Wilson Arch (Utah) - October 2013

With Arches National Park closed with the rest of the government in early October, we stopped by Wilson Arch on US Route 191 south of Moab several times. The first time was in the early afternoon. My husband and father climbed up to rocky slope and discovered that the wind through the hole in the rock was quite brisk. My husband sat down to take his pictures and my dad took a few quick ones and started down. Later in the afternoon we pasted by the arch again so I got the early and late afternoon pictures below on the same day.

A few mornings later, we happened to come by the arch just as the sun was shining through the hole in the rock.

Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah - Oct. 2013

Dead Horse Point State Park is south west of Moab UT. The park is on a mesa that looks down into canyons and a gooseneck of the Colorado River. The potash evaporation ponds in the canyon are a vivid blue.

There are some easy hikes that cross cairn marked areas smoothed rock with potholes of water; it had rained recently enough for tadpoles to be swimming in the deepest ones.

The mountains in the distance held snow.

And everywhere the layers of exposed rock marked Earth’s time just as tree rings mark the much shorter duration of the lives of plants.

We were glad we got to the park early since, with the National Parks still closed that day, this state park was the destination of the day for many vacationers.

Enjoy the slide show of Dead Horse Point State Park sights!

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 3, 2013

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

The electric car is here to stay - Infographic showing the history of electric cars.

New Rockies GigaPannery - 8 geology related panoramas from the Rockies allowing zoom in to the various parts of the image. One is a road cut (a typical stop on a geology field trip!).

Kid Friendly Dyeing - Making your own play silks - My daughter and made tie-dyed silk scarves many years ago with Kool-Aid. We didn’t achieve the really bright colors but I still have some of the pastel creations. One is tied to the handle of my purse this summer!

Dew on Dandelions - Turning weeds into things of beauty. I’ve always liked the puffs of dandelions but I haven’t caught them with dew (see my ‘best’ photo to date to the left).

What do supernovae and salad dressing have in common? - Watch the video!

What can we do to make cities less lonely for the elderly? - Use the arrows to bring up annotations on the city scenes. Many things that make is less lonely for the elderly also make it better for everyone else too!

Inca Children Got High before Death - Mummies of three children sacrificed about 500 years ago and discovered in a high altitude cave in 1999. The hair analysis showed consumption of alcohol and coca in the year before their deaths. That consumption spiked dramatically in the weeks before their deaths.

Boys with Autism or ADHD More Prone To Overuse Video Games - Technology is a mixed blessing. There is a challenge that all people have to use it effectively - rather than becoming addicted or overwhelmed. Evidently autism and ADHD make the challenge even higher.

Living Longer, Living Healthier: People Are Remaining Healthier Later in Life - This is certainly what we hope is happening and will continue.

8 tips to make your life more surprising, from Tania Luna, Surprisologist - Cultivating the ‘surprise’ in life is well worth the effort. I wrote down my answer to ‘What surprised you today?’ for several years and then transitioned to recording the ‘little celebrations.’ There is definitely an overlap between the two!

Gleanings of the Week Ending May 18, 2013

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles I read this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Cases Of Mysterious Valley Fever Rise In American Southwest - Will we see more stories like this with climate change?

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week #42 - My favorite is last one - the plum-headed parakeet.

How Safe Is Your Medicine Cabinet? - With all the data collecting on computers - why are we not monitoring adverse effects of approved drugs more effectively?

Geologists Study Mystery of 'Eternal Flames' - The surprises out there in the natural world…

I am taking two Coursera course right now: Technicity and Nutrition, Health, Lifestyle: Issues and Insights. The links below were items referenced in the classes during the first week and news items that I paid more attention to because my awareness was increased by the lectures.

The Next Age of Megacities - From Ericsson

How will cities secure their water future? - it is going to be quite a challenge with so many cities already depleting current supplies for part of the year

Fat Hormone Controls Diabetes - Research that could provide more options for the treatment of diabetes

Dietary Guidance Calculators and Counters - From USDA

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 - From USDA

International Food Information Council Foundation 2012 Food & Health Survey (exec summary and full report)

Cronometer tool - Log what you eat and it totals up the calories and nutrients. I learned that I never get enough potassium from food! Screen snap below. Using this tool has tweaked my diet in a positive way.