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May 2026

5/22/26 →

Looks like a great day to fly FRA✈️DEN✈️SMF #Travel

At an airport terminal, several silhouetted people sit facing windows with a view of threeLufthansa 747-8 aircraft on the tarmac.

5/21/26 →

Egyptian goose goslings (and one adult) seen the other day at Cologne’s Flora and Botanical gardens (which is FANTASTIC this time of the year) #Birds #EgyptianGoose #Travel #Deutschland 

Eight Egyptian goose goslings running across a dirt walking path from grass covered in white flowers to grass covered in white flowers. There's a bench in the background and many trees along with some red flowers elsewhere.

5/20/26 →

I like this view of the Koelner Dom (Cologne Cathedral) best. Though, it’s quite impressive to see it looming overhead for the first time when leaving the main train station. #Travel #Deutschland #Fujifilm

A Gothic-style cathedral features intricate architectural details and towering spires and a golden cross. Much of it is dark, perhaps from air pollution or the affects of past wars

5/19/26 →

For train nerds out there, here’s a 2-minute video of our Intercity Express 🚞 approaching Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof (our terminal station) #Travel #Trains #Deutschland

5/18/26 →

Some Dresden Photos: 

A few days ago we visited Dresden and made some experimental use of my wide angle lens. It was mid-morning and the crowds hadn’t shown up yet, so that’s already an improvement over my photos from years ago.

Here’s the Dresden Cathedral, aka the Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony:

Auto-generated description: A grand, intricately designed Baroque-style church with ornate sculptures and detailed architectural features is prominently displayed.

The …

5/17/26 →

On today’s walk through the Saxony countryside, a bumblebee bee and a Brimstone butterfly forage in dandelions #Travel #Deutschland

A bumblebee has a face of scattered pollen as it forages in a yellow dandelion flower

A light green moth seeks nectar in a dandelion

5/17/26 →

‘Wolken’ (Clouds) #FotoVorschlag

Clouds over Talsperre Spremberg, man-made lake in Germany as a result of coal mining. The clouds are fluffy and reflect a little in calm but rippled lake waters. The end of a wooden dock peaks out in the left bottom corner.

5/15/26 →

Bautzen, Germany from across the Spree river #Travel #Deutschland

Old and new buildings looking over the River Spree.

5/14/26 →

We’re at a small local festival on a Feiertag (day off for a catholic holiday: Christi Himmelfahrt) #Travel #Germany #Deutschland

A few canopies with people on benches, smoking and eating and visiting with a few vendors in the background and finally trees above

5/14/26 →

It’s big time rapeseed blooming time in Germany 😍 #Travel

Hills covered in yellow rapeseed flowers with interstitial trees on a cloudy day, though the sun is shining through

5/13/26 →

We’re leaving Berlin to Dresden today. The new Czech trains are niice & oh so smooth. I’ve been on an older Czech train with compartments and it was claustrophobic. Plus conversation with strangers is more likely in compartments and I’m not a fan of that much lauded train experience #Travel

5/12/26 →

We were walking in Berlin’s Tiergarten by some sort of Zoo exhibit. We couldn’t help but gawk through a metal fence at an Ostrich, when suddenly a Fox showed up to hunt Helmeted guineafowl. The Ostrich gave chase and stomped away the Fox (I couldn’t photo document that as it was FAST) #Travel

A red and brown Fox is looking for a meal as three Helmeted guineafowl run by

An Ostrich bends down toward some turf with its neck curved a bit. It is standing in front of a gate and a small boulder.

5/12/26 →

I went exploring Berlin for a bit and stumbled upon an exterior hall loaded with art, near the Hackeshen Hofe and across from an Apple Store. People were going out of their way to pose for cameras with the art behind them #Travel

A building wall with a mixture of colorful art, graffiti, and stickers. There's one prominent piece of art prompting to delete the Epstein files. Two bikes are parked in front of the building wall.

5/11/26 →

Here’s an Eurasian skylark and an Eurasian kestrel from Berlin’s Tempelhofer Field. The birds love the expansive and currently protected grassy areas to the sides of the runways.  #EurasianSkylark #EurasianKestrel #Birds #TravelA Eurasian Skylark, with brown and tan markings, has one remarkably long talon on each foot. It is perched on a fence wire amidst green grass. It's looking to the left.A Eurasian Kestrel is looking into the distance atop a chainlink fence's metal post. It has tan wings and back, gray tail feathers, a gray head and black markings around its eyes.A view down the right runway of the long-closed Tempelhofer Field in Berlin. Striking K-rails with red and white stripes are placed in rows on the runway with wide separations. There are only a handful of people biking, scootering, walking, and running on the runway. All vegetation is green and in the distance are lots of trees. On the right, a lone sky scraper juts out of the ground from behind the trees.

5/10/26 →

The Flohmarkt (Flea Market) in Berlin is wild. Want an old school digital camera? You’re set. A mix of German Marks, including DDR Ostmarks? Yup. Sun glasses, too. And all the Lego people you could ever want. #Travel

Rows of old school digital cameras on a table. These are 2000-2015ish vintage. A mix of Deutsche Marks, Reichsmarks, Ostmarks with a flat stained glass bunny holding it all down Rows of boxes of sun glasses on tables. Endless. A crowd of LEGO people on a green Lego board. These are mostly wearing work uniforms.

5/10/26 →

And now for something completely different, Tulips and a lone blooming rose at Berlin’s Humboldthain Rosengarten (the rest of the roses are nowhere close to blooming) #BloomScrolling #TravelTulips with flowers of deep red centers and yellow tips. There's a slight bokeh effect, blurring some dandelion seed heads.Bright red Tulip flowers that rapidly turn yellow at the centerA tulip garden along the western edge of the Rosengarten. The tulips are in two terraced beds with blocks of rock to retain the soil. Above the terrace is a walkway with wooden handrails and, for a wooden overhead, concrete supportsA metal arbor with a leafy rose bush growing out of the top. The rose flowers are yellow. The top of the arctuate arbor is just in view.

5/10/26 →

Yesterday, we covered some ground in Berlin. From the East Side Gallery murals on an existing section of the Berlin Wall, north to the Kulturbrauerie (& a visit to the DDR Museum), and then southwest to the Asparagus Festival (Spargelfest) in Berlin-Schönberg. It’s easy to get around Berlin. …

5/9/26 →

Vegetarian Momos, Tibetan dumplings, from the outdoor market at Kruezberg in Berlin #Travel

A small basket of half-moon shaped steamed dumplings with various sauces including chili and garnished with chives and thinly sliced carrots

5/8/26 →

And now for something completely different, a short 34-second video from a passenger train of the Germany countryside, east of Frankfurt. The fields of yellow flowers are likely rapeseed, grown mainly for oil (called Canola in North America) #Travel

5/8/26 →

Jet lagged at Frankfurt Airport means exploring at 4am in pursuit of hot coffee. McDonald’s was open. #Travel

Looking between an indoor lit up area of the Squaire into a darkened area. There’s the back of a lone person in the distance A wide oval walkway between Frankfurt Airport and the train station at the Squaire. The floors reflect thr ceiling lights giving the hall a futuristic kind of look

5/8/26 →

May 7, 2026: A very ordinary landing at Frankfurt International’s 25R. There’s no speed brake action this time. #AvGeek #Aviation

5/7/26 →

May 6, 2026: a 1.5-minute long video of an over-wing passenger view from a United CRJ–200 landing at SFO on 28R. Watch the speed brakes! #SFO #AvGeek #Aviation #CRJ2 #N944SW

5/6/26 →

5/6/2026: United CRJ-200 N944SW at Sacramento International, taxiing to the gate. It’ll turn around for San Francisco #AvGeek #Aviation #CRJ2 #N944SW

5/5/26 →

December 15, 2025: United B737-9 Max (N27509) SFO-YVR, first landing attempt and go-around #AvGeek #N27509 #B39M #GoAround #Aviation #Video #TestPost

5/5/26 →

Our cultivated native California grapes have a bumper crop this year. The house Northern Mockingbird pair will be very pleased this fall. And there should be enough for us to make a delightful syrup that goes well with vanilla ice cream #NativeGarden #GrapesA bunches of freshly set grapes hang from a vine that's overly dense with leaves. The grapes are very green and small but spread out and ready to swell.

5/3/26 →

This year, our Bacon Avocado has the best fruit-set ever, after its complimentary Mexicola Avocado bloomed in parallel. I’m guessing 75% of the currently pea-sized fruit will drop over the summer #Avocado #HomeOrchard #GardeningTwo baby pea-sized Bacon Avocados are visible with the front of a flat hand behind them for scale. There are a few avocado stems that end in nothing, and that's where fruit failed to set.

5/3/26 →

In case you missed it, the United Airlines Fleet website moved. There you can get niche information on UAL aircraft status or find a tail number with an equipment number #AvGeek #Aviation #UnitedAirlines

5/2/26 →

I think this sphinx moth had just pupated since it wasn’t in any mood to fly off. I disturbed it while weeding a clump of native California fuchsias (I’ve been busy gardening before upcoming travel) #SphinxMoth #NativeGarden

A Sphinx moth sits on a ledge among some brown to light green vegetation. It has many shades of brown with stripes running parallel and orthogonal to its body parts.

April 2026

4/26/26 →

These are really smart ladybugs feasting on pesky oleander aphids that are in our milkweed #Ladybugs #Milkweed #NativeGardenA cluster of ladybugs are in the center of a milkweed, where new tender growth has attracted oleander aphids. The milkweed leaves, some of which are chewed up from the previous day's hail, are broad and full of veins.

4/24/26 →

Our Feijoa trees (pineapple guava) are going gangbusters #BloomScrolling

Sun dappled Feijoa flowers with bright long red centers and large discrete pedals.

4/21/26 →

The hail today, somewhere between pea to marble sized, has been intense. Our poor trees and young garden vegetable plants #CaWx #Hail

Mound of hail that accumulated below a gutter down spout

A small garden plant that got its leaves pelted and damaged by hail. Hail sits on the ground unmelted

A half shredded avocado leaf with a human hand cradling it. There’s a hail stone stuck to the leaf. Hail covers the ground below.

4/20/26 →

ICYMI hours ago, there was an M7.4 earthquake off the coast of Japan earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquak… #Earthquake #RaspberryShake #CitizenScience

A seismograph showing the Japan quake being detected in California

4/18/26 →

I almost missed that today, April 18, is the anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It is a good reminder to put together or inspect your emergency kit #Geology #Earthquake

4/18/26 →

And now for something completely different: a Robin hunting along the edge of a man-made marsh #AmericanRobin #TurdusMigratorius #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoCA Robin, with a nice red belly and chest, looks out over the edge of a watery marsh. There are spears of green popping up here and there and a lot of brown vegetative material and soil. The bird looks very patient but also poised to launch after a meal.

4/18/26 →

Trump admin attempts to contain blowback from Forest Service ‘reorganization’

Because when you tell a scientist with twenty years of place-based research, a mortgage, a spouse with a career, and children in school to pack up and relocate to a consolidated office that has nothing to do …

4/17/26 →

Yesterday: my wife’s view of San Diego International tower from an E-175 (I’m not traveling with her) #AvGeek #Aviation #E175

An over wing view on an Alaskan Airlines (SkyWest) Embraer 175 upon landing at San Diego International Airport. The speed brakes are up and the winglet with blue to green swooshes is prominent. The tower is visible along with an assortment of jets, including FedEx. It’s a cloudy day with very thin stratus.

4/14/26 →

My wife is near Yosemite for work. It’s a gorgeous day there. #Yosemite #Halfdome

A view down the Yosemite Valley with Half Dome in the center. It’s a partly cloudy day and there’s a dusting of snow atop the mountain peaks. Patches of bare granodiorite contrast with the surrounding conifer forests.

4/13/26 →

Decent M5.7 earthquake east of Carson City, Nevada. I personally didn’t feel it but my RaspberryShake did #Earthquake #RaspberryShake #CitizenScience

A clear seismograph of a earthquake east of Carson City, as detected by a RaspberryShake 274Km away, west of Chico

4/11/26 →

In 2025, a rogue mullein plant began growing in the front. It has flowered and it is a Wand Mullein or Twiggy Mullein. I’ve no idea where the seed originated. I’ve never seen it in the neighborhood. I like its flowers. I’ll harvest the seeds and sow them somewhere more reasonable #BloomScrolling

A big central spike of alternating flowers and buds. The flowers have yellow petals with a purple center. The leaves near the bottom of the spike are serrated. The background is blurred.

4/10/26 →

Please enjoy these 737 speed brakes, courtesy of my wife. Landing at ONT and then SMF  #Aviation #AvGeek #B737 Overwing view of a Southwest 737 Max 8 with speed brakes fully deployed when landing at Ontario, California. The brakes are not quite vertical and the flaps are probably around 30 degrees. It's a smoggy day in Ontario, CA.An over wing view of a Southwest B737-700 landing at Sacramento International on an overcast day. The speed brakes are about half deployed while the flaps are around 30 degrees. Arrows near the window point the way off the jet during an emergency.

4/9/26 →

So these stickers are real. Photo taken by my wife in Ontario, California #USPol

A gas pump panel with a sticker of Trump pointing at $5.99/gallon regular gasoline and saying “I did that”

4/7/26 →

My wife flew over Yosemite today on the way to SoCal. She snagged a nice photo of the Yosemite Valley & Half Dome (center) #Aviation #AvGeek #Yosemite

A view out a left passenger windup with a view of a 737 Max wing with Southwest style winglets. It’s a mostly clear sky with Yosemite below where the Sierra Creat still has some snow and Half Dome rises prominently over the green & snowless U-shaped Yosemite Valley

4/5/26 →

#SilentSunday #Rabbit #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge

A rabbit sits across a road with crosswalk stripes, facing left. Its shadow is long on a sunny day. It is surrounded by compacted tan dirt of a levee and just beyond the levee is dense vegetation. There’s a sign post to the rabbit’s right with an arrow facing right.

4/5/26 →

At the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge yesterday, a beautiful and lonnnnng gopher snake was sunning on the trail #GopherSnake #Snake #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #FujifilmA three or four foot long gopher snake, mostly stretched out, along a barren sun-scorched path. It is mostly dark brown with even darker brown patches, though its pattern is hard to see here. The sun is glinting off its back along its farthest curves.

4/3/26 →

Yellow-rumped warblers are still actively hunting in our backyard, especially in the afternoons when the sun is low and highlighting flying insects #YellowRumpedWarbler #BirdPhotography #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC

A male Yellow-rumpef warbler, perched on the top of a blue tomato cage, is poised to take flight after flying insects. The oblique profile view clearly shows wings are slightly out and its yellow rump and throat are blazing. It is a very serious hunter.

March 2026

3/28/26 →

Our milkweed are literally popping up now. This is their third year #Milkweed #Yarden #NativePlants

Several milkweed stems with young vertical leaves are popped out of the ground. They have very thick stems despite being only a few inches high. There’s a trunk drip line visible and a 1/4-incu line with an emitter in view.

3/20/26 →

The two avocado trees (type A & B) are in full bloom & the bees are going to town. Meanwhile, the two oranges, ceanothus, poppies, and sages are flowering. It’s a lovely but intense smell out there 🤗 #Yarden #HomeOrchard

3/18/26 →

Today the yellow-skinned New Century asian pear is in full bloom. It is just in time to help pollinate the brown skinned Hosui asian pear, which is at the end of its bloom. The New Century asian pear tree wants to be a cherry tree. #BloomScrolling #Yarden #HomeOrchardA New Asian Pear tree, quite young, has many clusters of cherry-stemmed white flowers with yellow centers. The leaves are narrow and freshly green.

3/15/26 →

My wife seeded these tomatoes indoors February 1st 😍 #Gardening #Yarden

Four juvenile tomato plants, about 6-8” tall, in medium compostable pots green to teas leaves. Some leaves are narrower than others as they’re all different varieties

3/14/26 →

In the central valley, it’s very much Iris and California Poppy Season/ #YardenA giant Iris flower, very purple or indigo, with orange in their petal center, stands among bright orange clusters of California Poppy that are not quite open for the day. A coil of hose and a trigger sprayer is on the ground below the iris.

3/14/26 →

After over a year of being fallowed (b/c life), our crop rows are now dressed with compost & fresh drip tape deployed. In a few weeks, planting our seedlings of peppers, tomato, eggplant, & holy basil will begin #Yarden #Gardening

Three crop rows, separated by about 1.5 feet of gravel, have fresh drip tape down their centers. A corrugated shed is open in the distance. The yard is surrounded by wood fencing and shrubs

3/14/26 →

Natural compost, years in the making. Mostly thanks to worms & other decomposers. Time to transport some of it to our three crop rows

A dark, moist mound of ready compost next to a mound of active compost filled with organic matter and lots of coarse lignified material.

3/13/26 →

Now blooming: Type-B “Bacon” Avocado tree. I think this is the male flower. We also have a Type-A “Mexicola” Avocado but it isn’t blooming yet. When the “Bacon” has male flowers open, the “Mexicola” has female flowers open and vice versa. Avocado tree flowers are neat #Yarden #Avocado …

3/13/26 →

At work earlier this week, a smol fren made me jealous #FenceLizard

A brown and tan fence lizard is spread out, eyes slightly closed & chin on a wood chip, sunning itself on a gravel surface. Its spiked spine is quite visible giving the lizard a fierce though calm aura

3/9/26 →

A Yellow-rumped Warbler was on the lookout for insects in our ‘lil nectarine tree. It was a very last minute decision to get the camera #YellowRumpedWarbler #BirdPhotography #Birds #HomeOrchard #Fujifilm #SOoC

A Yellow-rumors Warbler is perched in a leafing out nectarine tree with pink to magenta flowers that are about to fall off. The warbler’s back is to the camera as it looks almost 90° to the left, giving side eye to the photographer. Its yellow spot on its head is just visible. Its feathers are black to gray. The background is completely blurred out.

3/8/26 →

Another daffodil #Daffodil #BloomScrolling #Yarden

A daffodil with white petals and a yellow to orange central trumpet. It’s planted in a yard with bark, gravel and river cobble. It’s sunset where a rear fence is in sun but the ground is not.

3/8/26 →

A few glimpses of wildfire-oriented aircraft in the last weeks here near Chico, CA. They’re out training for the season. Love hearing the RJ85 (second photo) fly #Aviation #AvGeek #PlaneSpottingA C130 on approach to Willows Airport, just above the giant berm of I-5, the airport hidden behind that berm. Its red tail has a 120 on it and two of its turboprop engines can be seen. Its gear is down.An silohette of a Aero-Flite RJ85 flies overhead against a blue sky with thin, somewhat chaotic and translucent clouds. It's a bit off in the distance but its four engines and T tail are clearly visible.

3/7/26 →

Our backyard right now with purple flowering ceanothus. The bright green shrubs are elderberries preparing to flower #BloomScrolling #Yarden

A row of tall ceanothus with dark green leaves and clusters purple flowers set between two tall elderberries with bright green leaves set against a blue sky and a wooden fence. The shrubs are pruned toward the ground, providing space for shade and keeping ladder fuels in check

3/6/26 →

House Finch showing their spring colors #HouseFinch #BirdPhotography #Birds #Yarden #Fujifilm #SOoC

A house finch, with bright red upper body, perched on an at-capacity yellow seed feeder. Its chest is facing the camera but its head is cocked to the left, as if it is eyeing the seed port. Some one out peanuts in the bottom feeder tray

3/6/26 →

Our “Hosui” Asian Pear tree is now blooming #HomeOrchard #Yarden #BloomScrolling

Two white open Asian pear flowers with red anthers on a young tree above a rocky path. There’s tree has several visible flower buds. There are blooming yellow daffodils in the background along with a narrow elderberry shrub and a bird bath.

3/1/26 →

#SilentSunday #BurneyFallsMcArthur-Burney Falls flows mightily with two primary falls in the center with whitewater fed by Burney Creek and multiple smaller falls -- mostly coming from groundwater. The sun shines at the top of the falls and where their water crashes into a pool. A dozen or so people enjoy the falls from a sunny rock shore. Conifers frame the entireity of the photo, with a bit of grass on the right.

3/1/26 →

Yesterday, Manzanitas, Daffodils, and just barely visible on the left, sage, show their spring colors. These daffodils were volunteers so the bulbs either came in with the mulch or a previous home owner planted them and later they got smothered by a lawn. #YardenA tight cluster of daffodils present their yellow flowers of trumpets surrounded by a frill while manzanita bush on the left shows off its aging light-pink colors, and a sage plant on the right shows a few purple flowers amidst lush green growth. The ground has small rock and dried up leaves.

February 2026

2/28/26 →

Somewhere near the North Fork Clackamas River on the Mount Hood National Forest in May, 2018 #Mosstodon

A vine maple, with moss draped branches, like arms, reaching the photographer. Almost as if it is climbing out of the ground. It’s surrounded by a dense stand of narrow, tall conifers . In the foreground, close to the ground, are ferns.

2/21/26 →

This is my accidental winter moss garden. Our rear fence and winter-happy native shrubs (ceanothus and elderberry) provide ample shade & the ground rarely dries out in the winter #Moss #Yarden #Mosstodon 

A 1-2 foot wide and longer area of ground covered by moss and surrounded by small rocks. There's various pieces of wood and smaller amounts of rock in the moss.Green long stemmed moss with blunt ends grow on the ground, with various sticks and rock interspersed. There's a fly resting on a rock and there's a tiny brown mushroom just in view.

2/20/26 →

Backyard Daffodil #BloomScrolling #Daffodil #Yarden

A bright yellow daffodil is illuminated by the sun, though its interior is in shadow of itself. The flat leaves kind of curve in and out of sun. It’s planted in a mulched area and there’s blurred gravel behind it.

2/15/26 →

#SilentSunday

#DeathValleyNPOvercast skies, with a ribbon of blue breaking through, let some sun break through to highlight rugged mountains, brown with patche sof red, that obliquely frame the photo. Dark green shrubs, maybe mesquite, dot the landscape from near the photographer and into the distance. Some of the closer mountains have layers of dark and light rock. Those closer mountains are shadowed by clouds.

2/15/26 →

Back in March, 2024, we went to Death Valley. It was nowhere close to this year’s reported superbloom, but it was a treat seeing the cloud shrouded desert landscape painted with yellow north of Ubehebe Crater #DeathValleyNP #BloomScrolling #Fujifilm #SOoC

A wide-angle view of an area north of Ubehebe Crater where yellow flowers carpet the valley and some hills. Clouds are low, touching the peaks of some far off mountains. In the midground, a dirt road crosses the frame in front of some endoheric basins shine, but they're not filled with water, just really freshly deposited sediment.

2/14/26 →

Yesterday, at the refuge, a Bald Eagle was soaring in a thermal. I’m going to miss the winter sunlight illuminating everything from the side!

#BaldEagle #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #CropToZoom

A Bald Eagle, against a clear blue sky, soars overhead, with the camera looking straight up at the bird. Its dark brown wings are outstretched, its feet are tucked against its white tail feathers, and its sun brightened right eye is just visible. Its beak is slightly open, showing off a tongue.

2/13/26 →

Our nectarine’s first bloom. It’s in popcorn mode so hopefully most of the buds delay bloom until after this next storm! #HomeOrchard

A light pink nectarine flower with whitish stamens and red anthers. The photo was taken in a backyard with a shed and rocked areas.

2/13/26 →

Washing machine hose replacement day, due to a leak at the washer’s hot water fitting. They were… like 10 years old. Don’t at me. It’s in an unfinished garage! Anyway, I noticed the leak before it reached the leak sensor. Yeah, I’m like that. #HomeDIYAn unfinished garage with a small leak on the floor under and beside a dryer. The side of a dryer. then some clear space, then a table with box fan, fire extinguisher, some old coats under it. The water ran downhill the concrete pad to the left.

2/9/26 →

"Öffentliche Kunst / Public art"

Vancouver, December 2025 #FotoVorschlag

#Vancouver #Fujfilm #SOoC

At night, an artistic weather vain with one end as metal outlines of clocks or maybe wheels and spokes. The other end looks like a couple of paddles. It's all lit up with purpose. It does spin but no motion can be seen from the photo. Behind it are three lit up stars, probably christmas decorations for the waterfront. Lights across the harbor can be seen.

2/8/26 →

The Red-shouldered Hawk again visited our backyard at sunrise. Meanwhile, White-crowned sparrows are oblivious. And later, a Nuttall’s Woodpecker did pest control on our Nectarine, looking for bark-beetles #RedShoulderedHawk #WhiteCrownSparrow #NuttallsWoodpecker #Birds #BirdPhotography #FujifilmA Red-shouldered Hawk through a bunch of Tree of Heaven branches. It's got a bit of clouded over morning sun on its face. The branches criss-cross its body.A close-up of a White-crowned Sparrow is in a tray full of seeds cocks its head up just a bit, as if looking at the camera. It has clear white stripes on its head, one behind its eye and another at the top of its head. The rest of the body is gray to beige with white stripes along its wings. A Nuttalls Woodpecker is furiously pecking at a Nectarine, pausing for a second, eye towards the camera with its tree dust covered beak. It is black with white.

2/8/26 →

'Negative space' #FotoVorschlag

At Berlin Tempelhof airport, December 5, 2023. #Berlin #Germany #Fujifilm #SOoC

On a cloudy day with snow covered ground, a runner in a blue outfit travels along one of the Berlin Tempelhof's taxiways. A little father away, a dog runs in parrallel on gnow and grass. The scene is very white with few breaks of buildings along the skyline.

2/7/26 →

June, 2022: Munich’s Palace of Justice with the Neptune Fountain #Munich #Germany #Fujifilm #SOoC

The rear of the Neptune Fountain, with Neptune's rear end prominent in front of the Palace of Justice. It's a nice blue but cloudy day, and the sky with clouds reflect in the palace's oversized windows. The copper and glass dome reaches toward the sky.

2/7/26 →

I have a lot of ladder angst. So pole pruners are a revelation. I’m very happy that I finally bought one! So, with some help from my wife to support the pole in awkward positions, our oldest, and tallest, apricot tree is now top pruned and is ready for spring #HomeOrchard

2/6/26 →

It is almost asparagus season! Last year we had enough for a snack. Perhaps this year we’ll have a nice side dish #Asparagus #Gardening #Yarden

A reddish green asparagus spear about 1/2” thick is in front of a hand. It is about twice as wide as the hand.

2/6/26 →

Finally, I got a telephoto of the hawk hanging out around our backyard. Looks like a Red-shouldered Hawk, not a Red-tailed
#RedShoulderedHawk #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoC

A Red-shouldered hawk sits in a Tree of Heaven, ever watchful. It is mostly brownish-red with white patches, especially on its chest. It has some slicked back feathers upon its head. Its beak is black at the tip and orange closer to the face. Some blurry elderberry leaves obscure a portion of the bird.

2/5/26 →

I wasn’t home but a hawk visited our backyard this morning AND the eggplant seeds sprouted (talk about spring-loaded) #RedTailedHawk #Gardening

A photo from under an awning, looking past grave vines toward a red tail hawk about 20 feet away, in a tree, with a bit of morning glow upon its feathers. A tiny green sprout in the center of a seed starting tray sugg moist soil. It’s brightly lit and the back of the plastic cover can be seen in the distance with condensation dripping down

2/4/26 →

“I ONLY HAVE ONE LEG, COME AT ME!” - Western Meadowlark #WesternMeadowLark

#Birds #BirdPhotography #LlanoSeco #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

A meadow lark is perched upon a swing gate, with only one leg, and its back to the camera. Its head is turned to the left, beak open, as if it is singing. A patch of orange can be seen on its throat and behind its beak. The rest of the bird is mottled brown and white. The background is blurred out but there's a strip of green among the brown.

2/3/26 →

Last night's rising moon, near the horizon, through a whole lot of atmosphere and some wispy clouds #Moon

A yellow-orange glowing moon where some of the darker maria can be seen as splotches. There's a shape kind of like a dog wearing oversized sunglasses. Or so my partner says. There's a vague hint of glowing clouds in front of the moon.

2/1/26 →

My wife started seeds today. Lots of peppers, tomatoes, and Japanese eggplant. Spring is coming.

A seed starter tray with a grow lamp turned on. A thermometer reads 70.5° in front of the tray

2/1/26 →

Today I juiced & heat pasteurized about 20 pounds of backyard mandarins for breakfast juice. Quite the bounty this year. Here’s a photo of one compost bucket filled with some of the remains #HomeOrchard #Yarden

A small 1/4 gallon (maybe?) plastic bucket full of bright orange mandarin skins, pith, seeds, and pulp. It’s sitting in front of a sliding glass door, against cabinets on a linoleum floor with a speckled leaf pattern.

January 2026

1/31/26 →

Today we stumbled across some magnificent Sandhill Cranes. These badasses were right off the side of a California state highway #SandhillCrane #BirdPhotography #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC

Nine Sandhill Cranes in a shallow pond, slowly walking to the left. All the surrounding vegetation is brown. The large birds, with viciously sharp bills, have bright red on their foreheads. Their feathers are white to brown with a bit of rust red on the wing feathers.

1/30/26 →

I better prune my fruit trees & grapes today. The trees are already a few weeks away from flowering #HomeOrchard #Yarden

1/25/26 →

At the refuge yesterday, we spotted a Bald Eagle nest and suddenly both eagles swooped down and flew low along a pond, disturbing a whole lot of Snow Geese

#BaldEagle #SnowGoose #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoCA Bald Eagle Nest is visible high up in a eucalytpus tree. It's massive, maybe the size of a VW bug. A bald eagle is exiting the nest, with its wings stretched out.A bald eagle soars along a pond, showing off its prominent white head and tail, with some grassy islands and snow geese floating away a short distance along a shore.A whole bunch of snow geese, maybe several dozen, are flying upwards after being disturbed by a couple of bald eagles. They were resting on land where there's some green vegetation but beyond it's all brown along with the trees. The black tips of the snow geese are prominent. There's some other geese mixed in of unknown species.

1/24/26 →

A moment of calm.

Lesser Goldfinch at the refuge today #LesserGoldFinch #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

A yellow bodied and gray winged lesser gold finch, in sunlit profile view, facing to the right. It is on a bunch of long stemmed, brown, hive-shaped dried seed heads. The backgroud is completely blurred out.

1/19/26 →

Tule fog is back in time for the geomagnetic storm. I shouldn’t of jinxed myself earlier #NorCal #CAWx

A foggy residential neighborhood with about a quarter mile visibility. The end of the street is barely visible about 5 houses down.

1/19/26 →

This Orange-crowned Warbler was flitting between our backyard nectarine and grapevines, snatching gnats that had beacons made of sunlight shining off their bug wings

#Yarden #HomeOrchard #OrangeCrownedWarbler #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoC

A very yellow Orange Crowned Warbler is perched on a tiny dormant stem of a grape vine almost as thick as the bird is round (maybe 2-3 inches). The bird is looking to the left, with something reflecting in its eye. The grapevine’s bark is splitting off. The background is completely blurred.

1/19/26 →

Short Flight Factor 777-2 v. 2 for X-Plane 12 Review: Wherein Ryan mostly gripes but then recommends other aircraft without those gripes #Aviation #XPlane12 #FlightSim

1/16/26 →

Nass geworden (Got Wet) #FotoVorschlag #VancouverAt Stanley Park, Vancouver, with copper sculpture of modestly dressed, cross legged, senior lady, with bunned hair and big sun glasses, that has had her nails painted violet and looks like she's crying because of the rain drops

1/14/26 →

May 2, 2025: Lufthansa B747-8 (D-ABYM) SFO-FRA (Frankfurt, Germany)
#HumpDay #B747 #Aviation #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting #FujifilmA Boeing 747, owned and operated by Lufthansa, taxies at SFO to 28L. Its at an angle, but the sun is fully illuminating its right side. It is set against buildings and brown hills of South San Francisco. The bay in front is a bit choppy and the photo was taken somewhere above powerlines, as they are visible at the bottom edge of the photo.

1/13/26 →

December 14, 2025: Emirates A380-8 (A6-EUF), SFO-DXB (Dubai), using 28R  #ThickTailTuesday #A6EUF #A380 #PlaneSpotting #AvGeek #Aviation #Fujifilm

An Airbus 380 is nose-on to the camera, showings its clearly thick tail reaching high above the ground. Its nose gear is turning so it is about to leave the taxiway for a runway. The sky is hazy yet still tinted blue. The bay in front of the runways is calm.

1/12/26 →

‘Kartonagen’ (Cardboard boxes) #FotoVorschlag #CatA orange cat is in a box outside a dumpster on blacktop. It is upside-down and open with korean lettering on it along with a tree graphic.

1/11/26 →

#SilentSunday #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm

Dozens of blackbirds are evenly perched in four leafless, dormant trees against a hazy blue sky. Some of the birds may be starlings as they more brown than black,

1/10/26 →

Today we went to Black Butte Lake and the pelicans were there! This is at the forebay, where a whole lot of water is being released into Stony Creek (tributary of the Sacramento River) mostly in case of future rain & snow melt #AmericanWhitePelican #BlackButteReservoir

Four pelicans floating in some what turbulent water, mostly in shadow, though the back of the neck and wings are lit up by sun. They are big birds!

1/10/26 →

FlightFactor’s 777 version 2 for X-Plane 12 Gets Simulated Twice

1/9/26 →

December 27, 2025: this American Bushtit was perched for an unusually long time, perhaps soaking in the sun’s morning energy like humans do coffee or tea

#AmericanBushtit #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoCAn American Bushtit sits perched on a narrow branch. It is looking with beady black eyes slightly up and to the right, fully illuminated by the sun. Its face has brown and the rest of its orb-like body is a light tan. Its tail feathers stick out straight behind it.

1/8/26 →

This morning, my wife caught early sunlight slowly lighting up our citrus trees #Yarden #HomeOrchard

A mandarin tree and a Valencia orange tree catch early sunlight, illuminating a strip of oranges and foliage with a bright yellow glow. The sky is clear and a eucalyptus tree in the distance is fully lit.

1/7/26 →

December 17, 2025: At sunrise, a container ship and a helicopter that's coming in for a landing on the Waterfront, Vancouver #Vancouver #Fujifilm #SOoCA sunrise lit container ship, with its east-facing side lit up and the rest in shadows. There are clouds looming on the mountainous horizon over Vancouver habor waters, including a group of birds flying in front of the clouds. Large cranes are also illuminated from one side. A helicopter is just above the cranes, approaching a nearby landing pad.

1/6/26 →

December 17, 2025: Sunset over Thurlow Street in Vancouver #Vancouver #StreetPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoCThurlow Street is still damp from rain as the sun sets between tower buildings along Thurlow Street. Sunlight reflects off damp streets and there are two fire engines parked on the right-side of the road. A nearby traffic signal has a red light.

1/5/26 →

Today most people will be back at my work. So to celebrate the return of needless office distractions, enjoy a Song Sparrow, if you can find it #SongSparrow #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoCA brown and tan Song Sparrow, borb shaped, is hanging out on a horizontal reed within a mass vertical brown and green reeds. It is looking towards the camera, helping to illuminate the tan behind its eyes.

