WELCOME TO LATEST ACTIVITY
Summer, 2009
...stories, artwork and photos from our kayak adventures...
June 27, 2009: It's Saturday and it looks like a real winner, having already checked the tide charts we know that today is one of the lowest tides of the month due to the new moon and it peaks at 8:30 a.m. we are already in the kayaks at 7:30 a.m. and paddling south to our "secret spot" where we KNOW we will find plenty of treasure. The HUNT is on!
With the tide still pulling, we arrive at our destination within an hour, 4 miles down river. We pull up and thank goodness we have the booties, the petite waves create a clinkling noise where water meets glass and it washes back and forth. A fantastic sound that reminds you of delicate chimes... another good reason to wear kayak booties is to avoid a spectacular cut.
Today, I have a trowel with me, thinking if I dig I will find more. Not the way it is actually, because everything we see and pick is right on the beach itself. A wonderland of beach glass, china shards and weird and mysterious stuff from the 1900's and earlier, much earlier. We find a porcelain doll's leg, about 1" long, some of the paint is still in tact on the shoe. I find a couple of old pestals, as in, "mortar and pestal" that were used to grind powders, etc. Lots of black glass dating back to the 1700's which were known to hold beer.
We returned with quite a collection, in fact our kayaks were at least 20 lbs. heavier as we paddled back up the Hudson. It was all worth every minute of muscle pain. We LOVE it!
June 21, 2009:
What with the weather!!! Happy Fathers Day! We had a small break in the weather and after working in the yard all day, we decided to take a chance. It is muggy, the sun is poking in and out, a visitor stops with his homemade kayak, a teacher at Rockland Community College as it turns out. He tries out the surf ski and does remarkably well. We get the instant bug, the water calls...let's go to the "tree" for a hunt. As the tide pulls us out, it is low and we yearn to find some teasure along the shore. We pass Grand View Village Hall and promise ourselves we will stop on the return. Cruising with the out going low tide, we are quickly upon the spot where we know there are some beach glass shards for the taking. Yes!
Perfect triangle beach glass, no momentous colors but the shape is incredibly important too. As we move down the shore, we notice a storm swelling to the North, "let's do it!" We decide to outrun the storm (not smart, BTW) if it actually comes to that. As we pull up to the rocky shore, we are immediately engaged in the task at hand, "the hunt." China shards and a few bottle necks are found. But the treasure of the day, an antique toothbrush made of bone! Could it be GW's?!
Now, I think it is bone, my partner thinks it is plastic, because it is hard to believe that we have discovered this piece, into the bag it goes. Turns out it IS bone and probably dates to the eraly 1800's.
Time to go, the sky is thickening. We see rain over the Tappan Zee, moving East, there is a clearing to the West which is exactly where we are headed. "Start padding!!" it is immediate mayhem, as we fight through the driving rain and wind, I am happy! This is what I love, the adrenalin is kickin' in and I am chasing the storm ahead. We are going to beat it, BAM! The rain is hitting my face like pellets, feels GREAT! This is what it is to be alive, I think to myself. I dig and pull and we are all of a sudden in calm waters pulling up to the property, ahhhhhh! There is nothing better...
Another day where the rubber meets the river.
June 12, 2009: It's Saturday and after a week of rain we are in the mindset that it will not rain today. Our plan: a new trip. Today we are venturing across the river to the Ardsley-on-Hudson train station about a 50 minute paddle. As we cross we see a beautiful sailing vessel, "Mystic Whaler" from New London, CT heading up river, about 60' in length. Pulling along the Ardsley train station a family is waiting for the train all decked out in their Mets gear...they wished they could be us!
Anyway, our goal was to get down to Dobbs Ferry...why? I am not sure, but my grandmother said it was very "fashionable." This is all in the past now because it was a indistinguishable rivertown with a hazy view of New York City and the great cliffs of the Palisades. From here we move from the East bank due West to Tallman, our favorite spot. It is now raining, but the river is calm and the air is warm.
After picking up a few pieces of beach glass and china shards, including an old green glass bottle stopper, we slowly move along the western shore of the River past acres of cattails which move in and out as the high tide covers and and uncovers the long green strands like a million emerald necklaces caught in the water.
Now the paddling becomes meditative, we are on hour four and heading home. As I am paddling, I pull with a methodical beat making a clear path towards the Tappan Zee not thinking about much but listening to the water as my boat slices through. It is exhilerating and relaxing at the same time. There are three fishing boats camped under the bridge and six kayaks make their way towards us. We pull into the boat ramp pleasantly exhausted from another quiet day on the river.
June 6, 2009:
Where did May go? I will tell you, it rained the entire month...thus kayaking was limited, if not completely out of the question, but today was different. A sunny 80 degrees on the official Quadricentennial of Henry discovering the Hudson River in 1609. Pretty cool stuff. After foregoing an invitation to Antiques Roadshow in Atlantic City, we stayed local. Soon after checking out the Piermont Pier by bike, the officer on duty said "she'll be here in 15 minutes." We jumped back on the bikes and roared down River Road and slammed the kayaks into the River, immediately taking off towards the Piermont Pier. We could see the flotilla moving slowly up-river. It is incredibly deceiving because the ships look as if they won't fit under the Tappan Zee Bridge and secure thoughts of: "we can catch them" ....NOT!
After 45 minutes of paddling harder than I think I have ever paddled in my life, we were finally gaining. There she was the "Half Moon" followed by dozens of privately skippered sail boats, at least 4 coast guard power boats and even a police cigarette boat ominously gazing in my direction ...as I crossed the shipping lane of the mighty Hudson! That was the least of it because as I was desperately trying to reach the fleet, who was sailing from NYC to Albany, I was faced with an oncoming barge powered by a tug that seemed quite unforgiving about it's goal to get down-river! I had a few several hundred yards and fewer minutes to get out of the way. Without missing a beat, I pulled out my Canon digital with telephoto lense and captured the oncoming barge, splashing towards me. I can hardly relate the situation other than it was a dramatic moment which only fueled my desire to keep digging my paddle through the river water. I even gave a wave hello to the police boat, who's occupants could only stare me down with disdain.
After reaching the safe zone and now, on the other side of the river, I could take a breath. Behind us came a beautiful green wooden sail boat with a rust colored sail. The occupants said they had sailed from Philipsburg Manor, another sail boat crossed in front, someone yelled "I hope you have good insurance for that camera!" Very funny!
Now it was time to click away. Pete Seeger's Clearwater was just passing under the large span of the bridge and low and behold, here comes the Half Moon, "she's turning around!" I scream. We poise ourselves and I am clicking and my kayak mate is shooting film of the event.
Indeed, the Half Moon was just showing off in front of Tarrytown Harbor before returning to the Piermont Pier, where it would spend the night under a full moon and a huge, coordinated display of fireworks.
We stay on the River until our eyes feasted on enough of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Just phenomenal!
Check out the slide show on You Tube, "400th Anniversary Hudson River" we set to Handel's Water Music, my favorite Handel piece introduced to me by my mom, Adele at an early age. Ma, I finally found a home for the piece, along side an awesome moment on the Hudson!
