Day 12- Everyone is Miserable!

Water Wheel in Burden's Factory

Today was not as fun as I thought it would be. First we went to a historical site of the Burden Iron Works Company. When we we got there I was really hoping we could walk around and look at the historical items all around us, but we had to listen to our guide who seemed to ramble on, I did not like a lot of his comments. Coming from an all women college I have began thinking in a more feminist point of view. He made comments such as "hit it like a girl" and "I have a Y chromosome" which I think is inappropriate. Its these comments and his mono toned voice that made me not interested in what he was saying. Some points he would just keep rambling on and it made me fall asleep, but then again when don't I fall asleep? (haha) Even though most of the tour was boring the one part I found interesting was the wheel in the picture above. It amazed me how big it was especially during this time period. Being in the building was awful because it was musty, which irritated my allergies and it was so hot. I think it is because of the heat and the comments that caused everyone to be miserable. It takes one thing to ruin your whole day and you can tell some people were not as cheerful as they usually are. I am hoping tomorrow will be better.

Site in Troy

After we went to the Iron Works site, we went on a little hike in a place in Troy. I chose to take the easy way because I didn't want Precious to walk alone and the hill the rest of the group walked down was really steep. I have weaker ankles because I was a distance runner in track so I didn't want to chance hurting my ankle. After this we went back to Prospect Park! It was really nice because we ate lunch by a tree in the shade and it was really nice to have a girls day. Also we played on the swings and played in the fountain they had there. It was nice because it was so hot out and I really enjoy the heat. As we were leaving the park Andor did not realize his lunch was on the top of his car while he was leaving. It soon fell and Toby got out and picked it up. When Andor met at the van he asked "Who was the idiot who left the lunch on the ground?" He was so shocked to find out it was him. When Michelle checked her phone in the van it was 87 degrees Fahrenheit!

Where the Shakers Would Meet for Religion 

For the last part of the day we went to a historical site where the Shakers lived and practiced their religion. I did not hear about the Shakers until today. To me it would be so weird to live in a society where men and women are separated. They are not even allowed to marry. This would be hard for me because a lot of my best friends are guys and I always dream of my wedding day. The picture above shows where the shakers would assemble for their religious meetings. I really liked how big the room was. We were able to see the outsides of other buildings but sadly we were not allowed to go inside of them. After this we were asked if we wanted to see the cemetery but everyone was just so tired and did not feel as adventurous. I think having the bad tour in the morning and being on our feet in the heat all day just made us all miserable. I am surprised we haven't killed each other yet.

Day 11- 6/2/14 A Day in Albany

City Hall Albany

Today we spent some time in Albany. We went on a walk around town to look at old buildings admiring their architecture. After that we were able to go in and tour the capitol building. This first picture above is of city hall. I personally do not like this style building, to me it looks a little creepy but I think that's because it is a dark rusty color. City hall was built in 1883 in a Romanesque style, the building having lots of patterns and a clock tower with bells. This style has a lot of arches, it's a rustic style with fine carvings and it symbolizes stability.

Court of Appeals

The next building we saw on our walk that really stood out to me was the Court of Appeals building. I am a person who loves light and brightness and because the building was white it reflects light making it look really pretty. I also really like columns so  I personally think it makes a building look eloquent. This building was built in 1842 and is made out of marble, it represents honesty and justice. It is a neoclassical type of architecture. There are many buildings that are similar to this one such as the Bush memorial located on Russell Sage campus, the White House and many memorials in the nations capitol.

IBM Building Albany

The last building I want to mention from our architecture walk is the IBM building. This building interested me because it shows how budgets have changed over time and how many businesses cannot afford to build the beautiful buildings they once did. This building is unique because it reflects other buildings around the area. The building isn't as intricate as the rest, it's very simple in design. It really does not fit in with the beautiful buildings around it. Precious mentioned how the building looked very fragile, which I totally agree with.

Old Stone Road

Michael was explaining how at one point Albany had very narrow streets made of stone. I wish I could have seen how the streets looked during that time, cobblestone arrangements are pretty to see. It's amazing to see how much can change in time. Now Albany is made up of huge highways and hectic streets.

