TCC for 1/3/09

The Caretaker took advantage of the open water today to get over to the mainland to replenish fuel tanks for heating, cooking, and shower water. He also obtained a number of other things while on the mainland and wound up staying far later than he expected to so he was not able to take any photos, instead here are some photos from earlier in the year.

11/21/08


10/13/08


10/6/08


The Caretaker's original plan for today was to get over to the mainland not long after the crack of dawn, he missed his alarm and so didn't get over until after 8:30 or so. The second part of his original plan was to shoot down to Queensbury to pick up some groceries and fill his fuel tanks, then get right back to the Island, that didn't happen either, at least not as planned. He did pickup some groceries (about 20 pounds of frozen vegetables, they're much easier than fresh to store in a freezing climate when not maintaining a "heat-orator") and he filled his fuel tanks. He then hung around for a bit taking care of some other things in order to kill some time, late the night before via e-mail the Caretaker learned of a friend's loss of a loved one so he wanted to see this friend in person to pass on condolences. From there the Caretaker had one last stop, to pick up a some one pound canisters of propane, the place with the lowest price on these oh so wasteful fuel containers is the Coleman Outlet store, so on his way back to the Lake the Caretaker stopped in at the store to pick some up.

It was the Caretaker's lucky day, the store was having a 30% off sale on everything in the store (even the one pound propane canisters--which never happens).

The Caretaker feels that the one pound propane canisters are wasteful because they are "disposable" (i.e. once used up they are to be thrown away) which to the Caretaker's mind is a total waste of resources. There is a way to refill these canisters from 20 or 40 pound propane tanks, it requires a particular attachment. The Caretaker has this attachment and has used it a number of times but there is one problem with refilling "disposable" one pound canisters, the valves were not intended for refilling so eventually the refilled canisters leak. Some leak after one refill, others after four or five refills, and a few will take up to ten refills before leaking, there is a way to cap the one pound canisters so they don't leak but it is not 100% guaranteed, which is fine during the Summer months when the one pound propane canisters are used more as a luxury, however, during the Winter months it is not okay. The Caretaker likes to keep at least four new one pound propane canisters on hand incase of an emergency--like running out of propane before he can get to the mainland to refill his tanks. In the past they used to make "refillable" one pound propane canisters, they were red, they don't make them anymore, or at least they are not available for sale here in the States. (Here in our great country there isn't much profit in things we don't throw away, perhaps with the down turn in the economy our brilliant leaders in Washington will see fit to rescind the legislation that outlawed refillable one pound propane canisters. Better yet, why not make a one pound canister with a valve similar to that which is found on a 20 or 40 pound propane tank so the one pound canisters can be made safe to refill and transport? well, at least relatively safe.) So, for emergency purposes the Caretaker likes to keep some "disposable" propane canisters on hand and that is why he went to the Coleman store, the 30% off sale is why he walked out of there not once but twice with plenty more than just propane canisters.

Being an outlet store most all the merchandise is regularly selling at a discount, with an additional 30% some of the stuff was practically being given away. Most everything the Caretaker bought were things he uses so he didn't feel too bad about this unplanned shopping spree, but there were a few things that he didn't necessarily need but just couldn't pass on the price. One example was another Peak 1 propane stove, the Caretaker already has one but since they have been discontinued the thinking was to have a second as back-up and/or for parts (this was something that the Caretaker had been thinking of doing ever since he learned that the stove was discontinued so this would not really be considered an impulse buy). Another "steal" was a kerosene lantern, the Caretaker also already has one of these but this was a deal he could not let pass. Pressurized kerosene lanterns are not nearly as popular here in the States as electric. propane. or white gas/gasoline lanterns and so the Caretaker has always been mildly concerned that Coleman would at some point discontinue their line of kero lanterns. Although concerned about the possible discontinuation of the kero lantern the Caretaker always felt the cost of a second one as a backup wasn't worth the price. Some retailers charge up to $120-$130.00, the Caretaker bought his first kero lantern for around $80.00 which is certainly less, but not low enough to be worth buying a second. So, how much did the Caretaker spend on the "backup" kero lantern he bought? He walked out of the store having only parted with $33 dollars and change.

While walking around the store looking over the various outdoor products for sale playing the "Do I really need this?" game, the Caretaker noticed that all but one of the kerosene lanterns were price tagged at $80.00. The odd one out was priced at $44.00, that was a price certainly worth paying for a backup lantern. He thought about bringing it to the register to see if they would ring it up as marked, but then thought it would be unwise to try to capitalize on a clerk's error in price marking, so he left it on the shelf and proceeded to find other things he "needed". This was the second time he was in the store, after leaving the first time he looked at his receipt, realized how much he was saving and decided he should go back, he figured he should at least stock up on lantern mantles--and to see if there was anything else he missed. He did come across a few things he missed and so bought them. While his goods were being rung into the cash register by a clerk the Caretaker struck up a conversation with the assistant manager about outdoor products, the usual prices at the store, the prices with the additional 30% off, and a number of other topics. At one point, as the conversation went the Caretaker felt it relevant to share with the assistant manager that one of the kerosene lanterns was miss priced. In the end the lantern was offered to the Caretaker as priced, the Caretaker stated that he didn't feel he should benefit from someone's mistake and so at first declined the offer. The Caretaker then learned from the assistant manager that there is a law that a product on the shelf must be sold as marked, the Caretaker didn't hesitate to take the offer, and so with the additional 30% off, that is how the Caretaker bought a kerosene lantern for $33 dollars and change.

