Sun Spots No. 1

The top half of this tree was recently shorn off. I don't think I noticed it until a spot of sun brought it to my attention.

For Adults Only

When they first appeared a couple of years ago, at the Katonah pool, the inner tubes, targeted to the adults’ inner child, were eyed warily. They were for adults only. Who among us gray-haired and no longer lithe, would be the first to indulge in the childhood memory / dream / ambition of floating along the water in an inner tube? First one of us, then the other, recaptured the childhood delight of playtime in the pool. At first we felt foolish. Then, we felt fun.

Sunday, from 10 to noon, adult swim is our time to be children or be without them. No kids allowed, just adults hangin' at the pool. This year there’s been a sea-change. The inner tubes lie stacked against the equipment shed. Today, only a few dared to languish in the sun, even though it was an opportunity to soak up vitamin D and strengthen bones. For the rest, it was into the lap lanes.

You’d have found me in an inner tube. Strengthening my bones, of course.

Red Sky at Night

This was the sky looking west from my front porch last night. My husband spotted the shot. For better or worse, I took it. I’m sure many of you have heard the phrase “red sky at night sailors’ delight.” Here, according to the website: Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress is why.

In order to understand why “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning” can predict the weather, we must understand more about weather and the colors in the sky.

Usually, weather moves from west to east, blown by the westerly trade winds. This means storm systems generally move in from the West.

The colors we see in the sky are due to the rays of sunlight being split into colors of the spectrum as they pass through the atmosphere and ricochet off the water vapor and particles in the atmosphere. The amounts of water vapor and dust particles in the atmosphere are good indicators of weather conditions. They also determine which colors we will see in the sky.

During sunrise and sunset the sun is low in the sky, and it transmits light through the thickest part of the atmosphere. A red sky suggests an atmosphere loaded with dust and moisture particles. We see the red, because red wavelengths (the longest in the color spectrum) are breaking through the atmosphere. The shorter wavelengths, such as blue, are scattered and broken up.

Red sky at night, sailors delight.
When we see a red sky at night, this means that the setting sun is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles. This usually indicates high pressure and stable air coming in from the west. Basically good weather will follow.

Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning.
A red sunrise reflects the dust particles of a system that has just passed from the west. This indicates that a storm system may be moving to the east. If the morning sky is a deep fiery red, it means a high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain is on its way.

About that weather report. It’s sunny now with chance of storm predicted for later in the day. It’s been a recent pattern. Hot, sultry days, then big storm, which sends the dog crouching into my lap at night.

Garden Tools

One is never too young to learn the fine art of gardening. Year after year, my father has turned the same 10 x 15 foot plot into bushels of vegetables. This year, my parents' aide, Letty, has assumed the task, and when the last tomato has been picked, she may have given dad a run for his money!

Katonah Fireman’s Parade #3: Painted Lady

One of the things that attracted us to Katonah is the fact that it has a “center of town,” probably not more than a mile long, which has a variety of stores and a handful of small restaurants. Katonah Avenue is our “Main Street.” Bedford Road runs parallel behind Katonah Avenue and is the center of the “downtown” residential district, comprised mostly of Victorian-era homes. This is an historical district; almost all of the homes are lovingly cared for and painted in colors appropriate to their architecture. This home, along the parade route, and appropriately “decked out,” is on the Parkway which connects Bedford Road and Katonah Avenue. Many of the homes in this area were literally moved to their current location moved when the reservoir system was built in the 1800’s. We will visit that story and some of those homes in later posts.

Katonah Fireman’s Parade #2: Junior Fireman

This young man was unmissable with his fireman’s slicker and hat. Note his transmogrified boots, and the eleven cents in his pocket. When I asked to photograph him, his mother told him to say “cheese.” He promptly scowled, said “popcorn,” and then broke into a smile. Not only a show of spirit, Fireman’s Parades in the US, at least, are actually competitions. More on that later when we meet one of the judges.

Floral Friday #4

Pink Iris found in a garden in Katonah while scouting for Fireman's Parade photos. Parade photos begin tomorrow.

