Great blue heron

Saw one flying gracefully over Stoney Clove Creek this morning, around 9 (the one I saw was heading down toward Phoenicia, right to left).

Outliers

Book discussion at the CPOA Community House, 10am.

Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: the story of success. (2008). New York: Little, Brown and Co.

Dewey Decimal number: 302 G

300 – Social sciences
302 Social interaction


The book is divided into two parts; in turn, each part is subdivided into chapters:


I. Opportunity

1. Matthew Effect
2. 10,000-hour rule
3. Trouble with geniuses, part 1
4. Trouble with geniuses, part 2
5. Three lessons of Joe Flom

II. Legacy

6. Harlan, Kentucky
7. Ethnic theory of plane crashes
8. Rice paddies and math tests
9. Marita's bargain

An Epilogue follows: a Jamaican story.

Several points of interest are raised; these are some of the hyperlinks that lead to some of these points:

Eli Wald. Legal Ethics and Legal Profession. Charles W. Delaney Jr. Associate Professor of Law. University of Denver. Gladwell cites Professor Wald's work in discussing Jewish law firms (in chapter 5). One of the professor's publications is The Rise and Fall of the WASP and Jewish Law Firms, 60 Stan. L. Rev. 1803 (2008). A companion paper by Professor Wald is: The Rise of the Jewish Law Firm or is the Jewish Law Firm Generic.

Reference is made to: Howe, Michael. Genius explained. (1999). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Harold C. Schoenberg is quoted as saying that "Mozart developed late."

Geert Hofstede's work on cultural dimensions is cited.

Concepts and programs:
TIMSS (http://nces.ed.gov/timss/) - Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
KIPP - KIPP: Knowledge Is Power Program

Other books mentioned:

Auchincloss, Louis. (2003). The scarlet letters. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Skadden.
Caplan, Lincoln. (2003). Skadden: power, money, and the rise of a legal empire. New York : Farrar Straus Giroux.




Googling certain terms and scouring the daily media produced other results:

Perfection in the Horseshoe Pit: an article in the New York Times directly relevant to Gladwell's thesis of 10,000 hours of practice.

Malcom Gladwell's new book Outliers The Story of Success: a blog post at Plaintiff Trial Lawyer Tips.

And a good time was had by all

John Zirinsky's Birthday party, Saturday, 17 July 2010

Crickets, Bonfires And Dance Alfresco

An article in today's edition of the New York Times is about, among other topics, the Mt. Tremper Arts Festival.

Mathew Pokoik -The Mount Tremper Arts Festival is a summertime dance destination in the Catskills where cellphones aren’t much use. 

MOUNT TREMPER ARTS FESTIVAL Through Aug. 15; (845) 688-9893, mounttremperarts.org; all events, $15.
HOMER AND LANGLEY’S MYSTERY SPOT ANTIQUES 72 Main Street, Phoenicia, N.Y.; (845) 688-7868, lauralevine.com/mystery-spot.
KAATERSKILL FALLS TRAIL localhikes.com, search for “Kaaterskill Falls.”
SWEET SUE’S 49 Main Street, Phoenicia, N.Y.; (845) 688-7852.

JACOB’S PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL Through Aug. 29, 358 George Carter Road, Becket, Mass.; (413) 243-0745, jacobspillow.org; $10-$68 and more than 200 free events.

APPLETON HOUSE BED & BREAKFAST 455 Chapel Street, Lee, Mass.; (413) 243-9093, appletonhouse.com.

BECKET LAND TRUST HISTORIC QUARRY AND FOREST Hikes and more, 456 Quarry Road, Becket, Mass; (413) 623-2100, becketlandtrust.org.

DREAM AWAY LODGE 1342 County Road, Becket, Mass. Web site has driving directions; (413) 623-8725, thedreamawaylodge.com.

FANCYPANTS CONSIGNMENT CAFÉ 28 Park Street, Lee, Mass.; (413) 243-0011.

CITY BALLET Through Saturday, Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center, 108 Avenue of the Pines, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; (518) 584-9330, spac.org; $18-$72.50.
DOCKSIDE LANDING Boat rentals, 47 Canada Street, Lake George, N.Y.; (518) 668-4300, lakegeorgeboats.com.
RERUNS CONSIGNMENT SHOP 1 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; (518) 583-9153.

Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times - Samantha Taylor serving brunch at Sweet Sue’s in Phoenicia, N.Y., a popular spot near the Mount Tremper Arts Festival.

July 4 BBQ & Dance

early July

late June 2010

As June ended, the temperature rose to summer heights, and Chichester took on color: day lilies in their lush oranges, the sky in its cerulean blue, plants and trees and lawns in splendid green.

  The community grounds have recovered from the harsh winter.

