Today's sky report

Today's report is going to be a little retroactive. After one of the longest periods of time with cooler than normal temperatures and a total lack of sun that I can remember (it had to be 8 or 9 days), I walked off the plane in North Carolina last Friday to see sun and feel the warmth of an 85 degree day. It's amazing how your spirits can lift just by the color of the sky and the temperature. My business in NC had me picking up a motorcycle I had bought and riding it north. Never satisfied, I found that the riding weather on Friday was too warm and sunny; my protective riding gear is not suited for the heat. Eventually, clouds occluded the sun and the ride became more bearable. I passed through an area where the rain had just swept through and saw about 50% of a rainbow. Rainbow gawking and motorcycling in traffic do not make a good combinations, so I never found the other half. I made Fredericksburg, VA by dark and stayed there.

The next day, I was out by 7 a.m. and riding in the relative chill of the sunny morning air. The first part of the day was perfect for riding - temperatures in the upper sixties or low seventies. Winding across the Virginia countryside, I could do nothing but smile. The views were wonderful and even the interstates were spackled with colored flowers. A prolonged stop in PA that afternoon allowed a thunderhead to catch up with me. I though I could wait it out in a restaurant, but eventually the desire to gobble distance overcame the lack of desire for riding in the rain. Setting out, the rain had lightened, at least for a bit. With the bike rolling at a fairly constant speed, I eventually caught the beginning of the front, and went through some lightening and thunder. This happened a couple of times, as did the heavier portions of the downpour. With each break in the moisture action, I scanned for rainbows, but alas, they were not evident. I eventually rode out of the rain and whatever parts of my person that were wet, dried off.

After a perfect weather day on Sunday (70's, sunny and dry), which I foolishly didn't ride in, I left for the final leg home. Another gorgeous morning, another afternoon rain event. Ride, rinse, repeat. Dry when I arrived home, I figured the lawn could use some of my attention. But when the sky went black, and the crackles and booms began, my plans changed.

Today's sky report....

....could be like yesterday's or tomorrow's. I'm getting pretty sick of the grey, cold, wet, run-on sentence that May has become. Oh, sure, every so often a ray of liquid gold pours in on us like a tiny snack cake for a man who's dying of hunger, but it's not enough. I WANT A DAY FULL OF SUN. Interestingly enough, there are now studies that say we should stand in the sun for 15 minutes several times per week without sunscreen so our bodies can absorb an appropriate amount of vitamin D (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050523/ap_on_he_me/sunshine___cancer). Here in New Hampshire, we're shopping for multi-tabs.

Today's sky report

Last night, on my way to Blogstock 2005, I drove into the clouds. Heading east, the bank of fog rose ever higher until it completely subsumed my car. In a figurative sense, the evening brightened considerably as I met some other seacoast area bloggers. Loosely organized by Kreblog (http://www.kreblog.com/), we had Seacoast Perspective (http://seacoastguy.blogspot.com/) for a short while, Granite Rants (and future blogger, Mrs. Granite Rants) (http://graniterants.blogspot.com/) and Contagious (http://icontagious.blogspot.com/). They are a fine group of entertaining bloggers who make for an even more entertaining evening when you meet them in person. Some thoughts/observations:

* The Black and Tans had it over the Fuggles until Mrs. Granite Rants switched sides.
* They each seem to know what they want their blogs to be, even to the point where they have someone for which they write. I have to give this some consideration.
* Here's my awards (you had to have been there to win):
- Best Writing: Contagious
- Best Use of Photography: Granite Rants
- Best Political Diatribe: Seacoast Perspective
- Most Observant: Kreblog
* Due to my advanced age, I missed a lot of the cultural icons of the 30-somethings that were there. Red Dawn party? Hmmm...I think I must have been raising kids and keeping the TV off in the 80's and 90's.
* Mrs. Granite Rants should definitely get her blog going, as should Mrs. Kreblog. More fun for everyone.

It was a great evening which I hope will be repeated.

Today's sky report

This one should probably be called yesterday's sky report. I was outside all day yesterday at an Experience Rider's Course put on by the State of NH DMV and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (I highly recommend this to all motorcyclists, by the way). When I left my house at 8 a.m., it was 52 degrees and cloudy. When I returned home at 6 p.m., it was 48 degrees and misty. In between, it was never sunny, but it did brighten once or twice, almost as if the day didn't want to be so bad. But throughout the day, the rain come in cycles - it would start with almost a mist, gather strength and turn into a hard rain, and then fade to a mist again. The cycle repeated maybe 3 times. Fortunately, the riding suit I wear makes the wet, gray day bearable - that, along with long underwear - IN MAY!

Today's sky report

I came to work today, pool-less, on my propeller bike (the propeller describes the insignia, not the power train). As I looked up and around, I felt like I was in a cereal bowl. (I think I may have used this simile before.) The edges of the sky all around me were grey, but directly overhead it was blue. In the cereal bowl were tiny, shiny toys moving down the freeway. For fiber, we had the trees. Later on, I learned that the grey all around was caused by fog banks. The supermoist air smeared my face shield, rendering me myopic. I rode on, hoping the smear would disappear, but I fear that eventually I had to clear using what was near (my glove) . Oh, dear.

Today's sky report

What's with all this rain on the weekends? My "lawn" is a patchwork of multiple field greens and swamp growth and it has been thriving on the extra water in much the same way that Popeye bulks up with a can of spinach. It doesn't grow evenly all over; there's too much variation in the species. Just like how Popeye's arms and chest grew while his waist and legs stayed the same, there are some incredibly shaggy portions of grass next to low lying patches of moss. Only with the great equalizer (the lawn tractor) can I get any semblance of order out there. If I ever decide to move, I'm thinking of letting the "lawn" grow and selling the house as "a beautiful county home in a field setting".

Today's sky report

It never seems to fail. When I forget to cover the grill after barbecuing, it rains overnight. You don't want to put a cover on a wet grill because the resulting black vinyl hot-house is a perfect breeding ground for the rust ants. And then the next sunny morning, you say, "I will cover the grill when I get home. That will give it time to dry out from last night's rain. That will surely kill off any rust ants who have begun to nest in my grill." You become a liar when it rains on your way home. The grill sits through another rainy night, the rust ants cling to the grill and you worry about the cost of replacing the darn thing, even though you know it's good for several more years. It's sunny this morning with showers predicted for later in the day. The rust ants rejoice.