A Bicycle Path in Syracuse
We stopped at Syracuse Bicycle to see what we could get to facilitate getting my wife's new bike, to fit onto a bike rack on our car better.  They had a bar that we attach to the bike so that it will hang on the bike rack similar to the mans style bike.

The Beginning

Then we went to the Bear Trap Creek Bike path.  Parking at the head of the trail is on Seventh North Street.   We went North, along Route 81, 1.6 miles to the backside of Mattydale Plaza.  The path is paved and in good shape.  Beware some speed bumps along the way, however.

Cars on the left, nature on the right

Along the way north, we went over a bridge over the thruway.  The Bear Trap Creek trail was built during improvements to Route 81 in the 1980's.  We had seen the beginning of the path over the years, as it is just before the turn onto Route 81 from 7th North.  But assumed it just ended in a nearby neighborhood.   It was a pleasant surprise.

Along the Way

Bear Trap Creek with Duck

Paperless Office

I have spent the last 30 years working in a consulting engineers office. We have always used a lot of paper to prepare working drawings and project manuals for bid for construction of buildings. I do not believe the volume of paper for those purposes has changed.
Some portions of our work have paperless. I am able to access code books and design books online. My ASPE membership gives me access to the ASPE data books all of which are on line. These books cover the whole range of plumbing design. I have access to the current New York State codes for fire protection, for plumbing, for general building construction. They are all posted online for free. Thru my NFPA membership I have access to the NFPA family of codes which includes the national fuel code, national electric code, all of the fire codes. At work we have a paid subscription to the International Building codes online.  I also accumulate pdf files of miscellaneous codes.
I am able to research online for information.
Another paperless benefit is the electronic transfer of drawings and other documents between different offices and locations, allowing for bettr coordination of projects. A sidebar to this is teleconferencing and videoconferencing, allowing people from multiple locations to join in real time collaboration.
The advent of BIM programs like REVIT will require looking at a building model on a computer. Though for the time being, we will continue to generate contract documents for bid on paper.

Save The Rain Project

The County of Onondaga has a program to keep rainwater out of the combined sewers, and avoiding additional sewage overflow treatment during rainstorms.  One of the measures is at Forman Park, downtown, which is being relandscaped with trees.  Trees, shrubs and plantings slow down runoff and allow it to infiltrate the soil.  

 

Water Street, Outside of the Erie Canal Museum, Syracuse, NY

We were downtown this past weekend to visit the Erie Canal Museum and the annual Gingerbread House exhibit.  We did not park near the museum as that side ot the street was off limits due to constuction.  The city is constructing a strip of permeable pavement along Water Street.  The permeable pavement will allow capture of some of the street runoff, as it drains thru the pavement, temporarily stored in the gravel below, and is absorbed into the earth.

Our Urban Forest - Schiller Park Forest

Syracuse has some Wonderful Parks, each with their Own unique personality.  This is a walk thru Schiller Park, on the north side of the city.  Pedestrian road around the top of the park

At the Top of the Park

At the top of the Park

Statues of Schiller and Goethe

The Road Back

Fall Flowers

Mint

Begonias

Hosta

My Bike Path to work

 MY BIKE PATH TO WORK

Starting Out of the Driveway

A side road, parallel to Court Street

Court street, no room for Bikes, I ride
on the Sidewalk

Along Court Street on the Sidewalk, no room
on the road for a bike

Moved onto the street, waiting at the redlight

No Room along the road under the railroad bridge

Some bike Space along Military Circle

Swamp on the right

Approaching the thruway, the road narrows

Going Over the Thruway Bridge

A Side Road bypassing the traffic

Some Space along Molloy Road, but the
traffic is faster and heavier

A welcome parking lot along Molloy

Molloy Road carries a lot of trucks and cars at fairly high speeds

Parked at Work

Thoughts on our new Air Conditioning

This is our first summer with central air conditioning since we had the geothermal system installed, and the hydronic radiators and boiler removed.
Our air conditioned space has remained no warmer than 72 deg.F, no matter what the temperature outside.
 Earlier this spring, when the temperature had cooled after a warm spell, we opened our windows to cool the house.  That is natural ventilation.  However, after 3 days of this, our noses were stuffy and heads full from the allergens brought in on the breeze.  Our air conditioning not only cools the air, it also filters the air.  We have a MERV 7 filter on the water furnace heat pump.  MERV is a rating of size particles that pass thru the filter, from 1 to 16.  Some of the more common filters for residential systems are MERV 1 to 4.  A MERV 7 filter will filter 70% to 80% of particles 3 to 10 microns in size.  This includes the pollens, dust mites and carpet fiber, all larger than 3 microns.  I think we will keep the windows closed next time.
Then, about a week ago, the evening temperature was cooling, about 72 degrees, the same as inside.  But when I went outside, extremely humid.  We kept the windows closed and the humidity out.  Air conditioning also dehumidifies the air.
Conclusion:  That natural ventilation may not be a savings.  When the windows are opened, the filtered and dehumidified air escapes out the window.
Please note that at this time, we have an older home that is not airtight, and are not concerned about getting enough fresh air.