1/4/26 →

The backyard was crowded with hummingbirds enjoying our planted native shrubs, so what the heck. Here’s some photos taken in very poor lighting conditions (cloudy, mid-morning, and winter) #Hummingbirds #BirdPhotography #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC

A hummingbird is perched in a California rose, showing a red stripe on its throat. It's otherwise gray and brown. There's a blurry branch obscuring the lower part of the bird.A hummingbird is perched on an elderberry branch that has fresh grown leaves. The little bird has an olive head and a dirty-yellow to gray chest and belly. It is looking to the right and the background is blurred out.A profile view of a hummingbird looking to the left, with one eye towards the photographer. It is in a ceanothus bush so there are lots of leaves in the way, but the hummingbird can be seen through a hole in the foliage. It has clear plummage, with a bit of red on its head and greens on its tucked-in wings. Its chest is a light gray.A profile view of a hummingbird looking to the right. It might have a membrane covering its eye? It is another bird with clear sharp individual feathers that are olive green in the back to medium gray to the front. Its long thin beak is pointing straight to the right. The background has blurred ceanothus leaves and branches along with gray skies.

1/4/26 →

December 6, 2023: Am Flakturm im Volkspark Humboldthain, Berlin #SilentSunday

#Berlin #Fujifilm #SOoC

A large concrete area with a spiraling ramp, where its walls are covered in colorful street art. A lone person stands at the center in front of looming iron rod fence. There's light snow covering the concrete ground and it's completely fogged in so there's no viewl.

1/3/26 →

May 2, 2025: San Francisco, Geary and Powell streets just south of Union Square #StreetPhotography #SanFrancisco #Fujifilm #SOoCA sidewalk view of Powell and Geary streets, with a person looking and smiling at a building-side mural of a family of monkey or lemurs. Various buildings loom with Saks Fifth Avenue, Swarovski, and CK Contemporary signs. Two classic palm trees sit between the Saks building and Swarovski, likely at Union Square.

1/2/26 →

Last weekend, I caught a Northern Harrier in flight. Though the view finder, I only knew it was some kind of raptor #NorthernHarrier #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #CropToZoom

A oblique front view of the Northern Harrier, with its head tilted so one eye is looking at the ground, and the other is angled upward. It is in midflight with both wings visible and outstretched. Its face and upper body is lit by sun against a blue sky. A Northern Harrier, in profile view, with only one outstretched wing visible. It has a white ring of feathers around its mostly brown and tan neck. It is looking straight and there's a glint in its eye.

1/1/26 →

In 2025, I made big indulgent updates to my XPlane 12 FlyWithLua scripts that add multi-button functions to the Yawman Arrow controller. The scripts became easier to adapt to new aircraft. I also wrote a quick Outdoor Air Temp and ISA UI XPPython3 script. See my projects on Codeberg. #XPlane …

1/1/26 →

After all that happened in 2025, I’m side-eyeing 2026 like this Towhee side-eyed the space above #HappyNewYear

#CaliforniaTowhee #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #CropToZoom

A sun-illuminated brown California Towhee is in a grassy area, taking up the center third of the photo, with its head cocked and eye pointing up to the sky, as if something caught its eye and it needed a better look.

December 2025

12/29/25 →

Back to work! It should continue to be quiet until next week. I got nothing done these last days and I’m happy about that.

12/28/25 →

My home seismometer managed to clearly detect the M5 earthquake near Susanville. I definitely didn’t feel it 114 miles away #Earthquake #RaspberryShake

A screen capture from RaspiberryShake app with a map showing the earthquake’s location vs the seismometer along with two charts showing a clear seismic signal.

12/28/25 →

A view from yesterday toward Goat Mountain in Northern California’s Interior Coast Range #SilentSunday #Fujifilm #SoOCA telephoto view of a few steeply rising freshly snow covered forested peaks, including Goat Mountain, in the Northern California Interior Coastal Ranges south of Snow Mountain and east of Lake Pillsbury on the Mendocino National Forest. The foothills and some blurry trees in the immediate foreground can be seen.

12/26/25 →

Our “Bacon” Avocado tree produced fruit for the first time this year. “Bacon” varieties have very thin skin and, no, they do not taste like bacon. The wind knocked one off and it was ripe. But the bottom had been punctured and insects may have enjoyed its flesh. However, plenty of the fruit was …

12/25/25 →

I'm not a fan of business or private jets but I like this photo of one taking off from SFO on December 14, 2025. It's a Bombardier Challenger 300 flying to Van Nuys. #Aviation #PlaneSpotting #Fujifilm #SOoCA private or business jet taking off from SFO 28R, showing its belly, with its gears up and a bit of wispy clouds behind it. Its flaps are still slightly down.

12/17/25 →

In Vancouver today, the sun came out and provided some great morning light at the waterfront

#Vancouver #Aviation #Seaplanes #Fujifilm #SOoC

A seaplane descends above the harbor, with the sun reflecting off its body. A large industrial facility with series of tall tanks looms in the background . The hills behind it all are forested with a few wispy clouds.

A seaplane flies a few feet about harbor waters as it lands, its airframe reflects in the harbor waters. The morning sun lights up a background of ships, port facilities, trees, and buildings built up a gentle hill.

12/16/25 →

Lions Gate Bridge today. The rain was near continuous but it didn’t stop us walking nearly 11 miles through Stanley Park, West End, and weaving through other geographies #LionsGateBridge #Vancouver #Fujifilm

Lions Gate Bridge in the distance, at the horizon. Vancouver Harbor is calm and the moisture haze fades points of land before the bridge. Low stratus clouds everywhere.

12/16/25 →

Yesterday evening: Seaplanes at Vancouver Harbor #Seaplanes #Aviation #Vancouver #NightPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoC

A night view of two single prop seaplanes, opposite sides of the photo, at their own warmly lit docks. A windsock is flying at a slight angle toward the ground. There’s a strange cloud shrouded light above the horizon. Across the harbor are hills and lights. Just beyond the docks to the left, there’s a floating chevron gas station.

12/15/25 →

Establishing shot. #Vancouver #MarineBuilding

The Marine Building with its glass curves, its top half lit by sun, against a blue sky and partly cloudy skies. The streets are busy and the trees have no leaves.

12/15/25 →

Today’s ride to Vancouver, a visit that’ll arguably be mainly for the food in downtown/west end/east side. Recommendations gladly accepted

A United 737 Max 9 noses into gate D15 in front of an aviation lover’s stippled glass nightmare. Equipment cars surround the aircraft. It’s a foggy day

12/14/25 →

Today (12/14/2025)! Look at those slats! And the condensation. United 777-2 (N796UA) taking off runway 28L for Munich from SFO

#B772 #N796UA #SFO #PlaneSpotting #Aviation #Fujifilm #SOoC

A United 777-200 taking off, gear already up, with slats down and flaps slightly visibly down. The slats are shadowed as the sun is behind the aircraft (though out of frame but causing a lot of glare). Wing condensation is visible above and behind the rear wing edge. There’s also visible condensation in the left engine. The aircraft fills the whole photo.

12/14/25 →

Rumors are true! The sun still exists (where I live, we’ve been covered in tule fog for literal weeks). This is heading south of San Pablo (California’s Bay Area).

Photo in a moving car, passenger side, showing the end of a fog or low stratus clouds above a freeway.

12/12/25 →

Bauzten, December 2023 #Bautzen #StreetPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoC

A night scene with warm lights glowing off the cobble streets & three story apartments, with lights strung across the street. Wreaths hang at the center of each light strand. Silhouettes of people with long shadows are walking down the pedestrian friendly street.

12/12/25 →

December 15, 2023: at Frankfurt Airport, Germany, a human for scale is behind a United 777-300 (N2243U). Hard stands are the best.

#B773 #EDDF #FRA #Aviation #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting #Fujifilm

The belly of a United 777-300 (N2243U), looming over the tarmac. The main 12-wheel landing gear are front and center, with a human in front of one of the wheels. The wheels cover more than half of their body. The red beacon, which is off, and an antennae is visible above the gear. Some cargo is visible behind the plane.

12/11/25 →

January 20, 2023: Delta 757-200 (N723TW) taxiing to depart on 28L to JFK with the Berkeley hills in the background

#B752 #SFO #Aviation #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting #Fujifilm

Delta 757-200 (N723TW) is taxiing under clear, yet somewhat hazy, skies. The Berkeley hills are very clearly visible, along with the skyline of Berkeley and Oakland. Sandpipers are lounging in the bay in front of the SFO runway landfill. Sunlight is refleting off the Delta's red arrow tail. The 757 doesn't look so goofy here as part of its gear wheels are obscured by the landfill's riprap.

12/10/25 →

May 3, 2025: United 737 Max 8 (N37348) landing at SFO from Kona, Hawaii

#B38M #SFO #Aviation #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting #Fujifilm

A Boeing 737 is on approach to SFO, with its gear down, under very overcast skies. Its red beacon lights are visible. Some moisture vortices can be seen streaming off its flaps and under its elevators.

12/9/25 →

I had to reimage my RaspberryShake because I lost its password (🤪). It went well! Here’s how it felt #RaspberryShake

The seismic signal of unplugging the RaspberryShake RaspberryPi was extreme. Then there was an empty gap of data for about two hours. The final install wasn’t quite as bad but it took a few minutes for the sensors to calm down.

12/9/25 →

Qatar A350-1000 (A7-ANQ) landing at SFO from Doha and a United 787-9 (N17963) starting its takeoff roll to Papeete.

#A7ANQ #N17963 #B789 #A35K #SFO #Aviation #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting #Fujifilm

A Qatar A350-1000 lands on SFO's 28R as a United 7879 starts its take-off roll on 28L. The bay is just visible in front of the airport's runway landfill. The A350-1000 has its characteristic expanded uncarriage with six total wheels, while the 787-9 looks sad, feeling left out with only four wheels per main landing gear.

12/8/25 →

Here’s Japan’s ~M7.6 earthquake signal from my home seismometer #Earthquake #RaspberryShake

A seismograph showing a strong seismic signal between Japan and Northern California

12/6/25 →

Today’s West Canada (near Southeast Alaska) M7 earthquake was clearly recorded on my RaspberryShake #Earthquake #RaspberryShake

A RaspberryShake app screen capture showing a clear seismic signal for the M7 Western Canada/Southeastern Alaska earthquake. The seismometer is located in Northern California.

12/6/25 →

X-Plane 12.3 and Little NavMap: Using Historical Weather: A classic “How-to” on use of X-Plane 12.3’s historical weather with Little NavMap #XPlane #FlightSimulator

12/2/25 →

Sunset tonight #Sunset #CAWx

High altitude clouds reflect bright orange to light pink of s sunset beyond dry gravelly area with an overhanging tree, a fence, and an elevated freeway where the guardrails & a car is silhouetted.

November 2025

11/28/25 →

A raven. #Raven #BirdPhotography #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoCA photo of a raven from the front, as its perched on the tip of a bare branch. Its stark black feathers stand out agaist a blue sky. Its beak is slightly open, almost as if it's saying something. There's a glint in its left eye.

11/24/25 →

Classic Black Phoebe! They’re always on the tip of objects close to the ground, searching for its next meal. This one is a crossing guard for a very brief moment. #BlackPhoebe #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoCA black phoebe is perched atop a stop sign. Only the rear the stop sign can be seen, with the sun lighting up its back, highlighting the wood pole and straps keeping the sign attached. The black phoebe is looking to the right, its back lit up, but the rest of its dark body in silohette. The sky is cloudy.

11/23/25 →

#SilentSunday #SacramentoWildlifeRefugeA lone cottonwood, in yellow fall colors, stands in a calm pond, perfectly mirroring the tree's trunk and lower branches. It is a foggy day and much of the pond grass is brown. A line of trees bounders the pond and the foggy sky.

11/23/25 →

A Cooper’s Hawk appears to acknowledge my presence in its hunting grounds
#CoopersHawk #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #CropToZoom #Fujfifilm #SOoC

A Coopers Hawk, atop a leafless tree branch under overcast skies, appears to look right at the camera. The hawk has a brown back with a fluffy white chest adorned with brown raindrop shapes.

11/22/25 →

Snow Geese have swarmed the Sacramento Valley. Some of the darker geese in the second photo are White-fronted or Canadian #SnowGeese #Geese #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

Six Snow Geese with their white bodies and black wing tips soar above in clear blue skies. The sun highlights their right breast, neck, and head.Far off in the distance, dozens of geese, Snow Geese and White Fronteds (maybe some canadian), take up the photo frame as they fly in a foggy sky.

11/16/25 →

From a few weekends ago: this bird was exceedingly far from me and so was mysterious to me until I downloaded its photo from the camera. I was VERY surprised to find a Belted Kingfisher. Yeah, you’ll need to tap into the photo to see it well... #BeltedKingfisher #Birds #BirdPhotography …

11/14/25 →

Backyard Hooded Oriole alert! #HoodedOriole #BirdPhotography #Yarden #Fujifilm #CropToZoom #SOoC

Atop a wooden stake is perched a Hooded Oriole, looking to the left, with its bright orange body, black kerchief, wings with black and white stripes, and a somewhat visible cape of brown with black spots. Its tail is black. The background is just off white blur.A front facing Hooded Oriole perched on a Ceanothus branch with many green leaves. Its black kerchief is prominent.

11/14/25 →

There were some nice post-storm rainbows yesterday afternoon #Rainbows #CAWx

A double rainbow beyond a residential street lined with utility polls, wood fencing, and green ground cover. The main rainbow has its bottom obscured by a cloud & there’s some visible rainfall in the distance.

A view out of a car of a double rainbow, including a very bright main rainbow that disappears into stratus above, over a furrowed field. The sun is barely illuminating some lower cloud tops.

11/11/25 →

A Say’s Phoebe at Black Butte Reservoir, California

#SaysPhoebe #Birds #BirdPhotography #BlackButteReservoir #Fujifilm #CropToZoom #SOoCA flat headed Say's Phoebe bird, looking to the right, is colored brown all over with an orange belly, is perched on an oak branch, looking over a bough of oak leaves. The bird has a slight glint in its eyes and its front is sunlit. The background is bokeh of dried grass.

11/9/25 →

This basking serpent committed the most natural of acts just before #GopherSnake #ReptilePhotography #BlackButteReservoir #Fujifilm #SOoC

Upon a gravelly surface, a tan and black gopher snake rests its head on a horizontal reed, next to a clump of dead weed stems.

11/8/25 →

We went out to Black Butte Reservoir (west of Chico, CA) today and I finally photographed a Rock Wren! #RockWren #Birds #BirdPhotography #BlackButteReservoir #Fujifilm #SOoC

A long-beaked Rock Wren is posing, chest toward the camera, on some old dead wood, surrounded by twigs. It has a black spotted face and neck with some linear traces of black on its chest. It has a black stripe going from its eye to the back of its head. Its beak is long and narrow.

11/5/25 →

We were gifted some daffodil bulbs! The instructions recommended seven inches deep, but I only have the patience to dig to five, just deeper than the trowel. I helped them along by mixing in some fresh wormy compost. #Yarden

A triangular garden patch, surrounded by river rock, just planted with a paper label with "Dutch Mill Bulbs" and "A Mixed Daffodils". Some tree stakes can be vaguely seen in the background.

October 2025

10/28/25 →

Got a few bird photos from the backyard today. A Yellow Rumped Warbler and a White-Crowned Sparrow. We’ve been invaded by the Yellow-Rumped Warblers and it’s amazing to see them enjoy our plentiful insects and, occasionally, dried elderberries. These are cropped.  #YellowRumpedWarbler …

10/28/25 →

United B777-222 (N223UA) SYD-SFO, on approach to SFO, May 3, 2025 #B772 #N223UA #PlaneSpotting #AvGeek #AviationOn a 100% foggy day, a blue engined United 777, facing left, takes up most of the frame with its tail just out of the photo. Its landing gear are out and there's a light visible from the nose gear.

10/26/25 →

Sunday, Bake Day! My wife just made a massive batch of traditional (more or less) chocolate chip cookies to last the week. The bake is finished off with some oversized cookies for later today #Food #Cookies #BakingA mixer bowl full of cookie dough with a dough paddle embedded deeply within it. It's all on top of a cart with a wood cutting board.Three tiers of cooling racks, filled with baked chocolate chip cookies. In the background are some random vertical cutting boards up against a cabinet.A view inside a currently-baking convection oveon where, on a baking sheet with parchment, are four oversized cookies. They're not brown yet, just a bit shiny, but are well on their way. Someone's leg and sock is reflected in the oven glass.

10/24/25 →

I don’t know what kind of spider this is, but it was pretty daring to be out in the open at Point Reyes National Seashore (late September). Most of these were in their day-time hideouts, tucked up in a shrub branch. #Arachtober #Spiders  #PointReyesNationalSeashore #Fujifilm #SOoC

10/20/25 →

Here are some random through-the-glass-slider photos of a few of the migratory songbirds finding food-a-plenty in our backyard: Yellow-Rumped Warbler & Lesser Gold Finch #YellowRumpedWarbler #LesserGoldfinch #Birds #Yarden

Three Yellow Rumped Warblers forage among brown asparagus fronds. Their yellow bellies are highlighted by the morning sunlight

A Lesser Goldfinch, back to camera & head turned in profile view, is perched in sweet basil foliage, it feasting on dried seeds. It has a yellow face, a black helmet, and white on black chevrons on its black tail.

10/13/25 →

Watched: Game of Thrones S8E5, The Bells 🍿

I literally got a few heart-rate alerts on that episode! Yowza. #GameOfThrones

10/12/25 →

A thistle on the Tomales Bay Trail at Point Reyes National Seashore last month #BloomScrolling #SundayFlowers #Thistle #PointReyesNationalSeashore

A upright thistle with a large purple explosion of a flower amidst multiple dried out flower heads. The this has some star shaped parts. It is backgrounded by a bokeh of dried grass.

10/11/25 →

Here is a contented White Crown Sparrow gorging on seeds from a plant I haven’t identified. #WhiteCrownSparrow #Birds #PointReyesNationalSeashore #Fujifilm #SOoC

A close up of a White Crown sparrow that is facing left, getting ready to tuck into some seeds with tufted tops like a dandelion but much denser, almost like cotton. Its head is prominently stripped white above its eye with a black top of the head,

10/7/25 →

Bull Elk at Point Reyes National Seashore. I had some trouble focusing, but I like the meal hanging out of his mouth #BullElk #WildlifePhotography #PointReyesNationalSeashore #Fujifilm #SOoCA Bull Elk is walking to the left in a field of dried grass and forbs. It has a bunch grass or some other vegetation hanging out of his mouth. He has very long antlers with five points. The sky is clear but hazy.

10/5/25 →

BLEP. #Blep #Deer #WildlifePhotography #PointReyesNationalSeashore #Fujifilm #SOoCA partial body shot of a young deer, looking to the right, with its tongue sticking out: BLEP. The background is all blur of brown vegetation, with a bit of green. The young deer has debris on its back, probably grass seeds. Its neck and head seem a bit small for its body. Poor thing.

10/4/25 →

There are two Ravens at the Point Reyes Lighthouse. And apparently they’re celebrities among the park staff (who are very nice & full of knowledge!). I hope all furloughed National Park staff are okay. These photos are from just before the US Government shutdown. #Ravens #Birds #BirdPhotography …

10/3/25 →

I am not yet furloughed so I’m thankful for that. So here is a stack of snickerdoodles.

Two stacked cooling racks with well baked, cinnamon covered round & flat browned snickerdoodle cookies. It’s all placed on a wooden cutting board.

10/3/25 →

Here’s a proud scrub jay with a tasty treat in its beak #WesternScrubJay #Birds #PointReyesNationalSeashore #Fujifilm #SOoC

A Western Scrubjay, with a white underbelly, and a blue upper body with a gray cape, is perched on the top of a weathered wooden post. It has some sort of insect in its beak, maybe a wasp or a hornet. It is in full profile view, though its face is shaded out.

10/2/25 →

MADE IN CANADA

A new unweathered pallet stenciled on the side, in red, “MADE IN CANADA”. It is on the top of other old pallets and is in front of a storage container.

September 2025

9/28/25 →

The White Crowns are back! #WhiteCrown #Birds

9/28/25 →

Here are a few more photos of the Point Reyes Lighthouse from a few days ago #PointReyesNationalSeashore #Fujifilm #SOoC

The lighthouse frames the right side of the photo, where the sky is slowly being revealed by passing low clouds or fog. The sea is calm.

A view of the iconic red fog horn house on the right and the lighthouse on the left. The fog is clearing with a view port of blue sky on the right. The sun illuminates the scene.

9/27/25 →

#GreatBlueHeron #Birds #PointReyesNationalSeashore #Fujifilm #SOoC

A Great Blue Heron, wings spread out, appears to be aggressively stumbling through water, making a small splash with its right foot. It looks very awkward.

9/26/25 →

Yesterday, Point Reyes was mostly overcast. Today the clouds burned off by 10am.

Point Reyes Lighthouse, South Beach, and Abbotts Lagoon #PointReyesNationalSeashore

A lighthouse and two utility buildings, capped with red roofs, are lit up by sunlight on their left side. Seas beyond are calm and the sky is clear.

A Long Beach strand faded into the horizon. The surf breaks in white seafoam along the shore. The day is clear, if a bit hazy.

9/25/25 →

At Point Reyes National Seashore this morning, we wandered along the Tomales Bay trail. After lunch, we followed the Estero Trail to Schooner bay. Great weather & very relaxing day. We’ll visit the beach & lagoon environments tomorrow. Wildlife photos will come later …

9/17/25 →

At Redwood National and State Parks, last July, this bat was probably sick. It’s sad to see a disoriented bat out in the open daylight and not at its roost or hibernaculum. My telephoto lens let me get a good look without disturbing it. #Myotis #Bat #Skypuppy #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SOoCThe backside of a bat, climbing down lap siding. It is nice and fuzzy. You can see its skin lined tail connected to its feet.A brown mouse-eared bat is climbing down the lap siding of a building. Its mouth is open, as it looks down.

9/11/25 →

We got the flu and covid vaccines today. No issues at the CVS in town. We did not want to take any chances, so we got them earlier than usual. It’s good to get that task out of my brain.

9/10/25 →

The first storm of Fall over the California Northern Coast Range means I should be hearing the song of White Crown birds very soon! (they summer in the foothills and mountains, overwinter in the valley; seemingly they appear shortly after the summer weather breaks)

9/9/25 →

Update: Voting is over and Azurite lost.

Here’s a photo of Azurite with smaller amounts of Malachite at the Freudenstein Castle in Freiberg, Germany. Let it lull you into voting for it in Mineral Cup 2025! Only a few hours left… #MinCup25 #Azurite #Geology #Minerals

A professionally displayed hunk of dark blue nodular Azurite or Azurit (German) from Seabra, Brazil. There are some greener nodules of malachite. It looks like clumps of candy making a rock, all but ensuring that you’ll vote for it. Photographed with permission.

9/6/25 →

My wife discovered another, smaller avocado fruit in our “Bacon” avocado tree. So that’s two! Very exciting. We still need to continue research harvest time for this variety. It’s a minefield on the internet for that 🤨 #Yarden #HomeOrchard #Avocado

A small, finger length avocado amongst broad dark green avocado leaves and tree tape.

9/5/25 →

A Nuttal’s woodpecker visited our front yard Toyon yesterday! #Yarden #NuttalsWoodpecker #Birds

9/5/25 →

Update on check engine light: loose gas cap! 😅

9/5/25 →

Grumble. We all know the check engine light is just a catch-all these days. Probably an emissions fault. #CheckEngine

9/3/25 →

Goodyear Blimp reg. N3A just passed by. They’re headed to a college football game at Eugene, OR from Livermore, CA. If you’re in Redding, I think it’s heading your way… #GoodyearBlimp #N3A #Aviation #AvGeek

FlightRadar24 screen shot showing the Good Year blimp about to pass Orland, CA at 2400 ft and 44 knots A heavily cropped photo of the Goodyear Blimp passing far in the distance. Its cylinder shape can be made out but otherwise there’s no detail. The foreground is a residential area with lawns, power lines and trees.

August 2025

8/31/25 →

Adult California Gull and their chicks at the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary last July #CaliforniaGull #BirdPhotography #Birds #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SOoCOn a manmade island, covered in short grass, an adult white and gray California Gull looks away from their three chicks. The chicks have fluffy brown plumage.

8/30/25 →

Brown Pelicans occupying an island at the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary back in July #BrownPelicans #BirdPhotography #Birds #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SOoCA Brown Pelican comes in for a landing on a very small island in a large pond. The island is full of other brown pelicans, mostly grooming themselves. They're a dirty brown with awkwardly long necks and long, thick beaks.

8/26/25 →

Last time I was in Mendocino County, for the first time I finally saw the Stellar’s Jay. The fancy looking birds were a riot to watch flitting between trees. They were not easy to photograph being high up in the canopy. #StellarsJay #BirdPhotography #Birds #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SOoC

The back of a Stellar's Jay, with its signature mohawk head crest, sitting on a dead branch. It is looking to the right, so its face with a very large and dark eye can be seen. There's green foliage in the background, slightly blurred.

8/25/25 →

Monday. Here’s a Song Sparrow #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SOoC

A close-up very round brown-red Song Sparrow is hanging out at the stem of a fennel plant, looking just off axis of the camera lens. Its chest is white with speckles.

8/16/25 →

It’s the backyard Asian Pear harvest! Yellow are New Century variety and the brown skinned are the more familiar looking Hosui variety. They are odd spindly trees right now. I’m not used to pruning central leader trees, but vase shape. #Yarden #HomeOrchard #AsianPears

A colander with a mixture of yellow and brown skinned Asian PearsA very spindly Hosui pear tree with multiple stakes and lots of tree tape. It has pears still. The sky is blue and there’s more vegetation along a fence in the background. Drip line and gravel are in the foreground.A New Century Asian Pear tree with small yellow skinned pears. It’s better branched and dilated compared to the Hosui tree. In the background, there are ugly metal structures behind a wood fence. In the foreground is gravel and drip line.

8/15/25 →

Our cultivated California native seedy grapes are ready. The two plants mostly feed Northern Mockingbirds, Western Scrub Jays, and in the late fall, Kinglets, but some grapes will be for the humans in the form of a compote. As a bonus, gaze upon our lone avocado! #Yarden #HomeOrchard

Many bunches of ripe purple grapes hang from a grape vine.A hand is holding a metal colander filled with ripe red grapes. It's being held under a grape vine.An avocado is hanging from an avocado tree. It has a long stem and a narrow, green speckled body. A hand is nearby acting as a scale. It's about five fingers long and three fingers wide.

8/15/25 →

Randomized Albums in Track Order on Sonos (and Jellyfin): A solution for Sonos, and other music player software, to generate M3U playlist files with shuffled albums by track order using various *nix tools and Mac apps.

8/7/25 →

Small lizard friend at work today

A small lizard is standing with its forelegs extended on a slab of unknown material surrounded by dry dirt and scattered twigs.

8/6/25 →

Kīlauea is erupting, and at night it is mesmerizing: www.youtube.com/watch

8/5/25 →

It’s been a few months & Return to Office is still exhausting

8/4/25 →

Sorry to those that are squeamish about spiders, but this Western Spotted Orbweaver was just asking for a photoshoot. This spider took the night-shift last night in our front yard #WesternSpottedOrbWeaver #Spider #InsectPhotography #Yarden #Fujifilm #SoOC

Plan-view of a Western Orbweaver spider with a fat, round abdomen and a tiny brown cephalothorax (head). The abdomen has patterns of brown within a matrix of coffee with cream. Its spider web can be descerned from the background, which is all blurred out. Its legs alternate between brown and coffee with cream. It has hairs on its head. It has spikes on its legs.The underside of the Western Spotted Orbweaver, which appears reddish probably because of light conditions. It has four clear white spots on its abdomen and an elongated white spot just below its head. Its chelicerae are visible. The background is completely blurred out.

8/2/25 →

I think this is the last nectarine harvest. About 6 pounds. The shield bugs were showing up and nectarines were dropping fast from wind and bird pecks :-( They were effortlessly plucked off the tree. Next harvest: Asian pears! #HomeOrchard #Nectarines #Yarden

A nectarine tree with almost a dozen dropped fruit on the gravel and dirt area below. The tree still has a few dozen nectarines on it.A collander of very ripe dark red to orange colored nectarines sitting on a scale. The scale is on a plastic covering upon a tile counter. The scale reads 6 pounds and 5 ounces, so there’s about 6 pounds of necartines.

8/1/25 →

Black Saddlebags spotted on my walk just now #BlackSaddlebags #Insects #InsectPhotography

A black saddlebag insect on Russian thistle(?). The insect has clear long rectangular black areas on its wings.

July 2025

7/29/25 →

Here’s our Northern California seismograph for the M8.8 earthquake at Kamchatka. Impressive. Took about 10 minutes to reach our town. Not sure what the signal was 15 minutes before it though.

Edit: Looking at the timing, the 15-minute earlier signal was likely me coming home from work & closing …

7/27/25 →

Another nectarine harvest. This time, 4 pounds. Smelling more fragrant this time! A few came off with a tug (yellower stems) but most still need shears. Also, our milkweed has busted open their pods and omg the tufts are so soft! #HomeOrchard #Nectarines #Milkweed #Yarden

Four pounds of dark red to red to yellow nectarines piled up in a metal colander.A milkweed pod is releasing its seeds, which are ready to wind carried away by their fluffy, white tufts. The pods are cone shaped and split down the middle to release their seeds.

7/25/25 →

#RedSidedGarterSnake #Snakes #SnakePhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOCA Red-sided garter snake is amidst grass and forbs, with its head facing the camera and its body resting in a U-shape such that part of the snake wraps around to comes towards the camera. The snake has red and dark grey patterned sides with beige stripes along the bottom and top. The snake's upper head is red with large eyes. Its mouth is beige.

7/25/25 →

Trail on the Trillium Falls Trail at Redwood National and State Parks #FootPathFriday #RedwoodsNP #Redwoods #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SOoC

A dirt footpath that is set with diamond cement stones has shadows cast on it in a wooded area full of ferns and conifer trees. A person with dark clothes, a back pack, and a shade hat is down the path. A tree casts a shadow directly on the path.

7/24/25 →

#WhiteTailedKite #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A White-tailed kite, soaring above under overcast skies, is gliding away from the camera, showing its belly and an eye. It has a mostly white body with its wings fading to grey. Its neck has a rust-red collar.

7/23/25 →

#Wrensday #MarshWren #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A tiny Marsh Wren, kind of far from the photographer, is perched on a reed, just below a fluffy cat-tail head. The Marsh Wren is looking to the right, with its near vertical short tail just visible behind the reed. It is within a sea of other cat tails, all with fluffy stuff hanging off them.

7/22/25 →

#Rabbit #RabbitPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A relaxed brown little rabbit, in profile view, sits on a path in front of some thorny berry bushes.

7/22/25 →

Redwoods, likely grown together, on the Trillium Falls Trail at Redwood National and State Parks #ThickTrunkTuesday #RedwoodsNP #Redwoods #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SOoC

A very thick trunk red wood is straight down a foot path through a wooded area. The tree top of the giant redwood can be viewed at the top of the photo, as it has broken through the canopy and is shining brightly in sunlight. Below its canopy, everything is shaded with some dappled sunlight.

7/21/25 →

Our lone Mexicola avocado! Maybe this’ll be its first fruit to make it to maturity? It’s a long slog. #HomeOrchard #Avocado #Yarden

A small avocado, about 5-fingers long & 3 fingers wide, hangs alone in the canopy of an avocado tree. A hand front provides scale.

7/21/25 →

#GreaterYellowLegs #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A Greater Yellowlegs shorebird has a small fish or minnow hanging from its beak. The bird is mostly grey with black vertical markings here and there, especially on its wings. Its eyes are very dark and its legs are orange yellow. It is standing alone in a very shallow pond on an overcast day.

7/20/25 →

Started our Nectarine harvest. Last year they got bug infested but not this year. So far. One branch got majorly overloaded 😬 so I harvested it first. #HomeOrchard #Yarden

A metal colander filled with ripe red to yellow nectarines and a few green leaves.A tree laden with nectarines stands in a rocky garden area. One branch, the closest one, is seriously overloaded.

7/20/25 →

#SilentSunday #GreatEgret #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

Far in the foggy distance, a hoard of bright white Great Egrets commune atop very tall trees. This is likely a rookery. They can be seen near each other and sometimes there are further away introverted egrets. The trunks of the trees are just visible below the egrets resting in the canopy.

7/19/25 →

#GreatEgret #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A very close Great Egreg stands tall in a pond, both black legs visible, looking to the right. Its yellow eyes and closed orange beak stand out. The Egret has traces of brown sludge on its neck and tail. Its reflection is in the pond, though it is slightly obscured by some extremely blurry vegetation.

7/19/25 →

Outdoor backyard irrigation system fixed & weeds removed. That’s it for outdoors stuff! #Yarden #CaWx #DripIrrigation

A freshly reseated irrigation 20 PSI pressure reducer with drip hose T adapter. The area is freshly dug out for access. Dropped leaves cover most the ground.Bundles of 12V irrigation wires in a compact above ground black valve assembly, surrounded by dry leaves. Pressure reducers abs drip adapters are visible.

7/18/25 →

That’s a beak-full. Took some time for them to swallow the whole fish. #GreatEgret #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A Great Egret. all white except its black legs, stands on the shore of a pond, with a fish horizontal in its beak. The fish head and tail can be seen. An uncaring brown duck paddles past. Behind the egret is a grassy area that has been cut back to bare soil by past pond high water.

7/17/25 →

Who wants grubs? #AmericanRobin #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

An American Robin has a beak full of grubs! It is very close to the camera, perhaps standing on a gravel path. It is looking away from the camera, standing tall and proud. The robin has a gray back and red chest and belly.

7/16/25 →

“Bruh!” (as captioned by a friend) #BlackCappedChickadee #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A Black-capped Chickadee is perched on a oblique reed, with its beak open, singing. It has a black cap. a while stripe under its eyes, a black chin, gray wings, and a white belly and chest. The background is blurred vegetation.

7/16/25 →

Fortunately a small 50-acre wildfire, north of Orland CA, in Stony Creek, is under control, but overnight a mobile home park had to be evacuated. Hopefully this will encourage Orland city council to tackle the invasive tamarisk issue in Stony Creek #CreekFire #WildFires #CaWx

7/15/25 →

Since you all love Swallows, here’s one that’s comfy on the outside of their nest box #TreeSwallow #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A Tree Swallow is perched on the top of a wooden bird box. The tree swallow has a blue head and shoulders, gray wings, and a white belly and chest. The bird box is on a metal T post. There are visible scratches below the bird box hole. In the background is bokeh vegetation, probably tree foliage.

7/14/25 →

#TreeSwallow #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A tree swallow peaks out from a bird box hole. It has a blue head and a white chin. The bird box is on a post. Behind the bird box is blurred out vegetation.

