what i think about when i think about blogging from upstate ny

(above, a picture of the view from the bridge part of the rail-train in rosendale. even better in person: woah.)

1)the rail-trail that goes from rosendale to new paltz. its a relic of the era when rosendale was a boomtown--one that was busy mining limestone from the rocks above the river to make the cement that fueled the nyc building boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. i haven't done enough research on this yet (and i do mean YET) but there is some spotty info about the history of cement mining and the origins of the rail trail online. Here, for instance is some info about the history of the rail trail in specific; there's a general timeline of rosendale cement history here; more info, from the website Traditional Masonry, here; and the general wikipedia entry about rosendale is here.

2)historical markers. i'm interested to see what is marked and what is not. sojourner truth, who was born in ulster county, has only one "marker" that i've noticed yet-- the SUNY new paltz library is named after her. on the other hand, i've seen two korean war memorials and several monuments to american revolution battles. its not surprising, but i am still interested in it.

3)SUNY new paltz was originally a normal school-- that is a school that exclusively trained teachers. the department i'm in (secondary education) is usually located in the Old Main building-- at the moment, we've been relocated so that major renovations can be done on Old Main. This is causing and has caused quite a bit of consternation, but is generally looked upon as a welcome event.

ok, thats it for now.