I love this picture because of the clearly visible veins on the leaf the damselfly is perched upon. This male marsh dart (Ceriagrion coromandelianum) was photographed in Panganad, Kerala, the same day as Continue reading
sunset
Cochin Sunsets
From two of the windows in our flat in Cochin, the sunset at around 6 is visible, albeit with some structural interference. Nonetheless, the colors and hues, scientifically explained only two days ago, are visible from almost the entire city, or at least all the windows facing west Continue reading
Burning Skies
Many people associate fiery skies over cities with pollution and smog. While these are indeed causes for a red-orange color during sunset and sunrise, they are not exclusively so – any particles in the air, including dust and vapor, can cause Rayleigh scattering. This optical phenomenon is not as complicated as some other forms of light scattering, and is more easily explained.
Seaweed Sunset
A couple days ago the tides at Morgan’s Rock had shifted a couple hours apart, so that during the sunset, which is normally at full high tide, the waves were absent, leaving a surprising amount of the sand and rocks bare.
This cloud, backlit by the setting sun, offers itself up to the traveler’s imagination
These rocks, which I’d noticed from Sunset Hill before, were now accessible by foot, so instead of hiking to the summit, which I had done several times, I climbed over the rocks until I had a good angle of the sunset as well as waves crashing violently into the rocks (video to come). Since they are so often under water, these formations are covered in sheets of seaweed and house sea urchins. This makes the surface of the rocks look like a fluffy duvet and the tidal pools a bed of nails.
To Morgan’s Rock guests: When the tides are right and you have strong shoes, Continue reading
Post-Estuarial Paddling +
In “Kayak Surfing with a Friend,” I described the surfing in words and included a short video. Here is some longer and better footage of the experience, this time including Pierre (brown hair), me (black hair), and Bismar (green shirt). We have concluded, after experimentation with the paddles and waves, that this activity would be a great post-estuary kayak experience if the tide is right. Since I had mentioned this to Bismar (a Morgan’s Rock guide) he decided to join Pierre and me after completing his estuary tour with some guests, so that he could see for himself.
Organikos 