Thinking About Cooler Weather

Posted on June 30, 2023 by vanbraman

Because of the triple digit heat we are having this weekend I wish that it could just be cool in the evenings like it was earlier this week. I was even complaining about how cool it was 🙂

I can’t control the weather, but I can think about cool weather like what I experience during a trip to Antarctica in 2010.

Paradise Bay Antarctica - Ice and Snow in Antarctica - Antarctica rock reflectionThe air was so clear in Antarctica. Nothing like the smoky weather that so much of the country is dealing with this year because of the fires in Canada. Of course it was also cold, but probably not as cold as you would think. After all we were there in February which is summertime in the Southern Hemisphere.

The view above is from Paradise Bay, Antarctica.

Antarctic Cruise, Celebrity Cruise, Infinity, Antarctic Peninsula, MapHere you can see the route that we took along the Antarctic Peninsula.

Iceberg in Antarctica - Melchior Island - Melchior Strait - Antarctic CruiseWe saw a lot of icebergs which are definitely cold. There was such a contrast of colors in Antarctica with the dark blue of the water and the white of the ice.

Swan shaped piece of ice in Paradise Bay, AntarcticaThis was one of my favorite pictures. I think that this little bit of ice looks like a swan. The way the light reflects off of the water was so beautiful.

Orca near Melchior Island, AntarcticaWe also saw a lot of whales. Here is an Orcinus orca fluke. Most of you will know this whale as the killer whale or orca, but it is also known as the blackfish. We passed by a pod of these whales as we were sailing by Melchior Island shortly after leaving Paradise Bay.

I am thinking that I may need to go to Antarctica again someday

Steven

 

Posted in Animals, Nature, Seasons, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Triple Triple Heat Memory

Posted on June 29, 2023 by vanbraman

The next three days will all be in the triple digits and this made me think of a post that I wrote back in September 2015. I am sure that the heat will take a toll on some of the flowers in my yard. Fortunately the temperatures will drop next week.

Forecast:

Friday – 102 degrees

Saturday – 106 degrees

Sunday – 104 degrees

Keep cool.

Steven

Triple Triple Heat – 9/10/2015

We have had a mini heat wave where tomorrow will be the third straight day of triple digit heat. Luckily we cool back down into the mid 90’s on Saturday.

The triple digit heat has not been good to my roses.

Rose Bud, Mister Lincoln, Red RoseEarlier in the week I took this picture of a beautiful rose bud on my Mister Lincoln Rose bush.

You can see just a little bit of heat damage, but it looks nice and fresh.

Red Rose Bud, Mister Lincoln Rose The next morning the rose bud had opened a bit more and could also see a little more heat damage on the fragile petals.

Mister Lincoln Rose, Heat Damage, Roses, Red RosesThis morning the rose had opened almost all the way and there was heat damage on most of the petals from the triple digit heat yesterday.

Mister Lincoln Rose, Roses, Heat, Triple Digit HeatHere is another picture from a different angle. You can see that the rose is almost fully opened.

Heat Damaged Roses, Red Roses, Mister LincolnIn this picture the rose that I have been following is the one in the upper right corner. You can see that the hot weather has really affected the bloom.

Tomorrow morning the roses will be pretty much dried out petals, but another rose bud is slowly starting to open.

I have been giving this bush extra water (see Water Saving Tips) since it is new this year, but still the blooms are drying out quickly.

I am taking tomorrow off of work since September 11 is usually an emotional day for me. I like to spend time alone and reflect on how things changed that day. It will be a nice day to stay inside in the cool.

Steven

Posted in Flowers, Nature, Seasons | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment