Community Corner

A Walk On The Beach, A Headless Buddha, And A Glimpse Of Mars

It's supposed to be sunny all day. Low tide is around 3:58 p.m. Wednesday. If you go for a walk around then, you'll be treated to the widest expanse of beach. And, the rest of this month is a great time to check out Mars.

 

Wednesday promises to be sunny, the National Weather Service says.

If you're so inclined, it should be a good day to talk a walk on the beach. Low tide, a great time to enjoy the widest expanse of beach, is at 3:58 p.m. on Wednesday.

Find out what's happening in Madisonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There is plenty to be seen, as contractors continue to repair seawalls and houses damaged by Tropical Storm Irene, and as continues.

A headless Buddha?

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While walking on the beach recently, a friend and I found what appeared to be a Buddha perched on the rocks, in full-lotus pose, his hands in what appeared to be some variation of Dhyāna Mudrā, which generally is intended to discipline the mind in preparation for meditation.

But this fellow was headless. Was some force of nature suggesting to passersby that it's best to lead from the heart rather than over-thinking everything? Or maybe it wasn't a Buddha at all, but a representation of Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and transformation.

That gave us something to contemplate as we surveyed the Irene-related repair work.

At, at night, all this month ...

For those of you who like the outdoors at night, the website EarthSky (earthandsky.org) says March is the "best time to see Mars between now and 2014!" Wednesday, March 7, will be a particularly good time to view Mars and the moon together, the website says.

Mars and the moon on March 7, 2012. We pinpoint that night – the evening of March 7, 2012 through the morning of March 8, 2012 – because that is when Mars and the moon will be closest. But they will also be close for many nights before and after that date. And if you’re not sure you’ve identified Mars correctly, the nights around March 7 are for you.

If you go for a walk or to gaze at the night skies, and get any good pictures, upload them to our Gallery (the link is in the light blue bar near the top of the page).

Here is the extended forecast from the National Weather Service for the Madison shoreline:

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 51. Southwest wind between 3 and 11 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 39. Southwest wind between 9 and 11 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Southwest wind between 9 and 17 mph.

Thursday Night: A chance of showers, mainly after 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Friday: A chance of showers before 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 51. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 30.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 46.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 34.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 54.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40.

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 56.

Here is the extended forecast from the National Weather Service for North Madison and towns north: 


Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 54. Southwest wind between 5 and 14 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. Southwest wind between 9 and 11 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Southwest wind between 9 and 17 mph.

Thursday Night: A chance of showers, mainly after 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Friday: A chance of showers before 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 27.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 44.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 53.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38.

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 56.

This article was edited at 4 p.m. on Tuesday March 6 to eliminate a split infinitive and because something else occurred to me.


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