Real exciting stuff huh?

Who doesn't like a good deal?

Anyway, the Caretaker took care of a few other errands and eventually made it back to the Island well after nightfall.

--The Caretaker

TCC for 12/4/08

The Caretaker's Concern 12/4/08

Lake Temp. 43 F.
Ghetto temp. 42 F.
Island tmp. 63 F. Yesterday's L/H: 36/38 F.

Current conditions: Cloud covered night sky, no stars, light South wind, 5 mph with mild gusts

12/4/08


10/6/08


10/13/08


The morning began with rain, hail, and snow with a strong wind from the South. It wasn't looking so hot for the Caretaker's dump run but in the end he was able to make it there. Up on the mountain it was all snow, maybe about an inch accumulation at most. The wind continued on throughout much of the day finally settling down at sunset. At around sunset the Caretaker was in the kitchen doing some work when he left to get a shovel from outside, looking up towards the Narrows he noticed some color upon the East shore so he grabbed his camera and took a few shots, they weren't worth keeping, but when he turned back towards the Ghetto he noticed the color upon the West sky so dashed around to the South dock and took a number of photos. Funny how just yesterday the Caretaker was commenting on how the weather conditions had not been cooperating of late for photography. Granted the photo for today is just another sunset shot, just another lousy day in paradise.

Back to the dump run, so the Caretaker loaded up the boat, in the blowing rain/snow/hail, with a bunch of trash bags and a number of bags of recyclables, motored on over to the mainland and began to load the pick-up truck. The Caretaker then waited for the person who was accompanying him to the dump to gather up his various contributions to the dump. Upon arriving at the dump the Caretaker was hoping to first get rid of the trash and recyclables, but sure enough that didn't happen, the person accompanying the Caretaker drove them over to the metal pile to go scavenging for "finds" to take home. Often times, the person who accompanied the Caretaker to the dump, brings home more than he leaves. The Caretaker was well aware of this person's habits so instead of waiting in the truck he decided to accompany him on his scouring expedition through the metal pile--when in Rome. The Caretaker took great pleasure in pointing out all sorts of things this person could take home and use if he repaired here or there. Oddly enough, the Caretaker ended up finding something he could use, so he took it. What great treasure was it? A plastic fuel spout from a metal fuel can, the can was rusted on the inside so was of no use for fuel but the fuel spout, oh ho, that was a gem--the ridged plastic kind with attached cap and fuel screen. Ever since the state mandated that only ventless fuel cans may be sold these fuel spouts are nearly impossible to come by here in New York. The Caretaker has a lengthy diatribe against the ventless fuel can and how utterly useless they are, but the Caretaker has already shared this in the past so he won't bore his readers again with that nonsense.

So after collecting the found "treasures" the Caretaker and Guest proceeded to unload the garbage and recyclables. At this point the Caretaker figured they'd be on their way, but oh ho, there was still one more place to go--the construction waste dumpsters. So they get out of the truck and have a look around, the Guest doesn't see much of interest but the Caretaker decided he needed some prodding:

"Look at all those 6 by 6 blocks of pine Guest, I bet you could find a use for those, why you could jack up your house with those."
"Nah, they're pine, besides, they're at the bottom, it's hard to get out of there."
"Poo-shaw, you could climb out on that crappy looking box spring."

Guest wasn't interested, so they went over to the third dumpster.

"Not much here," said Guest.
"Look at all those soggy sheets of cardboard, I bet there's something of great value underneath them, why don't you hop down in there an root around, I bet you'll get a real find."
"Nah, not worth it, with the snow and all."
"Guest, you'll never know unless you look."
"I must say, with all your ideas from the metal pile to here, you're certainly getting me a bit excited, but I think I've got enough."

And with that they got in the truck. Both the Caretaker and Guest know that his proclivity to scavenge is perhaps a bit much at times and so the Caretaker doesn't feel bad about revving him on it. Now, to be honest, the Caretaker is a bit of a scavenger himself, not so much in his adult life, but when he was a kid, "junk day" was always a high time. Once a month the collection service allowed people to put out whatever they wanted. Probably the Caretaker's greatest finds have been bicycles, most of which needed but some minor effort to get up and pedalling again. So yes the Caretaker used to scavenge himself, but he would always follow one important rule, if there isn't an immediate need, don't take it. As opposed to Guest who found himself a bucket over in the metal pile:

"Ah-ha, look at this, a perfectly good bucket, all it needs is a new handle."
"Don't you already have enough buckets?"
"You can never have enough buckets."
"Yes. You can have enough buckets."
"I disagree."
"Well, I suppose if you were planning on starting a bucket brigade you'd be right, but I think the modern fire engine has certainly done a great job of wiping out the need for bucket brigades."
"You'll see."
"I know. I can't wait."

