Tag Archives: col

Gary Lee’s Daybreak to Twilight

You know it’s cold when you can see a bird’s breath

Zippy's Crusade at the Ole Barn in Inlet

Zippy’s Crusade at the Ole Barn in Inlet


It’s been a tad on the cold side this week with temperatures never getting above ten degrees. A couple days it did not get past zero. 

 

To add to the problem, my furnace decided not to work. Raquette Lake Supply was quick to fix the problem and it’s still pushing heat.

My passive solar heat sink that sits below the cellar floor helped out that day but it taxed the system. It took a while to heat back up at ten below.

bohemiansOur cat Inky laid on the bed soaking up the sun for a few hours.

You know it’s cold when you can see a bird’s breath when it stops to get seed at the feeder.

Birds huddle down on their feet as they pick apart a seed to keep in their body heat.

They fluff up their feathers, making them look fat, to give themselves more insulation from the cold.

When they sleep, some birds burrow in the snow and use it as a source of insulation.

The Redpolls sit on top of the snow and flap their wings until they bury themselves deep so just their heads stick out.

Ruffed Grouse actually fly into soft snow or tunnel completely under the snow for insulation from the cold.

Many times while out snowshoeing I have seen one come out from under the soft snow in a blur of brown.

If you inspect the hole it came out of you will see that it spent the night there, as evidenced by the droppings left behind.

Many cavity nesters like Chickadees, Nuthatches and Bluebirds pool their resources by getting on top of each other in a hole to keep warm.

Some watchers have found eight or ten sharing their body heat in one cavity.  Continue reading

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Volunteers of all ages participate in area Community Pride events

Sixth graders pick up papers and bottles along Main Street, Wednesday afternoon, led by Math teacher, Mr. Donovan. Photo by Carol Hansen

Larry Murphy, John Gardner and Fred Trimbach in Old Forge. Photo by Carol Hansen

Residents of Thendara, Old Forge, Eagle Bay, Big Moose, Inlet, Raquette Lake, Long Lake and Indian Lake took part in Community Pride Day, on Wednesday, May 2.

The annual clean-up day brings volunteers together to tidy their respective towns and neighborhoods prior to the start of the busy summer season.

Adele Burnett, coordinator for the Inlet area reported that approximately 20 volunteers cleaned up the streets, as Inlet School students and teachers picked up Arrowhead Park and engaged in various beautification projects.

Laurie Barkauskus, chairperson of Community Pride Day in Old Forge and Thendara, with caterers Felicity Davey, Nick Bankert from Adirondack Cafe, and Steve Uzdavinis who was grilling hot dogs and hamburgers outside the firehall for the complimentary lunch for volunteers. Carol Hansen

The Eagle Bay area had another dozen volunteers cleaning up the streets from Rondaxe Road to Uncas Road.

Over in Indian Lake, volunteers reportedly picked up 380 pounds of garbage, while more than a dozen volunteers from Long Lake and Raquette Lake combed area roadways and collected over 50 bags of debris.

Following the clean-up effort, volunteers     from across the Central Adirondacks enjoyed   lunch, made possible through the donations of local businesses.

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Town of Webb trail system: Father of injured snowmobiler calls for better communications services

The father of a 16-year-old snowmobiler who was seriously injured in a snowmobile accident on Sunday, January 22, said he drove six hours from Long Island to address the Town of Webb Board at its monthly meeting on Tuesday the 14th.

Phil Fortuna said that when his son ran his sled into a tree near Rondaxe, he was frustrated at not being able to use his cell phone to contact help.

He was faced with the tough decision of staying to comfort his son, who was unresponsive, or leaving him to find help.

Fortuna said he mounted his sled and drove about a mile and a half before encountering a trail grooming vehicle. Continue reading

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