We seldom stop to think of the many ways in which our daily lives are very different from those of most human beings that have ever lived. "Dark" is one of those ways: we banish the darkness with the flick of switch, but (until quite recently, according to the long view) they had to have a burning flame, one way or another, if they wanted light when it wasn't... light.

(02-28-2013 10:41 PM)ELCore Wrote:  We seldom stop to think of the many ways in which our daily lives are very different from those of most human beings that have ever lived. "Dark" is one of those ways: we banish the darkness with the flick of switch, but (until quite recently, according to the long view) they had to have a burning flame, one way or another, if they wanted light when it wasn't... light.

Well said ELCore. Welcome to the group.

This is an interesting topic and I have enjoyed reading others responses. I believe that most people today are losing perspective when it comes to interacting with the natural world. We live in an artificial (plastic) society. How many people today can look up at the night sky and point out Polaris? Or identify bird calls? I would be willing to bet that in the 19th century most people would have been able to do these things.

When we get in a car today and drive 100 miles down a long dark highway our experience is a lot different than a person traveling down a dark road in a wagon. They would have been in tune with the sounds of the night. We would be listening to the radio, or dare I say talking on a cell phone!

Here is Michigan and in many other states, we experienced the "great blackout" in 2004 (?)-remember that? It was sooo strange having no electrical power. It made me realize how dependent we are on it. I remember going into a Kroger to buy bottled water. We walked through the store with flashlights. When we presented to the cashiers-they had to total the purchases the old way-by hand! We really don't know how good we have it.

I lived in the country, but now urban sprawl has changed the landscape. There are still moments that I will walk outside at night and realize just how dark and quiet it can be. For those who have visited the Mudd house and think about how remote it is.....think about it 150 years ago. Same with most locations along the escape route. Think about the Surratt Tavern. It was a quiet country crossroads.

(03-01-2013 06:46 AM)Jim Garrett Wrote:  Well said ELCore. Welcome to the group.

Thanks!

While I realize that the world is a lot more "lit up" now than ever, there are still a lot of places that it's still very dark at night. My parents live in the country where there are a few houses near them and it gets very dark there. But at the same time, we sometimes can forget how much light the moon can provide. There are no big trees in my parents front yard, and if you turn the house lights off, walk out into the yard, it's amazing how easy it is to see if there's a big moon out. And of course any time it's clear you can see a million stars shining. When I'm at home in Raleigh, it is very, very different. I remember once years ago, there was a comet passing close to earth. I think it was the comet Hyakutake. I happened to be at my parents house and happened to wake up in the middle of the night. I knew this comet was supposed to be out so I decided to go outside and see if I could see it. When I got outside I looked up and my jaw nearly hit the ground. There were stars everywhere, and there was this huge streak that just dominated the night sky. Not at all like the couple of other comets I've looked at, that look kind of like a smudged star. This thing was incredible. It was easily one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. If I had been around a bunch of city lights, I don't know if I would have been able to see it at all. Even if I could, it would not have been nearly the same. I love city living and city lights, but I don't mind a little bit of country dark either.

Yes, when you look up into the dark night and see all of those stars-don't you just think how vast it all is and how small we are? And how trivial our troubles are in view of the sight? Time, what a vapor it is!

Last night (Saturday March 2nd) was just past full moon. I am usually a very early riser and was up at 4:00am. Outside was cold and crisp and bright, bright bright. In an urban area, myou lose the darkness, but you also lose the brightness of nature. It was so bright I could see every detail. It just so happens that I was watching "Wolf" with Jack Nicholson, who turns into a wolf on the full moon.

If you actually heard a wolf or a pack of wolves howling in the night-there is nothing more spine tingling.

No wolves here in Md, but we do here the coyotes and owls.

Good morning Jim. No wolves in Maryland? That seems odd to me. I assumed there is a lot of wilderness in Maryland to support a population of them. Last summer I was vacationing in Northern Michigan. We were sitting around a camp fire. It was close to midnight. Suddenly there were howls out in the distance. It was scary. I looked at my wife's uncle (who works for the Department of Natural Resources) and asked: "Coyotes,?" He said: "Nope, wolves." After considering that for a moment, my wife suggested we all "turn in" for the night. We did.

(03-03-2013 07:32 AM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Good morning Jim. No wolves in Maryland? That seems odd to me. I assumed there is a lot of wilderness in Maryland to support a population of them. Last summer I was vacationing in Northern Michigan. We were sitting around a camp fire. It was close to midnight. Suddenly there were howls out in the distance. It was scary. I looked at my wife's uncle (who works for the Department of Natural Resources) and asked: "Coyotes,?" He said: "Nope, wolves." After considering that for a moment, my wife suggested we all "turn in" for the night. We did.

Officially, no wolves. the western part of the state probably could sustain wolves. Twenty five years ago, there were no coyotes, bear, or rattlesnakes east of the Alleghenies. Now we got them. wildlife is making a strong comeback.

Hurray for wildlife! Any big foot sightings?