Big Yellow Flower In The Sky

They come in lots of colors and patterns. Sometimes they float low and periodically roar and spit flame like dragons. Between the noisy outbursts comes an eerie silence, punctuated by occasional laughter.  Other times they float so high you never know they are there unless you happen to look up. They look so small it's hard to imagine that they are the size of 7-story apartment buildings.

This yellow flower was high over the lake early in the morning

This balloon reminds me of a favorite Robert Louis Stevenson poem I learned as a child. If Stevenson had seen such balloons he might have written about them the way he wrote about swings...

How do you like to go up in a swing,
      Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
      Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
      Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
      Over the countryside—

Till I look down on the garden green,
      Down on the roof so brown—
Up in the air I go flying again,
      Up in the air and down!

Comet Neowise!

You all probably know about the most impressive comet to visit our solar system since Hale Bopp in 1997.

In recent days, Neowise was visible in the early morning. However, if you are like us, it may not have been convenient to get up at 4 a.m.

Now, for a few more days, it's visible in the early evening, to the northeast, below and a bit to the right of the "pan" of the Big Dipper. We are fortunate enough to see it from our street. You need it to be quite dark (ask your neighbors to turn off their yard lights), and it takes some time to let your eyes adjust. When you see it, you will agree... It is very cool.

If you'd like to see what the comet looks like from the International Space Station, here is a stunning video complete with music composed by Sean Doran. Here is the link to youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh1_wHdUx3Y

Like lots of youtube videos, you have to watch an ad for 15 seconds or so, then comes the video. If you click on the "full screen" button and turn on your sound, you will be impressed. It's a 7-minute video showing the Earth below the International Space Station at night. You can easily see the ground and city lights moving below the ISS, which is going 17,000 miles per hour. The view is spectacular. As the video shows, the ISS is moving toward dawn, and the upper left side of the screen shows what the growing dawn light looks like from the ISS. At about 3 minutes and 30 seconds into the video, the comet rises above the horizon. There is no magnification in the video, so it looks quite small and distant. But it is gorgeous.

With the beautiful music, the whole 7-minute viewing experience is calming and meditative and reminds the viewer of just how special our Earth and the solar system is.

Amazing.

For the next few days, find a dark place with little light pollution and a view to the northeast. Go out at 9:30 p.m. or a bit later. Look for the Big Dipper. The comet will be below the pan of the dipper.

Bear Food

I watched from a safe distance as this mama bear went down the street on the day of trash pickup. (Bears show up each week on trash day. How they know when is a mystery. Smell? The clanging of the trash truck? Their little pocket calendars they carry around with the monthly pictures of especially attractive dumpsters?)

This bear opened every container with practiced skill, showing her two cubs (just to the side of this picture) the various techniques. She used her teeth to bite the edge of the garbage can lid and lift it off the can. She used her paw to tip the can over and pull out the bags inside. She rolled each bag over, knowing exactly which ones to open up and which ones to leave, i.e., scented trash bags don't fool a bear.

Tahoe locals know to put garbage in bear-proof containers or bring it out just as the trash truck comes down the street.

Behind this bear you can see the garbage that vacation rental tourists set out in the street. Big mess, and potential big fine.

When you come to Tahoe, and it comes time to throw out your trash, please take a moment to learn the where/what/when aspects of garbage collection. It will save you a hassle and some money, too.

Did This Bald Eagle Meet Its Match?!

This tree is close enough to the lake that the Bald Eagle can see any nearby osprey that have caught a fish the Eagle can steal. Yes, mama nature is unfair that way. The osprey does the work, then the larger raptor swoops in and takes it away. A metaphor for many unfair aspects of life.

But take a closer look. On each side of the huge eagle is a Steller's Jay. Two of them, harassing the eagle, letting it know that if it tries to come for their chicks, it will have a fight on its hands, no matter how David-vs-Goliath the odds are.

We once had a Steller's Jay fly through an open door into our house. It went to a window only to discover that glass is a strong barrier. I gently caught it with a cloth and carried it outside. It was not much heavier than air. But as I carried it, I could sense the power in its feather-weight body.

That eagle should think twice about its dinner plans. A dead fished, washed up on the beach, is the safest, least-stressful meal.