Defining the Wind
Red sky in morning, or was that mourning? Yesterday, a late-run-red-salmon sunrise started the day that included the funeral of a friend's wife and 7 week old baby. Today, Venus rising warm and white, clearing the path for the sun was juxtaposed with the near full moon casting long blue-green shadows on the lawn. East and west, one setting, the other rising. In David Huler's new book, Defining the Wind, he calls these Beaufort moments. Times when we notice the detail of nature around us... enough to write it down, as Beaufort did for his whole life. Not only does Huler show how committed Beaufort was to recording observations (about everything, including his bowel movements in his last year of life), he tells, in a very readable weave of history, science and travelogue, how this man followed his curiousity and passion through a lifetime of achievement. Beaufort's legacy evolved, like the wind scale that bears his name. His was an inspired life of searching for patterns and their meanings and connections in a timeless world of discovery.. for himself, and for others. Huler's book honors this way of life and a life well lived. On a bookcase that includes some of the greatest books on wind every written, this book gets a place in the top 5! Great read - great lessons.
Kaci Cronkhite
Post a Comment
View Printer Friendly Version
Reader Comments