Monday, December 8, 2008

Early Winter Nights

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that maybe there is something wrong with your monitor, because these photos are so very dark. Well, maybe you're not thinking that. Maybe you're wondering why these photos are so dark. I tell you why, in just a few...

Okay, it's because I took these after it was already dark. This wasn't late at night. It was early in the evening. Here in the continental United States it gets like this at this time of year. As anybody that lives this far north knows, as the end of the year approaches, it gets dark very early here. These photos were taken at about 5:00 PM. I'm not really sure how that works in other parts of the world.

I've only ever been out of my own country twice in my life. I know that most people never leave their home country. I've only been to the country south of us, Canada, but that was no help in seeing a difference, because it gets dark there about the same time as here. Maybe it changes further away there, but I don't know.

Wait a minute. I said south, didn't I? Everyone who has looked on a map knows that Canada is north of the U.S. Was I wrong then? Not even a little bit. As far as I know, I live in the only area of the continental U.S. that is actually north of Canada. Our Detroit River runs back southwest from lake to lake, putting us to the north of Canada. We are to the northwest of a small part of Canada.

I know. I give bad directions, so look it up. All of us here in Michigan know about it. Now you do too. So that's you're incomplete geography lesson of the day from the Everyday Adventurer. That's really not what I was going to talk about though. I just remembered it, and thought it was interesting.

I guess the real point was supposed to be how dark it is here. This early darkness is making it hard for me to have my everyday adventures. I might have to show some inside things sometimes, but I don't really have anything planned yet. We only have a month to go before the days start getting longer again, so it's not too bad. Except that it will be getting colder in the months to come.

I guess that's going to make it hard for me to come up with things to do. Then I'll just have to try a little harder, won't I? The point is to find adventure every day, and that's just what I intend to do. The fact that it will be hard, is what will make it more exciting. It should be interesting for me, and maybe you, to see what I can come up with.

Maybe I could sneak around the forest at night. I've never done that before. With no one willing to go with me, it might be kind of dangerous. That would be exciting. Then I could tell you how I broke my leg running around in the dark by myself. It would hurt, but it would be interesting. Maybe I'll just walk.

I was reminded the other day about the possums around here. They are an animal that is plentiful around here, and they are very nocturnal. I'll be watching for a possum. They don't like the winter, but they're still out there. They get about twice the size of a cat sometimes, and they are interesting to see. Maybe I'll see one some time.

I have more thoughts on these early nights, but I'll give the rest when, and if, they happen. It should be fun trying to come up with a new thing every day. And if it's not that good, then you can all laugh at me as these posts get crazier and crazier. When that happens, you can even leave me a comment telling me of my failure, and new found insanity, I don't mind. It might actually be really fun.

Okay, enough of this. There is actually still plenty of daylight to work with around here, so I won't have that hard of a time. This was just a little comical diversion, where I explained one of my fears of this upcoming winter season. So far, I've had a much better time than I thought I would this time of year. See you later.


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8 comments:

  1. The other side of the globe over here is programmed to see daylight at 7am and in complete darkness from 8pm. This is the only programme, valid for whole year long.
    We have only summer, hot, hot and again hot, until there come the raining days that we consider "autumn"..... from Malaysia.

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  2. The magic of Christmas moves about under a cloak of darkness guided only by the light from a winter moon falling gently on a snow filled countryside.

    Ratty, I love you pictures; your eye for the unique is to be commended.

    A.J.

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  3. I used to have winter nights like that when I lived in Illinois. How I miss those.

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  4. Great information, Rainfield61. It's amazing to learn about things like this from the different parts of the world. It's easy to read about it in a book, but it's better to get it from someone like you, who is actually there. :)

    Thanks A.J., for the compliment, and for the poetic words. Now I feel all Christmasy.

    Hi Brad. Right now I don't miss nights like these very much, but I know I would if I moved away.

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  5. Here on the W side of MI it is light very late in the summer. But even in the winter we have light for almost an hour after people in the eastern US. But it's weird to walk the dog at 4:30 and realize that it's getting dark already.

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  6. Thanks, Sharkbytes. Great part of our time changes that I wanted to explain, but kept forgetting to say. I remember when I was a kid walking home from school at this time of year, and it was already getting dark. That was pretty depressing. The extra cloudy days are what really can shorten a good day. I'm glad we have the thoughts of the holidays to ease that a little bit.

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  7. No kidding. I had to turn on the light to read a book with lunch today. I could believe in developing S.A.D. And the snow was so deep and fluffy that even the snowshoeing was a challenge!

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  8. The good thing is that in less than a month, the days will be getting longer again.

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