The Hag At The Churn Set

SEE BUTTON FOR THE YOUTUBE VIDEO AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE

THE PLACE

The Normal J. Levy Park & Preserve in Merrick, New York used to be a real dump. Literally.

Formerly the Merrick Landfill, the site opened for public use as a park and nature preserve in 2000. It’s one more on a long list of successful rehabilitations of compromised natural resources worldwide. Apart from reclaiming habitat for a number of wildlife and plant species, and facilitating heathy recreation for visitors, building the park was a massive money saver for the local community. According to the Town of Hempstead website (click on “Town of Hempstead website” to visit the site), converting the old landfill into a park saved taxpayers $42 million. The “capping closure” of the former landfill, required by the New York state government, would’ve cost $57 million; whereas the park conversion cost $15 million.

The park covers 52 acres and contains three miles of groomed trails. The plateau at the highest point in the park sits at 155 feet above sea level and allows for views of Jones Beach and the Manhattan skyline. A working windmill at the north end of the plateau circulates water between the plateau’s two wildlife ponds.

Nigerian dwarf goats live onsite and go on guided roams around the park to control overgrowth of vegetation. A purpose-built fishing pier extends into Merrick Bay at the south end of the park.

I felt genuine elation as I hiked around the park recently. Hiking clears the mind and scrubs away stress. I filled my lungs with bracing winter air and exercised my endurance climbing the grades and staircases that take hikers and runners along the park’s trails and up to the plateau at its peak.

I also met long-time Long Islanders and experienced explorers Bill and Louise Delap, who told me about the park’s history and recommended several other spots on Long Island that will make for future hikes and videos. The locations they suggested form part of a list the Delap family have named, “Louise’s Field Trips.”

Below are moments from the YouTube video linked at the bottom of the page.

THE LENS

I shot the entire video on a Sony A7 IV mirrorless camera, with a Sony FE 4/24-105mm G OSS lens. I mounted the camera on a DJI RS3 Ronin gimbal. I’ve attached a SmallRib adjustable extension arm to the gimbal for increased control and angle options. CLICK HERE for more information on the DJI RS3 gimbal, which I purchased online from B&H. Weighing in at about three pounds with the extension arm attached, the gimbal easily is able to handle the approximately additional three-pound load of the camera and lens.

THE MUSIC

For the soundtrack to the video linked at the bottom of the page, I played the two Irish jigs The Hag At The Churn and Crabs In The Skillet on fiddle and bodhrán. I kept the tempo on the slower side to go with the long walking shots in the video, but these tunes also sit well at faster tempos. CLICK HERE to hear world-class fiddle player Tara Breen playing a set of jigs that includes Crabs In The Skillet, at a faster tempo. Breen’s stellar playing is uniquely crisp and melodic. She has several albums available for purchase on Apple’s iTunes and at bandcamp.com. CLICK HERE for a link to Tara’s bandcamp.com page.

THE GLASS

Nothing. Let’s talk about it. Drinking is a personal thing, and it has its rocks and shoals. (The “rocks” pun was unintended, but I like it.) Beer, wine, and spirits have been parts of my life for going on five decades, and I’ve gone through periods when I’ve drunk too much, and too little, for my own personal purposes.

I’ve arrived at my own conclusions about alcohol, and they are indeed specifically my own. I wouldn’t dare to tell anyone, anywhere, ever, how they should deal with drinking, or even whether they should include it in their lives in any way. For me, drinking is like a coin: It has value only if it has two distinct sides, and those two sides are, drinking in what I consider to be moderation, and not drinking at all. I’m currently enjoying a short dry spell.

Regarding moderate drinking, to which I’ll return joyfully soon, that comprises a discussion for another day, preferably over drinks. There are volumes of well-known aphorisms addressing the subject. Folks far smarter than I even have written books about it. Roger Scruton’s, I Drink Therefor I am, is one to which I return from time to time.