Anyway, so the two of them finally start driving out of the dump, as they're heading towards the gates Guest mentions going to the Post Office, which the Caretaker was more than happy to go along with because he needed to check his mail too. They pass through the gates and begin to turn towards town, when Guest then turns the truck the other way and says he needs to check something.

"Oh yes, what's the other way?" Asks the Caretaker while thinking to himself, now what?
"Sand without salt from the road department."

The Caretaker felt this was a worthwhile thing to look into because sand in the Winter is always handy on the drive. Guest stops the truck, turns it off and goes inside. The Caretaker felt no need to go in so he waited in the truck. While waiting he looked over the municipal fuel pumps, he wasn't quite sure but it looked to him like it pumped fuel from the top of the above ground tank. The Caretaker felt this was a foolish way to do it, he was of the opinion that it should draw from a bit above the bottom just in case there was a power failure. In an emergency fuel could still be drawn via gravity. The Caretaker is certainly no expert in these things so he let his mind drop the topic and pondered other things. Eventually Guest returned to the truck,

"No sand."
"They've got fine gravel."
"Nah, sand."

He then went to start the truck. It made a struggling noise but didn't start. Guest tried it again, no luck. Then a third time, still wouldn't start. The Caretaker then suggested turning the ignition completely off and then trying it. The truck started, and down the road to town they went.

"Well, if we're going to the Post Office I would suggest that you do not turn off the truck while were there."
"Nah, it started, I'm going to assumer every thing's okay."

The Caretaker wasn't so sure, especially since he knew how it is that Guest maintained his vehicles. Not being his truck he didn't want to tell another man how to operate it so he quickly began to think of a way to convince Guest that there was real value in not shutting off the truck until they returned to his house, besides, the Caretaker didn't really want to have to walk back from the Post Office.

Then Guest said, "I'm sure it's fine, besides, I've got more pressing things to deal with, the truck is going to have to wait."
BINGO!!!
"Well, if you shut off the truck at the Post Office and it doesn't start, the truck will top your list of priorities."
"Hm. Maybe you're right."

The Caretaker left it at that, but was thinking to himself, "yes I'm right, what is up with you?"

Now, to be fair, the Caretaker knew what was up, Guest was thinking about the fuel wasted while idling. Which is certainly laudable, however, the truck not starting again was a real possibility which would then require a tow, which would consume more fuel than what would be used up while idling at the Post Office. Thankfully Guest did not shut off the truck and they made it home.

Thus concludes the tale of the dump run.
After word: Some of the above dialogue was embellished (but not by much) for illustrative purposes.

--The Caretaker

TCC for 11/19/08

The Caretaker's Concern 11/19/08

Lake Temp. 48 F.
Ghetto temp. 31.75 F.
Island tmp. 30 F. Yesterday's L/H: 26/36 F.

Current conditions: Mild wind from the North, no more than 5 mph. Some clouds to the South, stars visible but no so brilliant, occasional flurry or two here and there. The wind was from the Narrows for much of the day, going pretty good, no precipitation, mostly sunny.

11/19/08


10/6/08


8/6/08


This report is going out earlier than "usual", the Caretaker has to get to the mainland to take care of some business, come tomorrow is the big push for the last part of the kitchen project, shutting down the septic for the main house. From tomorrow on the Caretaker will be residing exclusively (more or less) in the Ghetto for the rest of the Winter. As for today, not much happened to report on. Well, except that the Caretaker had some fried green tomatoes for lunch, but that story, which isn't much of one, will have to wait until tomorrow night.

--The Caretaker

TCC for 11/15/08

11/15/08


10/10/08


8/28/08

TCC for 11/11/08

The Caretaker's Concern 11/11/08

Lake Temp. 50.25 F.
Ghetto temp. 41.5 F.
Island tmp. 40 F. Yesterday's L/H: 41/46 F.

Current conditions: Mild wind from the South, a few mph or so, crisp night, full moon, when clouds aren't obstructing the light of the moon walking about without a flashlight is no problem.

11/18/08


10/24/08


10/6/08


For much of the day on the Lake there wasn't much in the way of wind, an occasional breeze here and there every once in a while. With almost no boat traffic (perhaps a total of 3 boats) the Lake was very quiet. The sort of calm day that even in these colder months it is relaxing to be on the Lake. Come late afternoon the wind began to pickup from the North North West, nothing too strong but enough to have an edge. For the most part the day was mostly cloudy, come late afternoon the sky began to clear a bit, the Caretaker was hoping it would clear entirely by nightfall for the full moon, that however has not happened, at least not yet.

