9pm Sandy Update

Max wind gust 24.5mph, settling to 0mph;
Temperature is 49.5F and steady;
Humidity is 97% and steady;
Barometric pressure is 29.74"Hg and steady;
But not much beyond some mist thus far.

6:40pm Sandy update

Cascades Brook still at 1.6";
Precipitation at 1/16";
Peak wind 8.5mph and lowest at 3.0mph in a 60 second sample;
Temperature at 50.4F and steady;
Humidity at 96% and steady;
Barometric pressure at 29.74" (further down) but steady for the moment.

Our next door neighbor is out watering his freshly planted trees by lights, and while I understand, it is still funny under the circumstances.

5:30 update

We now have winds at about 12 mph.
The temperature is 50 degrees and steady. Humidity at 90% and steady.
We've readjusted our barometer (it had not been reset in some time) and it is now 29.74 inches of mercury and steady.

3:42pm Sandy Update at the Lodge

3:42pm Sandy Update at the Lodge

Wind has picked up: 13 mph. min. - 21 mph. max. gust over 2 min period;
Barometric pressure is down a little to 29.77" Hg;
Temperature is down as well to 52.9F and still falling;
humidity is up to 90%;
It is misting but not raining.

The canoe is tied up in the front glen!

2pm Sandy Update

Cascades Brook 1.6" of flow (primary channel only);
Highest wind gust reading 4.5mph, with still conditions;
Barometer at 29.88" and falling*;
Temperature at 56.6°F and steady.

* (this is the amended pressure after making an elevation correction following the 1pm post)

1 pm update

At one pm, the barometer has dropped to 29.15 inches under cloudy skies. It has started to mist. We are clocking winds of about 8 mph now.

Yes, the fire danger sign is right

After several clear days without rain, the fire danger is now MODERATE, though we fully expect that to change over the course of today!
At 8 am, the temperature is 50 degrees and steady.
The barometer is steady at 29.21 inches of mercury under cloudy skies. As yet, no sign of that drop we expect as Sandy comes up the coast and inland.

Hurricane inbound!

But in the meantime, it looks like we have a couple of nice days ahead!
At nine am, it is 52 degrees and rising.
The barometer is at 29.44 and steady under somewhat cloudy skies.
The stream is trickling.

On the list of "to do" ahead of the storm: going up to check out our culvert! While the piers stand and having a house that's above running water is always exciting, we'd prefer to not have to rebuild the driveway again this winter if we can avoid it.
If you have a storm drain near you, do the DPW (and us all!) a favor and get the leaves off of it. If we get anything like the rain forecasted, we're going to need a place for it all to go!

Fall brook

Here's the Cascades Brook this morning, running at about two inches. As you can see, the swamp maples have turned and are losing their leaves now. On an overcast morning like this one, they glow.

At nine am, it is fifty degrees and steady under overcast skies. The barometer is at 29.41 inches of mercury and steady. The fire danger is back down to LOW. 

Cook Pond drawdown

A notice from the Cook's Pond Association: beginning Sunday, they have begun a PLANNED drawdown of the pond for dam repair and spillway work.
The water should be down enough as of this coming Sunday, October 27. They hope to have the work completed by the first weekend in November, at which point they will bring the water level back up.
No need to panic!

Weirdly warm and a seasonal reminder

So, having sent us all scrambling to bring in anything that could be killed by frost, our New England weather has now decided to treat us to a day with a high in the 70's with a chance of thunderstorms for this afternoon. Hope you haven't yet put your shorts away!
It is damp here under the trees, but a brisk wind is drying things out and continuing to bring down leaves. We have a trickle of water going over the falls and down Cascades Brook. 

ALSO, an important seasonal reminder:
HUNTING SEASON HAS NOW OPENED IN MASSACHUSETTS.
Archery season runs from October 15th - November 24th.
Shotgun season runs from November 26th - December 8th.
Muzzleloader season runs from December 10th - December 31st.

Hunting IS allowed on GWLT properties outside the city of Worcester: please recall that much of the Cascades parkland lies OUTSIDE of city bounds!