Katonah Fireman's Parade and Carnival

The back-end statistics at Stat Counter tell me that people searching for information on the Katonah Fireman's parade end up on my site, since it was mentioned in an earlier blog. So, as a public service to those wishing to visit our hamlet for the Parade and /or Carnival which follows on Thursday, the Parade is tomorrow, Wednesday evening, at 7:00 p.m. thanks to Joe, who will be marching from Millwood. I I took this picture at the Memorial Day Parade. You never know when a rogue shot will come in handy. And, it is supposed to rain!

Theme Day: Favorite Local Shops: Katonah Yarn Company

When I was a kid, I tried and tried to knit, but just couldn’t turn out a proper garment. Too big. Too Small. A dropped stitch here … or there. But today, because of the Katonah Yarn Company, I knit (and purl) again.

Stop in any time of day, and the shop is swarming with “Knitting Doulas,” giving a class, fixing an oops. Helping a knitter find her gauge. Tuesday evenings is open knitting, the chance to sit, knit, and just hang out; but in reality, as long as the doors are open, you can almost always find at least one person sitting around the table or in one of the upholstered chairs, open knitting. One day I heard Jane say … “The good thing about our location (which, as a stand-alone store, makes its own corner in the A&P shopping lot) is that if you stay too long, you can run next door to the A&P and grab supper.”

There are lots of fun, quirky shops in Katonah and the surrounding villages. The Katonah Knitting Company Inc. bills itself as Westchester County’s most comfortable knitting shop, and though the shop owners, Jane Lee and Jenn and their staff often help us laugh at ourselves, being friendly and helpful is one thing they take very seriously. It’s a place, where whatever your knitting level, you just feel good!

There are currently 174 shopping opportunities today. Click here for the thumbnails, and please visit.

Floral Friday #3

Enjoy the weekend!

Stanley Stomps

This was a perfect picture of a lovely cloud captured in a still blue lake. Until a certain red dog came along and stomped into the water. See his reflection?

I Said “Pace” not “Race”

The other day as we were walking the red dogs, a very official looking rider clip-clopped past us, scowling at dogs off the leash, but dogs who, nonetheless, “stayed” when instructed. Yesterday I understood the whole scene.

Yesterday was the Spring “Pace” sponsored by the Bedford Riding Lanes Association (BRLA), mentioned Heavenly Route. I don’t know many of the “horsey” people in town and until yesterday never understood the sport. As I was shooting, I met a lovely couple, Amy and Raymond McCarthy; Amy, a one-time pacer herself, gave me the lowdown. (You will meet Amy and Raymond later in the week).

I’d always thought the competition had something to do with making it over the jumps and finishing in record time. As it turns out, after eleven miles, the challenge is to arrive at the finish line as close as possible to the time officially declared the “pace’” for your riding skill and age group.

There are four categories of competition: Hunter (more leisurely); Junior, Jumper, and (perish the thought in Westchester County) Western. The pace time is a secret. It’s a two- or three-member team sport. You must finish with your teammate(s). You don’t have to jump, but you may. You must wear a helmet. You must rest your horse at the check point.

I wasn’t too confident of my ability to photograph these riders, and I’m not one to check every shot, digital camera or not. But I’m encouraged enough with this effort to try again in the fall to capture the joy of riding one of these beautiful animals.

This is one of two posts to compensate for no photos yesterday. But there was much to see and the glorious weather seduced me into the garden.

Memorial Day, 2008

I took more than 100 photos of the small Memorial Day remembrance in our town yesterday. But this is the photo that I think most represents the spirit of Katonah: a family flying the flag for its country. This has been my 21^st Memorial Day in Katonah, and only the first in which I have attended the ceremony. Now, I’m sorry about that as it was quite touching with Boy Scout, Brownie, and Cub Scout Troops, our hope for tomorrow, marching along with the Katonah Fire Department, a handful of military veterans, the police chief, and our town supervisor, the very impressive, Ms. Lee Roberts. After the parade, two small-town rituals: ice cream for the kids at the Fire House and a family barbecue of hot dogs and hamburgers for everyone.

This is one of two posts to compensate for no photos yesterday. But there was much to see and the glorious weather seduced me into the garden.

