Dark Trees

I was outside Tuesday evening
looking at the night sky.
Chris bought a telescope at a yard sale--
I thought I'd try it out.

I saw Jupiter and three of its moons.
and craters on the Moon as well.

But bathed in the bright moonlight
I noticed the trees
towering above me still full with leaves.

They were dark.

The lightening bugs that made them shimmer
during the nights of summer--
were gone.

Dark and foreboding.
Silhouetted by the moon.

They were not yet autumn trees--
robed with red and orange leaves.
Nor were they the eerie trees of Halloween--
leaf-less, sketching scary shadows on the lawns
for the ghouls and goblins to dance with
in the moonlight.

No--these were still summer trees.
Standing tall against the winds and rains.
Reveling in hot summer sun
providing cool shade to travelers
pausing beneath their branches.

Yet, they were dark.

I imagined them gloomy.
As if they sensed the change.

The coolness of the still not yet autumn breeze
swept across my bare arms.

I paused, breathing deeply,
savoring both the musky scent of summer
and the sweet smell of recently mowed grass.

A dog barked in the distance
returning me to my driveway.

I had drifted off
to a summer-bathed sandy beach.

The light in the window reminded me
that the time for sleep had come.

And dreams.

The dark trees stood tall.
Nodding, it seemed
in the cool gentle breeze.

Autumn was at hand.

Autumn arrives

Good-bye summer--hello autumn.

At 11:09PM EDT tonight, summer will officially end as the sun crosses the equator not to be seen in the northern hemisphere again until March.



Autumn Along the Niagara River
October 2009

 Ugh! I can't believe it's over.

The pool is still open.

I had to mow the grass.

The leaves are still on the trees.

There are flowers! OK--mums!

Actually it seemed as if it was already here yesterday. The morning temperature was 48 degrees! I haven't seen temperatures in the 40's for a long time. I even put the top up on Cat to drive to work. It was just too cold and I'm fighting some respiratory bug anyway--no need to stress myself more.

The colors are nice--but transient. I took the image along the Niagara River last year in October. I guess it is something to look forward to before the white stuff decides to cover the ground.

Football Hangover

I noticed it at work yesterday.

All of the guys seemed to be moving a bit slower. Very sedate. Something was wrong.

And then i realized the source of the slowness of thought and action: Football Hangover.

Yes, that was it. After a whole day of NFL Football, it seemed that all of the guys were totally fried. The emotional ups and downs if the day had drained them, and me.

We talked in hushed tones about the plays of the day--or the plays that weren't.

It was quite a day! Ugly losses by the Giants, Cowboys, Redskins, and Ravens dominated the discussions.

And then there was the terrible call by the umpire at the Yankees-Orioles game on Friday night to discuss. Like the Yankees really need second chances.

Work?

Well--some got done. Quite a lot actually, but adjusting to football season is going to take some time before we are fully hitting our stride again.

.

Monday Musings - September 20, 2010

1. Even notice how the moon sometimes is just there, lurking in the trees following you? I was at a birthday party last evening and there it was.

2. The pool temperature has fallen so low that it is too cold to swim in . But it is still relaxing to see and remember the summer of fun.

3. I considered this week how traveling in America has changed during the past twenty years--it just isn't fun anymore.

4. After watching or listening to the Yankee games this weekend, I wonder why umpires in MLB feel the need to give the Yankees one more chance--both A Rod (Friday night) and Jeter (Saturday night as first base) should have been out. The additional chances led to runs and wins.

5. There are two great parts about traveling: arriving at the destination and then coming home. Everything in between needs work.

6. Football is a fickle sport. Subject to the winds and the whims of the players and coaches.

7. Hockey season begins this week with pre-season games! Summer must be over.

Baseball Dream Crushed

With one swing on Friday night, my hopes for an Oriole victory over the Yankees were dashed.

It was a monstrous home run swatted by the Yankee slugger.

And the Yankees were down to their last strike when the blast happened.

But wait--there is more to the story.

With two outs, two men on and a 1 ball 2 strike count, the Orioles closer threw what appeared to the crowd to be strike three past A Rod. But no, it was called a ball.

Upon later review, both he and the Orioles pitcher knew it. The only one who didn't was the umpire who called ball two and allowed A Rod another swing to salvage the game for the Yankees.

A Rod accepted the bonus swing providing the crowd with a view of a monstrous 386 foot home run. Giving the Yankees a 4-3 lead which was preserved by their closer Mariano Rivera.

How quickly the fortunes of the game changed.

It gave new meaning to the phrase "it ain't over 'till it's over."

