Second Day at Wiawaka

The next day at our stay at Wiawaka we went on a boat ride touring and exploring Lake George. I really did not like waking up at 7am in the morning, I did not really sleep the night before so I was still exhausted. But breakfast was pretty good (I did not try the bacon, though). And since we were going to go on a boat ride, something I dread so, so much, I had to take some motion sickness medicine to calm me down. It made me really drowsy afterwards. I was having a hard time staying awake on the ride leaving Wiawaka. Staying at Wiawaka was a great experience, it will be something I will never forget.

Boat ride along lake George

Pancakes I had at the diner

So we went on a boat ride along Lake George on a warm day. It wasn't too hot nor was it too cold, and the wind was great. I was dreading getting onto the boat, but I saw that the waters were pretty calm so I wasn't going to get nauseous. It was a great ride: we saw different houses and resorts built by the lake, and we learned about an island that no one is allowed to step foot on except its caretakers a few times. And we also learned a lot of history about Lake George. I thought the tour would end until noon but it didn't, so we were able to get lunch early which was awesome since I was so hungry. We went into town looking for places to eat and we came across one place that looked promising but they were still offering breakfast. So we decided to leave and as we were leaving, some guy walking behind us asked us to stay and he'll make lunch for us, which was kind of creepy. Sheesh, they seem so desperate for some money. We just decided to go to this diner we've seen earlier, and the food was pretty good. I ordered their large pancake stacks with strawberries and syrup. That got me really full! I couldn't eat anymore after having that.
After having our lunch, well, more like I had breakfast for lunch since I had pancakes, we all headed back to the van ready to go home. I was really exhausted and couldn't wait to get home and just sleep all day in my warm, comfy bed. Not much happened this day, but like I said, Wiawaka was a great experience and so was Lake George. I would definitely visit Lake George again sometime in the future.

Wiawaka

We stayed at the Wiawaka Holiday House for one night. It's a place located close to Lake George Village and was founded in 1903 as a peaceful getaway and retreat for women. We stayed in the Mayflower Cottage. When we first arrived, I knew we would be doing community service but man I really hate cleaning and it was too hot out. I just wanted to get it done so I can have some fun. I had to wipe down the furniture that were out on the patio in each of the houses. After everyone was done cleaning, we we all went done at the docks and swam in the lake, well others did, but not me. I did not want to get into the water. But I liked putting my feet in the cold water and seeing the small fish below the waters swim by. It was warm out, but not too hot, so I was able to relax for about an hour and just doze off. After that, I went back to my room upstairs and took a long nap. Well, at first I didn't have the intention to fall asleep, I was just laying in bed on my phone and the bed was so comfortable I just feel asleep. And I really like my room. It was small and warm in there, and I had a nice view over the trees and the lake.

the turtle we found crossing the road

After sleeping for like 2 hours, I heard the bell and dinner was ready. I don't know who cooked, but the sauce was really good. I liked it. I had to stop myself from getting seconds or even more. Then everyone helped wash dishes afterwards but I didn't. I hate doing dishes, so I just wandered around the kitchen pretending like I was helping out then I stayed outside relax in the sun. Everyone wanted to go into the village and check out the shops after the dishes were done. I decided to go just for the heck of it even though I

wood carving into tree done by an artist

did not plan on buying anything. I didn't want to be in that cottage all by myself. While we were going to Lake George Village, our professors showed us a wetland that was built by the state since many of the original wetlands have been destroyed. And wetlands are an important of regulating any water irrigation in the environment. So, learning about that was interesting. We also saw a turtle trying to cross the road when we were back in the van. I knew it was going to make so I really wanted to help the turtle before it was run over by a car. Turtles are my favourite animals so it was awesome when I had the chance to hold him and take pictures of him.

View out on the lake by the dock

After that, we placed the turtle in an safe area and continued to the village. The village was pretty fun. There were so many shops and arcades and at this one point while I was walking with the others, some old woman who was taking a picture of another person with this Batman figure by the shops said "that's it, yeah work it. work it!" It was really weird... but anyways we walked around and pretty went into every shop we saw and had lots of fun. Then when we came home at nightfall, we built a campfire down near the lake where we told each other lame jokes and ate marsh mellows on sticks. It was a fun experience since I had never done anything like that before. At on point, I even started eating the marsh mellows right out of the bag because they were so good and no one even noticed. But it was getting late and I just wanted to get into bed. i was really tired from the long day we had. Just when I was about to get ready for bed, there was a giant spider on my ceiling and I nearly spent an hour thinking how to kill until I decided to just have our friend Precious do it. She murdered the poor thing. But at least I got to sleep afterwards without worrying about the spider!

cottage we stayed at!

Albany Sewage Treatment Facility

This morning we visited the Albany Sewage Treatment Facility. Ah, nothing but the smell of a sewage treatment plant to start off a great morning. I wasn't too thrilled about the trip, but I was looking forward to it because it will be interesting. I did further research on the facility to learn more about its background. The facility is funded on a federal level, grants, and by New York state. The facility formed in 1968 and the distract wastewater facilities have been in continuous operation ever since. The total construction costed over $71 million. This year marks the 40th year in providing safe wastewater transportation to a population over 200,000 while protecting public health and improving water in the environment.

incinerator burning bio-solids at 16,000 degrees for energy 

Wastewater being cleaned

I took an AP environmental course in high school. One of things we learned in the course was how waste water was treated and purified in facilities. So I was able to understand and recall many of things our tour guide Craig told us while he showed us around. One of the first things that came to my mind when we saw the wastewater was, "has anyone fallen in here." And of course, people have fallen in and I can't imagine how badly the person smells after being in that water. I can't believe they treat about 32 million gallons of water every day! That is so much water being treated in just the Albany district. That also means that 32 million gallons of water is used by people and goes down the drain every single day. That is a LOT of water. I have always been aware of conserving an saving water. I don't leave the sink running, I only use it when I need it. I take quick showers usually and  I don't always flush the toilet after every use. I think if everyone did something like this we can minimize the amount of water going to these sewage treatment plants. I think it would be beneficial because these facilities consume tons of energy just to clean wastewater. I remember when Craig said that their electricity bill is about $55,000 a month and that is so much money. But they cut their energy bill by 40% through burning bio-fuel and using that as a source of energy. I was surprised when Craig said that this facility was the only one in the nation that did this. I think if every facility started using bio-fuel as a source of energy, the amount of electricity consumed will decrease dramatically and this will be better on the environment because some energy here is being conserved and generated from the source instead of using fossil-fuel based energy, which is very pollutant to the environment. Using bio-solid as fuel is an extraordinary step in conserving energy and better protecting the environment.
As we were walking through the facility, I noticed that it's such a long process to purify water but it is worth it because if these facilities weren't here, all that waste water and grease would be wounding up in the Hudson River and pollute it like it was many years ago. It kind of ticked me off when Craig said that restaurants don't use grease traps and instead pour it all down the drain without really knowing what consequences that brings. Also, the smell didn't really bother me. I just kind of ignored it and I couldn't really smell it at all. Craig's humour made the tour much more enjoyable and I'm glad that mean old guy didn't eat any of us.

Wastewater with ammonia

Fort William Johnson: House & Fort and Mabee Farm Tour and Bateau on Mohawk

Fireplace room in Mabee home

Johnson hall kitchen basment

Today we visited Fort Johnson, a 1749 limestone house located and built on the north side bank of the Mohawk River. William Johnson was an Anglo-Irish colonist who came from Amsterdam. When we drove to the house, it seemed a little small to me and it looked like a normal modern house. But when we entered it, the house felt completely different. I don't if this makes sense, but you almost get that vibe that it's a 1700's house. One of the things that really intrigued me in the home was those two holes in the back of the house when we entered. He may have used them for aiming practice and shooting his weapons, but what I did not understand, is why he would need to do that in his home. Maybe he used it for target practice, or maybe he built that to protect himself if there were any danger or enemies outside his home. The home was very beautiful and I like how the majority of the furniture and antiques were original pieces to the home. He would use the living to play cards or Italian board games to entertain the guests. Or sometimes he would have them bring instruments over to play music for everyone.
The gun technology in Johnson's home was another thing that interested me. They were able to carry many bullets in this pocket-sized object and place it in their pants during battle. They also had long-ranged weapons, short pistols, and short-ranged shotguns. He would spend a great amount of time in his bedroom wounded from gunshots. I liked the story when he was sleeping one night and when he woke up in the morning he found Indians laying on the floor of his bedroom and they understood each other through communicating with body language which is quiet impressive.

Gun exhibit, Johnson's home

After visiting his home, we wet to Johnson hall. The house was very large and beautiful. The first thing I saw when we walked in was the animal fur hanged up on the right wall, now, I am still not sure if it was actually real or not. Well, I hope it isn't. I like how he had rooms for specific purposes, like the 'blue room' was for entertaining guests and the beige room was for eating. He also had doors built in that room so he can easily access it without being seen, that made me chuckle. When we headed upstairs, I saw what was called a 'camera obscura.' The camera was so awesome, it created a reflection of the window across the room onto a sheet of paper and I was just in awe. It was one of the coolest things in that house.
So after visiting Johnson Hall State Historic Site, we went to Mabee farm and Bateau in Schenectady. This particular historic site was different and interesting. Because the home belonged to a normal, middle-class family. They were not famous or anything, so it was nice observing and learning how everyday citizens lived during the 1700's to 1800's. I also really liked our tour guide, she was fun and had a great personality. She was engaged with us and didn't just bombard us with so much information in a boring, monotone voice. Then we saw some sheep on the site, well, I should say some noisy sheep. I tried to pet the other one and it almost bit me, ouch! And the other kept 'baa-ing' at me, what a warm welcoming these sheep gave us. Then soon afterwards, we rode some canoes and I was so hesitant about doing that at first because boats make me feel nauseous, ugh! But I decided to just try it, it wasn't going to be so bad and it wasn't after all. I had fun, other than the fact that I struggled to move the heavy oar they gave us to roe.

Johnson's bedroom - 2nd floor

Lansingburgh Memorial Day Parade

A memorial remembering those who deceased in battle

Army Tank

Monday was Memorial Day and we celebrated the day by attending one of Lansingburgh's famous parades. I never been to a Memorial Day parade nor have I ever celebrated it, so this was a new experience for me. It was the 17th annual memorial Day parade on a cloudy Landsingburgh day. It was a time to celebrate and the men and women who have served in the armed forces and honour those who have died in battle. Upon further research of the parade, I discovered that this parade was restarted by the veterans of Landsingburgh in 1996 after a 20 year absence. Up until then, the parade has been funded by the local veterans organization and donations from the local public and the state's government.
When I first heard that Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, I chuckled at it because I can see why they would call it that. We usually celebrate our veterans and those who have fallen by decorating their graves with flowers and American flags. On the day of the parade, it began at 11 o' clock am, rain or shine. Fire trucks, marching bands, veterans, and children all marched the streets proclaiming their honour of the veterans as residents watched and cheered for them. It was very patriotic and very American, if I might say, ha-ha. It was interesting to watch, I enjoyed all the parts. But what I didn't like was the announcer during the second half of the marching. He only addressed the "guys" and the 'men' when he thanked them for their service while leaving the women out of the context. There are also many women who served in the military and died in battle; I wished he would had acknowledged them also during the event.
My favourite part of the parade were the Brass-o-mania's! Even though they did not have any connections with the veterans, I really liked them and their music. Man, those people can play! I kind of felt sympathetic for the elementary school marching band, on the other hand. When they started to play during the announcing, everyone just cut them off and cheered for them. It was a little encouraging for them, I guess, but at the same time they didn't even give them a chance to play. But I think it's interesting that this band is the only elementary marching band in the nation. I think with lots of practice, they will be very great! I've also talked with some people who were watching. Some of them were from the area, but a majority of them came from different towns which was surprising to me. I would have thought that all the people who came to watch were Landsingburgh residents since the parade was right in their neighborhood.
Bill McDonough were one of the veterans lined up in the streets for the parade. He said he was in the army for two years and fought in the Korean War. He was wounded and received the Purple Heart, but something he said struck me. He believed that he was not the real hero, the guys who didn't come home, he said, were the real heroes.
And this is the importance of Memorial Day. To remember and honour those who had not come home.

