Posted by: David Giacalone | September 17, 2009

sunset clouds over the CSX Bridge

sunset clouds over the CSX rail bridge on the Mohawk River - 14Sep09

A 10-pier CSX rail bridge lies just east of the Stockade and connects Schenectady (near East Front Street) with Scotia.  The CSX bridge [formerly known as the Conrail or the New York Central Bridge] doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves here at suns along the Mohawk — unless it obstructs the ice flow in the River, causing our Spring Stockade floods.  That neglect is surely due to our western sunset fixation.   On Monday night September 14, 2009, however, sunset painted the clouds over and beyond the CSX bridge in a manner that got our attention.

northeast sunset view of the CSX bridge from Schenectady's Riverside Park - 14Sep09p In the span of a few minutes, the clouds went from predominantly pink, to mostly blue highlights, to a gray theme.  Luckily, I had my camera and snapped a few photos while strolling between the Riverside Park esplanade and North Street.

The pink phase is shown above.  Here are the blue and gray phases:

blue sunset clouds over the CSX bridge, Schenectady - Scotia, NY - 14Sep09 . . . sunset clouds over the CSX bridge, Schenectady - Scotia, NY - 14Sep09g

Last night (Sept. 15), I returned to Riverside Park at sunset to take another look at the CSX bridge.  This shot was taken from the deadend at Washington Avenue:

CSX bridge at sunset, Schenectady - Scotia, NY - 15Sep09

. . . this one, too: CSX bridge at sunset from Washington Ave dead end - 15Sep09

Posted by: David Giacalone | September 12, 2009

Outdoor Art Show 2009: a weather gamble pays off

Lawrence the Indian under the banner of the Stockade's 58th Outdoor Art Show - 12Sep09

Despite a dismal and risky weather forecast, today’s 58th Villager’s Outdoor Art Show lived up to its Stockade tradition — giving neighbors, visitors and artists an enjoyable day focused on fine art and good spirits.  Many thanks to the hard-working Committee and to everyone who exhibited art or joined the crowds. [Click on a photo for a larger version and scroll over it for a brief description. And, please let me know if I’ve mislabeled art or artist.]

the rain doesn't faze artist Judy Haller D'Angelo under her canopy  . just a little drizzle . Artist Crystal A. Frascatore shelters under an umbrella during morning drizzle

. . painters Judy Haller-D’Angelo and Crysal Frascatore on N. Ferry St. . .

This weblog post cannot do justice to the artists or the crowd, much less the organizers and helpers.  There’s no way I could photograph and present a comprehensive account of the day.  So, I apologize in advance for all my omissions.  I spent an hour at the Art Show this morning, schmoozing and snapping a few pictures, and then came back in the afternoon for a final two hours of random pointing, clicking, strolling and chatting.  My photo choices were rather arbitrary, and I often sought out a bit of color to offset the gray day.

approaching the Art Show at Front and Church Steets 12Sep09 . . . winning display at Church and Front Sts. 12Sep09

. . approaching the Show at Front and Church Sts., it was already difficult to decide where to start . .

Stockadian artist Frank Gilmore decided to be a browser rather than exhibitor today The three major prizes went to Erik Laffer, Rob Gavel and Jamie Murray.  In case I run out of steam this evening, I’m going to focus first on them.

Erik Laffer receiving the 1st Place Award from Matt Volks - 12Sep09 . . . "Digial Boundary" by Erik Laffer, 1st Place, 58th Stocakde Villager's Outdoor Art Show - 12Sep09

. . Erik Laffer won first place with another painting from his Cartography Series, Digital Boundary (2009) 48”x48” Oil on Canvas (click to see last year’s 2nd Place winner by Erik) . .

Rob Gavel silkscreen of Stockade doors - 2nd Place and Ernest A. R. Cohen Award for 2009 . ……………. . Rob Gavel grabs the 2nd Place prize and runs - 12Sep09

. . . Rob Gavel’s silkscreen of brightly colored “Doors of the Stockade” won the 2nd Place Prize and the Ernest A. R. Cohen award for Best Depiction of the Stockade Neighborhood . . .

3rd Place Stockade Art Show winner by Jamie Murray - 12Sep09 . . . Jamie Murray receiving her 3rd place Award from Matt Volks - 12Sep09

. . Jamie Murray’s colorful painting took 3rd Place . .

. . click to see the list of winners . . . Winners List for the 58th Annual Stockade Villager's Outdoor Art Show - 12Sep09

Here, with no particular order or organization are more photo impressions of the day, along with more winning artwork:

Larry Meyerhoff plays Celtic music to a young fan next to St. George's Episcopal Church - 12Sep09St. George's Episcopal Church, Schenectady Stockade 12Sep09

.. fun at St. George’s with Larry Meyerhoff’s Celtic Music (video sampler)..

Stockade Art Show crowd under threatening skies on N.Ferry St. - 12 Sep09

. . time well-spent with sites and folks on N. Ferry St . . . . . photographer Glen Marsh of Ballston Spa with his biggest Fan - 12Sep09

e.g., photographer Glen Marsh of Ballston Spa, with his biggest fan

Gregg Millett & Ann Parillo at the Stockade Outdoor Art Show - 12Sep09

Gregg Millett and Ann Parillo (who did a segment on the Outdoor Art Show, featuring Karen Johnson and artist Karen Rosasco, on Schenectady Today, September 2, 2009,)

Steven Kowalski's award-winner art - 12Sep09 Stockadian Steven Kowalski won two awards, including Best of Our Neighbors. You can see his transition from morning worry to award-winning smile:

Steve Kowalski at his exhibit, 11:30 AM, 12 Sep09 . . . Steve Kowalski with an award-winner's smile - 12Sep09

Frankly, I missed a lot of great photos, because a certain Stockade politician stepped in front of my camera a half dozen times or more at the award ceremony. She was, however, willing to pose for a representative head shot:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Karen Johnson blocking my view at the awards ceremony - 12Sep09

Mia Simone, 1st Place, Young Artists Division - 58th Outdoor Art Show - 12Sep09

Mia Simone’s Best Young Artist piece drew a lot of attention . a lot of attention for the female form - art by Mia Simone

winning piece by Shanta Nair for 1st Time Exhibitor - 12Sep09 As did this year’s winner of the Nicholas J. Colangelo Award for First Time Exhibitors, by Shanta Nair.

Deb Volks & Jennifer Wells worked all day on the Art Show committee - 12Sep09

Connie Colangelo briefly gets to sit down 12Sep09 . . . Connie and friends closing things down in the rain - 6 PM 12Sep09

. . work, work, work to make the Art Show work so well . .

Here’s a pair I really like, but I did not get the name of the artists.  If you know, please let us know with a Comment below:

honorable mention, collage (artist as yet unknown) - 12Sep09 . . . another Outdoor Art Show winner - 12Sep09 (artist as yet unknown)

Rob Petito and his posse 12Sep09 . . . always nice to see friends . . the lovely and shy Lollipop, with admirers - 12Sep09

Finally, for a taste of the variety and quality of art at the Show, here are four racks displaying pieces submitted by artists to the contest jury (click on them to enlarge; I apologize for not knowing the names of the artists):

Display1 - youth division -- 58th Outdoor Art Show 12Sep09 . . Display 2 - contestants

Display 3 - Stockade Outdoor Art Show competition 12Sep09 . . . Display 4 - Stockade Outdoor Art Show competition 12Sep09

Again, thanks to all those who participated — organizers, artists and art-loving crowds — and gave us another successful Outdoor Villager’s art Show.

afterthought: If, like myself, the Art Show kept you from visiting the Schenectady Little Italy Street Fest on Saturday, check out Michelle Ardolina’s coverage at the TU‘s The Schenectady Blog.