The Caretaker went for a brief walk around the Island in the moonlight, kicked up dried leaves just to hear the sound. The vibrancy of Autumn's glow has long since passed and there isn't much left of the copper (when what leaves are left on the trees have turned to dark red and/or varying shades of brown), soon all of this season's leaves will be taking their final rest, and then all that will remain of Autumn until Winter is the time of stone. For much of the mountain sides here on the Lake the time of stone has long since begun, but down at the shore there is still a bit of copper, so too on a number of the Islands. Some people find Autumn's stone to be rather stark, the Caretaker does not, he enjoys it. When all of the leaves of the deciduous trees have fallen, limbs now bare reveal much of the bed rock that lies hidden beneath the cover of foliage from mid Spring through mid Autumn. It is now, during Autumn stone, before Winter's snow, rocks of gray are revealed. The topography from shore to mountain top can easily be seen, easily enjoyed.

In this way, if it never snows the Caretaker would not be too upset, but in many other ways, if it doesn't snow this Winter, the Caretaker will be rather bummed. At around Noon the Caretaker was returning from the mainland, at Lake level there were a few sprinkles here and there, but up at the top halves of the mountains it appeared to be snow, nothing heavy, nothing that accumulated, but certainly some flurries, perhaps frozen mist. Is there such a thing as frozen mist? Hm, the Caretaker will have to look into that, tomorrow.

--The Caretaker

TCC for 11/8/08

The Caretaker's Concern 11/8/08

Lake Temp. 52.25 F.
Ghetto temp. 58 F.
Island tmp. 56 F. Yesterday's L/H: 53.75/58 F.

Current conditions: Rain off and on, warm, damp, humid, day, gray with clouds and mist and fog.

11/8/08


9/20/08


9/15/08


This day would not exactly be classified as an exciting day, at least not for most people. Back in October, near the end of the month, the Caretaker was in town with S. having lunch. After lunch they went to The Black Bass to see if H. was in, it turns out he was away, but K. was minding the shop so it was a pleasant surprise. What was also a pleasant surprise was that H. had recently acquired a manual typewriter, the Caretaker quickly seized upon it. After determining what was wrong he asked for a price, accepted it and dashed to the ATM machine. This "new" typewriter is going to be a great addition to his collection of manual typewriters, that is after he has the needed repairs done. If you didn't already think the Caretaker was a bit odd you can add this to the list: he likes to use manual typewriters. In fact, it is his second favorite way to write, his first is by hand, his least favorite is the computer. He would write everything by hand except that no one would be able to read it, there are times when even he can't make out what it is he wrote, so, when he corresponds to people he usually uses one of his typewriters to write to them. Unfortunately he has fallen out of the practice of corresponding to people for quite some time now, however, with this new addition to his typewriter collection he has been motivated to break out his typewriters and begin writing again, thus this is an exciting day for the Caretaker. So, what does this mean? For those of you who are unlucky enough to have shared your address with the Caretaker you will probably be getting a letter in the mail sometime between now and the next six months (give or take). As per usual you can expect the normal cockamamie diatribes.

That pretty much sums up the day for the Caretaker, so, instead of carrying on about the joys and pleasures of the manual typewriter he will instead share a story from back in October. (A quick side note, if the Caretaker could figure out a way to connect one of his manual typewriters to his computer instead of using the keyboard he would find his blog much more enjoyable. Odd yes? Anyway...)

It was the week before closing, a Wednesday, the 22nd of October to be exact. The wind was from out of the Narrows all day, it started mild and became progressively windy. At one point the Caretaker went out with his "Beaufort-O-meter" which showed sustained winds of 30+ mph with gusts exceeding 60 mph (his Beaufort-O-meter pins at just above 60 mph so it could very well have been a gust to 70 mph or more). At this point the Caretaker figured that the boat on the North boathouse dock would probably be having some problems with hitting into the dock, and upon going out to the boat sure enough it was. The wind had caused the boat to slip the mooring anchor, so the Caretaker got onto the boat and retied it to the cleat. Even after resetting the anchor line at the cleat the boat was not doing too well, the Caretaker knew that he should just move the boat to the lee of the Island but being lazy he instead tried setting and anchor for the bow. His throw of the anchor from the boat as it bounces up and down on the waves did not exactly go far, heavy anchor into a strong wind usually never goes far, but being lazy he tried working with it anyway. After getting the second anchor set the Caretaker hopped out of the boat and stood on the dock to observe the how effective this second anchor would be at keeping the boat away from the dock. It didn't take long for the boat to slip both anchors. This did not surprise the Caretaker, so he overcame is ever present inclination to laziness and brought in the second anchor, untied the boat and began to motor it around to the South side of the South dock were it would be protected from the wind and the waves. The wind was blowing so strong that before the Caretaker put the engine in the gear the wind and waves had pushed it completely away from the dock and the boathouse putting the boat in the channel without having to do anything other than stand there and watch. Not wanting to leave his direction to the chance of the wind, the Caretaker put the boat in gear and began motoring his way towards the South dock. It didn't take long for the Caretaker to realize a potentially serious oversight, he turned his head to look and sure enough he was dragging the stern anchor. The fool forgot to pull up the first anchor.