April 24: When the Art on Hudson gals heard about the summer weather we scampered to the kayaks and took right to the water. We still had spray skirts because the water was a tad cool, possibly 60 degrees at best. "OK" we said, let's cross the river, it's been a year and it looked awfully enticing! We paddled under the Tappan Zee, going north and continued for about ten minutes, then made a right 90degree angle and started the crossing. It was a beautiful day, about 78 degrees and going to 88. As we got closer to the shipping lane there was a wicked wind and white caps, it was surprising to see. As soon as we realized it was kicking up some hell, I said let's surf these 2-3 foot waves, since we had a south wind. So, we started to actually surf the waves north towards Hook Mountain and Nyack Beach. It was great fun! As the waves drove up behind the boat you just start paddling as hard as you can and poof, you are another 50 yards along!
We arrived at Nyack Beach and all the day trippers and tourists who had been cooped up all winter were sunning, fishing and sleeping on the small strand of beach at the foot of the park. We scoured the area and I came away with quite a treat, a long handled boat brush, which I strapped onto my kayak. As I was paddling back, I stopped at a private beach and found a brand new life jacket tangled up in a tree. Pluck!
Now, the fun began...all of a sudden there was a fierce south wind, I'd say 15 mph, which I wish I knew knots because I would sound more seaworthy, but it was BLOWING!
My partner in crime was in charge of her own destiny and decided it was best to get back home. I figured if I could just make one more stop at a beach I don't remember seeing before, perhaps the winds would die down. She waved goodbye, I was on my own. I found this great streatch of beach at the bottom of a cliff below a Nyack mansion, someone had dumped huge stone sculptures which were wedged into the ground, kinda sorta looking like a grave yard! There was also an old fort with gunnels filled with dirt. I tried to channel some spirits or treasures, but only came away with some galss shards. I figured to take a cement statuette, I would likely sink.
Next came the paddle back. It was one of the best workouts I have had and great timing because to get in shape for a summer of paddling this is what the doctor ordered. It was sooooooooo rough and wet I got!
By the time I could see the bend in the river by the west end of the Tappan Zee, I was actually relieved to be home. What a great day!!!
April 18: It is 6:00 a.m. and I can't sleep, what do you do when you can't sleep? Go kayaking, of course! As I look out the back window onto the water, it is like glass and that's all I need to motivate myself outside and into the boat...where the rubber meets the river...the sun is just breaking through the clouds and there are a series of planes taking to the sky, leaving jet trails across the horizon and there is a half moon over the Tappan Zee Bridge. Paddling north, it feels like a dream and since I am groggy with sleep, it could be...
Today we bring the video cam to capture what nature brings. We get a very dramtaic sun rise and some noisy geese, mallards and seagulls have their morning visit at the base of Memorial Park, in Nyack. A four woman crew is standing on the dock getting ready to put in and we just wait and watch. I have my fishing pole with me, along with blood worm bait and I toss a few lines in, which is challenging because I don't have an anchor to stay in one place...fishing quickly becomes a moot point.
After an hour of floating and nodding off, it's time to get back for a hearty breakfast. I can just smell the coffee and imagine the eggs and bacon sizzling in the pan...mmmmmm....just another day onm the mighty Hudson.
April 17: Welcome 70 degree weather! In search of colors today...beach glass hunting on the Hudson River beaches. The water is vibrating when we set in our kayaks. Amazing because there was a fine breeze and as it touches down on the river, it looks like it is vibrating to its rythym. As we bee line toward Piermont Pier, we see very few other water craft. Astriped bass comes to the surface to snag an insect... a huge fish. It takes almost 45 minutes to reach the Pier and we swing wide because there are at least a dozen fisherman leaning over their poles. It is striped bass season. It kicked off on March 26 and it has been so cold that there has been few takers, but today is different. Patience is key when bass fishing and generally you cast out your blood worm and set the pole in a pole holder and wait. There is a neat little gadget that attaches to the tip of the pole to alert you if there is a bite, it is a clip with two tiny bells attached, they ring when something hits the hook. Genius!
Heading south, we find to our favorite beach "dump" and pull up. We are mostly collecting "black glass" which is old and rare and as I mentioned earlier, I am looking for colors today. Reds, pinks, yellow, orange and teal are all rare colors. I do find a tremendous amount of teal beach glass as well as many different blues, such as a turquoise piece of milk glass. I also find a great selection of china shards with writing on the back or even part of a label. My favorite today is a fantastic deep blue patterned china piece, it is only 1/4" in diameter, a handsome design. I turn it over and WOW, it says wedge...wedgewood! What a find. Anyway, I will add a photo here of all the small pieces I find today and when I return. At least a dozen glass buttons too! Ice tray comes in handy to keep the smaller shards safe from getting chipped.
April 5: It's Saturday and it is Spring however, Spring is struggling to unite with the date and there is still a chill in the air. Today is 49 degrees but it doesn't stop us. The tide is low and the river is calling for us to make a journey today for scavenging. Low tide is the right time to find treasures hidden between the rocks and buried under the sediment and sand. We gear up with long sleeve shirts, wind breakers, fleece vests, long shorts, kayak booties and a hat...d'oh! Our wonderful neighbor, Nancy says "are you two crazy!?" but the idea of picking along the coast just makes it all TOO EXCITING to bear!
We head to one of our favorite spots (where the old safe was found - see an earlier adventure about the safe below) under the huge willow just a 20 minute paddle away. It is so good to feel the weight of the water against my arms as I paddle through and glide along with a terrific tail wind at our backs. We are supposed to have 40 mph winds today, but no bother...if equipped properly, as we are with gloves and a spray skirt, it isn't too much of an issue...always stay smart about weather though!
Once on shore, I am surprised by the lack of "stuff" we see because this spot always yields great china shards, bottle tops and blue glass, especially. Turns out, we are kind of too far to the north of the spot and as we wander down the rocky beach, POW! We start to find select-type river glass. Today, we find unique items: a glass stopper, probably from an old perfume bottle, an ornate twisted glass handle, a periwinkle-colored (rare color) glass bottle top and a brass key which has been broken in half! See image above...next I see a plate wedged against a bolder and begin to pry, little by little it loosens, but not without a fight. In fact, I slice my finger pretty well as I do this. There is blood, but it doesn't seem to matter because there is a greater reason...the plate, which is in it's original state and is unbroken! This brings me to mention an interesting phenomenon about treasure hunting for river glass. It is terrifically satisfying to find just a part of something, a shard, a broken piece, half of a stamp on the back of a piece of china, like that...usually an unidentifiable making your imagination go off into unchartere an old d territory wondering what it is and how old it could be. Well, the plate is finally set free from the rocks and BORING, it is just an old white plate, no markings and immediately discarded.
Two hours go by, I realize that can't feel my toes or my fingers, I am bloody and think it would be a smart idea to get back home, get dry and get some first aid. As we return, the wind and surf are strating to pick up. The rally caps gets turned backward and we dig out the water, making our way back up the river. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr! Is it really Spring??
March 15: Back in South Florida for some sun and sport for a long weekend. WOW, the fishing was absolutely tremendous this weekend. Using live bait (shrimp) I snagged a couple of Pompano (14"), Seatrout (20") and of course, the lowly and pudgified Catfish. The Pompano and Trout were great eating fish. This was the first time I tasted Pompano and while I wasn't sure how I was going to cook it, I heard it was tasty fish. After fileting the fish myself, I knew it would be delicious pan-fried, just from the consistancy of the flesh, which was fine and dense. I dusted it in flour and sauteed it in butter, olive oil, garlic and lemon and finished it off with a dash of white wine. It was delicious and actually reminded me of Sand Dabs. The Trout went the way of seasoned breadcrumbs, again pan-fried in olive oil and a touch of lemon. This is a much denser and stronger tasting fish, but, oh so good!
For sport, we took the surf skiis out onto the intercoastal for our last chance to maximize a paddle because we were getting ready to fly home to NYC later in the day. It was beautiful weather, 80's and sunny with a clip of South West wind. The surf skiis we had the advantage of using are extremely tippy and with peddles that maneuver the rudder on a dime, you can be in the water before you know it. They move nicely and by the time you actually realize you have been paddling for a while, you are already a few miles away from your original launch point. We had the tide and the wind against us and strangely, it was easier to control the boat under these conditions than on the return, which was with the wind and the current, not to mention being caught in the crosshairs of the mammoth pleasure cruisers motoring along through the channel! I was literally stuck at a buoy for ten minutes while 30' and 40' yachts powered through foolishly, without even noticing that I was there. I felt like Rodney Dangerfield was at the helm! Yelling "turkey" and other obscenities, I ultimately kept my balance (not my cool) until the traffic cleared and continued the paddle back to Englewood from Royal Palm Marina.
March 5: Absolutely the earliest we have been able to launch the kayacks onto the river. Today the air temperature is 63 degrees! The river is flat, with a mirror finish. our lat muscles are twittering as we slowly paddle north along the shore. The water is murky and still wintry looking. There are fisherman lined up on the rocks hoping to catch a random striped bass. We pull into shore to visit a neighbor. There are a few pieces of river glass for the pockets.
We have been introduced to the world of ETSY, a place to buy and sell original and unique artwork...look for Art On Hudson there, coming soon! Meanwhile we have pieces at "Outside in Piermont" along with local artists, a great place to stop for a cup of tea and fun conversation with Bill and Joe. They are located on the canal on Ferdon Street.
Lots going on at Riverspace (formerly the Helen Hayes Theatre) in Nyack. Wonderful programming such as "Conversations with Mike Nichols," director of classics like The Graduate, Carnal Knowledge, Silkwood...very interesting evening and Diane Sawyer came along! This is what we do during the winter and early spring months while waiting patiently for the right weather to arrive so that we can get back to basic scavenger hunting and paddling on the mighty Hudson.
I am working on a unique new piece inspired by the movie "Who Does She Think She Is" it is about women and their art, while juggling family and relationships. A documentary by Academy Award winning director, Pamela Tanner Boll. The women talk about goddesses, a female diety and how women were once only thought of as a goddess, this was 10,000 years ago. How times have changed! I have a goddess piece in the works, made from drift wood, she will have a river glass heart. Watch for the finished piece here!
February 15: Tallman Mountain, located on the cliffs of the Palisades between Sparkill and Piermont, NY, was calling us on Sunday. The weather has been enticingly sunny and since the temperature broke the freezing mark, we took advantage of the day. Since it is still too cold (for us) to get the kayaks mobilized, we decided to hike the trail leading into the mountain from route 9W. The trail is marked and we follow it East. Chesnut casings litter the path and it's hard to keep balance, but we traverse the still frozen ground for 1/4 of a mile. Seeing the ridge of the mountain, it is time to veer off the trail and seek the water's edge. To do this we take the fire break developed for accessing fires and other emergencies including downed electric lines and as we follow the break it begins to descend quite radically and we find ourselves gingerly lowering ourselves down the side of the mountain.
We know we are getting closer to the river because we see the cat tails hovering in the breeze, they are indicative of the lower Piermont waterway that we are so familiar with when we are kayaking these parts. As we reach level ground, we turn south and continue our hike towards Sneden's Landing, one of our favorite little settlements along the river, located directly across from Dobb's Ferry. Now it starts to get a little more interesting because we know it is low tide, however there are some challenges; water, trees, rocks, vines, leaves and mud to deal with. Our goal is to reach some land where we can walk freely and perhaps find a treasure or two. The brambles are almost impossible to break through so we are forced to climb upward, along the face of Tallman Mountain. Now I am thinking, black snakes, bear, holes, sprained ankles...alone in a remote area...this is when the natural paranoia sets in and we say, almost simultaneously "we are certifiably insane!"
Should we continue?
Sure, we have come this far (approximately 2 miles) and we realize we WILL see signs of life...eventually. Up and down we climb until we find secure, level land and lots of mud...is it quick sand?! We have arrived, there it is a semi-level beach area, just littered with drift wood and broken buoys, garbage washed up from the ongoing tides, a toy gun, some shards of river glass and lots of sandy mud!
After catching our breath, we make our way to the closest available road which leads us back to route 9W. As we walk along, we are still laughing at the apparent need to reach the river's edge, where we are so used to kayaking and it all amounts to the fact that we cannot wait until Spring when we can again launch the kayaks into our river and scour the shores again.
January 1-10: We are on the West coast of Florida, south of Sarasota, where there are a number of fantastic destinations for kyaking and that is exactly what we got busy doing. Since we are staying on the intercoastal between Englewood and Manasota Key, we have immediate access to the water. We grab the fishing poles and pack the kayak with gear, beer and bait. The other boat is a surf ski which is pure paddling until stabilized and then fishing is possible from this boat, if you have really good balance. So, the intercoastal becomes our backyard for the duration of our time in Florida. Meanwhile, we take side trips to a few destinations we had in mind. One is Grand Tours located in Placida, just 15 minutes south of old Englewood. We have been to Grand Tours before and enjoyed their rentals. We arrive and do not hesitate to ask where the wildlife could be found and we are advised that there are some White Pelicans around the bend along with Osprey. We boogied out to the site and sure enough took some great shots of the local wildlife.
Another side trip we were really looking forward to was the Myakka River in Myakka State Park located East of Sarasota. A magnificent park with lots to do; kayaking, bird watching, fishing, camping and site seeing by air boat. We rent a set of kayaks and embark. We immediately see the most wonderful shore birds who are busy feeding on the banks of the fresh water river. A Roseate Spoonbill is the first species we come upon and we are stoked! As we move down the river it's a panoply of birds: Snowy Egrets, Glossy Ibis, Little Blue Heron, White Ibis, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Black-necked Stilt, Piping Plover, Wood Stork, Red Shouldered Hawk, Vulture, Painted Turtle, Osprey and even a Limpkin!
Roseate Spoonbill
We seriously had no idea we would have such a rich experience and I haven't even mentioned the 12' aligator perched at a point along the way (see picture on home page). I highly recommend this trip to anyone interested in this kind of wildlife and beauty. I will never forget this trip and even said it was one of the best things I had ever done! We will have a slide show available of these images coming soon.
Englewood, Florida was just voted #3 for places to visit in the United States and I can tell you, while it is a sleepy town, the beaches and waterways are exquisite.
