Fay Turns Away

This was the first hurricane to a be threat this season. But it took a turn and seems like it will blow by The Trigger without any effect. There was no rain, even. We did have a nice breezy overcast day that continues still. In these conditions, it was nice to make it out to the owls' perches to arc ambidextrous and keep the tether tight.

The leap of progress seems locked in for this plateau. That feels great. Another 300 completed with many consecutive completions. I'm also getting further out with greater ease. It's all coming to me. When I stopped chasing after it, it became so easy. It feels effortless and flowing. This is a boost that I can savor concretely. Meaning, without any doubt; with absolute sureness.

No longer in the danger zone

Hurricane Fay took a turn to the east just as I hoped and figured. This is usually what happens when a storm comes hugging up close from Cuba. You can see the tracking forecast progression. It goes more and more east as it heads north. In the end, there no way of really knowing where a storm will go, but this has been the general trend. I'm glad the trend continues. And that it remains a tropical storm instead of growing to hurricane status.

Lots of wind and rain. The drenching was good. It passed right over Lake Okeechobee and dropped several inches. That lake was reported to be around three inches low in level, so Fay helped to fill it back up. The balance of nature in action.

Giant Grass as Ideal Biofuel

Here's another story I liked hearing. It's about giant grass (scientific name being Miscanthus Giganteus). I thought it was about bamboo, but this grass is more like grass as I think of it except the blades are much bigger. It is similar to bamboo in that it is from China, too. The full nonscientific name is Giant Chinese Silver Grass.

Here is a solution that has yet to be utilized. This fast-growing plant can be used to replace food crops like corn and soy for bio-fuel. I like that it takes it carbon as it grows which offsets the carbon emissions it creates when burned as fuel. Also, the story mentions that it's a crop that only needs planting only once, unlike the other bio-fuel sources.

Giant Chinese Silver Grass

Cottonwood Treehouse

Here's another recent mention of the cottonwood tree. I came across it by accident while doing a crossword puzzle. The clue for 32 Across was 'Cottonwood tree.' The answer was 'ALAMOS'. Didn't know this was the Spanish name for this poplar tree before. I'm glad to think of the cottonwood tree now instead of having it connote war or rentals. Much better to think of cottonwood which is a poplar tree (another great word attached to a great image). It appears to be sturdy wood judging by the use of dead cottonwood tree trunks used to support the treehouse in this story. I like that the interior walls are made of old doors, one serving as a fold down table that seats six.

Cottonwood Treehouse

Tail of Discovery

The oldest of the Space Shuttles launched yesterday at around 5pm. I saw the trail of Discovery's rockets from the backyard. I was hoping to see more (I've seen the shadow of the shuttle and the glow of its engines ahead of the trail both during day and evening launches), but the sky was hazy. There were thick clouds just above the horizon nearby and a layer of stratus further away, so I didn't see the trail till the shuttle cleared the nearby cumulus clouds and soon lost it when it entered the stratus layer. The result? An unimpressive live sighting of the launch. I stared at the dissipating trail feeling robbed by the present weather conditions. It was a beautiful day just the same.

Can't see it, but the trail is there above the puffiest cloud.

I did follow the launch on NASA TV. So I caught the countdown live and the takeoff from the launchpad. I saw replays of the flight through the atmosphere into near space orbit. All this really intrigues me. It captures my imagination. The unity of nations gives me hope for the world. This launch was the heaviest load to break from the bonds of gravity. It is because it carrried "a giant Japanese lab addition to the international space station."

Yikes! Wonder what the carbon footprint of a launch is.

Reuters

Honeycomb Table

Here's a cardboard table using the thick honeycomb variety. Sturdy with a nice look.


It looks even better in use and with some decoupage on the surfaces.

This Table Looks Even Better In Use


Here's An Eating Nook With More Cardboard Furniture

Images came from this press release from PRWeb.

These Are The Makers

They have a company simply called CardboardDesign. They're based in New York City. This is their online home.

Ichthys

Another inspiration for furnishing the Modi Bode. It resembles the so-called Jesus fish.

Solid-Looking Card-Board Chair