I'm talking of the weather dopes on TV and internet. Yesterday they were calling for between 0.75 to 1.5 inches of much needed rain overnight. This morning the rain gauge showed just 0.15 inches.
It's still overcast (I think, the fog has closed in about the Aerie so I can barely see the trees 50 yards from the porch) but the chance for rain has pretty much passed us by. I'll take the opportunity to rest my back from the strain of constructing the retaining wall, however, and will instead do some sanding of the spackling Adam did in the basement yesterday. One more coat along the major seams and the walls down there will be ready for paint.
Just checked the forecast for the next ten days on weather.com. No more than 30% chance of rain through Sunday...August 19. Highs to be around 80 degrees and lows in the mid to upper 50s. (We are usually 5 degrees cooler on the highs at our 2100 foot elevation.)
Friday, August 10, 2007
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Birding in the fog
As I mentioned yesterday, we went out birding this morning over at Ives Run on Hammond Lake. Our goal was shorebirds since the lake is down considerably due to the lack of rainfall over the last three or four months. Gary had reported several different sandpipers and even some plovers in attendance. But the morning fog hampered our ability to scan much of the shoreline even with our spotting scopes. Still, we had a very nice day and tallied over 40 species. (Gary always seems to get one or two more than I do but then I only list what I personally see/hear and he tallies the groups' results.) The highlights of the trip for me were several. There were a great many great blue herons along the shore that we could see. There was an immature bald eagle on oneo f the exposed islands feeding on a fish ad an adult that flew overhead. And there were ospreys in abundance. I only listed three but there may have been more and two of those we saw were carrying sizable fish while keening overhead as if to brag about their catches. After a couple of hours on the lake shore we went up the road to the gamelands and came upon a host of robins, indigo buntings and other birds feeding on berries and seeds. We even spotted a black and white warbler that had strayed far from his normal habitat and was in a shrub in the middle of the field. Anyway, here is the result of our walk (as I recorded it):
Location: Ive's Run
Observation date: 8/9/07
Notes: Morning fog finally cleared around 9AM
Number of species: 41
Canada Goose 30
Mallard 1
Common Merganser 10
Great Blue Heron 7
Green Heron 2
Osprey 4
Bald Eagle 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Killdeer 2
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 3
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Ring-billed Gull 1
Mourning Dove 4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3
Belted Kingfisher 3
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 8
Cliff Swallow 6
Barn Swallow 18
Carolina Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
American Robin 12
Gray Catbird 3
Brown Thrasher 1
Cedar Waxwing 2
Yellow Warbler 3
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Song Sparrow 9
Northern Cardinal 3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 5
Indigo Bunting 10
Red-winged Blackbird 5
Common Grackle 3
Baltimore Oriole 1
American Goldfinch 9
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Location: Ive's Run
Observation date: 8/9/07
Notes: Morning fog finally cleared around 9AM
Number of species: 41
Canada Goose 30
Mallard 1
Common Merganser 10
Great Blue Heron 7
Green Heron 2
Osprey 4
Bald Eagle 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Killdeer 2
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 3
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Ring-billed Gull 1
Mourning Dove 4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3
Belted Kingfisher 3
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 8
Cliff Swallow 6
Barn Swallow 18
Carolina Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
American Robin 12
Gray Catbird 3
Brown Thrasher 1
Cedar Waxwing 2
Yellow Warbler 3
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Song Sparrow 9
Northern Cardinal 3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 5
Indigo Bunting 10
Red-winged Blackbird 5
Common Grackle 3
Baltimore Oriole 1
American Goldfinch 9
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Mets 4, Braves 3
I would personally like to hold Mister Billy Wagner by his ankles over a scorpion pit.
After a near perfect month of July for which he received an award, he comes in tonight in the top of the ninth inning with the Mets leading by just one slim run.
Lead-off hitter Chipper Jones singles. One on no outs.
Mark Teixeira singles moving C. Jones to second. Two on no outs and the lead looks positively razor thin.
Chris Woodword comes up as a pinch hitter and walks on five pitches. At this point Wagner has thrown 11 pitches with just four of them counting as strikes (and two of those became singles). Bases are loaded and there are still no outs. Jeff Francoeur is coming to the plate.At this point I would settle for a tie score if they could get a double play.
But then something magic happens.
Wagner gets Francoeur to ground to David Wright at third who throws home to force Chipper Jones. The bases are still loaded but there is one out and no one has scored.
Oh, oh. Andruw Jones is coming to the plate. But wait! He hits into a game ending double play! Second baseman Luis Castillo to shortstop Jose Reyes to first baseman Carlos Delgado! Three outs and no one scores! The Mets win 4-3!
Like I said Wagner is a great closer---but I still want to hold him over that scorpion pit!
After a near perfect month of July for which he received an award, he comes in tonight in the top of the ninth inning with the Mets leading by just one slim run.
Lead-off hitter Chipper Jones singles. One on no outs.
Mark Teixeira singles moving C. Jones to second. Two on no outs and the lead looks positively razor thin.
Chris Woodword comes up as a pinch hitter and walks on five pitches. At this point Wagner has thrown 11 pitches with just four of them counting as strikes (and two of those became singles). Bases are loaded and there are still no outs. Jeff Francoeur is coming to the plate.At this point I would settle for a tie score if they could get a double play.
But then something magic happens.
Wagner gets Francoeur to ground to David Wright at third who throws home to force Chipper Jones. The bases are still loaded but there is one out and no one has scored.
Oh, oh. Andruw Jones is coming to the plate. But wait! He hits into a game ending double play! Second baseman Luis Castillo to shortstop Jose Reyes to first baseman Carlos Delgado! Three outs and no one scores! The Mets win 4-3!
Like I said Wagner is a great closer---but I still want to hold him over that scorpion pit!
Back to work!
Or: Working my back!
Started the retaining wall today. (Of course! It's one of the hottest days of the summer.) I got two and a half rows of blocks up and hould have the first 5 rows up by tomorrow night. (I'm going birding in the morning.)
After those first five rows, things get stepped back every two rows so there are fewer blocks per row. (The first five have 15 blocks each.) I will probably finish on Friday if the rains don't interrupt my work.
It's actually going up quite easily. As with any construction project the key is to make sure everything starts off level and plumb. I, therefore, had to be sure to get the packed fine stone level for the first row. Once that was done (with help from Terry) it's been a snap. Except that each block weighs a ton! (Okay, 85 pounds.) At least with the hand truck I can move two blocks from the pallets to the wall at a time and get them in place and I don't have to carry them across the yard by hand.
