It was a perfect morning for an early run.
We’ve been blessed with great weather over the past few days, it has been dry, bright and mild. We head out on the usual run, six runners, two dogs and a buoyant mood, synonymous with the fact it is also Friday. My running has been good recently, the layoff caused by the chest infection earlier in the month, feels like it has had a beneficial effect. Our route was the choice of Spuds and it was no surprise to discover we were on track for the loop known as the Crack O’Dan, so named after the runner and a narrow gap between rocks that it passes through. We pause at an area of exposed rock high above power cables and try to figure which trail we can see below, then we squeeze through Dan’s crack and continue on our way. By now two smaller groups have formed and conversation within the back pack somehow has turned into a discussion about cocktails. Allstate believes margaritas are a summer drink. “But it’s nearly summer!”, I hear her cry. Chipper and Spuds recently had a vacation in Mexico where Spuds enhanced his skills at making them with natural ingredients. It is 6:30 in the morning we’re running through the woods discussing alcoholic beverages! We pause to pay homage to the whale, an outcrop of rock bearing a distinct resemblance to Moby. Maybe there were vicarious alcoholic fumes lingering but the position of Moby’s mouth can move depending on the perspective of the viewer we’re told - maybe I should have stayed in bed this morning!
Back at the car we marvel at the buds that appear to be opening at a rapid rate. Forrest comments on the beauty of the color that early spring foliage has. “Chartreuse is a color that our eye are most sensitive to”; says Iggy, an artists and photo journalist. Chartreuse is the color precisely halfway between green and yellow, so it is 50% green and 50% yellow. It is also an aromatic liqueur, usually yellow or green, made by the Carthusian monks at Grenoble, France. Without realizing it we had slipped back on to cocktails!
What the heck, it’s Friday, cheers!
April 25, 2008 at 10:27 am
Hey - Awesome run today - very excited about tomorrow’s adventure!
I got this from the links you included in your post - thought some would find it interesting! Cheers
2) Chartreuse is the most visible color.
Yellow-green, chartreuse, sits right in the middle of the frequencies of visible light. Your eyes have receptors for blue, green and red. Being in the middle, yellow-green triggers the most of these receptors to fire, making it easy to spot. In some cities, firetrucks have been changed from red to a yellow-green color to make them more visible.
3) Your subconscious is smarter than you are.
Or at least more powerful. In one study, a square was assigned to a location on a computer screen through a complex pattern. After watching it, people began to get results better than chance of picking out where the square would pop up next. But when asked to consciously determine the pattern, even given a few hours, nobody could do it.
4) You have two nervous systems.
One set controls excitation and the other controls inhibition. If you hold out your hand, you might notice minor tremors. This is caused by slight, random differences in the amount each of the two systems are firing.
April 25, 2008 at 10:37 am
Thanks for the comments.
2. You have mentioned seeing yellow flowers on our early morning runs - is it possible you’ve been on the chartreuse, the night before?
3. Does this mean we are all smarter then we think we are?
4. If you don’t tremor, how do you know if you over excited or inhibited?
April 25, 2008 at 11:03 am
To answer your questions…
2. No - probably Burgundy though!!
3. Yes, most definately yes!!
4. If you don’t tremor you’ve never experienced rule #1 or #2 or #3!!
April 29, 2008 at 9:28 am
[...] the year for me, their buds have burst open and the new leaves have a fresh look, (it must be the chartreuse!) Despite the foliage being out, the light beneath the tree canopy is still bright and the trees [...]