A Great Egret in flight at Mayakka State park
Our final side trip is from Manasota Key Road where we find a new kayak vendor. Our goal is to paddle south to Stump Pass, our very favorite peninsula off of Manasota Key, where dolphin often play and the beaches a littered with old mangrove stumps which are beautiful and exotic. These particular beaches are well-known for collecting shark teeth and sea shells. There is very little, if any, sea glass here and drift wood is well-anchored into the sand and immobile. Well, we get our kayacks and realize we have quite a south wind in our faces, could have been close to 20 mph. We paddle gingerly along the coast as we work our way along the waterway towards "ski alley" leading out to Stump Pass, which is the opening to the Gulf and where lots of boat traffic moves through. We arrive at the destination in 2 hours and gratefully pull up on shore and break out the fishing poles. We are using fresh bait consisting of live shrimp. We site dolphin and just relax into the day. We collect shells and take photographs to document our trip before getting back into the kayaks. As we prepare to depart, I hit a snag with the current and some unexpected waves, my boat turns 3/4 of the way over, spilling most of my belongings, including a beautiful reel and pole, which doesn't float, into the aquamarine water. While saving the camera, I loose the pole, it is gone, without me realizing. I search and search because the water is clear for 10' but I am unsuccessful. We get back in the boats and are literally pulled down ski alley, by the current, back to our point of origin, taking only an hour to return.
The moral of the story is be sure that you secure all your equipment with all the bungies on the boat and use dry bags for your personal items.
After 10 days of sun and fun, we are completely fulfilled by our adventures. It is so great to be able to experience your passion anywhere you go and we keep adding elements to our kayak trips. This time it is bird and wildlife photography, an unexpected element to the story and a great beginning to a new year!
December 30: WOW!! It's the end of 2008 and what a great year it has been. We are getting into the coldest part of the year now and in fact we are expecting 3" of new snow tonight and then frigid winter air on New Year's Eve. Reflections of 2008 include coming to the realization that less is more and that we are so lucky to be living on the river complete with sunrises, tides, kayaks, the MOON, annoying geese, red tail hawks, pudgy squirrels, bluejays, cardinals, autumn leaves, chipmunks, amazing river glass, and sunsets over the Tappan Zee Bridge.
"Sneden's Landing" handmade sign with pottery shards
We had the unique opportunity to place our eco-ornaments in a local gallery store in Piermont, "Outside In Piermont," where Joe and Bill do their thing by providing a space for local artisits to sell their special pieces. Thanks guys! Other than that and having not much else to write about except that we are jone-sing to get out on the Hudson, we are doing some paddling in Florida at the top of the year. We hope to discover some new waterways and wild life. This will be mostly focused on the west coast of Florida in places such as Englewood, Venice, Sarasota, etc. also hoping to get to the Everglades.
Now it is time to take a much needed break and when we come back, get ready...2009 should be packed full of surprises!
THANK YOU FOR VISITING!
Holiday eco-Ornaments
(available for purchase at "The Outside in Piermont")
Shards of river glass strung on hemp string
November 16: Now that the weather is changing we have no choice but to move inside. Today I took the time to review all the Hudson River glass we had collected over the summer, it is amazing how much variety of color, size and quality. River glass that has tumbled for who know how long made up of cobalt glass and pieces of china with interesting markings and when we get lucky, a stamp with the company name or origin of the piece.
Yesterday as the river was pounding up against the seawall during the high tide a new "floater" came in. It was a huge battered stump, probably oak. We fished it out with an oar and it is now safe from another endless journey on the water.
Today I continued my work with a dremel and a diamond point which drills a 1/8" hole in a glass shard. I started stringing up the apothecary bottle tops for holiday ornaments, which look really great on a tree! Next, I drilled two holes in a piece of glass, which is tricky, and requires water, a piece of wood and patience. As you drill you need to be careful not to break the glass while the water keeps things cool. I purchased some hemp string at the local craft store and began to string some interesting combos of china chards, glass and old bottle necks. Great for thepossible winds chimes. I hope to post photos of these items very soon.
After taking a break today, I hopped on my mountain bike and took a ride through Hader Park, a Grandview mountain ridge which runs parallel to River Road from Nyack to Blauvelt. All along the way you can enjoy a great view of the Hudson River from a high vantage point. The trail was covered in leaves and extremely soggy from the rains. Mountain streams were robust and it was just a great day to take advantage of 50 degree weather.
I stopped at "The Outside in Piermont," located on Ferndon Ave. in Peirmont to say hello to the owner and check out the new installations of artwork that always impress. What a great shop! It is filled with original art work by local and non-local folks. Much of it is wood work, pottery and natural mobiles made with plant product and fall leaves...just gorgeous art! I was inspired and after spending some time looking around I was on my way to finish my own eco-art for the holiday season.
Red Fox Passing Through our property
October 18: This morning as we tinkered around the yard for a while and then we made a quick trip to Loews for an outdoor fireplace and what we found was a crazy special on 14' maple trees which we snapped up for $8 a piece. Upon returning to the property, we planted the tree and noticed a red fox next door! There he was sunning himself and literally rolling around in the grass and just hanging out. I took photos of this creature who looked a bit tattered and worse for wear, he was clearly looking for sustinence. Concerned neighbors called animal control.
The weather turned crisp this weekend and there were visible white caps on the stormy river indicating a strong North wind. Kayaking was not the first activity that came to mind today. As the day warmed, we decided to do the off-road bike thing. Heading out River Road, north to Nyack and beyond, to Upper Nyack, we move along Broadway towards Nyack State Park and the trails that run along the Hudson River. A great off-road bike and hike path that eventually leads through the Palisades and ends in Haverstraw, NY.
About five miles into the ride, we notice a piece of drift wood, "a floater," bobbing near the coastline and moving south with the out-going tide. It is just out of reach when we climb down the rocks to bring it in, so we continue our ride without it. Ironic, because had we been in our boats, we would have captured the driftwood without trying! The cliffs of the Palisades are bright with color; hawks and bald eagles are circling the tops for rodents and dead prey and lots of weekend hikers are enjoying the afternoon.
Upon our return back along the trail leading out of the State Park, we are watching for the piece we tried to snag from the river and as we near the end of the path to exit, we see it! I scamper off my bike and clamour down the rocky edge, now burrs cover my sweatshirt and pants as I practically lunge toward the driftwood in view. Yes! It is ours and we pull it from the water and place it on the handlebars of the bike and walk it out of the park. It is completely waterlogged and quite heavy, so we stash it behind a fence in some tall grass to claim it later with the truck. Once it is dry, we will determine it's fate as a future art piece.
October 10-11: As I sit on the sea wall overlooking a calm Hudson River this morning, I am reflecting on the trip to Lewes, DE for the Sea Glass Festival. It was tremendously informative for us; meeting the experts at the "Shard ID" tent and Richard LeMott, author of "Pure Sea Glass" the leading authority on the science of sea glass, collecting and identifying shards. The individual booths on site with art work and jewelry were wonderful, but of less interest to us at this juncture since we are complete "newbies." We are more interested in the educational aspect of sea glass. Unfortunately, we were unable to squeeze into the lecture tent as it was standing room only all day on Saturday.
We learned about our black glass, milk glass, vaseline glass, a Bennington marble and finally one of the objects we brought for ID, a 3/4" diameter ceramic ball with blue coloring and a seam could not be identified! See image below...from left to right:
Cat Tails on the Hudson
My overall take-away was that the practice of sea glass collecting has seen huge growth, indicated by the number of people flocking to this event. The organizers were seemingly taken by surprise and by 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, the individual meeting rooms at the Virden Center at the University of Delaware were overflowing.
I say congratulations to the North American Sea Glass Association, a non-profit organization positively supporting sea glass collectors and the sea glass community with festivals, information, educational opportunities, commercial membership and more. Proceeds of the festival benefit the Ocean Conservancy and The Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park.
