A Morning Respite

I woke up early this morning, well before 6. It's a bit earlier than my normal wake up time. Usually, I close my eyes and slip back into my dream world for another short trip into my imagination, but today I got dressed and took a walk around the block. The sun was less than an hour away from rising, so I had no problems seeing as I walked. Due to a slight haze, only a couple stars were visible in the sky. Traffic could be heard in the valley below me but after a couple minutes, the songs of the birds overtook it.

    The street was empty, no cars were “warming up” and no one was walking their dogs. It was only me and the birds. Returning to the house, I sat on a chair on the front porch and watched as Arcturus slipped between the limbs of a tree as it neared the western horizon. Lights on neighbors' houses turned on and off and the birds continued to chirp, heard but not seen. I sat and watched the sky as it brightened, and the last stars disappeared from view.

    I went into the house, back to where the radio was broadcasting noise about shootings, accidents and the weather to come. I brewed some coffee and went back outside to the quiet, the calm and the peacefulness. I sat down with a copy of The Sun magazine and read a story. While I read, robins chased each other around the yard. Woodpeckers rapped on tree trunks and dead limbs. The coffee smelled good and tasted even better. Two robins flew within inches of my leg as they played.

    Slowly the sun neared the edge of the hillside and colors returned to the edges. My morning respite was starting to turn into my Saturday. I took another sip of coffee and then headed back into the house, ready to continue with my day.

Crossing the Field

 Taking my hiking staff out of the car, the humidity was immediately noticeable. It was still fairly early in the morning but already the temperature was in the 80’s. The weather forecasters were warning about dangerous conditions as the day progressed.

    Working my way down to the stream on an overgrown path made by fishermen, I tried my best to avoid brushing against the weeds. Both to avoid the dew which was still coating them and to avoid any ticks which might be waiting for me to pass.

    The stream was wide but not high. Evidence of high waters could be seen by the eroded walls on the banks of the far side. I stepped into the water and was instantly cooled down. Starting across, my staff aided me from slipping on the slick stones. The deepest section reached my knees, the ripples dampened the bottoms of my shorts. Reaching the far side, I had to go upstream a bit to find a tree whose roots had been exposed, allowing me to climb out of the water and up the bank.

    On the top of the bank, a large field of tall grass, cat tails and flowers spread out in front of me. A hillside covered with trees sat at the far side. The stream ran around the field, in essence, cutting it off from visitors.

    Large bunches of flowers grouped together. High grasses separated the various colors with waving greenish-gold bands. I followed paths that deer had created. The cat tails tend to grow in boggy areas, so I avoided those plants. In the grasses were tall thistles, covered in thorns, I avoided these also.

    Ruts lay in the field filled with water and mud, the tops provided a stable place to walk. My legs had dried off quickly from the crossing, but my shorts were getting wetter as I walked through the high, dewy weeds.

    I passed through batches of white daisies, bluish-purple spiderworts and crown vetch. Surprisingly, there wasn’t any poison ivy to be seen.

    At the far side of the field there is a small rise, the remains of the Pittsburgh to Butler Short Line, an electric trolley which stretched between the two cities from 1900 to1931. 

Not far from the cache…back in the day

    Remnants of the line can still be seen in numerous places, small bits and pieces were among the weeds where I was walking.

    Climbing onto the old rail bed, avoiding the wild rose bushes, I came to a spot I had visited just a week ago. I had been searching for a geocache and wasn’t able to locate it. Leaving a cache “unfound” plays heavily on my mind, so I was determined to return…soon.

    The stream level was low, even after a small rain the night before, a walk through the stream would be nice and cooling, but most of all, it was that anal desire to return and find the cache that brought me back today!

    I hadn’t brought my GPS, I remembered where I had been. I was pretty sure the cache was still there, even though no one had found it in close to a year.

    I rooted around at the base of the “obvious” tree and then slowly worked my search up the trunk and into its branches. With-in a couple minutes, the find was mine! 

    It was a small round match holder wrapped in camouflage tape. It was hanging on a small stick, blending in nicely with the branch behind it.

    After signing the log and replacing it for the next cacher, I headed back. Already the dew had evaporated from the weeds and bugs were starting to fly around. Still, it smelled wonderful and it sounded delightful. The birds were the only sounds I heard. I was too far from the stream and no cars had passed since I left, at least none that I heard.

    Haze filled the sky giving the field a muted look, like a painting with groups of flowers; their colors all mingling together with the grasses to create a masterpiece in the way only nature can create.

    A couple Red Winged Blackbirds flew by and as I neared the stream, I saw a Baltimore oriole. I was watching for the heron but “he” chose not to show himself to me today.

    At the stream, I climbed down the roots of the tree, back into the nice, cool water. Climbing out of the other side, a much easier climb, I passed a small batch of yellow Iris and then through another large patch of spiderworts.

