Now, I know cell phone camera are not the best for picture taking, but it was all I had. This place, Cow Canyon Saddle, is really not much to scream at, at least it wasn't during this visit. It was only 97 degrees there, as the elevation was a bit above the 109 degrees back at the house. The date was about three or four weeks ago.

So why post this photo? Because...

This spot is very near to the location of a very interesting historical event. It seems a definitive measurement of the speed of light was determined not too far away, way back in the earlier years of the 20th century...

In 1922-1927, Albert A. Michelson used Mt. Wilson to determine the speed of light more accurately than ever before. He did this by timing how long it took for a beam of light emitted at Mt. Wilson to return from a mirror at Lookout Mountain on the south ridge of Mt. Baldy. In order to compute the speed of light accurately, the distance between the two locations also had to be very accurately measured. The distance was measured by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey by triangulation from a 40 km baseline in the L.A. Basin. This 22 mile distance between Mt. Wilson and Lookout Mountain was measured with an error of only 1/4", the most accurately surveyed distance in the world at the time.

The precise measurements yielded a speed of 186,285 miles per second (299,796 kilometres per second).

Above, Albert Einstein and Albert Michelson met at Mount Wilson in 1931, just before Michelson's death. From left to right are Milton Humason, Edwin Hubble, Charles St. John, Michelson, Einstein, W.W. Campbell and Walter S. Adams.

I understand some of the metal tubing once used for the experiment is now being utilized as drainage piping for Mount Wilson!...Mt. Wilson is not shown in photo (photo ref. UCLA dept. of Astronomy).

--Dan

Musings, by the way, it SNOWED last night in the mountains above!

First of all, my grandboy. No pictures of snow, yet. It was only well over 100 degrees just a few days back, now...snow? Must be GOBAL WARMING! Hey Mr. Koos (fine blog fellow in the Netherlands)...you see that? MUST be global warming!





Table set for the big food tasting event, Westin Bonaventure Hotel. I am a member of an event planning committee, and was part of planning the menu for a very large event. I was stuffed after the dust cleared.




Some grumpy guy grocery shopping or something.

What can I say? Here is a picture before the fire of a few years ago, looking towards the south and out over the valley. I know it does not look like much, but you hadda been there.

--Dan

There are places

There are places we go, things we do, people we meet...that make for defining moments in our lives. If not for this simple small patch of land in California, I would not be quite what I am in my life today. This single place is quite simply...the land of so many things that I love. It is the things of finest memories, some great sorrows, lovingly worn slowly into my being and rekindled often by scent, sight or touch in more places than one.

There is a lake, a dam (whatch your language!), many countless wildlife abounding, wonder, peace, solitude, belonging.

--Dan

Some recent acitiviy, Big Bear Lake, CA, and birthday number 50

At the cabin!


Looking out our cabin window while lying on the bed


In the cabin (Cruz, my wife)


Arriving


Out the door at breakfast

Solar obsevatory

Click on this (above), an aerial in a crazy place...look at the tree!

It WAS good!

--Dan

Heading Towards Fifty and the Twilight Zone

On soon to be turning fifty:

Those famous words from Arelne Martel in the episode of The Twilight Zone...

"Room for one more...honey"

...as she holds open the door to the morgue. You may also recall her as a confidant to Col. Hogan in Hogen's Heroes, and T'Pring (Spock's Fiance), in Star Trek.

I know, things are not that bad, I plan on being around for much longer. I am stubborn that way.

On Wednesday of this last week it was 115 degrees F. here. That, my friends, was the hottest place in the USA. Death Valley was only 112. Phoenix was only 111. It may be hotter still in the coming days, especially today.

Summer is brutal at this time. What if I went back to my origins? What was it like then? I'll be fifty years in this world this Thursday. What about fifty years ago?...

I do not live in Los Angeles, but here is the data from my real first day at birth in this world. Add about 10 degrees for where I live, and it will be close.

Los Angeles Downtown, CA
on Friday, September 6, 1957

Max Temperature
84 °F

Min Temperature
65 °F

--Dan