I'll be posting some before and after photos on Friday.
After those first five rows, things get stepped back every two rows so there are fewer blocks per row. (The first five have 15 blocks each.) I will probably finish on Friday if the rains don't interrupt my work.
It's actually going up quite easily. As with any construction project the key is to make sure everything starts off level and plumb. I, therefore, had to be sure to get the packed fine stone level for the first row. Once that was done (with help from Terry) it's been a snap. Except that each block weighs a ton! (Okay, 85 pounds.) At least with the hand truck I can move two blocks from the pallets to the wall at a time and get them in place and I don't have to carry them across the yard by hand.
I'll be posting some before and after photos on Friday.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Drought...No..Rain...No Drought
So, I'm driving over to Lowe's to pick up some materials to work on the retaining wall and stain for the deck and I hear on the radio that Gov. Rendell has issued a drought warning for much of the state. homeowners are asked to go easy on the water usage, etc. although reservoirs are in pretty good shape. There's some concern for the corn crop, yada, yada, yada. (I'm thinking to myself that while I have a well, as I have mentioned, I wouldn't mind a little more rain to replenish the the ground water supply upon which I depend.)
As might be expected, at around 3 o'clock this afternoon, it starts to rain. The forecast is for some pretty heavy thunderstorms tonight and scattered T-storms tomorrow and tomorrow night. Timing is everything.
Unfortunately, the rain that is moving through won't do much to lower the temperatures for the rest of the week. If we're lucky, we'll get back down into the 70s for the weekend. Until then it'll be the mid to upper 80s by day with night time lows in the high 60's or low 70s.
UPDATE: As of 9 AM Wednesday morning the rain gauge held 1.15 inches. There's still a chance for some T-storms this morning before it clears away...until Friday.
As might be expected, at around 3 o'clock this afternoon, it starts to rain. The forecast is for some pretty heavy thunderstorms tonight and scattered T-storms tomorrow and tomorrow night. Timing is everything.
Unfortunately, the rain that is moving through won't do much to lower the temperatures for the rest of the week. If we're lucky, we'll get back down into the 70s for the weekend. Until then it'll be the mid to upper 80s by day with night time lows in the high 60's or low 70s.
UPDATE: As of 9 AM Wednesday morning the rain gauge held 1.15 inches. There's still a chance for some T-storms this morning before it clears away...until Friday.
Monday, August 06, 2007
He’s off! Again!
Well, I just got a call from Rick. He’s at JFK Airport waiting to meet the folks from WorldTeach. They will have a brief meeting at 8:30 or 9:00 and then prepare to board their planes to wherever they might be going. His flight to Georgetown, Guyana is scheduled for departure around 1 AM.
We did a little running around this morning taking care of some last minute business before his mother drove him into JFK (about a five hour ride). She’ll stay with her mother tonight and drive back to the Aerie tomorrow morning.
I’m always amazed at the choices Rick makes. He chose to join the Marine Reserves out of high school instead of going through ROTC while in college. Yeah, it cost him some time—one year to basic and MOS training and then another to his deployment to Iraq—but it more than paid for his education and, as a result, he’s got himself a nice little nest egg that he has invested and that is growing quite well, thank you. He finished at the University of Idaho in six years despite the two that were spent with the Marines. He chose to work with the inner city yout’ of Baltimore instead of in the forests of the Northwest or New England and has offers from Baltimore for full time employment when he comes back—if he wants it. He’s looking at internships for forest studies and/or arboretums as a possibility. But the big question will be: “Where?” Or will he come back with new ideas and want to pursue a teaching career? Right now the world is his oyster and his options are unlimited.
We did a little running around this morning taking care of some last minute business before his mother drove him into JFK (about a five hour ride). She’ll stay with her mother tonight and drive back to the Aerie tomorrow morning.
I’m always amazed at the choices Rick makes. He chose to join the Marine Reserves out of high school instead of going through ROTC while in college. Yeah, it cost him some time—one year to basic and MOS training and then another to his deployment to Iraq—but it more than paid for his education and, as a result, he’s got himself a nice little nest egg that he has invested and that is growing quite well, thank you. He finished at the University of Idaho in six years despite the two that were spent with the Marines. He chose to work with the inner city yout’ of Baltimore instead of in the forests of the Northwest or New England and has offers from Baltimore for full time employment when he comes back—if he wants it. He’s looking at internships for forest studies and/or arboretums as a possibility. But the big question will be: “Where?” Or will he come back with new ideas and want to pursue a teaching career? Right now the world is his oyster and his options are unlimited.
Fools rush in….
Despite the hue and cry from the environmental cabal that global warming will doom the earth (a “fact” that is widely disputed—remember when Greenland was, well, green just 1000 years ago?) and that it is man-made greenhouse gases fueling the climate catastrophe at our very door (another widely disputed claim since fluctuations in the sun’s output are conveniently overlooked by the doom-and-gloomers), there are good reasons to tread slowly and lightly as we approach a solution to this “problem.”
For one, we should remember all the experts and doom-sayers prior to the year 2000 who warned us to stock up on food, water and other essentials because the infrastructure of society was going to collapse at midnight, December 31, 1999 when all the major computer systems were going to crash due to the Millenium Bug. Remember that? Didn’t happen.
Or how about those who are still warning us about Avian Flu. Still waiting for that one to happen too and it’s been what, four years or more. (In this case, however, I will grant the preparations for the potential pandemic are quite positive. The warning first went out: “In 2003, world-renowned virologist Robert Webster published an article titled "The world is teetering on the edge of a pandemic that could kill a large fraction of the human population" in American Scientist. He called for adequate resources to fight what he sees as a major world threat to possibly billions of lives.[3]” Since then only 313 cases and 191 deaths have been confirmed as due to Avian Flu.)
Sure bad things could have happened as the calendar turned from 1999 to 2000, but they didn’t. There may still be a pandemic of Avian Flu but not likely anywhere except in third world countries where sanitation is a problem. In either case, the preparations and actions of those concerned didn’t have sweeping effects upon the economy. (Again there were exceptions. Many schemers made a pretty penny by playing to the fears of the gullible in late 1999.)
But now, we have this proposal from members of the US Senate.
Oh, it sounds just so…peachy! Let’s cut back on our CO2 emissions to help save the Earth! Forget the coal burning plants being built daily in China. Forget the energy needs of people in Africa and India struggling to pull themselves out of poverty. Forget that the US is the only developed country to reduce its emissions since the Kyoto Accord was signed by all of Europe. Yeah, forget all that. The US will cut its emissions to “60 percent below 1990 levels” and everything will be just fine.