7/13/25 →

#SilentSunday

Set against a blurred background, a perfectly in-focus single horizontal & curved grass head with seeds.

7/5/25 →

A duo of juvenile Northern Mockingbirds in our elderberry & ceanothus bushes #BirdPhotography #Birds #Yarden #Fujifilm #SOoC

In the top third of the photo is a sharply focused, juvenile northern Mockingbird with a speckled chest and a little hair is coming down off its chin. It is among in-focus Ceanothus leaves. In the middle third of the photo is an out of focus northern mockingbird among out of focus Elderberry leaves. The sky is a nice blue.

7/5/25 →

Juvenile Northern Mockingbird enjoying our backyard bounty of Elderberries #NorthernMockingbird #BirdPhotography #Birds #Yarden #Fujifilm #SOoC

A perched juvenile Northern Mockingbird with a dirty face and a speckled chest is looking out over a clump of mostly eaten elderberries. The sky is quite blue.

7/4/25 →

Happy mulch watering day to those that celebrate it

June 2025

6/30/25 →

A California Towhee taking the bridge to a singing perch #CaliforniaTowhee #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoC

6/28/25 →

I was watching fire tanker aircraft land at San Bernardino (KSBD) on runway 24, which has no standard approach probably due to big mountains being in the way. So I flew the BAe-146 (Neptune tanker livery) and made the approach in the sim. I landed a bit off center but otherwise stable. #XPlane12 …

6/28/25 →

Comcast is simplifying its Xfinity internet plans and dropping data caps:

The plans will include unlimited data with no data caps, spokesperson Joel Shadle confirms to The Verge. They’ll also come with an Xfinity WiFi Gateway and a free line of Xfinity Mobile cellular service for one year.

About …

6/27/25 →

If you’re an AvGeek, here’s some freshly available self-care thanks to Cockpit Casual (YouTube) #AvGeek #Aviation #CockpitCasual

6/27/25 →

In case you wondered why there are roadless areas on Forest Service land, Zeke Lunder has a good video discussing that. Roadless areas exist due to ruggedness of terrain and lack of timber. Yes, I guarantee those lands were considered in the log everything era of the 1960s-1980s.

6/27/25 →

Overnight, an unusual but small M3.6 earthquake happened north of us in Redding, Ca. Crystal clear detection but we slept through any shaking (possibly too far for surface shaking here) #Earthquake recorded on the #RaspberryShake #CitizenScience

A digital display shows seismic data for a 3.6 magnitude earthquake in Northern California, including a waveform and frequency spectrogram, with a map highlighting the location near Redding.

6/24/25 →

Return to Office is surprisingly exhausting.

6/15/25 →

#SilentSunday A silhouette of a small sitting ground squirrel on the left margin of a brightly lit dirt path surrounded by tall grass and shrubs. A second, smaller squirrel watches the first from the path’s right edge. The background features blurred trees and rooftops.

#GroundSquirrel #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

6/12/25 →

In my backyard, a juvenile scrub jay has been tearing pieces of green tree tape and caching them. Meanwhile an adult jay is foraging nearby. #WesternScrubJay #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoCA Juvenile Western Scrub-Jay, with a grey head and fluffy bottom, standing in profile on dry, textured ground, holding a small green object in its beak.

6/8/25 →

Switching Network Tips on US Mobile: 

Potential best practices for US Mobile subscribers switching their network (e.g., from Dark Star to Warp): upon receiving the eSim QR Code, delete or turn off your old eSims (this is scary but should be fine), delete any APN profiles, then install the new eSim. If needed, install the network …

6/3/25 →

Day 3 of the Micro.blog June Photo Challenge: Shadow

L-188 Electra, operated by AirSpray, at Chico, CA (KCIC)

#MBJune #Aviation #AvGeek

A medium four propeller fire tanker airplane with a red nose is parked on an airfield under a partly cloudy sky, with the sun shining brightly.

6/3/25 →

We’ve a bumper crop of volunteer Holy Basil plants and we’re extremely pleased #Yarden Young Holy Basil plants growing in a garden with a drip irrigation system. Orange pin flags are placed at almost each plant. The ground has soil with small rocks and other organic matter.

6/2/25 →

Day 2: Curve

Lufthansa 747-800 (D-ABYH) at SFO, departing for Frankfurt

#MBJune #B748 #DABYH #Aviation #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting #Fujifilm #SOoC A 747-8 on a taxiway, holding short of the runway, near water, viewed from behind, with four engines visible under its wings against a clear blue sky.

May 2025

5/30/25 →

Our lone volunteer backyard sunflower bloomed yesterday #Sunflowers #BloomScrolling #Fujifilm #SOoC A vibrant yellow sunflower in full bloom with green leaves and a blurred background.

5/26/25 →

Today we suspended shade cloth over the avocado trees. The trees will now survive 100°F+ temperatures coming later this week. Heatwaves are on the way to California!

A shade cloth covering a small area of trees. A wheelbarrow is partially visible to the right, and ropes are stretched across to keep the cloth from resting on the small trees. The ground is covered with wood chips and gravel.

Two short avocado trees with a shade cloth suspended overhead and attached by rope to a fence. There is a gravel path along the far fence and close to the camera with wood chips inbetween. A drip hose snakes between the two trees. The sun is already shaded out with the cloth’s shadow projected along the fence.

5/25/25 →

#SilentSunday #Sunset #Fujifilm #SOoC a boat view, but with no boat visible, of a sunset over the Pacific ocean with a 98% clear sky and gentle waves, creating a serene and peaceful atmosphere. To the right, an island can be seen on the horizon. It is either Maui, Moloka’i, or Lana’i

5/24/25 →

Yarden pool season has begun. Rubber ducks (and more elsewhere) serve as life rafts for insects. Most of this water was carried over from last year. Under a canopy, an above-ground pool with clear blue water, a metal ladder, and a towel hanging on the edge. There's a garden in the background with a shed, grapes, elderberry, various trees, and a horrible sunshade nextdoor. Little sun bleached rubber ducks float by.

5/24/25 →

Black and white photo of a cityscape featuring Coit Tower atop a hill with residential buildings in the foreground. People are walking and standing around a street with a stop sign. A SF Police Department motorcycle witha copy leaning against it and a parked pickup truck are visible. Palm trees and other greenery standout starkly against the bright hard surfaces.

#StreetPhotography #SanFrancisco #BlackAndWhite #Fujifilm #SOoC

5/22/25 →

October 2023 at Chico Municipal Airport: BAE 146-200s, Reg. C-GRNT and N908AS. Owned by AirSpray. I assume these are to be converted to wildfire tankers

#PlaneSpotting #CGRNT #N908AS #B462 #KCIC #AvGeek #Aviation #Fujifilm #SOoC

Two BAE-146 airplanes parked on an airport tarmac. The plane on the left is white with black and orange accents, while the plane on the right is white with partially scraped off blue accents. Three orange-red CalFire aircraft with numbers painted on their tails are partially visible.

5/21/25 →

Iberia A330-2 & ITA A330-9

An Iberia A330 twin engine aircraft is landing over a runway with a blue ITA A330-9 plane positioned in the foreground, lined up and ready for takeoff. The background is a hazy sky. The foreground has calm San Francisco bay waters.

#WidebodyWednesday #PlaneSpotting #Aviation #AvGeek #SFO #ECMLB #A332 #EIHPA #A339

5/20/25 →

Alternate angle of today’s surprise Fence lizard.

#FenceLizard #Fujifilm #SOoC A brown striped Fence lizard stares straight at the camera with sharp black eyes. It’s on a cement pad with a bit of moisture in front of it. There’s an out of focus hose crossing the photo frame to the left.

5/20/25 →

A surprise today when a large Fence lizard took advantage of water under a spigot backflow preventer #FenceLizard #Fujifilm #SOoCA Fence lizard with a distinct striped pattern on its back is resting on a cement surface next to a green outdoor rated extension cord and some dripping water.

5/20/25 →

Preparing for takeoff May 1, 2025: Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 flying SFO-FRA and United Boeing 777-2 flying SFO-AMS

A Lufthansa Boeing 747 and a United Airlines aircraft taxiing obliquely, tails together, across a fetch of San Francisco Bay water. The Lufthansa tail is blue with an orange circle and a stylized flying stick. The United tail has a dark blue to light blue gradient with a globe of meridians and parallels in its lower right corner.

5/18/25 →

Family photo of Mount St. Helens (foreground) and Mount Rainier (background). Probably on a flight from KSMF to KSEA, somewhere just north of Portland  #MountStHelens #Aviation #AvGeek

A photo from an airline passenger seat where Mount St. Helens is in the foreground, mostly in shadow, with some ridges poking out by surrounding stratus clouds. Mount Rainier is in the background but only partially covered by clouds. There's some snow on Mount Rainier and the saddle between Point Success and Mt. Rainier peak is easy to see.

5/18/25 →

Tips for Porting out of T-Mobile (mid-May 2025): 

T-Mobile raised prices on their "uncarrier” plans that, in plain language, originally claimed prices would never increase. So as T-Mobile is now like any other carrier, I transferred our lines to US Mobile.

Rather than tediously explain my decision, I’ll offer some tips to port your lines to US …

5/17/25 →

Bruce Lee Memorial in Chinatown, San Francisco A black and white photo: a group of people stand in front of a mural depicting Bruce Lee’s face and a dragon showing its tongue on a brick wall behind a Chinatown bakery. The mural is partially obscured by the crowd listening to a tour guide. A sign for Commercial Street is visible behind the crowd. The photo is soft.

#BruceLee #StreetArt #ChinaTown #SanFrancisco #StreetPhotography #BlackAndWhite #Fujifilm #SOoC

5/15/25 →

The Northern Mockingbird pair are mostly absent from their nest. I guess the ambient temperature is warm enough that they don’t feel the need to lay on the eggs?

Three Northern Mockingbird eggs with a rust red speckle on a green shell rests in a cozy nest. The nest is in a grapevine. It is shaded by grape leaves, and sunlight is trying stream through.

#NestWatch #Nest #NorthernMockingbird #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC

5/14/25 →

First year our milkweed has bloomed!

#Milkweed #BloomScrolling #Yarden #Fujifilm #SOoCA close-up of pale pink and white Milkweed flowers with green leaves in the background. The flowers have a star-like shape and clustered arrangement.

5/13/25 →

These compound eyes! Close-up of a western black horsefly with detailed compound eyes and a hairy body, resting on a surface.

#WesternBlackHorsefly #Insect #InsectPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoC

5/13/25 →

This Western Black Horsefly rested in our front yard this morning #WesternBlackHorsefly #Insect #InsectPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoCA large western black horsefly is sunning on a light-colored surface. It has a dark brown fuzzy body with lighter color outlining its head.

5/13/25 →

This morning in California after the rain #CaWx #California A serene landscape featuring a field of tall, golden grass under a clear blue sky. The sun is rising on the horizon, casting a warm glow across the scene. Distant towering clouds can be seen at the horizon. Tree branches frame the image from the top.

5/11/25 →

There are at least two Northern Mockingbird eggs in the nest! The momma bird went off for a snack & I carefully took a brief look. #NestWatch

#NorthernMockingbird #Birds #Nest #Fujifilm #SOoC A Northern Mockingbird's nest with a few rust red speckled eggs inside, surrounded by green grape leaves and branches. The sun shines brightly through the wide leaves.

5/11/25 →

#PrairieCreekRedwoodsSP #California #SilentSunday Sunlight filters through towering conifer trees in a lush, green coastal rain forest.

5/10/25 →

June 2022: Narrow-gauge steam train from Kurort Oybin to Teufelsmühle (south of Zittau) A vintage black steam locomotive on narrow gage railway tracks at a station in Kurort Oybin. A person in uniform walks along the platform. Surrounding landscape includes lush green trees and hills under a cloudy sky.

A group of people rides on an open-air vintage steam train through a lush, green forest. The train is producing smoke, and passengers are seated on wooden benches. Sunlight filters through the trees, creating a serene and picturesque scene.

5/10/25 →

Our (male?) Northern Mockingbird is still actively inspecting and improving the nest in our grapes just outside our glass slider door. I think they’ve partnered up so perhaps the nest will be fully occupied soon! #NestWatch #NorthernMockingbird #Birds #BirdPhotography #FujifilmA Northern Mockingbird is sitting in a nest surrounded by green leaves and branches. It has an outstretched neck to peak out while its tail is almost straight up. It is surrounded by grape leaves and vines.

5/8/25 →

Double-crested Cormorant flying very low over the San Francisco Bay at Anza Fisherman’s Park #DoubleCrestedCormorant #Birds #BirdPhotography #SanFrancisco #Fujifilm #SOoC A double crested cormorant flying low over the San Francisco Bay, with its wings spread and reflections visible on the surface. It has a lower beak that is orange, grey wings, and a black head and back.

5/7/25 →

A foraging Bewick’s Wren A small Wren, poking its beak about a piece of dead wood, is well camouflaged among dense tree branches. #Wrensday #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm

5/6/25 →

A claw machine house on Grant Avenue in San Francisco #BlackAndWhite #SanFrancisco #Photography #Fujifilm #SOoCIn black and white, a person stands alone in a nearly empty room with walls on both sides covered in claw games. They’re gazing at the LED bedazzled claw machines under harsh fluorescent lights on a reflective faux wood floor. There’s an odd mural and a closed door on the bare far wall. A security camera fixed to the ceiling is sentinel.

5/5/25 →

A Northern Mockingbird has decided to build a nest on the grape vines growing under the outer edge of our patio cover. We’ll try to accommodate A mockingbird bird is nestled among dense green grape leaves and a thick grape vine, building a nest. It even has a twig in its beak. Sunlight filters through the foliage, creating a warm and natural setting.

A grey bird perched on an under construction nest, surrounded by green grape leaves and a thick grape vine. Its dark grey tail is pointing straight up and it’s looking side-eye toward the camera. #NorthernMockingbird #Birds #BirdPhotography #Yarden #Fujifilm #SOoC

5/4/25 →

#SilentSunday #FujifilmA black and white photo of a San Francisco city intersection with the front end of a bus, traffic lights, and overhead wires. In the background, the Transamerica Pyramid and the Catholic church Saint Francis of Assisi with pointed spires are visible. Pedestrians walk along a sidewalk.

5/4/25 →

Hawaiian A330-243 (N391HA) HNL-SFO on May 3rd, 2025, south of arrival runways #N391HA #A332 #AvGeek #CloudyPlaneSpotting #PlaneSpotting #AviationPhotography #Aviation #Fujifilm

On a day with low clouds, a Hawaiian A330-243 (N391HA) HNL-SFO makes its approach with eagle-clawed landing gear out, landing lights visible through the nose struts, and with a vapor trail streaming off the wing.

5/3/25 →

Me getting Dim Sum for breakfast in San FranciscoA man wearing a hat, KN95 mask, and camera stands in a small takeout Dim Sum restaurant. The floor has a checkered tile pattern with WATCH YOUR STEP tape on the threshold. There's a digital ordering kiosk, a TV on the wall.

5/2/25 →

Whimbrels! From near San Francisco Intl. Airport #Whimbrel #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm A group of Wimbrels wading in shallow water. The brown birds have long, thick bills and are standing or preening on a Bay low tide muddy area

5/2/25 →

Bayfront Park. 📍

A bumblebee enjoying a carpet of asters (probably invasive capeweed 😕) at Bayfront Park, Millbrae A close up of several bright yellow daisies in a field with a bumblebee hovering in the upper left corner of the photo. #BloomScrolling #Bumblebee #Insects #Fujifilm #SOoC

5/1/25 →

TIL the Houston Rockets have a game at the Golden State Warriors tomorrow in SF. This is the team’s 32-year old 767-300 landing at SFO today #B763 #KSFO #SFO #AvGeek #Aviation #PlaneSpotting #Fujifilm #SOoC A white 767-300 with landing gear extended approaches a runway. The tail features a simple logo with the Houston Rockets initials, and a portion of another airplane's wing and engine is visible. That A330-900 aircraft has swooped up winglets. The background is a hazy sky with two thin white streamers on polls blowing toward the right.

5/1/25 →

Hah. I went to load Ritchie Roesch’s “PRO Negative 160C” film sim recipe to my Fujifilm X-T5 just to find it already there #Fujifilm #FilmSimulationRecipe

April 2025

4/26/25 →

Backyard native flower status: Pink and white California roses and Elderberry. There appear to be flower buds on the milkweed! A pink wild rose in full bloom surrounded by green leaves, with a background of branches and more foliage.

A white wild rose with yellow stamens, surrounded by green leaves.

Clusters of small yellow elderberry flowers with green leaves on a bush against a cloudy sky background.

A cute tiny ladybug resting on a large green Milkweed leaf with visible veins and a cluster of flower buds in the middle.

4/26/25 →

Backyard trees have decent fruit set. New Century Asian Pears, Hosui Asian Pears, and a Nectarine Green leaves and an unripe, small unripe green New Century Asian Pear fruit growing on a tree branch with a cloudy sky in the background.

A young tree with small, green Hosui Asian Pear fruits growing among glossy green leaves. The tree is supported by a stake. The background is a blurred garden setting.

4/25/25 →

From a few weekends ago, Tree Swallows racing through the skies above Black Butte Lake. A Tree Swallow, nearly a profile view, in flight against a clear blue sky.

A Tree Swallow flying, directly below showing its belly and wings, against a clear blue sky.

#TreeSwallow #Birds #BirdPhotograhy #BlackButteLake #Fujifilm

4/23/25 →

Cool orange headed beetles on our milkweed today A pair of small beetles with orange heads and dark bodies are clinging to the stem of a green Milkweed leaves. A smaller beetle is atop the larger beetle. The background is softly blurred. #Beetles #InsectPhotography #Milkweed #NativePlants #Yarden #Fujifilm

4/23/25 →

From this morning, a Cranefly on a Milkweed leaf #Cranefly #Milkweed #NativePlants #Yarden A close-up of a crane fly is on a green leaf surrounded by blurred foliage. Craneflies are really weird looking.

4/21/25 →

Colorado's outdoor companies are buckling under Trump trade war:

“I’m the U.S. manufacturer using U.S.-made materials and Trump is putting me out of business,” she says. “We figured out U.S. manufacturing and we figured out how to take care of our people and it came crashing down. I’m doing …

4/19/25 →

Ospreys are amazing. Last week, before our eyes, one plunged into Black Butte lake and caught a fish! To grab a fish, an osprey plunged deep into to lake water, while keeping its head above the water. There is a large dead tree branch overhead, and the background is full of Willows.

A osprey, with a captured fish in its talons, flying low over a body of water surrounded by trees. Branches frame the foreground, and the bird's wings are spread mid-flight.

4/16/25 →

You got this  #WrensDay #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifim #SOoC

A small Bewick's Wren is perched on a winter naked Willow branch. This Wren, for once, isn't singing but is squat against the branch, looking out. It has a really long narrow and dark tail and white stripes on its head. Its body is mostly gray.

4/14/25 →

At Black Butte Lake this last Saturday, we were treated by a flying formation of American White Pelicans. They are captivating flyers. #AmericanWhitePelican #BlackButteLake #BirdPhotography #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC

Against a blue sky, four American White Pelicans are in a straight line formation, spaced by mere feet. They are photographed as a diagonal across the frame. The rear edge of their wings are black, the rest of their body is white.

4/13/25 →

Useful FastMail Rules that rely on Headers by @jsonbecker

Mail rules on Fastmail that make my life better: json.blog

Rules include newsletters & Democrat political email

4/13/25 →

Yesterday: Damselfly and a Mosquito at Black Butte Lake #Damselfly #BlackButteLake #Fujifilm #SOoC A blue damselfly resting on a rock surrounded by wet, sandy ground with small pebbles and a mosquito to its left. Both are surrounded by wet brown muddy muck.

4/12/25 →

Spectacular day at Black Butte Lake today A single tree stands atop a grassy hill in the distance, framed by lush green trees in the foreground. Below is a body of water reflecting the greenery. The sky is bright blue with large, fluffy clouds.#BlackButteLake #Fujifilm #SOoC

4/12/25 →

Okay, dilapidated front yard sprinkler valve assembly is removed and system capped off. The water line diverged before the valve assembly so I simply capped it off after the T so the backyard assembly and hose bib still gets water. PVC primer & cement hardly used and will go bad before next need …

4/11/25 →

My latest project is to remove one entire unused sprinkler valve assembly. Took a bit of care excavating but now I know to cut four pipes and cap at least the inlet (the pipe coming from the bottom of the photo). In a perfect world, I’d remove the three PVC runs into the front yard (mostly native …

4/11/25 →

Dad and Son Crash Underwater Drone Into Unexploded World War II Bomb | PetaPixel:

The cops asked them for all the footage for analysis and later discovered the bomb they had found was a Nazi SC 500 — a bomb commonly dropped during the prolonged raids of British cities by the German Luftwaffe in the …

4/9/25 →

Bushtit! A small gray-brown Bushtit is on a tree branch surrounded by green leaves and twigs. It has a rather active pose, like it’s in the process of turning around.#Bushtit #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

4/8/25 →

Towhees are all the rage right now, so here’s one busy looking for food at the Refuge’s parking area A small brown California Towhee with a dark brown head, reddish brown body, and pinkish legs stands on a parking lot with cracks filled by dry grass, looking down as it searches for food. It is a profile view and only its back is illuminated by the sun.#CaliforniaTowhee #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

4/8/25 →

AirlineReporter has a JFK to Singapore flight report up! World’s longest flight.

4/7/25 →

Loggerhead shrike from the Refuge the other weekend #LoggerheadShrike #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

A small Loggerhead shrike, mostly gray with black eyeshadow, is perched on a bare tree branch against a backdrop of a clear blue sky and blurred Willow foliage.

4/6/25 →

Flew from Orland-Haigh Field (O37) to San Francisco International in the Beaver, and ATC told me to taxi to the Coast Guard hanger but it’s been DOGE’d. Closed and locked. #JokingNotJoking #XPlane #FlightSim #ThrandaDHC2 #USPol

A small purple airplane is holding short a closed gate in front of a Coast Guard hanger. In the background, there is hanger with a classic red sign "United Air Lines" with at least two United Airline aircraft tails visible. Many tanks and other parked aircraft are somewhat visible in the distance. San Bruno Mountain is prominent.

4/5/25 →

X-Plane 12.2 beta is out and it’s nice. It fixes dark cockpits, greatly improves atmospherics, improves clouds (again), and includes a scenery recut with my work on three airports: O09 (Round Valley, California), O37 (Orland Haigh Field, California), Dug Bar USFS. #XPlane #FlightSim #macOS

4/4/25 →

For the first time, I repaired a sliding glass door screen today. The old synthetic one had weakened significantly from UV and recently took a knee. The new mesh is aluminum. It was a bit brittle but I like that it is UV proof. A damaged window screen with a large tear and fraying edges, framed by a white window frame. Sunlight is casting Rosemary plant shadows on the screen.A disassembled slider window screen with a detached mesh lies on a pebbled ground next to a concrete path. Nearby are some tools and a green hose. The frame is intact, but the mesh is in a pile.A window screen is being repaired on a concrete surface. It is secured in place with clamps. A spline is in progress of being put into the channel to attach the screen. Part of the rubber spline or gasket is lying on top of the screen. Half of the area is in sunlight, while the other half is shaded.A sliding glass patio door with a white frame is shown. One side has the repaired screen. The reflection of a lame person taking the photo is visible in the glass. There's greenery on either side, with a pebble-covered ground.

4/3/25 →

I was feeling left out, so please enjoy the Black-Necked Stilts in lieu of penguins. #BlackNeckedStilts #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoCTwo black-necked stilts, one near the photo’s left edge and another near the right edge, with long pink legs stand near a marshy water area. The background consists of water and patches of vegetation.

4/2/25 →

I finally have a #Wrensday post, thanks to this constantly singing Bewick’s WrenA small bird with a brownish body and patterned tail perches on a nearly vertical slender, bare tree branch against a clear blue sky. #BewicksWren #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

4/1/25 →

Another photo from the Refuge this last SaturdayA flock of birds flying in a clear sky, featuring white egrets (2 total) and dark white-faced ibises (12 total) with long, curved beaks. #GreatEgret #WhiteFacedIbis #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

4/1/25 →

I once again commit to only Fork food. That is all.

March 2025

3/31/25 →

A photo directly below and looking up at a perched and sunning Turkey Vulture. Its wings are open and its red bare skin head is clearly visible above its wings. It has some weird downy feathers surrounding its beak. #TurkeyVulture #Birds #BirdWatching #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

3/31/25 →

CalFire has a pretty neat Fire Fighting Aircraft Recognition Guide including radio frequencies and a map with registration numbers — link is on the bottom of the page under “General Aviation” #Aviation #AvGeek #Wildfire

3/30/25 →

American Bushtit at the refuge yesterday. What an acrobatic fuzzball! An American Bushtit, with a light orange head and gray fuzz-ball of a body, is upside down, hanging on a young Willow tree branch full of golden catkins against a clear blue sky. #AmericanBushtit #Birds #BirdWatching #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

3/30/25 →

What's new in GraphicConverter? macOS SHORTCUTS have been added! I thought they were going to wait until GraphicConverter 13! #Shortcuts #macOS

3/30/25 →

On the Waihe’e Ridge Trail on Maui in 2021 #SilentSunday A sunlit tropical forest trail surrounded by tall thin trees and dense green foliage, with dappled sunlight on the dirt path.

3/30/25 →

Yesterday, I shot at the refuge using Ritchie Roesch’s “Emulsion ’86, a Fujifilm X-T5 (X-Trans V) Film Simulation Recipe.” Worked nicely in hazy skies and the tremendously golden Willow catkins. #Fujifilm #FilmSimulationRecipe

3/29/25 →

Western Fence lizard basking in the sun at the Refuge today #WesternFenceLizard #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoCA fairly girth-y Western Fence lizard on Willow tree bark, nearly camouflaged with its surroundings.

3/27/25 →

Two Eurasian Collared Doves enjoying this evening #EurasianCollaredDoves #Birds #BirdWatching #FujifilmTwo Eurasian Collared doves perched on tree of heaven branches with a clear sky in the background. Golden hour light vaguely reflects off their heads.

3/26/25 →

Random unexplained photo of a very narrow part of our backyard #BloomScrolling #Ceanothus #NativePlants #Yarden #Fujifilm #SOoC A Ceanothus branch with clusters of small, light purple flowers and shiny dark green leaves. The bokeh background is wooden fence with sunlight streaming through.

3/24/25 →

It’s quite warm and pleasant in California. Running the whole house fan in the evenings is glorious.

3/23/25 →

Ceanothus and Asian Pear #BloomScrolling A Ceanothus bush with abundant clusters of small blue flowers and green leaves, situated in front of a wooden fence. The ground around the tree is covered with mulch and branches.A close-up of an Asian Pear branch with several small white flower buds and green leaves. One closed bud is being broken into by a European honey bee. Its butt is sticking out, surrounded by tightly closed flower pedals. The background is out of focus with greenery and a clear blue sky.Close-up of Asian Pear white blossoms on a tree branch with a blurred background, featuring clear blue sky and foliage.White blossoms with noticeably pink stamens on an Asian Pear branch with a bokeh background.

3/23/25 →

#SilentSunday #DeathValleyNP #MosaicCanyon #Fujifilm #SOoCA rocky desert valley and wash with sparse vegetation and hikers in the distance, surrounded by layered, red to gray rugged mountains and canyon walls.

3/22/25 →

I guess both of my Asian Pear trees have a fungal infection. These black spots certainly do not appear to be insect related. I’ve treated with fungicide in hopes of salvaging these trees & this year’s fruit. #Yarden #HomeOrchard A budding Asian Pear branch with clusters of leaf green & white flower buds and some black spots on them. Probably fungus. The branch is attached to a tree with a rocky and mulched ground beneath. A drip hose passes through the mulch, which is encircled by river cobble.

3/21/25 →

Flew my hot-rod DHC-2 Beaver to the gravel strip at Lake Pillsbury. My landing was awful as I slammed my right wing into the ground. #XPlane #ThrandaDHC2 #FlightSim #macOS A simulated bright magenta and orange DHC2 Beaver is flying over a forested landscape with a lake below. The gray overcast sky has orange tint, as it’s sunset. Two instrument dials are overlaid on the scene, showing aviation gauges.

3/20/25 →

DOGE Federal Worker Layoffs Are Causing Trauma – and Costing the Government | US News Opinion

The VA, Ruzek said, is full of people “doing their very best to serve our returning Veterans and reduce their suffering. Vought’s lack of awareness and cruelty is breathtaking.”

3/18/25 →

Super-duper niche but: if you fly X-Plane 12 with the Thranda DHC-2 Beaver with a Yawman Arrow controller, I have written a FlyWithLua script for multifunctional controller buttons. I am changing it frequently and YMMV with how much sense the bindings make. #XPlane #ThrandaDHC2 #FlightSim

3/17/25 →

Last Friday, this coyote had plenty of rabbits and birds to consider but instead wanted to check us out. Hope everyone can find the good in this week! #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Coyote #Fujifilm #SOoC A coyote walking along a gravel road in a rural area with a “Soft Shoulder” sign visible. The background features vegetation and an overcast sky.

3/16/25 →

Whoops #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #GreatBlueHeron #Birds A great blue heron in flight, captured from the back, with its wings spread wide. It’s blurry because the photographer wasn’t ready. The background is a grassy field under a partly cloudy sky.

3/16/25 →

The U.S. egg industry has forced us to find egg alternatives. Vegans know! For breading sweet potato & bean croquettes, we used a flour slurry. No differences detected and it was practically free.

3/16/25 →

#SilentSunday Snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains with Mount Tom under a clear blue sky, with a valley and sparse trees in the foreground. The peaks are just lit by the setting sun.

3/15/25 →

My simple X-Plane 12 FlyWithLua scripts that enable aircraft specific multi-button functionality for the Yawman Arrow Controller are now on Codeberg instead of GitHub. Codeberg’s documentation is great! #XPlane #LuaScripting #YawmanArrow #Codeberg

3/15/25 →

A Northern Harrier from yesterday’s visit to the refuge #NorthernHarrier #Birds #BirdWatching #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm A Northern Harrier, mostly brown with a white bar on its back below the wings, is flying over a body of water with wings outstretched while looking down. In the foreground, there are bare branches, and the background features a distant shoreline with trees under a cloudy sky.

3/14/25 →

What luck at the refuge today! Among many others, we were treated to Northern Flickers, an Egret feasting on a crawdad, a really tame(😬) coyote, and a gorgeous Pheasant #NorthernFlicker #Egret #Coyote #CommonPheasant #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoCA woodpecker perched on a bare branch with a blurred landscape of hills and fields in the background.

A white egret is standing in a grassy, marshy area with a small crawfish in its beak. The background is blurred with various shades of green and brown from plants and grasses.

3/14/25 →

The Albums app for iOS can now save Quick Collections to Apple Music playlists. Now my Sonos speakers can directly play full albums however I like. No more AirPlay! Paradoxically, this means I will use the Albums app less. But it’s very important!

3/9/25 →

Here’s my first clear keeper ever of an American Bushtit. Such a smoll borb!A small American Bushtit perched on a tree branch among twigs and young willow leaves, set against a bright blue sky.

3/9/25 →

Flew the Beaver VFR from Orland Haigh Field (O37) to Round Valley (O09) this morning. Middle Eel River inner gorge to the left and Anthony Peak proximal to the aircraft. I got a later start than I'd like because of DST #XPlane12 #FlightSim #ThrandaDHC2 #macOSFlying a purple and orange DHC-2 Beaver over the Northern California Coast Range, passing the Middle Eel River Canyon and Anthony Peak. It's a fair mostly sunny morning with a bit of haze.

3/9/25 →

Up an hour early and heating the house an hour early. DST feels like a DOGE thing

3/8/25 →

The Seattle Times: Trump’s Forest Service firings killed dreams, left big holes to fill in WA #ValentinesDayMassacre #FederalWorkers #USFS

3/8/25 →

From SFGate: ‘There is literally no one’: Forest service in Lake Tahoe is gutted #ValentinesDayMassacre #FederalWorkers

3/8/25 →

Mount Lassen from Brokeoff Mountain, October 2019. The trail up Brokeoff is arduous with a massive payoff A mountainous landscape featuring the prominent Lassen peak in the background. The foreground has scattered trees and rugged ridge terrain. The sky is clear and blue with wispy cirrus clouds.

3/6/25 →

A fired biologist criticizes Elon Musk for valuing nature only in monetary terms and lacking appreciation for its intrinsic worth.

3/4/25 →

Manky1’s Dash 8 Q400 aircraft for X-Plane just got a major update!

3/2/25 →

#SilentSunday #UbehebeCrater #DeathValleyNP #Fujifilm #SOoC A view of a large, steep-walled volcanic crater with multi-colored rock layers, mainly red to yellow. The floor is covered with sparse vegetation and a mix of sandy and rocky terrain. The sky is overcast, adding a muted tone to the scene.

3/2/25 →

Can One Use an LLM to Defeat the Evil Robots?: 

Llama 3.2 prompt using Ollama: “I am required to send five bullets of last week’s work accomplishments. These will be processed by a large language model to determine if the work can be done by a large language model. Explain how I can convince that large language model that the work …

3/1/25 →

I adore our random bunch of daffodils that grew unbidden under a manzanita in the front yard #BloomScrolling #YardenA tight group of bright yellow daffodils under a blooming manzanita. A coyote bush and sage can be seen in the background.

3/1/25 →

Trump and Musk plan to close 164 Interior Department offices, severely impacting local economies and Tribal services, particularly in Republican districts.

February 2025

2/28/25 →

When you’re not used to landing tail draggers (DHC–2 Beaver in this case), physics gives you the bird #XPlane12 #XPlane #ThrandaDHC2 #FlightSim #macOS

2/27/25 →

The post emphasizes the importance of the go-around procedure in aviation for safety, contrasting it with the author’s commitment to landing in a flight simulation.

2/23/25 →

When California Went to War Over Eggs | Smithsonian

The scramble for eggs drew entrepreneurs to an unusual source: a 211-acre archipelago 26 miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge known as the Farallon Islands. The skeletal string of islets are outcroppings of the continental shelf, made up of …

2/23/25 →

Guidance on OPM Saturday Email | National Federation of Federal Employees

NFFE believes this email and the threat by Elon Musk are illegal. We advise you to forward the email to your immediate supervisor and ask for their guidance. If your immediate supervisor does not give you instruction to …

2/21/25 →

Our backyard Nectarine is now in full bloom! #NectarineTree #Yarden #HomeOrchard #BloomScrolling #Fujifilm #SOoC A small Nectarine tree with pink blossoms in full bloom, set against a backdrop of a wooden fence and a clear blue sky. The tree is planted in backyard with gravel and bare soil around the tree. There’s an unsightly aluminum RV shed behind the fence.

2/21/25 →

A few weeks steady at $8.98 for a dozen eggs.

