A Weekend in the Gunks

Us
Originally uploaded by Polish Carpetlayer.

On our quest to get away from the hot/humid/unending sweat inducing repressive summer we jumped in the car and headed upstate. We ended up in the Gunks, a climbing Mecca about 2 hours upstate. It was beautiful (and still a little humid). We had to pay $8 each to hike. It's a private reserve and they charge private prices. Damn NY.

We found a little (actually kind of big) brew pub in New Paltz. It's a town right outside of the Gunks. Great food, good atmosphere and Blueberry Summer Ale. Quite tasty and perfectly refreshing in hot weather.

The humidity in the city is absolutely brutal. It's like living in a steam room. Today, 95 degrees but they say the humidity is going to make it feel like 105. Fuck! I'm not having any problems with dry skin. I'd take Oregon rain over this any day. We've been told that this heat/humidity wave is unusual. Unfortunately for us, it's been very usual. Every day the same weather.

Praise be to the incredible soul that created the air conditioner. Now if can we just get one of those amazing devices strapped onto the earth. Or at least turn back the clock on this global warming thing. The freckles on my skin and the beads of sweat on my forehead say it's just TO DAMN HOT.

Time for work. I better put on another layer of deodorant before I step out into the non-air-conditioned New York air. I’m going to need that extra protection.

Free Ozomatli concert across the street

A block and a half away from our place Brooklyn puts on a series of free summer park concerts. Tonight it was Ozomatli, a world fusion latin group from East LA. Michelle's hips couldn't stop moving as the 10 piece band delivered latin jams into the air. We hung out with Tommy and DiEtt (I know I mispelled her name. Damn). The food was good, the wine we snuck in even better and the micro-brewed whiskey Tommy added was smooth (with a bite... a good bite). We danced through the humid night with a large crowd and enjoyed our Thursday evening.

A Taste of Our 4th of July

(BBQ in front of David's)


(Boats waiting for the show)


(Crowd gathered on David's roof)








(Shows over)

Christen and Ryan decided to show up for the holiday weekend. It was great to have our first NW visitors. For the 4th, we BBQ's at David's and ended up on the roof watching fireworks explode over the river with Manhattan in all it's glory as the background. An immense amount of people went on the roof with us. They had a bouncer checking the roof door and only let friends of the buildings tenants up to the top. On the left we could see the Empire State building and just to the left of the fireworks we could see the Chrysler building. Boats lined the shore and people yelled and clapped and shouted for the best fireworks. After the show, the streets were filled with people walking to there homes and cars and places of rest. It was a beautiful night, in the low 70's, filled with new backdrops, interesting people and the fireworks that fill the skies of every small and big town from here to Estacada Oregon. We took pictures. Enjoy.

I Love Air Conditioners

Ok, when the weather person (notice, non-gender specific. I learned that is Portland) says it's going to be in the mid 80's, I can hang with that. But what you don't get told is it's going to be in the mid 80's at 2pm and 2am. You also don't get told that's it's going to be accompanied by humidity in the mid 80's. Thank god for deodorant and air conditioning (I can thankfully say that Michelle and I have stocked up on both. A 12000 BTU AC works away in our living room while a much smaller one keeps us company in the bedroom).

Christen and Ryan are showing up this weekend. Should be fun. We'll see what tomorrow brings us. But I think we're going to go to a free concert at Battery Park on Monday and then watch the firework show over Manhattan from David's riverside roof. Pictures of the weekend should be up soon (after the weekend).