Category: Nature

Random Reflections: Dec. 2016

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Birds.  One of my favorite aspects of living on Sarasota Bay in a nature preserve is all the different species of birds.  We had one of those exceedingly low tides last week and with mud and sandbars exposed, birds spent the early morning hours feasting in the shallow water.  There were the usual egrets (stately birds), the always travel-in-a-group ibises (with their long beaks to the ground), seagulls and terns, and one lone spoonbill.  With bright pink plumage on its hind quarters, the roseate spoonbill is easy to spot and always seems to be by itself.  I’ve also become aware of more songbirds in the trees along our boulevard.  Perhaps they have migrated from the north; whether it’s just me or there are more of them, their presence and their songs are most welcome!

Films.  As a break from holiday preparations, we manage to squeeze in two movies in the past week.  One was good and the other excellent.

Allied.  Set during WWII in Morocco and London, Allied stars Brad Pitt and Marion Cotilliard as operatives on an intelligence mission.  He is Brad Pitt, but she as Marianne Beausejour is amazing to watch.  I didn’t see the trailer beforehand so I got caught up in puzzling when she was playing a role and when she was showing true emotion.  She was alternately brittle and effusive.  With echoes of Casablanca, the first third is somewhat slow to ignite.  Good overall, not great.

Manchester by the Sea.  I had read so many laudatory reviews that I was prepared to be disappointed in this film.  Not.  It’s simply superb.  Casey Affleck deserves an Oscar for his portrayal of Lee, a socially challenged and emotionally numb loner who works as a janitor.  When Lee’s brother Joe dies, Lee is named as guardian of Patrick, his 16-year old nephew.  Leaving Boston, Lee returns to Manchester where he navigates a landmine of grief and troubling memories.  What you get is a sensitive depiction of sorrow, tragedy and male bonding.  Lucas Hedges as Patrick is both tough and vulnerable while Michelle Williams as Lee’s ex-wife Randi converses with Lee in one of the most moving scenes in the film.

Season’s Greetings

For me, this time of year is all about sharing time with those nearest and dearest to me.  Whatever holiday you celebrate, be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or some other, I wish you a happy one.  As we approach the winter solstice and sunset comes earlier and earlier (fortunately, in Florida that means around 5:30 pm, not 4:00 pm where I grew up) I take heart knowing that soon again we will be going in the direction of more light.  So happy holidays and happy New Year.  May you travel safely and have good times with family and friends!

Header photo:  www.carolinabird.com

UK: Dorset Details

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EXPLORING DORSET COUNTRYSIDE

We hadn’t seen these friends in almost ten years, but readily accepted their invitation to visit them in Dorset and stay overnight. We took the Southwest Train from Waterloo to Wareham and thus began a wonderful visit. R and S were relaxed hosts and we picked up as if we had just seen them last week!  dsc01162

Going to Dorset was a trip back in time. Small villages, narrow lanes bordered by hedges, historic stone churches, and open fields—heath and flood plain—backed by high ridges. Even the remains of Saxon walls and Corfe Castle which predates the Norman invasion of 1066. dsc01163 dsc01169

The first afternoon we walked a trail in a nearby national park at nearby Arne which was the essence of fall. Yellow to brown trees, leaves scattered on the woodsy path and eventually views of the islands in and around Poole harbor.  We rewarded ourselves after our long tramp with tea and hot chocolate.  dsc01171

Dinner was at a very old and historic pub, Scott Arms in Kingston.  Old and historic, but previously lacking business. Its new owners upped their game and the menu now strikes some Caribbean notes in addition to the more traditional pub fare—jerk flavored chicken, vegetables with goat cheese, and, scampi tail breaded and fried with chips and peas (the all-time favorite English vegetable, I think). All washed down with beer, cider, or even wine, if you must have it.

dsc01187The next morning we awoke to a crusty frost with all the garden trees and flowers thickly coated. I marveled at how lovely it all was, a bit like a fairy land, and quickly grabbed my camera to capture its beauty. I hadn’t seen frost like that in a decade!

CORFE CASTLE

Fortified with porridge, fruit, and orange whiskey marmalade, we ventured to Corfe and a walkabout around Corfe Castle.   It stands on a ridge and looms over the surrounding area. I was wearing all the layers I had with me and still found it chillydsc01240.  dsc01253 dsc01246

Lunch was at Clavell’s Café and Restaurant where we tucked into the vegetarian special for R and S (they eat healthily), a sausage and onion baguette for Greg, and a tasty cod, prawn and spinach puff pastry pie for me. Served, of course, with peas and chips.

KIMMERIDGE FOSSILS

This part of Dorset is not far inland from what is called the Jurassic Coast, the site of many notable fossil finds. One man, Steve Ketches, began collecting fossils as a young child and then continued to collect, focusing his efforts on the one location of Kimmeridge.   img_1271His impressive collection is now featured in a new small museum which opened just two weeks ago.  These are mostly marine specimens since they were found at the coast and they are most attractively displayed.  The labeling, done as someone might make handwritten notes, makes the information conveyed very accessible and seemingly informal. Shown here is part of an ichthyosaur fossil.