At $5 per person entrance fee, steps should be taken to increase the entry fee raising more money for worthy conservational causes.
As we departed Lewes, we drove onto the ferry taking us back to Cape May where we jumped onto the Garden State Parkway back to NY State. The time afforded me a chance to read out-loud Richard's fascinating book, cover to cover to my co-pilot! This is not just a coffee table book as one might think by glancing at the cover. The book is filled with scientific facts about sea glass conditioning and weathering, collection, the history of bottles, rare colors and more.
We look forward to another fruitful day on the Hudson collecting drift wood and glass on the shores of the Palisades and hope to continue into the winter months when collecting becomes even better! "Coyote" with china shards for teeth
October 5: New friends dropped by to check out our activity today, we loaned them the double kayak and we launched at 2:30 p.m. on a beautiful and calm Sunday afternoon. Trekking north we paddled along South Nyack, past Memorial Park, the Nyack Yacht Club, Peterson's and on to Upper Nyack where the homes along the river are breathtaking. I shot a few photos of some examples of these "Gems On The Hudson." a book I recommend by Terry Talley which chronicles these grand views.
Pulling out of the boat slip, Peggy and Keith looked psyched (above) for a ride up the Hudson. We call this "the divorce boat." :)
The fall day turned out to be phenomenal conditions for our trip. Within an hour we landed on Nyack Beach at the entrance to the state park where there are trails for hiking, off-road biking and plenty of fishing off the rocks along the shore. As we kicked around the beach and spoke to visitors taking in the autumn sun, it proved to be a relaxing day. On our way home we watched as a Nyack Boat Club regatta took place and a 47' foot tri-maran could be seen coming about as we made our way south.
Tri-maran on the Hudson
Once back on shore, we shared a cold beer and were then treated to some very cool live banjo tunes in our driveway as Keith of the "Stewed Mulligan & Legendary Woodticks" plucked away! Thanks Keith and Peggy for visiting!
October 4: Another trip to the coveted Sneden's Landing shoreline where we have uncovered a plethora of materials from the colonial days including lots of cobalt glass, apothecary bottle parts and broken china with unique markings. Antique buttons of all sizes seem to be plentiful. These are glass or porceline buttons, probably dating back to the early 1900's. Interestingly, glass bottle shards with dates as early as 1899 were collected today. Since we were in no hurry today, we went further south to Alpine, where we found a site with a huge rope swing and a steep waterfall gushing off the mountain leading up to Alpine on the Palisades. It looks like this is a party place for teens and college students in the summer, perhaps some summer camping takes place here. As we left, we noticed some hikers already heading up the path to take in the day.
Hook Mountain, Upper Nyack
Sneden's Landing Home
September 21: One for the books! It is warmer today and we have no particular schedule to keep us either motivated or determined. "Let's cross the river to the east side...yah, sounds great!" As we meander along the bridge, there seems to be more activity than usual, perhaps people are taking the last few hours of summer to enjoy their boats or perhaps they are just fed up with all the economic meltdown and they decide to "live for today" and take their cigarette boat out for an ear shattering buzz. No matter, it's fun to see some activity as well as the challenge we are presented, avoid being mistaken for a piece of drift wood. As we pinball our way across the shipping lane, which runs under the span of the Tappan Zee, we realize that we have again, undertaken a massive trek and the lactic acid left in my lats from yesterday's "sprint" is starting to work itself out. "Just push through the pain..."
Eventually we reach the east side of the Hudson, since we have taken a 90 degree approach and we find ourselves almost directly under the bridge across from our point of origin. There is a tiny beach where we can see a downed tree which has years of drift-like qualities, it is magnificent. We pull up and the tide is starting to bang the shore pretty well, so the boats need to be pulled way up to the shore and secured. We find some colored sea glass, but nothing special. As I climb the rocks positioned next to the Metro North train tracks I see that there is more great driftwood. I crawl and scrape along the terrain and I spot a piece that looks like a lion's head and is at leat 10 feet long. I drag it back to the kayaks and we carefully balance it into the back of the 14' boat, which consequently, I do not have to paddle back across the river :) "wait" I need to see the other patch of beach around the bend before we leave.
Not a terrfic idea because what I find is the CREEPIEST! I begin to notice bones, white-washed from the sun and water, scattered around what looks like a place where someone has been doing what, I don't know. I show my kayak partner. Is it a human bone? I am thinking, as I fantasize about solving a mob hit. Afterall, this is the Hudson River. I am actually COLLECTING all the bones I am find; femurs, scapulas, tibia...OH MY GOD, AM I FREAKING CRAZY?! I get pretty freaked and just as I am beginning to realize what I am doing, I see a small hoof attached to a foot-like boney thing. It is either lamb or goat remains...."Let's get outa here!" I scream. I realize it could be an animal sacrifice, which is common in certain cultures, but I really don't want any part of it. So, completely spooked, we jump into the kayaks with the 10' Leo-piece of driftwood and we start back across the river. Just another day kayaking on the Hudson!
September 20: One goal today; get to Sneden's Landing and return by 1pm. That meant we had a total of 3 hours to complete our trip to the historic little hamlet tucked on the south side of Tallman Sate Park. The round-trip mileage is approximately 14 miles. The tide is still going out and we have a little help with the wind at our backs. Fresh and excited to conquer, we take off with one target in our site, the Piermont Pier. We cut diagonally from the base of the Tappan Zee Bridge (west side) and shoot into the middle of the river. No traffic today, so we are just cruising. As we round the Pier, we are 45 minutes into the trip and right on schedule. It is an absolutely beautiful 75 degree day on the last weekend of summer.
South of the Pier, we begin to notice the tide coming in, it is gradual though. We veer toward the incredible grove of cattails waving us along and I snap a few photos that take my breath away. With Sneden's Landing in in view, I look across the river and there is Dobb's Ferry where a small ferry used to transfer people back and forth across the river in the early 19th century. George W, that is, George Washington, visited Sneden's Landing with Martha. There are only seven properties on the river and as we reach our destination we pull up to a boat house that seemingly is vacant for this part of the year. We scramble off the kayaks and search the beach for treasure. Lots of it! My heart is banging against my chest... we collect chipped glass, pottery and china with markings of blues and browns and even a porcelin doll leg which measures no more than a 1/4 of an inch. Satisfied with our finds and on a tight schedule we depart and move a bit further south to make sure we have seen the entire community of Sneden's. I am secretly hoping to see Bill Murray, Aiden Quinn or Al Pacino, who reside here. Time to go! We have exactly one hour to get back to the house, the tide is incoming, thank goodness, and we are literally pulled around the Pier with the current. What a day!
September 13: A Hudson River trip today with friends who have now gotten a little bit of the bug to get out onto the water after seeing the unique treasures and driftwood and hearing the stories of our excursions. This day we have two singles and a double. It is muggy and overcast. Hurricane Ike is about to land and the air feels tense. We ease up the river and survey the homes that don't seem to want to say goodbye to the summer. Our friend who accompanies us today is visiting from San Francisco. He grew up here as a boy and he is drinking in all he can of the memories and smells of the neighborhood where he delivered newspapers as we begin our paddle along Grand View, South Nyack and Nyack.
