory-seconds socks, underwear, bedsheets, junk jewellery, food-on-a-stick variety. Still, we managed to have fun, culminating with success at the Hell's Kitchen weekend flea market. Wheee!

What else did we do that week? Ate a lot. I showed Karen around Central Park and didn't get lost even though Toby wasn't with us! This is a first for me. Hurray for maps and map-reading skills! We went to the zoo; Toby even took a day off work so we could romp around the Bronx Zoo together! Sadly, the tree kangaroo wasn't out when we went by. But we did see other nifty creatures. I always have a great time at the zoo! Karen got to do some of the sights/sites: the 3-hr boat cruise around Manhattan, MoMA, the Apollo Theater, and a ballet at the Met Opera house. Meanwhile, Toby madly tried to get stuff at work done before our holiday, and I had to finish up with classes, etc.

Karen at the Alice in Wonderland sculpture (that I find creepy):


Almost all the NYC zoos have red pandas. They're so cute!


The tapir lives with a pair (or more?) of gibbons. This was the first time we'd seen them interact. Each gibbon took a turn on the tapir's back, grooming him/her. Tapirs have cool noses, probably with similar agility to elephants.