I should note that our friends are not only passionate about preserving their environment, but also keen long distance walkers, even competitors, hence all the walking we did with them.  They participate in 24 hour 100 mile races which take place around the world.  She is a record holder for her age group and has competed everywhere from Colorado to South Africa to this past spring, their home county of Dorset.  During that twenty-four hour period, you do any combination of walking, running or jogging with the goal of completing the one hundred miles well before the end of the time.

Note:  All photos copyright JWFarrington (some rights reserved)

Howling Hermine: Day 3

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This is the first time in more than 10 years that a hurricane has made landfall in Florida. We are now into Day 3 of Hermine and we are fortunate that we are nowhere near the worst of this storm.  In fact, we’ve been on the eastern edge and have only been deluged with rain and occasional periods of strong winds.  But nothing of true hurricane strength.  That said, I’d gladly be elsewhere if we were going to be in the area of a direct hit.

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Thursday, Sept. 1

Rain total for our county for all of August was 13.30 inches; Hermine alone dumped 7.76 inches as of yesterday and it’s still raining this morning.  And the wind, which was supposed to die down overnight, picked up again this morning after 6:30 am.  It was preceded by a wicked lightning and thunderstorm that went on for about  a half hour.  No time to be outside.

I suggested the Chief Penguin wait to go out for the newspapers.  Initially, they weren’t there, but after the let-up he ventured out and despite having been blown around a bit, they had arrived.  I guess the newspaper delivery guys subscribe to the mailman’s creed—“neither rain, nor snow… appointed rounds.”  Thank goodness for plastic bags too—not green, but the papers were only slightly damp!

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Friday morning, Sept. 2
Friday morning, Sept. 2

Yesterday I watched as high tide washed up mounds of dirt and debris through the mangroves that protect us from the waters of the bay.  Like ring around the collar, the water is gone today, but the line of debris punctuated with plastic cups and other non-natural detritus remains.  Mid-morning, I noted the resident raccoon scampering about.  It usually isn’t out and about until late afternoon or dusk.

Later, I was  fascinated by a lone egret (where were his compatriots?) who strode tentatively along the mound trying to decide what to do and hesitating when it approached puddled water and not debris.  Ultimately, it scooched under the vines and mangroves.

Then, a wood stork happened along.  Much more confident than the egret, it picked and poked in the low water assumedly grubbing for food.  We don’t see these storks as often and they are usually alone.  Wild weather brings strange bird and animal behavior.

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Lastly, here is a sample of the sound of Hermine out our front window this morning.  Not exactly howling, but you get the idea.

 

All photos and media by JWFarrington (some rights reserved)

Tidy Tidbits: Tides & Titles

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WORDS ON WEATHER

Hunkering Down

Last weekend our friends and family cocooned in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New York during winter storm Jonas.  We watched from afar, thanks to the Weather Channel and the Web, almost gleeful that we were here in Florida.  But, like men’s sympathetic pregnancies, we hunkered down too—staying indoors, feasting on forbidden foods (a luscious strip steak!), and savoring hot soup.  After all, outside was only 50 degrees with a cold stiff wind and white caps on the bay!

Minus Tides

Living on the edge of said bay, we get to observe the daily and seasonal variation of the tides.  The changes over the course of a typical day are not usually extreme, but the other morning I noticed that it was low tide and we were getting a “mud flats” effect.  This is unusual for us and it got me to wondering about the tide levels.  I checked the newspaper and the low tide that morning for just before 8:00 am was a negative .6 feet.  Getting even more curious, I did a bit of research (thank you, Google!) and learned that there is a mean low tide number for each area that is considered zero; high and low tides are measured up or down against this.   So my minus six meant that this tide was half a foot lower than the mean low tide!  Hence the mud, hence more birds at the water’s edge.

And since the tides are governed partly by the moon, this week’s very low tide was associated with a gorgeous buttery-colored full moon.  My citizen science colleagues in California were always keen to be observing life in the tidal areas during minus low tides and scheduled outings with our volunteers for those dates, even if it meant being on the water at 5:00 or 6:00 am.

TITLES STACKED UP

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As usual, I have too many books waiting to be read, but that only means that I’ll never lack for reading material!  Here is a small selection of those waiting in the wings.

Expatriate Lives by Janice Y.K.  Lee.  (A much touted new novel by the author of The Piano Teacher.)

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff.  (I’ve put off long enough reading this highly praised novel from the author of The Monsters of Templeton.)

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout.  (The latest novel from the author of Olive Kittredge, one of my favorite books.)

West with the Night by Beryl Markham.  (A memoir by an early aviator, this will be a re-read for me for the local book group.  I first read it many years ago with the Penn book group.)

The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr.  (From the author of several raw, lay-it-bare memoirs, this book supposedly informs the reader how to create a memoir.)

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.  (A pass along from my sister and an important contribution to the national discussion about race in America.)

POSTSCRIPT

I also want to report that I finished A Master Plan for Rescue and it was wonderful!  There’s a parallel story about a passenger on the ill-fated and unwelcome ship, St. Louis, and this man intersects with the boy Jack in ways that are initially amusing and touching and ultimately, life-changing.