Not quite:
Yeah, let’s do this and then we can be on a level of economic “prosperity” matched by, well, China, Africa and India.
We’re already seeing an increase in food prices as we rush willy-nilly into corn based ethanol production, what’s a 10% to 20% increase in fuel cost over present levels due to this emissions reduction scheme when we’ll already see an increase due to the use of ethanol.
Then there’s the $16 Billion tax the House is proposing on the Big Oil (to be paid by each and every consumer) to fund the alternative fuels search. (I know the article says “tax incentives” are being moved from Big Oil, but it’s the same thing as taxing them $16 Billion more. Why didn’t they take the money from the farm subsidies since they have now created an incentive to grow more corn and drive the corn prices higher?
Keep going Senators and Congressmen. Keep adding more weight to the anchor you’ve forged to place about the economy. Both of these acts are "feel-good" legislations that will do little to help the American consumer and a great deal to smack the average wallet a mighty blow.
For one, we should remember all the experts and doom-sayers prior to the year 2000 who warned us to stock up on food, water and other essentials because the infrastructure of society was going to collapse at midnight, December 31, 1999 when all the major computer systems were going to crash due to the Millenium Bug. Remember that? Didn’t happen.
Or how about those who are still warning us about Avian Flu. Still waiting for that one to happen too and it’s been what, four years or more. (In this case, however, I will grant the preparations for the potential pandemic are quite positive. The warning first went out: “In 2003, world-renowned virologist Robert Webster published an article titled "The world is teetering on the edge of a pandemic that could kill a large fraction of the human population" in American Scientist. He called for adequate resources to fight what he sees as a major world threat to possibly billions of lives.[3]” Since then only 313 cases and 191 deaths have been confirmed as due to Avian Flu.)
Sure bad things could have happened as the calendar turned from 1999 to 2000, but they didn’t. There may still be a pandemic of Avian Flu but not likely anywhere except in third world countries where sanitation is a problem. In either case, the preparations and actions of those concerned didn’t have sweeping effects upon the economy. (Again there were exceptions. Many schemers made a pretty penny by playing to the fears of the gullible in late 1999.)
But now, we have this proposal from members of the US Senate.
Congress is expected to consider climate legislation this fall that would fight global warming. Many businesses worry the U.S. economy would suffer under a measure to impose tough mandatory cuts in emissions.
One proposal, introduced by Sens. Joseph Lieberman and John McCain, would gradually reduce total U.S. emissions by the year 2050 to 60 percent below 1990 levels.
The bill would require companies to report their yearly greenhouse gas emissions and submit a matching number of government-issued allowances to equal the emissions spewed. Companies that emit more would have to buy allowances from cleaner companies that produce fewer emissions.
Oh, it sounds just so…peachy! Let’s cut back on our CO2 emissions to help save the Earth! Forget the coal burning plants being built daily in China. Forget the energy needs of people in Africa and India struggling to pull themselves out of poverty. Forget that the US is the only developed country to reduce its emissions since the Kyoto Accord was signed by all of Europe. Yeah, forget all that. The US will cut its emissions to “60 percent below 1990 levels” and everything will be just fine.
Not quite:
However, the proposal would cut into the U.S. economy and raise gasoline and other energy prices paid by consumers, according to an analysis of the legislation by the Energy Information Administration.
The legislation "increases the cost of using energy, which reduces real economic output, reduces purchasing power, and lowers aggregate demand for goods and services," the EIA said.
With companies trying to meet the shrinking emissions levels, U.S. economic output would be $533 billion lower over the 2009 to 2030 time period, the agency said.
Yeah, let’s do this and then we can be on a level of economic “prosperity” matched by, well, China, Africa and India.
We’re already seeing an increase in food prices as we rush willy-nilly into corn based ethanol production, what’s a 10% to 20% increase in fuel cost over present levels due to this emissions reduction scheme when we’ll already see an increase due to the use of ethanol.
Then there’s the $16 Billion tax the House is proposing on the Big Oil (to be paid by each and every consumer) to fund the alternative fuels search. (I know the article says “tax incentives” are being moved from Big Oil, but it’s the same thing as taxing them $16 Billion more. Why didn’t they take the money from the farm subsidies since they have now created an incentive to grow more corn and drive the corn prices higher?
Keep going Senators and Congressmen. Keep adding more weight to the anchor you’ve forged to place about the economy. Both of these acts are "feel-good" legislations that will do little to help the American consumer and a great deal to smack the average wallet a mighty blow.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Prodigal stops for a brief (very brief!) visit
Rick, showed up at the Aerie this afternoon after completing his stint with the inner city yuot’ of Baltimore. He could have been here yesterday but decided to stop off in southeast PA to visit with some friends and then in NJ to see his Grandma. He only stopped to drop off his belongings and get some legal papers taken care of before he hops a plane to Guyana in South America for 11 months with WorldTeach.
He’s headed to a small village near the former Jonestown. There he’ll teach math to high school students. It’s a one year commitment that he researched on his own and provides quite a contrast to the six years in the Marine Reserves (including a stint in Iraq) and 4+ years at the University of Idaho. (His student time was interrupted by basic and MOS training plus the one-year Marine call up/deployment, but he graduated within 6 years of graduating high school.)
We all thought his flight out of JFK was to be Tuesday night/Wednesday morning at around 1 AM, but we were wrong. In checking over his papers, Rick discovered the flight was Monday night/Tuesday Morning at 1 AM. So we’ll have to do some serious running around on Monday morning to see a notary and transfer title of his vehicle to me so I can register it in PA (current tags are those of Idaho), complete the paper work to grant me power of attorney over his affairs, and run to the bank for travelers’ checks, before driving the five hours to his Grandma’s in NJ for dinner and then on to JFK.
The most difficult thing about getting all this done is that it's the weekend. The important places will be closed on Sunday (bank, notary) and it will have to all be crushed into a few hours Monday morning.
He was joking about not being used to this quick turnaround between assignments. He’s much more accustomed to the military (and to a certain extent, academic) hurry up and wait routine. Luck for him Sunday will be a day of enforced rest.
He’s headed to a small village near the former Jonestown. There he’ll teach math to high school students. It’s a one year commitment that he researched on his own and provides quite a contrast to the six years in the Marine Reserves (including a stint in Iraq) and 4+ years at the University of Idaho. (His student time was interrupted by basic and MOS training plus the one-year Marine call up/deployment, but he graduated within 6 years of graduating high school.)
