Sum. . . Sum. . . Summertime!

Coming in for a landing.

RANDOM MUSINGS:  It’s one of those times when it’s necessary to put aside – if  only briefly – the daily cares of life and to take at least a modicum of respite to smell the roses; or, as in my case, to observe the workings of nature’s winged creatures.

The very hot weather that is keeping so many of us indoors in air-conditioned comfort has also prompted hordes of others to head to the Jersey shore:  Everybody has his or her own preferred way of dealing with escaping this brutal heat.


It’s surprising to see how many people have crowded into the Bridgewater Commons Mall this week, looking to take advantage of a comfortable environment, while spending a few bucks in home territory on their staycation.

Sharing the bounty.

As for your friendly writer, I’ve adopted varying strategies.  Earlier last week, Pris and I were planning to head south to the Washington, D.C. area to enjoy time with one of the branches of our family.  (We miss you, D-J-M & D!) 

But Mother Nature had other ideas.  Pris and I had to scrub our plans because a derecho (the name of the fierce windstorm which devastated the mid-Atlantic region) forcefully said ‘no dice.’

Neither of us likes to stay indoors for protracted periods of time.  That means that we won’t permit inclement weather (we’ll all be pining for some of this heat come January) to keep us housebound. 

Consequently, on these hot days, we managed to fit in 50 minutes of daily aerobics in the cool, cool, cool, of the Mall.  I even managed to slide in some time for laps at the JCC in Bridgewater – there’s something primordially spiritual about being in the water – I started swimming as a kid, and have loved it ever since.

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BEFORE THE WRIGHT BROTHERS DISCOVERED IT . . .  nature had already designed its own flying creatures; had laid out the principles of aerodynamics; and had encoded the instructions for flight into their brains – just as software instructions are hardwired into a computer chip today – except that it took man a few million years longer to figure it out.

The flowering plants in the backyard are now in full bloom, and the butterflies have joined the bees in their daily task of pollinating the Catmint plant and Butterfly bushes which thrive in pots on the edge of the patio.

Pals together.

To surveil a butterfly maneuvering in midair towards a spray of the tiny, flared multi-colored pipes which make up the six-inch long spike of blooms on a butterfly bush is to marvel at the aerodynamically perfect design of this otherwise fragile-looking creature. 

It takes only a slight breeze to keep those flowers wavering as a butterfly tries to land and to hang on while gathering precious nectar – it’s almost like watching a hummingbird maintaining contact with a flower.

One of the design characteristics to look for in a butterfly is to observe how it deploys its wings in constantly changing configurations to compensate for buffeting breezes, as it uses its flying abilities to balance itself when it heads for its target. 

No doubt, aviation engineers have benefited by learning from nature’s specs as they design aircraft.

Imagine, they don’t even have to pay a royalty fee!

Thanks for reading, and stay cool.

(Click on any image for an enhanced view.)