[Leica] Waterfall

[lrzeitlin at gmail.com (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

Vince wrote:

That said, just a note also that the Hassidim are not at all a rare sight in

upstate New York. You just haven't been hanging out in the right towns.

There are whole sections of the Western Catskills that have a huge

population in the summer months.


Try the Wal-Mart in Monticello on a Sunday.  There's no angry shopper like

the angry Hassidic shopper.


The marvelous pictures of the Hassidic children and the man alone looking at

the falls -- thank you for them. These also on a Sunday I bet?


V


Vince,

You are certainly right. About 30 years ago a substantial number of Hassidim
moved from Brooklyn to the township of Monroe, right across the Hudson
river, to found the town of Kiryas Joel. The majority of its residents are
Hasidic Jews who strictly observe the Torah, and belong to the worldwide
Satmar Hasidic sect. Most speak Yiddish as their first language. Residents
of Kiryas Joel typically have large families. Kiryas Joel is named for Rabbi
Joel Teitlebaum. Teitelbaum originally settled with his followers in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn. By the 1970s he decided to move the growing
community to a location that was more secluded from what he saw as the
immorality of the outside world. Teitelbuam's choice was Monroe. In 2006,
village administrator Gedalye Szegedin stated: There are three religious
tenets that drive our growth: our women don't use birth control, they get
married young and after they get married, they stay in Kiryas Joel and start
a family. Most of the big stores in the area keep Kosher out of deference to
their clientele. The best pastrami in the area is available at the BJs big
box store in Monroe.


The pictures were taken on Friday, April 2. This is the fourth day of
Passover and apparently was being taken as an organized holiday.


Larry Z





On Sat, Apr 3, 2010 at 1:03 PM, Lawrence Zeitlin <lrzeitlin at 
gmail.com>wrote:


Who needs Yosemite or Niagara Falls? If you long for the sight of falling

water there may be opportunities in your back yard. Croton Dam is just a

couple of miles away from my house. It was constructed over 100 years ago

to

impound the Croton River and provide a water supply for New York City.

Outside of the Pyramids and the Great Wall of China it is the largest cut

stone structure in the world. Certainly the largest one in current use.

Unlike many other large dams, this one is very approachable. In fact it is

quite people friendly. There is a large park at the base that is a favorite

picnic venue, fishing hole, or just a good place for hanging out.



The recent rainstorms that flooded the US Northeast filled the reservoir to

way above flood stage and the excess water pours over the spillway. Here is

what the flow looked like yesterday.


http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Croton+Dam+waterfall.jpg.html



The volume of water can be better appreciated in this closer view.


http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Dam+overflow+1.JPG.html



The weather was so nice that the local Hassidic community made a picnic

outing to the dam plaza. It was strange to see so many men in black formal

neo-18th century garb and very conservatively dressed women and children in

this outdoor setting. Brooklyn OK, but a rare sight in upstate NY.


http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Water+watcher.JPG.html


http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Hassadic+Picnic.JPG.html



But children are children and the dam makes an irresistible climbing wall.


http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Climbers.JPG.html