parking lot

Sunny. We have had a spate of warm, dry weather, great for astronomy. When Erin was here, we went out stargazing over at Pete's house one night. We got some great views of clusters, and nebulae to the south. I was hoping we'd get a look at the Andromeda Galaxy which is currently situated in the northeast. I couldn't find it, mostly because Rutland is also to the northeast, and the light pollution obscured it. Pete said the light from Rutland is much worse than when he first came here. Honestly, I didn't notice it until I started with the astronomy myself. He said it's mostly due to the new intensely bright flourescent lights now being used in industrial parks, and parking lots.

vista

Temps in the 80's, but still out sawing up wood for winter this afternoon. I am way back in the woods this year at a patch cut that was done last fall. Make quite a racket, but when I stop, it is amazingly quiet. The only sound comes from squirrels, methodically gnawing on nuts, somewhere in the forest. This is what I see when I'm wiping the sweat off my forehead.

grandfather clock

Sunny. Bright moon and silvery clouds on the drive home from the Zen Center last night. Jupiter was shining brilliantly almost directly below the moon. The pair looked like a celestial grandfather clock with the moon being the face, and Jupiter the bottom of the pendulum.

orange hawkweed

Cloudy. School buses spotted in W. Rutland. The whole summer season can be marked by the transition of the wildflowers. They appear. They flower for a couple of weeks. They're gone. May, June, July, August...Bloodroot, Ladie's Slipper, Spreading Dogbane, Cardinal Flower...turn, turn, turn. There is one wildflower that runs against the grain. It is the Orange Hawkweed, sometimes known as Indian Paintbrush. These bright orange wildflowers are among the first to appear in May. It was the first wildflower that caught my eye when Allyn & I lived here in the '70s. The other day I was heading to production, and there were three plants of Orange Hawkweed, still producing robust and colorful flowers.
Somehow they remind me of the goldfinches and chickadees which hang around all year long when so many of the birds come and go. These birds appear to have a zest for life that is totally unaffected by the dark days of late fall and winter. It is inspiring to have these examples of joyful fortitude and endurance to witness in the natural world.

falling apples

Cloudy. Primary election night in Vermont. First day of school for Allyn. Red apples falling on the roadside on Chapman's Hill. Ghostly white undersides of the silver maple appearing when blown by the wind.

Sturgeon Moon

Cloudy. Grasshoppers on the walkway at work. Purple & yellow of the New England Asters appearing. Full moon, the "Sturgeon Moon", tonight.

cardinal flower

Cloudy & cool. Spend Sunday in Ct. with Ellen & Russ. We took a hike, and saw some Cardinal Flowers! What a treat. Trucks carrying rides & refreshment stands traveling Rte. 7 from fair to fair. Football practice at Rutland High School. Orange maple leaves on the lawn.