Looking out my window, in the morning, I see a ship anchored in Puget Sound.
Looking out again, mid-day, the ship has turned about 90 degrees. What moves a big ship around like this? There isn't much wind. Answer: the tide. Looking at a chart, I see the tide is falling and the water is flowing out of Puget Sound.
One more look ... late afternoon. The ship has turned 180 degrees. The tide is rising, the water is flowing in and moving the ship around the anchor. Just another example of nature at work.
For orientation, here is a map of the region. The tidal flow is from the Pacific Ocean into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and then into Puget Sound. It all reverses when the tide flows out.
I've got a stack of 45RPM records. Remember these? This one is a favorite. 😊
Back in the days, this is how it looked. Maybe she is listening to The Wayward Wind by Gogi Grant
It's hard to just toss these old records in the trash, and it's time consuming to try selling them online. The decision is even more complicated by knowing I can simply use a few clicks to listen on YouTube. Any suggestions?
Breaks in some thin clouds allowed this snap of the Full Moon this morning about 6:30AM.
The Full Moon this morning was almost due west when I snapped this photo, about an hour before moonset. Moonlight is reflecting off Puget Sound. In the lower part of the image is the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship which arrived at Pier 91 moments earlier. The red beacon tops the 86 meter (282 foot) mast of the M5 Yacht
In the days before the Internet the Old Farmer's Almanac provided moon watching info.
While John's Island has been on break, John continued the Cottonwood Tree Experiment started in our last post, June 21st
Here's the story of how a Western Cottonwood Tree grows ...
Handful of Western Cottonwood Tree Seeds
One tiny Cottonwood Tree seed
Seeds planted May 28th
Seedlings appear ... May 30th
About 3 weeks later ... June 22nd
July 3rd ... Already a couple thinned out (36 days after planting)
About 2 weeks later ... ONE tree transplanted into larger container ... July 18th (51 days after planting)
August 13th ... 77 days after planting.
Today, September 26, 2023 after a nice refreshing rainfall 121 days after planting (or almost 4 months)
Watching this experiment, I have been most impressed with realizing ALL the information needed, for nature to create the plant you see in the image above, is in that one tiny seed that was planted almost 4 months ago. That is the power of nature!
At 7:57AM, this morning in Seattle, Washington, USA, the moment of Solstice will occur. Today's sunlight is ... 15 hours, 54 minutes, 10 seconds ... the exact amount of time between sunrise and sunset in Seattle. Tomorrow will actually be 3 seconds shorter and everyday will continue to get shorter until the December Solstice.
The June solstice is the moment the Sun is directly above the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere. This is the northernmost latitude it reaches during the year. After the solstice, it begins moving south again.
Since the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun in June, it receives more sunlight during the course of a day. The North Pole's tilt toward the Sun is greatest at the solstice, so this event marks the longest day of the year north of the equator.
This effect is greatest in locations that are farther away from the equator. In tropical areas, the longest day is just a little longer than 12 hours; in the temperate zone, it is significantly longer; and places within the Arctic Circle experience Midnight Sun or polar day, when the Sun does not set at night.
Cottonwood Nature Experiment
Cottonwood trees are plentiful in the Pacific Northwest. Recently, out on a walk, cottonwood seeds floated around me almost looking like snow. This year the trees seemed to have an extra abundance of seeds and the scene, like a snow in June, piqued my curiosity. I wondered, of the millions of seeds, what percentage actually germinate and establish a new Cottonwood tree. I decided to try a Nature Experiment and see if I could get some trees started. Here are a few pictures telling the story ... [PS I'll be the first to acknowledge that most humans find these trees annoying when the seeds begin to fall. However, for me, nature's amazing method of propagating the trees overcomes the annoyance.]
Cottonwood seeds floating away from the the tree that produced them.
Lots of seeds on this tree. Ready to drift away.
Each seed is attached to a bit of fuzz that looks just like cotton. They drift slowly away from the parent tree.
Seeds accumulate along walkways.
Seeds are produced in bunches on little stems.
A cottonwood leaf and a couple of seeds.
A handful of seeds.
One tiny seed.
2 days after planting the seeds and keeping them watered.
7 days after planting the seeds. Cottonwood trees on the way!
14 days after planting. Be sure to see the large view. Slow but on the way.
21 days after planting. Note how the tiny leaves have already started to get that jagged edge.
Here is the goal ... Get the seedlings up a couple of inches and transplant them to a location riverside, where, hopefully they will thrive. [In this photo from the web, note how the tiny seedlings look. I'm amazed at how many germinated!]
June 7th - Kilauea
Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupted on June 7 [Screenshot from AccuWeather]
2 Months of Change on Waterfront Walk
Around April 1 the powers in control buzzed away most of the vegetation at this popular spot on the walk.
I am amazed at how fast the plants and grass have come back.
Natural Wonders
Mt Rainier as seen from the waterfront walk. The mountain is about 50 miles away. June 4, 2023
At an intersection near home. Yes, another Natural Wonder, in my mind. This is a busy street, but at the moment, I was stopped at a traffic signal. I happened to notice this little spot and what nature had done with it. It's kind of like a message to humans ... throw it at me and I'll clean it up. Thank you, Nature!
A few ship pics just for fun ...
I like this picture ... it's a nice view of scale ... the average sailboat vs the MSC Container ship.
I like this picture ... it's something I see almost every Sunday morning. A tug pulling a barge from Alaska. I'm always curious about how a tug Captain decides how long the tow will be to the barge. This one is several hundred feet.
Busy weekend afternoon in the port of Seattle. In front ... Discovery Princess Next ... Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam Next ... A bulk carrier at anchor, in process of refueling Out in the middle of The Sound ... The Victoria Clipper Near center ... mast of M5 ... see next picture.
The M5 -- World's tallest single-masted sailing yacht! This is the 2nd year the M5 has visited Seattle. See YouTube video below for details. [Not my video but I really like it. 😊 ]
20 Years Ago
I've kept most of my digital photos since 2001, a decade before starting John's Island. So, I've decided to go back and pick out some memories to share over the next few posts. The following four pics are all from 20 years ago, 2003 ...
Seattle skyline from Kerry Park February, 2003
Enjoyed a stay in Hawaii March, 2003
Visited Yellowstone National Park and snapped this photo of Great Falls of the Yellowstone July, 2003
Discovered a Rattlesnake while in Montana July, 2003 [Added this pic for my ticket to link up with Saturday's Critters. Check it out!]
Closing Thought ...
“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.”
