tamarack

My first commercial flight was PQI-BGR on a 16-passenger airplane with the old Bar Harbor Airline in Feb 1976. The pilot asked the passenger across from me to help raise the staircase. Took off into a snow squall that had the aircraft dancing then climbed to 12k (I could see the altimeter) where turbulence was less, but the descent to BGR was quite rocky. However, my later rides in light aircraft - Cessna 185s/206s, sometimes on floats - included some interesting moments. On a very windy day flying from Chesuncook to Baxter, our 206 on floats was turned nearly on edge as we passed Soubunge Mt, I've hit my head on the ceiling of a 185 while firmly belted (no idea how that was possible) and in 1994 we heard gear bouncing off the walls behind us as we hit transverse rolls created by the Bigelow range. I noted that the pilot chopped speed from 130 kt to 90 real quick. On the ground I noted that fact and he deadpanned, "I thought it better if the wings remained attached to the airplane."

No, though I've read about it and seen the pics. All the victims were recovered but there was no purpose for hauling the other debris off the mountain.

Fall storms seem to peak in that month. 16 of 23 Octobers here have produced >4.3" and 2005 had 14.09", the wettest month I've recorded anywhere.

The weekend 0.91" brought the month to 0.95". October has averaged 5.70" here so a long way to go. Driest was 2001 with 1.12". Median is 5.52" with only 3 of 23 having less than 3.46" - easily the most consistently wet month.

The airplane never gained much altitude and pilots did a "Sullenberger" ditch but on pavement before ending in a field. The landing probably didn't do much damage but likely the tarmac scratch started a fire, which spread sufficiently slowly that all exited safely, though one reported respiratory distress (smoke or effort not noted) and one with back pain. Bummer for the luggage, though - when airplanes burn they generally do so thoroughly.

I guess it depends on where the overwintered queens find suitable conditions, and they're not telling us.

Evening temps say frost in the morning. Then the clouds come in and the breeze hangs around and we barely get under 40. Yesterday's 50/35 was 2° BN, ending a 14-day run of AN. We have slight chances of 1st frost tomorrow and Thursday mornings, after that it would be next week. Previous latest for 1st frost was 10/6/2011, and the other 22 years it came in September. Just can't get any good radiation to stick around.

My Fort Kent experience says that's bogus. The nests I saw in summer 1982 were all 8-12" off the ground, and the following January had a thaw that left grass sticking up thru an inch of armorplate. Summer 1983 nests were low enough to be raided by skunks, and winter 83-84 I had to add an extension to my 61" snow stake. Yeah not sure why he thinks blizzards are a norm. You can go years without one. I've had only 6 events meeting blizzard criteria in the 36 years since moving from Fort Kent. Probably 10-12 in my 9.7 winters up there, half of which were cyclonic NW gales playing with new snow.

My hope as a long time Repub is that the Big Orange will be sufficiently obnoxious that all but the most ardent Trumpanistas will come to their senses. Not especially optimistic, though.

Some of each but not much of either, and the PB is mostly bare, the aspen (all quaking) half empty and kind of dull. Still some beautiful bigtooth aspen in the general area, with leaves grading from yellow to deep orange. It's much less common than quaking aspen but IMO a prettier species both spring and fall.

95% leaf drop here. The 5% is the big oak (still mostly green), a couple half-shed aspen and some understory trees protected from the wind. Stick season has begun. (Except for places with lots of oak.)

Temp was 37 at 11 last evening with light wind, usually a gimme for frost/freeze, but clouds were edging in. Same 37 at 7 this morning. Maybe tomorrow morning or day after? If not, we wait into next week.

Four years ago NYC didn't fall below 52° until Oct. 16. Got a little chilly a couple months later.

Farmington co-op's latest date for 1st frost is the 290th day of the year, POR back thru 1893. Today is #290 and we're still counting.

