Category Archives: Nature

Trees, Surprised by Winter

Posted on October 30, 2011 by | 2 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

The snowstorm that came through New York City a couple of days ago wasn’t much as winter storms go. But it was so early—it’s nowhere near winter yet! New York City has had measurable snow in October only three times previously since records began in 1869, and this storm, dropping 2.9 inches in Central Park, set a new record by far.

The trees weren’t ready. They still had almost all their leaves—the fall colors haven’t even peaked yet in Central Park!—and the weight of the snow accumulating in the foliage brought down branches and whole trees everywhere.

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A Walk in the Park

Posted on October 29, 2011 by | Leave a comment

By Vladimir Brezina

Yesterday:

Today:

More photos from both days to come. (Update, November 18, 2011: they are here.)

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A Blaze of Fall Color by Kayak: A Photoessay

Posted on October 22, 2011 by | Leave a comment

By Vladimir Brezina

In New York City, the leaves are only just starting to turn. But farther north along the Hudson the fall colors must be well advanced.

For a number of years I used to go by train with my folding kayak to see the fall colors in the stretch of the Hudson just south of Albany, near Catskill and the town of Hudson.  In Ramshorn Creek, a little winding creek off the Hudson just south of Catskill, I saw, about this time in October one year, the best fall colors ever—a vivid profusion of yellows, oranges, reds, purples, reflected in the green-brown waters of the creek against a crystalline fall blue sky.

It doesn’t look like I’ll have time to go up there this year. So here are some photos from that memorable trip. Even though photos can’t do the real experience of such colors justice, they do give some idea…

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On the Beach: A Photoessay

Posted on October 19, 2011 by | Leave a comment

By Vladimir Brezina

That first glimpse of the sea instantly shows what the day will be like. The sea sets the mood.

That day at the beach may be just an ordinary Sunday at the seaside
or it may be stormy
or dreamy…

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Where We Like to Land on Sandy Hook

Posted on October 12, 2011 by | 9 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

Sandy Hook, NJ, a long thin finger that reaches out across the Lower Bay toward New York City, is an irresistible destination for a kayak trip from the city. But once Sandy Hook is off the bow, where to land?  The perfect landing site can be elusive.  Landing is nowhere actually difficult on Sandy Hook—there is a broad sandy beach almost all the way around (although the ocean side can have significant surf).  But in most places it’s a featureless beach, offering no shade in the summer nor shelter from the wind in the winter. Parts of the beach may be off-limits for one reason or another.  And besides, we want to have lunch in a picturesque spot, rich both in local sights and sounds and views of the landscape.

There is such a spot on Sandy Hook. A mile and a half down the bay side, right on the beach, there is an overgrown hillock—almost a little island, no more than a few hundred feet across, that is cut off from the rest of Sandy Hook by a salt marsh that floods at high tide.  That’s where we like to land on Sandy Hook.

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Later Flowers for the Bees, and Butterflies: A Photoessay

Posted on October 10, 2011 by | 5 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

… to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease …

John Keats, To Autumn

This past weekend was beautiful: dry, calm, sunny and warm—Indian Summer weather. In New York City’s Central Park, still mostly a fall-denying green, a fresh crop of flowers was out. And the park’s bees and butterflies, like the city’s human inhabitants, were out in force.

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Dawn and Sunrise in New York Harbor

Posted on October 3, 2011 by | 6 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

Yesterday I got up early to go kayaking with NYC Swim‘s Ederle Swim.  It was dark and cold. Why do these swims always begin so early? (Don’t tell me: time and tide wait for no man…)

But there was an unexpected bonus:  a prime view of a spectacular dawn and sunrise over New York Harbor, from the motorboat that transported us from Manhattan to Sandy Hook, NJ, for the start of the swim. A few photos:

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Happy Fall!

Posted on September 23, 2011 by | 10 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

The September Equinox occurred today, September 23, 2011, at 09:04 UTC, or 5:04 a.m. in New York City. And with it, the first day of Fall!

“Autumn in New York
Why does it seem so inviting?
…
It’s autumn in New York
It’s good to live it again.”

To celebrate and anticipate the joys of fall, here is a gallery of fall foliage photos that I took in NYC’s Central Park last year on one spectacularly beautiful day, October 28 (late in the year for peak foliage color, it might seem, but not so in NYC’s urban heat island).

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Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go in the Water…

Posted on September 18, 2011 by | 6 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

After Hurricane Irene a few weeks ago, this startling photo went viral on the Internet, and was picked up by TV stations and print media.

“This picture was taken in Puerto Rico shortly after Hurricane Irene ravaged the island. Yes, that’s a shark swimming down the street next to a car, and this is exactly why authorities in NYC are warning people not to go swimming in flood waters after a hurricane.”

There’s something fishy about that photo, though…

This has happened before. The hero’s encounter with a scary monster has always made for a good story. But nowadays a story isn’t enough—the hero has to have a good photo, or better still, a video! Just think how the poor Loch Ness Monster is losing credibility because, whenever it surfaces, nobody around has a camera or else the photos come out blurry…  And so, in the age of Photoshop…

Here are a few well-known photos and videos. Some are fake—but some are not! Which are which?

Update (September 21, 2011): Answers provided.

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The Red Vines of Autumn Along the Hudson: A Photoessay

Posted on September 14, 2011 by | Leave a comment

By Vladimir Brezina

Summer was very great (:-)). But now, according to the National Weather Service,

“[a] taste of fall is in the forecast! A strong cold front will cross the Tri-State area Thursday ushering in a Canadian airmass. Temperatures will only be in the 70s Thursday with a chance of a few showers or even a thunderstorm. Then, the much cooler air arrives by Thursday night. Temperatures will fall to near 50 degrees. High temperatures on Friday will only be in the mid to upper 60s. Dewpoints will also fall into the 30s during the day Friday making it feel like autumn.”

In New York City, the trees remain green, with no sign of fall color yet. But the city is an urban heat island, with temperatures elevated often by ten degrees or more. Outside the city, no doubt, leaves are already starting to turn. It’s time to plan fall foliage trips—by kayak, naturally!

Some of the best fall colors can be seen along the banks of the Hudson north of the city. I haven’t been up the river since our May paddle from Albany to New York City, but here, in a collection of photos from past years, is what I imagine is, or soon will be, happening…

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