edgy things

I heard a clankity-ding-clang coming from the road side of the fence and I looked over and saw this (see below)rolling to a stop in front of the mailbox. "An IED", I thought grimly. Any metal cannister with flammable contents under pressure is one, potentially. Edgy. This one fell off a passing camper RV, I guess. I didn't particularly want to inspect it closely until I was sure it was safe. So I walked up to the fire station and the chief said he'd send the truck down to pick it up. "It'll give the guys something to do," he said. I was almost feeling guilty about inconveniencing the crew until he said that. Then I realized they were all getting payed by taxpayers to sit around waiting for something to do.

I walked back home and picked up the cannister, which was empty, whether by leaking out or having arrived that way, I don't know.

The fireman told me that if I'd invite him for dinner he wouldn't report me for littering. Some readers will know of whom I speak. Edgy.

Looking out over the sea, J. spotted this beautiful sailboat. Sailing is one of those primal things people do, like mountain climbing, or contemplative prayer, that is simple and natural, but on the edge of danger and risk, a close encounter with massive forces that can as easily crush you as overwhelm you with beauty, mystery and majesty.

I had some plumbing repairs to do in the house, and so I went to the ground box outside where the water shutoff valve is located. Inside the box was this little salamander, no more than an inch and a half long. Now he's off on a new adventure, to find a new rock or log to nest under.

It was about 9:00 pm. I noticed the crescent moon setting over the Pacific, while the sunset's glow was still lingering. There are at least 4 planets that I know of in the frame of the third of these three photos. Two of these heavenly bodies are visible in the first 2 of these photos, three in the last one. The bright one above and to the left of the moon is Venus. Above them both and far to the left is Mars. The third heavenly body is the large watery one in the foreground, Earth. The fourth planet is Mercury and is not visible in the wash of sunset, but is off to the right and below the level of the moon. Had I studied my star chart earlier I might have known Saturn was in the neighborhood and I might have been able to capture that one too. The stars visible: the one below Venus is the star Regulus in the constellation Leo, which extends arcing to the right of Venus. Visible in the enlarged version of this photo in the newer blog post above is the binary star system Algieba, also in Leo, to the right and above Venus. I think you can actually see both stars in this binary system, and it has it's own planetary system.