Winter solstice

While commenting about winter solstice consider taking a look at the upcoming planetary conjunction if the weather is clear in your region. Even three days ago, both planets were visible at 60 x in my telescope.

And its free to look!

706jim wrote:While commenting about winter solstice consider taking a look at the upcoming planetary conjunction if the weather is clear in your region. Even three days ago, both planets were visible at 60 x in my telescope.

And its free to look!

Conjunction, yes - Jupiter and Saturn get really friendly in the next few days.

Funny fact. The earth is actually closest to the sun right now during our coldest of days.

Sort of like why does fat chance and slim chance mean the same thing....conundrum.

This phenomenon has affected me more this Fall/year than any other year that I can remember. Less hours of daylight/sunlight equals less vitamin D.. (a certain percentage is required for good health) Look here

The pandemic is only as strong as our (human) immune-systems' weaknesses. Enough about that.....  

I had read an article some years ago stating that it's important upon waking... that a sufficient amount of light enter our eyes in those first few minutes. This has a direct effect on mood, outlook.. psyche.. etc. The more light.. (simulated sunlight) the better; jump-starting your day with a positive outlook. I believe that to be true.

This year......... .... has been a tough assignment. A reality-slap. We're seeing just how vulnerable the human race really is.

So true roddie.

I have looked forward to this day ever since the 21'st of June when each day we get less sunlight.  Feels good to go positive after six months of going negative.  I'm an outdoor person and I love the sunlight.  

Dr. Fauci sp? says to take 600 units of vitamin D per day as he does.  I'm not a health nut but I do take a one-a-day vitamin each day that contains only 175 USD but I go through a gallon of milk each week which should help.  

Winter = SAD  - Seasonal Affective Disorder

rsv1cox wrote:Winter = SAD  - Seasonal Affective Disorder

Is that when people feel an unexpected compulsion to buy engines, kits and modeling gear?

Man I am just getting my panties untwisted from a hurricane season the went through two alphabets, English and Phonetic. So I loves short days thank you!! Keep em short!!
BOOOooooooYAAaaaaaaa!!!!

Being a member of the Royal Order of the 21sters, tomorrow marks the first day of spring!

1st day of spring isn"t until July in Mn.!

First day of Winter when the temperature drops below 60 deg-F (15 deg-C), all the Okinawans are wearing overcoats. (Okinawa is at the same latitude as Miami, FL.)

OhBee wrote:1st day of spring isn"t until July in Mn.!

So you have different start times to the seasons in the same country?  I would never have guessed that one!  And the first day of Spring is in the middle of the month?  Another first for me.
The whole of Australia has all seasons at the same time. Each season starts on the first day of a month- i.e. Summer starts December 1st, Autumn on March 1st, Winter on June 1st and Spring on September 1st.
I would have just assumed that the northern hemisphere was directly opposite to our seasons Down Under.
Well there you go.  I learned something today!!

Well no not really...THEY say its spring...according to the calendar...we don't. Especially when there's still a foot of snow on the ground.....like last year!.....this is last "spring" !...April

From my FB page:

As we endure the shortest day of the year, our friends in New Zealand celebrated their LONGEST day with a Vintage Control Line Combat and Balloon Bust Meet.

I copied Gerald's great report and photos, but couldn't do the same for the mini-videos which are posted here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/738474249623510/?multi_permalinks=2096719000465688&notif_id=1608554196571684&notif_t=group_activity&ref=notif
_________________________________________________
Gerald Wimmer
Control Line Flying New Zealand
53m  ·
The Kakanui Vintage Combat (longest day) meeting was a lot of fun with a good turn out, flying from 10am continued till 8.30pm.

We flew the balloon burst event in the morning and combat after lunch and general fun flying and trimming till we were totally exhausted. By 9.30pm it was too dark to continue the tidy up.

The big combat carnage I expected did not eventuate partly due careful flying of the 'vintage' models but the day did leave us with a big mess of streamers and balloons pieces over the field.

Flying combat with relatively slow vintage models has its challenges as the old Fox and OS engines we used got hot and finicky with a muffler and seem really slow compared to a modern OS FP25 or Magnum 25GP . My new VooDoo with its Fox 36X was twitchy and relatively slow (compared to my Magnum 36 on pipe) but had a nice mellow sound by comparison.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the balloon burst with the cardboard wall following the series of balloons on sticks , meaning you had to dive down then suddenly climb away before you hit the wall in spectacular fashion.