As we come upon Memorial Park at the base of the town of Nyack, we are suddenly attracted by a flock of geese in the water just getting ready for take off as we approach. What keeps our attention is a single goose who can't seem to get in a take-off position and is water bound. The right wing just keeps pulling and flapping as if it is broken. As we watch and wonder, we realize that a fishing line is attached and some fishermen are standing on the jetty looking clueless, helpless and guilty. They have hooked the goose with their gear and have absolutely no idea what to do. We circle our kayaks around the bird, who has now been abandoned by it's friends and I attempt to untangle the pesky bird. It puts up quite a fuss and I realize that I cannot do this from inside my kayak. As I lean over and begin to straddle the seat to get into the waist high water, I lose my balance and fall backward into the river. Soaked, I get back to work on the goose still stuck on the fishing line. I gently unwrap and unhook the bird, who is quite willing now to let me have my way. Success! The bird is free and I am wet and somewhat cut up, but not seriously enough to interrupt our fun. My cell phone is now at the bottom of the river and my loyal friends are clapping and yelling at the success of the good deed and great entertainment.
We paddle on to Nyack Beach, scavenging all along the way, picking up a colored bead and a few pieces of interesting driftwood. The trip takes a total of three hours and when we return to our launch in Grand View we are pleasantly tired and voraciously hungry. Just another day on the Hudson River...
September 7: It's Monday and I have the bug again, it is a PERFECT day and I just cannot bring myself to go into the city and sit behind a desk all day. I decide to exercise my "work life balance" and work from home. After doing my due diligence, I decide to set out for a little lunchtime paddle by myself and I bring along my life jacket, of course. I have this very strange pull to explore the old Village Hall, where we paddled earlier in the weekend. We come across some items we were not expecting, such as old glass bottle necks and broken china, even a green sea glass button. It was intriguing. I set out and stopped first at the Village Hall that sits on the river, just south of our place and is in complete disrepair. The river lashes at the base of the building and wears it away year after year leaving gaping holes in the concrete pilings holding the building, like a house of cards. Today, I find a completely unblemished amber medicine bottle, approximately 2 inches high, but it is worn as if it had been tossed around the river for a while. With that, I say to myself and then I say it aloud, "I am going to find something insane"...I am not exactly sure what that meant, but I had a strange feeling.
I got back into my kayak and continued south to a new location. Since it was Monday, in the middle of the day, there weren't too many residents out and about as there are on a summer weekend. I stop at an overgrown willow tree which seems to hide a special place. I pull the boat onto the rocks and steady it. I have my green converse sneakers on which are perfect for such a hunt on these slimy rocks, which can be treacherous in the low tide conditions. I begin to say the words again...find something insane...find something insane... no sooner I find a door, when I turn it over it is a Sentry safe door. I look not two feet from the location of the door and I see the actual safe! OK, I am now shaking in my shoes and I climb up the rocks to the safe and see that it has clearly been broken open, it is rusted and has been there for a while. I reach inside and pull out some muck and decomposed leaves, I of course, expected more, but not this time.
Cobalt glass shards, very large
"Marble" on upper left
I continue to look around, chanting my mantra. I am finding an oversized ceramic marble with bits of blue. I imagine it to be a marble from the Algonquins who lived here. I find large pieces of cobalt-colored shards, a piece of a cobalt bottle under a rock, the bottle top and neck of the bottle, it never stops. Now, a piece of Limoge china with gold leaf along the edges, thick pieces of ceramics with strange designs, thin necked bottle tops in blues, greens and ambers. I return home, reluctantly, with a load of treasure and as I wash it and organize it by color I realize I have again found a reason to hunt along the Hudson!
August 30: Easthampton, Long Island for the Labor Day weekend with a great group of friends. We contact Amagansett kyack and bike store and have them deliver enough boats for six of us. We double up, for the most part, and while the kayaks weren't really up to par, we made the best of it and launch into a back bay where vacationers are busy enjoying the pristine day as well as clamming and crabbing with their dogs. We paddle gingerly along the shoreline and swampland and sun lustfully, just enjoying each other's company and watch passing sailboats of all sizes. As we return to our launch site we see this comical vision coming towards us...it is a girl in a kayak with a jack russell terrier perched on the front of the boat, keeping his balance on a piece of old rug which has been laid down on the bow. What a funny picture I capture of this girl and her dog, "Sparky".
August 23: SF Bay with the siblings...we launch in just south of China Basin and find ourselves surrounded by industrial buildings and the Port of San Francisco signs reminding me of "Dirty Harry" and the old cop movies. We paddle out into the Bay getting a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge, many Saturday morning sailboats and tankers sprinkled around. What a difference from the intimacy of the Hudson River. Camera in hand, I decide to continue north toward the old Candlestick Park where the Giants were gearing up to play ball. Kayakers are known to hang out in the bay and shag balls in the water. My companions quit early and I still have a lot in me, I was hungry to paddle to Fisherman's Wharf. My brother wouldn't let me go it alone, so I acquiese and head into the basin where we access a ramp to pull out. As I meandered along, not wanting to end the trek, I found a dilapidated dock and pilings with shore birds and gulls just hanging out having their day. I snapped some good photos of the birds in their social interaction , looking like us as we gossip about life. Eventually I pull onto shore to meet the others.
Thursday, August 21: "It's my birthday and I'm going to kayak if I want to...!" Yep, took the day off from work to be on the river and it was by far the most beautiful, magical day I have experienced since I have lived here. The river was like a lake, there was no wind, the tide was slack and it was a perfect 80 degrees without a cloud.
It was our best chance to paddle straight across the river to the other side and stay under the Tappan Zee Bridge! There was absolutely no river traffic, including the shipping lane! What a GIFT! We departed at 12 noon and took our lazy time paddling along the bridge, waving to the Port Authority workers who were busy buffering the decaying bridge rails. It was too perfect! Once on the other side, we traveled toward the "Striped Bass" in the Tarrytown Marina where we found an inlet which we promptly explored. On our way out of the marina, we cleverly saddled up to the sinking barge on which the Marina sign stood and collected some choice, sun-drenched pieces of driftwood.
Paddling north now, we edged the man-made rock jetty-type barriers without being washed into them due to the lack of any wind conditions and nit-picked our way along the coast past the lighthouse. Suddenly we saw a bridge under which another inlet led us into a river stream right around the Sleepy Hollow area. As we entered the swampy area, we began to notice some shorebirds, a storky-looking white egret and a smaller bird who were doing some lunchtime hunting from a barron tree. There was just enough water so that the kayaks could make it all the way back into the inlet where we ended at a playground just past the Metro North tracks. Just totally loving the exploration and not at all tired, but a little hungry, we decided to continue North where we came upon a small hamlet with a beach, kayaks and a tiny marina of private vessels. We pulled up and quickly realized it was a private beach club, the "PMBC." The Philips Manor Beach Club, an idyllic slice of property where residents were picnic-ing, reading and swimming.
We made our way back across the river to Grand View and amazingly the weather conditions hadn't changed! It was a remarkable 3.5 hour journey, where once again, we had collected a few choice pieces of wood and seen parts we have never known to exist on our river. What a GREAT Birthday!
