Saturday, December 31, 2016

Naked eyes

The photographs were taken in Helsinki on December 12th.

This morning I walked two hours at Oittaa, visiting lake Sorlampi. The temperature was +7 °C. The swamps were partly melted.

In six days I have got over 12 hours of exercise. It might be good to take a rest day. On the other hand, the weather forecast promises sunshine for tomorrow.

(Posting title is from the poem Brooklyn Narcissus by Paul Blackburn.)

Friday, December 30, 2016

Outside, the world swarmed with sorcerers

The photographs of ice crystal halos were taken on December 11th, in the morning when the sun was low on the horizon and there was no wind. Thus, sundogs were to be seen.

Recently I have explored forest areas where I haven't gone for a walk ever before. The web service Excursionmap.fi has been rather useful in spotting such possibilities. When you start walking before sunrise it is quiet even in places where there are a lot of houses nearby.

(Posting title is from the poem Chanting at the Crystal Sea by Susan Howe.)

Thursday, December 29, 2016

And in forgetting have grown steel eyes

The photographs were taken on December 11th.

This morning I started walking an hour before sunrise, at 8:30 AM. During the night it was cold, -4 °C, but in the morning the temperature rose above 0 °C. I found a beautiful swamp I didn't know before, and an aspen forest.

(Posting title is from the poem Crying in Front of a Man by Kate Gale.)

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

There, here now, seemed so abstract

The photograph was taken on December 10th in Helsinki, after seeing with the children the play Skattkammarön at Svenska Teatern.

Yesterday morning I walked two hours up and down hills and across swamps in Nuuksio, and in the afternoon I did two hours of shopping in a shopping mall where there were discount sales. The afternoon was much more exhausting.

(Posting title is from the poem little report of the day by Jack Collom.)

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

And look here, see, what got left behind

The photographs were taken in Nuuksio on December 10th.

Yesterday I walked for two hours at lake Myllyjärvi, south of Luukki. Today I went to Nuuksio, walking a route that I hadn't explored since last spring. I got a bit lost, and that was good.

(Posting title is from the poem Poetry Is a Sickness by Ed Bok Lee.)

Monday, December 26, 2016

Holds us in time and space

The photograph was taken on December 6th.

The weather forecast promises warm weather for today, +6 °C, and there might even be some sunshine in the afternoon. That remains to be seen.

(Posting title is from the poem Mirror Image by Jan Owen.)

Sunday, December 25, 2016

You cannot see it if you are inside it

The photographs were taken at lake Kattilajärvi in Nuuksio on December 6th.

Today may be a less rainy day than yesterday, but the weather forecast doesn't provide much hope for sunshine. Well, one can still go for a walk and take photographs.

(Posting title is from the poem All the Members of My Tribe Are Liars by John Fuller.)

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Into the shape of its absence

The photographs were taken at lake Pitkäjärvi in Velskola on December 6th.

It is raining today.

So far this week I have got ten hours of exercise, eight of them riding the bicycle. Yesterday I walked for two hours at Ketunkorpi in Luukki. It was quiet.

Update: I realized I had used the same title in a posting on April 24th, 2016. Well, I think it is fine enough to be used twice.

(Posting title is from the poem EGG by Brian Swann.)

Friday, December 23, 2016

And now, long into the winter

The photographs were taken on December 5th.

The sun rises today at 9:27 AM, and it is very dark. I'm planning to go for a walk, starting well before sunrise, but not quite yet.

(Posting title is from the poem My Nodebook for December by Keith Waldrop.)

Thursday, December 22, 2016

If you think you know

The photographs were taken on December 4th at Vaakkoi.

This year I have got 6,541 km riding the bicycle, which is 1,500 km more than last year. I bought a new bicycle last spring when the old one got broken. The new one has worked well, even though some components have to be replaced soon. And the muddy weather eats brake pads.

(Posting title is from the poem At This Precise Moment of History by Thomas James Merton.)

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

The lights brighten, we are in the happy ending

The photographs were taken at Petikko on December 3rd.

The darkness didn't feel quite so bad today, because it didn't rain. The length of day was 5 h 46 min.

(Posting title is from the poem All the Women Caught in Flaring Light by Minnie Bruce Pratt.)

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

For a moment try the mystery

The photographs were taken on December 3rd at Petikko.

It was a dark and wet day today. The snow has mostly melted away. In the bicycle headlight there are five levels of brightness. Today I needed to use the third brightest, but usually the fourth or even the fifth is enough.

(Posting title is from the poem The Monument and the Shrine by John Logan.)

Monday, December 19, 2016

It is unexpected but pleasing and he pauses to think

The photograph was taken in Helsinki on November 30th.

This morning it rained while commuting by bicycle, and there was ice and wet snow on the road. The winter tires with 240 studs may be my best investment ever. On the other hand, I have used them for only two months so far, less than 1000 km, so I can't say much about durability yet.

(Posting title is from the poem The Investment Banker by Eileen R. Tabios.)

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Now I can see: even the trees

The photographs were taken in Helsinki on November 30th.

We got 1 cm of wet snow during the night, and landscape looks white. But next week will be warmer, melting the snow away.

(Posting title is from the poem Drifting at Midday by Malachi Black.)

Saturday, December 17, 2016

In little packets of time for show and tell

The photographs were taken on November 27th.

It is once again the right time to observe that the orbit of the Earth around the Sun is not a circle. Sunrise will be later for a while even though the length of day soon will start to be getting longer.

(Posting title is from the poem The Return by Jan Owen.)

Friday, December 16, 2016

I know it sounds like bragging

The photograph was taken on November 26th.

So far this year I have got 6,405 km riding the bicycle. I think I'll pass the 6,500 km milestone, which would mean riding 30% more than last year.

Recently I have wondered about the durability of bicycle gear. I bought my bicycle shoes - Specialized BG Sport Touring shoes - in 2011, and they are still in good condition, or even better than originally because I have used some duct tape inside the shoe to offer a bit more insulation in cold weather. My cycling jacket and pants have small holes in them, due to falling twice last winter, but otherwise they are still good.

(Posting title is from the song Street Credibility by 9ice.)

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Looked from their hunger-deep eyes

The photographs were taken on November 26th.

(Posting title is from the poem The Harbor by Carl Sandburg.)

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Eye our sound ship, or take leave

The photographs were taken in Helsinki on November 22nd.

During the night we got a little bit of snow, 0.5 cm or so, and it made the landscape a bit lighter. The length of day is now 5 h 51 minutes, and soon it will start getting longer, a little bit each day.

When commuting to work I saw in the snow half a dozen tracks left by bicycles. Thus I didn't feel that I'm the only one riding a bicycle in the morning darkness.

(Posting title is from the poem Harbor Porpoise by Jeramy Dodds.)

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

But then I think I see the wind

The photograph was taken in Luukki on November 21st.

(Posting title is from the poem Quarantine by Malachi Black.)

Monday, December 12, 2016

History cried out to me from the earth

The photographs were taken in Luukki on November 21st.

I got over three hours of exercise today, two hours commuting by bicycle and the rest walking between meetings. It was cold, -11 °C in the morning.

(Posting title is from the poem Mi Historia by David Dominguez.)

Sunday, December 11, 2016

And the light seems to be eternal

The photographs were taken in Luukki on November 21st.

This morning I started walking before sunrise. When the sun was above horizon, there were ice crystal halos, of the type known as "sun dogs".

(Posting title is from the poem "Khrushchev is coming on the right day!” by Frank O'Hara.)

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Yet what I see

The photograph was taken on November 20th.

This morning I walked for two hours in north parts of Nuuksio, visiting six lakes southwest of lake Saarijärvi. I started walking half an hour before sunrise, enjoying the colors. Length of day is today 5 h 57 min in Vantaa, and 6 h in Helsinki.

In the afternoon we went to see the play Skattkammarön at Svenska Teatern in Helsinki. Quite a fine performance, delightful especially for children.

(Posting title is from the poem Bird at the Window by Sophie Cabot Black.)