Snowy Commute

Ti Grows in Brooklyn says, "And why is it again that we never moved back to da 'aina?" Brrrr. I went to work anyways and here are some scenes from the morning commute - Brooklyn, Manhattan Bridge, SoHo. Click for a slideshow view.

Saturday with the North Brooklyn Boat Club - Snow and seals at Swinburne Island (with NYC sealwatching links for folks who don't paddle in the wintertime)

Well, that was fun! Last week, I actually got to help organize a paddle that ended up being much more of an adventure than anything I've done lately - somehow, with the one exception of helping out with swim support for the CIBBOWS Breezy Point 5K, I don't think I did any paddles in 2016 that didn't start and finish at the club. I really don't mind this, I love being out on Jamaica Bay all through the year, watching the seasons change and the various creatures that inhabit the bay come and go through the year, and I did have a couple of particularly memorable paddles (there was my solo paddle to see the Hokule'a when she first arrived in NYC, and my Coney Island Fireworks paddle, and then there was a pretty awesome storm paddle), and, well, it's a fact that no two paddles are ever the same. Appropriate quote, from Greek philosopher Heraclitus: ""No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." I think I've heard this paraphrased among paddlers as "You never paddle the same river twice" and I do think that's true. 

Anyways, for all that, I guess I was really ready to do something new and different and fun, because when I was put in touch with Dewey from the North Brooklyn Boat Club, who was looking for information about paddling to Swinburne and Hoffman Islands to see the seals who frequent that area in the wintertime, I said something to the effect of "I'd be tempted to ask if Sebago could come but I don't want to horn in on your plans", and when he said "Actually we'd love to have you along!", all it took was a really nice weather forecast, and TQ saying it sounded like fun when I ran it past him, to have me gleefully jumping in to help organize a Sebago contingent.

This is not a paddle I had ever done, although I've been hearing about people going out there for sealwatching for years now. I've gone to see the seals there, but on one of the Audubon/Water Taxi trips, which was lots of fun, trip report here, never in my own boat. BTW I will give links at the end for three count 'em three very good ways for folks who aren't winter paddlers to get a good look at the seals. Sebago does seal paddles, but usually at Jones Beach (we've also done seal hikes there, which are great because anyone at the club can do that); I think we have gone to Swinburne once or twice, probably launching from Staten Island (makes for a very short paddle, but some of our Jones Beach paddles have been pretty low mileage too) but for one reason or another I wasn't able to join in. So I was absolutely delighted to be included. 

I was able to get good launch info for Kaiser Park in Coney Island from one of my friends among the polar bears (thanks Eddie!), Dewey picked that over the shorter Staten Island launch option, and with the weather forecast getting better every day (light light wind, temperature right around freezing, and a chance of snow, snow paddles are great!), I sent out a trip notice on the Sebago google group. Saturday afternoon, six of us from Sebago met up with 8 paddlers from NBBC, and it ended up just being an amazing day. There are a few photos from the day below (including our short visit to the Yellow Submarine of Coney Island Creek), and I've done a whole photo trip report on Flickr (with captions and everything, for once). It was quite the day out there, I'm so glad NBBC invited us along!

And as promised - for anyone who would like to go see the seals at Swinburne but is NOT a winter paddler, here are 3 great ways to do that with minimal risk of ICY DOOOOOM:

Audubon Winter Tours with NY Water Taxi - departs from South Street Seaport in Manhattan, every Sunday except 2/5, until spring. This is the one I went on with a bunch of friends from Sebago, and we had a great time.

American Princess - I haven't been sealwatching with them, but their whalewatching trips with Gotham Whale are fantastic and I'm sure they do a great job in the wintertime too. Out of Riis Landing on the Rockaway Peninsula; on hiatus right now, resuming on weekend in mid-March.

And, if you are game for a little more of an adventure, I think that a sealwatching trip on the NY Media Boat would be just amazing. Bjoern and Kristina are great people and they can zoom you all over NY Harbor in their big speedy RIB's. They're a little more weather-sensitive this time of year, not having a heated cabin (hey, I said adventure!), so there's no online booking, but they've got contact info up their site and welcome inquiries.  

Brooklyn Blizzard - Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, CHEESE!

Yesterday - 

 Today -

And tomorrow? Well, no pictures of that yet, for some reason, but with the city having had a full day to clean up and a nice south wind bringing in some warmer temperatures tomorrow, I'm fully expecting a normal commute & work day.