BONUS: This might put things into perspective.  Here’s what I saw, walking up Green Street at the end of the afternoon, when I glanced across the First Presbyterian Church’s parking lot and cemetery (add your own labels):

big blue slides, 1st Presbyterian Church parking lot, Schenectady Stockade - 12Sep09 . . . . . . . .Bouncy-bounce with headstones, 1st Presbyterian Church parking lot, Schenectady Stockade - 12Sep09

p.s. Special thanks, as ever, to Lawrence the Indian, who presided over yet another Stockade event with stoic dignity — and never refused to pose for a photograph. To wit:

Lawrence Circle, 58th Villager's Outdoor Art Show - Noon 12Sep09

Lawrence amidst Art Show bustle, seen from beside Arthur's Market, Front St., Schenectady - 12Sep09

Posted by: David Giacalone | September 10, 2009

looking for signs (historic anticipation)

Beth Petta with old and new Cucumber Alley Signs - 10Sep09 . . . .    Beth Petta displaying Cucumber Alley Stockade Historic District Sign - 10Sep09

It looked like an historic moment, around 1 PM this afternoon, at the corner of Washington Avenue and Cucumber Alley.   There stood Beth Petta with the much-anticipated Cucumber Alley – Stockade Historic District sign.  Although running late for a lunch date, I hurried inside to fetch my Canon camera, hoping to capture the event digitally.   After taking a few shots, I headed to lunch, thinking I’d find the new signs duly affixed to the pole on my return, and that I’d post the results here for all to see.

Beth and the new signs were gone, however, when I got back home at 3 PM.   My faulty assumptions left me a little disappointed, with only half a tale to tell.   When I downloaded the 1 P.M. photos to my computer, I noticed that the second sign brought by Beth was not Washington Avenue.  That should have been my first clue.

Stockade Historic District Signs - Cucumber Alley & Front St. - with Beth Petta 10Sep09

I’ll update this post with the information, as soon as Beth lets me know just what they were doing today with the signs, and the anticipated schedule for installation of the Historic District street signs, .  If you would like to learn more about the history and details of this “adopt a sign,” self-paid project, see Beth’s article on page 3 of the January Stockade Spy, “Stockade Street Sign Project Finally a Go!” (pdf.).  After all her work on this project, I’m certain Beth will be even more excited than I when the signs are finally in place.

update (Sept. 11, 2009):  Beth writes this morning that “yes, there’s activity again…finally.  still some details to be worked out…but i promise you it’s worth the wait to get it right. also, the city is doing the installation. yesterday was a fact finding day.”

follow-up (May 14, 2010): You’ll find lots of photos at our post “historic district signs arrive along Front St.”

afterword (Sept. 10, 2010):  It took exactly a year, but the Cucumber Alley and Washington Ave. sign went up today.  Read about it and see the pictures here.

Posted by: David Giacalone | September 10, 2009

Stockade views from Scotia’s Washington Avenue

Washington Avenue DeadEnd, Schenectady NY - winter09 . .  Washington Ave.? . . Washington Ave. Deadend - Scotia NY- Labor Day, 07Sep09

Schenectady (L) . . Washington Ave. deadend and balustrade . . Scotia (R)

A large percentage of my photographs are taken while standing or squatting at the end of Washington Avenue, Schenectady NY, on or near the abutment that once supported the Burr Bridge.  After a troubled start (described irreverently by me in 2005 at f/k/a), the 997-foot bridge was completed in 1808 and spanned the Mohawk River between Schenectady and Scotia, NY.  It was a covered wooden bridge until 1871, and then an iron bridge, which was condemned in 1926 and removed in 1936. See “Bridging the Mohawk” by John Gara and John Garver of the Union College Geology Department.  [As always, you can click on a photo to see a larger version, or scroll over it for a description.]

former Burr Bridge Abutment - Washington Ave, Stockade, Schenectady NY - 07Sep09 –  Burr Bridge end piers – Burr Bridge end-pier abutment - Scotia, NY - Nov08

Schenectady, NY . . Washington Ave. bridge abutments . . Scotia, NY

The 1871 iron version of the Burr Bridge was also known as the Glenville Bridge or the Washington Avenue Bridge, connecting Schenectady’s Washington Ave. with its namesake in Scotia.  Although the bridge’s piers were finally removed from the Mohawk River in 1946, its end piers (abutments) still exist where the respective Washington Avenues meet the River.