We all thought his flight out of JFK was to be Tuesday night/Wednesday morning at around 1 AM, but we were wrong. In checking over his papers, Rick discovered the flight was Monday night/Tuesday Morning at 1 AM. So we’ll have to do some serious running around on Monday morning to see a notary and transfer title of his vehicle to me so I can register it in PA (current tags are those of Idaho), complete the paper work to grant me power of attorney over his affairs, and run to the bank for travelers’ checks, before driving the five hours to his Grandma’s in NJ for dinner and then on to JFK.
The most difficult thing about getting all this done is that it's the weekend. The important places will be closed on Sunday (bank, notary) and it will have to all be crushed into a few hours Monday morning.
He was joking about not being used to this quick turnaround between assignments. He’s much more accustomed to the military (and to a certain extent, academic) hurry up and wait routine. Luck for him Sunday will be a day of enforced rest.
How It All Began
Terry just sent his little clip to me via e-mail that explains How It All Began. (The internet and DOT Comdom that is.)
How I spend my week
Okay, it was only a four day week, but still…
As mentioned in the two previous posts, I was up at the Bolt Hole from Tuesday through Friday. The temperatures were only in the 80s according to the thermometers on the porch, but the humidity must have been around the 90% level. So, of course, I was there to do some very physical labor, namely cutting and hauling wood, splitting wood and, finally, cutting grass.
When I got there, I found two very impressive stacks of wood that Mark had already split and laid up.
I needed to make a similar contribution to our effort.
First task was to haul the previously cut wood out of the forest (and cut some of the downed logs in the process). That, plus rebuilding portions of the trail to get the ATV over some treacherous spots, took much of Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday. I worked 50 minutes to an hour and drank about a quart of water every hour. Perspiration was literally pouring off me whether I was in the shade or not.
All day Wednesday was spent cutting and hauling rounds of tree trunks from the forest. By Wednesday evening I had a sizable stack of rounds hauled out of the forest and ready for splitting.
Starting at 8:30 AM on Thursday and working until 5:30 PM with an hour+ break mid-day, I reduced the stack of rounds to this:
Not too shabby. I figure it will come close to matching Mark’s stacks. I left it for Mark to stack since I still had to cut the lawn and then get back to PA Friday afternoon.
Friday was just as hot and humid with thunder booming in the distance. I quick stepped my way behind the lawnmower and managed to get the entire think done in two hours fifteen minutes. Then it was time to take a nice cold shower, pack up, climb into my air conditioned truck and drive the 4 hours to PA.
Despite drinking over a gallon and a half of water a day, I still dropped 5 pounds. I’m sure some of it will reappear as I relax over the weekend but then, next week it’s retaining wall time!
As mentioned in the two previous posts, I was up at the Bolt Hole from Tuesday through Friday. The temperatures were only in the 80s according to the thermometers on the porch, but the humidity must have been around the 90% level. So, of course, I was there to do some very physical labor, namely cutting and hauling wood, splitting wood and, finally, cutting grass.
When I got there, I found two very impressive stacks of wood that Mark had already split and laid up.
The stack is approximately 6 feet tall and 24 feet long. Logs were cut about 18-20 inches long so each stack is that deep/thick.
The green tarp on the right covers some well seasoned dead wood ready to burn.
I needed to make a similar contribution to our effort.
First task was to haul the previously cut wood out of the forest (and cut some of the downed logs in the process). That, plus rebuilding portions of the trail to get the ATV over some treacherous spots, took much of Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday. I worked 50 minutes to an hour and drank about a quart of water every hour. Perspiration was literally pouring off me whether I was in the shade or not.
Here’s another view of Mark’s stacks with the ATV (Yamaha ProHauler) and some of the rounds I had hauled out of the forest.
All day Wednesday was spent cutting and hauling rounds of tree trunks from the forest. By Wednesday evening I had a sizable stack of rounds hauled out of the forest and ready for splitting.
It took most of Wednesday to haul all these rounds up and get them ready for splitting. The pile was about 10’ x 12’ by 3’ consisting of maple and beech.
Starting at 8:30 AM on Thursday and working until 5:30 PM with an hour+ break mid-day, I reduced the stack of rounds to this:
Not too shabby. I figure it will come close to matching Mark’s stacks. I left it for Mark to stack since I still had to cut the lawn and then get back to PA Friday afternoon.
Friday was just as hot and humid with thunder booming in the distance. I quick stepped my way behind the lawnmower and managed to get the entire think done in two hours fifteen minutes. Then it was time to take a nice cold shower, pack up, climb into my air conditioned truck and drive the 4 hours to PA.
Despite drinking over a gallon and a half of water a day, I still dropped 5 pounds. I’m sure some of it will reappear as I relax over the weekend but then, next week it’s retaining wall time!
Friday, August 03, 2007
Oh, my aching back...
...and legs and arms....
So yesterday morning I got the hydrolic log splitter out of the garage and set up to reduce the rounds of former trees into much smaller pieces so they could spend some time drying before winter gets here. Let me say that the 25-ton Yard Machine splitter was one of the BEST purchases I ever made. It's gotten some serious use the last three years from both Mark and myself and has successfully reduced cherry, maple and beech to firewood for both our cabins. Mark spends much more time at his place during the winter than I do and burns close to 8 face cords of wood each year. I'll go through 2 maybe 3 face cords during the hunting season and the few extended weekends I come up to enjoy the snow and solitude. (Hey, maybe there won't be much need for that solitude stuff now that I'm out of NJ and into north-central PA where it's pretty darn secluded to start with.)
Anyway, I set up around 8:30 AM and worked until 1 PM when the sun and heat started to get to me. By then I was two-thirds through the stack of blocks but it was the easy two-thirds. I took an extended lunch break during the heat of the day to get off my feet, have something to eat and drink, and then checked the cameras. (Ho hum, lots of pictures of our "Teddy" bear who has taken possesion of the feed pile but a few of a spike buck who snuck in while "Teddy" went on walk about. Got a couple of raccoons and a fox, too. Not bad for one night.)
I got back to work around 2:30 and went at it for three more hours before finishing the last splitable round and put the splitter away. There is one heck of pile of split maple and beech laying in the yard now, but I'll leave it for Mark to stack for air drying. (I'll post some pictures when I get back to PA. Nothing but dial-up service at the Bolt Hole.)
