suns along the Mohawk

Although we had no postings here at Suns along the Mohawk during July 2021, I took photos throughout the month that I’d like to share. As you can see on the left, in a photo taken July 1st at 207 Union Street, the month started with the promise of sunflowers.

  By the end of the month (see photo at right), Gloria’s colorful flowers and Bob’s Little Book Nook brought many pedestrians to a stop for a lingering look.

• Click on a photo for a larger version!

Scenes in the Stockade, including Riverside Park along the Mohawk River, captured my interest all month long, as you can see below.

But first, east of Nott Street:

While most of us spent Independence Weekend in leisurely pursuits, former Stockade good doggie, and Instagram Star, Oakley Nicholas was working hard at his Niskayuna Love in Action Food Drive. [poster on left by S. Lauren] When I arrived in the early evening of July 4 to drop off non-perishables, Oakley was fairly worn out from being a celebrity fundraiser all day.  Lucky for him, Oakley is always in the good hands of his mommy Stacey Lauren, who also spent many years living in the Stockade:

• • • • • Oakley hopes to soon have a Stockade Love Adventure, and I will keep the community apprised. 

July 4th also brought a sight like I had never seen before, as I was heading home from visiting Oakley. It got me to pull over and pull out my pocket camera: The ugly utility wires on Union Street that I so often malign were caught in the golden glow of early sunset. Maybe others who live along Union and parallel streets see this happening often, but for me it was a uniquely gilded scene that I needed to capture. It happened on several blocks west of Brandywine Street, before Union Avenue. [click on a photo for a larger image]

 . . 

After following Union Street, I arrived back at Cucumber Alley, and was greeted by, and treated to, an inspiring Independence Day sunset along the Mohawk at the Isle of the Cayugas, featuring a swath of colorful clouds above and upon the Mohawk:

.. we’ve seen a lot of special sunsets from Riverside Park this year.

Here are some of the other July images that caught my fancy:

 . . on Green Street, another promise of sunflowers to come

. . Also, at the newly restored gardens on the west end of Riverside Park (thank you James!):

 . .

. . and, while at the Park, wondering what was causing the eerie bright light coming from inside the Isle of the Cayugas:

. .

• As seems to happen every year, I relearned the name “hydrangea”, and applied it to several lovely July arrays:

    . . – such as one [to the left] that I enjoy every year across from St. George’s front door, at 29 N. Ferry; and, another [immediately below] at the western entry to Riverside Park:

. . at the Washington Ave. dead-end

. . In addition, there was noteworthy new (to me) display adorning the front of my former home on Union Street (where I usually planted large wood chips):

.. 

Across from the hydrangeas at 214 Union Street stands Bob Lemmerman’s much-admired Little Lending Library (blue Book Nook), standing stoically while steadily encroached upon by Gloria’s colorful blooms:

Naturally, I checked regularly for sunflower progress at the annually-abundant display along the white picket fence at 29 Front Street. [e.g., this image from July 2020] They looked good mid-July (and the tall, filled-in plants are definitely worth a visit now in mid-August):

. .

On North Ferry Street, north of Lawrence, window boxes caught my eye mid-block; this is one:

 . . and, a flower box of potted impatiens near the corner of Cucumber and Washington Avenue were remarkable for having survived and thrived for two weeks after I put them there.

Finally, the mosaic squares below have images taken at the SOS Save Our Services rally on Sunday, July 25, 2021 at Veteran’s Park (my entry to the Park shown to the left), where speakers explained why we need to be concerned about the impending (actually, slowly occurring) merger of Ellis Hospital with Trinity Health, the parent of St. Peter’s Hospital. The issues are well worth considering, but I am displaying the photos here because I like the looks of them. 

co-host Arthur Butler helps set up

Rev. Kathy Gorman-Coombs

Justice Dazzle

Marion Porterfield [L], Carl Williams (at podium), and Dammoni Farley

Michelle Ostrelich meets the press

attentive crowd

.