By Vladimir Brezina
Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.
Red sky at morning, sailor take warning.
This was the sight today at 7 a.m. …
… and this at 5 p.m.
A nor’easter is on the way.
For the first time this winter, we might get some real snow. Finally! We are looking forward to it.
By Vladimir Brezina
Last weekend at NYC’s Central Park Reservoir. An icy cold day. The Reservoir is mostly frozen over, leaving just a patch of open water where all of the Reservoir’s birds have congregated.
Johna surveys the panorama. (Click to enlarge any photo.)
Midtown Manhattan rises up beyond.
The birds are mostly Canada Geese and ducks, including some varieties that we’ve never noticed here before—they are probably from Canada, down for the winter. They paddle through the patch of open water, squabble, or just stand silently on the ice, beaks tucked into their back feathers, facing into the cold wind.
The blue shadows lengthen as the sun goes down, lighting up the East Side on the other side of the Reservoir with its last rays.
More photos are here.
Posted in Nature, New York City
Tagged Birds, Canada Geese, Central Park, Central Park Reservoir, Ducks, Manhattan, New York City, Photography, Sunset, Winter
By Vladimir Brezina
This morning we passed the Solstice of December 21, 2012, otherwise known as 13.0.0.0.0, and we can be cautiously optimistic—I am, on the whole, an optimist—that the world as we know it will continue…
So it seems safe to wish everyone a Happy Winter (or Summer, as it may be) and Festive Holidays!
And safe to respond to Ailsa’s photo challenge, which this week, very appropriately, is Festive—
Posted in Life, Photography
Tagged Festive, Photography, postaday, postaweek, postaweek2012, Solstice, Weekly Photo Challenge, Winter
By Vladimir Brezina
Ailsa‘s Travel-Themed Photo Challenge this week is Texture. I’ve already posted one response, but here’s another.
A snowy day in New York City’s Central Park…
More photos are here.
Posted in New York City, Photography
Tagged Central Park, New York City, Photography, postaday, postaweek, postaweek2012, Snow, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge, Winter
By Vladimir Brezina
On Saturday, the air temperature was predicted to be in the 30s, then falling rapidly after dark. The water temperature was in the 40s. With a cold front coming over in the afternoon, winds were predicted at 15-20 knots, with gusts up to 30 knots. There was a small craft advisory.
A perfect day for a nice paddle around Manhattan!
Posted in Kayaking, New York City
Tagged Kayaking, Manhattan, New York City, New York Harbor, Photography, Sunset, Winter
By Vladimir Brezina
Finally! We’ve turned the corner, and the days are getting longer. Of course, winter has really only just begun—but once the short dark days begin their retreat, winter is a great time for kayaking!
I am already thinking forward to those crisp blue days in late winter or early spring when you can see forever, and can paddle a long way before the day is done, and are alone on the water… (and you can also get seriously hypothermic).
Here is my account of one such day in 2002, written up for the March/April 2003 issue of ANorAK, the Journal of the Association of North Atlantic Kayakers. (I wrote up a series of three trips for Anorak in 2003, whereupon the journal died—hopefully not cause and effect. The others two trips are already posted here and here.)
Tagged Cape Cod, Elizabeth Islands, Kayaking, Martha's Vineyard, Whale, Winter, Woods Hole
By Vladimir Brezina
This morning at 12:30 a.m. EST, as most of us on the East Coast slumbered, we passed the winter solstice. So from now on, days will be getting longer! On the other hand, winter is here. And it’s predicted to be cold and snowy.
In anticipation, here are some photos from last winter, taken on January 27, 2011, in New York City’s Central Park just after the nor’easter that dumped a record 19 inches of snow there…
More photos from that day are here.
Posted in Nature, New York City
Tagged Central Park, Ducks, Manhattan, New York City, Photography, Seasons, Snow, Solstice, Winter
By Vladimir Brezina
Yesterday:
Today:
More photos from both days to come. (Update, November 18, 2011: they are here.)
Posted in Nature, New York City
Tagged Central Park, Fall, New York City, Snow Storm, Weather, Winter
... has kayaked the waters around New York for over a decade in his red Feathercraft folding kayak. He comes originally from (the former) Czechoslovakia and has lived in the U.K. and California before settling down in New York. He is a neuroscientist at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
... is a kayaker and technology researcher at Nemertes Research. She's an erstwhile engineer, particle physicist, and science fiction writer. She was born in California and has lived in Italy, Norway, Hawaii, and a few other places. She currently resides in New York City.