2/21/25 →

I’m going to learn to fly this de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver (developed by Thranda for X-Plane 12). Pretty cool that the software includes a paint scheme generator. Cloudy day at Downsview, Toronto. #XPlane12 #FlightSim #ThrandaDHC2 #macOS

Auto-generated description: A purple and orange small propeller plane is parked on a wet tarmac under a cloudy sky.

2/11/25 →

This Black Phoebe chirped it up while catching insects mid-air in our backyard today. This is the first time we’ve had a Black Phoebe stick around long enough for a photo #BlackPhoebe #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm A small, brown Black Phoebe bird is perched on a thin branch amidst a background of brown twigs and thick wooden elderberry stems. The bird has a dark head, gray body, and white wing markings. The setting appears natural, surrounded by dry foliage with a wooden fence in the background.

2/9/25 →

First bloom of our nectarine #Yarden #HomeOrchard A close-up of a budding nectarine tree branch with clusters of pink blossoms against a blurred background of a metal shed.

2/9/25 →

Welcome to Superb Owl Sunday. Though I’ll throw an Eagle in too. #SuperbOwl #SuperbEagle #BirdPhotography two juvenile great horned owls in a nest high upon branches, with an adult owl sandwiched between. They’re watching the photographer closely. In the distance, two well-camouflaged great horned owls sit on a branch deep in a winter dormant tree, staring toward the photographer The white head of a Bald Eagle peers down, perhaps curiously, at the photographer through out of focus willow leaves. You can just make out its brown shoulders.

2/7/25 →

Backyard nectarine is at first pink #Yarden #HomeOrchard A close-up of a tree branch with a single pink flower bud about to bloom. The background features more branches, a wooden fence, a metal shed, and a partly cloudy sky.

January 2025

1/26/25 →

. #SilentSunday #Fujifilm #SOoCA far off coyote trots across a sloping coastal meadow with many white flowers, framed by a calm Pacific Ocean and few scattered clouds.

1/20/25 →

Lewis’s Woodpecker (spotted Saturday) #LewissWoodpecker #BlackButteReservoir #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoCA Lewis’s Woodpecker, with a red eye liner, a black head, and a chest fading from gray to pink, is peaking out, half-way exposed, on the branch of a tree with bare, tangled branches against a clear blue sky.

1/18/25 →

Went out to Burris Creek today, west of Black Butte Lake. For the first time we saw Lewis’s woodpeckers! They were constantly harassing each other. They’ve gorgeous pink bellies. We also saw a Nuttall’s woodpecker and an Emirates A380 Reg. A6-EVO Dubai-SFO (EK225) at 39,000 feet #LewissWoodpecker …

1/13/25 →

Well, it’s a fine photo but I’m not going to try any harder. It’s cold and windy out there and this Californian can’t stand it 🥶A bright full moon illuminating the night sky with scattered clouds. Visible lens flare effect surrounds the moon, and tree branches are silhouetted at the bottom.

1/12/25 →

It’s been years but managed to boot up an old QNAP TS-251. Last firmware was from 2023. If I decide to use this I better firewall it off from the ‘net or find an alternative OSS firmware for it. But it’s likely I’ll just wipe it clean with zeros multiple times and be done with it.

1/12/25 →

Central Ducted Fujitsu Heat Pump: Use the Wall Thermostat Sensor instead of the Air Handler's Sensor: 

If you have a central ducted Fujitsu Heat Pump with a wired remote control unit (wall thermostat), you may know that the central air handler’s temperature sensor is used by default instead of the wall thermostat’s temperature sensor. If your wall thermostat doesn’t have the thermometer icon at the …

1/6/25 →

Today I finally photographed one of several Orange-crowned Warblers that use our backyard as a hunting ground #OrangeCrownedWarbler #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoCA small yellow-green bird, with a short but sharp beak, perched on a wooden fence cross beam near some green Ceanothus leaves.

1/5/25 →

The resident Scrub Jay had herself a vigorous bath on this fine California day #WesternScrubJay #Fujifilm #SOoC #Birds A jay splashing in a metal birdbath with water droplets scattering around. The background is a wooden fence. A blue jay splashes in a birdbath, causing water droplets to spray around. A wooden fence serves as the background. A scrub jay splashes in a birdbath, sending droplets of water into the air against a wooden fence background. A scrub jay with fluffed feathers is perched on the edge of a birdbath, set against a wooden fence backdrop.

1/4/25 →

I’m stoked that our asparagus bed, now in its third home over the last ten years, is beginning to produce enough to harvest. It’s been a long road with many years of our not caring but they persisted anyway and thus eventually regained our affection #Yarden #Gardening Young asparagus spears growing in a garden bed amidst scattered rocks, next to a wooden fence. Small green sprouts and a drip hose are visible in the background. Five stalks of fresh cut asparagus on a paper towel in a metal baking tray. They fade dark green to light purple at the bottom.

1/2/25 →

For the A330-900 Neo by X-Plane aircraft developer Toliss, I wrote a FlyWithLua script that enables Yawman Arrow controller multifunction buttons. Special to the A330-900 Neo, the Yawman's POV center click toggles the HUD #XPlane #XPlane12 #FlightSim #FlyWithLua #YawmanArrowController

1/1/25 →

My top 2024 albums per the Albums app. This is not a full dataset though as I used Tidal until they ended Plex integration & then I switched back to Apple Music but it’s reasonable! #2024TopAlbums @albumstheapp@indieapps.space A collage of album covers titled “Most Listened: 2024 Stats” showcases various albums. Featured artists include Daft Punk, The Black Keys, Coldplay, The Decemberists, Kasabian, Billie Eilish, Death Cab for Cut

December 2024

12/31/24 →

2024 was an off year for travel as I didn’t once make it to a major airport. I only stopped in Medford for an overnight stop and so spent a short time at the airport watching Coulson tankers and E-175s #2024Top4AviationScores #AvGeek #Aviation #FujifilmA large DC-10 firefighting aircraft labeled “10 TANKER” is landing on a runway, with an American flag visible in the background. A large three-engine DC-10 aircraft is taxiing on a runway with mountains and trees in the background. A fenced area with a “No Trespassing” sign is visible in the foreground. A Coulson C-130 firefighting aircraft in flight, featuring a bold red and black design with the number “138” on the tail.

12/27/24 →

If you fly X-Plane 12 with the Yawman Arrow Controller, check out my basic aircraft specific FlyWithLua scripts to enable multifunction button operations to limit reaching for your keyboard/mouse: https://www.distortions.net/yawman-arrow-controller-xplane/ #XPlane #XPlane12 #YawmanArrow #Flightsim

12/25/24 →

Today: Downy Woodpecker skillfully foraging at the Pine Creek Unit of the refuge #DownyWoodpecker #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC A Downy woodpecker is perched upside down on a branch of a tree with sparse leaves.

12/25/24 →

Snow sculptures from a very wintery Berlin in early December 2023 A snowman with three snowballs is displayed on a pedestal in front of a store. It has a stick for arms and a simple face. There’s a small signpost behind it, and a card rack is visible to the side. A store front is behind the snowman. A small snowman stands in the snow with stick arms, closed eyes made from twigs, and a leaf for a mouth. In the background, there is a large out of place rock formation. The surrounding area is snowy with trees in the distance.

12/23/24 →

Last Sunday, we witnessed a Western Meadowlark in a meadow! 😲🫣 #WesternMeadowLark #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC A Western Meadow Lark stands in a field of tall, dewy grass. The bird has a distinctive yellow chest and mottled brown plumage, blending into the surroundings. Drops of water are visible on the grass. They’re looking toward the camera.

12/22/24 →

Poor Great Horned Owls have no privacy in the winter #GreatHornedOwls #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC Two great horned owls sitting on a sturdy branch with lots obscuring bare tree limbs. They’re looking toward the camera.

12/21/24 →

A soggy juvenile Bald Eagle at the Refuge today! #BaldEagle #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm A juvenile Bald Eagle is perched on a bare tree branch against an overcast sky. It’s looking toward the camera. Its body feathers are mottled brown and white but it has a white head.

12/19/24 →

Last Sunday: an American Kestrel. Just look at that face! 🤩 #AmericanKestrel #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC An American Kestrel, with narrow black eyeshadow, perched on the bare branches of a tree against a clear blue sky.

12/16/24 →

Stereotypical Black-necked Stilts at the refuge yesterday #BlackNeckedStilts #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC #MondayIsForTheBirds A group of black-necked stilts standing in shallow water with tall grass in the background. The birds have long, thin legs and are reflected in the water.

12/15/24 →

The Snow Geese cannot be missed right now at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. Also not to be missed: widebodies on approach to SFO. In this case, a KLM 787-10 #SnowGeese #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC #Aviation #SFOA large flock of Snow Geese flying in the sky with some foliage blurred in the foreground. A distant KLM 787-10 flying across a clear blue sky, leaving a contrail behind.

12/14/24 →

When my wireless network goes on the fritz, adding another WiFi node fixes it. Then I remove it a few days later and there’s no instability 🤷‍♂️ It’s like Ativan for my network

12/14/24 →

Only 9am and already there’s an inch of rain for the day! Gotta pump the closed basin in our backyard again (it’s a couple meters from the house) #CaWx

A pump foot is attached to a garden hose. It’s submerged in a 1” deep puddle overlaying gravel. There seems to be rain drop waves in the puddle.

12/12/24 →

Overnight rain total was 1.25”. That’s quite good for the Sacramento Valley! #CaWx

12/11/24 →

Marsh Wren! #WrensDay #MarshWren #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC 🪶 A Marsh Wren is perched on a tall green reed, singing with its beak open. The background is a blurred natural setting with trees.

12/9/24 →

Some ducks had a bad hair day yesterday on account of the wind. These may have been Mergansers #Ducks #CommonMerganser #Birds #Fujifilm #SuperCroppedA group of ducks swimming on a body of water. The brown headed ducks have wind blown head feathers sticking straight up. The black headed ducks do not.

12/9/24 →

The new Dawn dish soap scent is… intense. And therefore bad. Didn’t they think of the poor oil sullied ocean critters??

12/9/24 →

~M5.7 earthquake just happened southeast of Reno, NV. I did not feel it but of course my Raspberry Shake did. #Earthquake #RaspberryShake The image shows an earthquake data visualization from Raspberry Shake, with a magnitude of 5.7 occurring in Nevada on December 9, 2024, at 23:08 UTC. The map highlights the epicenter near Carson City.

12/8/24 →

A stunning clear day today. Here’s Mt. Lassen from the Black Butte Dam. Quite the change from burn pile smoke of the last several days A scenic landscape featuring a rustic barn on rolling green hills, with sparse trees in the foreground. In the background, a snow-capped Lassen and mountain range is visible under a clear blue sky.

12/8/24 →

A nice, if breezy, day at Black Butte Reservoir. It was not great for bird watching… unless you prefer seagulls and vultures View of a dam with a concrete structure in the water, surrounded by hills and greenery under a clear blue sky. An orange floating boom extends across the water around the dam workings, with rocky terrain in the foreground.

12/5/24 →

A fire pit at a Christmas Market in Berlin, 2023 #Berlin #Travel #Fujifilm #SOoC People warming their hands around a fire pit with glowing logs.

12/5/24 →

USGS reports a M6.6 off Cape Mendocino. Here’s my seismograph curtesy of Raspberry Shake. Be sure to log a Did You Feel It at the USGS site. #CaWx #Earthquake The image shows an earthquake event off the coast of Northern California with a magnitude of 6.6, recorded on December 5, 2024, at 18:44:19 UTC. A map indicates the earthquake’s location off the coast of cape Mendocino.

12/5/24 →

well that was an earthquake that I felt. Thought I was losing it for a moment #CAWx #Earthquake

12/4/24 →

Berlin, December 2023. Looking across the Spree toward the Berlin Cathedral #Berlin #Travel #Fujifilm #SOoCA silhouette of a person stands under an archway with graffiti. In the background, a snowy scene features a river, a large historic building, and a domed church. Birds fly in the sky.

12/3/24 →

Frankfurt Airport train station on December 4, 2023 #Travel #Trains #EDDF #Fujifilm #SOoC A modern train station with a sleek, white train on the left platform. Passengers are walking and waiting near platforms 6 and 7. The scene is well-lit with a reflective ceiling and digital displays showing platform information. The photograph must be shooting from an escalator.

12/2/24 →

On this day in 2023, we began our trip to Germany. We flew KSFO-EDDF (Frankfurt) on United 777-3 reg. N2250U #Aviation #Avgeek #Travel #N2250U #B77W #KSFO An airport scene at SFO with a United Airlines 777 on the tarmac, a monorail train in the foreground, and a parking lot filled with cars. The background features airport buildings under a low overcast sky. The ground is damp. A United Airlines 777-3 is parked at the airport gate on a rainy day. Ground crew and equipment are visible around the aircraft. Overcast skies are in the background.

12/2/24 →

A random San Francisco photo, looking south down Main Street from Market Street. January 2023. #SanFranciso #Fujifilm #SOoCA San Francisco city street lined with tall buildings, some modern and some classic in design. There are tram lines above the road. A parked white truck is visible on the right, and blue glass modern skyscrapers are in the distance under a clear blue sky.

12/1/24 →

A very grim story - it doesn’t candy coat the great human tragedy of airplane crashes: “Chaos in the Clouds: The Crash of TWA Flight 514 and Its Lasting Impact on NoVA”

November 2024

11/30/24 →

Our first frost! And so the birds are having a lousy morning (re)discovering frozen water #Birds 🪶 A pair of small birds, one with a red head, perched on the edge of a birdbath against a wooden fence background.

11/26/24 →

November 26 and we’ve already heard Last Christmas.

11/21/24 →

I nearly forgot to show-off this Ruby-crowned Kinglet that foraged in our backyard today. It loved the asparagus fronds, sweet basil, and grapes. It’s quite the rare to see their full crown! #RubyCrownedKinglet #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC 🪶A small Ruby Crowned Kinglet with an olive-green body and a distinctive red mark on its head is perched among dry and green sweet basil shoots and leaves.

11/19/24 →

Big storm coming, the air is thick with smoke, so all the ag piles must be burning 🤢 glad we’ve an decent air filter This image shows a PM2.5 Air Quality Index (AQI) reading with two channels: Channel A at 169 and Channel B at 166, indicating poor air quality. A PM2.5 AQI history graph is displayed for the last half day and it’s all bad.

11/19/24 →

Yawman Arrow is celebrating MSFS2024’s release with a sale on their fantastically portable controller - $149 USD #YawmanArrow #MSFS2024 #FlightSim #XPlane #Aviation #AvGeek https://yawmanflight.com

11/17/24 →

More big birds from yesterday: a White Egret, a Red Tailed Hawk, and an Air India 777-2 VT-AEG flying SFO-DEL at 30,000 ft #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #WhiteEgret #RedTailedHawk #B77L #AI174 #AvGeek #Aviation #Fujifilm A white egret stands by a body of water in a marshy landscape with tall grasses. The background features distant trees and a clear sky. A red tailed hawk flying in the sky with wings spread wide. The bird’s plumage is a mix of light and dark brown patterns. A photo from below 777-200 LR Air India flight 174 from SFO to Delhi at flight level 30,000 ft. The plane has a red belly flying in a hazy blue sky.

11/16/24 →

Today’s best birds at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge includes a Bald Eagle, a Belted Kingfisher (!!!!!!), a well hidden Meadow Lark, and a Black Phoebe #BaldEagle #BeltedKingfisher #MeadowLark #BlackPhoebe #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm 🪶 A large Bald Eagle soaring in the sky.

A King Fisher perched on a bare tree branch against a blue sky, with some foliage visible below.

A Meadow Lark is hanging out among dry grass reeds near the edge of a pond.

11/16/24 →

“We have about the same number of federal employees than we had in the 1960s, even though the government does and spends a lot more now. As a percentage of the total population, the federal workforce is at historic lows” from Some basic math about cutting government - by Don Moynihan

11/15/24 →

Tankless Water Heater citric acid flush day! About 1.5lb citric acid to 3.5 gallons of water. Long ago I did the math to get the right pH and now I just trust it 😆⚖️A tankless water heater maintenance setup is shown. Two hoses are connected to the heater, with their ends immersed in a bucket filled with almost 4 gallons of water and 1.5lbs of citric acid crystals. An electric sump pump is in the bucket, connected to a power cord. The setup is on a concrete floor.

11/15/24 →

Big X-Plane 12 beta release! ATC now support SIDs, STARs, and the AIRAC cycle is now 2402, iirc updated from 1801. There’s lots more.. What’s new in X-Plane 12.1.3? #XPlane #FlightSim

11/13/24 →

X-Crafts, an X-Plane Aircraft developer, is trying to list all actively maintained X-Plane 11 and 12 add-ons at one webpage #XPlane #FlightSim

11/11/24 →

House Finches are gorging on shriveled up elderberries in our backyard A small bird with red undercarriage and head perched among branches with dark shriveled elderberries, partially obscured by a blurred blue tarp. The bird’s beak is stained by the berries.

11/3/24 →

A Lesser Gold Finch gorging on sweet basil seeds in our backyard A small bird with grey and yellow plumage perched on dry, brown stems with wilted leaves, amidst a few green sweet basil leaves. The bird has a beak full of black seeds. A small yellow-bellied bird with a beak full of seeds is perched among dry plants and foliage. An orange pin flag is partially visible among the greenery in the background.

11/1/24 →

As previously mentioned, there was a circus behind us from last Friday through Monday. And its final act (for us, twice a day) was a loud explosion from the “The huuuuuman caaaanonbaaaall”. Here’s that canon…. Me thinks there’s nothing actually explosive happening 😹A large cannon painted with an American flag design is mounted on a trailer. It has a trashcan cover strapped to its opening. There is a bicycle strapped to the trailer, and the scene includes dry grass and some Michelobe Ultra beer bottles and litter on the ground. It’s an overcast day.

October 2024

10/30/24 →

A circus came to town for the weekend. Behind us. The City got an earful from us and our neighbors as we only found out when the tent was being pitched. Now all I can think of is the announcement “The huuuuuman caaaanonbaaaall” Circus tent with blue and red swirl designs, set up on a dry, grassy area. Nearby, there’s a portable generator and several trailers in the background under a cirrus-laden sky.

10/26/24 →

I just donated to Rose Yee to #KickLaMalfaOut

10/23/24 →

Welcome back, small yellow bird! #Birds #WarblerOrNot #BirdWatching #Fujifilm #SOoC 🪶A small yellow bird is perched upside-down on a grape vine, pecking at a cluster of shriveled red grapes against a backdrop of green and orange leaves. A white metal trellis supports the vine.

10/20/24 →

As today is the International Day of the Controller, here’s a photo to celebrate their astonishing work. #SFO #KSFO #AvGeek View of the San Francisco International airport with a prominent torch-shaped control tower and surrounding buildings, by the bay water. A Southwest purple and red plane is taking off in the sky. Hills are visible in the background.

10/19/24 →

We voted! I voted the Not a Loser or a Sucker Veteran slate. Oh, and for democracy and actual freedom. A short haired white male is inserting sealed ballots into a locked white ballot drop box. It’s on a porch outside a public building.

10/18/24 →

Big thank you to Hawaiian Airlines for being compassionate and generously refunding our non-refundable airfare 💕

10/14/24 →

Bidwell Park has goats! Under the watchful eye of a Great Pyrenees, they’re chowing down on the poison oak & vinca choked understory just southwest of the Chico Nature Center. #BidwellPark #Goats #Fujifilm #SOoC One white goat is very close, looking blankly towards the camera. Beyond, many goats graze in a wooded area, surrounded by a wire fence. Leaves cover the ground, and tall trees fill the background. A peaceful wooded area with tall trees and dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves. A large white dog, probably a Great Pyrenees, protector of the goats, sleeps on the ground in front of a wooden fence.

10/14/24 →

But for the cost, this new lens is tempting. PetaPixel: The Familiar Fujifilm XF 500mm f/5.6 Brings Portable Super-Tele Photography to the X Series

10/13/24 →

Today we made a quick visit to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. There’s no missing the White Fronted Geese now and there’s still plenty of dragonflies but there’s no significant population of migratory songbirds yet #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #BirdWatching #Dragonfly #Fujifilm #SOoC A dragonfly with transparent wings featuring dark patterns rests on a vertical reed, set against a background of dry, intertwined reeds. A large flock of White Fronted geese rests im a wetland area surrounded by water and tall grasses. The landscape includes trees and distant rice hulling silos under a clear blue sky.

10/11/24 →

It’s a nice 69°F outside in NorCal but the air quality is gnarly because of agriculture/large property owner pile burning. #CaWxThis image displays a PM2.5 Air Quality Index (AQI) reading with two channels: Channel A at 143 and Channel B at 138. Below the readings is a PM2.5 AQI history bar graph, showing varying colors from green (better air) to red.

10/8/24 →

A (western?) toad left this dropping literally at our front door. It’s full of pillbugs (roly-polies)! A small, segmented brown animal dropping on a concrete surface with a human finger pointing at it for scale. The dropping is full of pill bugs.

September 2024

9/30/24 →

Inspector Woodpecker was quite enthusiastic about this eucalyptus #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #NorthernFlicker #Fujifilm #SooCA black and white woodpecker is perched on the trunk of a eucalyptus tree, surrounded by green foliage.

9/29/24 →

Here’s to a fine Sunday morning flying an Embraer E-175 from KSEA to KPHX (Seattle to Phoenix). Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens loom large. #XPlane12 #XCrafts #E175 #FlightSim

An Embraer 175 in American Eagle livery flies past Mount Ranier with Mount St. Helens looming in the background. It's a somewhat overcast day but blue, sunny skies above the clouds.

9/28/24 →

At the refuge, the only newcomers are white crowns and white fronted geese. But I only photographed a Black Phoebe that just pooped and a rather brave squirrel. #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #BirdWatching #BlackPhoebe #Squirrel 🪶A small, Black Phoebe is perched on a barren, leafless branch against a clear blue sky. The branch extends across the photo and ends at the center where the bird is. A falling drop of bright white bird poop is barely visible below the bird. A ground squirrel standing on its hind legs next to a fallen Willow tree with branches, in a dry grassy environment.

9/22/24 →

XPlane 12’s boat update is fun but IMHO a sailboat just down SFO’s runway 28R is taking it too far #XPlane12 #BetaRelease #FlightSim A XPlane 12 simulated view from an airplane cockpit window showing an airport runway with taxiways and lighting, set against a background of mountains and buildings. The sky is clear with some scattered clouds. There’s a sail boat just down the runway.

9/22/24 →

It’s great that XPlane lets aircraft devs bypass native modeling but that means other native features may not work. The usual example is a broken native fuel & weight config dialog. A newer one for me is an inaccurate fuel flow data ref. But the model is quite accurate. #XPlane #FlightSimulation

9/21/24 →

For now, here’s an urban Black Phoebe #BlackPhoebe #Birds #BirdWatching A small bird is perched on a tree branch amidst dense green foliage. The bird has a black head, back, and wings with a light-colored belly. Dappled sunlight filters through the leaves.

9/21/24 →

Geese & White Crowns are back. Soon as the weather stays cooler, I hope to be out at the refuges on weekends. And that should mean photos to share! 🤞

9/15/24 →

Yikes. Dresden’s Carola Bridge collapsed in their early morning hours. Apparently a tram had just crossed it and no one was on the bridge. And soon floods may begin. Here’s the bridge back in 2009 with a tram passing over. #Carolabrücke A busy riverside promenade with numerous people walking and socializing. Several street lamps, a parking sign, and a no-stopping sign are visible along the cobblestone walkway. There is a river with the concrete pier Carola Bridge. A church is visible beyond the far shore.

9/14/24 →

I got the latest iOS 18 developer beta and its Home app can download PG&E energy use data & make it nicely accessible along with comparisons. The interface showing comparisons needs work but it is better than PG&E’s web charts though the iOS charts do not show cost (yet?) The image shows a smartphone screen with Home app displaying electricity usage. The app section titled “Electricity Usage” shows a bar chart of electricity consumption over the past year. A call-out over the current month shows a daily average of 23kWh. Below the chart are verbose definitions about energy use and how electricity is measured.

9/9/24 →

Today, our roofers repaired a set of joined eaves that had been a leaky but exterior only problem for years. It finally got bad enough with the sheathing sagging that I committed to getting it fixed this dry season. That sheathing was pretty rotted Looking up through a partially deconstructed eave at a L shaped exterior wall join with exposed beams and a red door beneath it. The sky is visible through the gaps in the beams. The support beams are casting shadows. A metal ladder is leaning against the building because of repair work.

9/8/24 →

My wife enjoyed sunset at Laguna Beach this last FridaySunset at a beach, with a large group of people gathered on the grass and along the shore. Silhouettes of people, palm trees, and a distant island are visible against a colorful sky with shades of orange, pink, and purple.

9/7/24 →

My modern need to vanquish all notifications and icon badges has bled into World of Warcraft, where I can’t ignore any quests. Over 10 years ago I didn’t care #WoW

9/4/24 →

Today, my wife (on a business trip) photographed the Southwest “Missouri One” livery at Sacramento International #AvGeek #N280WN #PlaneSpotting #KSMF A view out an airport terminal window with a clear view of the tarmac and a jet bridge. Ground crew and equipment surround a Southwest Airlines plane in Missouri One livery near a jet bridge. The sky is clear blue.

9/3/24 →

I’ve had Grado SR–125 headphones for almost 20 years now. I’ve neglected them the last ten years. Their second set of L cushions were disintegrating, so I splurged on official G cushions. They’re so good. They fit entirely over my ears instead of sitting along the edges (that made my ears ache …

9/2/24 →

Spam texts are getting feisty

A text exchange shows two messages: the first suggests a trip to Hawaii in October with a thinking emoji, and the second questions why the person hasn't responded.

9/1/24 →

In World of Warcraft’s War Within, I have made it to Dornogal. My Druid hasn’t died yet. Not sure if that means I’m badass or that first part of the game is purposefully easy to solo 🤔 Enjoying it so far #WoW

August 2024

8/31/24 →

FlightFactor 777v2 Release is “Imminent”

The FlightFactor 777v2 has been in development for a staggering period of time

I say this as someone that doesn’t want to interact with fake people, I think they spent way too much time on the crew simulation. #XPlane12 #FlightSim #AvGeek

8/30/24 →

I just learned about Follower Dungeons in World of Warcraft. Being able to now play the game solo, at my own pace, is very tempting. I’m happy to see WoW is available for Macs #WoW #macOS

8/28/24 →

Got the new Covid vaccine tonight

8/25/24 →

Asian pears are ready for fresh eating! The yellow ones are New Century and the brown ones are Hosui. Our nectarines were hammered by the heat and recently got bug infested. But we harvested what we could & cooked them down. #HomeOrchard #AsianPears A collection of yellow and brown Asian pears placed in a clear plastic bowl.

8/12/24 →

Last Sunday, caught this Navy E6-B bird flying west of the refuge. Apparently they were on a west coast tour. #E6B #AvGeek A small white airplane flying against a clear blue sky. It is a four engine jet.

8/11/24 →

Saw a bad-ass Tarantula-hawk Wasp at the refuge. I haven’t seen tarantulas around these parts, though. #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Pepsis #TarantulaHawkWasp A black bodied and orange-winged Tarantula-hawk wasp with long orange antennae walking on a rocky dirt surface.

8/11/24 →

Rabbits all day at the refuge this pleasant summer morning #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Rabbits A wildlife scene featuring a jackrabbit with large ears sitting on a trail, framed between two hiking trail signs. There’s lots of tall, dry grass and on the horizon, a clump of trees.

8/10/24 →

In X-Plane 12, flew from KLAX to KJFK in the classic 747-200. I came in hot and then a bit low, but everyone got off the plane in short order so guess everyone’s happy 😅  #XPlane12 #FlightSim #YawmanArrowA 747-200 in classic United tulip livery on approach to KFJ 31L. There are three red and one white PAPI lights, indicating the aircraft is a bit low. The plane is flying over some water, with the runway rapidly approaching. Manhattan skyscrapers can be seen in the distance. It's a partly cloudy day.

8/8/24 →

My RaspberryShake detected the M7.1 earthquake from super early this morning Pacific time. Here’s the USGS link: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000nith/executive

#RaspberryShake #Earthquake #CitizenScience #Japan

A seismopgraph of the 7.1 earthquake off the coast of Southern Japan. Shows a strong, though kind of fuzzy signal that starts strong compared to background and slowly fades out.

8/7/24 →

It’s really disappointing that Amazon can’t be bothered to make reasonable delivery schedules in my own nick of the woods. It’s not a new problem! UPS is unionized & they do fine.

On Geekwire: “Driven away: Overloaded by Amazon, rural delivery companies reach the end of the road”

8/6/24 →

Well, I cannot help but be excited that Tim Walz is a Geographer and a GIS practitioner.

8/3/24 →

If you have a Yawman Arrow Controller, X-Plane 12, and the Felis 747-200, here’s my amateur-hour FlyWithLua script (on GitHub) to enable the Yawman Controller to have multifunction buttons to control the aircraft #YawmanArrow #FlyWithLua #Lua #XPlane12 #FlightSim

July 2024

7/28/24 →

Smoke from thr Park Fire has, for the first time, obviously made it to the surface of the west side of the Sacramento Valley. I can smell it and the Purple sensor reports above 170 AQI #ParkFire #CAWx #AirQuality

The screenshot displays an air quality index (AQI) reading of 178 for Channel A and 177 for Channel B, alongside a historical graph and various particulate matter measurements. From the My Purple Air iOS app.

7/28/24 →

Plex is nice. Random album radio FTW. Even better that I can augment my local library by adding albums from Tidal 🥳

7/27/24 →

The temperatures are in the 70s and it is quite overcast with clouds and smoke. So we took advantage of the fall-like weather and went to Black Butte Reservoir. Here are Western Grebes, a Double Crested Cormorant, a Robin, and an Osprey A group of Western grebes swimming in a body of water. The image is taken from a distance, showing the long, curvy necked white and black birds spread out across the water’s surface. A cormorant flying low over a body of water with its wings outstretched. The water surface appears calm with gentle ripples, reflecting the bird’s silhouette. A red breasted Robin sits in a bush with red berries and green foliage. It has a speckled white and black face. An osprey, white and brown, is perched high on top of a utility pole surrounded by power lines. The background is a green orchard with some dry grasslands. Large trees with dark green foliage is visible on the left and right of the bird.

7/26/24 →

I guess this is one way Scrubjays cool themselves off? All splayed & fluffed out with its beak wide open. This jay is very comfortable around us so it often hangs out under our patio messily gorging on seeds for caching elsewhere. It likes to bravely stare at us 😆 A blue scrub jay bird has its wings spread out, feathers fluffed out, near a rectangular container filled with birdseed on a sunlit concrete surface. Dried vegetation and gravel are visible in the background.

7/26/24 →

A better view of the Park Fire pyrocumulous from the other side of the Sacramento Valley. #ParkFire #CaWx A photograph taken from inside a vehicle shows a large agricultural field in the foreground, with rows of trees extending to the horizon. In the distance, plumes of pyrocumulous smoke rise into the sky, indicating a fire. The car’s side mirror is in view.

7/26/24 →

Park Fire from way across the west Sacramento Valley near Orland ☹️ #ParkFire #CAWx A suburban street scene featuring a gas station, several vehicles, and an American flag on a pole. The clear blue sky is contrasted by pyrocumulus clouds in the background. A red curb in the foreground reads “NO PARKING FIRE LANE.” Trees

7/22/24 →

Today’s Sonos app update restores most local library functionality. Here I go with app and firmware updates 🤞

7/21/24 →

At Medford, Oregon airport, two fire fighter tanker aircraft on final approach on July 17, 2024. A DC-10 (registered N522AX/TKR512) and a C-130 (registered N382CG/TNKR138). #AvGeek #C130 #DC10 #PlaneSpotting #TankerAircraftA three engine DC-10 firefighting aircraft is about to land with its landing gear out. The aircraft is painted in bright orange and white colors with the tail number “912” and near the nose a “10 TANKER” decal. An aerial view of a Coulson Lockheed C-130 firefighting aircraft on approach with its squat looking landing gear out, with visible registration number N382CG and tanker number 138 painted on the tail. The plane has “Coulson” written on the fuselage. It’s a hazy day.

7/19/24 →

Apple moving drivers away from kernel space to user space on macOS suddenly makes sense. #macOS

7/19/24 →

With all the CrowdStrike insanity, glad I’m off work today. But hoping my org didn’t get hit too hard!

7/17/24 →

Today I’m at Medford just for the evening. So here’s a photo straight out of the camera of tanker 912, a DC-10. #TKR912 #DC10 #Fujifilm #AvGeek A large DC-10 aircraft converted as a retardant drop tanker has three engines and is positioned on a runway, with mountains in the background. The airplane is close to a hangar, and a fence with a “No Trespassing” sign is visible in the foreground.

7/16/24 →

So my spouse noticed her Kindle Lock Screen is now trying to sell Large Language Model slop 😖 A Kindle screen displaying the cover of a book titled “The Science of Sleep.” The cover features a stylized landscape with mountains, a crescent moon, and stars under the title. Below the image, a button labeled “Read now” is present. There’s a subtitle the looks vaguely like “ullocking the secceltes fon resttfulll nights”

7/16/24 →

Finally, alternatives to Lithium batteries are on the market.

Undecided with Matt Ferrell: Solid State Batteries Are REALLY Here: Yoshino Power Station

7/13/24 →

Monsoonal moisture is invading the Northern Sacramento Valley. There are high level clouds now. Normally the wet bulb starts decreasing at daylight. Not today. People living in the South would shrug at 70° wet bulb but for me, it’s borderline intolerable. #CAWx Screenshot of a weather data table from mesowest.utah.edu, showing observations for 07/13/2024 at various times from 5:50 AM to 9:50 AM PDT. The table includes columns for time, temperature, humidity and wet bulb. It shows temperatures going up as humidity goes up resulting in ever higher wet bulbs. At 09:50 it was 86° with a relative humidity of 47% and wet bulb of 70.5°F.

7/10/24 →

If you like Watch Duty, the free (!) iOS app Calamity goes beyond wildfires into major airport delays, bad weather, earthquakes, solar flares & more. A decently presented aggregation of publicly available information.https://apps.apple.com/us/app/calamity-disaster-monitor/id6477748950

7/9/24 →

The highly unusual multi-day extreme heat of over 110°F took a huge toll on our Asian pears and nectarines. Worm food, now. #CaWx A cardboard box containing a mix of fruits, including pears and apples. Many of the fruits have dark, sunburnt spots on their surfaces. A single green leaf is also present among the fruits.

7/7/24 →

SFGate has a good round-up of the latest at KSFO (San Francisco International Airport): "Why the pandemic was the best thing to happen to SFO's reputation” #AvGeek

7/7/24 →

Rabbit at the refuge yesterday. #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Rabbit A small rabbit sits in the shade on a sunlit dirt path, surrounded by dry vegetation and a smidge of greenery in the background.

