Jay Street

Once upon a time, this was an ordinary city street, with cars and sidewalks and parking hassles. Then someone had the idea to make it a pedestrian-only walk, and small stores moved in and trees were planted and it was even re-paved. It's quite a nice place today. It's one of downtown Schenectady's hidden gems, Proctor's on one end and City Hall on the other. If you're driving (I walk there) you can usually park on the City Hall side, but the municipal parking lot behind Proctor's is free on the weekend.

I've been here plenty of times, but it wasn't until recently that I noticed how the rain brings out the pattern of the paving stones.

Cat's in the bag

I've known quite a few cats, and it seems that most of them liked climbing into paper bags - especially when young. Well Lance here is no exception. He's still so little that his head fits through the carry handle. Time to get him out of THAT particular bag!

No skateboarding!

This bit of elevated stonework downtown near Proctor's Theatre used to be a popular place for skateboarders to practise grinding (sliding on the body or the trucks instead of using the wheels). Then, no doubt for safety's sake, someone installed these steel balls along the edge, thinking that would put an end to it.

Skateboarders love a challenge, and if you look at the ball, it's clear it's been banged up.

Skywatch Friday

I live in the city, so my view of the sky tends to look something like this. This is sunrise from my bedroom window.

A group of photobloggers post a photo of their skies each Friday - it's called Skywatch Friday. Click the link to see photos from round the world.

Oak leaf

During a break in the rain, the morning sun cast its low illumination over this leaf in the parking lot. It's interesting that oak leaves are almost always this colour. They have a certain... aroma, too. I'm instantly transported back to my childhood, tramping through the leaves on the way to school.

Thacher Park overlook

Although we live in the Mohawk river valley, we aren't very far from the Helderberg Escarpment in Albany. It's a nice motorcycle ride. Even in the autumn. Winding along the cliffs is a trail called Indian Ladder. The state set aside a big chunk of land here for a state park, the John Boyd Thacher Park. It's very beautiful.

The view here is about a thousand feet above sea level; the valley floor is about 750 feet down. The boys liked the sunshine after the chilly ride up!

Isn't it cool?

That's the question my little one asked me when he picked up this leaf. Then he insisted I take a photo. Why not? It wasn't until I looked at it later that I realised I got his feet in the photo as well. We call sandals like that 'flip-flops, probably from the sound they make as one walks.