Acting fast, he threw the boat into full reverse, well, may be not "full" reverse but he didn't mess around for he was aware of the possibility of something very bad happening. With the boat in reverse the Caretaker left the helm to go bring in the anchor, driving backwards into the wind the waves were crashing over the transom filling the boat with water. Thankfully the boat is double hulled so most of the water that washed over soon emptied out the back of the boat. Ignoring the cold and wet the Caretaker begin to raise the anchor by hand, as he brought up the wet rope it was at this time that he had wished he had brought some gloves. As the anchor was coming up it was getting harder and harder to draw, the Caretaker was concerned that by dragging the anchor he had done one of two things: he caught the phone line which would have been bad, or he caught the power line which would have been really bad.

Both the phone line and the power line to the Island come over from Clay Island, both lines lie on the floor of the Lake, however they do not come over side by side. If you catch one chances are you did not catch the other. So the Caretaker pulled up the rope until he got to the chain, at his point he was a touch hesitant to continue drawing in the anchor. He knew it was caught, and he also knew what both the phone line and the power line looked like, they are very different but at this point in time he could not tell what it was that the anchor was hung up on because it was still too deep in the dark water to see. At this point the Caretaker realized he would have like to have brought out is insulated gloves, not that he has any for this sort of thing but he did realize that at a time like this such items would be nice to have. He then deduced that if the anchor was caught up on the power line and it had become electrified he would have probably been electrocuted by now so he figured he'd keep bringing up the anchor. Sure enough it wasn't the power line, it was the phone line, unfortunately with the drifting of the boat due to the wind, the phone line had become taught and the Caretaker could not get the anchor out from under the line, that is without damaging it. So he dropped the anchor, returned to the helm, reset the boat and then quickly drew in the anchor again, this time he was able to get the anchor out from under the phone line. Relieved he brought the boat around to the South dock and tied it off.

Both the phone line and the power line have slack in them to help prevent them from getting ripped out by say the ice or an absent minded Caretaker so he wasn't too worried about having broken the phone line but he certainly didn't waste anytime checking. At the house phone the Caretaker picked up the handset half expecting there to be silence, thankfully the dial tone was there with its usual bit of low level buzz.

Thus concludes the Caretakers tale of how he nearly took out the phone line. Once again proving that he is not just a mediocre hero but also an international man of shenanigans.

--The Caretaker

TCC for 11/2/08

The Caretaker's Concern 11/2/08

Lake Temp. 51 F.
Ghetto temp. 41 F.
Island tmp. 39 F. Yesterday's L/H: 40/50 F.

Current conditions: Relatively clear starry night. Blush of wind from the East to North East.

11/2/08


10/15/08


10/17/08



Given the extra hour added to the day, the Caretaker decided it was time to go play, and so off to Log Bay to leave behind all worried concerns, upon the land he went to go rambling about any which way. The Sunset photo for this post was take from over on the East shore at the North mouth of Log bay. It was a grand day of hiking, however, since the Caretaker has other business to attend to he's thinking he will save the details for his other blog, when it posts he will be sure to let you know.

Now, for a description of, irisation (although by now many of you will have probably long since lost interest, and more importantly, with all the build up and false starts, this will probably be a let down) but never the less, here goes:

So the Caretaker his driving along, minding his own business when he spots a colorful curiosity in the sky, so he pulls off to the shoulder so he may get a better look. The irisation was occurring upon the clouds on either side of the Sun, but the irisation was only visible upon the clouds in the immediate vicinity of the Sun. As stated prior, while viewing without sunglasses the glare from the Sun was too overpowering to see the effect of the irisation. What the Caretaker would do is alternate between holding is hand up to block the direct light of the Sun and look to either side, or he would position his head so as that the driver's side support post for the roof of his car would serve to block the direct light of the Sun. When doing either of these two things, and while wearing his sunglasses, the irisation was clear as day.

Upon the clouds were all the colors of the rainbow, marbled about in no particular order, or at least none that the Caretaker could discern. All of these colors shimmered like mother of pearl. Another comparison would be like some of the colors seen on chrome exhaust pipes getting hot for the first time. Or, much like those newfangled paint jobs all the kids down in Lodi, N.J. are having applied to their "hot rods", the kind that shifts color as your perspective changes. In other words, a metallic glimmering that speckled all throughout the clouds catching and reflecting the sunlight all throughout, it was a mother of pearl that glowed. All the colors from a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet with the addition of white and black (white from the cloud itself and black from shadows of the cloud. All the colors of the rainbow were there but there were also varying shades of many of the colors of the rainbow, reds, greens, blues, all varying from light to dark and in between, and there was more than violet, there were a few patches of distinct purple, all of the standard colors of the rainbow and then some, all mingled about, shimmering and dancing upon these clouds. It was like two giant colorful palettes on either side of the Sun, perhaps the sort of palettes that Jackson Pollock would have used if he worked in mother of pearl, that is if he even used palettes (Did he? When you just throw paint, why bother with a palette?) Anyway, one of the great things about this is that there were all of these colors, so vibrant, so bright, so shiny, so intense, but not a touch of the gaudy like there is with neon.