Empire Plaza

Million Dollar Staircase

Engravings on the Million Dollar Staircase

Turtle Engraved on the Assembly Staircase

After our walk, we could not wait to get into the capitol building to cool off. It was so hot and being on the pavement walking around we could not get away from the heat. The building is shown above in the picture of the Empire Plaza. This building looked like a castle in my opinion and it looked a lot taller than it actually is, the steep staircase in the front adding to it's height. There are many arches like the city hall building and it had a French influence while it was being built. The ceiling is made up of terracotta and slate which is really heavy. It took over 30 years to complete this building and later on the tour we found out it's not actually complete yet. There are spots in different rooms where the engravings are not complete, they were fired because so much money was already spent building the capitol building and it wasn't complete yet. It took over 25 million dollars to build the capitol and in today's economy it would cost over half a billion . The tour was very interesting, and my favorite part was being able to see the stair cases and the engravings on them. The first stair case we saw was the Assembly Staircase. This was really pretty and I saw an engraving of a turtle on it. Naturally I would take a picture of this because I am a turtle lover. The next stair case I saw that I absolutely loved is called the million dollar staircase. Do not let the name fool you because it actually cost a lot more than a million dollars to build. There are so many beautiful engravings you can see on the stair case. Walking along it I kept feeling how well it was built because the staircase felt so soft, the sand stone adding to the quality. This was really cool to see. I was really happy to see what the capitol building looks like on the inside after passing it many times riding the bus and driving in the car.

Day 10- 6/1/14 Bannerman Island Tour

A view of the Castle Coming up to the Island

Today we woke up bright and early to be at the van by 8:21. Yes the professors interrupted our Sunday, but on the bright side at least we can sleep in tomorrow. To get to the Island, we traveled by boat. It seemed like it was taking forever and it was a perfect time for me to take another quick nap. When we were approaching the island you can see the beautiful castle that we later learned on the tour was a warehouse filled with lots of ammunition and products such as wagon wheels. Our tour guide told us how Frank Bannerman was from Brooklyn. He had a very successful ammunition business. At the time Brooklyn wanted to become part of New York City but they were afraid of Bannerman's ammunition exploding and ruining the town. So this is when Bannerman found this island and bought it. He built this wear house to store his products. Ironically, there was a huge warehouse explosion two years after Frank Bannerman passed away. At this time the family was not spending much time on the Island because they were grieving over their loss. This explosion destroyed one building and blew out the windows. With the windows blown out this allowed for the decomposition of the building to begin. Another tragic event that occurred to this castle was in 1969 when a fire started. With both of these events, people are not sure what caused the fire or the explosion. Looking at the picture above you can notice metal polls coming from the building. These were put up to stabilize the castle because in 2010 the island lost half of the building because of it decomposing and collapsing. If the Island lost the rest of the castle that would most likely cause the tours to stop. This building is so beautiful it would be so tragic to see it fall.

Home of the Bannermen Family

This home was built originally as one floor building. As time progressed, Bannerman drew a picture of what he wanted the second floor of the building to look like and his servants and workers built it just like that picture. Bannerman would frequently draw pictures and want his servants and workers to build exactly what they see. If they did not build it as well as the picture, he would tell his workers to tear it down and start again. If I was one of his workers I would be very frustrated with his requests because I can not imagine how hard it was to build the buildings and benches exactly how he liked them.

Part of Mrs. Bannerman's Garden

One part of the tour that I really enjoyed was the Gardens. I am a big flower fan and every year I have my own flower garden. This is a tradition I started with my grandmother and still continue it every year in her memory. I thought the gardens were really pretty and I loved the different color flowers.

Day 9- 5/31/14 A Day in the Boat on Lake George

Looking into the Water of Lake George

We woke up bright and early to eat breakfast before we went on our adventure for the day. I was really proud of myself because I was really nice to everyone. I am usually not a morning person. After breakfast we went to Bolton and went out on the lake. Before getting in the boat I realized how clear the water was. This picture is a picture I took looking into the water. you can see the bottom of the water so clearly. The boat ride was really nice. It made me want to call my dad up and convince him to take the boat out. My dad lives on Sacandaga Lake and owns his own boat so it is nice being able to go out on the boat all the time. Another plus is that his house is located right on the water so he has his own beach area and water front.

Sagamore Hotel

Out on the boat ride we were shown many different buildings and different parts of the lake. One building that really stuck out to me was the Sagamore Hotel. It is conveniently located right on the water and is huge! The architecture on the building is absolutely beautiful too. I really enjoyed seeing this building. With the location and the use of the Lake I would imagine staying in this building would be so expensive. I thought the boat ride was kind of short and really wanted to keep going around the lake. I love being out on the boat feeling the breeze off the water and being in the sun. After the boat ride we went into town and ate lunch. Its funny because the whole group went to the same restaurant and I finally was able to get some grilled cheese!

Day 8- 5/29/14 A Day to Relax :D

May Flower Cottage, Wiawaka, Lake George

Today we traveled to Wiawaka, a camp that is located in Lake George. Wiawaka was originally created for the middle class women of Troy who could not afford to get away from the city. It is such a peaceful place to relax and it is located right on the lake. To stay at this beautiful camp we had to do some work cleaning up the camp. We had to sweep the porches, clean the furniture, and rake leaves in multiple areas. I did not mind doing this work because I am a neat freak and I always love to clean. After we finished our duties cleaning we went into the May Flower Cottage to pick a room because that is where we were sleeping. Precious and I chose a great room with a nice lake view. Andor kept going on about how there was a haunted room in the cottage and it Michelle kept saying it was room 6 so of course Precious and I had to choose the haunted room. Sadly we did not have any ghost experience during our stay. This could be because the ghosts are still a little rusty because Wiawaka is just opening up. (hahaha) We were fast efficient workers. As a group we completed most of our work before lunch so after lunch we had very little to do and had the day free to ourselves.

Me Relaxing on the Porch

Relaxing Near the Lake 

 Today was really fun because it allowed us to have a break from work. Everyday we are always on the go moving from one place to another. It was really nice to spend a day to ourselves and spend time with our friends. One of my favorite things to do on a nice summer day like that is to just swim and lay in the sun. The best thing about being outside on these nice warm sunny days you start to notice things such as your freckles showing more, your hair getting lighter and your eye color even changing a little. There are so many reasons why I love summer this is just one of the many. Today was pretty much a free day and we choose what we wanted to do. Some people went for a walk, while others went swimming and laid on the dock and tanned. A few people who were a lot smarter than I was decided it was a great time to get the reading done. It was just way to nice outside and I did not have the motivation to do my work. While us kids choose to do activities some of the professors like Andor and Micheal thought it would be a good time for a nap. Sadly I did not get any pictures of them sleeping like Michelle did it was just really funny. That was the first day the whole year I was in my swim suit and it was the first swim of the year. It was so peaceful laying on the dock. At one point i even fell asleep laying on my stomach and later I regretted that because of the sun burn I got. It was even behind my knees which was really annoying when I was walking. In a few days I wont mind the burn because when it clears up I will have a really nice tan!

Michelle, Precious and Krysti

After we were done swimming and tanning, Michelle, Precious and I went back to the cottage to change back into our normal clothes. We also found Krysti in the house reading and invited her to hang with us. We still had time before dinner so we went for a walk down the path and found this cottage on our journey. The rooms were so nice and if you opened your bedroom door you have a nice view of the lake. although the professors saw this as a day to do nothing I saw this as so much more. To me it was a day for all of us to bond as a group while doing leisure activities instead of school work. We were allowed to learn much more about each other. This day was really needed considering we spend so much time together. 

Silly Pic!

On the Porch

This picture above shows that we are becoming closer as friends and just being silly with each other. This picture I took of Michelle while we were on our walk and referred to herself as "blue beard."I know at the end of the program it is going to be moments like this that I will miss the most. By doing the discovery degree program I have become close with a few people who I was only acquaintances with before. Michelle I would talk to every once in a while when she was hanging out with the same people I was but we were not best friends, but now when I went home for the weekend I messaged her that night because I missed her so much. Another person I have become really close with because of this program is Precious. She is a really funny person I love to joke around with and even forced her into rooming with me! Precious even shared with me that during fall semester but after getting to know me she said I am a person she really wants to be around, well unless she is lying. (haha) Even though I have become really close to a few in the group, as a whole we have become almost like a family. Each one of us with our different personalities have blended together and learned the likes and dislikes of each other. We even went out of our way to plan a pizza day together as a group outside of class. 

Another Turtle Successfully Saved!

