Granville Daily Photo

  While walking the rail trail the other day, I passed these slate holdings on the other side of the fence. They belong to a company called Millenium Slate.  This small section of Granville could be called our industrial zone. Also here are Telescope (maker of casual outdoor furniture) and Saint-Gobain, a French-based manufacturer of materials including plastics. The Granville facility makes tapes and adhesive products. I wanted to get a photo of the Saint-Gobain facility, but there was a man in a bright yellow jacket keeping an eye on me -- clearly a security guard. So I politely kept my camera at my side. I don't see a lot of people using the rail trail, but if they do, that security guard would be busy a lot!

Birds have been on my mind lately as we move into peak migration season in the Northeastern U.S. And they've been popping up in other DPBs too. Here's a not-very-good photo I took the other day of a European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Native to Europe and Asia, it was introduced to North America in the late 1800s and is now among the most abundant species across the entire continent.  There is an apocryphal story that a man called Schiefflin wanted to have all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare's works brought to America. He snuck 100 starlings into Central Park in New York City and released them -- and the rest is history, as the saying goes.  Alas, a researcher in the past decade or so pretty much debunked that story. At least that wasn't the first time that starlings were introduced on the continent. The bird in this photo was singing -- if you can call their variety of squeaks, whistles, and mimicry a "song" -- with its throat puffed up, presumably showi...

It finally occurred to me on Day 56 (if I'm counting correctly) that I haven't shown you what the Village of Granville looks like! So here's a view onto Main Street or "Downtown" or whatever you want to call it. The clock at the far right is part of the town's war memorial. Businesses line either side of the street beyond the yellow lights. A couple of pubs, two pizza shops, and other miscellany. The road goes straight for about a quarter of a mile, then curves left to merge with Quaker Street, which has more shops -- gas stations, car washes, Dunkin' Donuts, a hardware store, the school, the pharmacy, etc. If you turn left at the light, onto Church Street, where the white pickup truck can be seen, you cross the river, pass the funeral home and Telescope, and come to the Price Chopper (grocery store) plaza. Across the street from that is the Van Riper Greenhouse where I took photos the other day. My house is only two blocks from where this photo was taken,...

It's fun to imagine what this restaurant, "The Forum," was like. Half lighthouse, half Granville's own "Windows On the World." The only thing I could find online says it seated at least 100. I can't find any information on when it closed. I'll have to ask the town historian. It gives off a vibe of "many years," although the painted name looks relatively fresh. "Bernardo's 5" is a more recent casualty, having only closed a few months ago. The restaurant business is hard everywhere.

What could be more perfect on a warm spring day in late April than watching a greenhouse/nursery in Granville get ready for the season? The greenhouses were bursting with color! The sentiment seems apprpriate! Van Riper's Greenhouse is a family-owned business. The owner (at back) and an employee get ready for next weekend's opening day. Red, white, pink, green. Hanging baskets and hard work. A symphony of color. I'm running out of words. The photos and the flowers speak for themselves. If you happen to be in Granville, New York, USA, on May 1, stop by Van Riper's Greenhouse for opening day! It's right past Telescope and across the street from the Price Chopper plaza.

These pictures are from a ramble yesterday at the West Rutland Marshes, another Important Bird Area (IBA), this time in Vermont. Unlike the complex of agrigultural lands and state-owned parcels at the Washington County Grasslands, this mix of freshwater marshes and forested swamps is presumably preserved for the future. If I had to guess, I'd say the sprawling Phragmites (aka Common Reed) and other invasives are probbly the biggest threat. West Rutland Marsh IBA from the boardwalk, Most of the photos here are from the Whipple Hollow Trail, which features a path through the forested swamplands.  Bloodroot flowers along the Whipple Hollow Trail. Spring green birch trees at the back end of the marsh. Are youi sick of green yet? False Hellibore in the swamp. Ending the day with a deep pink sunset. Among the many species of birds scene/heard included: Osprey, Marsh Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Raven, Swamp Sparrow, and Brown Creeper. P.S. I mi...

On a blustery Thursday afternoon, I left work early and drove the 25 minutes from my house to look out on this scene: the Washington County Grasslands (also known as the Fort Edward Grasslands). For miles around, this area is agricultural land. The complex of grasslands themselves are believed to be the largest intact such habitat in the northeastern United States. For good reason, the area was designated in New York State as an "Important Bird Area," or "IBA." In winter it supports a population of Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus) and Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius), and in breeding season one can find Boblink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna), and other grassland-obligate species. American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) are found year-round. Short-eared Owl has been declared an endangered species in the state; Northern Harrier is threatened. As I stood there and looked, a beautiful adult female harrier cruised over the fields. The owls ...

  Wells, Vermont, is another tiny town that borders Granville, New York. And when I say tiny, I mean it's population is barely 1,200 -- even smaller than the neighboring town of Pawlet, Vermont. It barely has a town center -- only some churches and a country store. I had an errand in Wells today and took these photos of a gazebo on a campground and the village school, which looks like it could have been a church or meeting house in a past life, but in fact was built as a school in 1899 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Bennington College is a place for creatives. It was one of the first, if not the first college to make art a core part of the curriculum. A small exhibition of student work is in the hallway of my office building. These are a few of my favorite pieces. In the interest of giving credit where credit is due, here is the poster for the show. Nicely done, Bennington students!

Adirondack chairs, Bennington College campus, Bennington, Vermont

Greetings from snowy Rutland, where winter has decided it's not quite done with us, and I've been waiting four hours (and heaven knows how many dollars) for my car to be repaired. This little guy was an agreeable companion in the waiting room. He's Grady, 16 years old, and a Maltipoo (a new one for me -- a cross between a Maltese and Toy Poodle). He kind of looks like a big rat -- but he's adorable.

 

No, it's not Thanksgiving today! In neighboring Pawlet, Vermont, they held an event commemorating the reintroduction of Wild Turkey into the state in February 1969. A plaque is being placed on the rail trail, near where we went looking for woodcock last weekend, where the first flock of 35 birds were released into the wild. Wild Turkey were extirpated in Vermont in the mid-1800s; today there are an estimated 45,000 living throughout the state. It was admittedly a long and boring hour of speeches, including by Vermont Governor Phil Scott (shown). There were lots of people thanked. And two stuffed turkeys. Why did they choose today for this event? I have no clue. This reminds me of the only horror film about a giant monster bird: "The Giant Claw" from the 1960s. Governor Scott addressing a crowd of about 75 people in the center of West Pawlet. P.S. I realized I missed a day this past week; hence the extra post today!

Maple sugaring evaporator, done for the year. As anyone who has lived in the country and/or New England can tell you, it takes 40 gallons of sap (on average) to make one gallon of maple syrup. I am two weeks too late to see the sap boiling, feel the steam emanating from the condenser, and smell the aroma of maple syrup being made. Luckily I can still buy myself a quart of dark, robust-flavored maple syrup (my favorite) at Rathbun's, the nearest sugarhouse to me, in Whitehall, New York.  Here are a few more pictures from a brief morning outing. I'm saving another photo for tomorrow, one that I particularly like. Display of maple syrup at Rathbun's sugarhouse. Old pickup truck out front. Sugarhouse in back, restaurant at the left. Another view of the evaporator.