The maple was pretty easy to run through the splitter as many of the rounds were from a tree that was either hollow (real easy split) or a bit punky in the center (also easy splitting but the center is nearly worthless as fuel). The beech, however, was a b*tch! The grain is straight but really doesn't split that way when wet. The inner fibers cling to one another with a mean spirit. You had to run the splitter all the way through the chunk and even then beat the two pieces apart. Of course much of what I did in the afternoon was the beech. Should make good firewood once it dries out, though.
Today, I've got to cut the grass before/between thunderstorms. It will give me a chance ot stretch some of the stiffness out of my legs and back. I use a walk behind push type power mower and have about two or two-and-a-half acres of relatively flat lawn to cut. It' should take about two-and-a-half to three hours to finish. THen it's shower, pack up and head back to the Aerie.
So yesterday morning I got the hydrolic log splitter out of the garage and set up to reduce the rounds of former trees into much smaller pieces so they could spend some time drying before winter gets here. Let me say that the 25-ton Yard Machine splitter was one of the BEST purchases I ever made. It's gotten some serious use the last three years from both Mark and myself and has successfully reduced cherry, maple and beech to firewood for both our cabins. Mark spends much more time at his place during the winter than I do and burns close to 8 face cords of wood each year. I'll go through 2 maybe 3 face cords during the hunting season and the few extended weekends I come up to enjoy the snow and solitude. (Hey, maybe there won't be much need for that solitude stuff now that I'm out of NJ and into north-central PA where it's pretty darn secluded to start with.)
Anyway, I set up around 8:30 AM and worked until 1 PM when the sun and heat started to get to me. By then I was two-thirds through the stack of blocks but it was the easy two-thirds. I took an extended lunch break during the heat of the day to get off my feet, have something to eat and drink, and then checked the cameras. (Ho hum, lots of pictures of our "Teddy" bear who has taken possesion of the feed pile but a few of a spike buck who snuck in while "Teddy" went on walk about. Got a couple of raccoons and a fox, too. Not bad for one night.)
I got back to work around 2:30 and went at it for three more hours before finishing the last splitable round and put the splitter away. There is one heck of pile of split maple and beech laying in the yard now, but I'll leave it for Mark to stack for air drying. (I'll post some pictures when I get back to PA. Nothing but dial-up service at the Bolt Hole.)
The maple was pretty easy to run through the splitter as many of the rounds were from a tree that was either hollow (real easy split) or a bit punky in the center (also easy splitting but the center is nearly worthless as fuel). The beech, however, was a b*tch! The grain is straight but really doesn't split that way when wet. The inner fibers cling to one another with a mean spirit. You had to run the splitter all the way through the chunk and even then beat the two pieces apart. Of course much of what I did in the afternoon was the beech. Should make good firewood once it dries out, though.
Today, I've got to cut the grass before/between thunderstorms. It will give me a chance ot stretch some of the stiffness out of my legs and back. I use a walk behind push type power mower and have about two or two-and-a-half acres of relatively flat lawn to cut. It' should take about two-and-a-half to three hours to finish. THen it's shower, pack up and head back to the Aerie.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Sweat equity
So, yeasterday morning I drove the four hours from the Aerie to the Bolt Hole in my lovely air conditioned truck. When I arrived I found that Mark had split and stacked one hell of a lot of firewood. There were two stacks approximately six feet hist and 24 feet long each containing split cherry, maple and beech. And that was just from the trees he cut down.
i changed into my work clothes and fired up the ATV to haul out some of the blocked up trunks I had cut. After three hours of hard labor, I was soaked. I had drunk two quarts of water and had probably sweated out that and more. I had made a sizable stack of blocks for myself but had lots more to block up and haul out. I called it a day knowing I would have to work a full 8 hours on Wednesday to get the rest out of the woods and up to the splitting area.
Wednesday morning dawned clear as could be and promised to be a scortcher. And it kept its promise. The forecast was for around 90 degrees and while it never got that hot (I don't think it broke 85) it was hot enough when your doing the kind of physical labor I was doing. All day long I was hoisting blocks of maple and beech that probably weighed in at around 50-75 pounds onto the back of the ATV and hauling them out of the woods. When I wasn't lifting, I was cutting. I had dropped two trunks that I hadn't gotten cut when Mark and I Were working together about two weeks ago and they had to be blocked up before I hauled them out. Again, I worked at a reasonable pace trying to take a 10 minute break every hour and drank lots of fluids. I even took a "siesta" to go and check the game cameras we have in the woods. i worked from 8 in the morning untiil 5:30 in the afternoon to finish the bulk of the job. All that's left are some limbs that are less than five inches in diameter and therefore need not be split. They are stacked tee-pee style against the trunks of trees to await another day.
Tomorrow I'll get the hydraulic splitter out and reduce the size of my blocks into burnable faggots of wood. As it promises to be another hot day, I will comfort myself with lots of water and the thought that when this wood goes into the wood burning stove it might be as low as -10 degrees outside.
Oh, BTW, Terry called this evening to say the stone and block for the retaining wall at the Aerie will be delivered tomorrow. And each one of those blocks weighs in at 85 pounds.
i changed into my work clothes and fired up the ATV to haul out some of the blocked up trunks I had cut. After three hours of hard labor, I was soaked. I had drunk two quarts of water and had probably sweated out that and more. I had made a sizable stack of blocks for myself but had lots more to block up and haul out. I called it a day knowing I would have to work a full 8 hours on Wednesday to get the rest out of the woods and up to the splitting area.
Wednesday morning dawned clear as could be and promised to be a scortcher. And it kept its promise. The forecast was for around 90 degrees and while it never got that hot (I don't think it broke 85) it was hot enough when your doing the kind of physical labor I was doing. All day long I was hoisting blocks of maple and beech that probably weighed in at around 50-75 pounds onto the back of the ATV and hauling them out of the woods. When I wasn't lifting, I was cutting. I had dropped two trunks that I hadn't gotten cut when Mark and I Were working together about two weeks ago and they had to be blocked up before I hauled them out. Again, I worked at a reasonable pace trying to take a 10 minute break every hour and drank lots of fluids. I even took a "siesta" to go and check the game cameras we have in the woods. i worked from 8 in the morning untiil 5:30 in the afternoon to finish the bulk of the job. All that's left are some limbs that are less than five inches in diameter and therefore need not be split. They are stacked tee-pee style against the trunks of trees to await another day.
