Posted by: David Giacalone | April 9, 2010

our 2010 cherry blossoms

Our 2010 Stockade cherry blossom array reached its peak mid-week, with the greatest concentration on Washington Avenue, which has over a dozen blossoming trees.   Below are pictures from around the neighborhood (and you can find more in Thursday’s posting on “fog and cherry blossoms“).  As always, scroll your mouse or cursor over a photo to get a description, and click on a photo for a much larger version.

. . . Union St.. . .

. . Washington Ave.

. 27 Washington Ave. .

. . No. Ferry St.

. . . Front St. east of Lawrence

. . Church St. [L] and Union St. . .

Washington Ave. south of Front . 

. . Washington Ave. north of Front

– 16 Washington Ave. –

“14” Washington Ave..

After two decades living in Washington, D.C. with its Cherry Blossom Week and mature stands of decorative, blossoming cherry trees all over town, I moved to the Schenectady Stockade in 1988 thinking I’d never see cherry blossoms in person each Spring again.  So, it was quite a surprise when I realized a few years back that those skinny little trees on Washington Avenue had cherry blossoms every April.

Yes, I admit it, I’m once again spoiled with cherry blossoms.  To prove it, here’s the view from my front porch at the corner of Cucumber Alley and Washington Avenue:

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– a view of 7 Washington Ave. from up and across the street –

. . . small tree at 15 Washington Ave. near Front St.

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– glowing even on a cloudy day –

– looking south from my porch – 

– Don’t forget: There are more 2010 Stockade cherry blossoms photos in our “fog and cherry blossoms“ posting; also, go here for views of the 2008 Washington Ave. cherry blossoms, and here for the 2009 blossoms.

p.s. Like this other camera-laden pedestrian, it was a treat to stroll among the Stockade cherry blossoms on Thursday without giving a thought to that @#*&@ proposed Riverside Park dock.

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Posted by: David Giacalone | April 8, 2010

fog and cherry blossoms

With new cherry blossoms and a blanket of fog, yesterday’s Stockade morning was so enticing that I was out with my camera well before 7 A.M.  No words are needed for the photos, but you can scroll over each for a description or click on it for a larger version.

Go here for views of the 2008 Washington Ave. Stockade cherry blossoms, and here for the 2009 Stockade cherry blossoms.

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An Interruption for an Urgent Editorial Comment: Like cherry blossoms, the mature trees shown above on Washington Ave. have also been condemned to impermanence, as the City plans to take them all down as part of street repaving and sidewalk repairs this Spring.  [The skinny little trees will stay, and trees like them will replace the old shade trees.]  This deforestation and man-made blight will soon spread throughout the Stockade to the block where you live – – see the precedent on No. Ferry Street. When historic district homeowners rightly need permission for the smallest changes in their street-side façades, this drastic change in the appearance and attractiveness of the Stockade streetscape surely should not be made without the City considering all options, as many municipalities do within and outside their historic districts  (e.g., preserving sidewalks not drastically in need of repair in order to save a healthy tree; modifying techniques used when removing roots; narrowing the sidewalk or the utility strip). Finances should not be the sole criteria used by the City, just as it may not be for homeowners making alterations in an historic district.

If — like people in residential urban areas around the world, who value their shade, beauty, environmental benefits and enhancement of property values — you treasure and would like to save as many healthy, mature shade trees as possible, please let the Mayor, the City Council and the Stockade Association know ASAP, as bid requests for the work will go out this month.  Preserve Our Stockade Trees (POST!).  For more on this topic, see my new weblog (created April 12, 2010) “Preserve Our Stockade Trees.”

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. . . a few street scenes:

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. . . and Riverside Park scenes along the Mohawk River:

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. . . finally, back to my home base  at Washington Ave. and Cucumber Alley. . .

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Posted in cherry blossoms, river seasons, Stockade Views

Posted by: David Giacalone | March 30, 2010

an understated Riverside sunrise

On the last day of winter (March 19, 2010), it looked from my bedroom window as if we might be about to have a spectacular sunrise over the Stockade and Mohawk. Despite my usual morning torpor, I rushed outside with my Canon Powershot and headed for the eastern end of Riverside Park.   When I got there, however, I found a rather subdued sunrise sky.