    Back at the car, my legs had dried already but my shirt was soaked. It was only 10 in the morning and the heat would be continuing to rise as the day progressed.

    It was a great way to start the day, the rest of it would be spent in dark, cool places, avoiding the heat outdoors. I found my cache but seriously...the best part of the morning was the refreshing walk through the stream, walking through the field amongst the flowers, enjoying the smells and soaking in the quiet of the morning.

A Last Harrah?

Small snow flurries came and went during the day before, but nothing remained on the ground. The next morning provided a snow-covered landscape. The daffodils were bent over by the weight of the snow and a bunny had left tracks across the unbroken covering of the yard. It wasn't only the snow had fallen during the night, the temperatures had dropped also. Ice needed scrapped from the windshield before the car could be used.

    I always worry about the flowers which have already bloomed but really I shouldn’t. They always manage to survive these brief bits of winter; it is part of their make-up. The snow will only remain for a day or two and soon the temperatures will be rising again. More flowers will be popping up to join the early risers.

    After Church, I took a drive down near the railroad tracks, looking for interesting shots. In the back of my head, I was hoping a train might show up but nothing appeared. There were no trains to be seen this morning.

    I walked along the stream looking for the herons but they were elsewhere, possibly they had seen me and left. Near the swamp, a pair of geese paddled around in the water but there weren’t any other signs of wildlife. It was cold and quiet.

    Today, I’ll enjoy the looks of winter this brief snowfall has brought. I know it will soon be gone and the colors of spring will be surrounding us once again. 

    It isn’t only me waiting, so are the birds. They are happy to visit the feeder in the backyard, but I’m sure they’re looking forward to the return of Spring also.

Watching Shadows

     Watching the birds on the feeder outside the window, their colors become so much brighter as the shadows move away from them. The details of the feathers become more noticeable. The red hood on the woodpecker “pops” and the bright blues of the Blue Jay's feathers stand out against the brown of the trees. You can easily distinguish between individual birds!

    Whenever a photograph is taken, shadows and light make up what we see on the paper. (or on the screen) The composition of a good shot involves positioning the lights and darks in a pleasing way.

    The earth’s rotation as it orbits around the sun brings us into the earth’s shadow every night. Day and night depend on where the sun is in relation to us. When we see a Lunar Eclipse, we are watching as the earth’s shadow moves across the surface of the moon. When we see a Solar Eclipse, we are watching as the shadow of the moon passes across the earth’s surface.  The sun is being hidden by the moon.

    On a separate note, isn’t it amazing that the orbit of the moon and the size of the moon is just right to completely cover the sun? If the moons orbit was further away from the planet, we wouldn’t get complete coverage. For that matter, isn’t it neat that the orbits coincide with each other to properly line up to provide these events!

    Here’s another note for you…On April 8^th, 2024, we here in the Pittsburgh area will be treated to a nearly complete solar eclipse. (Approximately 95% of the sun will be covered from here) By driving north to the area around Erie, we will be able to see a complete solar eclipse! 100%!!! The shadows path cuts across more than just the Erie area, there are plenty of places you can go to see this event! If you can do it, I’d suggest making that drive! You will be inside the shadow of the moon! The surrounding area will be dark even though it will be the middle of the day! Mark your calendars! Don’t miss it!

The Chinese S.S. (Tiangong) going from west to east (R to L) at top of picture

(Click to enlarge)

Tiangong disappearing as it passes over the Pleiades

    I experienced another example of the earth’s shadow a couple nights ago. There was a pass of the Chinese Space Station (Tiangong) going over Pittsburgh. After it passed overhead, it started to fade and then disappeared from view. It had just passed into the earth’s shadow. While it was visible, about 250 miles above us, the sun was shining on it and illuminating it. Since it is so far away, no details could be seen, just a bright star like point of light traveling across the sky. When its orbit took it into the shadow, it appeared to disappear.  There one minute and gone the next!

    There are lots of satellites which orbit the earth, many which can be seen without any optical aid. Two of them, Tiangong and the ISS (The International Space Station) have crew members living on them! You can get an idea of when they will be passing over your area by checking various apps and web sites.

 I use Heavens-above.com to see what’s going over my house.

    You know that it doesn’t take a lot to excite me. I find that something to be proud of! Things like watching shadows of Jupiter’s moons crossing the planet’s surface. Seeing the peaks of mountains on the moon being illuminated by the sun while their bases wait in the shadows for the sunshine to reach them is always cool to see. Simply watching the shadows on the hillside across the valley slowly rise up the hill as the sun gets lower and lower can be exciting.

    Watching the shadows move across the snow in the back yard, I can’t help but think, it is such a neat world we live in! There are so many interesting things we see every day. So, keep your eyes open, who knows what we might see next?