As such, we urge you to:

• stay on trails
• keep your dogs leased
• wear bright colors (blaze orange if you have it)

Let's be safe as we share our open space.

Rainy

...again...
At nine am, it is 50 degrees and rising a bit.
The barometer is 29.26 inches of mercury and steady under cloudy skies.
All the rain is really bringing down the leaves: the beeches and birches are losing leaves, though the maples are still turning.
The brook is running.
We are not registering any wind.

Still wet

We're still experiencing the temperate northern hardwood rainforest here today: it is not currently actively raining, but it is once again damp, foggy, and overcast. The barometer is at 29.41 inches of mercury and steady.
The stream is continuing to run, though not at a great rate; we're measuring about two inches of water in it. The Cascades are trickling, therefore.
At 8:45 am, it is 62 degrees and rising, which is warm for early October.
The birches and the shagbark hickory trees are just beginning to turn, and we're seeing hints of red on the swamp maples.
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At nine am, you can join us for sign and timber work here at the Lodge, if you like!

Falling leaves

Fall is really here!

The rain has cleared out, 'though we still are seeing some cloudy skies here. The barometer is at 28.97 and steady.

We've got a brisk wind right now--the latest gust was up to 16 mph. The fire danger for this morning is NONE, but we're watching it closely, as that wind is going to dry things right out. We'll probably be back up to LOW by this afternoon.

At 9 am the temperature is 55 degrees and rising, 'though slowly.

The brook is running, as are the Cascades! 

Wet!

We've got the fire danger back down to NONE today, and expect to keep it there this weekend. The rain last night not only soaked us well enough for that: the falls are running again!
And not only the tops of the trees are reminding us that fall is well under way; we have the annual migration of the mice into the attic to contend with, as well.

Feels like fall

While it isn't as chilly as it has been the past few mornings, it does feel like fall out there today!
At 8 am, it is 50 degrees and rising.
The barometer is at 29.47 inches of mercury and steady under clear blue skies.
The brook is again dry.

It is sign and timber work Thursday here at the Lodge; if you have some time this morning, come by any time after 9 to help with log hewing. If you saw us at stART, you know that we have a whole sign frame read to go for Pine Glen in West Boylston; we just need to finish the sign for that. The frame we're working on next will at the end of Dawson Road to mark the KinneyWoods property.

See you tomorrow at stART!

The logs are loaded and we're ready to go! The annual arts-and-everything-else festival, stART on the Street is tomorrow on Park Avenue from 11-6. Look for us in our usual spot under the trees at the edge of Newton Hill (across from the corner of Elm and Park).
We'll have the bowsaws, adze, bark spud, and mallet and chisel ready for willing hands. Stop by and help us finish up the next property sign!
See you tomorrow!

Canalfest

We're here doing log hewing all day! Come by!

Heading into fall

The fire danger remains low and the brook is still running, as it's starting to get chillier at night and stay cooler during the day. Currently, the brook is running at about 2 inches.
The squirrels and chipmunks have been busy here lately, as the shagbark hickory nuts are ripening. You can sit outside and hear what sounds like rain, as the squirrels high up in the trees shell the nuts.
At 9:30 am, it is 72 degrees and rising under clear blue skies.
The barometer is 29.21 and steady.

And I have a squirrel scolding me through the window as I post this!


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Note that this weekend marks the start of our fall festival season: please look for us at Worcester's Canalfest, which you might have seen covered in yesterday's paper.
And be sure to check out the video!

Heading into fall

It's clear that we're heading into fall here, as the fire danger has been bouncing up and down this week, even without much rain. The dews are heavier overnight, and the days are not as dry. We've now put the fire danger for today back down to LOW.
The barometer is currently reading 29.35 inches of mercury and steady under somewhat overcast skies. We aren't expecting any rain.
The wood aster are in bloom now (those are the white small star flowers you'll see under trees). They are a native New Englander, so see them and be glad!
At 11:30, it has just hit 70 degrees here with a breeze of about 6 mph.

We're expecting a troop of Clark students through here today. As part of their Outing Club's annual fall start, they run shuttles full of students up to the Cascades Parkland to show them that Worcester is not just urban; it's also full of woodland and open space!