Ice - Needles, Flowers, and Hair

I was introduced to unusual ice formations on a winter day hike on the Appalachian Trail near Buena Vista, Virginia, in February 2005.

This collection of ice needles was what originally caught my eye.

A closer look at the ice needles.

These needles seem to form bell-shaped flowers. They remind me of Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica).

Since then I've come across ice needles a few more times.

Here's a photo from December 2011.

Today we came across the phenomenon again on a short walk.

Ice needles pushing up soil.

More ice.

These needles were growing more vertically than others.

How these structures grow is still a subject of debate. I've seen these in moist soil after a quick cold snap. Yesterday temperatures here got as low a 6°F (-14°C), but the ground hadn't completely frozen before that.

 If you want more information (and some spectacular pictures), James R. Carter, a professor emeritus of geography and geology at Illinois State University, has written two general-interest articles:

• "Unusual Ice Formations", Weatherwise, Jan-Feb 2009, pp. 34-40.
• "Flowers and Ribbons of Ice", American Scientist, Sept-Oct 2013, pp. 360-369.

Happy ice hunting!

"Illumination" at the Morton Arboretum

After two days in Washington, DC, and two days in Pittsburgh, we've moved on to Chicago on our pre-Christmas family tour. Last night we attended the "Illumination" at the Morton Arboretum. That's an after-dark light and sound extravaganza that runs from mid-November through December. Last night there was no snow on the ground, and the temperature was just barely above freezing -- not bad for this time of year.

The 1-mile route starts at the Visitor Center. The outside trees are reflected in the Center's windows.

Near the beginning, most of the trees are outlined in lights.

Meadow Lake, near the Visitor Center, has a dazzling show of constantly changing colors and lights.

The light display gives a ghostly glow to a tree.

The music-and-light display near the end of the trail.

Returning to the Visitor Center and the starting point.

There are a number of displays that have to be experienced, not photographed. Warm beverages are available to ward off the winter chill. Taking "selfies" is a challenge -- it helps to use the "flashlight" on a second phone to illuminate your face!

Washington Wildlife

Saturday, 16 November & Sunday, 17 November 2017

It's not "wildlife" writ large, but we did see cute and interesting wild creatures on our walks in and about Washington, DC.

Squirrels were abundant and nicely plump for the winter.

Forget pigeons, at the Korean War Memorial house sparrows were the bird of choice.

A downy woodpecker worked on a tree in Arlington National Cemetery.

As we walked around the pond in Constitution Gardens on the mall, a great blue heron flew in and walked across the ice.

Black vultures are not as common as turkey vultures, but nine of them were perched on a rooftop and street light in John and Mandi's neighborhood.

Two Days in Washington, DC

We spent two days visiting John & Mandi, who are currently living in Maryland, just outside Washington, DC.

Saturday, 16 November 2016

Saturday was cold, but sunny and beautiful. We joined tens of thousands of volunteers to help "Wreaths across America" place wreaths on graves in Arlington National Cemetery. There were so many people on the Metro that it took almost 45 minutes to get out of the Metro station at Arlington.

John and Mandi at Mandi's Uncle's grave.

Sunday, 17 November 2017

Sunday was warmer, but gray and threatening all day long. We spent the afternoon walking the monuments on the western half of the National Mall, including the Tidal Basin. Lon and I had not visited many of these monuments before. In order, we visited:

• Jefferson Memorial
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
• District of Columbia World War I Memorial
• Korean War Memorial
• Lincoln Memorial
• Albert Einstein Memorial
• Vietnam War Memorial
• Signers of the Declaration of Independence Memorial
• World War II Memorial

Altogether, we walked about 9 miles!

The Jefferson Memorial and reflection in the Tidal Basin. The Memorial is being cleaned to restore its white marble structure to its original color.

The Korean War Memorial is one of the newer monuments on the Mall. The polished black granite wall is etched with photographs from the National Archives and reflects the statues of soldiers that give it a ghostly background.

The reflecting pool between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument was partially frozen.

Up close and personal with Albert Einstein with the cosmos at his feet.

While we didn't visit the Washington Monument, it dominates all views near the Mall. Here it is reflected in the Tidal Basin.

While many of the monuments have inspiring quotes, two stood out for our current times:

From Thomas Jefferson.

From FDR.

Taubman Museum of Art

Saturday, 7 October 2017

Whatever you think about the Frank Gehry-esque building, the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke (Virginia) has some great exhibits. We came to see "Play", but were thoroughly enamored of Paul Villinski's work as well.

Paul Villinski: Farther

This butterfly is made from smaller butterflies cut from discarded aluminum cans.

A closer view of butterflies in another sculpture. Lighting is essential to the look of the pieces.

One of two wall sculptures of birds. This one is made from old vinyl records. The other was made from discarded paper.

Play: Toys Reimagined as Art

This Taubman original exhibit "highlights artists who use toys to create magically transformative installations and participatory experiences for the 'kid in all of us.'"

Jason Scroggin's "Rainbow Legion" is on display outside the gallery. These bears(?) are made of corrugated plastic.

"Herd": A smaller set of "bears" inside the gallery.

Herb Williams makes sculptures from Crayola® crayons.

Arctic fox.

Billie Grace Lynn specializes in inflatable sculptures. (The required fans are in discrete locations!)

The "Quadropus" by Jason Hackenwerth is composed of thousands of balloons.

Two displays used LEGO® building blocks. This one by artist and chemist John V. Muntean looks like an interesting sculpture, ...

... but comes to life when it's shadow reveals three different figures -- triceratops (dinosaur), unicorn, and elephant.

Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory

Friday, 6 October 2017

The Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory near Gap Mills, WV, is a premier site to watch the fall raptor migration. We took advantage of the superb fall weather to make a visit.

The Observatory tower is on a short spur off the Allegheny Trail.

Fall colors were beginning to develop.

The observatory is a rebuilt fire tower built atop a rocky ridge.

Looking west along the ridge. The top rocks hang over the edge.

Looking east along the ridge into Virginia.

Looking south to the distance Blue Ridge across at least three ridges of the Valley & Ridge geophysical province.

Amazingly, there is a latrine at the top of the ridge. It's been "upgraded" since we've last been up here (in 2005) and can no longer boast of the best view of any outhouse in North America.

Hawaii - Part 8 - Kauai

Thursday, 21 September 2017

Today we had a rental car reserved to see the sights of Kauai.

Domestic chickens have taken over the island of Kauai. In 1992, Hurricane Iniki devastated Kauai and scattered domestic  chickens all over the island. They have since become ubiquitous. These were photographed in a parking lot in the Waimea Canyon.

Waimea Canyon is sometimes called the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific” - with good reason. It is almost 4,000 feet deep, but is far newer than the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Another view of Waimea Canyon.

The canyon ends at the Pacific Ocean on the north shore of Kauai -- the Na Pali coast.

We returned to Nawiliwili Harbor, and wished we had time to hike out to the lighthouse and beach on this side of the island.

We accomplished our goal of seeing our 50th state, but a family emergency cut short our cruise by two nights, and our Hawaiian trip by ten days. Who knew you could fly direct from Lihue (population 6455 according to Wikipedia) on Kauai to the mainland and be in Atlanta in less than 12 hours? Even with same-day tickets, it cost less to fly to Atlanta than to fly from Atlanta to Roanoke. Makes no sense to me!

We’ll be returning to Hawaii next year to finish our travels in the 50th state!

Hawaii - Part 7 - The Big Island

Wednesday, 20 September 2017

Kailua-Kona does not have a harbor suitable for large cruise ships, so we anchored offshore.

We took tenders to shore. The difference between a tender and a lifeboat is that when the vessels are used as tenders, the capacity is about 85, but as lifeboats, they will cram in 150 passengers.

Before our afternoon snorkeling excursion, we had time to walk the length (not very far!) of town. I thought this tree was magnificent.

Our excursion left a nearby harbor on a catamaran, and a large pod of dolphins were playing in the wake of the many boats going in and out of the harbor.

I had bought an inexpensive ($40) underwater digital camera at Walmart before we left. It took quite acceptable photos.

Another underwater view of the reef.

One more reef photo.

Looking back at the island. Fellow snorkelers are in the foreground and the big ship (not our excursion catamaran) is in the background at the right.

After snorkeling, we sailed back to the harbor under wind power. Nice and quiet!