Soldiers and Veterans marching

Cedar Grove, Olana, and Kaaterskill Falls

Yesterday we started the day with visiting Thomas Cole's home in Cedar Grove. The car ride was prettylong and it was starting to give me a headache and when we finally got there I breathed a sigh of relief. Thomas Cole relocated in Catskill New York in 1825 and found a permanent home at cedar Grove in 1836. He married maria Bartow and from there he began his journey in the region nurturing his artistry. 

Thomas Cole's Home second floor

Thomas Cole's Home

Thomas Cole's home was very beautiful. It had a great view over the trees and the town. What I like is that most of the furniture were original pieces in Cole's home and I liked the small exhibit that was on the second floor of the house. I wish our tour guide was a little more pleasant with the tour. She seemed like she was rushing us, always telling us not to take photos, and she even kept telling us not to get close to the paintings which was really annoying. She barely gave us enough time o look at them. Other than that, I enjoyed seeing the house and Cole's art studio by the home.

Thomas Cole's Studio

After Cedar Grove, we went hiking on the Kaaterskill falls. It was the best part of the day since I love hiking and doing fun, adventurous activities like these. It was kind of chilly out, I was planning on putting on my sweater but after we starting climbing the rocks I started sweating in no time. The waterfall is beautiful and we finally made it to the top. I was going to go beyond the trail and go to the tip of the waterfall but I was kind of afraid I would hurt myself. I regret it, I don't know why I thought that, ha-ha. I definitely would want to visit this place again someday with my family and some friends. It's my favourite hiking spot yet.

Kaaterskill Falls

View over Catskill Mountains

After hiking on Kaaterskill Falls, went visited Frederic Church's home in Olana. His house was absolutely beautiful, and the view just leaves you in awe. I really like how he added different kinds of cultural styles such as Persian, Mexican, and Indian aesthetics to the home, my favourite was the Arabic writing on the window panels; it gave you the home that oriental, Middle Eastern feel to it. And I really liked and appreciated that. I wish we were allowed to have taken photography in the home, cause there were many things I saw in the home and really liked. 

Frederic Church's Home - Front side view

Albany Institute of History & Art

The other day we visited the Albany Institute of History & Art. I been to the museum before, but I didn't see the exhibits, they instead took us back stage for the class. So even though I been to the museum before, this would be my first time actually going to the exhibits. There were so many things I enjoyed in the exhibits. Historic and art archaeology ranged from paintings to books and mummies from ancient Egypt (which were my favorite by the way) and the contemporary art exhibit upstairs.
I liked the contemporary art exhibit because it was interesting seeing various kinds of art that reflected the modern era and what it means for something to be contemporary. My favourite contemporary art piece was a multi-coloured cube done by Dennis Byng in 1974. It was so awesome and I really enjoyed the contrasts he used between the colored cubes to create reflective dimensions. The picture is shown below:

Dennis Byng "Untitled" Sculpture

I enjoyed most of the paintings that I had seen, even the botanical art even though that wasn't part of the exhibit, it was just a bonus. The paintings of the Hudson River School are insightful and inspiring. It makes you think of how influential the Hudson River and the landscape had an impact on the economical and the artistic community in Albany and Troy. There's something beautiful about capturing the beauty of the American landscape and applying it aesthetically to art as a form of romanticizing with the land.

One particular artist caught my attention because they were from my hometown Rhode Island. Henry Ary was born in 1807 in Rhode Island but relocated to Catskill, New York. Most of paintings were influeced by the works of Thomas Cole. One of his paintings that was in the museum was "View of Hudson, New York"  in 1852 done on oil on canvas. The painting was really nice, I like the detailed he put on the trees and the grass and how the sky softly contrasts with the river and the land. I really like how the dark clouds slowly fade into white clouds across the sky, it looks subtle and nicely done. And since Henry was from Rhode Island, I felt connected with his painting and his works.

Henry Ary "View of Hudson"

NY State Museum

Today we went on a long-day trip to the New York State Museum. I never had been to the museum so this was something new to experience for me. Even though I enjoyed the presentations given by the curators, my feet were killing me and my legs kept aching from standing all day. The wide range of topics discussed included the Albany Almshouses which intrigued me the most, the first New Yorkers, and the archaeology of Euro-Americans.

The Albany Almhouses intrigued me the most. It’s amazing how almost a thousand people were buried in stacks over one another after living a life of strenuous labour and misery. All those people who were amputees, single mothers, mentally ill, and the old and poor ultimately all died from exhaustion from working all their life to make ends meet. The condition of their lives and their bodies seems like it’s almost out of a horror story. I could never imagine being in a situation such as this hundreds of years ago; always being worried about where to get food, suffering from fractured bones, and living in homes in bad condition. The story about the woman who was buried in a bolted hexagonal coffin with a window on it to see her face was really interesting and creepy to me.

The sculpted heads we were shown by Andrea Lain looked so real. I thought if I got up close to it one of them will wink at me so I kept my distance pretty far. But it was interesting seeing the damage these skulls had; you can distinguish the kind of lifestyle they had back in the 1800's.  You can see the amount of strenuous labour they had to endure from the osteoporosis and damage on their bones to the missing teeth which indicated lack of proper dental hygiene and to the smoking pipes that caused holes in their teeth.

Sculptures of Deceased bodied found in Almhouses

If there's anything the remains of these bodies had in common it would the infinite amount of poverty that was widespread among these people. It is unfortunate because a majority of the workers were immigrants who came here to New York, where the Albany and Troy area was prospering, in hopes of looking for a better life. But all they got was the heart-wrenching poverty they tried desperately to escape but couldn't; doing strenuous labour for at least some money to survive was all they could muster here at the time and they had no choice. 

In the Albany County Almshouse Cemetary, a five-foot grey granite reads " Let me glide noiselessly forth; with the keys of softness unlock the locks with a whisper. Here lies those once buried." (by Walt Whitman).

Picturing Troy

Old Shop near river

Yesterday, for our first class, we practiced taking photography outside of Troy to improve our blogging experience when we write in our photo journals. I did not know where to begin or what to take photos of because Troy is endless in being aesthetically appealing to the community and to the public. I never had the choice to travel around Troy and experience the town before my very eyes. In that case, there were countless parts of Troy I wanted to consider in my photography such as its people, transportation, small-owned shops, or any of the run-down buildings that are indicative to Troy. 

Abandoned building front of river

I am from New England, so when I first visited Troy, one of the things that fascinated was the amount of history this small town has. The beautiful run-down buildings radiate nostalgia for a past Troy that made this county as it is today. The Victorian architecture provides insight of the town's early wealth and economical success during the industrial revolution. The Hudson River was rich in resources promoting growth of Troy and expanding its innovational expenses. These buildings remind me of the great historic achievements our Troy ancestors accomplished. These grand masonry buildings treasure Troy's commercial and residential successes and means of decades-long engineering. But it also reveals the strenuous labour workers had to endure in the conditions of the buildings. Portraying the photos in black-and-white hinted feelings of nostalgia especially for these abandoned buildings; a beauty faded as it once stood. They are indeed abandoned, but we cannot forget Troy's historic structures and our attempt for urban renewal. The buildings, such as the photos shown, indicate an important essence of historic Troy. 

Abandoned building front of river