Sunday, August 17: Mom is visiting! We see a beautiful day on tap and we get our gear ready, which includes loading Mom into her own kayak. Our paddle plan is to stay very close to shore and try to scavenge something near by. We pull out of the boat slip and one-by-one paddle gently out onto the river, which is extremely calm today. Mom needs a teather so we toss her a rope and off we go with about 5 feet of slack between us. Paddling gently and carefully, we head north under the bridge to the closest slice of beach just past the Port Authority depot. We pull up and beach our three kayaks and begin the beachcombing. Mom tells us she is a beachcomber from "way back" when she lived in Wesport and hung out on Compo Beach. Immediatley we find river glass of all shapes and sizes. As we are hanging out there, a paddler goes by in a sea kayak. One member of our group takes off to check him out and next thing we know they are gone down the river for a fast paddle. Mom and I continue our combing and I toss in a fishing line and troll off the shore for a while. As I am walking down the beach, I notice a piece of pottery, about 5 inches in diameter, that appears out of nowhere...it has a blue painted turtle on one side and some orange starbursts on the other...a great find! Our paddling partner returns with "Mike" and we admire his handmade sea kayak and he is off down the river once again. One last look and we find this great piece of driftwood shaped like a HUGE grin! It is 10 feet in length and curved up perfectly to form a great big smile. Determined to retrieve it, Kitty places it on her bow and paddles it back to the boat slip. The afternoon fades into dusk as seen in the photo taken below.
Sunday, August 10: Into the Hudson at 10:15 a.m. and another perfect day, but word of a brewing storm by afternoon is the word... not to worry, we disembark with plans to troll for fish and just get a great workout. We head south into the wind and against the incoming tide. As we head toward Piermont Pier as our initial destination we say hello to a couple of kayakers who put in at Haverstraw, since they are not too interested in socializing, we exchange minor pleasantries and make sure they are aware of our web site www.artonhudson.com and continue down river.
Again, no fish jumping on the line, but we are surprised by a 27" shad surprising us above the surface of the water. Shad are vegetarian and therefore this one is safe from my hook. As we round the pier, we notice a small crowd of people doing their thing on a summer day. My kayak partner says to me , let's head towards the cat tails along the west bank of the Hudson. This is just south of Piermont and at the base of Tallman Mountain State Park. "OK!" I am game, the water is high enough to enjoy a paddle through the swampy canals that weave around the river basin.
There is a kayak rental located nearby here, in Piermont and we see some families enjoying their afternoon with the kids.
As we enter the canal-like water system that protects the mountain from the Hudson, we can hear the sound of the wind playing through the cat tails, a unique sound that almost puts me into a trance and if could attempt meditation, this is the sound I would choose.
Wooosh......shhhhhhhhh......wooosh......shhhhhh....
It is completely quiet back here and if it weren't for the fact that it was broad daylight, it could be eery. We paddle slowly and smoothly and go deeper into the swampland, following the twisting and turning river path. There is no apparent driftwood, so we just continue our trek and enjoy the surroundings. Suddenly, a great, Blue Heron takes flight, as we disturb its daily routine and what a sight it is.
About 30 minutes into the trek, we are basically at the muddy, stinky, swampy end of the trail and we can see the foot of a majestic Tallman State Park, where we have done plenty of off-road biking over the years. As we turn around to exit the maze of cat tails, I take a few photos and a video clip with my cell phone camera.
As we emerge onto the main body of the Hudson River again, we see clouds looming and the wind is kicking up. We use the weather to our advantage and just sail back to the base of the Tappan Zee. Round trip, the trek took us hours, just what the doctor ordered for another great adventure with Art on Hudson.
Saturday, August 9: Today we took off into the water at 11:00 am, an absolutely perfect summer day. The air temperature about 80 degrees F and the water temperature not far behind. There was a slight north wind and the tide was still going out. The water conditions made for an enjoyable and mellow paddle. Almost immediately we see two paddlers coming towards us, heading south..."where did ya put in?" ..."Memorial Park" was their answer, in Nyack. A cool place to enter the water if you need a place to launch.
Today, I decided to pack a fishing pole. I set the line and proceed to troll and paddle, only because I am ADD and need a LOT going on at once. About the only thing I catch is some seaweed, no fishies today. Since my paddling partner is ensconced with work on the cell and pda, I figure I will just make a few casts and enjoy the sun today. No scavenging in site, just a laid back day, enjoying the calm of the river and the complete seclusion this area of the Hudson provides. I ask: "where is everybody?!" and still cannot figure it out, since everyone is on a "staycation" this summer.
The mystery remains and hell, I am just as happy because who needs a crowd, when you have something that is virtually free, fun and healthy! Below, is a photo of a wild duck taking a snooze amongst some driftwood on a beach I pass in my kayak today.
Friday, July 25: We are on the Cape for a long weekend. No kayaks, just bikes and beachcombing. As we settle into our rental located above "Flyers" Boat Basin, we enjoy a cup of coffee on the deck overlooking Provincetown bay. The tip of the Cape is within view and the tide is gracefully edging out, exposing what is to become a treasure trove of beachcombing that we have never seen the likes of before! In all the years I have vacationed on Cape Cod, approximately 33 years, I never knew about the apothecary...!
Back to the morning coffee on the deck. I am scanning the landscape below and I see someone literally digging a huge hole in the sand next to the pilings on the beach below. Now, I have done plenty of clamming on this stretch of beach and come back with huge cherrystones to make chowder and entertain my friends, but somehow I get the impression that this person is not digging for clams, because she isn't moving around, no clams appear and she is methodically just digging DOWN.
Curiosity got the best of us and we wandered down to the beach to see what was cookin' and yes, we discovered that "Debbie" was beachcombing for buried stuff. She tells us that there was once an apothecary situated right where she is digging and back in the early 19th century they dumped old bottles there. It took us about 2 minutes to activate our strategy to join in....we jump on our bikes and get to the store to purchase some essential supplies including; rubber gloves, a shovel and a cooler used as a collection bucket.
We spend the next three hours digging and finding the most amazing peices of cracked pottery, china, apothecary bottle necks, sea glass beyond our imagination and even an Indian Head penny dated 1903!
We were so exhausted after one session we couldn't even imagine going back too soon and we had some great finds to take home. A day passed and again, we saw Debbie digging...we had to go back! It was like the mystery of the buried vault containing 'who knows what' was beckoning us now.
Soon we are digging again and as the hole gets deeper, the sea water fills in and loosens objects for the taking. We come up with a variety of colored china, more bottle necks, a large piece of a crock with the handle still in tact, and more. Interestingly, a few people wander by and watch inquisitively. Notably, we meet two local artists, one with a gallery on Commercial Street, both, we learn, frequent this piece of the beach for the very same reason.
Ultimately, we returned home with half a cooler full of buried treasures which will be put to great use as we continue to create pieces of art with driftwood and more! I would rate this as one of the single most exciting discoveries for the Art on Hudson crew and it was all FREE!
Saturday morning, July 18: The paddle began at 7:00 a.m. It was going to be a scorcher and we wanted to try a new spot across the river, just south of the Tappan Zee. It was a slack tide and we paddled south on a diagonal. On the way, about half way across the river, a bottle was spotted bobbing in and out of the waves. Could it be a message? When I reached for it I could see there was no message but interestingly it was half full of a golden-colored liquid, Reposado Tequila with a very tight cork...it was completely sealed! Into the hold it goes and the trip resumes. As we reach the other side, we spot a beach, we pull up on shore, secure the kayaks and start to hunt for WHATEVER!
