Today’s View – 1/27/2021

Today’s View – 1/4/2021

Holiday View – 12/25/2020

Amsterdam, New York

A Walk in the Park

Today was the first time I left my house for something other than once a week shopping in over two months. The pandemic lockdown is slowly relaxing. Montgomery County, NY is among a few that are allowed to open in phases. With the gorgeous weather today, I ventured out to Riverlink Park. It was great to get out and smell the flowers and feel the sun on my skin again. Riverlink Park did not disappoint.

Photos were taken with the new Fuji X-T4 camera with both the XF 16-55 f/2.8 and the XF 50-140 f/2.8 lenses.

The View From Here

Photography is the art of capturing light. Light is the factor that can make an average or mundane scene spectacular by adding splashes of color and contrast.

The Covid-19 pandemic and its enduring lockdown has limited photographic subjects. My home happens to have an interesting view that comes alive with each sunrise or sunset, lit by either reflective or direct light.

Here are some images taken from my kitchen window over the past few months. The first was taken today, May 4, 2020.

 

New York City Marathon 2018

It was a beautiful day for a marathon! On Sunday, November 4, 2018 the largest marathon in the world with a distance of 26.219 miles, was held in NYC. Established in 1970 with the course running through all five boroughs of New York, the marathon’s many categories allow anyone to take part. We arrived about 9am and watched from the 18 mile marker (East 96th Street).

This year’s time did not break the course record of 02:05:05 set in 2011 but came close. In the  top spot for  the Pro Men was Lelisa Desisa /ETH with a time of 02:05:59, followed by Shura Kitata /ETH 02:06:01, Geoffrey Kamworor /KEN 02:06:26, Tamirat Tola ETH 02:08:30 and Daniel Wanjiru/ KEN 02:10:21.

In the Pro Women’s category the course record is 02:22:31 set in 2003. Mary Keitany /KEN came very close with a time of 02:22:48, followed by Vivian Cheruiyot /KEN 02:26:02, Shalane Flanagan /USA 02:26:22, Molly Huddle /USA 02:26:44 and Rahma Tusa /ETH 02:27:13.

It was my first time at the marathon and I was very pleased to photograph the fastest men and women in the world!

Condolence, Compassion, Community

On the 14th anniversary of the terrorist attack that occurred on September 11, 2001, the people of the City of Amsterdam, New York came together.  Politics, animosity, religious and cultural differences were set aside so our community could remember family members, first responders and volunteers who were injured or tragically and needlessly lost their lives in that horrific event. The ceremony was also a source of consolation for friends and family members of the victims who carry that grief to this day.

A piece of the fallen World Trade Center was erected as a remembrance in Amsterdam’s Riverlink Park. It was a solemn occasion consisting of familiar rituals, song and music designed to console those who are still suffering.

A second Soul Relieving Ceremony was held the next day by the Buddhist World Peace and Health and Guang Huan Mi Zong organizations utilizing the cultural and religious rituals familiar to the Chinese group. They prayed for the injured, lost and those who suffered on 9/11/2001.

Amsterdam’s Ungracious, Self-Serving Mayor

Mayor Ann Thane made an official statement today that the generous donation of video cameras in 2012 by the Buddhist World Peace and Health Organization was “basically worthless”. What an ungrateful and unprofessional statement to make. This was a professional video surveillance system that should have been installed two years ago. The twenty camera wireless video surveillance system was donated by WPHO member Sky Deng, whose company LYD Technology USA Inc. produces the systems. Dr. Govind Rao even donated $6,000 to pay for the camera system installation.  Smaller scale video systems produced by Sky Deng’s company now cover the Amsterdam Goddess of Mercy Temple and rectory, Amsterdam Five Buddha Temple and rectory, private homes owned by the WPHO in Amsterdam as well as this blogger’s residence. These camera systems all run very well. Video clips from this blogger’s surveillance system helped the APD identify vandals that damaged property on Grove Street.

The City is now scrambling to save face after an incident last week where vandals caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to a downtown hotel that was closed pending renovation.

The statement posted by Mayor Ann Thane on Facebook:

In response to the senseless destruction at the downtown hotel, please know that our police department will hunt down these criminals and prosecute them to the full extent of the law. Amsterdam Police Department Chief of Police Gregory Culick informs me that the camera guy was in his office yesterday to discuss finishing installation of the cameras they had ordered (the cameras donated to us by the World Peace and Health Organization two years ago were basically worthless.) New beat patrols had been instituted about a month ago. If you are willing and able to help be the eyes and ears of the APD, please call 842-1100 for more information.

This link to my 2012 blog article describes the camera donation: Buddhists Donate Security Cameras to the City of Amsterdam

This is a link to former Gazette reporter Ed Munger’s article describing the donation: Buddhists Give Amsterdam 20 Video Cameras

Amsterdam Mayor Ann Thane owes the WPHO a formal apology for that despicable statement and should accept blame for not following through with the camera installation. The Mayor keeps reminding us that she alone is responsible for the day to day operation of the city.

  Mayor Ann Thane, you failed the citizens of Amsterdam!

So long it’s been good to know yuh!

Pete Seeger 1919-2014

I heard the news today that Pete Seeger died at the ripe old age of 94. Pete Seeger was a legend in the folk music scene. A writer and performer who won Grammy awards and the American Music award, Pete was also an activist who fought for equal rights and environmental action. He founded the group Clearwater,Inc. that was established to educate the public about pollution in our waterways. Clearwater’s lobbying efforts helped win a court decision ordering GE to remove years of toxic PCB contamination from New York State’s Hudson River. Pete was also a friend who I met in the late 80’s through my late partner Ken Yeso who worked for Clearwater as an environmental educator. I became a Clearwater volunteer and freelance photographer, contributing photos for the Clearwater Navigator as well as the annual catalog. Pete and Toshi Seeger made you feel like you were part of an extended family. Their generosity had no limits. When Ken died in 1993, we held his service aboard the sloop Clearwater on the Hudson River near the Bear Mountain Bridge. Pete and other Clearwater members attended. Pete wrote and performed a short song in honor of my partner Ken. Pete Seeger will be missed by his huge extended family.

Ken Yeso 1954-1993

Skeeter Creek

The Greater Amsterdam Riverlink Park experienced a record-breaking crowd of Skeeter Creek fans as the modern country band performed Saturday evening. With an estimate of over 600 people in attendance, remarks like, wow, unbelievable, amazing and fantastic were echoed in the crowd.

The local country band consisting of Joe Kulewicz – lead guitar/vocals, Dave Ahl – lead vocals, Dean Haskin – drums, Dominic Paratore – keyboards/vocals, Rikk Anderson – steel guitar/vocals, Renee Lussier – vocals and Juan Lopez – bass/vocals is just soaring in popularity with a fan base that has quadrupled since last season. Their performance last night of popular country songs and upbeat tempos drew large numbers of people to the dance floor. The high-energy crowd was on their feet moving and singing to the popular tunes while trying to capture images of their favorite band member on portable electronic devices.

The Grove Street Photographer covered the 2012 Skeeter Creek event at Riverlink Park and was able to get some good photos. This year the large number of attendees hindered any hopes of a video but the following images recorded the event.