Icy Colors

The front bubbler was not the only thing freezing over.

The Fish Pond has as well.

When we moved in Dennis, the prior owner told me that it was important to have some open water for the fish. And he left us a heater to put in the filter box.

Most years, that is enough to keep an area around the filter box ice free. Not this year however.

Thus I've been smashing the ice to open up that zone. One enjoyable side effect of which has been the interesting optical effects, highlighted by the colors.

It's the little things that make me smile.

And apparently icy things.

Sunset

The lack of clear views of the horizon is one of the few drawbacks of our place. It limits star gazing opportunities. As well as sunrise and sunset viewing.

But when the trees are bare we do get the occasional sky show.

This was the view from my desk as I shut my laptop for the day this past Thursday, facing west.

I finished up for the day, went out on the deck, and walked around to take in the view to the east.

I used my iPhone as these moments are fleeting. No time to get a different, perhaps more appropriate, camera lens combination.

In a matter of minutes the show was over.

Another reason I enjoy this season.

Kitchen Optics

Les Cowley, the host of the Atmospheric Optics website, uses the term "Kitchen Optics" for everyday optical phenomena all around us.

And a couple of days ago I experienced some literal Kitchen Optics, as evidenced by these images of my kitchen sink.

As I was starting up the coffee maker that morning, I noticed the colors in the sink. The water in the wine glass was acting as a prism, or in this case multiple prisms, resulting in the colors in the sink. Or at least that is what I think is happening.

Les and I are kindred spirits, in that we find these phenomena fascinating. I suspect most people wouldn't even notice, or give them a second glance. I know that at least some readers have become interested as well. And that is cool. And if you haven't, that's ok too. Hopefully you'll enjoy the next post. :-)

I've sent these to Les, and I hope he enjoys them as well. And that they cheer him up. You see, when I sent him my Halo images from last month, to see if it really was a 9° Halo, I received an email stating that Les was recovering from major surgery. Not a response I was expecting nor wanted.

Get well soon Les, get well soon.

Pink Sky At Night ...

While doing the Compost Mouse post I chanced to look out the window to the west. And I grabbed a camera and headed outside. 

Living as we do, surrounded by trees, we don't get many good sunsets. Only when the leaves are off do we have a chance at something worth seeing.

Ten minutes, from when I spotted it until it was gone. And as my tripod is off vacationing without me, all but these two shots were blurry.

But I got to see it. And that's a good thing.

~~~~~~~~~~

And why exactly is it "A Sailor's delight"?

Spectrum

The other day I blogged about an optical phenomena I could not fully explain.

I have no problem explaining this one. Again this is in my home office. But this time the cause is obvious. A prism sitting one of a pair of desktop speakers.

Standing on the shoulder of a giant as it were, Sir Issac Newton, we understand how light is refracted by wavelength. The really cool thing about spectra is that it can be used to determine the chemical make up  as well as the speed of objects in the universe.  Sir Issac would surely be amazed but probably not surprised.

If you look closely the writing on the prism stand reads, "Edmund Scientific Barrington, N.J." I bought it on my first and only visit to this legendary optics supplier. Alas, I visited during the store closing sale. So while I missed it's heyday I have a bit of it on my desk, still functioning after all these years.

Another Optical Puzzle

 One morning, and it was only one morning, I saw these colors on my home office window.

The photos came out darker than it really appeared, the sun was up.

I snapped some quick images before it disappeared. I planned to investigate further in subsequent days, but the phenomena did not recur. 

These phenomena are ephemeral. And need to be studied when they occur. I lesson I need to heed.

Stakeout

This post was how it looked Saturday evening when we were staking out the Owls. 

This is how it looked on Friday.

In the Before Times we'd all be clustered, searching together. 

Now, spaced, people half a car length apart, cars with several spaces between.

Together and apart at the same time.

Desk Optics

Long time readers of this blog know I'm fascinated by optical phenomena, especially those which exhibit color effects. Because of this interest I tend to notice things that many (most) folks would ignore.

And I label these posts under "Things that Probably Only Interest Me" for no doubt good reason. But It's my blog, so here we go!

Like many people my age, I grew up listening to LP records. Unlike many (so I surmise) I still have a turntable. Although it may be obvious that it doesn't get much use these days.

Clearly I'm not one of those vinyl hipsters.

But what caught my attention one morning as I was sitting down to start my work day was how colorful my previously black turntable had become.

I wonder if the box of (physics) books sitting on it stresses the plastic, resulting in the colors.

~~~~~~~~~~

I have a clear plastic holder for small square note paper. And one morning a few months ago I noticed just a hint of color on my desk.

Moving the holder did not significantly enhance the colors. So I tried putting a piece of plain white paper down on the desk.

And the colors vanished. I do not know what is going on here. We have sunlight streaming through a double pane window, then through a cube shaped plastic paper holder, onto a wooden desk top.

~~~~~~~~~~

Lastly (for this blog post anyway) I spotted these colors on the other side of my desk, in the late afternoon light.

This 'zoomed' out view shows the light source, a windowed door. While hard to see, the door is made of different glass sections, which act as prisms. No mystery as to the source of the color in this case.

🌈  🌈  🌈  🌈  🌈

Another benefit of working from home is I see these things. My desk in the company's office has no nearby windows. And only boring overhead florescent lights. Nothing to challenge my imagination nor spark my wonder.

Those Were The Days

At the end of the Before Times, just about a year ago, a group of us went to Lake Morey in Fairlee, Vermont. Home of the Lake Morey Resort and its 4.3 mile ice skating trail.  

Patty, three of her ice hockey friends, and I had a very cold yet very enjoyable weekend, although we stayed at a nearby AirBNB and not at the resort.  

Very, very cold.

Me, I don't skate. I fall. So while they were on the ice, I wandered about in the snow.

I found the overhanging roof snow fascinating.

The icicles, originally formed pointing down, now point up.  

And colorful clouds.

We had planned to stay at the Resort the year before, albeit a smaller group, but a blizzard put the kibosh on those plans. So with a larger group we opted for different accommodations, within comfortable walking distance.

The cold was good for something.

In addition to skating we did a bit of hiking.

The Palisades Trail was between the Lake and our weekend abode. Alas, one of the group, Ginger, had taken a nasty spill on the ice, and decide to sit this hike out.

Fortunately it was not breeding season, so we were good to go.

And up we went. And yes, it was a bit of an adventure coming back down.

The trail was well marked. For now.

The view from the top. You can see our domicile from here. It is the place with the light green roof and two dark windows (and not the one with the green sides).

The sun sets early up north, and it was getting dark as we headed back down. As a preemptive measure, I sat and slid part of the way. No falling for me.

In addition to skating, hiking, and drinking, and of course eating (we always have way too much food!) we went cross country skiing.

At the Strafford Nordic Center.

The trails were nicely groomed. And we had a map. 

But we still somehow wound up on the Kamikaze Trail.

We all survived, although I did fall. More than once. And we all had fun. And I would do it again.

❄️  ❄️  ❄️  ❄️  ❄️

This was last February. And not long after everything shut down. It would be our last trip for some time.

Right about now this same group had planned to be in Lake Placid, enjoying similar activities. 

F*#@*#g Pandemic.

On the Water - Oswego Lake

Back in August, when we humans had figured out how to safely get together with friends while socially distancing, Patty ...  

... our friend Terry (yep, that Terry) ...

... and I ... 

... went kayaking on Oswego Lake.

The scenery, like much of the Pinelands, was gorgeous.

And as a bonus there were nice Sundogs on both side of the Sun (the left dog can be seen in Patty's picture above).

We went in the early evening, after Terry and I finished working for the day. And enjoyed the sunset while floating. (Patty, as a teacher, had the summer off.)

In the midst of the pandemic it was very nice to get out and enjoy an activity where social distancing is built in.

Weekend Wanderings ... Bordentown Bluffs

On the way home from Hartshorne Woods, after taking the cloud pictures, we decided that Sunday would be a relaxation day, sitting on the couch, watching bad football.

So it was a bit surprising that we found ourselves meeting Terry (the same Terry from this post) and Mark, friends and Plant Geeks, for an outing to the Bordentown Bluffs section of Crosswicks Creek.

Which overlooks the Abbot Marshlands.

I wonder if this is the beach?

It was in the correct direction.

It is also part of the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park.

Terry and Mark were there scouting it as a potential botanizing destination. Patty and I to get out of the house.

And while January is not botany prime time we did find this emergent Skunk Cabbage.

And there was moss.

And plenty of trees.

While Patty and Mark went wandering down the trail, Terry and I explored a dry and frozen stream bed.

We weren't the first to do so.

This was a curious bit of debris. It is over 12" tall, quite heavy, and has no obvious opening, bent edges notwithstanding. The were no markings and it was a good ways from the Creek, the park entrance, and the nearest road. An oddity for sure.

And of course this caught my eye. Colorful thin film interference in the sand and ice.

A much better way to spend the day than sitting on the couch watching bad football.

And we weren't done ...