Category Archives: Photography

Danderfluff Purrington is missing

In sad personal news, our beloved cat, Danderfluff Purrington, disappeared from the front yard on April 14th at approximately 5:15 pm. It was her birthday, too, and she was turning 18. I have reason to believe she was stolen so I’m making this post just in case it might help bring her back. Sealpoint tortoiseshell Himalayans (“tortie points”) are not particularly common, plus she’s a objectively a very, very pretty girl. Maybe some kind person out there will notice a for-sale listing and recognize her. It’s a complete long shot but I have to try.

I have of course posted her information to a variety of missing-cat groups (e.g., here and here) as well as filed a police report. And there is always the possibility that she just went to a quiet place to die, which is something cats do when they get to the end of their nine lives, and at 18 that point was likely near. Finally, I can’t rule out that a coyote took her. Coyotes are present in Delaware County and one in nearby Broomall was recently seen carrying off a dog. And there are some free-range dogs in the neighborhood, too.

If anyone has leads, please contact me or Officer Mattioli (610-543-0123) of the Swarthmore Police Department.

Ice prism in a wheelbarrow

I’d heard of ice spikes before — those strange horns that grow out of ice cube trays. And a quick internet search pulls up the rarer ice pyramid, too, like this one. But I’ve never heard of a trapezoidal prism being reported, but that’s what I found in my wheelbarrow recently. It was extremely smooth and organized, plus was thin-walled and filled with liquid water. I’m not at all confident the formation is even related to ice spikes and such. I’m sharing photographs and videos in in case anyone can tell me more.

I’d estimate its dimensions at 4″ long, 1 1/5″ wide, and 3 1/2″ high. The temperature the night before dropped to approximately 26 °F. Below is some video footage from different angles, plus shows that the structure is filled to the top with liquid water.

After another cold night it formed a cap and lost most of its liquid filling.

And on the day after that, the roof started to break apart.

If anyone can explain to me how it formed, I’d be grateful.