So there it is, two rainbow filled palettes, and then some, floating upon either side of the Sun, shining bright colors, applied to the constant blue background rarely seen upon the sky. Too bad the Caretaker didn't have his camera with him, however, chances are he would have probably needed a special filter to capture the irisation. He does have one filter that might have done the trick, but probably not, the only other option would have been to hold his sunglasses in front of the lens, but that probably would not have worked so well. Either way, the irisation actually lasted for quite a while, the Caretaker was able to view it all the way up until around exit 21 on the Norhway, at that point the sun had fallen behind the mountaintops. It's a shame the Caretaker didn't put two and two together, if he did he would have found a pleasant place to stop and watch the irisation for as long as it was to be visible. Oh, well, there is always next time.
Ha. Not likely there will be a next time.

--The Caretaker

TCC for 11/1/08

The Caretaker's Concern 11/1/08

Lake Temp. 52 F.
Ghetto temp. 44F.
Island tmp. 45 F. Yesterday's L/H: 34/55 F.

Current conditions: Mostly calm night, mild wind from the North East, few if any clouds, mostly clear sky, stars rather bright, about as bright as can be expected for this time of year, still a number of people still in the area, thus still a bit of light pollution. Wood smoke accents the wind, blowing in from a property in the area of the Narrows. The wind was from the Narrows all day, blowing rather fast throughout the day. Come early evening it began to slowly settle down, come nightfall it has been a mere whisper so far causing but a gentle lapping of the water along the shore.

11/1/08


11/1/08


10/24/08


For the most part the Caretaker's day was rather uneventful, most of his morning was spent culling bad photos from his hard drive to make way for plenty more bad photos (and the occasional few good ones that he lucks out on). His afternoon wasn't too exciting either, moved a refrigerator, an oven, some lawn furniture, collected old magazines for the dump, etc. It certainly wasn't a bad day by any means, just not all that exciting, which is, pretty much what the Caretaker had planned for.

And so, now, without further digression, the Caretaker presents: The Rare Thing of Beauty as Sighted from his Wreck of a Car on Route 254 (it is 254, he checked a map) While heading West towards the Northway to go home.

So the Caretaker is rambling along in the slow lane, never wanting to push his wreck of a car too much, when for some reason he glances up at the sky, not sure what it is he has seen, but being rather impressed by it he takes his eyes off the road again to look back at the sky. No he did not see a flying saucer, but it was impressive enough to prompt him to pull over to the side of the road so he could concentrate on the sky with no worries about the road, and more importantly, the traffic. These past six months have been chuck full of solar "anomalies", up until now all of them have been just rare, but that which the Caretaker saw this past late afternoon of the 30th of November, 2008 seems to be undefinable, at least from what he has researched on it thus far (i.e. a brief search on Wikipedia). The Caretaker is certainly no expert in such things, and knows what he did not see. He did not see a sundog, the following photo is an example of a Sundog, the Caretaker photographed this from the Island.

10/17/08


He also knows it was most certainly not a rainbow, for an example of a full rainbow as seen from the Island scroll down to the very bottom of this blog (that is if you haven't done so in the past, side note, the rainbow photo at the bottom of this blog was taken on the 6th of October, 2008. Since the Caretaker does not currently own a panoramic lens he took two separate photos, one of each leg of the rainbow and then used stitching software to join the two photos. The software did a much better job than he expected, however, for those of you who know the Lake, not that it can be seen too easily given the small size of this photo, but if you look closely at Black Mountain you will see that it comes to a much sharper and distorted peak than as it exists in reality. The Caretaker tried running the photos through a couple times but either got the same results or worse, for the most part the photo is close enough, but someday when he gets the time he will do the stitching by hand in photoshop.) Anyway, the point is he did not see a rainbow.

The other day "Anonymous" had asked if what the Caretaker saw was "day time Aurora borealis", the Caretaker doesn't think it was that, he did do a brief bit of research on the subject and could find no reference to such a thing existing (at least not on Wikipedia, not that they are experts), but either way, if day time Aurora borealis does exist, the Caretaker is pretty sure that what he saw wasn't that.

Just now the Caretaker glanced up at his wall of books and noticed a reference book that he thought was boxed up and stored. He'll be right back...

... ... ...

Riddle, solved. What the Caretaker saw has been seen before, and it has a name. The Caretaker saw: Irisation.

Apparently it is not too common, at least not in word programs, because it is marked as a misspelling of a variety of words, not like that is any measure of anything. The Caretaker will be right back, he is going to check his Dictionary...

... ... ...

Nor is the word "Irisation" in his Dictionary, however, that is probably because the word most likely falls into the subject of rarely used technical jargon.
Anyway, the definition for Irisation is dead on for describing what the Caretaker saw. Here is the definition from his reference book:

Irisation:
When a thin cloud of water droplets passes across the sun, it may cause a complex optical phenomenon called defraction. To the observer the thinner parts of the cloud can take on all kinds of colors. The mother-of-pearl-like effect often has many red and green highlights. The effect is most common in altocumulus clouds.

