New York – Decaseconds

Mohonk and Its Fire Suppression System

2023-Jun-05 adohertyhLeave a comment

After a teaser from the climb up on Friday, here is the full view from the top of Mohonk’s Skytop. This high-resolution panorama is definitely worth clicking through to Flickr for the full-sized version. There’s a lot here: the hotel and its namesake lake, but also the trails and conserved forest space around it. The water retention pond in the foreground is the semi-secret reason for Mohonk’s continued existence: though there were a variety of all-wood structures like Mohonk in the past, most have burned down over the years. This is the water source for the Mountain House’s fire suppression system, which was installed early and has preserved the structure through tribulations.

Keyhole View from Skytop

2023-Jun-022023-Jun-01 adohertyh1 Comment

If that picture of Skytop from last week sparked the question, “What does the view look like from the top?” I’ll meet you halfway; this is the view from the climb up. (The rest of the view will come Monday.)

That cliff face exploding from the trees is part of the Shawangunk Range of mountains, home of Mohonk Mountain House.

Hydroelectric Output

2023-May-082023-May-09 adohertyhLeave a comment

Colton, New York’s hydroelectric dam brings together dark, deep, deceptively passive water on one side and a raging torrent on the other. It’s perhaps a useful metaphor for the experience of preparing to leave a place one has lived for a decade. Visiting sites like this is also a reminder that sometimes I avoid exploring the interesting places near me until I’m preparing to leave the area; something analogous happened near the end of my sabbatical.

Swimming at Mohonk

2023-Apr-212023-Apr-22 adohertyhLeave a comment

Far in the distance of last Friday’s post was Mohonk Mountain House’s swimming area; I thought it deserved a closer look. The glacier-formed cliffs, tall trees, and array of wooden structures reminds me (oddly enough) of a Shinto shrine—though obviously without the spiritual aspect.

Bench Overlooking Lake

2023-Apr-14 adohertyh1 Comment

In my last post from Mohonk Mountain House, I talked about the importance of seating to develop a sense of welcoming and place. The same technique is employed outside, as well as in. This rustic love seat overlooks the lake and its swimming area on the far side.

Curved Room Windows

2023-Apr-07 adohertyh1 Comment

Design matters, and thus details matter, in making a place feel warm and inviting. Comfy chairs arrayed facing this curved bank of windows offer more than a place to sit while waiting for dinner at Mohonk Mountain House—they produce a sense of place and belonging.

Mohonk Boat Dock

2023-Mar-31 adohertyhLeave a comment

When breakfast is done, a panoply of watercraft are ready to carry me onto the reflective surface of Lake Mohonk. I have to admit, I’ve always preferred the canoes.

Breakfast on the Porch I

2023-Mar-13 adohertyh1 Comment

Mohonk Mountain House remains a place nestled into both the rocks of the Shawangunk Mountains and a pre-digital era. Nonetheless, delightful new traditions manage to merge into the setting. Breakfast in the open air of the expansive front porch came about during the Covid era but has remained—a just delightful way to start the day.

This image also further exhibits the trend I explored in another recent image, showing both a view and a space for the viewer.

Rocking Chair Array

2023-Mar-062023-Mar-05 adohertyhLeave a comment

This photograph places into contrast the way humans made linear forms and nature exists beyond those patterned limits. Not only do the sloping hillsides contrast with the columns, but even the shadows cast by the Sun take orthogonal shapes and skew them to other angles.

Rocking Chairs Overlooking the Lake

2023-Feb-242023-Feb-23 adohertyh2 Comments

A great landscape photograph is one in which the viewer can imagine themselves; unsurprisingly, some of my own favorite pictures are ones featuring an obvious spot for the viewer alongside a gorgeous setting.

Boat Dock Before It Opens

2023-Feb-17 adohertyhLeave a comment

A quiet early morning at Mohonk Mountain House’s dock has a place for every boat and every boat in its place. I like the way the path of the dock mirrors the path of the mountaintop in the distance. This calm-before-a-busy-day setting is also a metaphor for Decaseconds: I finished processing all of my pictures from a trip to Mohonk at the end of last summer. Like the boats, my work is organized and ready to be shared.

Saratoga Horse Show 2022

2022-Dec-282022-Dec-27 adohertyhLeave a comment

The quiet moments of winter are the times when I look back on my photographic year and finally finish uploading my favorites. The rhythms of 2022 meant a particularly huge backlog, so here I find myself with far too deep a set of uploads to handle at a pace of one-per-day. As a result, I’ll be spacing some horse show mega-posts among my normal posts.

First in the set is Saratoga Horse Show, back in June 2022.

Three Views of Canton, New York

2022-Dec-192022-Dec-18 adohertyhLeave a comment

I upload pictures to be future Decaseconds posts as I find images I think are worthy. (Only the best for my readers.) During most of the year, a three-photographs-per-week pace keeps up with my new acquisitions. This fall, however, was a time of plenty, powered by my DJI Mini 3 Pro’s incredible range and low-light image quality. To keep up with demand necessitates a triple-play today.

Three views of Canton, New York begin with this image over the Grasse River, with islands in the foreground and SUNY Canton in the distance.

Farther south, St. Lawrence University’s campus is lit up for the evening.

And the quad by Kirk Douglas Hall looks warm and inviting. (It’s currently beneath a layer snow.)

County Buildings

2022-Dec-02 adohertyhLeave a comment

Canton is the seat of St. Lawrence County. The multistory stone buildings amongst the sea of single-family homes that out here because they (and the church steeples) are the only structures tall enough to catch the remaining red light of sunset.

Farms in the North Country

2022-Nov-302022-Dec-01 adohertyhLeave a comment

Sustainable farming has found a home in New York’s North Country.