Despite losing though, it was exciting to watch the teams battle. Many of us get very wrapped up in the winning and the losing and forget that it is supposed to be only a game.

Entertainment even.

It was last night--a great game, which even in defeat I can accept that in sports, like in life--it matters more how you play the game rather than how you finished.

What Happens in the Local Airport after Midnight?

I have the opportunity, I guess more often than I would really like, to see first hand the answer to the title question.

The airport is Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood-Marshall Airport. Affectionately known as BWI.

BWI Concourse D after Midnight,
September 17, 2010

I live 10 minutes from the airport. I have realized that because I live so close, when friends or family are arriving all they have to do is call me from the aircraft when the plane lands, as soon as they allow cell phones to be turned on, and I have plenty of time to get to them before they deplane and retrieve their bags. I usually check into the Cell Phone lot and await the call that the bags have been found and they are ready to depart.

It is really convenient.

But after midnight--the bustling place that during the day is BWI--with often 30 minute waits to make it through security, becomes a ghost town.

It is really weird to be walking through the deserted concourses.

And I was arriving on a scheduled flight just a bit early--not even late! And because I was on United (my favorite airline) I knew from listening in on the pilots communications that there were about three other flights arriving within a few minutes of us.

The people in the image are my fellow fliers who also rode United flight 168 from Denver to Baltimore.

For over three hours, we had been confined in a close space. Closer than friends. But once the cabin door was opened,  all I saw of my flight mates was their backsides. Everyone was in a hurry, streaming past the closed and deserted shops to retrieve baggage and make their way home or to their true final destination.

I know some had a long trip.

I was lucky.

Withing 45 minutes of landing (not deplaning, but from when the wheels touched the runway) I was home.

I had passed through the ghostly empty airport.


I also got lucky on a shuttle ride to the parking lot. It is so rare when the shuttle pulls up just as I arrive at the pick-up point.

And the truck roared to life as I turned the key.  It carried me home to complete the trip.

I hope everyone else who rode Flight 168 with me into the deserted BWI had a smooth trip.





It is good to be home--because after midnight at BWI, nothing happens.

Out the Hotel Window, Part 3

Well, scary enough, it was a three day trip to two cities so I have three parts it seems. I took one image every morning to see if I could find something different to see out of the windows.

Denver Skyline September 16, 2010
from Aurora Doubletree

Yesterday morning, I moved over to one side of the window, in the early pre-dawn light and off in the distance I could see the skyline of Denver.

It was so far away--

I zoomed my iPhone camera to the max setting and snapped a couple images hoping to get lucky.

Maybe I did--

But I learned that when looking out the hotel window, move around a bit. This awesome skyline shot was obscured form the center point of the window by the corner of the building--but by moving a bit to the right, I was able to change the blah view of the day before into something that is etched in my mind to remember.

All too often when I travel, I just leave the shades and curtains closed in my hotel room.

I'm too busy computing, or reading, dressing, or catching up on the news to notice what is happening outside.

I guess, I've changed.

Out the Hotel Window, Part 2

Sometimes the view isn't what we would like it to be. Just the same old stuff that even in the dawn light really isn't that different or unique.

Even so, the color saturation of dawn is just beautiful.

Yes, I forgot to turn my lamp off so there is a reflection in the window.

But still--I have to admit, the view from here is far better than the view from my office window.

Oh, I forgot, my office does not have a window.

Ugh!

We should enjoy what we have and what we see. I was in an office earlier this week that had an unobstructed view of Pike's Peak!

Can you spell j-e-a-l-o-u-s?

The View is Awesome

Traveling reminds me that I sometimes love to take a moment to admire the view.

And the having a means to record what the eye sees is the close second to the views--even if it is not going to be an award winning image--it reminds me of the great things I see along the way.

I have seen some great things. My iPhone camera really helps me remember them.

Like this shot from yesterday.

Pike's Peak is the mountain that every spot in the city is designed to be able to see--and they can.

It was a bright day--with puffy clouds and a hot sun.

Wish you were here with me.

Out the Hotel Window

I often look out the windows of the hotels I stay in to see the area.

Usually, it is a pretty boring view--of the swimming pool or and expressway.

This morning though, from downtown Colorado Springs, I caught the sunlight and rays behind the buildings of the city.

I know if I had a better camera, I could actually capture the sunlight and the rays the same way that my eye see it--but alas, I don't.

But--I looked out at just the right time to see the sun's rays silhouetting the buildings--

Another day away from home. Although I'm in familiar territory, there is so to be amazed at like the first time all over again.

But the scene remains etched in my memory--just for a bit.

Perhaps it caught my imagination because I was on the second floor of the hotel--and not the eighth.

Who knows.