As I transverse the rocks I come upon a rather large pile of debris, driftwood, rope, nets, you name it. Voila, I find a huge and stunning piece of wood, looks like cherry, curving and lots of striations...problem is it is so heavy I think it will sink my kayak. Placing it on the bow, the kayak sinks into the water at least 6 inches... NO GO. I paddle it back to shore and hoof it up the path finding the Irvington train stop and hide it in the brush so we can return by car and retrieve it. Back to the other side of the river.
Latest on Irving waiting for final touch
Later we haul over to Irvington in search of our pieces and while we are there we get lunch at a pub called Dobledays... for some slides and a pint. Later in the weekend we begin to clean and sand the piece now known as "Irving" what comes to life is a Hippotomus. See the beginning stages as we take Irving to the next level..and another day in the life of Art on Hudson!
4th of July Weekend was the BEST! Where do I begin? It wasn't about the weather which was iffy all weekend, it was about just doing it! Friday off, we checked the tide chart and strategically went North with the tide coming in at 9:30 a.m. with high tide due at 11:56 a.m. We paddled against a north wind and some great looking waves...2-3 ft. high. Our destination was to go around Hook Mountain...past Nyack Beach. As we made our way along Nyack Beach everyone was gearing up for a night of partying and fireworks, staking out their territory with coolers and fishing poles. As we rounded the turn, the wind was hitting us full on. We stroked and made our way to a "beach" with tons and tons of driftwood and debris. We found our best collection of drift wood to date. All kinds of shapes and sizes. One looked like a gazell's horns or tusks and we packed all the pieces on the kayaks under the bungees and started back. It was beautiful, we could see Croton-on-Hudson now far off and some Brazilians were busy partying in a makeshift campsite when they caught their first fish of the day, it took their mind off things as they gaped and exclaimed about the snapper blue, which probably ended up being lunch. We kind of hung out for the tide to turn and magically, we were carried back by the now evident outgoing tide and a semi-strong North wind. The sky was clearing and eventually the wind died down, we were becoming linguini as we approached Nyack. We knew we had very little way to go and somehow a second, third and fourth wind kicked in and our 4 hour paddle was coming to a close. I was so glad to see the boat slip I just sat there for a moment and sighed. We unpacked our magical wood and sea glass and chilled for the rest of the day!
June 28: We got a little rambuncious and chose to go North at about 12:00 noon on Saturday afternoon, we knew the tide was coming in and we had a south wind, but it was extremely humid and all we wanted to do was get some air. Pointing north we paddled easily past the town of Nyack, Memorial Park and the Nyack Yacht Club -- "Members Only." There was a beach full of glass that we got chased off the week before, so of course, it was calling us. We pulled up and found a slew of white, clear, and green beach glass of varying shapes and sizes. I also plucked at least 10 great pieces of wood and stuck them in the back of the kayaks. We continued North and the wind picked up...we turned around to campaign back along the shore and as the wind hit my face, refreshing me on this 85+ degree day. As we went past the boat basin, we encountered some heavy chop, tide and waves clashing at once. Another rock 'n roll ride! As I write this on a Monday, I can still feel the soreness in my traps from that paddle. For an hour we dodged 3 foot waves and without a spray skirt, I became dripping wet, although it felt fantastic, I was struggling with the extra weight of the wood and the Hudson River now accumulating in my kayak. What a workout! The next day, I got busy with some wood and focused on some salvaged wood planks which worked well for some fun and creative signage: "Hotel California" and "Cowabunga Baby!" were born. Cowabunga is the name of a Nyack work dock that I thought was particularly clever and I love the saying. The sea glass now serves as our artonhudson.com calling card. Easy to carry and ingeniously uses recycled glass to promote our web site!
June 21: It was a picture perfect day and we decided to head across the river to the "New York" side of the Tappan Zee Bridge. The tide was going out so it was to our advantage to head East, the key was to make enough headway going north to clear the shipping channel. We didn't want to be too close to the bridge because if a barge were to come through, they wouldn't be able to see a tiny kayak. It took us about an hour to get to the other side and as we came up on the red and white lighthouse,
three foot waves were giving us hell. I spotted some fantastic wood washed up on the jetty next to the lighthouse and before I decided to make a move I checked out the chances of navigating the jetty from
the kayak.
Upon further consideration, we took the safe route and beached up on the shore. We walked along the macadam path leading to the lighthouse, and jumped down to the jetty. Here I found some great sun damaged
wood, the first of which was a piece of bleached flat board with blue traces of paint, a perfect candidate for a funky beach sign. I already decided what to paint on it: "Hotel California."
After a few more feet and collecting many interesting pieces, I made my way back to the boats. Next thing I knew we looked north and saw a storm looming. When you see any inkling of weather and you are teathered to a boat of any kind, it is a really wise idea to get clear of water and be safely on shore. My partner and I looked at oneanother and said, "holy shit we need to get to the other side before that storm hits." Off we went, through a gaggle of approximately 20 geese and their brood feeding on the algae.
The waves were now moving against us as well as the power a south wind staring to kick up and cause resistanceagainst the kayaks. This kind of paddling is intriguing to me, the adrenalin is heightening and all you can do is move your arms. Luckily we wore our spray skirts and the waves were washing over the kayak and we were rocking through the water. As we neared the shipping channel, it was all clear and I just pushed. As I looked at the top of the bridge to guage my progress, I realized that with every two strokes, I was being pulled back by three because
of the wind and tide. Now it's time to DIG and we did just that. For about an hour we kept our heads down and pulled.
As the bridge span started to come closer to the water line, I knew we were making progress. Now, it was becoming calm and we relaxed into the flow. The round trip took us 3 1/2 hours, but it was fun, exciting and rewarding. We had new pieces to work on and had a great workout to boot.
June 14: we took a kayak trip north to Nyack Beach, we hugged the coast line the entire way, it was as much fun as I have had. The greatest thing about being in a kayak is that you can navigate where boats cannot. As you get close to the rocky beaches, you need to pull up your rudder and gingerly paddle towards your destination. In this case we closed in on private homes, yacht clubs and boat yards, all holding amazing treasures such as multi-colored river glass.
If someone comes along you just wave and say "good morning" and paddle along...I found a few small drift wood treasures and placed them under my bungee cord on the Wilderness Tsunami 12 ft. kayak that I paddle.
We stopped at Nyack Beach where we met a nice couple, artists and kayakers too! We chatted for a while and traded stories. As we paddled back to our place we noticed a lot of floating debris and driftwood. As we closed in on our final destination we decided to check out a choice location near the Tappan Zee Port Authority just next to the bridge.
We scored big!
Since we were so close to our place, we decided to take the plunge and literally drive a huge tree with a phenomenal root base that had been drying on shore for a while. The piece probably measured 20' in length. We pulled it into the water and maneuvered it along next to our kayaks and floated down to the boat slip. It now sits in the middle of our yard! We'll let it dry out and then we plan to mount it upside down or simply cut off the root base.
After we dried off and re-grouped, we took a ride up to Nyack for the Art Walk. We cruised all over town looking at local artists' works which ranged from photography to sculpture. It was all very good and we enjoyed meeting some new people who had the same interests we did. We will hopefully get involved next year with
Art on Hudson pieces.
Thanks for visiting, come back soon!
Charlie before...
Charlie after... 
Washed up on shore, this piece was cleaned with an electric dremmel bit, sanded, stained and shellacked. The natural grains really POP on the right! An magnificent garden sculpture.