Remains of last summer's bonfire: surely seasoned wood.

The swimming hole is ready.

But, the water level is down severely.

Watershed acquisition program

A story appeared in The Daily Mail, a Greene County newspaper, that might be of interest.


Watershed stakeholders issue new land acquisition program

Document would extend DEP authority through 2022

By Jim Planck - Hudson-Catskill Newspapers - Published: Friday, June 18, 2010 2:13 AM EDT

New York City’s land acquisition program in its Catskill Mountains watershed region — officially known as the West of Hudson Watershed — has been one of the Big Apple’s shining stars for water quality protection since its inception in 1997.

Click on the headline of this post for the full story.

mid June

a single red leaf on Stone Clove Lane in mid June.

reduced water level exoses sides in beaver pond at Warner Creek.

end of May

As always, Spring arrives in Chichester about three weeks after it arrives downstate. This rhododendron is in full bloom on the morning of May 29.

There appears to be a large outbreak of poison ivy this year. In our yard there is poison ivy camouflaged by ferns and other plants. But it is also out in the open:

these are leaves of a poison ivy vine clinging to a tree along Stoney Clove Lane.

Colgate Lake in May

One of the nearby treasures to our community is Colgate Lake. In Green County, north of Tannersville, it is a half hour ride away from Stoney Clove Lane. The grounds were refurbished a couple of years ago. Boating, swimming, fishing and hiking.

May days

The winter floods left our grounds in bad shape. Note the damage to the familiar sights of familiar places. That is a beach on which yes, that dog again, stands; those boulders used to be in the middle of Stoney Creek last summer.

Stoney Creek overruns its banks when the water rises rapidly; our parking area is part of its natural flood plain.

Notice how detritus and flotsam gets trapped behind the trees before the riding toys.

mid-April

Along upper Stoney Clove Lane, signs of Spring brought the first bright sprigs of color.

Beavers continue to make Warner Creek home.






To get a good look at some of the severe damage wrought by this past winter, take a look at the pictures attached to this post.

Early April

Along Stoney Clove Lane tree litter remained as memento of one of the roughest winter storms anyone can remember. Some claim it was the worst snowfall in memory. Tannersville received 80 inches of snow. There was an avalanche at Notch Inn, along Route 214. Clearing snow and making roads passable became the order of the day for several days.

After the snowstorms, after contacting insurance, electric, cable and telephone companies, came the cleanup. Needles and branches and limbs fell from many of the Eastern white pine trees that tower over our roads and yards.

As April started the snow has almost-completely melted. Here and there, in shady spots that received very little sunshine, packs of ice lingered. Some tree breaks loomed as reminders of the power of the winter's storms.

Up at Warner Creek the effects of the winter waters remained. This picture shows the expanded stream bed that the usually-placid stream carved as it roared with the power of an engorged river. And early signs of approaching spring appeared.

Some kept a watch.

56 inches of snow

February snow storm

Pictuers shot and provided by Leon Lundervold. 56 inches of snow fell in Chichester. 80 inches were recorded in Tannersville.

February snow storm

56 inches of snow fell in Chichester. 80" in Tannersville.

February 2010 - North-South Lake

February 14, 1.45pm on a very cold and windy afternoon.

There's that dog again.

Olive Library: Two Pianos

Concert at the Olive Public Library, one of the "Trail Mix" series. The Olive Library is a beautiful building on Route 28A (going right onto 28A just after the IGA supermarket, for 3½ miles). Spacious, it has a large room off the main library area, where a grand old piano is kept.

It was cold and crisp as the concert started at 2.30 a winter's afternoon. The program was:

• Mozart - Fantasia in f minor KV 608
• Schubert - Fantasia in f minor op. 103
• Schumann - Pictures from the East op. 66
• Gottschalk -
• Souvenir de Porto Rico op. 31
• Manchega - op. 38 (Etude de concert)
• Rakhmaninov - Vocalise op. 34, 14 (Arranged for two pianos by A. Ovsyannikov)
• Shostakovich - Concertino in a minor op. 94 for two pianos

President Lincoln heard Gottschalk play, and praised him. Rachmaninov (name, as is so common with Russians, can be spelled different ways) is a particular favorite, very romantic and lyrical. The Shostakovich piece was a rousing finale. As the concert unfolded snow began falling; it was a slow, slippery ride back to Chichester.

January 2010 - Chichester

Friday, 1 January: 25º at 10pm. Saturday the 2nd, 4º around midnight.

This shot of the CPOA clubhouse was taken on the 2nd from the far end of the parking area, at 1.30pm.

The second shot is of Maxwell checking out matters near the CPOA bridge. The third one overlooks Stoney Clove Creek.