7/6/24 →

Today, before the heat got too extreme, we visited a nearby wildlife refuge. Here’s a Heron, King Bird, American Kestrel, and a Steel-Blue Cricket Hunter (a wasp!). #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #Heron #AmericanKestrel #KingBird #SteelBlueCricketHunter A heron with outstretched wings flying against a clear blue sky.

A King Bird, gazing to the left, with yellow and brown feathers perched on a tree branch surrounded by green Willow leaves.

An American Kestrel is perched on a Eucalyptus tree branch, surrounded by green leaves against a clear blue sky.

7/6/24 →

Good morning from the westside of the North Sacramento Valley where, at 06:00, it was 79°F at 31% Relative Humidity. Today, highs could reach 118° but more likely 113-115°, depending on what the winds do.

7/5/24 →

It is 19:00 and the outdoor temperature is finally dropping. The high was 113°F at 7% relative humidity. I’ll take this dry heat any day.

7/5/24 →

Today I learned how to use BareBones Edit with Git. It is real easy. I’m such a nerd.

7/4/24 →

I’m watering the front yard plants tonight because knuckleheads gotta set off fireworks. I must say that the Rachio hose timer is pretty handy in these one-off situations.

7/3/24 →

In my part of the N. Sacramento Valley, 85 degrees F this morning. The humidity is 20% and it’ll drop. Temperatures may rise up to 113 today. Winds are still strong. Across the valley, at Oroville, is the Thompson Fire, which doesn’t seem to be letting up. #ThompsonFire #CaWx

June 2024

6/29/24 →

Internet has been great all morning. Condition Green. Thanks for being good sports over my rants!

6/29/24 →

I connected my RaspberryPi ADSB receiver to Ethernet and turned off WiFi. It gained an impressive 10-20 mile range increase after the WiFi radio stopped screaming at the Software Defined Radio dongle. My FlightRadar24 box was always connected to Ethernet but also shows a significant range increase.

6/28/24 →

Maybe my getting stormy today over a few week’s of progressively worse internet speeds dislodged an electron somewhere because suddenly non-VPN internet is behaving as expected. Time will tell! 🤞

6/28/24 →

I sure hope my streaming services don’t use IP addresses alone to determine a household. ‘Cuz my IP address may be traveling the continent to avoid Comcast’s flawed internet routing/throttling. I swear I am not password sharing! Device IDs and wifi SSID should prove it.

6/28/24 →

Comcast/Xfinity Internet Woes: 

Comcast/Xfinity internet at my home has some kind of network issue that sure feels like throttling. For customer service, it’s literally impossible to get more than a chatbot and a chat-based live support agent. The live support agents are 100% scripted and they do the same troubleshooting flows as …

6/28/24 →

U.S. land management agencies losing Chevron deference will be madness. Generally judges accept that agencies know what they’re doing as they do it day in and day out and have skillful people with the latest science. This will be a disaster. #SCOTUS #ChevronDeference

6/27/24 →

How about some American White Pelicans doing some formation flying last weekend. They were real far so was glad to be present enough to enjoy their presence. Always surprised to find them in deep in California #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #AmericanWhitePelicans Four American pelicans, all white except black wingtips, flying over a grassy field with mountains in the background.

6/26/24 →

Fujifilm just released firmware updates that include, for some models, the Reala Ace film simulation. Looking forward to trying it out on my X-T5 this weekend. #Fujifilm #StraightOutOfCamera

6/23/24 →

A different kind of common bird one can see from the nearby refuge. An Air Tractor. The heat shimmer was super bad though. #AvGeek #AirTractor A small yellow propeller Air Tractor airplane is flying in a clear blue sky. It’s hazy with heat shimmer.

6/23/24 →

Here’s that Northern Harrier, a bit distant & blurred in the center of this photo, that I mentioned Friday. Was lovely to see it on the hunt, swooping low to find prey. #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #NorthernHarrier 🪶 On a sunny day, in the distance, a Northern Harrier is gliding through a grassy field with tall, dry grass. It looks similar to a Hawk but its head is conspicuously dark compared to the rest of its body. Its chest and underwings are a bright tan with dark speckles. The background includes dense green trees with no view of the sky. The photo is slightly motion blurred.

6/21/24 →

We saw a Double Crested Cormorant at the wildlife refuge today. Not shown here, but there was also a Northern Harrier patrolling the seasonally drained artificial marshes with long, low and slow swoops. Really cool. #DoubleCrestedCormorant #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge A cormorant swimming in murky water, partially submerged with its head and neck above the surface. Its tail is fanned out on the water surface.

6/19/24 →

A helicopter has been flying a lot over my town so I looked up their previous flights. Okay… guess I shouldn’t be surprised they drew a phallus in the air with their seemingly purposeless flying 🫢 A screenshot from Flightradar24 showing the flight path of aircraft N10KX between Chico (CIC) and Oroville (OVE) airports. The path includes a loop and deviations. One of the patterns looks like a penis. The date and time in the image are Tuesday, June 11, 2024

6/19/24 →

On PetaPixel: Scientists Capture Never-Before-Seen Footage of Deep-Sea Squid Cradling Huge Eggs

6/18/24 →

Windows 11’s File Explorer’s Forward and Back buttons randomly not working is quite the treat. The insane part is that after moving the window, they then work. Did not realize how much I use those those

6/17/24 →

Stories on California ghost towns are always entertaining. The latest one is from SF Gate: It was supposed to be a California utopia. It turned into a ghost town

6/7/24 →

I received a new kind of spam text message today: “Hey, is this Ryan?” Guess spammers/scammers are now personalizing their phishing expeditions with the data dumps they buy. I can see how that can be very effective. Yuck. Report As Junk!

6/5/24 →

Our resident scrub jays didn’t have much of a green thumb this year. Or they did a great job eating their cache. This is the only sunflower they grew A single sunflower with a bright yellow bloom and green leaves stands in a garden. A wooden fence and various green foliage are visible in the blurred background. The ground around the sunflower is covered with small pebbles and sparse grass.

6/3/24 →

Our avocado tree seems to be producing now. But I won’t bet on any of the fruit making it to maturity sometime between this November and next March. Brutal heat is inbound though we’ve got our shade cloth up to protect the small trees A small, unripe avocado held in a person’s hand, surrounded by green leaves on the tree.

6/2/24 →

Just as most non-native plants stop flowering in time for summer, the California Fuchsias have just begun adding a splash of red. Currently the native toyon, elderberry, and roses are flowering. California Buckwheat is on its way. We have flowers nearly year-round. Native plants are awesome. A close-up of a plant with silvery green leaves and vibrant red tubular flowers. The background is out of focus, showing more greenery and a hint of a structure, likely a house. The plant is bathed in bright sunlight.

6/2/24 →

Paramount+'s Strategy is Baffling: 

Paramount+ still has nothing to watch once a season of Star Trek is over. Paramount cancelled Star Trek: Discovery and there’s only one more season of Lower Decks. Funny thing is, in the past I subscribed to their ad-free product. But Paramount+ greatly increased the cost of the ad-free subscription …

May 2024

5/31/24 →

Marestail weeds are impossible to pull out of compacted ground. I’m avoiding herbicide so I’ve resorted to using hand pruners to cut Marestail weeds down to bare mineral earth. It’s as tedious and zen as it sounds. Problem is, they refuse to die. It is as if they have infinite resources in their …

5/27/24 →

The Flight Simulator Navigation Data Economy: 

Flight Simulation has quite the economy surrounding it. I’m not particularly fond of the navigation data sector of that economy. If you want the latest navigation data, you must subscribe or buy it from Aerosoft or Navigraph.  But those companies that sell it to you must buy the raw data from …

5/26/24 →

The Capay Unit refuge was bustling today. Here’s a Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar and a Black headed Grosbeak. Also saw Orioles, Black Phoebes, possibly an inflight juvenile Bald Eagle, Osprey, Ash Throated Flycatcher, Lesser Gold Finches & Red Tailed Hawks #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge Image of a black caterpillar with orange spots and spikes, crawling on the ground covered with dried leaves and small branches.

A serene riverside scene with greenery and a dry tree in the foreground. A large beaked bird with black with white spots and yellow breast feathers perches on a branch of the tree. In the background, three people are sitting on the opposite riverbank. The river flows calmly between the bird and people.

5/26/24 →

Sonos Ace headphones are not for me since all I ever wanted from such a thing was to transfer my music seamlessly between speakers and headphones. And then there’s the Sonos app mess. It’ll be a while before I can trust Sonos enough to resume buying their hardware. WTFs all around.

5/26/24 →

Western Wood-Pewee! A first for us. Spotted at the Pine Creek Unit of the #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #WesternWoodPeWee #Fujifilm

Auto-generated description: A small bird is perched on a bare tree branch against a clear blue sky.

5/24/24 →

Windows 11 Thoughts: 

I have Windows 11 on my work PC now.

What does not work for me:

  1. File Explorer's simplified right-click context menu where useful file interaction & application extensions, like Box, are hidden under a More button (UGH). Fix by pressing Shift when right clicking. I’m not yet sure if I like the …

5/20/24 →

It is hilarious to me, but not surprising, that my AirPods only work properly with the web-based version of MS Teams. Their app on my Windows 11 work computer produces garbled audio,

5/19/24 →

It is super cool that Flame Skimmer dragonflies are spending time in our backyard. This one was stationed on that stick nearly all day. And then there’s the much more active one that you can see as an orangish blur flying behind the stick. #Fujifilm A close-up of an orange dragonfly perched on a vertical tree branch, with another blurred dragonfly in the background. The background is out of focus, featuring green and brown hues.

5/18/24 →

Lots of Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies feasting on purple thistle flower nectar at a wildlife refuge today. #PipevineSwallowtail #Butterfly #Fujifilm

A black and yellow butterfly with tattered wings perched on a blooming purple thistle flower, surrounded by green foliage.

5/16/24 →

 From last weekend at the refuge: a Bullock's Oriole in a Willow tree. #BullocksOriole #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm

A yellow and black bird perched on a branch amidst green leaves in a tree, with a clear blue sky in the background.

5/13/24 →

NO Pedestrians Beyond This Point: Black Phoebe enforced #Birds #Fujifilm #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge

A Black Phoebe is perched at the top right corner of a road sign is posted among greenery indicating NO PEDESTRIANS BEYOND THIS POINT, with a natural, lush background. A dirt road peaks into view.

5/12/24 →

At the refuge yesterday, pretty certain I saw and photographed a Western Kingbird vomit up a stone or something‽ #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #Birds #WesternKingBird A yellow breasted bird perched on a branch against a clear blue sky, with bare branches and another bird in the background. A small black object is flying through the air and the bird’s beak is open

5/11/24 →

Sometimes unintentional photos are the best. Today at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge south of Willows:A rustic scene is captured with tall grass in the foreground, a field of grass and reeds in the middle, and a small brick barn partially obscured by trees and flora under a clear sky.

5/10/24 →

Aurora in Northern California ☺️ Good night, folks! A night sky with visible stars and vibrant aurora borealis streaks above silhouetted foliage.

5/10/24 →

Tonight with aurora potential in Northern California, there’s opportunity to run three cameras tonight to see who wins the light gathering war. I’m betting the 100V at F/2 vs my fastest X-T5 lens at F/2.8. But my iPhone may well steal the show with its insane processing. Two Fujifilm mirrorless cameras on a wooden surface, with X-T5 having a black lens attached and the silver X100V.

5/5/24 →

As I understand the Chestnut-backed Chickadee, it being upside-down in the trees is pretty typical. It was a frenetic bird and at the time I had no idea what it was. I was lucky to have it in a frame somewhere!

A bird is perched upside down on a branch amidst vibrant green leaves, partially obscured from view.

5/2/24 →

This is a vicious scam. Chase Bank needs to fix that app prompt ASAP to make it clear they’re confirming YOU initiated the call, not the other way around

5/1/24 →

One of very many Western Blue Birds at Lynch Canyon Open Space Park, Northern California. Lots of Blue Bird nest boxes there! A bluebird perched on an orange wooden post in a green grassy field.

April 2024

4/30/24 →

In Tonopah, NV, they have a Hometown Pizza and two classy looking hotels 📷 #MBApr A street view showing a small town with historical buildings, including the Mizpah Hotel and the Belvada Hotel, cars on the road, and various business signs under a partly cloudy sky.

4/29/24 →

On our hike last Saturday, a few drifting swarms of bugs were along the trail. Probably mosquitoes but I didn’t dare walk through them to find out 📷 #MBAprA swarm of small insects flying just above the ground with blurred people walking in the background.

4/28/24 →

One year ago today: spotted three of the California Condor community in flight at Pinnacles National Park. Stunning birds & park 📷 #MBApr Large vertical rock formations with three California Condors in flight.

4/27/24 →

On today’s 3 mile hike at the Lynch Canyon Open Space Park in California ‘s North Bay, we were surprised by a garter snake actively hunting in the tall grass 📷 #MBApr A snake peeking through tall green grass with its tongue out

4/26/24 →

Poor critter lost its tail! This was also the first lizard I’ve seen this year so it has had a rough start after hibernation 📷#MBApr A lizard without a tail on a wooden fence.

4/26/24 →

I’ve had a lot of gardening to do with sharp implements so finally got my TDAP booster. I’m ready for a sore arm.

4/25/24 →

I think this is the “Big Al” Allosaurus skeleton at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, MT. Nice spine (backbones)! 📷 #MBApr A dinosaur skeleton from above, spine in prominent view, on display in a museum exhibit with informational displays in the background.

4/24/24 →

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.

4/23/24 →

Compared to my old Intel 16” MacBook Pro, this M3 14” MBP is dreamy. As everyone reports, the battery life is ridiculously good. 76% remains and still 20 hrs predicted life. Oh, and I can use this as a _lap_top. Amazing. Funny part? I didn’t notice the lack of a touchbar. 📷 #MBApr A laptop displaying a web page with weather content, including a map showing a weather forecast. The laptop keyboard and touchpad are also visible.

4/22/24 →

I’d love to be this solo seagull flying sapphire blue skies 📷 #MBApr A seagull in flight against a clear blue sky, with focus on the bird’s underwing and head visible.

4/21/24 →

Death Valley’s Telescope Peak from Furnace Creek. It is the park’s tallest mountain at 11,043 feet (3366 m) 📷 #MBApr A scenic view of a mountain with snow-capped peaks in the distance, layers of hills in the midground, a golf course with lush green area with trees and grass in the foreground, and a small body of water at the very front.

4/20/24 →

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.

4/20/24 →

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.

4/20/24 →

The new The Libertines album “All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade” is solid if you like Britpop

4/19/24 →

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.

4/19/24 →

Neighbor’s gas mower they use every year: won’t start. My electric mower I start every couple of years: works like a charm! A backyard with a recently mowed clover, an electric lawnmower, an orange electric cord wound on a holder, and a variety of plants and trees under a sunny sky.

4/19/24 →

Got off work just in time to find out Congressman LaMalfa voted against aid for Ukraine. 😩 Fortunately saner, less toolish politicians are prevailing.

4/18/24 →

Here is a random Death Valley vista. They’re all stunning no matter my mood 📷 #MBApr A desert landscape with eroded hills, winding roads, and a backdrop of mountains under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

4/17/24 →

Definitely looking forward to the absolute transcendence that is homegrown nectarines! Our two Asian pear trees also have a great fruit set this year 📷 #MBApr A hand holding a small, unripe nectarine fruit among green leaves, with a silver ring visible on the ring finger.

4/16/24 →

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.

4/15/24 →

Today I lucked out and saw a small Painted Lady butterfly delighting in our clover. My X-T5 camera and telephoto lens were thankfully ready to go! 📷 #MBApr A butterfly with orange and black wings perched on white clover flowers surrounded by green foliage.

4/14/24 →

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

4/13/24 →

My spouse took a page from Korean cuisine and made a nice gochujang-based BBQ sauce for tonight’s sweet potato & kale burgers 📷 #MBApr A sweet potato, kale, and bean burger topped with avocado slices and Korean barbecue sauce on a plate.

4/12/24 →

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.

4/12/24 →

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.

4/12/24 →

Uncovered a historical artifact while cutting back the lavender. Guess AT&T hasn’t needed this equipment portal for quite some time. PG&E at least periodically inspects their stuff. Utility manhole cover with “PACIFIC BELL” text, surrounded by rocky soil, sparse vegetation, and lavender flowers, with a partial view of a person’s foot in a black shoe and beige pant leg to the right.

4/12/24 →

Perfect day in California for yard work. So much to do. I can’t believe this young of the year mix of native grape and very not native maple. The maple won’t survive early summer but the grape…

Young freshly germinated grape and maple practically covering a gravel path.

4/11/24 →

A few weeks ago, we spotted a Bald Eagle high in the sky. It appeared to have nesting material or perhaps prey in its claws. Super Resolution didn’t help much identifying its payload. Just looks like sticks and grass. 📷 #MBApr #BirdPhotography Bald eagle in flight against a blue sky background. It has debris or perhaps more clutched in its claws.

4/10/24 →

A narrow gauge steam train engine at Oybin, Saxony, Germany. June 2022. 📷 #MBApr A vintage black steam narrow-gage locomotive with the number 991760-0 on a railroad track with steam coming out, a conductor standing by, and forested hills in the background. There are also additional railroad tracks to the left. Steam comes out of its front.

4/9/24 →

Last December, in Berlin, we went to the Ritter Sport store and bought what seemed like every chocolate bar except Crispy Banana. I kind of regret that. 📷 #MBApr The image shows chocolate bars with tropical-themed packaging from the brand ‘Ritter Sport.’ The flavor ‘Crispy Banana’ is visible on a green package with a toucan, and ‘Mango Maracuja’ on an orange package.

4/8/24 →

I was way more interested in the sunspot. Used the reverse binoculars projection method to aid in blindness prevention 📷 #MBApr #PartialEclipse 😆 Projection of a partial solar eclipse on a white surface, with shadows around the edges.

4/7/24 →

The occasional donut or two may not be genuinely super-duper essential to my well-being but they’re soo good in the moment! 📷 #MBApr Two doughnuts on a striped plate; one is a glazed twist and the other is chocolate-coated and covered with shredded coconut.

4/6/24 →

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.

4/5/24 →

Death Valley National Park can seem incredibly (and perhaps dangerously) serene 📷 #MBApr A dirt road cutting through a desolate desert landscape with no vegetation, under a clear blue sky with a few thin but opaque clouds.

4/4/24 →

Last weekend, fresh foliage adorn our stalwart oaks of Northern California. The interior coast range’s Snow Mountain looms in the background. 📷 #MBApr

A vibrant landscape with a grassy hill dotted with oak trees in the foreground and a snow-capped mountain in the background under a blue sky.

4/4/24 →

A M4.8 earthquake northeast of Chico just happened. I didn’t feel it. But my Raspberry Shake REALLY felt it. #RaspberryShake #California #Earthquake The image displays earthquake data visualization consisting of a map on the left and seismic waveforms on the right. The map shows a 4.5 magnitude earthquake in Northern California, with a red dot marking the epicenter near Chico, and the station 82 km southwest of there.

4/3/24 →

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.

4/2/24 →

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.

4/2/24 →

Absolutely massive earthquake in Taiwan. Detected by my Raspberry Shake seismometer. It was fortunately 35 km deep. Hoping for the best. #RaspberryShake #Earthquake #Taiwan Earthquake data visualization: a map indicating a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan with an epicenter depth of 35 km and a seismic wave detected 10344 km away in California, USA. The image includes a waveform graph showing seismic activity.

4/1/24 →

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.

March 2024

3/31/24 →

Flying Swallows are tough to photograph. They are speedy! Here’s an assortment of Cliff Swallows #Birds #BirdPhotography A bird in flight against a clear blue sky background. A single bird in flight against a clear sky background. A bird flying against a clear blue sky.

A single bird flying in a clear blue sky.

3/30/24 →

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.

3/28/24 →

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.

3/25/24 →

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.

3/24/24 →

Death Valley Road Trip Part 6: 

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

3/23/24 →

Death Valley Road Trip Part 5: 

Most of the second full day at Death Valley! 

3/22/24 →

Death Valley Road Trip Part 4: 

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

3/21/24 →

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.

3/20/24 →

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

3/19/24 →

Death Valley Road Trip Part 2: 

Tonight I’ve a quick post of our drive into Death Valley.

3/18/24 →

Death Valley Road Trip Part 1: 

We had been talking about visiting Death Valley for many years. We finally did it! Here is the first post in a series.

3/18/24 →

Rainbow Canyon near Death Valley

3/18/24 →

At Death Valley, a Crow Apparently Begs

3/16/24 →

Passed through Tonopah 🤡 😬 A roadside view of the Clown Motel with colorful clown figures on the sign and the building’s facade, under a partly cloudy sky. A colorful roadside motel attraction with clown motifs, including a large clown sign, against a backdrop of barren hills. The building features a welcome sign and a museum label, with festive clown murals and decorations with a red and yellow exterior.

3/15/24 →

The wind was far calmer today at Death Valley, so here’s a Desert Sunflower without motion blur #BloomScrolling #FlowerReport #DeathValley #Fujifilm A yellow flower with a prominent central disc and bright petals, set against a green, leafy background.

3/15/24 →

Meanwhile, yesterday, somewhere in Death Valley #DeathValley #Fujifilm A scenic view of a desert landscape with rolling hills in the foreground and a valley with mountains in the background, under a partly cloudy sky. The valley has a salt flat.

3/13/24 →

I’m trying the Tidal music streaming service. So far I really like the mixes they make based on the genres I listen to. They’re far more successful than Apple Music’s mixes. Also, on Tidal, when setting up my music preferences I could have gone all day selecting artists. Really good so far.

3/10/24 →

Conical perforated metal strainers are pretty great for pulpy food compared to fine mesh wire strainers (impossible to clean!). We just juiced all our backyard-grown Meyer lemons, got 8 cups. Now the juice has been heat pasteurized, portioned, and frozen for summer lemonade. A person is pouring fresh Meyer lemon juice through a conical fine mesh strainer, or chinois, into a stainless steel pot.

3/10/24 →

Daylight Saving Time means more energy use. The heat pump works harder w/hour longer low temps before sunrise. In summer, later sunset means the ambient air temperature won’t drop so windows must stay closed longer. I’ll be in bed during daylight, with the heat pump cooling longer to sleeping temp.

3/9/24 →

Our full bloom nectarine tree Branches of pink nectarine blossoms against a blue sky with bokeh clouds.

3/9/24 →

We were barely tolerated by a pair of nesting Osprey at the refuge today. 😬#Osprey #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm An osprey landing on its large nest built atop a wooden pole. Another osprey peaks over the rim of the nest.

3/9/24 →

Yesterday I picked up our wine club box at the New Clairvaux winery in Vina, CA. Couldn’t beat the weather! #Fujifilm A vineyard with dormant grapevines supported by trellis systems, numbered sign “34” in the foreground, clear blue sky above. Bare tree branches against a clear blue sky, dotted with round, brown seedpods or growths. A row of red brick buildings with closed white doors reflected in a large puddle on a sunny day. A red barn with an open door beside a large tree, with green grass in the foreground and solar panels in the background under a clear blue sky.

3/8/24 →

Our front yard Ceanothus bushes are nearly in full bloom. They are very popular with all sorts of bees and assassin bugs #BloomScrolling A ceanothus bush with lush green leaves and clusters of small purple flowers, bathed in sunlight. There’s an assassin bug perched on one clump of flowers and a few bees elsewhere.

3/4/24 →

A Glossy Ibis at the refuge yesterday #GlossyIbis #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge A glossy ibis in flight against a clear blue sky. It has metallic blue wings and a slight metallic red color. Its bill is long, slender, and curved. Its legs are pointed straight back.

3/3/24 →

Spotted a stunning American Kestrel at the refuge today #Birds #BirdWatching #AmericanKestrel A blue and orange kestrel perched on a leafing Willow branch against a clear blue sky.

3/3/24 →

Lagunitas IPNA is very good for a hoppy non-alcoholic beer. It’s has non-generic, tasty hops (citrus and tropical flavors) with a light malt background. I’d recommend this. Clausthaler is still my favorite NA beer (very malt forward). A bottle of Lagunitas Brewing Company’s IPNA, a non-alcoholic IPA containing less than 0.5% alcohol by volume. The label features large red and purple text with a dog illustration, describing the beverage as “Full-Flavored, Hop-Forward”

3/2/24 →

Some photos my awesome wife took at the airports she traveled through for a work trip. A319s and a 737-8. #AvGeek United A319 Airplane at airport gate with jet bridge connected, ground support equipment nearby, clear sky. A United A319 airplane parked at an airport gate during sunrise, with ground support equipment and jet bridge visible. Reflections and interior lighting elements are seen on a window. Airport tarmac with deicing ground support vehicles, a Southwestern Airlines plane in the distance, and a snow capped mountain range under a clear blue sky.

3/1/24 →

Sun and rain! Thunderstorms are trying to develop. Maybe they’ll amount ri something on the east side of the Sacramento Valley. #CaWx Sunlight filtering through green leaves, casting a dappled glow on a wooden fence, with tiny airborne, slightly motion blurred, rain drops illuminated in the light.

February 2024

2/27/24 →

Today, our nectarine had its first bloom #BloomScrolling A close-up of a pink nectarine blossom on a tree branch with buds and a bright blue sky in the background.

2/26/24 →

We think this is a Loggerhead Shrike, though could also easily be a Northern Shrike. Either way, what a sharp looking bird. This is the second time we spotted them atop the same tree. #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #Shrike #Fujifilm 🪶 A gray and black bird perched on a bare branch against a clear blue sky. The bird’s wing has a strikingly thick black leading edge.

2/25/24 →

Black Necked Stilts at the Sacramento Refuge yesterday with the Sutter Buttes looming beyond #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge Three black-necked stilts standing in shallow water with a backdrop of distant mountains and greenery.

2/25/24 →

Northern California is in full almond bloom. Our backyard fruit trees are on the precipice of blooming. The ceanothus in the front yard is starting to bloom and the manzanitas have been in full bloom for about a week now A road stretching towards the horizon lined with blooming almond trees on both sides under a blue sky.

2/24/24 →

Gorgeous day at the Refuge. #Fujifilm A person in a wide-brimmed hat and plaid shirt standing by a pond and looking through a camera at a landscape with distant snow-capped mountains and blue sky with wispy clouds. Slightly reflective pond surrounded by grasses and bare trees with snow-capped mountains in the background under a blue sky with wispy clouds.

2/23/24 →

“‘Like sending bees to war’: the deadly truth behind your almond milk obsession” http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/07/honeybees-deaths-almonds-hives-aoe

2/23/24 →

A Golden-crowned Sparrow 🪶 #BirdPhotography #GoldenCrownedSparrow #Fujifilm A Gold Crown Sparrow, mostly brown but with a gold stripe on its head, is perched on a bare tree branch, with green vegetation and other branches blurred in the background.

2/19/24 →

This rainy President’s Day, I’m getting used to the Yawman Arrow Controller by flying patterns in Laminar’s C172. With an XBox controller, I never could fly the C172 well. It really sucked as yaw control was not easy. So far, the Yawman Arrow controller has been terrific …

2/19/24 →

If the sun can keep breaking through the clouds today, we may see some thunderstorms in the northern Sacramento Valley… looking promising for weather nerds #CaWx A backyard with gravel ground cover, leafless shrubs, a few young trees, and a metal garden shed. In the background, there’s a house with a carport. There is also garden equipment scattered around, heavy clouds above suggesting impending rain. Puddles of rain and roofs are bright as sunshine has broken through the clouds.

2/10/24 →

On our induction stove, just a regular silicon mat under heavy cookware is good to protect the surface. EM easily passes through the mat & still direct heats the cookware. Those mats are useful! Baking, candy, and now this. A cast iron skillet on an induction stovetop with a silicone mat underneath and a perforated stainless steel utensil holder at the side.

2/4/24 →

Near Chico, CA, we just accumulated 2” of rain and this mockingbird has seen quite enough A western mockingbird perched on a vine-under a shelter of a white metal overhang with green vegetation and rain visibly falling in the background.

January 2024

1/27/24 →

Local Raley’s grocery has non-alcoholic beer imported from Germany. It’s good as hoped. Malty, which I prefer over hoppy. A hand holding a bottle of Clausthaler Original Non-Alcoholic beer, which contains less than 0.5% alcohol by volume. The label includes the phrases “Superior Taste,” “Crisp & Fresh,” and “The German Pioneer”

1/27/24 →

Today, finally saw a Spotted Towhee at the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge - Pine Creek Unit. I’d only seen California Towhees before and they’re not nearly this fancy looking. A spotted towhee, with unique white markings on its black wings, perched on a bare branch among tangled branches with lichen growth.

1/27/24 →

A quick storm today for the N. Sacramento Valley. I missed this in the forecast. We’ll actually start drying out for a few days tomorrow. 50°F right now, should get to 60° today. #CaWx

A Doppler radar representation of the North Sacramento Valley. Shows incoming rain just above Orland. From the RadarScope app.

1/26/24 →

The weather has been so damp that there’s been hardly any good time to prune. Since we’re finally drying out a bit, I went ahead and pruned our cultivated native grapes.  Sunday should be the warmest day, so I will likely prune the fruit trees then.

1/22/24 →

Turns out a 2023 model year dishwasher is quite the upgrade to a 2003 model year dishwasher. Oh the new possibilities for loading dishes when there is a 3rd rack for flatware! And tines that flatten! And it’s super quiet! 🥳 But will it last 20 years?

1/21/24 →

I’ve never seen an installed anti-tip bracket for a slide-in oven/stove until I installed one myself. A corner behind a kitchen appliance with a wall and floor showing signs of dirt and residue. There are two metallic conduit pipe, a metal anti-tip bracket, and an installation instruction manual is partially visible on the right side.

1/18/24 →

We’re getting a new dishwasher tomorrow. Whoever installed the old one I’m removing…. WTAF with the electric connection! Madness. The dishwasher is wired directly to an extension cord, which is plugged into an electrical cord that is wired directly into a wall box. All outside a junction box. 🤬

The dishwasher is wired directly to an extension cord, which is plugged into an electrical line that is wired into the wall. All outside a junction box. It’s dusty in here.

1/16/24 →

Just had my first flight with the Yawman Arrow flight simulator controller. It is so nice. I’m impressed with its smooth axes operation and their sensitivity. I’m very happy with this and, on first flight, was worth the wait. #YawmanArrow #FlightSim #XPlaneE175 landing almost on center at Kona, Hawaii with a giant shield volcano in the background.

1/14/24 →

Compared to German Non-Alcoholic (NA) beer, Sierra Nevada Brewery’s NA Trail Pass beer is fine. The IPA is too bitter and like hop water. Malt flavors should be highlighted more in Golden and IPA. Will buy Golden again; it’s most like beer. Big leap over previous NA beers

1/13/24 →

Here’s a Western Meadow Lark photobombing a White Crown Sparrow. Or was it the other way? #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #WesternMeadowLark #BirdPhotography #AvianGeek #Fujifilm Two birds perched in dry brush. The closest bird displaying yellow markings. That one is a Western Meadow Lark. The farthest away bird looks like a small white crown.

1/9/24 →

A ravenous Orange Crowned Warbler! #Birds #OrangeCrownedWarbler #fujifilm 🪶An Orange Crowned Warbler perched on a dormant grape vine, beak agape, lunging toward a dried up grape cluster. The warbler looks light yellow.

1/6/24 →

Here’s a surprise flock of American White Pelicans flying north along the Sacramento River near Corning, CA. #Birds #AmericanWhitePelican #Fujifilm White and black pelicans fly under an overcast sky.

1/6/24 →

Germany has great non-alcoholic beer and they seem quite popular there. More than you’d expect! They’re so much better than the rightfully maligned O’Douls. So I’m excited that Sierra Nevada Brewery is getting into this market. Can’t wait to try! https://sierranevada.com/brews/trail-pass-golden

1/4/24 →

A Western Blue Bird living its best life. First time we’ve seen them feasting on our cultivated natives California grapes. #Birds #WesternBlueBird #Fujifilm A Western Blue Bird in defoliated grape vines, showing off its rust red chest atop a bunch of dried out grapes. The bird has a blue head and is looking to the left.

1/1/24 →

Some birds spotted today at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge: a Bald Eagle, a Merlin, and a Black Phoebe. 🪶 #Birds #SacramentoNationalWildlifeRefuge #BaldEagle #Merlin #BlackPhoebe #Fujifilm Bald eagle, looking left across its left shoulder, perched on a Willow tree branch surrounded by foliage.

A Merlin perched on a leafless tree branch against a clear blue sky.

A Black Phoebe bird in mid-flight over a calm body of water with light ripples and reflections of vegetation on the surface.

1/1/24 →

Here’s my RaspberryShake’s recording of the M7.5 earthquake at Japan. #RaspberryShake #Earthquake #Japan

A seismograph of the M7.5 earthquake at Japan on 1/1/2024

December 2023

12/31/23 →

#SilentSunday A tranquil wetland scene with dry, reedy plants protruding from the water and a single red and white fishing bobber visible among the stalks. The bobber reflects in the placid water below.

12/30/23 →

COVID Sucks (Stay Fully Vaccinated ): 

Glad I’m fully vaccinated as my post-Germany COVID symptoms/disease could be lots worse. Took several days to test positive. The infection started with an on/off fever, sore throat, cold-like symptoms, & general malaise. My finger tips tingled for a few hours (immune system must have gone …

12/24/23 →

#SilentSunday #Deutschland #Berlin A person bundled in winter clothing and a small dog patiently looking up to that person on a snow-covered path in a park with trees, a bench, and a trash can covered in grafiti. It is snowing.

12/23/23 →

A Hooded Crow harasses a generally unflappable Kestrel at Berlin Tempelhof. #Fujifilm #Birds 🪶#Deutschland #Berlin In shallow snow, a hooded crow chases after a small brown kestrel. Dead brown weedy plants frame the background. The image is watermarked, Copyright Ryan Mikulovsky

12/17/23 →

After two weeks in Germany, Fujifilm’s new XApp was ace for geotags and JPEG transfers to my iPhone. Tips: set custom saved settings’ power management to never turn off; wait to transfer at end of the day; geotag backup: use Pedometer++ for GPX, and HoudahGeo to geotag using GPX …

12/17/23 →

#SilentSunday #Tempelhof #Berlin #AvGeek A snowy landscape with runway direction signs reading “27” with an arrow pointing left and “09” with an arrow pointing right, indicating runway headings at an airport. The background features a flat horizon with the sun trying to shine through an overcast sky and distant buildings. There’s a crow sitting on a bench in the foreground.

12/16/23 →

I’ve been waiting for this compact flight simulator controller for over a year. I’m pretty excited about it. Made in the USA, which for electronics, isn’t easy! #AvGeek #FlightSim #YawManArrow Orders for the Yawman Arrow begin Jan. 8 – Yawman

12/15/23 →

Love getting out of the bus at the departure stand. Returning today to SFO from Germany. #Travel #Deutschland #B77W #Fujifilm #AvGeek ✈️

United 777-300 engine on a damp tarmac 777 wheel undercarriage with a man next to them for scale.Front nose gear of the 777 with the aircraft ID of 2143. A bus is driving off on the background.

