I found this pair of photographs on Gab yesterday, showing a lighthouse on Lake Michigan near St. Joseph during and after a winter storm. Clickit to biggit. I’ve seen similar photographs before, of course, as I’m sure have most of my readers. However, I’d never thought about one obvious question. If the lighthouse is required… Continue reading So… how do they navigate?
Tag: Nature
Not approved by special snowflakes
A bear killed a deer, because it was hungry. Normal behavior, of course; that’s what bears do. The difference, in this case, is that it did so in someone’s back yard – right in the middle of Colorado Springs suburbia. WARNING: The video is VERY graphic, both visually and audibly. Don’t play this near small… Continue reading Not approved by special snowflakes
An old weed becomes a modern problem
The so-called “Sargasso Sea” in the North Atlantic Ocean is a time-honored name, dating back to well before Christopher Columbus’ day. It may have been known as early as the sixth century BC, according to one ancient navigator‘s oral history. The map below is courtesy of Wikipedia. Its name was derived from the sargassum seaweed… Continue reading An old weed becomes a modern problem
It’s a good thing that wasn’t the stinging kind . . .
I’d hate to come across a man-sized jellyfish like this. I’ve been stung by what we used to call “bluebottles” in South Africa, small jellyfish that could inflict a painful wound. The thought of a bluebottle that size is enough to make me shiver! Peter
Day 9 on the road: North Carolina to the Mississippi River
Miss D. and I left Brevard, NC on Monday morning, on our way home to Texas. We made a brief stop at the Bear Tracks Travel Center, which we’d visited on Day 6 of our tour. The owner (an older lady) had three large amethyst geodes for sale in her shop, which we’d noted on… Continue reading Day 9 on the road: North Carolina to the Mississippi River
Days 7 and 8 on the road: Brevard, NC and the Pisgah National Forest
Over the weekend, Miss D. and I indulged ourselves in doing touristy things, visiting some very lovely places, and relaxing and unwinding with “us time” – something that’s been hard to schedule at home, with all the demands on our time. On Saturday morning, after a leisurely and very tasty breakfast at our B&B, we… Continue reading Days 7 and 8 on the road: Brevard, NC and the Pisgah National Forest
We need a season to dry out from summer!
It’s been far wetter and stormier than usual in northern Texas during spring, and that looks set to continue into early summer. Miss D. and I have only lived here for three and a half years, but people who’ve been here all their lives are also complaining. The ground is sodden – it has almost… Continue reading We need a season to dry out from summer!
That’s a hell of a wakeup call
It’s coming up 2 a.m. in a few moments, and Mother Nature has clearly decided I don’t need to get any more sleep for a while. Our house is right underneath the brightest, wettest and noisiest part of the big yellow band right now, just about in the center of this image. One cat is… Continue reading That’s a hell of a wakeup call
Weather safety prayers would be appreciated, please
It looks like this part of the country, as well as points north, are in for a torrid time of it this evening. As the weather map below shows, the “dry line” blew up a couple of hours ago, and a line of severe storms is marching eastwards towards us. We expect them to arrive… Continue reading Weather safety prayers would be appreciated, please
Nature has some truly weird critters . . .
I was astonished to learn that octopus and squid are different from any other critters in the sea – or on land – as far as their genetics are concerned. In a surprising twist, in April 2017 scientists discovered that octopuses, along with some squid and cuttlefish species, routinely edit their RNA (ribonucleic acid) sequences… Continue reading Nature has some truly weird critters . . .