StarLink "Train" Passes Overhead

  Last  evening (09/30/23) Eric Elwell, a meteorologist with Spectrum 1 News, posted this on  Facebook:

"HEADS UP! The Starlink satellite “train” will make a pass just south of Ohio tonight between 8:30 to 8:34pm. If you have a (clear) view of the southern sky - check out if you can see them.
 It will look like a row of multiple bright lights perfectly lined up… moving quickly from the west-northwest to the east-southeast.
If you get pictures or a video, send them my way!"

 It was about  8:30 PM when I read the post but I hurried to find my tripod and grabbed my phone  and headed out into the backyard  where we have an open view of the western and southern sky. I wasn't there but a minute or two when I saw the train coming from the NW.

 That was actually the last pictures I  took and it best shows that the train consists of individual satellites, some still fairly closely spaced and others beginning to spread out.

 I believe this train is from SpaceX's launch of Friday evening. Their post:

On Friday, September 29 at 10:00 p.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This was the 10th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19, and now six Starlink missions.
[Credit: SpaceX]

Here are the pictures I took in the order they were shot:

 This first shot shows the train approaching from the NW.

 Now shooting almost due west, the SkyLink satellites  are centered while a jet approached from the south (below) enters the frame.

 These shots were taken in "Night Mode" with  my Google Pixel 4A w/ 5G cell phone. It was placed in a bracket on a tripod.

 This is the final tripod  shot.

 As the train passed as nearly overhead as possible, I removed the phone from the tripod and shot this handheld. The train resolves into clusters of satellites (SpaceX said the launch contained 22) rather than a continuous  streak of lights. The first picture posted is a crop taken from this image,

 I've heard about this train many times but this is the first I've seen it. To say the least it is otherworldly.

Gutter Guards

  Ten years ago - on May 3, 2013 - we had new rain gutters installed at Pinehaven by Michael's Roofing and Siding. Click here for that story. Since then I wish I had had them install gutter guards. We have two maple trees very close to the house and the gutters clog every autumn (and other times, too) with leaves, limbs and other debris. Last year I told Tom "This is it. Never again" as we hauled the heavy Fiberglas ladder around the house and I climbed two stories.

 Back on August  29 I called Michael Umber and asked if he could give me an estimate on gutter guards. He priced the Shur Flo aluminum gutter protection system. I gave him the go-ahead the same day. But getting enough of the guards to do both the house and garage (261') was a challenge. He had to cancel last Friday's appointment and shoot for today. An order was supposed to arrive yesterday.

 Apparently it did. Today (09/19/23) he and two other men came and cleaned out the gutters and installed the gutter guards.

Before - 08/29/23 - Garage

 After - 09/19/23

Kitchen roof

 

House roof - West edge

Nicely mitered corners with overlap

 Hopefully that'll end the need to climb the ladder and clean the gutters. Of course I expect leaves will often gather atop the guards but I'm also hoping that future rains  and winds will clean them off naturally. It'll be interesting to see how snow responds to the guards. I don't expect perfection: I just expect things to be generally easier.

 Michael's Roofing and Siding is available at 937-835-5200.

 Follow up:

11-04-23

 Above shot is of the east side of the garage.

11-04-23

 Above shot is of the west side of the kitchen roof.

 Now  that the leaves have mostly fallen I've hade a chance to see how well the guards work. I've found the leaves - which certainly do collect there - mostly blow off when there's a wind. That's good. But the maple seeds collect there, too, and - so far - they haven't blown off. I'm wondering what that will mean for winter weather? Will snow and ice collect atop the seeds and prevent meltwater from reaching the gutter?

 The jury is still out on this one.

Caramel Apple Dump Cake

  It's fall so apples are on my mind. I recently visited Crossroad Orchard in Miamisburg and bought half a peck of Honeycrisp apples which I turned into Apple Crisp. I found mom's recipe in the book she specially put together for me and it's far better than the commercial recipe I've  been using.

 But this weekend - for our Saturday morning card game - I wanted a different sweet treat. I saw a recipe for an Apple Dump Cake on Facebook and I was intrigued with how easy it was. The "Dump" in the title refers to how easily everything is poured together.

 So I bought two cans of apple pie filling at Meijer and I picked up a squeeze bottle of Hershey's caramel syrup (the kind for ice cream topping) at the Germantown grocery.

 First, here's the recipe.

 I made the cake in a 9x13" metal pan. I baked it for the entire 50 minutes.

 A few notes:

1. The two sticks of butter (I used margarine) seemed excessive but it's not. The dry cake mix needs that much butter to wet it atop the pie filling. Anything you miss stays dry. It's not difficult, though, and I just spread the melted butter direct from a Pyrex measuring cup.

2. The brand of yellow cake mix you chose probably affects the taste of this dessert. I used Pillsbury and it adds a hint of vanilla flavor.

3. I think the chopped pecans are absolutely necessary. They add a nice flavor, of course, but also a crunchy texture.

4. This would be fun to try with other pie fillings as suggested.

 How is it? It's really very good. It's sweet as can be but that's always my goal. It's incredibly easy and I'll bet kids would eat it up.

Michigan Vacation - August 5 2023

  We left Farmersville at about 9 am and arrived in Northport, Michigan about 6:30 PM. It harder traveling with a pup but we had no major mishaps. Well, she vomited a couple of times (once just as we arrived) but I think it was from the excitement.

 When we got there, Amy had made a wonderful zucchini casserole and we sat down to this beautiful table and unwound from the almost 500 mile trip.

 

Sleep couldn't come soon enough. They had a Murphy bed installed - king size yet - with wonderful bed linens and we were soon out like a light.

Michigan Vacation - August 6 2023

  These pictures are posting in random order but I'll describe what they're of even though they may not be in chronological order.

 This is the Grand Traverse Lighthouse at the Leelanau State Park. It's located at the tip of the peninsula where Steve and Amy's house it. I'd say it's about a twenty minute trip north of their house.

 We picked black raspberries that afternoon. Though Steve found them a bit sour, they were perfect on pancakes the next morning. And with blueberries and Michigan maple syrup, too.

 Steve calls this "The  Barn" though it's a high-class structure for sure. It even has an elevator.

 Picking black raspberries.

 Much of Steve's "yard" is planted in wildflowers. This is a close-up of some of them.

 This nearby beach in Omena. Parker had never seen a lake before (this is actually Omena Bay) but she put her paws in the water and seemed not to be afraid.

 Me and Parker.

 Steve and Amy. Beau, their son's German Shepherd, is chasing a ball in  the water.

Tom

 Steve's property is allowed to grow natural with lots of wildflowers instead of grass.

 French toast for breakfast

 Tom, Parker and Beau. The first time Parker saw Beau she screamed. Literally screamed.

 How do you go to sleep with a schnauzer on your stomach?

 Wonderful meals! This was an eggplant-based casserole. Look at that homemade bread, too (store-bought).

Michigan Vacation - August 7 2023

  At the marina in Northport ...

 As I've said before, "money floats".

 Tacos at Fingers Crossed rounded out the day with a great late day meal. Tom and I paid for the meal to help cover the cost of our room and board.

 Lavender lemonade, a specialty non-alcoholic drink there.

.

Peterson Park near Steve and Amy's house.

 Resting on their deck.

 Rear view of our guard dog.

 What a breakfast! Homemade pancakes with the black raspberries we picked, blueberries, whipped cream. Also scrambled eggs (with Half and Half and whipped in a blender) and a fruit cup. We were quickly spoiled.

 Parker's getting some shut-eye.

 Interior view of The Barn.