Musings

So, midmorning I swept the balcony free of leaves. At 3pm I looked out and found a new crop had recolonized it. I’m looking at you tulip poplars. [Not this taxus, or whatever it is.]

Posted at 8:24 PM | No Comments »

On my early walk, I saw our nearest neighbors working on exiting. Sigh.

At the beach, the sun glowed warmly, nurturing life.

Here’s the afternoon sky, and you can see the leaves are slowly turning on the face of the woods. [It’s much quieter, it seems, with the neighbors gone.]

Meanwhile, the Uncle Dave maple is turning faster.

Posted at 8:26 PM | No Comments »

When I visited the beach this morning, it was after, I’m guessing, at least a day of windiness…that is, most of yesterday and overnight…hence the floral detritus the waves are depositing on the sand.

When I went around the point, I could see that the last of the neighbor-docks is now in for the winter….

This evening, I went out for a moon-shot…in the sense of this is the moon, although it looks like funky daylight.

The windiness continues, and is expected all night and into the morning, and I think for another day or more.

Posted at 8:09 PM | No Comments »

So, I stepped out onto the balcony late this morning to do a goat-check, even though they’re ranging where I can’t see them (this is a good thing with regard to their goal of vegetation clearing). I indeed couldn’t spot them, but I got to hear a light rain begin. That’s rather a magical moment, when it goes from not raining to raining.

Posted at 8:19 PM | Comments Off on Bewitched by precip

This bunch is leaning toward the light. I feel like I’m doing that now, as the dark has arrived early…accompanied by thunder and precipitation…whatta surprise (remember yesterday).

Posted at 8:32 PM | Comments Off on Leaning in/out

8:45am. Let me draw your attention to the wave action product. I was surprised to find two sticks perpedicular to the waves, although one is parallel, which is what I remember seeing ?every? time. I arrived too late for the sunrise, but I could see the far shore more clearly than I have seen for days. Yay.

3:45pm. Another short shower. I raced around closing windows, but not too much as the temps were dropping from the oppressive 79°F, so I wanted to capture whatever cool the breezes brought.

Not much wind, but it came up and blew lightly in from the west. Change, to the south. Oops, switched again, to a bit from the north. See: the window closing dance.

After the storm drifted away, it actually felt cool. Cool: magic. [Still sticky, however.]

Posted at 8:43 PM | Comments Off on Another switch-up day

MaNachur rained herself out in the dark hours, so that I found this spider web plastered onto the screen—obvious against the tree-obscured dawn sky…however, I could not get the focus correct. Ahhrrrghhhh.

A few moments later, the next screen had no web, but instead gem-streaks—and a first peek of the sun.

Posted at 9:27 PM | Comments Off on Screen gems

We had another late afternoon/early evening rain/no-rain rotation, once again substantiating the “if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes” saying. Sometimes it’s more like a half-hour, but the pattern remains.

Also, I learned the Norwegian word fallvinder, which refers to strong downdrafts (at tornadic speeds) along the coast, that descend from the land across the coast, then compromising watercraft. The word was in a NYTimes article about experimental archaeologist Greer Jarrett, who’s been imitating Viking sailing, mostly long-distance trips along the western Scandinavian coast. Fallvinder were an underestimated danger Jarrett’s voyages highlighted. The boats were mostly 30-footers, and not the longships favored by artists and film-makers; he says they’re what most folk used. His over two dozen voyages illuminate what routes, islands, and ports were mostly likely used, and not necessarily previously known.

We experinced no fallvinders today at the cottage.

Posted at 9:47 PM | Comments Off on Watch for fallvinders

We saw quite a range of rainfall types, but not the heaviest. This was one of the more intense periods. It’s stopped now, and is rather cool—very appreciated given that the humidity in the sticky 90s. The plants sure needed the rain, so I’m happy, too.

Posted at 9:42 PM | Comments Off on Moisture

Dusk with goldenrod, 9:13pm.

Sky over the lake to the east, 10:07pm.

South sky, 10:11pm.

Posted at 10:32 PM | Comments Off on Night lights