Boat Ride in Lake George

Today

Today was the perfect day for a boat ride. After we all ate breakfast done by Michael and Toby, we went to the RPI Biology lab which in the backyard has a dock that leads you to Lake George. From the backyard, we could see a beautiful scenery of Lake George. The rocks, the calm water, the green and big mountains and the light blue sky all contributed to the wonderful landscape. While in the boat, we were told about amazing facts about Lake George. One of the fact that surprised me was that Lake George was actually divided into two different Lake. It is astonishing to know that lakes can come together. This fact makes me wonder if people drowned when the lakes rose in order to come together. It also makes me wonder if that is ever going to happen with other lakes, and how bad that would affect the population around those specific lakes.

The good thing about the lakes coming together and forming Lake George is that the proportion of water to land is bigger. Lake George has a greater amount of water than amount of land surrounding it. Due to this, less people can live around the lake in comparison with other lakes. Since there is less people around it, there is a less level of contamination. As a result, the lake is very clean and unpolluted. The RPI Biology lab workers go constantly into the lake where they are able to find different types of plants and other specimens. In addition, they take examples of water from different parts of the lake to determine what the ph is and study it for further analysis.I never expected to find a RPI building as far as George Lake town. The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is definitely a very large college. 

Volunteering in Lake George

View of Lake George from Wiawaka

Today in Wiawaka, Lake George was a day that required a lot of our energy. As part of a volunteering project, we had to sweep the inside and the outside of the porches of three big houses in Wiawaka (shown in the picture below). In addition, we also had to swipe the outside furniture and to rake around the trees. I do not mind cleaning, however I get tired of it very fast. That’s why I turned on the music on my phone and started doing my part which was sweeping the inside and outside of the porches. Professor Andor helped me. He was sweeping the inside of the porch while I was doing the outside. In the time that my phone was playing “roar” by Katy Perry. Katie started swiping the furniture. As the chorus of the song came closer, she and I started singing along with Katy Perry I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire, 'Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar, Louder, louder than a lion….

Houses in Wiawaka

Because I was singing and getting a little bit distracted with Katie, I finished my first assigned house sooner than I expected. When professor Andor heard the music that I was playing, he put his headphone on. I did not know the type of music he was listening to but I amused the music was loud since he asked me couple of time if I had said something when I did not say a word. I always thought that listening to some type of music while cleaning was only a Dominican habit. However, with Professor Andor and Katie I realized it is more about personality than culture.

After finish cleaning the first house, Professor Andor and I went to the third and fourth houses where we also swept the porches. These houses were located right in front of Lake George. To be more specific, one of these houses was actually built on water. It was amazing to see the other side of the town while standing in the porch. While observing the beautifulness of this scenery, I realized that I will not be one of those people who settle in a place, make friends, marry, reproduce and died in the same place. Instead, I want to travel all around the world and be able to see the beautifulness that the earth has.

Ready to visit Lake George Town

Late in the evening, after we had done all the chores, relaxed and eaten dinner, we visited the actual town of Lake George. I always considered country towns to be very boring. However, Lake George was something else. As we had learned previously, Lake George was seized by William Johnson during the French and English conflict. Johnson renamed it to Lake George in order to honor the King George of England. Lake George does not only have an interesting history but the town today is also very amusing. The lake itself brings beautifulness to the town. As Katie and I walked by the lake, many people were admire the natural beauty.  The sound of the animals –the ducks in the lake, the birds in the street, and the dogs in the sidewalk-  made my experience at Lake George even better.

Sewage Plants

I never realized how much water per day we waste by just flushing the toilet. In many cases, only the minimum that we use to flush the toilet is approximately one gallon of water. It might seem very little. However, if a person uses the toilet at least five times a day, he or she is spending approximately five gallons of water only by flushing the toilet. If five gallons of water is only used to flush the toilet, the amount of water used in general, for instance to take a shower, to wash dishes and to do other chores, will be extremely large. I cannot even calculate how much water I use a day because if I do so, I might have a heart attack. I am very concerned about global warming. Due to this, I recycle and I encourage other people to do so. However, when it comes to saving water, I do not do a good job.

                                          

I always hear people talking about how contaminated the Hudson River is. However, compared to past years, the quality of the water of Hudson River has improved and it is not as contaminated as it was before. This is due to a combination of laws that the congress passed in order to improve the quality of the river. For instance, before 1972 waste-water was threw back into the river as contaminated as it was. Since it was no law that protected the Hudson River, many cities and towns around New York used the Hudson River as a water disposal. Thus, by doing this, they contaminated the clean water of the Hudson. It was not until 1972 that the congress passed a law which require every state to return the waste-water to the surrounding rivers at least 95% cleaner. It is a relief to know that even though the Hudson River was very contaminated once, the government is enacting laws that protect it. This and the help of many environmentalists keep the hope that the Hudson River might get as clean as it was back in the days.

