Arkansas summer mornings give rise to interesting conditions, thanks to the high humidity and the difference in temperature between inside and outside. Condensation on the windows can be especially telling — as if Nature was deploying her own forensic technique to seek the whereabouts of creatures and things. On this July morning, this ghostly outline appeared on the glass — retracing the landing spot of some storm tossed leaf.
The nearest cell tower has been the roost for a small band of vultures for years. In the last weeks, however, some of the vultures have ventured closer to the house for a rest, lighting on trees just past the yard. When you glance out the kitchen window and see the large, moribund-looking birds staring back, part of you wonders if it’s an omen.
A few days later, a lightning bolt crashed near the house, knocking out the power, water, air conditioners and other and sundry electrics, as temperatures outside soared past 100. Inside, temps in the living room hit 107. Thanks to all the repairmen who have come and gone in the last two weeks, the house is livable again.
Neither of these fellows has come to roost near the house lately. At least none that we’ve seen.
Goose and pair of goslings on a family outing in the rain in Goshen, Arkansas. There were two families of geese with goslings close in age. The group seemed to move together always in the two days we saw them.
Arkansas is a landlocked state, but it doesn’t mean we don’t see mountainous waves on occasion. Back in July, this thick bank of fog rolled in from the west, breaking over a long fold ridge and spilling down its southern flank. The second shot is the wave just a moment or two earlier as it was cresting.
This week’s photo challenge is “fray.” It’s a great word that can go more than one place, meaning-wise. This photo, taken back in May, has both meanings — the ragged, falling-apartness of the rainstorm and the battle between water, heat and air fought over the Ouachita Mountains.
We’ve seen a bit of unsettled weather in Arkansas over the last two days. Not ideal for meteor or Super Moon watching, but the sunrises and sunsets have been spectacular. These two are bookends for the last 48 hours.
With skies like this? Who needs TV?
When it comes to hail, what we saw 10 days ago certainly had less volume and smaller pieces than what Colorado and the Midlantic states saw within the last few days. The hail was unusual in the candy corn-shaped pieces left when the marble-sized ice balls shattered on the deck and sidewalk.
Slept through the peak of the April 15 lunar eclipse, but got up early enough to see this beautiful moonset.
The (Urban-Wildlife) Interface 