Burr Bridge Demolition - Plaque at Washington Ave. deadend, Scotia . . . . Burr Bridge demolition plaque

. . . . . before the bridge, there were ferries Scotia Ferries Plaque - Washington Ave. deadend, Scotia NY

street signs, Washington Ave. at Schonowee Ave, Scotia NY 07Sep09 Last Monday, on a lazy Labor Day afternoon, I decided to finally spend some time at the Scotia end of the erstwhile Burr Bridge, where Washington Ave. intersects with Schonowee Avenue and ends at the Mohawk River.  It gave me the opportunity to capture some Stockade Views as seen from the “other” Washington Avenue deadend.

Here are my first photos of the northside of the Isle of the Cayugas and the Western Gateway Bridge, taken from the deadend of Washington Avenue, Scotia, NY:

Isle of the Cayugas seen from the Scotia Washington Ave. deadend - 07Sep09

Western Gateway Bridge seen from the end of Washington Ave., Scotia NY - 07Sep09

. . . Here are views from the Scotia Burr Bridge abutment, looking eastward and then westward across the Mohawk River:

…………………. the view from the Washington Ave. deadend, Scotia NY looking eastward 07Sep09

Both Banks and a Boat from the Scotia Washington Ave. deadend - Labor Day 09 . . .  southwest view from the Scotia Burr Bridge abutment - 07Sep09

western view from the Washington Ave deadend, Scotia NY 07Sep09 ………………..

And, some of my favorite features of Riverside Park look pretty good from Scotia’s Washington Avenue deadend (through my PowerShot’s 12x optical lens):

the Stockade Pumphouse seen from Scotia's Washington Avenue abutment - 07Sep09

boat approaching the Stockade Burr Bridge abutment - Labor Day 2009

……………… Governor's Lane entrance to Riverside Park, Schenectady 07Sep09

. . .

Children's Playground & Tennis Courts - Riverside Park, Schenectady 07Sep09

Finally, a few more views of the Washington Ave. deadend in Scotia, with Schenectady’s Riverside Park in the background, across the River:

Washington Ave, Scotia NY, ends at Mohawk River - Labor Day 2009 .. the corner of Washington Ave. and Schonowee Ave, Scotia NY 07Sep09 . . Washington Ave. deadend, Scotia NY - Labor Day 2009

Posted by: David Giacalone | September 9, 2009

can’t keep this one to myself

. . . . . . . . sunset along the Mohawk River as seen from the backyard of 16 Washington Ave, Schenectady. 08Sep09

Frankly, even I sometimes get bored snapping Stockade sunset photos and posting them at this weblog.  But the sunset we had last night was just too lovely and interesting to keep to myself.  [I even used it in a new masthead above.] The photos in this post were taken September 8, 2009, at the end Washington Avenue or Cucumber Alley in the Stockade. (As always, click on a photo for a larger version)

Sunset from the Washing Avenue deadend, Schenectady Stockade 08Sep09

. . . Sunset seen from the end of Cucumber Alley, Schenectady Stockade - 08Sept09

Posted by: David Giacalone | September 8, 2009

Labor Day sunset

Labor Day sunset at Riverside Park with Sylvie and Lollipop 07Sep09 What better way is there to (unofficially) end summer than loitering in Riverside Park at sunset with my usual accomplices, Lollipop and Sylvie (seen lurking, ghost-like in the shadows at the head of this paragraph)?  The Park was surprisingly empty, so I’m posting a couple sunset photos for all who missed it.

. . . . . . . . . . . .  Labor Day 09 - sunset view over the Mohawk from Riverside Park

Labor Day 09 - sunset from the western end of Riverside Park, Schenectady

Posted by: David Giacalone | September 3, 2009

a year ago in the Stockade – early September 2008

1st Reform Church chanticleer, Schenectady Stockade, Labor Day, September 1, 2008 chanticleer One year ago this week, the weather was almost as perfect as the sunny, refreshing days and cool, dry nights we’re having as September 2009 unfolds and heads toward the Labor Day weekend.   Last year, I wasn’t yet used to taking my camera with me on my Stockade strolls, but the weather inspired me to both bring my PowerShot and actually snap a photo or two around the neighborhood.   Here are a few of the scenes and items that caught my eye the first week of September 2008. [click on a photo for a larger image; scroll over it for a description]

