Feb 16 2023 - Fire Falls in Yosemite

 

This is the month when for three weeks there is an amazing phenomenon. Horsetail Falls on the east side of El Capitan is lit up by the sun for about 10 minutes a day towards sunset.  It looks like flowing fire.  To see this display reservations are required.  There's almost a full page of how to get them on the Yosemite website. And then the rules and regulations about being there. How does this natural phenomenon work?  Horsetail Fall must be flowing - it is an ephemeral waterfall so can be dry or not flowing.  Then the sky must be clear without cloud cover or haze. It occurs during a short time during sunset.  It is about 10 minutes. And how was this figured out? Ansel Adams had a picture of the falls in 1959, but no mention was made of the fire effect. There are no records by white settlers or native tribes either.  It was in 1973 when a hiker took a picture of the firefall and shared it later.  Looking at this picture below, doesn't it seem strange that this wasn't seen and recorded?  This comes from Dave Koch at PetaPixel and he provides all the information needed for photographers.  It is HERE.  He's got various shots taken with his numerous cameras.  And they are absolutely wonderful.   And this picture of Winterthur Spring Bank was taken a few years ago in April.  Today there are Crocuses blooming on the Spring Bank - I would assume millions of them.  They call them Tommis - latin name is Tommasinianus and is the earliest crocus.  When will mine bloom?  Early April - months away.  But  we do get Snowdrops in February and they are showing their tiny white flowers - they just don't want to open up yet. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Apr 16 2022 - And Time for Canadian Easter

 

Is there anything distinctive about Easter in Canada similar to that distinctive way we call our Thanksgiving "Canadian Thanksgiving".   Yes, there are at least two Canadian Easter jokes that express what makes Canadian Easter Canadian.  They are below.   There is the new Pixar animation film, Turning Red, set in Toronto.  It is about a 13-year-old girl who transforms into a giant red panda when she gets too excited.  There are "easter eggs" throughout the movie/trailer.   “There are a couple of great Canadian Easter eggs in this trailer and we can't wait for Canadian audiences to see more when the film hits theatres next year,” Mason said Tuesday in a release. HERE's the trailer.  When you find them, let me know.  I don't see anything, but find the trailer very cute.  I wish they were just easter eggs and not some special message. There is one obvious difference between Easter in the US and Canada. We do not have mass congregations for Easter.  In the US, the President and First Lady host the White House Easter Egg Roll, a tradition dating back to 1878.  Approximately 30,000 people will take part this year.  The last time that anywhere near that many people congregated in Ottawa was in February with the Convoy Protest and we weren't at all pleased.

Today's image comes from the Niagara Falls Greenhouse lawn.  These are one of the Spring ephemerals - Chinodoxa. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca