New High School & Return to SUMMER!

Almost 4 years after being broken in "our" 5.8 magnitude earthquake, the new, much improved Louisa County High School welcomed back students this week to lovely weather and rave reviews. There was and will continue to be a little shock from the many steps but mostly it was smiles and dreamy looks of amazement. Earth rules: Adapt, Migrate or Die were on full display as students, teachers, staff and parents all adapted to our migration to the new school; where is my class, who's my teacher, look at all these new faces, steps again, where's the bathroom, how do I get to the cafeteria and lots of, "hey, great to seeya, how about this school". So many firsts still to come, first pep rally where we all fit in the gym,  first band concert, first choral and theatre productions, so many, "I didn't know this was here..", OMG!!  We are still a little star struck and there are many bugs, kinks, issues to work out (the building has only been legal a week) but the smiles far outweigh to frowns.
In Earth news, the weather for the opening was a taste of fall, mornings in the 50's, low humidity and sunny warm afternoons but that is changing ('cuz that's all there is…) and both the temperature and humidity will continue to sneak upward because we are still have 5 weeks of the summer season left.  The trough or dip in the jet stream, that big high altitude wind that does so much to determine/drive our weather, will retreat north this week and that means the southern air returns to the mid-Atlantic (much of the rest of the country has been locked in with heat and humidity for some time). A hot, muggy week is coming with no quenching tropical systems on the horizon.
A powerful El Nino is building as warm water in the western Pacific sloshes eastward and while that may bring rain, and later snow, to California and the burning west it likely will not be a gentle rain but deluge after deluge triggering flooding and massive mud slides for this fall and winter and into next spring. El Nino's depress hurricanes in the Atlantic basin and that seems to be what's happening this summer with none in the satellite views. The planet is warming and bigger, more powerful storms and wilder swings in weather were forecast, 50-60 years ago, and still big business, driven only by short term greed, force/push/buy off an inept, re-election driven Congress to do nothing, or even less than nothing. Human influenced or not, Earth is warming and while there are proactive communities, businesses, and countries planning for future sea level rises our "leaders" fiddle as Earth cooks. And, the planet doesn't care! We ought to, for our kids and grandkids, for a much different future that is coming.
A 6.6 quake rattled the Solomon Isles today, not uncommon there and Oklahoma, now broken but fracking greed, also continues to shake on. The week's equake list wouldn't load for me so not sure what went on world-wide this week; lots of quakes, the earth shimming and shaking, adjusting, mostly along plate collision and expansion zones would be my guess. The volcano list is down a bit this week and Mexico's Colima seems to be the most troublesome on the short list but even it is taking a break.
The Perseid meteor showers was in the news all week and put on quite the show, the sky darkened for fine viewing by the lack of  by moon, our satellite passing between the Earth and Sun late yesterday morning. Watch for a thin crescent moon to return to the early evening sky maybe tonight but certainly tomorrow, but no planets to dance with until it passes by Saturn on the 22nd at a right angle to the Earth/Sun as first quarter moon. Venus is at inferior conjunction today, passing between the Earth and sun (although above or below not directly between - still 100+ years before that happens again) and is certainly not visible. By month's end it will be ahead of the sun in the pre-dawn sky and a bright beacon, the morning star.
Today's pictures are from the new LCHS, Emily P. and her amazing locker and some fisheye looks at 3 of my 4 new classes - I need to get closer to the classes, it's a fisheye lens.

Emily and her locker, notice the disco ball, lit at the top.

 1stH (above) and 3rd (below)

 4th block (below) I moved closer with camera!!

