Tuesday, August 3, 2010

I Begin the Day With a Dragon and a Great Mystery

I'm thinking the fellow who invented the helicopter must surely have been fascinated with Dragonflies. In flight they know how to hover, fly forward and sideways, and then hover some more.

They're plentiful near wet areas out in the country but I don't see too many of them here in town. So I was pleased and delighted to see this critter peering in at me this morning through the kitchen window.I headed out doors to get a little closer glimpse. Isn't he cool?
And while I was out on the deck I took photos of our Great Mystery! This phenomenon has been puzzling me for three summers.
Here's what we see (but we do not understand). Every morning one leg of each of the four metal chairs on the deck has water at its base. The leg itself is dry to the touch. There is no hole in the top of the hollow leg. There is no rain water inside the legs. It simply has to be condensation....but why just one leg? It is never two legs of the same chair. I suppose you think some neighborhood dog visits our deck each morning. But I assure you that is not so! We never see a dog in our backyard.
I do not like to leave mysteries unsolved. Everything has its explanation. But this is truly a puzzle. Got any ideas???

12 comments:

Debby said...

Is the leakage on the same leg each morning? And if you look at all the pieces of the set, is the leakage 'logical'? (Can you predict which leg of each piece will leak?) The only thing I can come up with is this: Get a level out. Is your deck out of level? It must be a very minor variation, because the puddles are small, but those deck chairs are hollow. We have the same ones, only brown. With the rain and humidity and heat, I'll bet you that minor condensation builds up inside the chair during the day, and when it cools down at night, the moisture drips from the lowest leg of the chair.

Debbie said...

I don't know about a dog visiting your yard at night but I would still think it is something that is "marking" the legs of the chairs. I don't suppose you have given the puddles a good sniff to see if they smell. Even as I write that I am going "Yuch!"

Denise said...

LOL I was going to say a dog.

You do not show but where does the roof end above it? If you move the chair, does the spot move with it?

melissa said...

Nope. No answers, but it sure is interesting. Will enjoy hearing what you finally find out.

Btw, we're covered up in dragonflies as well. They're a treat to see hovering around in the late afternoon.

Hope you and yours have a lovely day. :) And one full of mysteries and joy.

CorvusCorax12 said...

i go with condensation too, the dragonfly is beautiful

Sandy said...

I have no idea about the chair legs but growing up in Indiana I do have to comment on the dragonfly. They absolutely creep me out!! I have goose bumps right now from just looking at the picture. I have always had long hair and growing up on a lake in Indiana I have memories of them getting tangled in my hair..ewwww!!!

S. Etole said...

A mystery for sure ... as are those dragonflies with the fragile wings that carry their more cumbersome bodies.

Scott said...

One time my brother-in-law visited us with a contraption he made out of PVC pipe and a bucket and some wire and lightbulb. He showed us how by pouring water at one end the "flow" actually trickle of the water generated enough static electricity to power the light bulb. Somehow the positive and negative charges in the water separated which created the charge to power the bulb. I wonder if the condensation upon one leg has something to do with the stactic electricity build up in the chairs. Just a guess.

Kelly said...

Hmmm...quite a mystery! Debby's thoughts sound good, though.

I like dragonflies. We have lots of them around here in tons of varieties. They're a lot friendlier than butterflies (or maybe just not as skittish).

Dandy said...

I can't wait to find out... perhaps you need secret video cameras?

Love that dragon fly shot- I never get to see them up close

Tracey said...

That dragonfly is gorgeous but massive!!

i also thought of a dog or maybe damp?

Relyn Lawson said...

Oh, I do love dragonflies. And stories.