On The Fly

In this episode (173) – Goodby Summer 2022 . . . Wow!  Can you believe summer is over? This year (2022) has flown by. It's early morning, and already I'm noticing the sunrise arriving later and later. Siri tells me, "The Sun will rise at 6:43 a.m." The shorter days bring cooler weather. Soon we will don our jackets for an early morning walk. Me, I enjoy the warmth and comfort of my blue flannel shirt . For you sky watchers, the Hunters Moon is your gateway to fall; it will be visible on  Sunday, October 9, 2022, at 16:55 EST , based on the data provided by  NASA . Legend has it that Native Americans inspired the Full Moon's name as they prepared for the winter. They would start gathering provisions to get them through the winter. The October full moon is the first full moon after the Harvest Moon. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the moon occurs when the season for hunting many game animals begins. That crisp, fresh, colorful time of year. Autumn is a ti...

In this episode – Autumn Color . . . I'm sure you've noticed the leaves on the trees are changing. This science update from howstuffworks.com by Jennifer Horton gives us some insight as to why - join me. For most of the year, leaves are a tree's workhorses, constantly converting carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight into energy in a process called photosynthesis. The special ingredient for this process, the pigment chlorophyll, gives leaves their bright, green color. But while chlorophyll is the star of the show, it has some help in the pigment's carotene and xanthophyll. Xantho is Greek for "yellow," and carotene gives carrots and egg yolks their orangish color. These two pigments are always present in leaves and help absorb sunlight, which they transfer to chlorophyll for photosynthesis. As the days get shorter, the increased amount of darkness stimulates trees to prepare for hibernation. Leaves won't continue photosynthesizing during winter due to the dry...

The Harvest Moon is your gateway to fall. It is the full Moon nearest the start of fall or the autumnal equinox . If you missed it this year, Friday, September 16, 2016, the day of the Harvest Moon also brought a  Penumbral Lunar Eclipse . Wow! Can you believe summer is over, another year that has simply flown by. It’s early morning and I’m noticing sunrise creeps over the horizon later and later. Siri tells me, “Sunrise will be at 6:41 a.m. today.” The shorter days bring cooler weather. Soon we will don our jackets for a trip to the market. During the summer you could enjoy sunrise at 5:42 a.m. (for those who were up). For readers of this blog this summer marked a milestone. My 60th year. Yes, Lori had planned a outstanding birthday surprise! Breakfast at Allen's Alley, then off to Los Angles to visit the Grammy Museum. We toured a special exhibit on The Beatles. Turns out August 16, 1966 the Beatles played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles - 50 years a...

The Harvest Moon is your gateway to fall. That crisp, fresh, colorful time of year.  For folks in the Northern Hemisphere, the 2013 autumnal equinox comes on September 22 , so the September 19 full moon counts as the Northern Hemisphere’s Harvest Moon. If you have not seen it be sure to step outside tonight and witness the majesty of nature (provided you have clear skies, of course). Wow! Can you believe summer is over, this year has simply flown by.  It’s early morning and already I’m noticing sunrise creeps over the horizon later and later. Siri tells me, “Sunrise was at 6:35 a.m. today.”  The shorter days bring cooler weather. Soon we will don our jackets for a trip to the market. During the summer, you could enjoy sunrise at 5:42 a.m. (for those who were up). For readers of this blog my summer was an active one. An Alaska cruise vacation , bicycling, morning and evening walks, hiking, visits to the ballpark , and of course this years pièce de résistance , our ...