Dennis Haskins (1950–2026) September 1, 2026 Hearing about Dennis Haskins passing away hit me unexpectedly today. When I was a young teenager, I thoroughly enjoyed Saved by the Bell. Was it television kool-aid? Absolutely—pure, neon-colored comfort food that was sweet, easy to consume, offered little nutritional value, but was endlessly re-watchable. As an adult, I now understand what made it work was Mr. Belding. Richard Belding was the pulse that kept Bayside High grounded. Dennis Haskins turned what could have been a […]
A Vintage Map of Saranac Lake September 27, 2026 My mother recently handed me an old folded map that was, at one point, tucked away in my grandfather’s desk—a vintage, hand-illustrated tourist map of Saranac Lake. Because I’m a compulsive archiver and can’t help myself, I set out to digitize it before it faded away in a drawer. But as soon as I started scanning, I stopped looking at the topography and had a thought. Before GPS turned maps into […]
Diavola September 26, 2026 The ghost wasn’t the problem here—the protagonist was. While the premise of a malevolent presence haunting an isolated Italian villa sounds great on paper, being trapped in Anna’s head for hundreds of pages was pure reader exhaustion. Instead of compelling tension, you get an endless internal monologue of self-righteous martyrdom. Anna spends the entire book convinced she’s the lone, flawless pillar holding the universe together while looking down on literally everyone—her family, coworkers, ex, you name […]
Counting The Cost September 26, 2026 Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar: pure roses and thorns. She tells the hard truths about her family and religious upbringing without resorting to cheap villainization. Hurt deeply by the system, yet still holding onto her faith. A surprisingly graceful, thought-provoking read.
There Is No Antimemetics Division September 26, 2026 There Is No Antimemetics Division is inventive sci-fi that delivers on its wild premise. Marion avoids the obnoxious “girl boss” trap and feels genuinely competent. The ending gets a bit dizzying, but lands well. Unique, brain-bending read.
The Legend in Bronze: Who Was Timothy Murphy? September 13, 2026 Timothy Murphy (1751–1818) was an Irish-American scout and elite marksman in Colonel Daniel Morgan’s Provisional Rifle Corps, a unit feared for its guerrilla tactics and deadly accuracy. His actions at the Second Battle of Saratoga and Middle Fort altered the course of the American Revolution. Turning the Tide at Saratoga During the Second Battle of Saratoga in October 1777, British Brigadier General Simon Fraser was successfully rallying his troops […]
Hector Falls August 29, 2026 It’s one of the classic trade-offs of summer waterfall hunting —warm weather makes exploring easy, but a dry stretch can quickly reduce even prominent falls to a trickle. Even with the heat wave cutting down the flow, Hector Falls delivered. Tumbling 165 feet over stepped rock shelves just off Route 414, its tiered shale face made delicate work of the remaining water. It might not have been at maximum throttle, but it was an effortless […]
The Ghost Trestle of Glen Creek August 25, 2026 Deep in the Glen Creek the skeletal timber of The Ghost Trestle of Glen Creek still spans the empty air. Towering roughly 150 feet above the carved shale cliffs and cascading waterfalls of Watkins Glen State Park, the massive railroad trestle spanning Glen Creek is one of the most striking industrial landmarks in New York’s Finger Lakes region. The high span was originally constructed in the late 1870s for the Syracuse, […]
Just a few snaps from Schenectady’s art night in the Rose Garden.
Logan has grown up faster than what seems fair. I’m so glad he didn’t mind me posing him and his date for some great senior photos. He looked amazing, his date looked beautiful, and, best of all, the rain held off.
thedorianroark
