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distortions.net

I'm Ryan Mikulovsky. Tech geek. GIS pro. Avgeek. California Native plant gardener. All photos on this blog, unless stated otherwise, are mine. Cameras: Fujifilm X-T5 and X100V. Views are my own. Follow me on Mastodon: @rpmik@avgeek.social

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    I love the layers of light in this photo of me taking photos in the desert near Death Valley 📷 #MBApr A gravel road leading over a hill with a person kneeling to take photos in the distance, mountain ranges layered in the background, and a clear sky with radial sunbeams through dust above.

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    Mid-March 2024 at the Donner Summit rest area (east-bound). I suppose once the building was dug out, ice formed in the alcove as heat warmed the snow’s bottom (ceiling in this case). Pretty neat. 📷 #MBApr An alcove filled with a large accumulation of snow and ice, with a metallic overhang above and stone pillars on the sides. A trash receptacle sits partially visible in the foreground to the left.

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    We’re planting only one row this year. Just tomatoes, various peppers, basil, and an overwintered thyme. All prepped, just need to plant! #gardening A sunlit garden with a pile of branches, green shrubs, flowering white clover, a drip irrigation hose, gravel paths, and small orange flags marking a planting locations.

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    A slightly early birthday present to me: a Sonos Move 2. Sounds very good! It’ll be great keeping me from the odd anxiety of silence and listening to food chewing 😆 📷 #MBApr A Sonos Move 2 smart speaker on a media center. To the right, there’s a crystal with an etched Dresden Frauenkirche inside.

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    Gotta have a bit of the flâneur spirit to partake in street photography. Or you’d miss a random dog-dog encounter in San Francisco. 📷#MBApr Two small dogs in costumes on leashes, with a person standing nearby. One dog is in a yellow outfit with eyes like goggles, the other in a red plaid jacket. They appear to be on a city sidewalk outside a souvenir shop.

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    A gorgeous Barrel Cactus from Joshua Tree National Park 📷 #MBApr A colorful cactus with pink spines and yellow flowers amidst rocky terrain.

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    In X-Plane 12, I finally managed to get the 747-200 (modeled by Felis) up to cruise with only minor passenger discomfort. Had a little trouble with the auto-throttle. I’m still loving the Yawman Arrow controller #XPlane12 #macOS #YawmanArrow #FlightSimulator A United 747-200 airplane flying at night with the United Airlines livery visible on its tail and fuselage. The aircraft’s navigation lights are illuminated. An aircraft about 1000 ft below is approaching.

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    I installed my first Sharkbite plumbing fixture and it’s kinda magic how easy & low stress it was. Anyway, the ridiculous hosebib setup is why no one should let me do plumbing. Listen, I learned a lot from this low-stakes project! 📷 #MBApr Outdoor plumbing setup with a brass faucet with bright blue valve attached to a vertical pipe, green tree tape securing it to a fence post, and various hoses at the base.

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    Here’s a windy 2019 August day at Coyote Point, just south of San Francisco International Airport. Some activities: plane spotting, kitesurfing, and cosplay (two of these I was not expecting) 📷 #MBApr Three kitesurfing kites flying above choppy bay water with two airlines above on approach to SFO, with a city skyline and hills partially obscured by fog in the distance.

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    Ever played with Guinness themed cards at Lassen National Park? Eight years ago, we did! 📷 #MBApr A concrete bench top view of a hand of playing cards being held over a deck of Guinness-themed goose playing cards. The hand revealed includes a mix of hearts, clubs, and diamonds, with a focus on a Jack of clubs and a six of clubs prominently displayed. One card has a goose saying “My goodness, my Guinness.” Another shows Saint James Gate, “Home of Guinness”, opening up to a gaggle of animals including a Tucan, pelican, and kangaroo. There is a green suited man wearing a monocle.

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    Pear flowers! This year our two Asian pear trees bloomed simultaneously. Good bet they cross pollinated 📷 #MBApr Close-up of white pear blossoms on a branch with a blurred green background. A bee is visible on one of the flowers.

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    I’m going to try participating in micro.blog’s April photo challenge. So each day in April I’ll post one photo based on a word given by micro.blog. I’ve skipped the last few challenges.

    This big espresso toy at Eddie World in Beatty, Nevada, is ridiculously complex! #MBApr An ornate espresso machine made of copper and brass with decorative elements, labeled “Sabre Room,” on top of a brick counter with bottled drinks visible in the background.

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    I never appreciated how electric ovens do not exhaust heat like gas ovens. This new oven of ours (with induction cooktop) will be nice during the summer. For the induction, there’s been a learning curve. Mostly that heat is instant and boiling is FAST. Using a pressure cooker is crazy efficient.

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    My watch today basically told me to breathe. There was no good reason for the surge of adrenaline at the start of a Teams call. If it weren’t for a beta blocker, my HR would have easily climbed above 120 BPM and I’d been hosed the rest of the day above 90. I’m unusually tired though.The image shows a smartwatch alert for a high heart rate, indicating a heart rate above 110 BPM while the wearer was inactive for 10 minutes starting at 13:03. The graphical part of the display illustrates the heart rate fluctuations over a period of 10 minutes.

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    Death Valley Road Trip Part 7

    This is the last post in this Death Valley photo log. After the short hike at Mosaic Canyon, it began to rain pretty decently, so we headed back to Furnace Creek.

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    Death Valley Road Trip Part 6

    This is a slightly shorter post today for just Mosaic Canyon.

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    Death Valley Road Trip Part 5

    Most of the second full day at Death Valley! 

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    Death Valley Road Trip Part 4

    Following the lake at Badwater, we went reversed course to the north.

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    Death Valley Road Trip Part 3

    Continuing from the Stove-Pipe Wells village, we went to an actual Stove-Pipe Well just to the north.

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    For the first time both our Asian pear trees are in full bloom! They can pollinate each other so this is very good of news. No Death Valley photos tonight

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