The Albany County Sewer District is a waste-water treatment plant that decontaminate waste-water before returning it back into the Hudson. This plant returns the water to the Hudson at least 95% cleaner which is required by law. In our tour to this treatment plant, I saw and understood the different processes that waste-water goes through after it has been used. These processes are more complex than what I thought. Every time that a citizen around the Albany area flush the toilet, he or she provides work to do to a whole sewage company such as this one in Albany. This treatment plant has 72 workers and it runs from 5 to 6 days a week, 24 hours a day. It also has many complex plants that help with the decontamination of water such as an incinerator and a power generator which was bought directly from Ireland.

Narrow Canals for the Decontamination of Waste water 

 It was fascinating to see how the waste-water was pumped into different narrow canals (shown in the picture above) that the company constructed in order for the insoluble solids to settle in the bottom. So, as the waste-water flowed through these canals, many insoluble substances stayed behind, making the waste-water less contaminated.

Bacteria being added to the waste-water

After going through all these canals, the waste-water is now from 85% to 70% cleaner than it was previously. At this point, the waste-water contains only soluble substances. In order for these soluble substances to be removed from the water, a great amount of bacteria is added. This bacteria breaks down and eats the soluble compounds in the water. The product of the bacteria and the waste-water is mainly hydrogen and nitrogen which goes into the atmosphere. Because bacteria divides very quickly, the workers at this treatment plant often have to kill some of the bacteria.

Bio Solids

After almost all soluble substance is removed from the water, the water is tested in the biology lab to make sure it is at least 95% uncontaminated before returning it into the river. This treatment plant produces around 23 million gallons of bio solids per day, which are all the products that come up after the waste-water has been decontaminated. Thanks to this treatment plant great amount of waste is not being throwing out in the river like it was years old. 

Fort Johnson

William Johnson 

Today, we all learned about William Johnson, a British agent who made negotiations with the Mohawk. He befriended the Indians and often provided them with a great hospitality at his home.

Johnson's House

The picture above shows Johnson’s house. In this house was where many of the Indians were welcomed. As we were explained, the Indians got into to the house, set in the waiting room and waited for their turn. In many occasions, they waited weeks before being assisted by Johnson. This is why there were available rooms for them in the attic. While they waited, they could eat or drink whatever they wanted. Johnson had plenty of servants to take care of the Indians while he was dealing with other issues.

                Johnson's Desk                                                         Game Table to entertain the Indians 

During this time period, many agents used rum or other kind of alcohol to make the Indians unconscious of their actions when making negotiations. Doing this, many of the agents made great profit out of the Indians. Even though, many of the agents used this technique, William Johnson never did. Due to this, he had a good reputation and thus more Indians would come to him when they had problems or wanted business. Clearly, the hospitality and honesty of William Johnson made him a great negotiator which then led him to his fortune.

The house above was not only a workplace for Johnson, but it also was the home where he lived with his wife, Catherine Wesenberg, his son John Johnson and his daughters.

Catherine's Bed

His wife was born in England. She was not seen very often by Johnson’s customers. Most of the time, she was in the back of the house taking care of other matters. When Catherine died, Johnson married Molloy, a Mohawk Indian. They had several children who were excluded in his will by their half-brother John Johnson. After marrying Molloy, Johnson constructed a new house about a mile away from his previous house. This house is shown in the picture below.

                                  

Johnson's New House/ Johnson's Hall

 Here, Johnson continued his business with the Indians. In contrast with Catherine, Molloy was a very outgoing woman who helped Johnson to take care of his business. After the Indians had done business with Johnson, they sent thanks letters to him and Molloy. I found it ironic that Molloy, who might have been considered as a “savage”, knew how to help her husband with his business matter. While Catherine who might have been considered as “civilized,” did not participate in her husband’s business.

The fact that William Johnson married an Indian woman fascinated me. When I heard about it the first time, I thought I heard wrong. But I did not. William Johnson married an Indian woman with whom he raised eight kids. It seems that William Johnson did not care about class status which in the colonization and American Revolution period was a big issue. This fact reflects that Johnson, besides being honest and friendly, was also humble. 

Memorial Day in Lansingburgh

As I researched on Memorial Day, I learned  many fascinating facts. For example, Memorial Day commemoration originated from another celebration called Decoration Day. Officially, Memorial Day honors the people who died in the civil war which was the event that caused the largest number of death in the history of the U.S..  Decoration Day honors the people who died serving the U.S. in any other conflict besides the Civil War such as World War II.  Learning about the differences between these two commemorations gave me a better understanding of the American Culture.

Memorial Day is a Holiday and though almost everybody go outside to celebrate it. Many of them celebrate it by having a good time with family or friends. I was able to see this in the parade of Lansing burgh where many people gathered to celebrate. For instance, Emily is a Lansing burgh resident who was watching the parade with her husband and her two beautiful daughters. Emily grew up in Lansing burgh and some of her friends have been in the military. She told us that luckily none of the people that she knows have died serving the nation. Lucas is a resident of Greenbush who comes to the Lansing burgh parade occasionally. Today he came because he wanted to spend some quality time with his girlfriend and friends. He claimed that the marching bands were his favorite part of the parade and that he wish he had the time to come every year to see them.

There is no doubt that this day can bring many sad memories to many people. As I walked my way through the sidewalk, I saw many tearing silently. These people might still feel the pain caused by the loss of their loved ones. To many others who served in the war, this day can bring memories of their past that they would not want to remember. Danes Perpetua, for instance, served in Navy for five years and fought in the Vietnam War. He was in the parade of Lansing burgh with her wife.  Even though he did not serve in the civil war, he still served for the United States in the Vietnam War where many of his friends died.  As I conversed with him, his face expression was not very happy when asked about the war. This suggests that his memories of fighting in the war are not very enjoyable.The Memorial Day parade of Lansing Burgh was a great success where many people enjoyed. There was a whole diversity of people who came from other towns such as Greenbush, Schenectady, Watervliet, Catskills and others. Many people as I did enjoyed the marching bands the most.

Olana, Kaaterskill Falls and Thomas Cole's House

Kaaterskill Falls

Hiking in the Kaaterskill Falls was an amazing experience that I would never trade for anything in the world. The girls and I were amused by the beauty of the waterfalls. In addition, I felt very privileged to be around the place where Frederic Church made the kindred spirits’ Painting which honored Thomas Cole.

Thomas Cole's House

Being at the place that inspired the artists Frederic Church and Thomas Cole was a privilege, but being at the homes where they lived before they died was a blessing.  Thomas Cole’s house was a very small house compared to that of Frederic. However, his house still felt very homey and inspiring. From the front balcony, one has an amazing view of the Catskills Mountains. As I went around the house and saw almost all the objects with which Cole worked made me feel very glad of being part of the Discovery program of Russell Sage College.

Inside of Cole's House

Inside Thomas cole’s house, we also saw some of his paintings that were not as famous as the other ones. In addition, I also was informed of some events that happened in Cole’s life that I was not aware of. For instance, besides his house which was given by his uncle, he also owned a farm which was located near one of the local lakes. From that, I understood that Cole did not just based his economy on his paintings but he also made profit through farming even if the products were only  for family use. Additionally, Cole also taught Frederic Church, with whom he became very close. After Thomas Cole died, Frederic church guided Cole’s son which was then eight years old.

Church's House

Personally, Frederic Church’s house has been the most beautiful and unique architecture that I ever seen. The vivid colors that the house has in the outside foreshadows the beautifulness of the inside. Once I was inside the house, I could not stop looking at every single detail of the house. Everything, the structure and design of the rooms, the design of the windows, the decorations, the painting hanging against the wall and the story that every object in the room seems to have, was fascinating. In his studio, he had a rock from the Parthenon as well as a painting from Ireland as well as hats from Mexico as well as many other objects that give his studio a multicultural look. Frederic Church was definitely a person that I would want to know since I see myself as a very multicultural person.

After contemplating the beauty of the Catskill Mountains, Kaaterskill Falls and the Hudson River, now I perfectly understand why the artists Thomas Cole and Frederic Church felt so inspiring in that region. Both of their houses have an amazing view to the Catskill maintains which kept them inspired to paint. While the Europeans kept conquering more territory, both artists seemed to worry about the future of their surroundings. They saw that North America was becoming more and more industrialized which bothered them. After have seen the beauty of these regions, I realized that Thomas Cole and Frederic Church were right at being annoyed by the fast industrialization.

Albany Institute Museum

   

Professor Michael  Musial

Kindred Spirits 

 Today, before going to the Albany Institute museum, Professor Michael Musial gave us a brief presentation of Thomas Cole, Frederic Edwin and other artists. He also explained to us the different layers that a painting can have as well as the different techniques that artists use in order to make the painting attractive to the viewers. For instance, paintings have usually three or four layers which give them a realistic overview. Artists use different colors in order to emphasize sunlight or to convey a particular emotion or event. For example, this painting called Kindred Spirits by Asher B. Durand has three layers. The first layer is at the very front, where the sunlight does not reach. Within the first layer, there is also many broken trees. The second layer is where the two men, who are Thomas Cole and other colleague, are standing. Finally the third layer is where the mountains are in the background.

         Of the artists that Mr. Musial talked to us about, I like Thomas Cole the most.