12/3/23 →

Guten Morgen! Yesterday, after arriving at Frankfurt, Germany, we had lunch with jet-lag friendly alkoholfrei Bier. Today, in an hour, we’re catching a train to Berlin. #TravelPhotography Alcohol free beer in a Paulaner hellis glass. At the top corner within a glass window reflection an aircraft can be seen flying over. There’s a Christmas tree in the reflection too!

12/2/23 →

My 3-year old 777-300 ride tonight to Frankfurt. SFO gate G9 has decent views of that gate’s aircraft. Lucky me! (Not sarcasm; most gates here are awful for avgeeks) #Avgeek #B77W #Fujifilm United 777-300 parked at SFO gate G9 just as it’s towed in. It’s a cloudy day and the tarmac is wet and shiny.

12/1/23 →

On PetaPixel:

“Science Explains The Rainbows That Appear in Hummingbirds’ Wings”

https://petapixel.com/2023/12/01/science-explains-the-rainbows-that-appear-in-hummingbirds-wings/

November 2023

11/26/23 →

#SilentSunday It is night in the city where there’s a five story building where the front is only lit up. Small li windows reveal shops are along the dark street. There are a few red unlit Chinese New Year lanterns strung across the street.

11/24/23 →

Yellow-Rumped Warbler was on the backyard cultivated Native California Grapes just long enough for this fortunate shot. #Birds #YellowRumpedWarbler #Fujifilm 🪶A Yellow-Rumped Warbler in a grape vine that’s losing its red to brown leaves. The pointy beaked warbler has a yellow neck and chest. It’s gray and white elsewhere. The bird is staring at something off-frame to the left.

11/23/23 →

Here’s the turkey that appeared out of a hollow at Point Reyes National Seashore (years ago) and tried to steal our lunch. #Birds 🪶A turkey, showing its side, staring menacingly at the camera. The bird is about waist high and is standing next to a well-worn log. Its beak is bright and sharp.

11/21/23 →

Orange-crowned Warblers are back, feasting on dried out grapes. We’ve also observed Yellow-Rumped Warblers in the grapes. #Birds #OrangeCrownedWarbler 🪶 #Fujifilm A yellow bird straddles a thin grape vine among red and yellow grape leaves.

11/11/23 →

Snow Geese are back in Northern California. It’s nice living in a fly-way. #SnowGeese #Birds #Fujifilm 🪶Snow Geese fly above in a haphazard V formation. They’re all white with black wing tips. The sky is blue with wispy clouds.

11/7/23 →

Walnut trees in Northern California right now. 20 foot or so spaced rows of walnut trees with their bright yellow fall foliage.

11/5/23 →

We had a distinguished visitor in our backyard today, hunting at our feeder. This is a Cooper’s Hawk or a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Absolutely stunning. A hawk perched in an elderberry bush. It has rust red bars on its white chest and a dark brown back. Both its yellowish eyes are looking forward toward something off to the photographer’s side.

11/5/23 →

Good morning. The time changed so I’m now technically up an hour early but I got the usual hours of sleep. So here’s a likely Savanna Sparrow from the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge A small bird perched in dense brown reeds.

October 2023

10/28/23 →

I’m still amazed how the beta blocker Propranolol means I no longer have a physical tachycardic fight/flight response to normal situations like hobbies, people, and work. Game changer. Makes managing anxiety much easier.

10/20/23 →

The Orange-crowned Warbler(s) is/are back! They found our cultivated native California grapes a few years ago and have been back annually. I like to think it’s the same one bird that returns. #OrangeCrownedWarbler #Birds An Orange-crowned Warbler, perched in a grapevine, feasts on a bunch of drying out grapes. The bird is slightly obscured by a grape leaf. The warbler is a brownish yellow with white around its eyes.

10/15/23 →

KCIC (Chico Municipal) had an open house yesterday. Two BAE-146s, C-GRNT and N908AS, are stored there. Owned by Air Spray, a fire tanker company. I don’t know if they’re converted. Didn’t look like it. #AvGeek #BAe146 Two parked and stored BAE-146s with their high wings and four jet engines. They are stored so the engines are covered and doors taped off.

10/14/23 →

Orland, CA government is pretty decent: “Groundwater recharge sites in Glenn County help provide water to households”

10/9/23 →

I guess it’s good that the lost Budgie (parakeet) keeps returning to our bird friendly backyard. The neon green bird seems to be flocking with house sparrows. The sparrows constantly move while the Budgie preens.

A parakeet is perched on a Ceanothus branch. It has a neon yellow head and green body.

10/9/23 →

I may have a breakthrough with my anxiety. A beta blocker. Forces my brain to stop being an adrenaline junky for low stakes things like… hobbies, people, & work. My heart rate is now not near to or tachycardic for no good reason and that hugely helps my anxiety. A cardiologist is in my future.

10/9/23 →

Good morning from California, where Fall is finally reasserting itself.

A backyard with a weather station and native plants. Early morning sunlight is reflecting off the bottoms of low clouds, resulting in a bright orange glow.

10/8/23 →

Some wildlife at the Red Bluff Recreation Area (managed by the Mendocino National Forest). Lots of amphibians at Ben’s Pond(?)! We also observed well camouflaged mule deer and a busy Downy Woodpecker. #RedBluffRecreationAreaA frog or toad sitting in an algae filled pond, sticking its head out into the air. At least three Mule Deer in tall brown reeds, looking back towards the human interlopers. A Downy Woodpecker on a tree branch with a slightly motion blurred head. It was pecking at the time. The woodpecker has a white belly and black wings with rows of white spots. Its head has some white with a black stripe up the middle and over its eyes.

10/1/23 →

Happy new water year! According to WeatherCat software, my wx station recorded a total of 27.91” for Oct 1, 2022 - Sep 30, 2023 water year. Compare that to 13.66” for Oct 1, 2021 - Sep 30, 2022 water year! Nature gave us a 0.5” boost yesterday. I’m in the N. Sac Valley #CAWx

September 2023

9/30/23 →

Someone lost a parakeet or a small parrot 🙁😳 #BirdsOfMastodon #NotFromAroundHere A bird with a green body and yellow head perched on an elderberry branch. It has black markings on its wings and tail. There are elderberries behind it.

9/30/23 →

Three episodes into Silo on Apple TV+ and I’m loving it. https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/125988

9/25/23 →

About time Apple Music shows are available in Apple Podcasts. Now, imagine this, I can resume playing shows anytime & easily know what I’ve listened to 🙄 Mainly I listen to Strombo.

9/24/23 →

In Northern California’s Fall, our whole house fan really shines. We can bring in cooler air at night when there’s no wind. The modern models are not very loud! So our AC (heat pump) is off for the season now. That’s a bit earlier than usual as we often need a bit of cooling at night for sleep.

9/23/23 →

Got out to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge this morning. The White Fronted Geese are here (along with many small migratory song birds)! #WhiteFrontedGoose Five Greater White Fronted Geese flying in a clear sky. They have bright white chests and tails. Their belly is striped with black. Their wings are gray. The photo is very soft or slightly blurry.

9/22/23 →

Covid 💉✅ Flu 💉✅

9/19/23 →

At KSFO, just outside BART, is a pretty great view of the west side of G terminal. It’s easy to miss coming and going. #AvGeek #KSFO #B777 #B787 #FujifilmUnited 787 (N45956) and United 777 (N796UA) parked at the KSFO G gates. and Air New Zealand 777 (ZK-DKN) is at stand in the far distance. It’s a clear day save the fog bank on the horizon to the northwest.

9/17/23 →

From the KSFO Terminal 2 Sky Terrace. I didn’t have my telephoto lens so I embraced the glass panes. Lufthansa 747-8 (D-ABYL) SFO-FRA #B748 #KSFO #AvGeek #Fujifilm

A Lufthansa 747-800 taxiing to RW28L photographed from the Sky Terrace with three visible panes of glass and a plane with long spiny leaves on the left.

9/14/23 →

Covid booster and flu shots scheduled for next Friday! 🎉

9/9/23 →

We sometimes spoil our resident scrub jays with sunflower heads loaded with seeds. A juvenile Western Scrubjay looks down at a seed-filled sunflower head that’s on the ground. It is framed by a gravel pathway and some dry grass. Gray down is still on the bird’s back.

9/9/23 →

So long, Google Chrome. The last straw has come.

9/6/23 →

I finally deleted my Twitter account. Even having an inactive account felt icky. And really really awful and gross over the last couple of days.

9/5/23 →

Lots of people with Covid at my workplace. I think the worst I’ve seen.

9/4/23 →

Today: A Coopers Hawk at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge. #CoopersHawk #BirdWatching #BirdPhotography Coopers Hawk in a brightly lit tree. It is hunting up high. It has brown bars on its tail and brown stripes on its neck.

9/4/23 →

Gray Buckeye Butterfly today at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge. #Fujifilm #GrayBuckeye #Butterfly Gray Buckeye butterfly among weeds with tinier yellow flowers. The butterfly has three eyes on each wing. It is orange, brown, gray and white with a fuzzy body.

9/3/23 →

Weather was nice today! Summer is waning and so I guess outdoor photography season can begin. Here are a few dragonflies enjoying an overcast and hazy day. #Fujifilm

An in-flight green dragon fly against a blue sky.A long view to the Northern California Coast range. It's a hazy and overcast day. Oaks and rolling golden hills are in front of some rugged mountains.Within a muddy area with green algae, a stick juts out and a red striped dragonfly rests at the stick's end. The insect has red patches at the ends of its transparent wings.

9/3/23 →

Here’s a reminder that Fujifilm’s X RAW Studio stores its camera profiles at

~/Library/Application Support/com.fujifilm.denji/X RAW STUDIO

It’s a great way to keep an archive of film recipes and very easily load them to your cameras. Copy an FP1 file for a specific camera, rename it, edit it, save …

9/1/23 →

Hooray, season 5 of Matt Groening’s Disenchantment is out!

I’m always surprised now when Netflix releases another season of a show I enjoy.😊

9/1/23 →

I’ve been learning ArcGIS Pro cartography and I like what I’m finding. However the interface is like a big experiment and it is confusing. But it’s really nice to have fine control over data, symbols, & labels at many different scales without duplicating layers. #GIS

August 2023

8/24/23 →

I managed to write an ugly Python script that converts MesoWest (via Synoptic download; nice people there btw) CSV weather data to WeatherCat (macOS software) data. I did some QAQC and it’s a good conversion. I’m pleased. Nice to finally have locally stored & accessible historical weather data.

8/21/23 →

Everyone should wash their watch bands more often, no matter the watch!

Apple Watch bands are breeding grounds for bacteria - 9to5Mac 9to5mac.com/2023/08/1…

8/18/23 →

“Potentially historic summer storm event to unfold in SoCal this weekend as weakening Hurricane Hilary threatens to move ashore as tropical storm–causing severe flood risk in SE desert region”

weatherwest.com/archives/…

8/17/23 →

The clouds didn’t clear this morning so much of yesterday’s heat couldn’t radiate to space and it’s 84°F outside at 06:40. 😳

8/15/23 →

Sigh. Appears there’s another big fire on the Mendocino NF. Plume over Mount Linn. Slide Fire @ 1.5 miles N of Mount Linn - #SlideFire share.watchduty.org/i/10500

A plume of smoke rises above mountains

8/13/23 →

macOS WeatherCat and Meteobridge with any Supported Wx Station: 

I figured out how to have WeatherCat work with my Meteobridge that connects to my Ambient weather station. Turns out it is easy to do with Meteobridge’s template system.

In the WeatherCat Station Communications dialog, for Station Type select Generic XML (HTTP) and then enter your Meteobridge’s IP …

8/11/23 →

Session 3 of Only Murders in the Building is out on Hulu!

8/8/23 →

A female Oriole having a nice evening Mantis snack in our backyard tonight. A female yellow and gray Oriole with a praying mantis in its beak. It is mostly yellow on the underside and gray on its wings. It is perched on top of a blue wire tomato cage with a tomato plant pushing through the top.

8/6/23 →

Syrah grapes in Vina, California, at the New Clairvaux Winery are looking great! #California #Vineyards #Grapes

Many bunches of Syrah grapes that are nearly ripe dark purple hanging from lush grapevines during a sunny day.

8/4/23 →

Drip line auto sprinkler diaphragm replace after it started leaking. Hope it clears leak checks throughout the day.

A green auto-siphon auto-sprinkler diaphragm cap is removed, held in my hand, its underside facing up at the viewer. The old diaphragm and spring can be seen where the cap was installed.

8/2/23 →

Mercury News: “We may be the last maskers’: California COVID cases are rising. “

I’m still wearing a mask indoors (not at home of course) and I’m going to be extra vigilant for a while.

July 2023

7/28/23 →

New The Clientele album! I Am Not There Anymore by The Clientele https://album.link/us/i/1678797674

7/23/23 →

Huge cooldown for Northern California this week. I’m about to get a lot less cranky 😂

7/21/23 →

Nice! Photomator and Pixelmator Now Support Fujifilm Compressed RAW: https://petapixel.com/2023/07/21/photomator-and-pixelmator-now-support-fujifilm-compressed-raw/

7/21/23 →

“Abortion bans and restrictions are known to increase infant deaths, maternal deaths, and maternal suffering. And the US already has the worst maternal and infant mortality rates of any other high-income country in the world.”

Infant deaths surge in Texas after abortion ban: …

7/19/23 →

This morning, House Finches were breakfasting on ripe elderberries in our backyard. #HouseFinch #BirdsOfMastodon #BirdWatching #Fujifilm Two house finches are on top of two bunches of ripe elderberries, feasting on them. The upper most Finch has a Elderberry in its beak. The lower most finch is on a branch, reaching up into a bunch of berries. 

7/15/23 →

Much as I dislike that my heat-pump requires a proprietary communicating thermostat, I do like that I can change some deep level settings to optimize things without dip-switches.

7/12/23 →

Delta 767 (N1604R) SFO-JFK and flock of Brown Pelicans. #AvGeek #B767 #PlaneSpotting #BirdsOfMastodon #BrownPelican Brown Pelicans flying over quiet bay waters in front of a Delta 767 that was preparing for take-off.

7/9/23 →

In more expected bird behavior, on the infill shores of the San Francisco Bay, here’s a Willet (a Sandpiper) snacking on a worm. #BirdsOfMastodon #Willet #SandPiper A Willet (Sand Piper) with mottled brown and white steps through the San Francisco Bay shore muck with a worn hanging from its beak.

7/8/23 →

Back from a relaxing day of plane spotting at SFO. Here’s a series of aircraft landing and preparing for takeoff. Dang that’s a lot of 777s. #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting #SFO #B777 #B787 #B737 A United 787 prepares for take off, while above, a Qatar 777 airliner lands on an adjacent runway. A United 787 is turning on to SFO 28L, while above it, a British Airways 777 lands on 28R. A United 777 is holding short of 28R as a Southwest 737 lands. A Korean Airlines with Our Pride livery prepares for takeoff as another United 777 lands on an adjacent runway.

7/7/23 →

Some real dinosaur stuff happened today at Bay Front Park just south of SFO. This Great Blue Heron caught a gopher, paraded around with it for several minutes, then swallowed it whole. Then the heron proceeded to hunt some more. 😬A Great Blue Heron stands in a dry grassy area with yellow flowers. It has a gopher’s neck in its mouth and the entire gopher is hanging.

7/4/23 →

Volunteer Sunflowers in the backyard. The scrub jays garden really well. I continue to be impressed with the new Fujifilm XApp for transferring photos from my X-T5. #Fujifilm #Sunflowers #BloomScrolling

Two sun flowers, one at the bottom and nearby and one about 15 feet away. There’s vegetation surrounding the flowers and a weather station behind the forest Sunflower. The flowers are extremely yellow and well lit.A close up of a sunflower, brightly lit by the sun.

7/4/23 →

Out of an abundance of caution, early this morning I’m watering my front yard native plants in case the neighbors get whacky with their fireworks.The Rachio smart hose timer is working well so far. Turned on at 3am while I was sound asleep.

7/2/23 →

My #RaspberryShake detected the M6.9 in the vicinity of the Tonga Islands. #EarthquakeMastodon

A map and seismogram showing the Tonga earthquake. The RaspberryShake station is RE49D.

June 2023

6/30/23 →

Suppose it will only be a matter of time before the Justices are on the receiving end of their undemocratic, hateful rulings.

6/28/23 →

In preparation for the heat in California, added a ton of shade for some sensitive trees. That side of our house does get sun blasted in the afternoon, so should help there too. I need to add more attachment points to the shade cloth but ran out of time with work and all.

Tan shade cloth draped over a side yard with broad leaf trees. A house’s siding can be seen.

6/24/23 →

It sure is easy to rise in FlightRadar24’s ADS-B rankings! I guess most people don’t even try to get a even half decent antenna position and reliable uptimes.

6/24/23 →

The new Rachio hose timer works well. Currently, it has fairly simple operation with basic App scheduling and timer. It doesn’t yet have smart home support or an API. It’s independent of the Rachio valve controller. But it works quite well for my needs: rare but long (deep) watering of my front yard …

6/20/23 →

Perfect morning in California to cool the mass of the house off with our whole house fan. Normally it’s in the 90s this time of the year with lows in the high 60s and low 70s. Sorry for those in Texas though 😬 A Weather Strip …</a></p></p> </div> </div> <div class=

6/19/23 →

X-Plane 12 performance on a M2 Max Mac Studio: 

It turns out that Austin Meyer, founder of Laminar and creator of X-Plane, uses a Mac Studio as his main computer (see interview). I imagine he has an M1 Ultra. That likely explains why my new M2 Max Mac Studio runs X-Plane 12 so well. I got the 32 Gigabyte RAM and 2 Terabyte model (I’ve found that …

6/18/23 →

I was watching BigJet TV’s Paris Airshow Preview and didn’t notice one of my E-175 gears didn’t extend. Landed at KRDD (Redding, CA) and found out pretty quick what happened... Oops. #FlightSim #XPlane #AvGeek

E175 resting on its left wing because its left gear wasn't extended.

6/13/23 →

Using Migration Assistant via thunderbolt is insanely fast.

Migration Assistant dialog showing 612 MB/s transfer speed.

6/10/23 →

I’ve been very patient with my M1 Mac Mini. But now I have an M2 Mac Studio on the way. Flight simming and photography will be enormously improved. Less likely: And now that Apple allows on personal device “testing” of apps for free, I might resume learning iOS development.

6/5/23 →

Offline Apple Maps. FINALLY. #WWDC2023

6/5/23 →

Little NavMap, open source flight simulation flight planning software, is pretty great. I should have looked into it for X-Plane much sooner. #FlightSim #XPlane

6/3/23 →

Canceled YouTube Premium due to Google’s decision to once again allow election lies. Too bad they didn’t have a survey asking why I canceled.

6/2/23 →

macOS Universal Control is so very good when I’m multitasking between my Mac Mini and my MacBook Pro. One keyboard + one mouse = total control of both.

6/2/23 →

I’m slowly getting the canopies of my shrubs off the ground. Mostly to reduce outdoor cats hiding under them. I’ll do a lot to keep their destructive, bird killing lot out of my yard.

May 2023

5/29/23 →

Ash Throated Fly Catcher.

Ash throated fly catcher looking somewhere to the right. It has a black head with gray, white, and rust red on the wings. It is perched upon a high branch. They have cool spikes for hair.

5/28/23 →

The new Fujifilm XApp is a vast improvement for transferring photos to a smartphone on the fly. But the app’s notifications alerting to the camera’s request to transfer photos are a bit aggressive. #Fujifilm

5/28/23 →

Air Tractor N802WW was overflying rice fields this morning. I think they were practicing seeding the fields. #AvGeek #Fujifilm Oblique view of a yellow and black single propeller Air Tractor plane against a pale blue sky with cirrus. Underside of a yellow and black single prop aircraft. There’s a fan shaped seed spreader mounted under it.

5/26/23 →

It is a few degrees warmer outside but 10% less relative humidity. The whole house fan made it more comfortable in a few minutes & humidity is dropping like a rock in here. Was 60%. I love it.

5/25/23 →

Our native plants are going to love this storm! #CaWX

Doppler radar view of a south heading storm with lots of high intensity returns and lightning.

5/24/23 →

I hope the PR hype for the new Fujifilm mobile app is worth it! Seems promising and I like its new settings backup. Out May 25th. Petapixel: “Fujifilm’s New XApp Offers Smooth Connection, Speed, and Activity Tracking”

5/21/23 →

Virgin Orbit’s Cosmic Girl OBT01 is on its way back to Long Beach. No idea what it is doing out and about. My ADSB receiver is tracking it. https://www.flightradar24.com/OBT01/3061cbdb

5/21/23 →

My ADSB receiver (plane tracker) has been doing quite well under adverse conditions of its testing location. I plan to dramatically improve reception this week.

5/21/23 →

Here is a Black-necked Stilt from the #SacramentoNationalWildlifeRefuge #BlackNeckedStilt #BirdsOfMastodon #Fujifilm
A Black-necked Stilt bird is waking through a shallow brown pond. Small forbs surround the pond, including low laying purple flowers and then, further in the background, yellow flowers. The Black-necked Stilt has a all-white underside and all-black back and top of head. It has long legs and a long black beak.

5/20/23 →

We visited the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge and it was busy with all sorts of creatures. Gray Buckeye butterflies, American Avocets, Lesser Goldfinches, dragonflies and more.  A brown butterfly with patches of orange and black eyes near the top edge of its wings. The butterfly is surrounded by green to brown grass.An American Avocet has a brown head and neck with black wings and a white underside. It’s stepping through a pond and beyond it is a floor of purple and then yellow flowers.A Lesser Goldfinch (we think) seems to be using gymnastics to collect grassy nesting material. It is upside down on a stand of grass or a slender branch. It has a beak full of small grassy material.A dragonfly hovers in midair amongst bokeh of grass. It has a slight blue iridescence and looks to be about to fly downward.

5/19/23 →

Found my old Raspberry Pi 3 and finally got it set up as an ADSB feeder (aircraft tracker). Are people still skeptical of ADSB Exchange? Been a while since I’ve heard anything about them.

5/17/23 →

Got sick of ArcGIS Pro 3.1’s Export Layout not saving export settings per Layout. So Export settings from one layout end up carrying forward to others especially if you don’t hit the Export Layout button. So made a quick Python script to stop the insanity. Jupyter notebooks are nice. #GIS

5/16/23 →

Woodpecker granaries are really neat. This one was right on a trail at Pinnacles NP. We did see an acorn woodpecker nearby though the photo isn’t great.

A dead pine tree pecked full of holes meant for woodpeckers to store acorns.A close up of actual acorns in the holes of the granary.

5/13/23 →

With the family today, we had whole glazed ham with scalloped potatoes (the potatoes are a Kenji López-Alt recipe). The swiss cheese (we used Raclette) makes the dish 😙👌

A spiral of creamy scalloped potatoes in glass bowl with the slices edge up. The top is brown & crisp.

5/13/23 →

71°F at 06:23 in the North Sacramento Valley. 18°F warmer than yesterday this time. 😬

5/12/23 →

I neglected to post that our cultivated native California roses (Rosa californica) are blooming. Their flowers are fragile and nearly just by looking at them they go to tatters

5/12/23 →

3am today: Another quake, another shake alert. M5.2 and I didn’t feel it. #RaspberryShake

A map showing the quake at lake almanor and the seismograph.

5/11/23 →

Earthquake east of Chico near Susanville! People in Chico felt it but not here in Orland. Very clear signal on my #RaspberryShake

A seismograph of the 5.5 earthquake

5/7/23 →

Ortho4XP on macOS Ventura: 

Ortho4XP has some code that’s been deprecated in the latest Python 3 Shapely and Numpy.

You’ll need to downgrade Shapely to version 1.8.5. On my Mac after following the Big Sur installation instructions (I’m running Ventura):

pip3 install shapely==1.8.5

After that you’ll need …

5/6/23 →

Last weekend: just a taste of the views you can have at Pinnacles National Park, California, if you take the the High Peaks Trail. #PinnaclesNationalPark #Fujifilm #GeologyMakesThePhoto

Pinnacles of rock jut out of a hilly landscape, with their northsides in shadow and southern sides completely lit up. Vegetation is quite green with a classic kodachrome blue sky and mountain ranges along the horizon.

5/6/23 →

Last weekend: in its most happiest habitat, predominantly here are Yellow Monkeyflowers within massive rocks at Pinnacles National Park, California. #MonkeyFlowers #PinnaclesNationalPark

Sandwiched inbewteen massive lichen covered rocks are vertical stems of monkeyflowers showing bunches of yellow flowers. The rocks are kind of forming a small channel.

April 2023

4/30/23 →

I’ve learned a bit about repairing hose bibs and turns out it’s pretty easy. I’m kind of looking forward to repacking my front yard hose bib this Friday so it stops leaking at the stem and I can put a new Rachio smart hose timer on it.

4/30/23 →

Ash-throated flycatcher was also a new bird for us at Pinnacles National Park. Ash-throated flycatcher looking toward the horizon! It is perched on a bare branch against a blue sky. It’s a slender bird with a gray chest and belly and a dark gray head. Its wings are brown with white bars that curve down. Its brown tail is very narrow.

4/29/23 →

Went to Pinnacles National Park on Friday and we were treated to soaring and resting California Condors. Amazing to watch these birds, not long ago nearly completely extinct, thriving here.

A California Condor showing it’s brown body, the underside of its half brown, half white wings, and it’s naked neck and head. The background is a blur of vegetation.

4/26/23 →

American Gold Finch digging for sunflower seeds the other day. #AmericanGoldFinch #Birds #Fujifilm

The American Gold Finch, peering into a bird feeder hole, has a black cap and, besides it’s wings, an all light yellow body. Only the front edge of its right wing is visible and it is mostly black with some white patches. The bird is partially obscured by a vertical transparent bird feeder with a blurry (bokeh) green vegetation background.

4/23/23 →

We’ve been monitoring a nest over the last two months. We saw nothing but the tip of tail feathers until today. We thought it was a Hawk or an Eagle. We were delighted to find two juvenile Great Horned Owls and an adult! High up on a high stumped tree are two juvenile great horned owl heads staring at the photographer. One eye of each is obscured by a branch. The adult owl head is behind the two younglings, and the adult is also gazing at the photographer, its horns seemingly laid back like a cautious cat. One of its eyes is also obscured by a branch.

4/23/23 →

Our native plant garden in the front yard. It looks unmaintained but I swear it is! Nearly everything is flowering including sage, Ceanothus, globe gilia, & manzanita (nearly done flowering). Our Clarkias will be blooming soon. Bees (native & European) and ladybug larva are insane this year. …

4/19/23 →

And now a female Bullock’s Oriole has shown up in our backyard. What luck. #BullocksOriole #Birds

A female Bullock’s Oriole is perched at the edge of a bird bath that’s in front of an elderberry bush. The bird has a fully gray back with white bars on its exposed right wing. Its upper chest is yellow-orange. Her head is orange from the eyes down to the chest though there’s a strip of black below it’s chin. The bird has black around its eyes and has a gray cap.

4/18/23 →

Here’s yesterday’s Bullock’s Oriole looking right at the camera. #BullocksOriole #Birds A Bullock’s Oriole sits in a violet flowering Ceanothus bush, looking straight ahead. It has an orange chest and orange cheeks. Its head is mostly orange, but it has black on top. The cute bird has black eyeliner and a black chin, creating a cool triangular pattern that nearly looks angry. You can just barely see its right wing. Its wing is black with white on the bottom.

4/17/23 →

Bullock’s Oriole in our backyard Ceanothus. This is our first backyard Oriole! Wow. #BullocksOriole #Birds #Fujifilm

A medium Bullock’s Oriole bird with a bright orange chest, a reddish throat, and a black chin. It has a black back with whitish wings. Its orange head has a black stripe on top and a black stripe going from the rear corner of its eye to its back. The bird is perched in a Ceanothus shrub that’s loaded with tiny violet flowers and dark green leaves in between.

4/16/23 →

Ladybug larvas were later than normal this year but geez do they have a feast now!

Several ladybug larvae, kind of a rectangular bug with mostly black with orange stripes, are gorging on aphids on a sage.

4/15/23 →

We planted our vegetable and herb seedlings today. Our home compost has turned out real nice. Took several years to build up enough for use. The worms do most of the work since we can’t get the compost hot enough for long. 🌱 Two planted crop rows with drip tape. In the background are stunningly violet flowers of Ceanothus bushes. To the right of the crop rows is patio with grapes leafing out below the awning. Gravel makes up paths between crop rows.A wheel burrow full of worm laden compost. It’s sunrise and the shadows are long.

4/15/23 →

Present me is very thankful that past me connected all the commons in our newer irrigation box. So I didn’t have to undo the common “water proof” wire nut but only connect up the green wire to move from an older, now broken valve in an older box.

A irrigation valve box with wires tied together by wire nuts including the green wire. The small box sits atop some gravel and has a stainless steel braided hose providing input water. There are 20-25 GPH pressure regulators and adapters to drip irrigation hoses.

4/15/23 →

I experienced weirdness with my HomeKit Thread network the other day after updating to the latest HomePod and ATV software. Of all devices, one of my Nano Leaf Essential bulbs ended up as the lead router which really killed thread device response. I had to cut its power for a bit to resolve.

4/14/23 →

We’re now a one car household. Feels good! My poor Golf has been barely driven since I started working remotely.

4/12/23 →

My #RaspberryShake caught the M 4.4 Cobb, CA earthquake early this morning. I did not feel it here in Orland.

A seismograph showing the signal of the earthquake.

4/11/23 →

First Cedar Waxwing ever in our backyard! They have a creepy high pitched song.

This Cedar Waxwing has a black mask that extends from its eyes to its chin, with a crest of feathers on its head. Its wings and tail are brown with yellow and white accents, and its tail has a bright yellow tip. The Cedar Waxwing's most distinctive feature is its red-tipped wings. It’s on a budding tree with a blue sky.

4/8/23 →

Sorry, I’m not selling my X100V. I’ve had it since Sep 2021, and I only had to wait 2 months to get it. It’s great.

DPReview: “Can’t find a Fujifilm X100V? What are the alternatives?” www.dpreview.com/articles/…

4/2/23 →

Spotted our first Marsh Wren today at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge. That vertical tail is something else. #Birds #MarshWren #Fujifilm

A brown Marsh Wren is perched along the top of a brown reed among a field of reeds. Its tail is pointing straight up! There are some Spring fresh green reeds amongst the brown reds and there’s a calm water pond behind the wren

4/1/23 →

It has been a week. Today, introvert me gets what it needs and now I’m alone for a bit. Always difficult balancing my needs with my assumed & expressed wishes of others, even loved ones.

A black and white cat enjoying the sun at a sliding glass door. She’s so contented. This was her last day.

March 2023

3/26/23 →

Annie the Cat taking in a big dose of sunlight (again, but cuter this time). I hope she shakes her sinus infection soon. A black and white cat laying against an open slider with her head cradled by the slider's rails. Her sunlit fur has a rust hue.

3/25/23 →

Photographed our first Downy woodpecker today. #Birds #BirdWatching #DownyWoodpecker #Fujifilm

A petite Downy woodpecker with a black and white striped head and a black and white body that's kind of fluffy. It's foraging on a tree trunk. There's a twig in front of its face.

3/25/23 →

Here’s Annie the Cat enjoying some fresh air. She’s been sick but we’re fighting through it. #caturday

A tuxedo cat laying on a hard floor in front of an open sloding glass door. The cat is enjoying the fresh air coming through a screen. it's bright outside with blurred grern foliage.

3/24/23 →

Our young “New Century” Asian Pear tree is in full bloom. Our “Hosui” Asian Pear isn’t mature enough to flower and cross pollinate. Maybe next year!

Three open white flowers at the top of a very young thin leafing out tree. A stake is next to it, keeping it up right. The background is composed of blurred out gravel.

3/24/23 →

Not long from now is Summer. Better get our fresh baked sourdough fix while we can!

a golden elongated loaf of sourdough with slightly blurred kitchen racks that have many implements upon it

3/23/23 →

I went to Shasta Dam today for a work thing. I think I overheard they may have opened a controlled spillway gate today? Gorgeous day. Water levels are as high as I’ve ever seen them.

The massive shasta dam with snow capped mountains in the background. A spillway gate appears to be open, sending an enormous amount of water into the Sacramento River. It is an overcast day.

3/21/23 →

Just got some pea sized hail in Orland, CA. #CaWX

Floating hail in a small pool of water at the bottom of a down spout.

3/21/23 →

DPReview.com to close. I loath Amazon even more now. I wish DPReview employees the very best. The site was my go-to for everything photography.

3/19/23 →

European Honeybees were all over our manzanitas yesterday. A European Honeybee on pink-white clusters of bell shaped manzanita flowers. The stems are rust red and the leaves are bright green, shaped like perfect smooth leaves

3/18/23 →

Korean Air 777-3 HL7204 from ICN on approach to SFO on January 21, 2023. #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting #AviationPhotography #Fujifilm A mid-zoom of a Korean Air 777-3 HL7204 ICN-SFO on approach during a hazy day. There’s a silhouetted pier with somebody fishing at the very end if it. A hazy mountain is in the background.

3/15/23 →

I’m getting more sore that MS still don’t have a macOS Bedrock edition. Surely the market is bigger there‽ I end up running Windows in VMWare 🤮

Microsoft is bringing Minecraft to Chromebooks www.theverge.com/2023/3/15…

3/14/23 →

1.5 inches of rain so far today in Orland, CA. 😬#CaWX

3/12/23 →

I didn’t lose an hour of sleep but I sure did lose a precious hour of weekend daytime activities.

3/11/23 →

First bloom of our a front yard Ceanothus today. So many more to come. So. Many.

Bright small violet flowers with bokeh of green shrubs (coyote bush) in the background.

3/11/23 →

The iOS Parcel app doesn’t write expected delivery dates to an iCloud calendar but only to a local calendar. So I just created a Shortcut Automation that runs at 9am daily, copying Parcel created events to an iCloud calendar (shared with my wife). No way to share Personal Automations so here’s a …

3/11/23 →

The iOS Parcel app doesn’t write expected delivery dates to an iCloud calendar but only to a local calendar. So I just created a Shortcut Automation that runs at 9am daily, copying Parcel created events to an iCloud calendar (shared with my wife). No way to share Personal Automations so here’s a …

3/10/23 →

And here’s a rabbit at the Northern California refuge. Normally they’re at a full run. #Rabbit

A brown rabbit sits on the edge of a road. Brown grass lines the edge of the road. The rabbit's long ears are missing their very tips.

3/10/23 →

Northern Flickers have evaded my best efforts to photograph them. So this photo from today at a Northern California refuge will do for now. #Birds #NorthernFlicker

Northern Flicker up in a tree, vertical against a vertical branch. The Flicker has red on its chin and its tail. It has black heart shaped markings on its gray chest.