For dinner Micheal and the other professors prepared a homemade meal. They made spaghetti and meatballs, salad and the best part bread! I am not a big pasta person, or a big fan of a lot of food at all as the group knows now but it was delicious. I ate a little bit of buttered pasta and bread! After dinner we ventured into town to see what the Village of Lake George was like. This is a small village well known for the Americade and Elvis. There were a lot of little shops and it seemed quiet. I did not take any pictures in town but I think that is because I was excited to finally have time to shop! I am a typical girl when it comes to shopping. I bought myself shorts, a sweater and candy. I also bought a  key chain turtle for two reasons, one I love turtles and two to signify the turtle we saved on the way to the village. I saw this turtle in the road and quickly screamed to save it. So many times my dad and I would stop to save whatever turtle was attempting to cross the road. Sadly there are so many people who see turtles crossing the road and will hit them on purpose. One time my dad and I saw a turtle in the road and turned around to save it. On the way back the person before us hit the turtle. It was awful to see. It was summer time so of course we had the windows down and hearing the crack when the car hit it was truly devastating. This is why I will always save a turtle when I see it. 

Fire Time! 

When we came back from town we ended the day with a campfire. At this point we were all so tired we were hysterically laughing at anything. I think we even annoyed the professors with our laugh and our sponge bob songs. 

"Lets gather around the campfire

And sing our campfire song

Our C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song

And if you don't think that we can sing it faster then you're wrong

But it'll help if you just sing along" 

This song just keeps running through my head as I was writting this blog so I just had to include it in here. After roasting the marshmellows and talking about the most random things we called it a night. 

Day 7- 5/28/14 Where Does Waste Go?

Stages of Water Treatment

Bacteria Being Added to the Contaminated Water

Today we went on an adventure to the Albany County Sewer plant. When I first herd about this trip I was annoyed and I am not going to lie I thought about being "sick" for this. All that kept running through my head on the way to the sewer plant was the kid from the magic school bus who always said "I knew I should have stayed home today!" After arriving to the sewer plant Craig explained there are many processes that waste goes through before being clean enough to go into the river. When the water is gone through the whole process it is 95 percent more clean than when it started in the plant. The tour of the plant was amazing! It was so interesting to learn the different stages of water treatment. This tour was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. One of the most fascinating parts in my opinion is when we saw the bacteria being added into the contaminated water. It is amazing how many bacteria are added to the water. The coolest part is after the bacteria are done "feasting" the are taken out of the water to start the process over again. The bubbles on top of the water is oxygen that is coming from the bottom of the water. Bacteria need oxygen to survive so in the water there is oxygen channels adding oxygen to the water. The bacteria also break down ammonia (NH3) and release nitrogen and hydrogen into the air. After the water is cleaned it is then put into the Hudson River. I was amazed that I was actually interested in what was going on throughout the plant. A tour that I was dreading ended up being one of our best trips yet. This just teaches me a lesson that has been told to me for many years now, don't judge a book by its cover. Even though the sewage plant sounds disgusting, there was a lot of great science and education to learn about with it. Even thought the smell was awful the tour was really great. While on the tour though I was so afraid to touch anything and just felt so dirty. I was afraid to touch anything even the railing. As soon as I could I took a shower and felt instantly better. I also could not get the odor of the sewage plant out of my nose. All day it seemed all I could smell was that dreadful odor but it definitely was worth the trip learning the educational background and what goes on with waste. Many people including myself take advantage of water. When flushing the toilet, I would just walk away, however, after seeing the sewage plant I will have that in my head while using the bathroom.

Precious and Toby standing near the generator

This generator is used to power the sewage plant. I found this very interesting because it came from Italy. The generator came over on a boat and traveled up the Hudson River which is what we are studying. This just shows that the Hudson River is still very important for transportation today.