Labor Day, September 1, 2008, 1st Reform Church steeple, Schenectady Stockade ..  214 Union St., Schenectady, NY - September 1, 2008, Labor Day

above: the 1st Reform steeple and 214 Union St. (my former home) with newly-painted trim; below:  the cemetery at 1st Presbyterian Church and Lawrence Circle;  Labor Day, Sept. 1, 2008 –

Labor Day 2008 at the 1st Presbyterian Church Cemetery

. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Lawrence Circle, Schenectady Stockade, Labor Day, Sept. 1, 2008

flying goose Weather Vane, above 2 Cucumber Alley, Stockade, Labor Day 2008 . . . 2 Cucumber Alley weathervane, September 1, 2008

And, yes, there were memorable sunsets from Riverside Park that week; this trio of photos were taken September 2, 2008:

sunset seen from Riverside Park, Schenectady, 02Sep08

eastern view of sunset behind the Riverside Park swings - 02Sept08 .. Sunset across the Mohawk at Riverside Park, Schenectady - 02Sept08

. .  The lovely first week of September 2008 was capped off by the annual Outdoor Art Show.  As reported last year at f/k/a, the rainy remnants of tropical storm Hanna caused the 2008 Villagers Outdoor Art Show to be postponed a day.  The rain date, Sunday September 7, 2008, brought perfect late-summer weather and a large, happy crowd to the Stockade.

Lawrence Circle at the end of the Stockade Villagers Outdoor Art Show 2008

– Lawrence Circle at the conclusion of the 2008 Villagers Outdoor Art Show –

..  last year’s top two prize winners ..

I’m not sure if I’ll be snapping many photos over Labor Day Weekend this year, or at the 2009 art show.  I am going to appreciate every day of this perfect weather.  And, hope it will stick around or return for the 58th Annual Stockade Villager’s Outdoor Art Show, Saturday, September 12, 2009, 10 AM to 4 PM (rain date, Sunday Sept. 13, noon to 4 PM) — taking place, as always, at Lawrence’s Circle [Polachek Square] and the contiguous blocks of Front St., Green St. and N. Ferry St.

Posted by: David Giacalone | August 29, 2009

Aerobathon to benefit FCSS on September 20 [update: Event POSTPONED]

. .   . . Family & Child Service of Schenectady Aerobathon Flier - Sept. 20, 2009 fundraising event . . Flier

Aerobathon Fundraiser for Family & Child Service of Schenectady

Viniar Athletic Center, Union College, September 20, 2009 Postponed to an as-yet-undertermined date. We’re sorry for any inconvenience.

sunset behind 1 Cucumber Alley, Schenectady Stockade, 03June09 .  porch flower planter 16 Washington Av 09June09 . . Miner's Farm Swimming Pond, Duanesburg, NY 27Aug09

Whether you’re spending the last days of summer enjoying a Mohawk sunset with friends, reading a crime thriller on a Stockade porch, or out of town at your favorite lake or swimming hole, I hope you’ll put the FCSS Aerobathon on your post-Labor Day To-Do List.  The fundraiser [has been postponed and] will be held on September 20, 2009, from 1 to 3 PM on an as-yet-undetermined future date, on the Union College campus, Viniar Athletic Center, to help support the many programs offered by Family & Child Service of Schenectady — serving families with disabled children, frail at-home elderly, at-risk youth and many others who need a hand of support.

. . .  The 2-hour family-fun event will feature aerobics with instructor Lynn Neal and  “Zumba” (cool dance moves with hot Latin rhythms) with Deborah Spurgas.   The entry donation is $10 for adults and $7 for children 12 and under.   Go to the  FCSS Aerobathon Event page, or click on the flier above for more information.  You can use this “Aerobathon Registration form” or phone Family & Child Service at 393-1369 to register.

Contact FCSS at their Stockade headquarters, 246 Union St. (across from the Van Dyck) or by phone at (518) 393-1369.

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