June Winds Down
Thursday, June 25, 2009
As we head into the last days of the month of June, the weather is still fickle with clouds and sprinkles and surprise clear sunrises. Well, June is a cloudy month usually and this month has been no exception. And it has had a few surprises like the heavy downpours just prior to Father's Day weekend. Funny I just realized my headline for this post "June Winds Down". Could be June winds (as in the wind blows) or wind down (as in coming to a close). Well, I will leave it, you know what I mean.Using a weather word out of context, ha, ha!
I am going to Jack Capell's memorial service in Seattle on Saturday. Read my previous post about this long-time weather icon of the Portland area. May he rest in peace.
Lots of turmoil in the world right now besides extreme weather events that's for sure. One thing is always certain there will always be weather and always be plenty of news, good and bad.
At my Beach House last weekend as I was walking over the dunes to the beach I came across a bald eagle resting on a log and was really close to this great creature. The picture above is the quick shot I was able to get. Poor thing though, as it flew off it appeared to have seaweed and maybe fishing line around its feet.
A few paragraphs of a weather novel I am writing:
"Pulling weeds wasn't his favorite task in the world and cutting grass and washing cars made him tired and hungry. But what can one expect from a growing 13 year old boy? The hot August sun was high in the sky and he could feel the moisture on his face and with a keen desire to wipe his brow, he declines as he glances down at his soil laden hands. He should have worn gloves today. His mother tells him to dig his fingernails into a bar of soap before he heads out the door to pull weeds. She says the dirt won't get under his nails. A mother always cares about your well being and appearance while a father tends to share your dreams. And his father always tells him, "Another day, and another dollar".
His day dreams take him beyond the chickweed beneath his knees and he begins to wonder how much money he has in his cash box. It seems like a very long summer doing odd jobs and chores while watching his friends play ball and kick the can. "Hey Wade, come out and join us in kickball, we need another player!" "Maybe later" he replies while pushing his face lower to the ground along the fence line and jerking on those weeds. He thinks they are beginning to grow beneath his legs and looking in front of himself, he sees a row of weeds that must be a hundred feet long. At least it is job security as he knows they'll just grow back and the neighbors will have him back soon. "If they would just quit watering the garden I could be out on the streets having fun," he mumbles to himself.
The only thing keeping him going is a soon to be trip to Pacific Hardware in downtown Portland to purchase a wind gauge displayed on the second shelf up behind the front counter. It has his name on it you know. Well, not really but they know he is working hard for it. His father said he would help him place it on their rooftop. He hopes to get it up and running by the time school starts after Labor Day. Most of Wade's friends want to be a policeman, fireman, or engineer when they grow up, be he wants to be a weatherman.
He counted, twenty-six, twenty six and fifty three cents, twenty six and ninety-five cents. "Well, just eight dollars and five cents plus bus fare and I will have it" he mutters to himself. He straightened out the wad of dollar bills and double counted all the coins. Yep, he could see the wind blowing now and telling everyone just how fast, but not before a few more weeks cutting grass and washing about every car in the neighborhood. Those big tail fins, dual headlights and a ton of chrome to boot seem like an endless possibility but he was determined to earn that cash.
The fall rainy season and windy weather usually begin during the month of October in the Pacific Northwest and 1962 would be no different so he wants to be ready. Wade knows right where he will mount the wind meter in his bedroom. Next to the desk and dresser, there is a crack in the lathe and plaster that his dad never repaired (remnants of the wear and tear from his older brother when he had the room) and it will cover it perfectly. He hopes the cabling will reach from the top of the house, down the eaves, around the front corner of the house and in under the window. His father isn't too happy about having to drill holes in the wall or such.
Wade has read many books on weather and always had his eye upwards watching the clouds dancing in the sky and dreaming of wind, rain and snow coming his way. Embedded deep into his sky-blue eyes was a keen sense of intuition and adventure; he had all the makings of a real weather eye. For such a young lad he had a shrewd way of noticing subtle changes in his surroundings. The activity of birds and insects, the rustling of leaves and a true ability to recognize quickly signs of changes in the weather. One day soon he would experience the thrill of a lifetime."
Enjoy the weekend as it appears to be a nice one, real summer like 80 degrees or better.
What the government does not tell you! Read Here
-- posted by Pat Timm @ 9:58 PM,