Tomorrow I'll get the hydraulic splitter out and reduce the size of my blocks into burnable faggots of wood. As it promises to be another hot day, I will comfort myself with lots of water and the thought that when this wood goes into the wood burning stove it might be as low as -10 degrees outside.
Oh, BTW, Terry called this evening to say the stone and block for the retaining wall at the Aerie will be delivered tomorrow. And each one of those blocks weighs in at 85 pounds.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Best laid plans...
Well, I had that cup of coffee and made a list. Then went outside and started to burn some of the stumps left from clearing the land. I intended to start moving stones (flatties) around and breaking up the soil but the pyromaniac inside just grabbed control.
Luckily, there is enough slash from when the power company cleared the right of way that I could keep the fire small and have plenty of branches to feed it. But it did take all day to burn the two stumps down to lumps about the size of five gallon buckets. Since one was from a maple that was a good 9 inches in diameter and three feet long, I consider this acceptable. The root balls contain much clay earth and stone which acts as a great insulator and prevents the fire from consuming much. I need to knock that earth out before I can burn the remainder. But that's okay because that earth and some of the charcoal left from burning goes into the compost pile once it's cooled sufficiently. I'll need all I can get to break up the clay composition of the soil so i can plant flowers and vegetables next spring.
I'm off to the Bolt Hole early Tuesday morning for three days of toil. Most of that will be done hauling and splitting wood. Painting the roof will have to wait until I can purchase the materials. Maybe I can get some time in with the bow if my arms and back aren't too sore from hauling logs.
Luckily, there is enough slash from when the power company cleared the right of way that I could keep the fire small and have plenty of branches to feed it. But it did take all day to burn the two stumps down to lumps about the size of five gallon buckets. Since one was from a maple that was a good 9 inches in diameter and three feet long, I consider this acceptable. The root balls contain much clay earth and stone which acts as a great insulator and prevents the fire from consuming much. I need to knock that earth out before I can burn the remainder. But that's okay because that earth and some of the charcoal left from burning goes into the compost pile once it's cooled sufficiently. I'll need all I can get to break up the clay composition of the soil so i can plant flowers and vegetables next spring.
I'm off to the Bolt Hole early Tuesday morning for three days of toil. Most of that will be done hauling and splitting wood. Painting the roof will have to wait until I can purchase the materials. Maybe I can get some time in with the bow if my arms and back aren't too sore from hauling logs.
Morning to ya.
Well, I got the cistern full yesterday and there's a 5 micron filter on the line. (I saved the 1 micron for later next week when I would do a scheduled change of filters on the first of August.) The water is still cloudy in bulk but pretty clear in the glass. I'll take it--for now.
The temperatures are supposed to edge into the nineties this week but it is time to think about winter and spring.
I'll be heading to the Bolt Hole to do some firewood hauling and splitting--a task I've left to Mark for too long. There are downed trees, cut into blocks that have to be hauled out of the woods and then split so they can dry some more before winter sets in. (And up in the Adirondacks, that could be the middle of September.)
Adam has been showing up to spackle the basement walls which means I won't get much of a break even if it rains. Terry insists that we have the basement ready for company by Thanksgiving.
Hunting season approaches (well, it does!) and I need to get my 2007-2008 licenses for NY and PA. Applications for doe permits for PA are to be mailed August 6. I've got to get some time in with the bow, and the rifle as well as pick out some likely spots for tree stands soon. Mark and I want to start with the bow season in NY this year instead of letting it pass us by.
As for spring planning, it's time to lay out the flower and veggie gardens here at the Aerie. Much of the ground surrounding the building site is fill from the leveling of the area. It's heavy in clay and stone so the big iron bar will come in handy to break it up. Meanwhile I've salvaged some of the soil from around the roots of the few trees that had to be bulldozed and added that to our vegetable waste, pulled weeds and some shredded paper to start a compost heap. Our best bet is for some raised beds, but even for them, the surface needs to be loosened.
Then there's the retaining wall--materials to be delivered. And the painting of the roofs at the Bolt Hole--materials to be purchased. And ...oh, well, lots and lots of stuff to do.
Now all I have to do is get the energy to do some of these things. Maybe another cup of coffee is in order.
The temperatures are supposed to edge into the nineties this week but it is time to think about winter and spring.
I'll be heading to the Bolt Hole to do some firewood hauling and splitting--a task I've left to Mark for too long. There are downed trees, cut into blocks that have to be hauled out of the woods and then split so they can dry some more before winter sets in. (And up in the Adirondacks, that could be the middle of September.)
Adam has been showing up to spackle the basement walls which means I won't get much of a break even if it rains. Terry insists that we have the basement ready for company by Thanksgiving.
Hunting season approaches (well, it does!) and I need to get my 2007-2008 licenses for NY and PA. Applications for doe permits for PA are to be mailed August 6. I've got to get some time in with the bow, and the rifle as well as pick out some likely spots for tree stands soon. Mark and I want to start with the bow season in NY this year instead of letting it pass us by.
As for spring planning, it's time to lay out the flower and veggie gardens here at the Aerie. Much of the ground surrounding the building site is fill from the leveling of the area. It's heavy in clay and stone so the big iron bar will come in handy to break it up. Meanwhile I've salvaged some of the soil from around the roots of the few trees that had to be bulldozed and added that to our vegetable waste, pulled weeds and some shredded paper to start a compost heap. Our best bet is for some raised beds, but even for them, the surface needs to be loosened.
Then there's the retaining wall--materials to be delivered. And the painting of the roofs at the Bolt Hole--materials to be purchased. And ...oh, well, lots and lots of stuff to do.
Now all I have to do is get the energy to do some of these things. Maybe another cup of coffee is in order.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Wells: Another way to spell "Trouble"
Actually the problem is not in the well so much as the lack of rainfall and the subsurface strata here at the Aerie. June was pretty dry (I'm not sure just how dry because I didn't get the rain gauge set out until July 1) and July has produced only 1.85 inches of rain, 0.85 having fallen in some heavy T-storms over night. Average precip in this area is 4.4 inches in June and 3.3 inches in July. We are well below those numbers. Sure, others across the valley got much more rain than we did at the Aerie, but that doesn't help us at all.
The subsurface is mostly slate/shale with clay mixed in. Now, the slate/shale combo allows for lots of water through all the cracks and layers but the clay is so damn fine that it easily moves through those cracks and into the well. It stays suspended in the water due to its tiny particle size and enters the house system even through a 5 micron filter. There is a 1 micron filter available and that will be our next purchase--as soon as I can find them! There is no odor or taste problem with the water so a chemical filter (at $35 per cartridge) isn't necessary. Wally World has 1 micron cartridges at $17.50 each--when they're in stock.
We thought we were lucky to have found a lot that had all the amenities (well, electricity, septic) in place. Looks like we'll have to invest in improving the well, however. It will cost us to have them set up their rig ($600), pull the pump (which will probably have to be replaced if we go down much further), punch the well down another 75-100 feet ($15 per), and probably add more casing to line the system. Still, it will be cheaper than drilling a new well.
A few years back i had to have a well drilled for the Bolt Hole up in the Adirondacks. The first 100 feet or so was through glacial moraine--mostly sand and a few boulders--and produced some surface water. The next 300 feet finally went through rock--mostly granite. Yeah, it went down about 450 feet and cost mucho dinero but that water is the purest, sweetest tasting stuff! I should bottle it and sell it.
The subsurface is mostly slate/shale with clay mixed in. Now, the slate/shale combo allows for lots of water through all the cracks and layers but the clay is so damn fine that it easily moves through those cracks and into the well. It stays suspended in the water due to its tiny particle size and enters the house system even through a 5 micron filter. There is a 1 micron filter available and that will be our next purchase--as soon as I can find them! There is no odor or taste problem with the water so a chemical filter (at $35 per cartridge) isn't necessary. Wally World has 1 micron cartridges at $17.50 each--when they're in stock.
We thought we were lucky to have found a lot that had all the amenities (well, electricity, septic) in place. Looks like we'll have to invest in improving the well, however. It will cost us to have them set up their rig ($600), pull the pump (which will probably have to be replaced if we go down much further), punch the well down another 75-100 feet ($15 per), and probably add more casing to line the system. Still, it will be cheaper than drilling a new well.
A few years back i had to have a well drilled for the Bolt Hole up in the Adirondacks. The first 100 feet or so was through glacial moraine--mostly sand and a few boulders--and produced some surface water. The next 300 feet finally went through rock--mostly granite. Yeah, it went down about 450 feet and cost mucho dinero but that water is the purest, sweetest tasting stuff! I should bottle it and sell it.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Birding Once More
Terry and I hooked up with our friends from the Tiadaghton Audubon Society this morning to do a little birding at Ives Run Recreation Area. We parked at the head of the 2.6-mile long Railroad Grade Trail, which follows an old Penn Central rail bed adjacent to Crooked Creek and walked quite a distance although not all the way. The weather cooperated and we had a nice morning with a slight breeze blowing.
In addition to the birds, we spotted a couple of deer, several cottontail rabbits, a chipmunk and a vole. There were several large splashes in the pond along side the trail, probably made by carp but impressive nonetheless.
Here's today's bird list:
Location: Ive's Run
Observation date: 7/26/07
Number of species: 32
Mallard 2
Great Blue Heron 2
Green Heron 2
Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 2
Bald Eagle 2
Mourning Dove 1
Belted Kingfisher 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Warbling Vireo 1
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 4
Cliff Swallow 6
Black-capped Chickadee 4
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Eastern Bluebird 1
Wood Thrush 1
American Robin 3
Gray Catbird 5
Brown Thrasher 3
Cedar Waxwing 2
Yellow Warbler 3
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
American Redstart 3
Common Yellowthroat 3
Eastern Towhee 1
Song Sparrow 4
Swamp Sparrow 4
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 5
Indigo Bunting 1
Red-winged Blackbird 5
American Goldfinch 7
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
In addition to the birds, we spotted a couple of deer, several cottontail rabbits, a chipmunk and a vole. There were several large splashes in the pond along side the trail, probably made by carp but impressive nonetheless.
Here's today's bird list:
Location: Ive's Run
Observation date: 7/26/07
Number of species: 32
Mallard 2
Great Blue Heron 2
Green Heron 2
Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 2
Bald Eagle 2
Mourning Dove 1
Belted Kingfisher 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Warbling Vireo 1
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 4
Cliff Swallow 6
Black-capped Chickadee 4
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Eastern Bluebird 1
Wood Thrush 1
American Robin 3
Gray Catbird 5
Brown Thrasher 3
Cedar Waxwing 2
Yellow Warbler 3
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
American Redstart 3
Common Yellowthroat 3
Eastern Towhee 1
Song Sparrow 4
Swamp Sparrow 4
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 5
Indigo Bunting 1
Red-winged Blackbird 5
American Goldfinch 7
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
I hate well water!
Actually, just the water that is coming from my well right now.
I switched to running the pump for five minutes every three hours and that was fine for awhile. Then the water became cloud despite the very fine filter on the line. I had a 5 micron filter in the canister but don't think I had it screwed in as tight as I should have. Some super fine particles were getting through. I tried with all my might and managed to tighten the filter housing another half a turn and that seems to have stopped most of the fine sediment from getting in. unfortunately with half the cistern filled, I'm not happy with what is in there. So tomorrow, after going birding in the morning, I'll be running out to purchase a couple more filter cartridges. Then I'll have to pump the 200 or so gallons I've already collected out and start all over again.
I'll stretch things out a little more too, by going to five minutes every four hours. (It'll be just like when the kids were babes and had to get bottle fed during the night, I guess.) Scheduled pumping at 8, 12, and 4 and repeat. I get about 2 inches of water every five minutes so with a depth of about 30 inches,two days of pumping should do the trick...if the well don't go dry.
Of course, being as it's only about 135 feet down, I guess i could get a driller in to punch it down a bit further, say another 100 feet. But even that could produce a problem. Some wells in the area (I'm not sure how close to me) have had some sulfur problems. I don't need that!
I switched to running the pump for five minutes every three hours and that was fine for awhile. Then the water became cloud despite the very fine filter on the line. I had a 5 micron filter in the canister but don't think I had it screwed in as tight as I should have. Some super fine particles were getting through. I tried with all my might and managed to tighten the filter housing another half a turn and that seems to have stopped most of the fine sediment from getting in. unfortunately with half the cistern filled, I'm not happy with what is in there. So tomorrow, after going birding in the morning, I'll be running out to purchase a couple more filter cartridges. Then I'll have to pump the 200 or so gallons I've already collected out and start all over again.
I'll stretch things out a little more too, by going to five minutes every four hours. (It'll be just like when the kids were babes and had to get bottle fed during the night, I guess.) Scheduled pumping at 8, 12, and 4 and repeat. I get about 2 inches of water every five minutes so with a depth of about 30 inches,two days of pumping should do the trick...if the well don't go dry.