Not wanting to waste my rare early morning effort at photography, and liking the understated hues quite a bit, I’m presenting a few of the shots here. [As always, click on a photo for a larger version and scroll your mouse or cursor over it for a description.]

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– a sunrise view of the Scotia side of the Mohawk River seen from the location of the proposed Riverside Park dock –

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Posted by: David Giacalone | March 28, 2010

Sylvie’s Garden Sweet

A week ago, the Sunday Schenectady Gazette called Sylvie Briber an “ambassador”, who “makes friends for the Stockade” (March 21, 2010, p. E4).  Of course, her Stockade neighbors know that three of the many things that Sylvie does well — in addition to editing The Stockade Spy –are making friends for herself (and her dog Lollipop), singing at church and community events, and baking delicious, professional-looking desserts.  Yesterday, at The Schenectady County Historical Society, Sylvie celebrated the realization of a dream 37 years in the making.

– as always, click on a photo for a larger version and scroll over it for a description –

At an event she called “A Garden Sweet: favorite art songs“, Sylvie presented her first CD, which has the same title.  The new album of “art songs” (poems set to music) features Sylvie’s vocals with piano accompaniment by Karen Ranung, her longtime voice instructor.

– click here for a brief event-calendar description of the event –

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– the flyer for the Garden Sweet event & featured artists Karen Ranung [R] and Sylvie Briber –

Below, you’ll find a small batch of photos taken at the premiere of A Garden Sweet (with my usual disclaimers about a lack of indoor photography skills), plus a few more details about an event that attracted a full-house of Sylvie’s friends and admirers (over 60 people).

Read More…

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Posted in Stockade Views

Posted by: David Giacalone | March 20, 2010

an uncontroversial late-winter sunset at Riverside Park

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– heading to the playground at Riverside Park for winter’s penultimate sunset –


– March 18, 2010 gave us near-perfect weather all day, followed by a memorable and as-yet unobstructed sunset view as seen from the children’s play area in Schenectady’s Riverside Park, along the Mohawk River:

Despite a very lively debate about a dock along the Mohawk, this much can surely be said without controversy: It was a joy to spend the second-to-last sunset of winter in our very special Riverside Park.   As you can see, clouds, colors and cuties made me smile and point my camera. (As usual, click on a photo for a larger version and scroll over it for a description.)

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– click “Read More” for more lovely images from Riverside Park –

Read More…

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Posted in Mohawk sunrise or sunsets, Riverside Park

Posted by: David Giacalone | March 12, 2010

March reflections

Wednesday evening, I saw sunset reflections on the Mohawk River for the first time in quite awhile, thanks to melted ice and a free-flowing stretch of river.   The pictures in this posting were all taken from the rear of 1 Cucumber Alley.  As you can see, the ice floes deposited by the January flood (documented by us here) are shrunken a bit but still very much in residence.

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– Cucumber Alley handrail amidst beached ice floes on Feb. 3rd [L] and March 10th –

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– a view toward the Western Gateway Bridge on March 10th [L] and Feb. 3rd –

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Posted by: David Giacalone | March 12, 2010

SAS show at the Katbird Shop

The Schenectady Art Society (SAS) has a juried art show on exhibit during March at The Katbird Shop – 425 Liberty St. in downtown Schenectady.

Editor’s Note: the original posting about the Art Show has been edited at the request of Saratoga artist Chris O’Leary, who was an entrant in the show.  If appropriate, I will clarify the details given in the first version of this posting in the near future.

– Foxy strolled over from Front St. in the Stockade and was well-behaved inside and outside The Katbird Shop when she previewed the Show on Friday –

– so was proprietor Kathy Fitzmaurice’s shop-cat Roger –

The first juried art Show co-sponsored by The Katbird Shop and SAS is on display at the Shop throughout March.   With the Show open to both members and non-members, the judges accepted 27 paintings by eleven artists.  The reception for the exhibit was held on Saturday afternoon, March 6th.  As part of the festivities, the First Place, Second Place and Third Place awards were announced.  They went, respectively, to pieces by Robin Rosenthal, Helga Prichard, and Betty Bumgarner.

I urge you to see the paintings and enjoy the wares — old and new — of  The Katbird Shop.  While there, you can vote for your favorite to help determine the People’s Choice Award.

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Posted in visits elsewhere

Posted by: David Giacalone | March 7, 2010

photo cache


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