The second part of my NYS stay was the always reliable Schodack Island State Park, just south of Albany (and on the other side of the Hudson River).
What wasn’t reliable was (a) the weather and (b) a certain camper. I arrived at 2PM, hoping to get all set up in my new site before the predicted thunderstorms rolled in. I could already see them on the horizon. The camp office, however, had bad news. The person in my site hadn’t left on time, despite a big red date on his hang tag that clearly said today’s date. They had just tracked him down, an hour away. She let me sit on a nearby electric site, which I got into just as the first fat raindrops splattered on my windshield.
Two hours later, no sign of the illiterate camper, so the camp office said to stay put for the night and then I could move tomorrow. I kept an eye out, and the couple showed up at 9PM! They tried to sneak out before the camp office opened, but I found out from the maintenance chief later that he caught them and made them pay up before he’d move his truck and let them out. I love him.
The trend of afternoon thunderstorms continued, but in between, the weather was blue skies and high humidity. The tides didn’t align well with the cooler mornings, so I didn’t do any paddling this time.
I did, however, have fun watching the bunnies eat grass around my site. And I took a few hikes, once the humidity broke, a few days into my stay.
It was almost like a vacation: sewing, reading, napping, all to do anything but get out in the humid weather.
Special thanks to JAM for a wonderful Sunday afternoon wandering around Hudson, window-shopping mostly, with pizza and good conversation. We always have fun when we’re hanging out together.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Mary Oliver, The Summer Day
Great clouds!!
Lovely post. Thank you.