TQ works for the NYC Parks Department and he was called in at oh-dark-thirty to help with the cleanup. Go Parks Dept. and Sanitation and anybody else involved in Shovel-out Sunday! I had a nice quiet day, though - slept in, then decided to walk over to the Food Co-op where they usually have the pasteurized, just pasteurized, not ultra-pasteurized milk that I've been getting for my ongoing experiments in cheesemaking. I wasn't sure they'd have any, New Yorkers tend to do the same crazed buying of bread and milk as people do in less populous areas, but I figured I'd go see what the situation was, and if nothing else, I would get a good walk out of it. Which I did. Lovely day in Midwood and Ditmas Park. 

 When I got to Cortelyou Road, I was amazed to find that the Cortelyou Road Greenmarket was actually open for business!

 Only 2 vendors, understandably, but I was surprised anyone had made it. I'd only planned on getting milk, but since these two had made the trip down, I figured I'd do a little more shopping. 

 Rogowski Farms was selling all her root veggies for two dollars a pound, so I got a pound each of carrots, potatoes and beets.

 I got cider and eggs from the Knoll Crest gentleman. Even if the co-op didn't have milk, now this trip was worth the time,in addition to being the nice walk I'd hoped for. 

Food co-op was stocked as though nothing had ever happened, so I got my milk and headed for home. Little bit more of a hike with so many groceries, but I need the exercise!

Got home, had an eggs-cellent breakfast sandwich with a greenmarket egg (very fresh and good!), tomato, Serrano ham and grated romano cheese, then curled up on the Evil Futon of Nap with The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Naturally this led to a nap, because that is what the Evil Futon of Nap does, no matter how much I'm enjoying the book. This wasn't a bad one, only about 40 minutes, I woke up, read for a bit more and then decided it was time to get going on my cheesemaking. I collected the stuff and then realized that I didn't have rubber gloves (I'd decided to try mozzarella again and that involves kneading and pulling the cheese at 135 degrees) or bottled water (even NYC's wonderful tap water has chlorine in it, which will stop your cheese from cheesing) so I went out to get some -

and immediately came back for my camera, because there was a fine sunset going on, one of those pretty pink-and-blue ones.  

Came home and made my cheese. Mozzarella, 2nd try, came out delicious - first time I'd accidentally gotten 2% milk, which you can still use to make cheese; this time I got whole milk, plus I worked it a little bit less and left a little more whey in so it came out creamier, tenderer, and moister than my last mozzarella (which was my first ever cheesemaking attempt, and was pretty good, but a tiny bit rubbery - I think I fixed that this time). 

Brooklyn blizzard -

Yes, we are having a little snow today. 

Meanwhile, back in Brooklyn...

Yup. Anybody mind if I just keep talking about the Caribbean for a while?

Snow Status

So, we've had a lovely warm week here, let's see how the snow is now...

Going...

Going...

 uh, still going...

and...yup, still going.

ok, this may take a little longer. Still, been a nice week and we have annual Jones Beach seal paddle tomorrow - this may be it for Bonnie's Big Blog of SNOW! 

Snow on the Bridge/Snow in Soho - going to work in the SNOW!

Winding down (knocking wood, crossing fingers) Bonnie's Big Blog of Snow here...let's see, I've done snow in my neighborhood and snow at the club, where's that other place I frequent? Oh, yeah, the office in Snowho. I mean SoHo (but I'm leaving that error because it is right and good). These were all taken on the 13th which may have been one of those storms that the Weather Channel in its infinite wisdom has decided it would be cute to name. I was late to work 'cause I just didn't want to go out there, plus I more or less had permission to not go if it seemed like it might be tricky, but in the end my subway line was running fine so in I went. Ever notice that when almost nobody can get to work, if you CAN make it in, you get twice as much done as when everybody's there? Well, that's my theory anyways. So if the trains are running, I go.

Here was the view looking north up the East River on the Manhattan Bridge. Horizon was lost in the murk very fast - could barely see the Williamsburg Bridge (the W in the "BMW" mnemonic for remembering the order of these 3 bridges to Brooklyn). 

Strange sight met me at the Broadway/Lafayette station - all of these firemen were coming in. No smell of smoke, and they weren't hurrying at all...hmm. I was glad I was heading out as they were heading in, this is always a little disconcerting, even when they aren't in a rush. 

Two fire engines upstairs and a third approaching with sirens blaring. Mentioned this on Facebook and pretty soon a friend had figured out what had happened - some device-addicted kid was texting in the subway station and fell onto the tracks. Anyways, she was very very lucky, the train that was coming in didn't actually hit her but she did end up underneath it, so these guys were on their way in to fish her out. Little more excitement than you really want in your day. Anyways, on to work - 

Walking up Broadway

Shovellers a-shovelling

Snow snow snow

and more snow!

What a winter we have had. Groundhog says six more weeks? Hmmm. So far I've only tried making chicken adobo. Maybe it's time to branch out. Heeeere, groundhog groundhog groundhog...