Day 6- 5/27/14 Discovering Sir William Johnson/ Visiting Mabee Farm

Sir William Johnson's' home, Fort Johnson NY

Today we went to Fort Johnson and visited the house Sir William Johnson lived in when he came over to America. Johnson came to America when he was 23 years old. He then bought land near the Mohawk River near what is now a small village called Fort Johnson. He built his own house on this property and developed a fur trade to make money.  He was very successful in this industry. One unusual thing about Johnson is that he was very friendly with the Natives around him. In his house many people including the Natives would come and go as they please. The Native Americans needed Johnson just as much as Johnson needed them. So many people would show up to the house and just sleep on the floor. One morning Johnson even woke up to about 20 Natives sleeping on the floor in his room! If  I woke up and saw so many people in my room I personally would be freaked out! I also do not think I could stand living in this house during the winter. In the cold months the house was below freezing because it was very hard to heat the house. Personally I am cold when it is 50 degrees out I could not imaging being in a house that is below zero. The picture above shows Johnson's house and how beautiful it looks. I really like how the house is made up of stone. Although this was a beautiful home, Johnson became more wealthy with his fur trading business and soon moved to Johnstown and built a new house for his family which is now known as Johnson Hall. He left his old home to his son John Johnson. 

A house In Fort Johnson that used to belong to my Grandmother

As a child I practically grew up in Fort Johnson because this is where my grandmother lived and I was at her house everyday before and after school. It is really cool to finally learn the history of a place I practically grew up in. After passing Sir William Johnson's house for years I finally learned the building was more than a pretty building that I passed on my way home. Being in Fort Johnson made me thing of the times I would play in the river as a kid and on the small playground down the road from my grandmother's house. It also made me think of all the times I would chase the ice cream truck and all the times my grandmother's basement would flood during rain storms because of the poor drainage. I would hear my grandma complain about the side walks and how she claimed there was not any flooding issues until they put in the side walks. It was really nice to be in one of the many areas that I call home.

Johnson Hall 

After visiting Sir William Johnson's first house in present day Fort Johnson we traveled to Johnstown to see the second house that he built. While building the second house, Johnson was a lot more wealthier because he had a well established fur trading business. Before going into the house I noticed and really liked the stone pathway. This was really pretty and is something I would consider putting on the property I will own. This house was a little different from the house in Fort Johnson. One main difference is when you walk into the house there is a huge room that you walk into. In the house in Fort Johnson, when you first walk in you are in a very small room that was probably a library. This huge room was used to accommodate those that arrived and many would wait in that area to speak with Johnson. Another difference is that Johnson's bedroom was located on the first floor instead of the second floor. This was because he had so many health issues and by this point in his age it was easier to stay on the first level of the house. Another difference is the attic in this house was used as storage space only while in the house located in Fort Johnson, the attic was used as a room for visitors and servants to sleep. At the new house, no servant was allowed to sleep in the house except for the butler who would sleep in the basement. Although there were many differences between the houses there were also so similarities. In both houses the kitchen was located in the basement. This is something that was very common during this time period. To me this was unusual because in today's society, most houses have the kitchen on the ground floor. Also there were still many visitors that came and went as they pleased. The last similarity I noticed was that the frames between rooms seemed lower in those houses then in modern day homes today. I think this could be because back during this time period people were a lot shorter than people are today. 

A baby walker found in Johnson Hall

I saw this baby walker and thought it was very interesting to see that something that is still very common with babies today was used back during this time period. They put babies in walkers as soon as they knew how to crawl because people during this time period thought it was bad for babies to crawl. They did not realize crawling was a typical developmental period for infants. 

Mabee Farm House

The last place we went today was to the Mabee Farm house. This house was really interesting to see because while touring the many houses that we have, they were all of the wealthier people. This house shows what life was like for the typical middle class people during this time period. The house has remained in the family from the time it was built up until 1999 when it became a historical site. The original border of the house was really small but that was common for people during this time period. They also had a dutch style fire place that made it easy to keep the smoke out of the house and cook food under the fire. This house was really nice to see and it was amazing how it was the same floor boards that we stepped on that was first placed down when the house was built. This farm is located along the Mohawk River so many people traveling in boats would need a place to stay. The family soon built an inn that was right near the house to allow people to sleep and make money. Many people would come stay at the inn and you often had to sleep in the same room and same bed with people you did not know. After we explored the area more we then walked down to the river and were able to ride in an old wooden boat that would be used for transporting goods during this time period. In the boat we had to use wooden oars to navigate the boat. This was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. The oar was so heavy and hard to hold. I also did not realize that you get most of your power from your back. This was definitely really cool to be in a boat just like people during this time period would be. Today was really interesting and fun! I learned so much that I did not know before and like usual after getting back from our daily trip I was exhausted!