Like a helicopter

Oh ho ho ho, Reader, have I got an excessive amount of photos for you! 

I came home from work last night feeling tired and thinking only about kicking my feet up and selecting "Hart of Dixie" on the DVR.  (In my defense: this decision was born out of my love for "The OC" and not any real expectations.)  I lugged my CSA vegetable box out of my car, and on the way past my patio, I saw something that that literally made me squeal with disbelief and delight.  

I am pretty sure this confused my neighbor, who was smoking a cigarette outside.  I started trying to take photos while he was finishing up but then went inside acting all cool and then rushed back outside as soon as I knew he was gone so I could explore it undisturbed.  (You gotta be smooth, you know?)

It was a very gusty day, Reader - I'm talking 40-50 mph wind.  Do you know those little leaves or seeds that I grew up calling helicopters?  For this post, I got to google "helicopter leaves" to find the correct name, and it turns out they come from maple trees.  You probably knew that.

Somehow, based on the ferocious wind, dozens and dozens had all plunged directly into my patio furniture in the same pattern and angle!

Start big.  I've blogged about my furniture before, but in case you need context, this was my first glimpse:

That glimpse showed this angle, which makes them look like a big pile of little darts:

I was completely struck by how beautiful they were, especially when you looked at them straight on, when they looked to me like little lanterns:

But wait, there's more!  I wondered for a second what the underside of the table and chairs looked like, so I scruffed up the knees of my cords.  Ready?  Here's the top...

And there's the bottom!  Icebergs, no?

Sometimes when you live in the city, little forces of nature aren't as obvious, so you have to look closer for them.  I felt lucky that I noticed these little guys before the wind switched around and blew them all away.