Category Archives: Nature

“That time of year thou mayst in me behold”

Shakespeare wasn’t referring to beauty of this tree in his 73rd sonnet in which he compares aging to an old tree – “bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang.” Photo two days ago at the Seattle Tennis Club. … Continue reading

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Saving the ducklings

Warms your heart – from Marilyn Webb.

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The wide eraser and Florida

The first thing to note is just how big it is, relative to the width of the Florida peninsula. The width of the track of hurricane-force winds (74 mph at the edges, 185 in the middle) near PR and Cuba can … Continue reading

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Recycle Your Eclipse Glasses

What have you done with your eclipse glasses? Please don’t throw them away—because many of the glasses are certified for safe use for up to three years. Which is good news for people, especially kids, in South America and Asia who … Continue reading

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Margaret Fuller and the seaside spiritual experience

Photo from the beach in Coronado, California Editor’s Note: I didn’t realize until recently what an interesting and progressive woman Margaret Fuller was. Very much a part of the Transcendentalist movement I found her thoughts very profound. Here is a … Continue reading

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Rattlesnake Ledge

Today’s view from the ledge above Rattlesnake Lake near North Bend, part of the I-90 Mountains to Sound Greenway. Tours are available to the nearby Cedar River Watershed and Chester Morse Lake – a major source of our local water. … Continue reading

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Price increase notice – America the Beautiful pass – going from $10 to $80

From Barb Williams: On August 28, 2017, the price of the America the Beautiful – The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Senior Pass will increase from $10 to $80. The pass provides access to more than 2,000 recreation sites, … Continue reading

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from Gordon Gray – thanks! Also, for more about eclipses from the Smithsonian (via Ann Milam), click here.

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Join FHIA for the 8th Avenue Tree Walk!

Join the First Hill Improvement Association (FHIA) as we celebrate one of First Hill’s most valuable assets- the tree canopy! We’ll be going on a guided tour of 8th Avenue’s urban forest beginning and ending outside of Town Hall. We’ll all … Continue reading

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Meandering

The Jurea River in the Amazon and its many abandoned meanders.  Note all of the pale green loops that have revegetated.  Spring floods break through the narrower of the necks, as has happened at the center of this picture.

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Sunrise in the east—do my eyes deceive me?

 From Ann Milam  

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Picturing the Eclipsed Sun with a Holy Leaf

 With a total eclipse of the sun coming up on August 21 (92% covered in Seattle, 100% in Corvalis), it seems a good time to review how our ancestors might have predicted eclipses with simple methods.  I will borrow from … Continue reading

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Cool new stamp showing Total Eclipse of the Sun

This forever stamp changes with a touch of the finger – amazing technology! From Ann Milam and the USPS web site On August 21, 2017, tens of millions of people in the United States will have an opportunity to view … Continue reading

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Sunglasses won’t cut it: How to keep your eyes safe during the solar eclipse

From Ann Milam Jul. 25, 2017 at 7:27 AM A. Pawlowski TODAY The total solar eclipse is coming, and as the excitement builds, so does the worry that it will leave behind a nation of eye problems. On Aug. 21, … Continue reading

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Here comes the sun

“Eruptive events on the sun can be wildly different. Some come just with a solar flare, some with an additional ejection of solar material called a coronal mass ejection (CME), and some with complex moving structures in association with changes … Continue reading

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Eclipse: Who? What? Where? When? and How?

Total Solar Eclipse (information from NASA) On Monday, August 21, 2017, all of North America will be treated to an eclipse of the sun. Anyone within the path of totality can see one of nature’s most awe-inspiring sights – a … Continue reading

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Scientists get political, will march

From the San Diego Tribune: By Joshua Emerson Smith Will Americans start seeing more lab coats at political rallies like the upcoming March for Science in the nation’s capital, San Diego and hundreds of other locations? While many scientists have … Continue reading

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Anxiety in Eastern Washington Orchards

From Crosscut: “In the Yakima Valley, nestled east of the Cascades, the fruit trees are waking up. Signs along State Highway 24 advertise openings for “piscadores,” or harvesters. At the Doornink Fruit Ranch in Wapato, expert hands prune hundreds of acres … Continue reading

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Advocate of Seattle Tree Canopy

From Barb W: Neighborhood Flyways Symposium: Partners for Seattle’s Tree Canopy Thursday, April 6, 2017, 2PM-7PM  Town Hall Seattle Seattle Audubon has developed a 4-year Neighborhood Flyways campaign to restore and connect the tree canopy across Seattle. Please join us as we discuss: … Continue reading

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The first seen Earthrise

From PT: “I’m sure you’ve seen the world’s most famous photograph, “Earthrise”. It’s been on the cover of TIME and on stamps. But did you know it almost didn’t happen. It was Christmas Eve, 1968.”

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The Booby love dance

From the national wildlife federation: “The birds are seabirds called blue-footed boobies. No surprise how they got the first part of their name! They got the “booby” part from long-ago Spanish explorers, who called them bobos, which means “dummies.” The … Continue reading

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Hearts from the beach art

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Snow day near Skyline

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Not all paper is created equal: an 800-year-old tradition of making it by hand

From Aeon: “A tradition dating back to the 16th century, making paper by hand is still central to life in the village of Kurotani in the Japanese prefecture of Kyoto. The durable and versatile material, called washi, is crafted in a meticulous … Continue reading

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Human Evolution Lectures 2016-2017 (Calvin)

After each stand-up lecture, I am producing a scripted youtube version. Here are the ones so far, in order. They are video files, so you can pause and back up easily, should you want to think about something for a … Continue reading

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