Floral Friday #2

This is one of the first roses to bloom from my parents' garden. It is from a bush that is as old as I can remember. Although I don't have the scientific evidence to prove it, I believe that today's hybrids are bred for one characteristic or another. They either look great or smell great or last long. But, in recent years, I have found the co-existence of all three qualities to be elusive at best. This rose is an exception to my unscientific belief. Last year, using mayonnaise jars as greenhouses, my dad created a few new bushes from this rose for my garden. I am waiting for it to bloom. Happy Long Weekend.

Obliviate

Sections of entry included: the “Elixer of Life,” “Portkey,” “Obliviate,” and “Goblet of Fire,” as The Ninth District of the Federated Garden Clubs of New York State, Inc., (AKA regional garden clubs) presented its annual flower show this weekend themed to the Hogwart’s Express.

Like flowers, flower shows have their own complicated structure including Division; Section, Class, and finally Entry. This entry is from Division 1 Design: “Spells and Charms;” Section A: “Incendio,” Class 2, “Obliviate,” in which the design had to include “some components to be viewed through others.”

Other sections included “Reducio,” miniatures ranging from three to eight inches in height, and “Stupefy” featuring “Elixir of Life,” “Underwater Wizardry” and “Three Broomsticks.” Division 2, Horticulture, had eleven sections ranging from herbs to single stems and cut specimens, and some of the most delicious looking asparagus I’d seen in a long time.

Heavenly Route?

It is if you are a horse rider in Katonah, Bedford, Bedford Hills, or the surrounding towns.

The Bedford Riding Lanes Association (BRLA) is a publicly supported non-profit organization originally established as the Private Lanes Association to protect and maintain a system of country lanes so equestrians could circumvent paved roads and cars. Nominal annual dues get you an access tag.

There are approximately 200 miles of lanes running through woods and nature preserves with approximately 80% of the trails passing through private land. Walking the red dogs on one of these trails one Saturday morning, I ran into Richard Gere, who was astride his horse.

Approval to ride trails on private property is by informal agreement. When homes change title, the new owners are asked to grant permission and usually do. Initially, two prominent Bedford residents: Martha Stewart and Ralph Lauren did not. Several years ago, when she bought the property, Ms. Stewart was asked if she would open her land to riders and she reportedly said: “When Ralph does, I will.” I have been told that since then both have. In fairness, before she left for prison in 2005, The New York Times reported that she participated in Trail Cleanup Day. The BRLA sponsors two paces each year. This year’s pace will be held May 30, and we’ll be there for City Daily Photo.

From My Garden

Thank you to all our French friends for the story of Muget! After several failed attempts, my own Lilly of the Valley Garden is now established. Next year I hope to start the May 1 Muget tradition here. There are many people to whom I am thankful. This photo combines my Muget with Muscari Aramecium, which have been in my garden for many years. It is from a small bouquet on my desk. If you expand the photo, there's a little something interesting in the background, captured, for this photo quite unwittingly, but in real life, with intent. I hope you enjoy the shot.

Lilly Pads 1

I "found" this picture when my dog barked away the goose I was trying to photograph. He was twisted into a Bikram yoga pose. But he hangs out here regularly and tomorrow is another day requiring another daily photo!

Skunked - 2

During a beautiful afternoon walk in the woodlands the other day, I found this Skunk Cabbage in its unfolded glory. Once the trees are in full leaf and the forest floor in shadow, I believe this plant will die back. But, in the fall it will issue a seed pod. I’ll keep a (Panasonic) eye on it.

Wildflower Meets Record Label

The Marsh Marigold, Caltha palustris, a wildflower which blooms from March through June, is native to temperate regions of North America. It seems to appear and disappear in the blink of an eye. The generic name derives from the Greek calathos (a cup or goblet for the shape of its flowers); its specific name is from the Latin palus (a marsh).

This plant was found along a stream bed at the Marion Yarrow Nature Preserve. As a member of the Ranunculaceae (buttercup) family (along with Pasque Flowers, anemones), the “cowslip” is considered poisonous. Nonetheless, it also has medicinal uses including as a cure for warts. Some sources say the leaves can be cooked and eaten like spinach, and that a well-diluted tincture made from the whole plant while in flower, may be useful against anemia.

In Hamburg, Germany, the Marsh Marigold is a record label. Click here to hear what’s playing.