Days of the Fall

Summer is quickly winding down. Examples of the coming of autumn are all around us. Though the weather has been relatively warm, that still hasn't stopped the colours of fall to shows up all around us.

The past few weeks I've had the opportunity to drive from Outlook down line 19 in delivering a weekly publication to different locations spread throughout the communities along the highway that leads to Lake Diefenbaker. Along the road, nestled in little patches of prairie are these jewels of communities that are surrounded by trees. The small bluffs hide within them the communities of Hawarden, Strongfield and Loreburn. The last jewel in my drive is the village of Elbow that is right on the Lake.

Each of these communities is just off Highway 19 and each has a peaceful tranquility that can only be seen in the small villages that dot the Saskatchewan landscape. It's almost captivating to be there. For myself, I feel a rush of memories to when I was younger, and would be in Ardath or Conquest when I was growing up.

These gems that lead to Lake Diefenbaker are capturing some attention. Not major news, mind you. But they are being seen as a great place to live for those looking for a summer retreat. I've spoken to a few people in Elbow and there have been so many new people that have come in from Alberta and given the communities along the road a new life. I've actually found myself thinking about that very concept of moving to a place like these. It isn't the city, there's no major shopping centers, no hustle and bustle that pulls one in as the rush of traffic moves like soldier ants down the freeways that is Saskatoon.

It's much more peaceful than that.

Until next time...

...keep 'em flyin'.

Road trip

Just got back from a road trip this weekend. Kind of nice to get away and head some place else. This trip was in conjunction with the Sask Weekly Newspaper Association's annual convention. A full Saturday of seminars and then the awards banquet. And yes, The Outlook walked away with an award and an honourable mention. That was great.

The award was for a story written by our former reporter, Hiromi Fusano, who wrote an article on workers brought in from Mexico to help with potato harvests her in Outlook. It was a long feature article, and something I felt we had a very good shot at winning. Also, our honourable mention went to Susan Ewert for sales.

The trip in and back gave me a good look at construction on both Highway 219 and Highway 45. Heading in, we took 219 through Whitecap, and work crews are still going, even with the threat of the oncoming frost. It's hoped that the highway will be completed before the snow falls. Widened and resurfaced, the construction should continue from Saskatoon to the Whitecap reserve. And I believe that it was mentioned by the government that construction should continue on down 219. Here's hoping.

Also, the trip gave me another chance to snap some photos of the wonderous fall colours that were starting to come out. With lots of greens still on the leaves, there was also a good number of yellows and oranges to be seen. Sunny for the Saturday heading in, by Sunday, the weather had changed slightly to a rather gloomy look, and the sky opened up and it rained. Light rain, but it came down throughout most of the day.

But another convention has come and gone, and we look forward to next year.

Until then...

Keep 'em flyin'.

Fall Equinox

Yes, it's here.

Officially now.

According to research, today is the day the Fall Equinox arrives. According to ReligiousTolerance.org, the autumn solstice changes from year to year until the leap year comes around, at which time it reverts back to the earliest day, that being September 21st. During the four years from leap year to leap year, each date will move ahead a little bit, until the year before a leap year, such as this year, will come on September 23rd. Here is a quick explanation from ReligiousTolerance.org. If you wish to see more, click here.

Until next time...

Keep 'em flyin'.

The date and time of the fall equinox:

The exact date and time of the fall equinox, when the sun moves into the astrological sign of Libra, varies from year to year. Each year, the date/time moves progressively later in September until the year before leap-year is reached. On leap-year, it returns to an earlier date/time. This four-year cycle is then repeated.

Year	Fall Equinox, in the Northern Hemisphere (UT)
1999	SEP-23 @ 11:32
2000	SEP-22 @ 17:27
2001	SEP-22 @ 23:04
2002	SEP-23 @ 04:55
2003	SEP-23 @ 10:46
2004	SEP-22 @ 16:29
2005	SEP-22 @ 22:22
2006	SEP-23 @ 04:03
2007	SEP-23 @ 09:51
2008	SEP-22 @ 15:44
2009	SEP-22 @ 21:18
2010	SEP-23 @ 03:09

The dates and times were derived from the astronomical calculations on The Dome of the Sky web site for years 1999 to 2006. However, the web site does not seem to be functioning as of 2005-APR-05. The remaining equinoxes were taken from archaeoastronomy.com. An online "Easy Date Converter" calculates the dates and times of the equinoxes and solstices within 20 seconds. Times are in UT (Universal Time). This used to be called Greenwich Mean Time or GMT.

The last days

For such an ominous title it really isn't that bad. I am merely speaking of the last few days of summer. Yes, this weekend will be the first official weekend of fall. As of yet, I do not have the official time that the new season will arrive. While on the one hand, observing the trees and even the temperature is not all that fall like. Yes, there is a bit of a nip in the air, and the leaves are starting to drift to the ground. But the biggest sign that autumn is come is in the early mornings.

I wake up a little after five in the morning (5:30 to be exact, after hitting my snooze button a couple of times). During July and August and even June, getting up wasn't a chore, because there in my window was the sun to greet me. This morning, however, was black. The sun was only just starting to peek over the horizon.

I noticed it yesterday. Waking up at my usual time, and taking note of the fact that the sky was a little darker. Now is around the time when I blindly look at my clock to inspect what time it actually is. The questions often run through my head "Is it only 2? Maybe 3. It can't be time to get up yet."

Even the evenings are pretty short. During the summer, I am often surprised to find that it's 10:30 and the sun is dipping below the horizon, filling the sky with vibrant colours. Now, darkness sets in around 7:30.

According to Environment Canada, the sun rose this morning at 6:47 a.m. And it will set tonight at 7:14 p.m. Temperatures are predicted to meet highs of 17 Celsius and overnight lows close to zero. Now is the time when everyone thinks of that inevitable occurrence. The first frost.

Until that happens...

Keep 'em flyin'.