3/10/23 →

Last week I nearly missed this Great Blue Heron at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge. #Birds #BirdWatching #GreatBlueHeron

A big gray-blue heron looks away from the camera. The bird is nestled in brown reeds.

3/9/23 →

We just hit 1 inch of rain today in the North Sacramento Valley. 😳

3/9/23 →

For several years I was in a “I hate hops in beer” phase. After having tons of not hoppy beer in Germany last year, I learned to like IPA beer like Sierra Nevada Brewery’s Powder Day. SNB is going crazy lately with a big focus on hazy & IPA beer.

3/9/23 →

Here’s the Bald Eagle from last week’s headshot in all its glory. The wildlife refuges in California are a gem.

adult white & brown bald eagle looking back with its golden eyes while in a eucalyptus tree. Its full body is visible along with its talons.

3/8/23 →

Snow Geese from last weekend. #Birds #BirdWatching #SnowGeese

Snow geese, white with black wing tips, take flight in the foreground while a linear group look on in the background. They're in an area with some tall grass and the sky is blue gray.

3/5/23 →

Spotted a Bald Eagle today!

A Bald Eagle, white head blazing, peering down through a eucalyptus tree canopy

3/5/23 →

X-Plane Official now has a Discord. I didn’t expect that development. Hopefully it’s well moderated. #XPlane

3/4/23 →

macOS Ventura settings and notifications (STILL getting unfixable log-in item notifications repeatedly) are a pitiful, frustrating mess but Windows, which I use at work, is still awful everywhere and missing key features I rely on in macOS so 🤷‍♂️ #macOS

3/1/23 →

Overnight, as often it does, a slight breeze developed in the west side of the North Sacramento Valley! No freeze for us, but can’t say the same for sheltered areas like Redding & parts of Chico. #CaWX

February 2023

2/28/23 →

A hard freeze likely tonight and tomorrow night in the North Sacramento Valley. Hopefully a light breeze will keep the temps higher. Tonight we did cover up our young trees. Cold days means bees have not been foraging -not great for our nearly full bloom nectarine. Now a freeze

2/28/23 →

Finished reading: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️… and now starting there next book in the series, The Ask and the Answer. 📚

2/26/23 →

This was one of two batches of mandarins juiced today for this week’s breakfast 😋

a pile of halved mandarins, cut side up, on a red cutting board.

2/26/23 →

I hate the MacOS login items notification that when clicked doesn’t tell me jack and furthermore the app it claims has added itself is disabled on that infernal system settings screen. I cannot figure out how to get Citrix to stop even with CleanMyMac X. 😤

screen shot of the notification

2/24/23 →

A few “better” photos of last night’s brief snow around 1 am last night in Orland, CA. Around 1:15 am it went back to rain but points further north like Redding continued to get snow.

A red car with a little bit of fresh snow on it in front of a street and some houses.A classic photo of snow on palm tree leaves against the dark, cloudy background.

2/24/23 →

Snow in Orland, CA. Wow. #CAWx

2/23/23 →

Just a few degrees lower and Orland, CA could get snow tonight. Raining right now at 39°F. Doppler returns look softer at Red Bluff & northward… Impressive. #CaWX #RadarScope

Doppler returns for Orland, CA showing rain echoes and fuzzier snow echoes near Redding.

2/20/23 →

I juiced & pasteurized two liters worth of mandarins today. The mandarins still on the tree should hold quite a while longer even with the upcoming cold snap. #HomeOrchard #Fujifilm

A backyard with a mandarin tree loaded with fruit and a Valencia tree. it's extremely green. Bark covers the ground and there's a weather station nearby.A counter covered in juicing equipment including a bowl full of rinds, a strainer sitting in a bowl, and very yellow juicer by Proctor Silex branded with Alex's Lemonade Stand.

2/20/23 →

In X-Plane 12.04 Beta 2 I’m following United 2376 (777-2, EWR-SFO) in an A340-6. I’m barely keeping up with the 777. There's some light chop just west of Laramie, which is reflected at BumpySkies.com. This latest XP beta improved weather greatly. More chores to do in cruise!

2/18/23 →

I spied a Spotted Towhee today by the Sacramento River. #Birds #BirdWatching #SpottedTowhee #Fujifilm

A black backed bird with white spots and a very rust red chest is perched upon a leafless plant with brush in the background. The bird has a gorgeous rust colored eye.

2/17/23 →

The Western Blue Birds have already discovered the new piles of grape vine trimmings that still have clusters of raisins. And one of the Mockingbirds got really intrigued about the newly pruned grapevines. #Birds #BirdWatching #BlueBirds #Mockingbird #Fujifilm

A western blue bird sitting atop a pile of prunings of grape vines with clusters of raisinsA gray and white mockingbird standing on a thick horizontal dormanr grapevine. The bird gazes to the left as it thinks about its next move.

2/17/23 →

Finally pruned the bird feeding native California grapes (cultivated of course). Only had a few more weeks until they woke up! Always quite the puzzle pruning two intertwined grapes. #CaliforniaNativePlants

2/16/23 →

On January 20 at SFO, 2023. Eva Air 777-3 Reg. B-16731 arrives from Taipei with Japan Airlines 777-3 Reg. JA734J holding for takeoff to Tokyo Haneda. #PlaneSpotting #AvGeek #SFO #B777 #Fujifilm The green tailed and white body Eva air 777 is about 30 ft from the ground while the Japan airlines jet is holding for takeoff. The Oakland hills are in the background and mud flats of the low tide bay in the foreground

2/11/23 →

Western Blue Birds have been in the neighborhood for a while now. Today they finally found our desiccated grapes! #Birds #BirdWatching #WesternBlueBird #Fujifilm

A blue bird with a blue back and rust red chest sits on a thick grape vine loaded with desiccated clumps of grapes (raisins).A blue bird flies away from the grape vine with a grape in its beak.

2/10/23 →

Just flying an A340-600 from San Francisco International into Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport. #XPlane #FlightSim #AvGeek

A340-600 on approach to KSJC 30L, just passing over downtown San Jose at night. The freeway is all lit up and the runways are visible. It's a dark night.

2/9/23 →

I’m done with 1Password. I'm tired of the 1Password 8 Safari extension breaking. The app itself is still awful with glaring limitations. The good news is, Safari password import has gotten really good. Just be sure entries have websites, true usernames, passwords. Copy security Qs etc somewhere …

2/4/23 →

Another #Caturday about to pop down into history.

A black and white cat attempts to stand completely on top of an iPhone. The iPhone has a red case on so it as outlined in red. She is on a blue couch.

2/3/23 →

I updated my iOS/macO Shortcut that takes a photo with geotag & date (preferably with timezone) from the Sharesheet and loads @flightradar24@mastodon.world playback. You’ll need a FlightRadar24 sub for beyond 7 days. It is now better at UTC conversion & URL formatting Get Shortcut

2/3/23 →

I must admit I’m going to miss certain key people & orgs on Twitter no longer showing up in NetNewsWire and likely Mastodon (‪@ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org‬ ‘s amazing NWS weather bots). My severance from Twitter is nearly complete. Completely caused by the Twitter itself.

2/2/23 →

My first listen to Everything Is by Neutral Milk Hotel - released yesterday. Very short. https://album.link/us/i/1659915193

2/1/23 →

Why companies use Okta device verification for accounts that rarely need to be used is mind boggling. Like I totally forgot it was a thing when I got my new phone and now I have to wait 5-7 business days to get a reset 😳

January 2023

1/31/23 →

On the celebrated day of the last ever delivery of a new 747, here’s a throw back to 2005. The lone Korean Air 747 was parked at LAX and the photo with three 747s at Incheon, South Korea. #avgeek #B747 Blue top and gray bottom …</a></p></p> </div> </div> <div class=

1/29/23 →

Here’s a quick & dirty iOS Shortcut that takes a photo with full geotag, date metadata (preferably with timezone) from the Sharesheet and loads @flightradar24@mastodon.world playback. Get Shortcut #AppleShortcuts #iOS

1/29/23 →

Alaska follows up on using boxed water with this is good news:

No more plastic cups for Alaska Airlines - The Points Guy thepointsguy.com/news/alas…

1/29/23 →

A Bufflehead south of the active SFO runways 28L/28R. They’re fun to watch foraging. A Bufflehead bobbing out of the water with ripples flowing away. The Bufflehead has a white rear head, chest, belly. Its forehead, chin, and back are black. Its head appears misshapen like a bullhead

1/28/23 →

Thanks to my library, currently reading: The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik 📚

1/28/23 →

On BigJetTV first class+ members only live stream (part 3) on YouTube, just watched an insane departure from Toronto of an Emirates A380 literally blasting snow and ice from the sides of runway 23. Insane. #BigJetTV #A380 #AvGeek

1/27/23 →

UA59 777-322 from Frankfurt landing at San Francisco on 1/20/2023United 777-322 landing at SFO with some smoking rubber. The plane is flared against the Oakland hills and, in front, a calm bay. #B77W #PlaneSpotting #avgeek #fujifilm

1/27/23 →

I love that people regularly share what music they’re excited about on mastodon. I rarely saw that in my Twitter timeline.

1/26/23 →

Black-necked Stilt near the City of Burlingame Shorebird Sanctuary. What a pose! Black-necked stilt facing the camera with its legs nearly crossed. It has a white belly, chest, and neck. It’s black long beak, forehead, eyes, and rear feathers is stark against the calm low tide bay waters

1/26/23 →

Got lists set up in Mastodon. Much better than a deluge in my main timeline. @ivory@tapbots.social can filter list members out of the main timeline, which is very nice.

1/25/23 →

Emirates A380 preparing to take off from SFO to Dubai on 1/20/2023 during golden hour #avgeek #planespotting #A380 #fujifilm Face on with an Emirates Airbus 380 across a shallow bay at SFO during the golden hour where everything has a golden tint. Oakland hills are in the background on a hazy day.

1/24/23 →

Here’s an Emirates A380 turning right onto SFO runway 28R on January 20, 2023. I’m fully impressed with my X-T5 and the Fujifilm 70-300mm lens. Those 40 Megapixels really help with the details and cropping to “zoom.” An Airbus A380 is nearly facing directly to the camera on a strip of land with a calm bay in front of it, The plane is turning left onto SFO’s 28R. A smaller Delta plans is on the adjacent runway 28L, preparing for takeoff.

1/22/23 →

Lunar New Year’s Eve in San Francisco. #LunarNewYear #SanFrancisco #Fujifilm

a sparkling bottle rocket shooting anive the dark street with red lanterns suspended above.

1/22/23 →

Great Egret on the San Francisco Bay Trail just south of The City Of Burlingame Shorebird Sanctuary. #birds #GreatEgret #Fujifilm

A very white, tall and narrow Egret standing with one leg on a rock watching the quiet bay water brunch.

1/20/23 →

My first time at Bayshore for SFO plane spotting.

1/19/23 →

I’d love to be able to customize my autofocus boxes. www.dpreview.com

1/17/23 →

This is super exciting - the Yawman Arrow controller for flight simulation has been (finally) revealed! fselite.net has the details. #flightsim

1/16/23 →

Indisputably confirmed Yellow Rumped Warbler at yesterday’s visit to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. They were everywhere but it’s rare to have one facing away for more than a split second 😍#birds #YellowRumpedWarbler #fujifilm

the yellow patch on the rump of the Yellow Rumped Warbler faces directly at the phonographer. The bird is perched on a defoliated branch and the sky is overcast.

1/15/23 →

What luck today. Photographed a juvenile Bald Eagle (second year?) at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. #birds #BaldEagle #Fujifilm

A juvenile Bald Eagle perched up high. It is mostly brown with a developing, and so mottled, white neck and headBald eagle soaring off. Its white head and neck are clearer.

1/14/23 →

OMG this is insane. Pea sized hail & the backyard is just flooded here in Orland. Lightening too. #cawx

Radar of a red squal linea flooded residential backyard. not quite up to the patio concrete yet fortunately

1/14/23 →

I really enjoy flying the Toliss A340 in X-Plane 12. This is on approach to Oakland International. Just a short flight from San Francisco International. #flightsim #xplane #avgeek

A banking A340 on Approach to KOAK at night. The bay bridge and San Francisco skyscapers are lit up, as is the aircraft. Rain is streaking by.Top oblique view of the A340 and the San Francisco skyline with the bay bridge looming below, all at night.

1/13/23 →

Now that the latest wave of rain is done, 1.6 inches of rain today. Highest daily total so far I think. Unheard of in Orland. #cawx

1/13/23 →

0.6 inches/hour now in my backyard😳 #cawx

1/13/23 →

Annie Creek is flowing! 0.4 inches/hour right now. The back yard is ponding hard.

A narrow 3/4 inch gravel faux creek draining a downspout to the road. there's native vegetation surrounding the creek asking with wood chips. A residential street is in the background along with a bright red VW Golf.Ponding in a backyard with crop rows and various stone fruit trees with no leaves. It is not yet flooded Annie the patio cement.

1/13/23 →

My partner only looked at cat, bird, and wildfire posts on Twitter using Tweetbot. Its permanent chronical timeline was key. Now that Tweetbot appears to be banned, that’s it. No more Twitter. Fortunately Mastodon is maturing quickly.

1/12/23 →

1.2” yesterday in Orland. CA. #cawx

1/7/23 →

Love to see Stony Creek flowing in the main channel and out into its braids. I never saw it flow in the main channel during the 2022 water year. Stony Creek is controlled by multiple dams, the last one being Black Butte. This bodes well for ground water recharge.IMG 3780

1/6/23 →

Last night an RV and car caught fire behind us. As far as I know, no one was injured. Here are better photos of the action. There was a really nice full moon last night, too, though thin clouds fuzzed it up a bit. #fujifilm

A wide angle view of the RV and car on fire, in front of an overpass. Two fire trucks are parked in front of the blaze on a gravel lot with some ponding.Night time photo of the front half of an RV on fire along with a car parked right next to it. Flames are roaring out th front of both vehicles. An Orland Fire Department truck sits in front of it all.

1/5/23 →

RV and car caught fire behind us in an empty lot. We’re pretty sure it was abandoned. Ambulance left quickly without lights so unoccupied, fortunately.

A night scene of fire trucks in front of a burnt out RV and car.

1/4/23 →

In my N. Sac Valley backyard, got 0.44” from 17:00-19:00 today. Winds are beginning to gust over 20 mph, approaching 30 where my anemometer maxes out. Lots more rain to come! #cawx

1/3/23 →

There’s potential for large impacts from weather in California over the next week or so. We just inventoried our emergency kit & are charging our battery banks.

1/2/23 →

Red Tail Hawk from yesterday’s bird watching at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. It’s not surprising that they’re not easy to spot. Even rarer is the one that won’t fly off if you get within 100 yards. #fujifilm #birds #RedTailedHawk

Red Tail Hawk perched in branches of a deciduous plant

1/2/23 →

The Fujifilm X-T5 can output to HIEF (.HIF) with 10-bit color. That gives more room for minor adjustments. But Apple Photos can’t load the .HIF, just its low-res preview. So I used Raw Power for edits and saved to JPEG. Now Photos can load the high resolution versions #fujifilm

1/2/23 →

While bird watching yesterday, a M5.3 earthquake occurred south of Rio Dell. My RaspberryShake felt it but I sure didn’t https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc73827571/executive #RaspberryShake #earthquakeSeismograph of the M5.3 earthquake on 1/1/2023 south of Rio Dellclose up of the M5.3 seismograph

1/1/23 →

Snow Mountain in the Mendocino National Forest in Northern California still has snow and seems it got a fresh coat.

A mountain with a surprising flat top is snow covered beyond the golden hills. Skies are clear.

1/1/23 →

Spotted a Belted Kingfisher today! #kingfisher #birdsFemale Kingfisher looking down into a canal for prey. She has a patch of rust color on her belly. Her head is two-thirds dark gray and one-third white. Her back is gray. She has spiky feathers at the crest of her head.

December 2022

12/31/22 →

The Annie Cat in her new favorite sleeping place #caturday

Black and white cat loaf (legs under her body) between a red and gray pillow on a cozy comforter

12/31/22 →

Okay I’m glad the brunt of the atmospheric river missed the North Sacramento Valley. Geez.

Gerry Díaz :sutro: (@geravitywave@sfba.social) sfba.social/@geravity…

12/31/22 →

I’m happy to see there’s still snow on the peaks of the interior Northern California Coast Range. Hope the snow survives as they sponge up all the rain for long term water storage. This is Black Butte at 7400 ft.

Snow capped & cloud enshrouded Black Butte peak seen from a distant town in Northern California.

12/30/22 →

In X-Plane 12, the KJFK RNAV Z Runway 13L approach is lot of fun. Watch a real-world YouTube video of it.. Default XP is just missing the lead-in lights! #X-Plane #flightsim

A321 on approach to KJFK 13L at night. Highways with cars, the street lights, and more all glow amber and white. The runway is visible and the jet is makiing a sharp turn for it.

12/28/22 →

May 2016 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. In late 2017 this 747-400 went out of service. Hard to believe Delta ever operated 747s only five years ago.

Delta 747-400 at the gate

12/27/22 →

Our thrice delayed trip to Germany has this year’s three of my top four aviation photos — from SFO and FRA. And then one for a trip back from Montana (the two 787s, the only one taken with an iPhone 11 Pro). #2022Top4AviationScores #Fujifilm #X100V

12/26/22 →

Randomly thinking about my first A340-600 flight in 2013 SFO-Munich. I love that plane - especially if fitted with lower lavatory hall that also has random snack & drinks. First aircraft I ever flew with stairs and it was great for stretching the legs in economy.

SFO gate view of a Lufthansa A340-600. Its night & the craft is being readied for boarding.The stairs down to the lavatories & snacks

12/26/22 →

ginger bread people with snow balls, Lindtt chocolayes, all in a red and white basket.

12/25/22 →

Some flyover photos from 12/24: United 777-200 LHR-SFO at 37,000 ft; Emirates A380-800 DXB-SFO at 39,000 ft; Qatar A350-1000 DOH-SFO 41,000 ft; SW 737 OAK-BLI (Bellingham) at 38,000 ft. #Fujifilm X-T5 at 300mm (35mm equiv is 450mm). I’m impressed

United 777-200 flyover with contrailsEmirates 380-800 flyover with contrailsQatar A350-1000 flyover with contrailsSouthwest flyover with contrails

12/24/22 →

Yesterday: Red-winged Black Birds at the local wildlife refuge. Likely some Starlings in there too.

dozens of black birds in a bare tree top

12/24/22 →

I’m rather impressed with how popular #caturday is on Mastodon.

12/24/22 →

Our cat’s 2nd preferred winter sleeping area. #caturday

a tuxedo cat loafing in the middle of random objects including a Python refebcd book, a box, and a basket

12/24/22 →

Snow Geese flying overhead at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. #fujifilm

3 snow geeze flying above in triangular formation below cloudy skies. they have white bodies with black wing tips

12/23/22 →

Just had a leak detector go off. This time a toilet water line started leaking at its connector to the tank. I’m very pleased with this result!

12/23/22 →

Here’s a Red Tail Hawk from today’s visit to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.

underside of a mottled red tail hawk, soaring in a cloudy sky.

12/23/22 →

Chef’s treat: caramel scrapings from the pan!

caramel drippings on a silicone sheet with the candy thermometer near by.

12/23/22 →

Done. Just need to salt the caramel in 30 minutes.

a parchment lined pan of fresh poured caramel. The pan is atop a grate and a cuttingboard.

12/23/22 →

Almost done making the caramel. Just needs to hit 250°F

a candy thermometer in a 4 qt sauce pan of almost done caramel colored caramel. At about 230°F

12/23/22 →

I’m going to make caramel today. Alton Brown’s Dark Caramel recipe never fails. Though I prefer a little less dark so I cut the highest temp from 350 to 340°F and then the final temp to 250°F (makes them a tad softer).

12/23/22 →

The 2013 Dresden Christmas Market. Guaranteed to make you cheerful no matter how cold it is.

dark evening at the Dresden Christmas Market with a lit up buildings, trees, the tops of sales shacks and a crowd of people

12/20/22 →

A ravenous Yellow Rumped Warbler visited our grapes again. Eat up, little bird!

a grey bird with yellow patches investigates a clump of dessicated grapes

12/20/22 →

My RaspberryShake detected the M6.4 earthquake in Ferndale, CA. Sounds like a lot of important infrastructure damage, like the main bridge into town is cracked and closed, but not injuries. I didn’t feel it. #RaspberryShake #earthquake

earthquake signal

12/19/22 →

Frankfurt International last June. I knew there’d be no shortage of 747s there but was still gobsmacked by their numbers.

A Lufthansa 747 at the gate and a 747 taxiing behind it. Mulitudes of intersecting contrails mark up the hazy blue sky

12/17/22 →

This Yellow Rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) is yet another bird feasting on our raisins. Yesterday’s Ruby Crowned Kinglet might actually be an Orange-crowned Warbler. No bars on its wings! 🤷‍♂️

yellow patched neck & chest, this warbler is looking for the perfect raisin on the ground.

12/17/22 →

Tried the first “Phat Tyre” ale I bottled. It’s good! The batch can use one more week to bottle condition.

12/17/22 →

Black Butte peak and Black Butte butte. Mostly greenstone/metabasalt at the snowy peak and basalt at the buttes around Black Butte Lake.

a distant snowy peak on the left and a vertical butte on the right. multiple power lines cross the view.

12/16/22 →

Ruby Crowned Kinglet (update on 12/17: more likely a Orange-crowned Warbler, as the Kinglet has bars on its wings, this one — the Warbler — does not). Such a lovely chirpy & frenetic bird.

yellowish bird perched atop a clump of raisinsa yellowish bird with a ruby color patch on its head, perched on a grape vine

12/16/22 →

Today’s moon.

12/15/22 →

Relatively rare morning where my car door was slightly stuck due to frost.

12/14/22 →

I am super excited to now have the XF70-300mm telephoto lens. I’ll no longer feel crazy constrained taking pictures of birds and aircraft (mainly). Bonus that it is rather good at close range for macro.

12/14/22 →

Western Mockingbird foraging for raisins in our backyard.

grey and white mockingbird under bunches of raisins

12/11/22 →

Pizza night!

a hand with a pizza cutter slicing a thick crust pizza with salami, shallot, olives, cheese, and tomato sauce.

12/11/22 →

Rain in California. You got to love it after months of hazy blue sky.

Rain drops dripping from an awning and a grape vine with dark, almost black, dessicated grapes. Vibrant native vegetation is slightly blurred in the background.

12/10/22 →

#Caturday

Standing black & white tuxedo cat, head tilted down but eyes looking up in a super serious pose.

12/10/22 →

Extremely interesting to watch KSFO operations with a stiff wind from the south. All the approaches look bonkers landing at opposite ends of runways from normal. Like this WN904 flight-- they even had to do a Take Off/Go Around!

12/9/22 →

Beer is bottled and now to hope nothing got contaminated during the process. This is so much work. It’s hard to justify it to myself at times.

12/8/22 →

Bottling day tomorrow! Bottles are now washed and will drain & dry overnight. It’s Phat Tyre Ale.

12/8/22 →

My account on mastodon.sdf.org straight up vanished during their database upgrades that were meant to increase performance. Lots of people losing accounts, posts, and follows. I’ll put this mildly: screw that. But I hope they can resurrect all those accounts and data.

12/7/22 →

A quick Mars + the Moon shot

mars and the moon in a dark sky. mars looks like a star to the bottom left of the full extremely bright moon

12/5/22 →

I set up my MBP’s Hazel to sync the latest Fujifilm X RAW Studio camera profiles from my Mac Mini. Now if I’m on the go I’ll be set. Glad they’re simple JSON files (easy to edit too).

12/3/22 →

First roast of the winter!

medium rare sliced roast beef with caramelized brussels sprouts and golden brown, crispy popovers

12/3/22 →

Yellow Rumped Warbler in the grapes this time!

a warbler with slight yellow on the chest. Sits on a grape vine amidst red and green grspe leaves, it looks to the camera.

12/2/22 →

Got a Kinglet in one place for a few moments!

a small yellow Kinglet bird with white eyeliner abd white wing bars. it is peering at a cluster of grapes amongst grape leaves.

12/2/22 →

Close up of the pea sized hail and frost. The hail didn’t melt overnight!

pea sized hail on bark with a frosty seedling. A finger for scale.

12/2/22 →

First major frosty morning here.

within a residential area, frost on a roof, car, and the ground with palm trees in the distance

12/1/22 →

Pea sized hail in Orland!!

12/1/22 →

Some kind of Kinglet, maybe a Ruby Crown Kinglet, in the grapes this time. Was moving fast as birds do.

a yellowish Kinglet bird in a geape vine surrounded by grapes.

12/1/22 →

It’s hilarious to me that it’s easier for me to use the Sonos app to listen to the latest Apple Music Strombo Show. Sonos app can put the show front and center while Apple Music makes me search for Strombo cuz the Radio tab is garbage.

November 2022

11/29/22 →

Western Mockingbird enjoying a desiccated grape in our backyard.

black, gray and white mockingbird in the shadow of a senescing grape plant with a dessicated grape in its beak.

11/28/22 →

Oops. Didn’t quite get the focus right. Still looks delicious. And was. Left over cranberry sauce + Humboldt Creamery vanilla ice cream.

11/27/22 →

Fujifilm X Raw Studio is very snappy with the X-T5 camera. Hardly any wait for reprocessing lossless compressed raw. Took a few seconds with the X100V, and only a split second on the X-T5 w/provided USB C cables. That makes a huge difference.

11/26/22 →

#caturday

A black and white cat laying in a blue & grey striped wool bed against a sliding glass door. She has white under the nose and a white chest. Her black fur is somewhat rusty at the haunches.

11/26/22 →

In the Micro.Blog app, I’d love to be able to selectively disable cross-posting sites instead of all or nothing. Here’s hawk bum for reading my unsolicited feature request!

bottom end of a hawk in a willow tree

11/25/22 →

Gorgeous day today in Northern California. This is from the same place where we saw the Northern Flickers (and Nutall’s and Acorn Woodpeckers).

blue skie with subs cliffs above golden grasses, a dead oak stump, and trees plus buttes on the horizon.

11/25/22 →

Northern Flickers galore on the trail today. Managed to photograph one.

11/23/22 →

My contribution to Thanksgiving is cleaning up the kitchen after major steps are completed by my wife & cranberry sauce. Can’t wait for tomorrow. Lots of prep today!

Whole cranberries in pot waiting to be cooked down into sauce.

11/23/22 →

WiFi tethering with the X-T5 looks like a game changer for around the house photos. I’ve got my Mac Mini as the Fujifilm Acquire server. I tested turning off the camera during transmit. The RAW sent but not the JPEG. I could really complicate things with Hazel and Shortcuts ;-)

11/22/22 →

The 5 Ghz WiFi setting to transfer from X-T5 to the Fujifilm iOS app is surprisingly usable with only a few seconds per 20MB 40 megapixel JPEG. Excellent. The 2.4 Ghz, like for the X100V, is still garbage at 10+ seconds per image (not actually measured but felt like it).

11/22/22 →

Backyard House Sparrows - 84mm equivalent & cropped to zoom, using those X-T5 40 Megapixels! I am planning to get a 200 mm lens in a few months & really start birding.

House sparrows foraging for bird seeds in a gravel area below a feeder.

11/22/22 →

Put the ale into secondary fermentation this morning and my sample is at 5% ABV! 🍺 🙌

A gravity measuring device in a tube vessel with amber beer. The meniscus is at 1.010.

11/22/22 →

Good news. The X Raw Studio config files (~/Library/App Support/com.fujifilm.denji) for the Fujifilm X-T5 are exactly the same as for the X100V. Only a few strings like model, serial #, and IOP (what?) are different. So it’ll be easy bringing over my film sim recipes to the X-T5.

11/20/22 →

Here’s me on the Snyder Creek trail gazing at the talus field, but still wanting to be out of there (rockfall is the reason for this talus). This is pretty near the end of the trail where there’s a camping area and a paternoster(?) lake, Snyder Lake.Stacey 2022 09 23 11 58 26

11/19/22 →

Back in September we visited Glacier National Park. We didn't take the Going to the Sun Road, but opted for the lesser traveled Snyder Creek trail. Here's a couple of fuzzy caterpillars taken with a Fujifilm X100V.A yellow fuzzy caterpilarBlack and orange spiky caterpillar

11/19/22 →

Been over a week since putting in 1 Gbps powerline adapters and it’s perfectly fine for basic Mac Mini server duty (HomeBridge, file server), Sonos, Apple TV, RaspberryShake, and teleworking.

11/18/22 →

I’ve snagged a Fujifilm X-T5 — it’ll be delivered Tuesday. I haven’t had a camera with interchangeable lens system in over a decade! I’m so excited. I ordered the 55 mm kit. Seems for a kit lens, it is unusually highly regarded.

11/17/22 →

I’m apparently harvesting Mastodon accounts tonight.

11/12/22 →

I’ve had good success with an old 200 Mbps powerline adapter, so I’ve finally splurged on a gigabit adapter plus an 8 port switch. A few weeks I’ll know if this is worth avoiding running LAN cables for decidedly non-mission critical stuff like Apple TV, Sonos, & RaspberryShake.

11/12/22 →

Had my gas & electric company switch our home from gas heat to electric heat service (we now have a heat pump). The main impact is we now get 10kWh added to the cheaper tier 1 electricity allotment for a total of 21kWh a day during heating season.

11/11/22 →

Phat Tyre Ale is now fermenting. A couple of mistakes were made but nothing critical (probably). It’s getting easier and less stressful every time as I refine my protocols. Original gravity at 1.048-1.050. Close to the documented 1.052!

Measuring original gravity of Phat Tyre Ale.

11/10/22 →

Funky moonrise tonight.

Orangish moonrise over houses on a dark street.

11/10/22 →

I just turned the compost and wow those soaking rains bring the FATTEST volunteer earthworms into the compost (or encourages them to gorge & get happy in the compost). We do have volunteer resident worms in the compost, though in the summer they stay at the very bottom.

11/5/22 →

Went to New Clairvaux Vineyard (home of Trappist-Cistercian monks) to pick up our first wine club order. It’s such a nice grounds.

11/5/22 →

Sierra Nevada Brewing’s Narwhal Imperial Stout is really good.

11/5/22 →

Thoughts on Heat Pump Heating: 

The weather chilled enough that our new Fujitsu 36LMAS heat pump is fully operational transferring outdoor heat into the house (during the cooling season it does the opposite). Our equipment continues to be amazingly quiet, quite unlike the natural gas furnace the heat pump replaced. It’ll be …

11/3/22 →

Going to try Northern Brewer's Phat Tyre Ale Extract Beer Recipe Kit this Winter. Will be the first time with secondary fermentation.

11/2/22 →

Fujifilm X Raw Studio for macOS crashed on launch the last few weeks. Worked fine with other user accounts. Eventually I nuked the right crumbs to stop the crash: saved application state!

11/1/22 →

0.34” of rain today! Finally, the rainy season has begun in California. 🤞

October 2022

10/31/22 →

So Slate is suddenly increasing their subscription from $59 a year to $119. And I can’t find the cancel button fast enough. Oh wait, it is missing despite the FAQ saying it exists! Poor form, Slate. I’m sure there’s another news org not doing shenanigans to customers.

10/30/22 →

Go away, Bolsonaro.

10/30/22 →

Region appropriate milkweed seeds sown today. Hope we get enough rain to avoid regular irrigation for germination and establishment. 🌱

milkweed seeds being irrigated

10/30/22 →

I’m slowly understanding Mastodon and I’m sure happy that I chose micro.blog a while ago. Wish that searching for Mastodon users wasn’t out of the way on the Discover page.

10/29/22 →

Replaced a leaky toilet valve this morning. Now that have had quite enough low grade anxiety & I feel accomplished, time to be extra lazy.

10/28/22 →

More signs of Fall with flocks of birds migrating overhead.

an arrow formation of birds fluing through a blue sky with wispy clouds

10/27/22 →

And here I thought we had a neighbor operating a wood stove for heat. Ugh.

share.watchduty.org

Barn fire with spread to vegetation - Hwy 99W, Orland

10/25/22 →

Thumbs up on Apple’s Shared Photo Library. We set it up to start with photos starting on 10/24, skipped the Moments, and set it to Manual. Now our Camera apps are set to Shared Library and everything is working very well. It did take quite a while to configure the shared library.

10/23/22 →

Found European Fanta at World Market yesterday, and it goes very well with pizza. Fanta being slightly sweet and made using actual juice is so good.

10/23/22 →

Software documentation is usually neglected. So I’m super impressed that ToLiSS has already updated their A321 documentation for X-Plane 12 beta.

10/22/22 →

It’s the time of the year where every two weeks I prune the front yard native plants back. I fill the green waste bin and then I stop. That makes it easy to not overdo it. After and (way) before photo of our California buckwheat. I left twigs of assorted sizes for wildlife.

after pruning the California buckwheatbefore pruning the California buckwheat

10/22/22 →

I hope M2 Mac Minis are announced this week. X-Plane 12 goes over energy budget of my 2019 MBP (Radeon GFX), slowly draining the battery. Frame rates aren’t great but they’re mostly workable.

10/16/22 →

I replaced our two bedroom smoke detectors. The new ones have sealed 10 year batteries so no flimsy 9V cartridge to deal with. Love that these new First Alert detectors activate upon attaching to their mounts. Painless.

10/16/22 →

This is great for X-Plane quick view key bindings: Get a UI Numpad using macOS Accessibility (Easily Create Virtual UI Hotkeys!) - Tutorials - BetterTouchTool Community

10/15/22 →

Shedding of a mantis on our rosemary plant.upside down mantis shedding hanging off a rosemary branch.

10/15/22 →

I now always get way inside my head when signing a mail-in ballot. It didn’t used to be this way.

10/10/22 →

Cleared out the pepper plants that were vigorously revived from rain ~18 days ago & put some clover seed down. The garden is ready for winter. I’ve got a pile for drying out leaves on stems so I’ve got a supply of compost browns without clearing leaves on the ground. 🌱

10/10/22 →

Mantis in our happiest avocado tree.

10/8/22 →

The whole house fan is really nice. It actually cools off the mass of the house so its temperature doesn’t rebound like it did with floor fans positioned at window / slider screens. It is also really cheap to run at about .25 kilowatt-hours. Thumbs up!

10/2/22 →

That’s a lot of Rice A Roni 😬

10/1/22 →

Part of the HVAC replacement project included removing the decrepit swamp cooler. The eyesore & potential rain entry point is gone!! Contractors did a great job matching the shingles. Last part of the project, to be completed Monday, is a whole house fan.

no swamp coolerhouse with swamp cooler

September 2022

9/30/22 →

Heat pump installed and initial impression is it is amazingly quiet compared to the old traditional AC. First photo is the new heat pump (Fujitsu AMUG36LMAS), last is the old air conditioner. No more natural gas for heat! Winter will be amazing without jet engine sounds.

9/27/22 →

Snagged the best plane spotting spot at KSEA’s N terminal.

