A Spectral Arc...

... resulting from the refractive dispersion of sunlight in raindrops.  Seeing this rainbow made me want to understand what the heck I was seeing, and why.  I'm sure we covered this back in middle school science, but all I can remember is something about sunlight through raindrops.  If anyone else is interested this page provides a nice explanation of the magic behind these phenomena.  One interesting tid-bit: we only see one (1) color from each raindrop.  Wow.  So it takes a cascade of falling raindrops to produce all those colors.  I'm sure that seems obvious, but when I think about it, it also seems like magic.  Regardless it was a treat to observe.  Here are some pics.

Look closely at the pic to the left.  On the far right you can see the a second rainbow.  Taken from the previously referenced website: "Sometimes you see a double rainbow -- a sharp rainbow with a fainter rainbow on top of it. The fainter rainbow is produced in the same way as the sharper rainbow, but instead of the light reflecting once inside the raindrop, it's reflected twice. As a result of this double reflection, the light exits the raindrop at a different angle, so we see it higher up. If you look carefully, you'll see that the colors in the second rainbow are in the reverse order of the primary rainbow."  Magic.

Flooring Update

If that title doesn't induce riotous excitement, your either dead or in a coma.  Sarcasm aside, we are pretty excited about the work Joel as done on our floors.  You can either scroll down or click here to see the floors in progress.  Below is the end result.  Kudos to Joel.  I canNOT believe how good those floors look, given the ragged state in which we found them (you'll recall he dubbed the project "Satan's Entryway").  Incredible.

A Rising Fog

The fogs we get up here are dense and eerie.  They limit visibility dramatically.  Some days I can't see the barns from the house, and the headlights of passing cars only become visible as the vehicles pass the house.  Once beyond the boundaries of our property, they disappear.

Where to start...

It's been a while, I know.  Several things to update.  To begin with I want to catch-up on dad's JPW-isms.  


Monday, Feb. 8: Beware and unembarrassable person.
Wednesday, Feb. 10: Children are natural hypothesis testers.
Friday, Feb. 12: Dazed responses should induce introspection.
Monday, Feb. 15: Do pretty people know they are?  Is that a good thing?
Wednesday, Feb. 17: Enjoying accomplishments can be only a private experience. [Couldn't agree more, Dad]
Friday, Feb. 19: Expelling kids for truancy is like serving ice cream for obesity.
Monday, Feb. 22: Hypocrisy is to daily living like gravity is to flying; most of the time, it doesn't bite you.
Wednesday, Feb. 24: If your directions include something like "Turn left just after the big yellow house with the white picket fence", a woman probably gave them to you.
Friday, Feb. 26: Learning by trial and error - a redundancy.

Monday, Mar. 1: Rush Limbaugh is not an idiot -sadly.
Wednesday, Mar. 3: Siblings that care about each other long after parents' demand that they do are fortunate.
Friday, Mar. 5: Sprouting seedlings can make you shiver.
Monday, Mar. 8: The more consequential the decision, the less anticipated the consequences.
Wednesday, Mar. 10: Those holding narrow vantages cannot appreciate irony.
Friday, Mar. 12: Waiting for someone you like takes less time.

Whew.  Lot to type; more to ponder.