Today, September 21, is the autumnal equinox, one of two times in a circuit of the sun when the north and south poles of the planet are equidistant from the sun. This makes day and night of equal length in both hemispheres of the globe.
Today, autumn officially begins in the northern hemisphere, though for us who live at higher elevations it has felt like autumn for some weeks. On or about December 21 autumn will end, officially, as winter begins.
In Davenport, IA, on this day at roughly 7:20 p.m. sitting outside on deck four, we are comfortable in shirtsleeves. The sun has set and twilight is fading. The air feels silky with the riverine humidity. The crew tell us it will get warmer as we go south, and that’s logical.
We cast off at about 8 p.m. and I believe our next port is Quincy, Illinois, My father grew up in Quincy to which his mom moved after his dad died. She and her two sons then lived there with her father and mother, his grandpa was a physician who had served in the civil war.
Later … I was wrong, our next stop is Hannibal, MO, so we will bypass Quincy, alas.