Thomas Cole

Lake Winnipesaukee

The Garden of the Van Rensselaer

Lake Winnipesaukee in the Albany institute

Thomas Cole was the founder of the Hudson River Art School. He also made study on nature and every morning he went outside the Catskill Mountains and sketched. 

The Garden of the Van Rensselaer at the Albany Institute

Lake Winnipesaukee and the Garden of the Van Rensselaer are two of the most famous paintings of his. However, Lake Winnipesaukee was the one that gave him fame. In the Albany Institute museum, this painting is bordered by a gorgeous golden frame.

Lake Winnipesaukee (magnified)

As I had the painting in front of my eyes, I could see details that I was not able to see in the picture of the painting. For instance, I was able to see the men at the first layer. As the picture above shows, one of the men is sitting on a rock and the other one is going away in a horse. One of my interpretation of this is that the man sitting on the rock is contemplating the view that he sees from his location while the man in the horse is in his way to explore around. They both might be making study on nature. My other interpretation of this is that the man in the horse just dropped off the man who sitting on the rock. That might be why the man is returning back with the horse and the other one is resting in order to keep going with his journal.

A View of The Catskill Mountain House

In the Albany institute Museum, I also saw one of the painting of Thomas Cole’s sister, Sara Cole. Her painting is called a view of The Catskill Mountain House. This painting is a copy of a painting by her brother. Sara and Thomas knew very well the Catskill Mountains since they constantly ventured into the mountains. In his journal, Thomas reported that they both along with others “went hiking in the Catskills and camped on the summit of high Peak.” It was very interesting seeing how Thomas Cole played a role model to his sister.

Leaving the Museum

I do not paint or sketch. However, I am constantly exposed to different types of paintings because many of my friends paint.  In addition, as I started my college career I am often exposed to different types of arts such as paintings, poems, sculpture and others. Due to these reasons, I have become more related to art. I am completely sure that by the end of the discovery program at the Hudson River, I will be able even more related to art and will be able to recognize very famous artists.

Saint Joseph's Church and The Empire State Plaza

Saint Joseph's Church

       In our way to the Empire State Plaza we stopped at the Saint Joseph's Church. This magnificent building is located in Albany and it has been unused for almost 20 years. It is very aspiring that the community had decided to keep this building even though many people want to demolish it and construct a modern one. We all were amused by the tremendous architecture that this old church has. The Saint Joseph’s church brings definitely historical mementos to this small community of Albany.

Arrive at NYSM/ visitor Pass

 Once we were at the empire state plaza, we all received visitor passes because we were going to go to places of the museum where regular people would not go.  With our passes all hanging from our shirts, we went to Andrea Lain who is the archaeology collections’ manager.

 Lain talked to us about the lives of the poorest people in New York in the early 19^th century. She explained that most of the poorest people lived in the country area. Since those poor people lived in small towns, they were helped by others in the community. However, when people started traveling, it was more difficult now to take care of the poor.  The almshouse was a place where people who had nowhere to go were given housing. “40% of the residents between 1904 and 1918 were born in foreign countries.” This is a fascinating fact because it shows that many people in the society were focused on helping others without caring about their backgrounds or their nationalities.

 When of the residents at the house died, they were buried at the Almshouse cemetery. This  cemetery was where poor people were buried after they have died from diseases, injuries or hardship. It was located on New Scotland  Avenue in Albany, New York right next to the Sage Colleges. In February of 2002, excavations began and 830 coffins were found. Many of the coffins were stacked upon each other. In addition, the coffins in where each person was buried say a lot about what they did for a living. In addition, the clothes that they had when buried also says about their lives and the time period.

Caucasian man

Samples of people buried at the Almshouse

 Lain showed us samples of the different people that were found in the cemetery. For instance, the picture above shows one of the person who was buried at the cemetery and could probably be a Caucasian man. The archeologists are not 100% sure that he could be a Caucasian man, but because his skull shows some specific characteristics as well as his DNA, they suppose he is Caucasian. In addition, in many occasions by examining the condition of the skulls, archeologists along with other discipline are able to recognize some diseases or injuries that these poor people were suffering from.  

Lisa Anderson, the curator of bio archaeology, also explained that by examining the bones, we could identify the diseases and almost tell how the lives of poor people were like. For instance, many of the bones of African people grew extra compact bone at the ends. This was due to the hard work they made which put extra workload in their joints. This then led their joints to weaken which caused their bodies to response by making more compact bone. In addition, the crust of their bones looked more elevated than usual which also shows the hard work that African people did.    

 Having taken physiology and anatomy, I could recognize many of the abnormalities that the skulls and other bones of the dead people had. Being Physiology and anatomy one of my favorite classes, I enjoyed a lot the talks about humans’ body structure and their abnormalities. I feel that all the entire time we were standing was very worth it.