It was an unusual holiday, but another great one. For one thing, it was sunny and clear all day. I also had a clear night Saturday, and enjoyed 3 hours of observing late autumn constellations. We saw the sunrise Sunday morning, and the sunset Sunday evening. Of about 40 winter solstices observed here, this might be the first one where we saw the sunrise and the sunset, clearly. I managed to go for a long walk, too. Usually we remain indoors all day. Deb wasn't quite ready for walking yet, but she is healing well. We enjoyed an all-day fire (furnace turned down, due to very mild temps), snacks, and an opera by Monteverdi. We heard "The Return of Ulysses," written when he was 74. A masterpiece that really made the day special! Early Baroque opera, at least as practiced by Monteverdi, is a very unique blend of recitative and aria, forever mixing. One never knows what will come next. The melodic writing is divine, and the orchestra arrangement by Raymond Leppard was perfect. The composer only left the melodic lines and a bass line--the rest was meant to filled in by the conductor/arranger.
Winter Solstice sunset on our fireplace, 5:03 pm. The light illuminated all of our petroglyph panels, as well as our Kachina dancers print.
Winter Solstice sunset from our south window, looking over the Detroit River. It was also clear Sunday night, but I did not go observing.
My assistant assists with my astronomy notes today.
Our unusual mild spell will continue until at least the end of the month, when more seasonal temps will return. In the meantime, there are motorcycles out driving around, and the shipping lanes are full of freighters making last minute runs. A memorable time, indeed.
Mapman Mike
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