Of course, being as it's only about 135 feet down, I guess i could get a driller in to punch it down a bit further, say another 100 feet. But even that could produce a problem. Some wells in the area (I'm not sure how close to me) have had some sulfur problems. I don't need that!
Log Home Update: Part 61
Chimney gets a finishing touch
Don and Kyle came over today and put the final touches on the chimney. Don had placed the last stone on Friday but wanted to do a bit more pointing 9applying mortar between the stones) before he would call it finished.
Once he was through, the scaffolding came down and then the ladders.
Of course, the stone is really concrete made to look like stone by Corning. There are a few real stones in the mix, but I'll be darned if I can pick them out!
Now Don and I need to talk about gutters and down spouts which were not part of te original contract. And Adam will be coming over to do some spackling in the basement and I will have to think about doing a drop ceiling down there. I'll also be doing some stone work outside with a retaining wall or two. I'll have to find time to construct some flower and garden beds and stain the deck. (Maybe I can dragoon Terry into helping with those two.) That's not to mention going up to the Bolt Hole to put up some firewood for the hunting season. Aint retirement grand!
Once he was through, the scaffolding came down and then the ladders.
Don and Kyle take down the 32' extension ladder.
The main entrance to the Aerie.
The stone work looks real enough from the ground.
Of course, the stone is really concrete made to look like stone by Corning. There are a few real stones in the mix, but I'll be darned if I can pick them out!
Now Don and I need to talk about gutters and down spouts which were not part of te original contract. And Adam will be coming over to do some spackling in the basement and I will have to think about doing a drop ceiling down there. I'll also be doing some stone work outside with a retaining wall or two. I'll have to find time to construct some flower and garden beds and stain the deck. (Maybe I can dragoon Terry into helping with those two.) That's not to mention going up to the Bolt Hole to put up some firewood for the hunting season. Aint retirement grand!
New Prediction: Not so many Hurricanes
Remember back in May and the first week in June when we had subtropical storm Andrea (eighth earliest cyclone since 1851 and the first May cyclone since 1981) and tropical storm Barry? People started to ramp up the global warming rhetoric and talk about a super active hurricane season. Hyperbole ruled the airwaves.
Well, since the first week in June there hasn’t been so much as a tropical depression across the Atlantic and they’re already revising the hurricane forecast downward. (Forecaster cuts 2007 hurricane outlook)
Why? You might ask. Seems the Atlantic ocean waters are too chilly, they say.
I know it’s still early in the hurricane season that runs until October, but I find it significant that 1) there has been NO, ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH activity during all of June and July (Barry formed in late May and disappeared from radar on June 2) and 2) revisions of and backpedalling from earlier forecasts have begun.
Of course, like most weather forecasters, this one leaves lots of wiggle room.
So, it’s been too cold to form depressions which become storms which beget hurricanes. He’s still looking for more activity than last year, however, and the “storm-weary parts of the Gulf Coast could still be hit.” I don’t know about that activity level, but that last part is a weasel way of saying “maybe”, “could be”, “might” “sort of”…well, you get the idea.
And just so the sheeple stay edgy, the author of the story has to include reference to Katrina and Rita.
But of course, they know, they just know, what the climate will be like in 20 years.
BTW yesterday’s forecast for the Aerie, and its surroundings, was for 40% chance of rain, today it is down to 30%. Of course, it’s almost always 30% chance of showers or isolated thunderstorms here in the Northern Tier. It’s the “safe” forecast as sunlight, evaporation, and hills can roll up a thunderstorm most days.
And who the hell came up with the name “Barry” for a tropical storm? If it had turned into a powerful hurricane the stories about weather on steroids would have been nauseating.
Well, since the first week in June there hasn’t been so much as a tropical depression across the Atlantic and they’re already revising the hurricane forecast downward. (Forecaster cuts 2007 hurricane outlook)
Why? You might ask. Seems the Atlantic ocean waters are too chilly, they say.
"Because the ocean temperatures have not yet rebounded from the significant drop in late spring, we have decided to reduce our forecast numbers slightly," said Todd Crawford, a WSI seasonal forecaster.
I know it’s still early in the hurricane season that runs until October, but I find it significant that 1) there has been NO, ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH activity during all of June and July (Barry formed in late May and disappeared from radar on June 2) and 2) revisions of and backpedalling from earlier forecasts have begun.
Of course, like most weather forecasters, this one leaves lots of wiggle room.
WSI's Crawford added that wind conditions due to the lack of an El Nino event were less conducive to formation of tropical storms.
Despite the downgraded forecast, WSI still expects the 2007 season to be more active than last year, and added that storm-weary parts of the Gulf Coast could still be hit.
"We feel the general threat to the western Gulf is reduced slightly, with a corresponding increase in the threat to the eastern Gulf and Florida," Crawford said.
So, it’s been too cold to form depressions which become storms which beget hurricanes. He’s still looking for more activity than last year, however, and the “storm-weary parts of the Gulf Coast could still be hit.” I don’t know about that activity level, but that last part is a weasel way of saying “maybe”, “could be”, “might” “sort of”…well, you get the idea.
And just so the sheeple stay edgy, the author of the story has to include reference to Katrina and Rita.
The energy and insurance industries are keenly watching the 2007 storm season after the record damage caused by hurricanes two years ago.
During the 2005 season, hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast and temporarily knocked out a quarter of U.S. crude and fuel production, sending energy prices to then-record highs.
But of course, they know, they just know, what the climate will be like in 20 years.
BTW yesterday’s forecast for the Aerie, and its surroundings, was for 40% chance of rain, today it is down to 30%. Of course, it’s almost always 30% chance of showers or isolated thunderstorms here in the Northern Tier. It’s the “safe” forecast as sunlight, evaporation, and hills can roll up a thunderstorm most days.
And who the hell came up with the name “Barry” for a tropical storm? If it had turned into a powerful hurricane the stories about weather on steroids would have been nauseating.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Oh, the places I've been!
create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.
Of course, several very long family vacations by car played a big roll in this coverage. You don't get to this many places if you fly. All of this is from 1972 to today. From 1949 (birth) to 1972 (marriage), vacations were pretty much limited to the area east of the Mississippi.
If they expand it to include Canada, well, I've been from Nova Scotia to BC and only skipped PEI because 1)it's small and 2)there were actually crowds there when we were heading past (and I HATE crowds). Have missed some of the northern Provinces but hope to get to the Yukon on my way to Alaska some day.
Seen over at Ogre's place.
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