Reported 0.21" to cocorahs and maybe another 0.05" after that 7 AM obs. Oct. 1-14 had been quite dry (0.04") but tonight should correct that. Glad I raked leaves yesterday when they were dry and light. Yesterday's low of 57° was 22° AN and this morning's low was about the same. Peak of summer - late July - has average minima of 55°. PWM reported 1.13" from 2-8 AM, and had a TS.

Did the same for the Farmington co-op's 129 years. There are 27 years with August as the warmest month, including 2021. The 26 winters following averaged 89.47" compared to the over average of 89.71" - not much to see there. Number of times: 40s 1 (2015-16) 50s 2 60s 5 70s 2 80s 4 90s 4 100s 1 110s 2 120s 4 130s 0 140s 1 (2000-01) August 2021 was warmest by 4.2°, easily the largest span of the 27 warm Augusts, so winter 21-22 may be charting new ground. Only 3 previous Augusts were warmest by more than 2°. Year, difference and following winter: 1969/3.1°/90.4"; 2001/3.3°/80.7"; 2009/2.5°/62.4". One average one BN, one ratter, average 77.8". SSS but not looking great. Even worse using my location, as August was warmest in 2001, 02, 03, 09 and 2015. Those years averaged 65.2" compared to my overall 89.0" and included 2 BN (barely better than the -20% ratter line), 2 ratters, and 15-16 with 48.2" which doesn't even rise to ratter status.

I read this several times and wondered where in Harrington there was 9 miles of road that fit the above description. Only spot that far from Rt 1 appears to be Ripley Neck (looks like a wonderful spot) and it looks paved well into the neck itself. Having driven other Downeast roads, mainly East Machias to Cutler plus many trips on the Blackwoods Road (Rt 182), I'm familiar with sudden curves, short steep hills and such, but most are plowed by the towns. (My impressions are not the norm, however, after decades with travel on iced woods roads, sharing them with hundred-ton log trucks.) . Lack of water would seem the biggest issue unless there's a well that could operate with generator juice.

06-07 had record warmth Nov-Dec (obliterated 9 years later) and the 1st two weeks of Jan. Had 11' snow thru 1/13 and 84" afterward. 05-06 had some early snow, including a birch bender at elevation in late October and the T'Day modest snowstorm than included EF-0 and EF-1 spinners at midcoast Maine. Our biggest event that season came in early December and snofall was about average thru Jan, though with terrible retention - 1/06 is my mildest January. Then 7.8" Feb 1 on - avg for that period is 44".

Only the book - had no idea that it was built from his earlier short story. And thanks for the correct spelling of his name.

The same friend who alerted me to birch boletes proposed this test for mushroom consumption: "Take a bite then wait 20 minutes. If you don't feel dizzy/nauseated you're good to go." Since some of the most toxic 'shrooms don't present symptoms for several hours, and have no antidote, one should ponder one's actions.

Many thanks. I'll look for those books. Though Karres is also my favorite of my limited Schmidt works, the other titles I mentioned have about the most fascinating and logically developed exobiology I've read in sci-fi.

Ever look for birch boletes? Form is like the farmed variety but with a reddish cap, found near birches and aspen, delicious. Have rarely seen them at my current location but picked a fair amount when we lived up north. The friend who introduced me to the species noted that boletus edulis, found in spruce stands, is the best. I've never seen one. Near 60 this morning, avg minimum for 10/15 is 35. Dews finally reached here after the finest mid-October wx in memory. Temps 11-14: 67/45 73/43 73/45 72/45

Got me! The horizontal lower branches faked me out.

Odd. Pin oaks usually have the best red of any of the oak group native to or planted in Maine.

Kind of OT: I had no idea there were sequels to Witches of Karres (which I've read and re-read) and would be interested in authors/titles. James Schmidt apparently didn't write much - in all my sci-fi, much of which hasn't traveled with our moves, I've seen only 4 of his works. The other 3 include one novel, Demon Breed (set on a water world) and two short stories (Balanced Ecology, Grandpa), and all 3 include plausible and interlocking ecosystems.