Otto proved his reactions here while I made the worst crash of the day. Special thanks to my wife Alina who prepared a nice lunch and John Carrodus for his support of the event. Hopefully next year we will get even more people along and a few more daring flyers .

With a bit of luck we will run a C/L fun scale day in the new year here in Kakanui . Hope you all have a good and safe Christmas

That looked like a blast!.....and T-shirt weather!

WOW! Thanks Kim! How cool is that??? Becoming a member of this forum (7 years ago) has been my first experiences communicating with people "globally" and on a frequent basis. I'm so used to my native (New England) climate of four somewhat distinct seasons.. that I often forget that it's a lot different down South; right here in N. America. I've never really dreamed of traveling abroad (or with one) but I have been to Aruba and C.D. Victoria, Mexico. I've actually been interested in recent domestic riverboat cruises.. and think that I/we (Lynne and I) would enjoy cruising the entire Mississippi river.. if such a cruise was offered.

Sorry to stray off-topic..

roddie wrote:WOW! I've actually been interested in recent domestic riverboat cruises.. and think that I/we (Lynne and I) would enjoy cruising the entire Mississippi river.. if such a cruise was offered.

Sorry to stray off-topic..

Well, I'm parked here on the Mississippi River about 100 miles south of St. Louis, and will be expecting to treat you and Lynn to dinner in one of our restaurants should you come within range!!!

roddie wrote:WOW! Thanks Kim! How cool is that??? Becoming a member of this forum (7 years ago) has been my first experiences communicating with people "globally" and on a frequent basis. I'm so used to my native (New England) climate of four somewhat distinct seasons.. that I often forget that it's a lot different down South; right here in N. America. I've never really dreamed of traveling abroad (or with one) but I have been to Aruba and C.D. Victoria, Mexico. I've actually been interested in recent domestic riverboat cruises.. and think that I/we (Lynne and I) would enjoy cruising the entire Mississippi river.. if such a cruise was offered.

Sorry to stray off-topic..

Another native New Englander here. I have been to almost ever one of the continuous 48 and Canada and Mexico, but there is nothing like home.

But I have fond memories of Florida too, spent most of 50 years there. A standout was one January first strolling with my wife in 80 degree weather while friends and relatives were digging out from a historic snowfall in New Hampshire. Went home and jumped in the pool. Longest/shortest day meant little then.

Kim wrote:

roddie wrote:WOW!  I've actually been interested in recent domestic riverboat cruises.. and think that I/we (Lynne and I) would enjoy cruising the entire Mississippi river.. if such a cruise was offered.

Sorry to stray off-topic..

Well, I'm parked here on the Mississippi River about 100 miles south of St. Louis, and will be expecting to treat you and Lynn to dinner in one of our restaurants should you come within range!!!

Wouldn't that be great! We wanna try an Amtrak rail-trip too. Maybe we could get a pkg.deal by rail from RI to MN, a river cruise from MN to LA, and by rail; back home from LA to RI...

Retirement bucket-list item (priority "high"). If we're lucky... retirement will be in about 5 years from now. I will be 65.. and Lynne will be 67.

rsv1cox wrote:

Another native New Englander here.  I have been to almost ever one of the continuous 48 and Canada and Mexico, but there is nothing like home.

But I have fond memories of Florida too, spent most of 50 years there.  A standout was one January first strolling with my wife in 80 degree weather while friends and relatives were digging out from a historic snowfall in New Hampshire.  Went home and jumped in the pool.  Longest/shortest day meant little then.  

Fifty years in Florida.. Sheeesh.. RI, NH, FL.. WV.. Was that historic snowfall (NH) in 1978 by chance? The "Blizzard of 78" paralyzed my native area of SE Massachusetts. Snowmobiles were allowed on the roads for nearly a week. EDIT: The Blizzard of (19)78 started on 2/5/78 and broke-up on 2/7/78.

Blizzard of 78 info.

yow... 3 years ago thread........

roddie wrote:yow... 3 years ago thread........

I forgot all about this thread, and I posted in it twice. I should have tacked my Solstice thread on here. Gain another few seconds today.