Another Nice Weekend

Virginia is on a bit of a lovely weekend roll these days, storms late in the week and then cooler drier air comes in for the weekend. And, then temps and humidities go up for the start of the work week. The long range look into this week has the cool, dry stretch starting mid-week and continuing into next weekend; August has been pretty pleasant so far.  The large system that brought the all rain Thursday and Friday, slid off the east coast yesterday, almost looked like it was going to really get together into a tropical-like system but has moved farther out into the Atlantic where we don't really have to care.  A little rain was nice; some places, mostly south and east of the tirehouse, received way more than a little. A chance of rain returns for the next two days before the next nice stretch begins.
Since the last posting of the TOE dozens of quakes have shaken up the planet but not one hit 6.0 in magnitude, a bit surprising but what is normal on Earth. Volcanoes are normal on Earth and while the list is shorter this week (only 5 on the active list in Indonesia) there is plenty of ash and lava flying around on the big planet. While in the news for parts of the missing Malaysian airliner showing up on beaches, Piton de la Fournaise is on the active volcano list and Reunion island is growing as lava oozes and ash rains down. Colima is still belching in Mexico, Sinabung continues to affect much of Indonesia, Manam is fired up off the coast of PNG and Cleveland is on the "don't fly close to me" list up in Alaska. It's a wild planet!
Our view of space has gotten less interesting in August, Jupiter does linger in the haze of the sunset but Venus, at aphelion and therefore about as close to Earth as it gets, is not visible anymore and will pass between the Earth and Sun on the 15th. By month's end it will have popped up into the morning sky as the bright beacon before sunrise. The waning crescent moon is out there in the morning sky right now but as it continues to shrink will will be harder and harder to spot; it will be closed to lined up with Venus, passing between Earth and Sun just one day ahead of our neighboring planet. Saturn does still shine high in the south as sunset, tilted nicely for telescope viewing.
The official dedication of the new Louisa County High School is today, and it's shaping up as a  pleasant, cloudy, cool and not too humid day, get out and enjoy it, Today on Earth.
Here is the shot of the giant cumulonimbus cloud I couldn't get posted a few days ago, 50+ miles away!

A New School & A Big Storm

The new Louisa County High School opened its doors to the faculty yesterday and the long wait, 3 1/2 years in pods/trailer, lived up to the expectations; WOW! Expansive, gleaming, lots of natural lighting through massive windows, the new car smell in an entire building (but really noticeable in the theatre), long views, color coordinated, and full of smiling, excited teachers and staff. The excitement has not worn off much on day two, but we do have a lot to do to get ready for open house next Monday and the first day of school Wednesday week. Still lots to do but it sure nice to be getting ready in a brand new building, lots of positive energy, flowing everywhere.
In Earth news, it's hot and still not too humid here in Virginia with a couple of pop up showers (see the photo below of one 50 plus miles off to the east from the new school. I haven't checked on quakes (none here), volcanoes get updated tomorrow and the waning gibbous moon makes for bright skies in the middle of the night, and lingers into the morning sky. A recent wander on the big planet intersected with too many spider webs, a couple of squirrels and little else, it's too hot for most creatures to be out and about at this time of day; dusk and nightfall will bring out the crowds. Tomorrow is forecast to be a bit cooler as today's front settles just to our south but that same front will get pushed slowly back north, into the Old Dominion for Thursday and Friday and while temperatures will stay in the 80's the rain chances will rise and most places will likely get wet.
All that is predicted to be gone by Saturday making for another dry, cooler weekend. What ever the weather, get out for a bit and wander, today on Earth.
Looks like no storm shot, usual bad verizon service...

New school shots! Cafeteria

 The entrance, from 2nd floor academic wing

 Room 310, my new classroom

 From the parking lot...

A Pleasant Start to August

Even though we are still deep in the summer season reprieves from the oppression of heat and humidity continue to come our way; humid, dry, humid, dry - seems like a good schedule to me. The cool overnights and dry heat of the last couple of days of July and the first two of August will, however, not last. Tomorrow will see the moisture level in the atmosphere rise as well as the temperature. It will feel like August for the next several day and then a stalled front will drop temperatures but keep humidity high and increase the chances of a storm. Longer range, another breath of Canadian air may drop temps and humidity levels for the second weekend of August to points even nicer than the first. Without a doubt, there will be plenty more summer.
While the sunset, right on the horizon was lovely (see below) the planets of spring and summer are for the most part gone. I was able to find Venus in binoculars this evening but not Jupiter nor Mercury that is rumored to be in the area. The show is over, but will return to morning skies in late August and into September. Saturn still sits high overhead, mostly alone, just after sunset.
Tomorrow begins a new chapter in the August 23, 2011 Mineral earthquake story; the brand new Louisa County High School welcomes back the full staff to begin prep for school opening 12 August. 3 weeks short of 4 years since that wild day when our world got very shaky. More details on tomorrow's TOE. Hope you are getting out and enjoying summer, today on Earth.

Louisa sunset (top) the York River below West Point, Va. (lower)