Category: Nature (Page 17 of 20)

Full Moon Ruminations

December 2, 2009 / Katie L. Carroll

As I drove home from work yesterday, it was already pretty dark (it’s such a bummer how early it gets dark this time of year) and my eyes were drawn to the sky. Against the slate-colored December sky was the brilliant light of an almost full moon. This was not the first time I had the pleasure of such a sight.

Later in the evening, I walked into my bedroom to find the bed blanketed in the silver moonlight. And last night, my hubby thought he was going to have to run in the dark, but the moon lit the way for him. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to do anything by the light of the silvery (and full) moon tonight; it’s raining.

I was playing with settings on my camera when I took this picture and somehow the moon came out with a weird double image. The detail on the leaves is pretty cool, though. This full moon occurred in October 2008. That full moon brought out the weirder side of people. I haven’t noticed much oddness yet today, but there’s more than an hour left in the day…plenty of time for erratic behavior.

Since it’s only the second day of the month, I started to wonder if there was going to be another full moon this month, also known as a blue moon (which is also a popular beer!). Turns out the second full moon this month just happens to fall on the 31st, which means we’ll all be bringing in the New Year with a blue moon (too bad we won’t be bringing in the New Year with a New Moon).

I also learned an interesting tidbit about blue moons: there’s actually two different kinds of blue moons (and neither of them have to do with painting your butt). There’s the one that is occurring this month, which is two full moons in a single month, the second of which is called a blue moon. This is actually fairly rare—hence the term “once in a blue moon”—and the next one doesn’t occur until August 2012.

There’s also the Farmer’s Almanac definition of a blue moon, which is technically a true blue moon. This occurs when there are four, instead of the more common three, full moons in a single season. Instead of calling the final full moon of the season the blue moon, the third full moon is the blue moon. This is also fairly rare. There will be this kind of blue moon in November 2010 and then again in August 2013.

Okay, how many times can I write the word “moon” in a single post? Everything in excess I always say. Happy full moon!

Is the Future Sabotaging the Discovery of Higgs boson?

November 16, 2009 / Katie L. Carroll

Stephen Colbert reminded me about a very important scientific project that has once again been making headlines. You may remember my post about the Higgs boson or God Particle, which is what supposedly gives all objects mass.

In a recent clip from Mr. Colbert’s show, he discussed how the future may be sabotaging the discovery of the Higgs boson. (Here’s a blog post from Stephen Soldz that I also found interesting.)

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My hats off to Bech Nielsen and Masao Ninomiya for daring to think of an idea so worthy of fiction. That would be so awesome if something was sent from the future to keep scientists from discovering this particle. I think we all should write a short story about someone or something visiting us from the future to prevent some catastrophic (or maybe a not-so-catastophic) event. Please share if you do write something.

Sharing Fall In New England

October 27, 2009 / Katie L. Carroll

As promised, I have some fall pictures to show. Oh, and I don’t think I knocked on wood hard enough because we’ve had some really cold fall weather…you can blame me for opening my big fat mouth about how nice the fall weather is in New England!

These are some early fall photos. It’s been a weird season so far. It seems there was still so much green and then there was also a lot of bare trees all at the same time. The last few days the color has really kicked into high gear, so I’ll try to get some more photos…that is if we don’t get too much rain (maybe I’ll try crossing my fingers this time instead of knocking on wood!).

The Simple Perfection of Autumn in New England

October 8, 2009 / Katie L. Carroll

If winter in New England is long and harsh, summer in New England is short and hot, and spring in New England is cool and rainy, then fall in New England may just be the perfect season. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a summer baby and have no problem playing soccer in 90-degree heat, but fall has a certain magical quality about it here in CT.

I love the fresh crispness of the air contrasted with the earthy scent of decay, the crunch of leaves underfoot, the full moon clear in the sky, the spicy sweetness of apple cider, and the bite of a cool breeze on the tip of my nose and ears.

The temperature is pleasant (64 degrees today), the sun is usually shining (except for the October I got married when it poured for a full 13 days, leading right up to my wedding day…if rain on your wedding day is good luck, then I must have the best marriage luck in the world), and there’s plenty of fun fall activities.

I’ve already gone apple picking at Bishop’s Orchard, and I plan on making some great pies. Oh, and I got fresh apple-cider doughnuts, which were awesome. I have yet to pick—okay, not so much pick as in harvest, but pick as in select—pumpkins, but that’s definitely on the to-do list. There are also corn mazes, great hiking weather, and all the great fall foliage to check out. Of course, there are all the different haunted activities in the area as well.

Yep, fall is quite wonderful around here (knock on wood because I don’t want to jinx it!).

Rivers of Fire

September 13, 2009 / Katie L. Carroll

WaterFire Providence is an interactive work of art that was designed by Barnaby Evans. It consists of 100 iron braziers that seem to defy physics as they float on three rivers in downtown Providence. The fires are lit at sunset and keep going until after midnight.

(Here’s Waterplace Park in the daytime. You can see the braziers are stacked with wood. On the left is the Courtyard Marriott and on the right is the Westin Hotel. Even more buildings have been put up since this picture was taken a few years ago. This area of Providence has gone through a real growth period over the last ten years.)

The WaterFire experience is really something that can’t be described, but I’ll give it a try. Imagine a communal ritual based around fire—very natural and primal—but in a modern, urban setting. The juxtaposition is part of the beauty. In order to really appreciate the full work of art, the hubby and I walk down the riverside in a slow procession of people, surrounded by the sounds, smells, and sights of city and art. For once, I don’t mind having to take a minute to pause and experience all the moment has to offer. All my senses are engaged.

(Here’s the park at night from a different angle. Providence Place Mall is in the background.)

Sight is obvious. The bright orange flames glow in the braziers, reflecting off the inky waters. Bright ash flits by us. The boats move up and down the river: the pontoons full of people, the romantic gondola designed for two, and the staff boat with the black-clad volunteers that steal up to the braziers like some kind of fire phantoms. Then there’s the city scape: the Bank of America Building (locally known as the Superman Building), which always reminds me of Dana’s apartment building in Ghostbusters; the cars driving by; the mall; the people; the bridges; and all those the city lights. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the street performers dressed as gargoyles and fortune-tellers.

Smell is pretty obvious too, given that the scent of fire is pretty distinct. These fires smell of pine and cedar. But there’s also the city smells: car exhaust, street vendors, and all those unidentifiable, funky smells that are part of city life.

Sound is prevalent as well. The wood cackles and pops as the flames hit air pockets, and the musical program that is part of the art experience echoes along the walkway (my favorite song this visit is Chopin’s “Nocturne No. 8 in D flat major” performed by Daniel Barenboim). And of course, there’s the sounds of the city: car horns, the shuffle of feet along the walkway, quiet murmurs of the crowd, and the whir of motors of both cars and boats.

Touch is more subtle. The fires send a wave of warmth across my skin. A light breeze blows my hair around my face. The stone walkway is cool and uneven beneath my sandals.

Taste is the most elusive sense. On this trip, I have the delicious memory of the previous night’s dinner. The hubby and I went to Constantino’s on Federal Hill. We started with carpaccio (which neither of us had ever eaten) and some Riesling. Then I had gnocchi and the hubby had chicken parmigiana. Both were awesome! For dessert, I had a cannoli platter…of course! But none of that really has anything to do with the WaterFires. Sure, there’s a bunch of restaurants along the rivers, but I want a better connection between taste and fire. Well, the program informs me that Indian Buddhists believe the element water is associated with taste (fire is sight, earth is smell, and air is touch).

Even with having to stretch a little for taste, it was still a lovely evening.