Spotted on Glen Island today.
Have You Seen the Whale?
Sleeping Whale Island, sometimes also called Whale Rock, is a familiar sight for boaters.
Indian folklore, handed down for many generations, told of a species of fresh water whale that once inhabited numerous lakes in the north country.
Sleeping Whale Island gets its destinctive name from this legend. The story that I’ve always heard and which is corraborated in the book, Stories of Lake George, Fact and Fancy, by Thomas Reeves Lord is that the Indians told that the only proof left that these whales existed was through enormous casts where one could see their shape.
Thus the name Sleeping Whale Island. Can you see it?
Historic Huletts Beer Can Art
Many people may remember longtime Huletts resident, Frank Nelson, who passed away sometime in the late 1970’s or early 1980’s. He lived past the entrance to the Mountain Grove Memorial Church.
I came across these recently and thought they’d make an interesting story. One of Mr. Nelson’s hobbies was making artwork that resembled miniature furniture out of beer cans. These were some of the pieces he gave to me when I was younger.
He basically took a beer can, cut it and twisted it and added padding for the seat and turned it into a miniature furniture set.
I took two shots of the same pieces below. Here is what the finished product looked like.
Here you can clearly see the bottom of the beer can under the padding.
Many people in Huletts probably have some of these pieces still around but it’s a great example of taking everyday garbage and making something useful and artistic out of it. The funny thing is, Mr. Nelson actually told me; “Hold onto these, someday they’ll be worth something.”
If you have any beer cans left over from the 4th, you can try it too! It proves the old axiom, “that one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure!”
Baby Pine Cone
A pine tree is a type of conifer in the division Pinophyta. Would you believe there are over 100 different species of pine? In any event, there are already pine cones appearing on their branches. Here was one I caught yesterday blowing in the wind.
Rainbow Over Route 4
On the way back to Huletts last night, as we were driving north on Route 4, we came across a brilliant rainbow. So we stopped and I was able to shoot some video. So here it is.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiKNm3Gjtf4
Bits of Everything
Lake George Forum Sold to Father of Actor Ralph Macchio
That’s right, the father of the Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio Sr., and owner of the Wild West Ranch, purchased the Lake George Forum.
Read about it in the Post Star.
Lake George Stream Rules Move Forward
The Albany Times Union reports that the proposed stream rules are moving forward but any further public hearings will take place in the “off-season” preventing seasonal residents from attending. Not a good sign for openness.
Floating on the Wind
Now for Some History – 1951
Click the Image to See Full Scale
This was a picture that didn’t make it into my book but because it’s a very early color photo of Huletts, I thought I’d share it here.
Some facts about the Ticonderoga (II)
Year Completed: 1944
Where Built: Bay City, Michigan
Cost to Build: $250,000
Length: 168 feet
Beam: 25′ 6″
Draft: 7′
Displacement: 360 tons
Construction: Steel
Horsepower: 900
Speed: 14 m.p.h.
Bits of Everything
Ironside Has Become Rusty
Denton Publications has a story about guardrails that were supposed to be an environmental innovation, becoming well……rusty.
Warren & Washington County Homes Sales Plunge
The Post Star has a story about plummeting homes sales in Warren and Washington Counties.
When Photoshopping Goes Too Far
Here’s an interesting story about how some media outlets have gotten into trouble when they photoshop images. This is an interesting subject as image manipulation becomes more advanced. (The code on the page linked to has an error which may force you to scroll to the right to see the article.)
Before You Leave – Try These
This is a great piece on becoming an eco-driver. If you do these simple things when driving, you’ll help the environment and save money also.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COvzakAmcF8
To learn more about eco-driving check out this website.
All Things Beautiful
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colours,
He made their tiny wings.
The purple headed mountains,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning,
That brightens up the sky;
The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one:
The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
We gather every day;
He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell,
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.
Cecil Alexander
Bits of Everything
Absentee Ballot Count to Start Wednesday
Budget Passed, Forest Preserve Tax Cap Eliminated
Price Chopper Expands Supermarket in Granville
Editor’s Note: Because Granville is in Washington County, sales tax collected here will go into Washington County’s total.
Bits of Everything
Clean Water in a Septic Tank
How would you like to get clear water without odor in your septic tank? Read about an amazing new product by Aero-Stream.
Excerpted from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Posted: Nov. 21, 2008
Thoughts of gurgling toilets, sewage backup and foul-smelling liquid saturating the lawn flashed across Karl Holt’s mind when he realized his septic tank was nearly full.
It was potentially a very dirty problem, but Holt said he didn’t like the available remedies.
Pumping the tank is a short-term solution, and additives can hurt more than they help, he reasoned. Replacing the system would cost a minimum of $15,000 – not including re-seeding the lawn and replacing the deck.
“I was looking to save that $15,000,” said Holt, 45, president of Aero-Stream LLC in Hartland.
So he began tinkering.
The result is a patented product that sells for less than $1,000 that Holt says homeowners can use to revive failed septic systems and avoid more expensive alternatives. …
Aero-Stream®’s product, called a Remediator, transforms a septic system into one that is filled with oxygen-loving bacteria instead of less efficient, oxygen-hating bacteria, Holt said.
Call it aerobic exercise for a septic system; the Remediator pumps oxygen into the tank through a hole customers drill in its cover.
Holt says that destroys within 48 hours the oxygen-hating bacteria in the tank that have been eating the waste and encourages the growth of oxygen-loving bacteria.
Oxygen-rich liquid begins to flow out of the tank into the leach field. The oxygen-loving bacteria are so much more efficient at gobbling up waste they cut off the oxygen-hating bacteria’s food source by 70% to 80%, Holt said. They also eat the black slimy mix of oxygen-hating bacteria and their secretions that have been clogging the soil, and treated water starts flowing again down into the water table.
“Many people, even in the industry, do not understand the mechanics of the process and therefore find it difficult to comprehend the simple solution,” Holt said.
Read the whole piece here. Read about the company here. If only the LGPC and the environmental organizations would concentrate on products like these, we could improve the environment without taking people’s property rights away.