Above definition used without permission from:
"The Handy Weather Answer Book" 2nd Edition by Walter A. Lyons, Ph.D. Fellow, American Meteorological Society, Published by Visible Ink Press, ISBN 0-7876-1013-5

The Caretaker's edition of this book is from 1997, there may very well be an updated version, but even if there isn't he highly recommends this book to anyone who is even remotely interested in understanding Weather. A very easy read, the information is very accessible.

So, thus concludes the mystery, there is a name for what the Caretaker saw, Irisation. The above definition does state what he saw, but the Caretaker must say that it is rather lacking. The Caretaker is going to sign off for now, this post has gone on for much longer than he had originally planned to spend on it. However, in either tomorrow's post, or Monday's, the Caretaker will describe what it is he saw in the sky that day, for now he will say this:

"Irisation is the second coolest thing nature (Luna Moth still tops the list), but as far as weather phenomena it is absolutely the coolest thing to see. If someone ever, ever, says to you, 'Look, Irisation.' Drop whatever it is you are doing and go look, even if it is the baby and the bath water, drop it and go look."

Until tomorrow...

--The Caretaker

TCC for 10/20/08

The Caretaker's Concern 10/20/08

The Caretaker certainly has plenty to say:

Windswept sky, filled with dancing leaves...
Familiar sound of crunching underfoot while walking upon leaf speckled lawn...
Gentle warmth fills the lungs from the scent of Autumn's decay...

He'd elaborate but unfortunately doesn't have the time right now, closing of the Island is this coming weekend, and the plumber will be coming to shut off the water sometime next week, there is plenty to be done that is much easier to do while there is running water.

Perhaps some photos between now and then, perhaps some comments too...

--The Caretaker

10/17/08


10/15/08


10/12/08

TCC for 10/9/08

The Caretaker's Concern 10/9/08
Lake Temp. No Lake temperature report until the Caretaker stops swimming for the season.
Ghetto temp. 63 F.
Island tmp. 62 F. Yesterday's L/H: no low/62 F.
Current conditions: Mostly clear night, occasional cloud clusters passing over from North West to South East 10 mph or so, at Lake level the wind is from the South, a gentle breeze, about 3 mph, enough for the water to reflect the moonlight in a broad shimmering swath as a river of chrome.

10/9/08


10/9/08


9/27/08


The first photo is from this morning, taken at around 8 a.m. (EST), the second photo is from this evening at around 6:20 p.m. (EST). As you can see the day ended much different than from how it started. Today ended up being rather
Summer like, while the Caretaker was on the mainland he remarked to himself: "Self, if I were to be running around, I would much prefer to be wearing shorts than the slacks that I am. Thankfully Self you are not running around."

This recent snap of warm weather will help to keep the foliage around, while in town today the Caretaker saw a number of Leaf Peepers out and about on the streets. Hopefully for their sake they will remain for the weekend or return by the weekend because it should be quite a high time for leaf peeping. It's a shame that the majority of them stay mostly to the roads inside their cars, they should get out and about in the woods on foot and take in all that the Great Outdoors has to offer.

What better way to Peep,
Than lying beneath a tree?
Gazing up through the branches
Watching as a gentle breeze
Tumbles around and about, shifting and sliding
Colorful Autumn leaves.

Glorious this colorful collage
Of falling foliage.

So if this is just one of the many things to be seen in the Great Outdoors when out in the outdoors, what is it when seen from say behind a windshield? The not so great outdoors? The inside but outside outdoors? The outdoors from inside? The "outdoors are nice to see but I'm not going out in them" outdoors? Well, who knows? Who cares? Whatever the case maybe, the Caretakers only real point is this: get out and enjoy the foliage. Not Autumn where you are? Get out and enjoy the foliage anyway, if you want bring a couple of cans of spray paint and color the leaves yourself. That's a joke, don't spray paint the leaves on the trees. Seriously, don't do that. They're covered enough in pollution. Which is not a joke either, don't cover the leaves in pollution. Seriously, don't do that. Stop it. Whiny child's voice: "God, they're covering the leaves in pollution."

--The Caretaker

TCC for 10/8/08

The Caretaker's Concern 10/8/08
Lake Temp. No Lake temperature report until The Caretaker stops swimming for the rest of the season.
Ghetto temp. 60 F.
Island tmp. 62 F. Yesterday's L/H: No report
Current conditions: Total cloud coverage, mild wind from the South, about 5 miles or so per hour.

10/8/08


9/27/08


9/3/08


The Caretaker has decided to start up with the narrative again, today is the day, it seems to be as good as any. The Caretaker would like to say "thank you" to all his loyal readers who have been keeping up with his photography these past few months. It seems that the last time the Caretaker posted a narrative to his blog was around the middle of May. What follows is the Caretaker's attempt to get you all caught up with what has been going on in the life of the Caretaker these past months and so with out further distraction:

Things happened. The Caretaker did stuff.

When the Caretaker woke up this morning it was another chilly start to the day, however, not as cold as it has been these past few days. According to the weather report this warming trend is supposed to continue, it would certainly be nice if this were to prove to be true. Yes the Caretaker is looking forward to the Winter, but he is not looking for it to come upon so soon. He seems to be getting his wish, at least for now, it is now around 9 o'clock at night (EST) and it is currently warmer outside than it is in either the main house or the Ghetto.

Ha. Ha... Ha. Oh how the Caretaker amuses himself with such silly jokes, about the past 6 months or so, to be honest what he wrote above pretty much sums it up, however, there are a few things he could and should expand upon, and he will, but at a later date.

Autumn has certainly arrived, the leaves on the trees have begun to change, and it is probably safe to say that they haven't peeked yet. This coming weekend could be pretty good viewing for the "Leaf Peepers". The Caretaker has had two sightings of Loons on the Lake over these past two weeks: one was just the other day while coming back to the Island, the other was early in the morning while on the Island. The Caretaker heard the call of a number of Loons all at once, so he leapt out of the Ghetto with camera in hand and raced over to East shore of the Island. They gave off quiet a number of trumpets, but unfortunately they were rather far and there wasn't enough light so none of the Caretaker's photos came out well, so he deleted them all. It is still early in the season for all of the Loons to have migrated South for the Winter, there is still hope for more opportunities to hear and see Loons before the Winter winds begin to blow.

There is still much for the Caretaker to do this night so he will leave off for now, if all goes well, he will pick up again tomorrow evening.

--The Caretaker

TCC for 9/8/08

9/2/08


8/6/08


8/4/08

TCC for 9/4/08

9/3/08


9/3/08


9/3/08

TCC for 5/31/08

TCC for 5/20/08

The Caretaker's Concern 5/20/08
Lake Temp. 53 F.
Ghetto temp. 57 F.
Island tmp. 57 F. Yesterday's L/H: 50/51 F.
Current conditions: Mostly clear sky, star filled moonlit, mild wind from North West.

The daily text report has been suspended from May 17th, 2008 to after the weekend of May 17th/19th, 2008. However, daily photos will still be posted.


--The Caretaker

TCC for 5/14/08

The Caretaker's Concern 5/14/08
Lake Temp. 53.5 F.
Ghetto temp. 65 F.
Island tmp. 65 F. Yesterday's L/H: 48.5/63.5 F.
Current conditions: Total cloud coverage, mild to moderate in density, light wind from the North.

Late in the morning the Caretaker had planned to canoe over to G. G.'s to water the house plants and then stop in at Clay Island for some more leaf wrangling. After arriving at G. G.'s the Caretaker realized that he forgot the house key, so he hopped back in the canoe and paddled over to Clay. After arriving at Clay he realized that he had forgotten his work gloves, not that the Caretaker is above working barehanded, but he is in the habit of wearing gloves when working with his hands and to wrangle leaves without gloves would most likely cause friction burns on the palms and fingers of his hands. Once these friction burns become calloused all is well, however, during the interim it can make things a touch difficult with hands being tender and raw. So the Caretaker hopped back in the canoe and paddled back home, by now it was almost lunch time so the Caretaker lunched. The off Island obligations will have to wait for later.

While preparing his lunch the Caretaker heard a loud bang come from the South end of the Island. He went out to investigate. On the South side of the South dock was a center console type boat with three men in it, they were holding on to the dock, a fourth was standing on the dock with his fishing rod in hand.

"Having boat trouble?" The Caretaker asked, he wasn't very pleased and made sure his tone expressed this.
"We got hung up on the dock here." Said one of the men in the boat.
Knowing that this was false the Caretaker responded, "will you need help getting unhung up?"
"Oh no, we're all set."
Seeing a bunch fishing rods and gear in the boat the Caretaker asked, "how's the fishing?"
"We just got started."
By this time the fourth man was working his way back into the boat.
"Good luck fishing," said the Caretaker. He then turned his back on them and walked towards the house to finish preparing his lunch. The boat of fishermen motored away from the dock.

Every once in a while this sort of thing happens, the last time it was a pontoon boat full of "Easterners", they had brought their boat up along side of the South shore of the Island. When the Caretaker came upon them, two men from the boat were standing on the South shore, this was a mildly amusing incident, but the Caretaker will share this story at another time.

After lunch the Caretaker began the ritual raking and burning, once the fire was started he moved on to do some milling work. At one point in time, while adding some more brush to the fire the Caretaker noticed a family of Geese over on Little Recluse Island. Grabbing his camera and tripod the Caretaker took a few minutes to get some photos. Baby water fowl are certainly cute, too bad there are far too many Geese, cute as they may be as younglings, as adults they can be quite a nuisance (as flying crap machines). If the Caretaker was smart he would get his hunting license so he can harvest some Geese come the proper season. Sometime ago the Caretaker came up with a way to go at it with a Goose in hand to hand combat, he should probably give it a go some day. Arrrrrrr.

--The Caretaker