9/22/22 →

Mount Rainier and in the far distance, likely Mount Adams. Flying east from KSEA to KMSO

9/22/22 →

787s at KSEA. I’m on board that E175 from earlier today & now going to KMSO

787s - BA58 and Japan airlines 787

9/22/22 →

I appreciate that we’ll be on this exact E175 later today for a connecting flight to MSO

Alaska airlines E175

9/19/22 →

I’ve been enjoying X-Plane 12 Early Release (now beta 3) even if my MacBook Pro (x86) frame rates never get above 33. Compared to MS Flight Simulator 2020, it’s a change that my actions are the typical reason for incidents rather than bugs or lack of functionality.

9/18/22 →

The very first storm of meteorological Fall and White Crown birds have already descended upon our backyard. It’s cool that they prefer our warmer backyard to cooler stormy mountains. We’ll see them consistently until June. Welcome back!

9/17/22 →

In California, our baking season has begun. Inaugurated with Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.

9/17/22 →

Today at the Orland Flea Market.

9/16/22 →

To no one in particular… Please remember to wipe your smart phone camera lenses off before taking photos. You don’t need to suffer with that fog in your photos.

9/13/22 →

My @raspishake detected the M4.4 earthquake out of Santa Rosa, CA. Too far for me to feel though.

9/11/22 →

Today the weather was very nice and we had to make molè. An indulgent start of heavy comfort food season.

a plate of mole, Spanish rice, and black beans

9/11/22 →

Our volunteer conifers seem happy. First year they’ve developed cones‽ 🌱🌲

9/11/22 →

Used to be ddclient for dynamic DNS updates required 

web-skip=’IP Address:’
when checking the web for the WAN IP. But uh, seems like that’s been breaking my ddclient updates for a while now. Troubleshooting showed that removing web-skip in ddclient.conf fixes the problem.

9/8/22 →

Covid booster ✅ Flu shot ✅

9/8/22 →

06:54 AM and was 82°F & rising in the backyard here in Orland, CA. Amazing.

screenshot of my backyard weather station data

9/5/22 →

beestat says it’s too hot for the A/C to keep up. It’s also a Smart Day / which means we need save energy. That’s easy: increase the AC from 77°F to 83°F.

9/2/22 →

Got a proposal back from a contractor. It includes a ducted mini split which is a new concept to me and they are awfully tempting. Seems to be better in almost every way than than a classic American-style central heat pump system.

9/1/22 →

Pacific Gas & Electric SmartDay today and I bet tomorrow, too. Between 1600-2100, we’ll be setting our A/C to “away” and being more mindful of our general electrical use. For the greater good!

August 2022

8/31/22 →

For the next week, ~record hot temperatures! Once again, time to protect our Hosui Asian Pear’s central leader with shade cloth. I had to lash an old pruned apricot branch to the tree stake for height for the shade cloth. The tree put on several inches in the last week! 🌱

hosui pear covered by shade clothupcoming weather from WeatherStrip app

8/28/22 →

Had a standoff tonight. White had just rolled the double sixes.

8/27/22 →

Seems the first contractor I asked for an estimate from for a heat pump ghosted me. Takes a lot out of me for me to call anyone and have them in my home so I’m probably more dismayed than most would be.

8/16/22 →

Hope this leaf bursting bud on the central leader of my young Asian pear tree survives today’s max 114° heat in Northern California. A few more days of this too.

8/14/22 →

Smoke from the Six Rivers Lightning Complex earlier this morning creeping in towards our home in the North Sacramento Valley. It’s now smellably (😜) here.

8/13/22 →

We’re very happy with Trader Joe’s Bavarian Bratwurst. Pretty close to Nürnberger style but much bigger. Of course we had no choice but to prepare it as part of Currywurst.

Plated currywursttrader Joe's bavarian style bratwurst label

8/13/22 →

For All Mankind finale was a heck of a roller coaster. Woah.

8/13/22 →

Our home heat and air conditioning is 18 years old. We were planning on replacing it with a heat pump & now with the Inflation Reduction Act passing & Europe going all in on heat pumps, it’s time to get in on this before supply becomes a bigger problem.

8/5/22 →

Guess my endless tweaks to my drip schedules with the Rachio sprinkler controller are paying off. We used 9000 gallons last two months (150 gallons per day in & outdoor). I even added emitters this year! Last year that period had 14000 gallons.

July 2022

7/24/22 →

These backyard figs look good but they’re not sweet. We dried them out and plan on using them in a bake in a week or so.

7/22/22 →

M4.3 earthquake SE of Orovolle, CA occurred at 18:41 Pacific. I didn’t feel it. @raspishake #ShakeNet

7/18/22 →

Super happy with our peppers this year. Best harvest ever (and much more to pick). Mostly serranos in the bowl. Love ripe peppers. Can’t get those at the market where we live.

7/16/22 →

Based on my spreadsheet, it’s time to replace our ~20 year old A/C & nat gas heater with a new heat pump. Nat gas is now almost as expensive as electric per BTU (assumes heating seasonal perf factor of 9.5). No surprise gas cost is rapidly 📈. Just got to get thru summer.

7/15/22 →

Introverts that have to go to the office at least once a week find fridays amazing. Or at least I do. Fridays in the office: Empty - The Washington Post

7/10/22 →

Peppers & tomatoes (fortunately many of the delicious fruit do not have end rot) are ripening and we’re harvesting every few days now.

7/10/22 →

Hot air balloons behind our house this last Saturday. Not common at all & a delight to see.

7/7/22 →

From early June: rain over Munich’s Olympiapark.

7/5/22 →

All is not great in our garden though. We still have a heck of a time with end rot on our tomatoes despite amendments with calcium. Into the compost these went! 🌱

7/4/22 →

Pepper garden update🌱

garden path with ripening peppers on both sides and a glorious sunflower at the end of the trail

7/4/22 →

How the Yurok Tribe is bringing back the California Condor - On ArsTechnica

7/3/22 →

With insanity at European airports I’m thankful our early June trip to Germany was nearly flawless. We 😷managed to not get Corona (we tested ourselves before leaving though the US lifted that requirement while we were there). Almost 4 years of planning! Photo is Frankfurt Intl

Aircraft at Frankfurt terminals

7/2/22 →

Beetle killed trees in Saxony, Germany.

7/1/22 →

On my Mac Mini I have NetNewsWire pulling Tweets by specific users. Meanwhile, I’ve set my eero to block Twitter on my mobile devices. With NetNewsWire’s iCloud sync, NetNewsWire on mobile devices gets those tweets for me to read. Terrific way to reduce my Twitter use.

June 2022

6/29/22 →

Earlier in June: on a trail to Oybin, Saxony, Germany. Saxony has the best sandstone.

6/27/22 →

Earlier this month: When in Munich, you must ride the catfish?

6/26/22 →

Before our trip to Germany, I pruned the first big leaves off a sunflower because they were shading out a pepper. Now the sunflower has a flower near each prune cut. Great for attracting bees to our peppers!

6/25/22 →

6/12: in a forest southwest of Bautzen, Saxony, Germany.

mountain biker crossing a stream under forest cover

6/25/22 →

Gray Hairstreak butterfly on one of our pepper plants.

6/23/22 →

6/14: Minerals under ultraviolet light at the Freiberg Mineral Exhibition.

6/23/22 →

6/14: Freiberg Mineral Exhibition at Freudenstein Castle. An exquisite collection.

lit mineral specimens in a dark hall with two people enjoying the sights

6/23/22 →

I emergency bought a Ratio 6 coffee maker after my old Ninja broke. Best of all, and I didn’t know about this, @RatioCoffee just refunded the cost ‘cuz I won their drawing 🎉 can’t remember the last time I won anything this good!

6/22/22 →

June 6 in Munich.

6/21/22 →

June 6, 2022: the higher regional court building in Munich (Oberlandesgericht München).

6/20/22 →

Germany trip recap: some 787-9 photos while boarding FRA-DEN. I love it when boarding is at a stand and not a gate.

6/20/22 →

Our peppers exploded. Best yields ever. Already we roasted some shishitos to go with quesadillas. 🌱

6/19/22 →

We concluded our trip to Germany. It ended nicely despite the current upheaval of travel. Best unexpected thing to happen was the captain of the United 787-9 we flew on back to the States let me snap photos of the flight deck! Heaven.

6/17/22 →

Hello my first ever 787 flight! 🛫EDDF🛬KDEN🥳

6/16/22 →

I’m thrilled with this view of Frankfurt International from my hotel room. Great place to end this trip.

6/10/22 →

Countryside of Saxony, Germany. Barley fields!

6/8/22 →

Obligatory photo of surfers at the Eisbachwelle in Munich’s English Garden.

6/7/22 →

Eurasian Coots in the Pagodenburger See at the Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich.

A nesting coot in the lake and a coot on the shore foraging for food.

May 2022

5/31/22 →

Gorgeous dragonfly in the backyard today. Lucked out with the lighting.

bright red and orange dragonfly on the tip of a sunflower stalk.

5/30/22 →

Been trying to get to Germany to visit very good friends the last three years. Might actually happen this time.🤞

5/30/22 →

A very comfy Eurasian Collared Dove. Glad our backyard can be a refuge from the neighborhood outdoor cats

Eurasian collared dove resting on the edge of a bird bath surrounded by green vegetation

5/29/22 →

So I’ll not fly MSFS 2020 again with it bugging out & turning me straight to the airport at start of my downwind approach despite a properly programmed FMS. 🤬I’ll pay for X-Plane 12 early access (and get a X-Plane 11 license). MSFS is pretty but awful where it matters.

5/27/22 →

Peppers are on the way! 🌱

5/24/22 →

A few more photos of the #EdwardFire in Orland, CA today. Fortunately our house was never in danger. Sad that this fire was likely preventable with mere common sense about mowing. A few homes were lost. #EFire

5/23/22 →

Elderberries are ripening already. And there’s so many more in the hopper! 🌱

5/22/22 →

One front yard clump California Fuchsias is blooming. This one is always a month ahead of the others. Not pictured, but our yarrow is flowering too. And the Toyon is still very popular with all kinds of pollinators. Meanwhile our neighbor struggled with a gas powered lawnmower.🌱

5/21/22 →

I do not love it when Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 inexplicably drops my entire approach flight plan and drives me direct to the arrival airport. Keeps me on alert, that’s for sure. I’m pretty close to buying X-Plane. Can’t wait for X-Plane 12 early access.

5/15/22 →

Backyard is looking good. Peppers & tomatoes are flowering. The elderberries are still flowering.

5/14/22 →

Our grapes are getting plump real fast. And our volunteer conifers are super happy. They grew several inches this year. 🌱🌳

plump cultivated native California grapestwo conifers in our backyard

5/13/22 →

Baby “Bacon” variety avocados! Latest date I’ve seen berries on this tree. Let’s see if they’ll survive summer and winter. 🌱🌳

5/13/22 →

Probably going to have a bumper crop of figs this year! Last year was meager. 🌱🌳

5/12/22 →

Spotted a Hooded Oriole in the front yard as we we started an after lunch walk. What luck. A first!

5/9/22 →

More of this rain please.

5/8/22 →

Our front yard Toyon (first photo) and Yarrow (2nd photo) are blooming. Just the California buckwheat and the California fuchsias are left to bloom. 🌱

5/8/22 →

Been several years & usually I’m behind on WiFi tech so figured it was time replace the old eero Pro with an eero Pro 6E. I only use one eero as the house is tiny. Now getting top WiFi speeds on the local network 🙌

5/7/22 →

Mockingbirds are going to have an amazing late summer of grapes from our cultivated California grapes. These have an amazing assortment of bugs too. Still have ladybugs in them. 🌱

5/2/22 →

Pineapple guavas have been blooming for a few weeks now. The Mockingbirds love munching on the flower petals.

April 2022

4/25/22 →

Elk at Point Reyes National Seashore, California. Last March.

4/24/22 →

Spring.

4/24/22 →

Wild California Grape flowers.

4/18/22 →

Area scrub jays have really got the hang of our feeder. Although, recently one jay tried to peck at the seeds through the transparent canister.

blue jay clining to the bird feeder pole looking up at the feederthe blue jay hanging on to the bottom of the feeder, about to jump up onto its platformblue Jay precariously perched trying to get at the seeds

4/17/22 →

Our homemade Bulgogi fries. Inspired by a food show that had a terrible implementation of this idea. We got it right 🤫

golden fries with sliced Bulgogi (marinated steak), red gochujang based sauce, topped with chives.

4/17/22 →

Here’s a magenta flower from one of our cultivated California Wild Roses.

magenta rose with yellow center and luscious foliage behind

4/10/22 →

The Annie Cat.

black and white cat peering intensely over a table top

4/9/22 →

So far, max gust of 40 mph at my backyard today. And that weather station isn’t ideally located.

4/9/22 →

The Annie Cat in a bag.

black and white cat peering out of a paper bag

4/8/22 →

Today was the first taste of the Bravarian Hefeweizen home-brew and it is an unqualified success. This second brew is better carbonated (first was borderline flat) and it is more flavorful than Hank’s Hefeweizen. Both kits were from Northernbrewer.com.

Wheat beer with several inches of foam. It is on a wooden cutting board and a bottle opener is in front of it. ATP is the logo on the beer.

4/3/22 →

California Scrub-Jays carefully inspecting our just planted peppers and tomatoes🌱

4/3/22 →

Happy I got the last batch of beer fermented before this upcoming insane heat wave. We’re transplanting our peppers and tomatoes today. Rob Mayeda on Twitter: “…Temps as much as +20 > average with records in reach (1/2) #CAwx 🌡️🥵”

4/3/22 →

Good morning, Waffle! 🧇

a just cooked golden brown waffle being extracted from the waffle maker

4/3/22 →

Colors balance shift is a key part of Film recipes so my Shortcut would fail to match as white balance would inexplicably reset via Q. Fujifilm found the bug too: “bug has been fixed, which caused that WB SHIFT saved as ‘CUSTOM’ would be disabled by operating the ’Q’ menu.”

4/1/22 →

Hefeweizen bottling day. Here’s my factory. This’ll be the last brew until winter as I don’t use much air conditioning or have a fridge for fermenting. I’m quite happy with seasonal brewing. It’s kinda stressful!

three TV trays arranged around a chair with various bottling implements.

4/1/22 →

Avocado flowers! 🌱🌳

understated avocado flowers with barely any sepals. two flies are enjoying the plant.ladybugs enjoying the avocado tree.

March 2022

3/31/22 →

Assassin bugs are bad ass. They seem to be more common than ever in our yards. They’re also not camera shy. We welcome them!

assassin bug with a speared bug... and dead bugs around it. assassin bug with a speared bug... and dead bugs around it.

3/27/22 →

Lessons learned: in MSFS 2020, never change flight phases if flight plan is manually input to FMS. Super lame because the Plan UI doesn’t let you select transitions, VIAs & airways so its IFR plans are 100% bonkers. Also saved flights don’t seem to save my FMS programming. 😤

3/27/22 →

Finally got to the season two, episode two of Picard 😳 what a great premise

3/26/22 →

Only 4% of Flight Simulator players have completed an Instrument Landing System landing‽ Clearly I’m too nerdy for this game.

3/26/22 →

Poppies (1st photo) are now in full bloom and clarkias (2nd) are about to do the same. 🌱

front yard landscape with golden poppiesmagenta clarkia flowers

3/25/22 →

Recent mornings, our cultivated native California grape leaf tips have droplets of water. Apparently this process is called guttation. They’re likely telling me to cut back on way earlier than normal drip watering. 🌱

3/20/22 →

chocolate chip cookies on a cooking rack with a spatula looming behind them

3/19/22 →

Now in bloom in our backyard: cultivated California Wild Roses (pic 1) and Elderberry (2). Still gorging themselves: ladybugs. Everywhere in our front yard. They’re just decimating aphids. Ladybugs particularly love coyote bush (3) and sage.

wild rose flower with white flower petalsyellow elderberry flowersbright orange ladybugs all over a coyote bush

3/19/22 →

Latest Shortcuts for macOS Has Vast Improvements: 

What's new in Shortcuts in iOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3:

“End If” and “End Repeat” can now be dragged in the Shortcuts editor

That’s a big deal. I’ve abandoned attempts at refactoring shortcuts solely because I couldn’t move entire blocks of If statements.

“Combine Images” no longer produces empty …

3/18/22 →

Here goes my second brew - a simple Bavarian Hefeweizen. With way warmer than normal temperatures I figure our house will be close to or within the ideal fermentation temperature range. 🤞

3/16/22 →

Eurasian Collared Dove drinking party.

3/13/22 →

Potatoe croquettes for lunch today. Great use of leftover mashed potatoes.

plated golden brown croquettes with one cut open, revealing fluffy white potatoes and chives

3/13/22 →

Citrus gummies are a great way to use backyard citrus. We made Meyer lemon with Valencia orange gummies. An Alton Brown recipe. We’ve frozen our remaining Meyer lemon juice. Our citrus season is now over.

orange gummies in a bin atop a red cuttingboard and a wooden cuttingboard

3/13/22 →

macOS Shortcuts, Logger for Shortcuts, Shortcuts Temporary Files, and Hazel: 

Logger for Shortcuts provided me exactly the information to figure out how to get Hazel to properly use a Shortcut against a file. Now I can have Hazel run a specific Shortcut against a file whenever a new file shows up.

Background: for some reason when Hazel starts a Shortcut, the Shortcut operates …

3/12/22 →

From last Monday near Tomales Point in beautiful California, a genus Arctia moth caterpillar on lupins.

red and black fuzzy caterpillar on slender pinnate lupine leaves.

3/12/22 →

Raspberry Shakes do great science in the challenging conditions of Haiti: When a seismic network failed, citizen science stepped in on Ars Technica

3/11/22 →

I’ve been playing Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 on the Xbox Series S. I’m surprised at how it keeps my mind off everything and on a passion of mine and so it really helps my anxiety. Last time I played was w/ FS 98. This is amazing but not without some bizarre issues.

3/11/22 →

From last Monday, a very loud acorn woodpecker at the Point Reyes National seashore visitor center.

red headed & black body acorn woodpecker laughing atop a light pole against a clear blue sky

3/10/22 →

From last Monday, the Pacific Ocean and Tonalite rock at Tomales Point.

white with specks of dark minerals in tonalite rock against the blue ocean

3/9/22 →

Peppers and two tomato seedlings are making great progress. We’ll likely be hardening them off in a few weeks and plant by April.🌱

tray of small pepper plants under a grow light with a fan blowing on them.

3/9/22 →

More Point Reyes National Seashore photos from last Monday: bumble hovering near a flower, elk, and another coyote.

bumble bee hovering over a flowerseveral elk feeding and lazing about on grasselk with lots of antlers on a hillcoyote in a grassy area against the blue pacific ocean.

3/8/22 →

Yesterday, at Point Reyes National Seashore on the Tomales Point Trail, this hunting coyote could have been showing off. The coyote didn’t catch anything.

coyote hopping across the trailcoyote pouncing on a possible meal

3/6/22 →

The freeze we got a few weeks ago, down to 28°F, did no clear harm to our plants. Mandarin, Valencia, Meyer lemon, & avocado flowers fine. Our nectarine is setting fruit as shown by this cute little green ovary. And ladybugs are all over our California wild roses 🌱🌳

green fruit set on nectarine. jackets about to fall.

3/5/22 →

Front yard is looking really nice. I’ve been trying to rein it in with lots of pruning. I know our annual wildflowers super appreciated the 0.38” of rain last week. 🌱

various bushes in the front yard including California lilacview of front yard including a random clump of daffodils

February 2022

2/27/22 →

After weeks of warmer than normal weather, weather swung the other way and we had freezing temps for a few days. Had to cover up the weaker & less freeze tolerant trees. I don’t see damage to my earlier than normal blooming trees yet: all citrus, all stone fruit, one avocado 🌱🤞

frozen bird bathcovered up meyer lemon tree

2/21/22 →

We’re slowly preparing the backyard crop rows for planting. We just pulled all the weeds & bolting cilantro out to the compost pile. Saturday we enjoyed a fresh fennel salad. Next weekend we’ll test the drip tape, make any repairs, remove cat poop 🙄, and then add compost. 🌱

2/20/22 →

Harvested our first homegrown Valencia orange this year. So very sweet. Even the pith isn’t bitter. We may want to harvest the rest early if there’s a freeze later this week. Fortunately there’s only a dozen-ish. ~243 mandarins harvested so far — makes great juice 🌱🌳

sliced valencia orangejuicing mandarins

2/20/22 →

The Annie Cat.

a tuxedo cat vertically stretching on a seat back

2/19/22 →

Veggie sushi for dinner tonight.

cutting rolls of sushi on a blue cuttingboardplated sushi

2/19/22 →

Gilias were the first annual flowers to bloom in our yard. Can you believe these are just as or more aggressive at spreading compared to poppies? 🌱

purple round gilia flowers

2/19/22 →

First bloom for our Valencia orange tree. About three weeks early compared to 2020 & 2021. 🌱🌳

2/19/22 →

Ladybug larva gorging on aphids gorging on sage. And nearby, a bright orange ladybug pupa. 🐞 🌱

side view of black with orange spots ladybug larva on safe lead.top view of black with orange spots ladybug larva on sage leaf.bright orange ladybug pupa on dead sage leaves

2/18/22 →

Honey bee approaching a nectarine flower. 🌳🌱

2/17/22 →

Our New Century Asian Pear tree, seeing as it’s already showy as heck, will be glorious in a few years. 🌱🌳

many white flowers on new century asian pair tree

2/16/22 →

Our cultivated native grapes are leaking water from pruning cuts, and that is normal. But unexpected. 🌱

water accumulates at a grape pruning cut against a blue rainless sky.water accumulates at a grape pruning cut

2/15/22 →

Today I noticed my cultivated native grapevines we’re leaking water where I recently pruned them. A quick search revealed that is totally normal. I’ll try to grab a photo tomorrow. 🤯 🌱

2/12/22 →

Here’s three more flowering cultivated native plants from the front yard: sage, then manzanita, then western red bud.

light purple sage flowersbell shaped manzanita flowers with a foraging european honey beepink western red bud flowers amongst seed pods

2/11/22 →

… and here’s a lovely jumping spider hanging out on a manzanita leaf that’s surrounded by a creeping sage bush. Some white manzanita flowers show through the leaves.

a hairy jumping spider on a smooth manzanita leaf.

2/11/22 →

Sure feels & looks like spring in our front yard. I think this is an assassin bug on a newly blooming Ceanothus. 🌱

assassin bug atop purple Ceanothus flowers

2/10/22 →

…. and here is our new (this year) New Century Asian Pear about ready to burst. 🌱🌳

white flower buds

2/10/22 →

Our Nectarine is very close to blooming. This is its second year in the ground here. 🌱🌳

pink tip on a nectarine flower bud

2/6/22 →

California Towhee from this morning. First sighting ever in the backyard but have seen these around the neighborhood. They don’t seem to care much for the white crowns & house sparrows. This is my kind of bird.

California tanager on a patio. has a rusty bib that fades to grey down its chest.

2/6/22 →

Almond bloom season is already upon us 😒. You can’t avoid it in most of California.

2/6/22 →

Okay, for once in my life I managed to replace a key home feature without any frigg’n drama. Kitchen faucet replaced & why didn’t we do this sooner? The last faucet not only started leaking last night but years ago had seized into place - no swivel. Local Ace hardware was ace

2/6/22 →

Thanks to a Honeywell leak detector, at 22:30 we woke to an extraordinarily loud beeping from under the sink & found there a fresh leak. Could have got worse fast. It’s leaking at the braided hose & coupling. That hose is integrated -not replaceable without a new faucet.

screen shot of Honeywell app alertshot water supply line leaking below kitchen sink

2/5/22 →

Took a walk around a small lake today and saw: 1) turtles sunning on a log; 2) a western meadow lark; 3) redwing blackbirds; 4) long billed curlews; and 5) a duck with a cool hairdo (hopefully).

many turtles sunning on a log in a small lakewestern meadow lark in flightredwing blackbirds in flight long billed curlews foraging for food near a lakea duck with a toupee

2/3/22 →

Audio calls where I have to talk are literally bad for my health hah. The two heart rate peaks after 9am were Teams calls. If not for my anxiety med, my peak heart rate would have likely been higher and sustained longer after a call.

January 2022

1/31/22 →

I looked out into the backyard just in time to see a Nuttall’s Woodpecker investigating our cultivated elderberry and Ceanothus bushes. So cool!

woodpecker in ceanothus. the bird has white stripes on a black back.woodpecker climbing around an elderberry.

1/30/22 →

We started our peppers today: ancho, jalapeño, serrano, shishito, santa fe, and two tomatoes. Trying for variety this year. 🌱

seed starter under an LED lamp

1/29/22 →

Did a bit of pruning of the apricot today. Doesn’t look like much but I removed lots of suckers and interior branches. I’ve quit trying to top it. Dang tree barely produces so it is not worth the extra effort. 🌱

1/29/22 →

If you’re new to Apple Music, because reasons, you may follow me. https://music.apple.com/profile/rpmik

1/29/22 →

Dynamic Range Priority Added to "What was my Fujifilm Recipe?" macOS 12 Shortcut: 

I’ve updated my “What was my Fujifilm Recipe?” macOS 12 Shortcut. It now includes support for Dynamic Range Priority. The “Scanned Superia” recipe from fujixweekly.com is added. The Shortcut now uses SHA1 hashing, as on modern processors it is much faster than MD5 …

1/28/22 →

The Annie Cat successfully catting this past afternoon.

1/23/22 →

1/23/22 →

Managing Anxiety: 

My doctor increased my dose of an anxiety med. Took three weeks to feel the effects of that but once again I don’t feel like I’m racing against time when doing a hobby. Or in full flight mode when making calls. My heart doesn’t pound as hard and as long when starting work. HeartWatch, with its …

1/22/22 →

A few different birds & a landscape from today’s nature walk. One vulture and one 777.

1/22/22 →

macOS Shortcut: What's my Fujifilm Focal Length?: 

Since I now have the TCL-X100II attachment and I make ample use of the Digital Teleconverter feature, I made a quick macOS Shortcut to add Fujifilm Effective Focal Length as a metadata Keyword. This Shortcut requires exiftool in your path. It’s a modified version of What’s My Fujifilm …

1/22/22 →

I pay for 800 Mbps down and 15 Mbps up. Xfinity/Comcast over-provisions my download a ton. Recently I got a free unannounced bump in upload speed. Basically I now have near gigabit internet. Got to be happy about that especially with the small price increase.

1/21/22 →

House Sparrows on the feeder and a reddening House Finch waiting its turn on top of the pole.

1/17/22 →

The front yard Manzanitas (1st photo) and Coyote Bushes (2nd) are flowering. Next up are the Ceanothus bushes, then the Elderberries. 🌱

1/16/22 →

Today I had to remove a trespassing & bird harassing “Happy Birthday To You” balloon from our mandarin tree and then dispose of it. A birthday card can say as much. 🙄

happy birth balloon stick in a mandarin tree that has ripe oranges on itabout to cut into a trespassing happy Birthday balloon a drip tube cutter cutting deeply into a happy balloon

1/16/22 →

Last night’s roast beef dinner. Sunday night came early! 🤭

1/16/22 →

Random aircraft photo of mine from 2005 at Incheon International Airport, Republic of South Korea. You won’t see lined up 747s like this anymore.08272005 1286 IMG 2580

1/15/22 →

Today we moved our lemon grass over a few feet to give our new Asian pear tree some room. Then we finally mulched the area. Looking good! BTW, our electric tiller is amazing. Way better than hacking away at compacted soil with pick & shovel.

1/15/22 →

On Twitter, Matt Roberts, an atmospheric science student, showed a spike in atmospheric pressure at Half Moon Bay airport around 4am. Likely caused by the Tonga eruption. Looked at my weather station and it registered a spike after 4 am. Impressive. Minor(?) tsunami inbound.

1/11/22 →

Honey bees are apparently feeding on bird seed dust. Never seen this behavior before. More photos on Flickr.

1/9/22 →

On today’s walk, there was a very photogenic & easy-going Black Phoebe. This one did not want to leave their tree.

1/8/22 →

My favorite person made cinnamon rolls today for tomorrow morning and another weekend (raw rolls apparently freeze well).

1/7/22 →

In the great valley of California, one learns to appreciate winter clouds after summer’s constant blue or smokey sky.

1/2/22 →

A very frosty morning today. My weather station read a low of 29°F just after midnight.

frosty sagefrosty crop rowsfrosty cilantro

1/1/22 →

I planted two Asian pear trees today. A New Century (1st photo) and a Hosui (2nd photo). They’re from Stark Bro’s. These may be the last fruit trees I ever plant.

December 2021

12/31/21 →

We’re ending the year with disco fries. Everyone, have a good start to 2022.

12/31/21 →

One more photo of today’s aebleskiver making.

12/31/21 →

Aebleskiver day!

12/30/21 →

After a few years of iPhone night mode, high ISO photography (as high as 12800) with my X100V is pretty nice. I really can’t be bothered by the noise since the X100V results in most circumstances look way better than blotchy iPhone night mode.

12/26/21 →

Last night. Winter views like this make slogging through summer worth it.

12/25/21 →

As is annual tradition, made caramel the other day. Every batch is unique. Compared to last year, the caramels are harder but bolder in flavor.

12/24/21 →

Christmas Soup is a before Christmas tradition for us. Easy and so very tasty.

12/23/21 →

😬 this backgammon game ended more intensely than expected. I won 🙌

12/23/21 →

Has anyone figured out the rhyme or reason behind Fujifilm cameras expiring smart phone-provided location information via bluetooth? Location information expires in a few hours (I think) and the Fuji Cam Remote app + Camera do not reliably connect without user intervention.

12/22/21 →

I really enjoyed Hawkeye. A lot of fun. Hailee Steinfeld is great as Kate Bishop (… and Emily Dickinson).

12/21/21 →

I had rain gage issues the last big rain & wind storm. A mast pole was slightly loose so I wedged it in tighter. I also added weight to the bottom of the structure. It is level and the tipping bucket is not sticky. Hope that increases accuracy in wind despite shrubs.

12/21/21 →

Listening to last week’s Accidental Tech Podcast– I’m befuddled by Marco Arment’s inability to boot an M1 Mac Mini without any human interface devices. Mine does it just fine. Perhaps the trick is rebooting it using Screen Share? I dunno. The Mac Mini is a great server for …

12/21/21 →

“What was my Fujifilm Recipe?” macOS Shortcut update: exiftool now preserves the original file dates (-P) and it now overwrites the original file (-overwrite_original). I also added a Shortcut example for batch processing photos using a selection in Finder. Find all this on the …

12/20/21 →

I didn’t feel the M 6.2 - 38km W of Petrolia, CA earthquake in Orland but it was easily recorded on the @raspishake.

12/19/21 →

Had homemade Korean pancakes (jeon) tonight. Filled with leftover banchan used in last night’s bibimbap.

12/19/21 →

Whole wheat waffles… smothered with definitely very healthy butter and maple syrup.

12/17/21 →

Success! First try of Hank’s Hefeweizen home brew and it is exactly what a Hefeweizen should be: delicious malt flavors and not hoppy. I’m so happy about this. Was a lot of anxiety-inducing work & waiting.

12/13/21 →

Wind and rain today in California.

12/12/21 →

Soggy House Finch.

12/12/21 →

Soggy house finches and house sparrows (maybe a fox sparrow too) sheltering on grape vines from the wind and desperately needed rain.

four or so birds sheltering on a grape vine

12/11/21 →

Installed two of three Caseta switches. The 3rd end of run circuit neutral is miswired somewhere as bulbs flicker when the Caseta PD-6ANS switch is off. Off shouldn’t trickle voltage through lights like the dimmer. Off is off - the point of the neutral wire. 🤷 I’ll revisit soon.

12/11/21 →

Caseta dimmer switches are easier since they don’t care about hot versus load wires. But the jokers that lived here before connected the upper switch ground directly to the lower switch and… didn’t connect the actual house ground. Also daisy chaining like that is not the way. 🤬

12/11/21 →

I’m getting really good at installing Caseta switches. A no-contact voltage tester pen is key for safety & to get the hot wire right the first time.

12/8/21 →

First beer I ever brewed is now bottled and will be carbonating for a few weeks. I tasted it and it is definitely a Hefeweizen. ~4.3% ABV. Not quite 5.1% listed on the product page but I had ~3°F swings in temperature around 68°F. Two weeks and it’ll be ready to drink! 🤞🍻

12/8/21 →

Finished reading: The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett 📚 ★★★★

12/7/21 →

Beer bottle label graveyard. Tomorrow is bottling day.

fragments of sheared beer labels

12/6/21 →

Moravian star - the most festive our house gets on the exterior.

12/6/21 →

Our front yard cultivated native fuchsias are still blooming. All summer, with minimal added water, and into winter. Amazing plants.

12/5/21 →

The household chef making sandwich melts. I was just trying out the Kodak T-Max 400 film “recipe” found at FujiXWeekly.

12/4/21 →

Mushrooms!

12/4/21 →

Mural at La Corona Mexican Restaurant, Orland, CA.

12/4/21 →

Better B&W Recipe Detection and exif Keywords added to macOS "What was my Fujifilm Recipe" Shortcut: 

I know that many people choose Fujifilm cameras for black and white photography. I hadn’t explored B&W photography yet so the original macOS “What was my Fujifilm Recipe” didn’t include one specific B&W recipe ingredient: BWAdjustment (Warm/Cool aka WC). So to better …

12/3/21 →

Shortcuts for macOS really makes me want to say many oaths 🤬

November 2021

11/27/21 →

Turkey Milanese. A great use of leftover white meat.

Golden brown fries turkey

11/26/21 →

Turkey Pho (well, inspired by Pho).

11/26/21 →

Stuffing waffles for post-Thanksgiving breakfast is now 100% a tradition.

11/25/21 →

My partner in crime sure does know how to cook a golden, juicy bird.

symmetrical golden brown turkey parts

11/24/21 →

Earlier this month In Lahaina, Maui, two Java Sparrows (Padda oryzivora) silently discussing the two intrusive humans below them.

Two java sparrows in the rafters looking at each other

11/23/21 →

For the first time, tried a very simple beer brewing. This is Hank’s Hefeweizen. I’m fermenting in the tub because I worry about leaks despite an hours long leak test last night. It’s already bubbling!

11/23/21 →

From Maui earlier this month: Waihe’e Ridge Trail. A very popular choice these days. It’s in much better condition than the last time we hiked it in 2015. I recall a big storm washed out the trail, closing it for a while. They did a great job!

11/22/21 →

Was trying to take a casual picture of The Annie Cat and…

11/22/21 →

Finished reading: Champion by Marie Lu 📚 I read this one pretty dang fast! I returned it to the digital library 9 days early (21 day loan). ★★★★

11/22/21 →

From Maui earlier this month: a few more early mornings with Haleakala.

sun peaking out from the peak of haleakalaan amazing pink dawn

11/21/21 →

macOS 12 Shortcut: What was my Fujifilm Recipe?: 

Screen Shot 2021 11 24 at 12 32 51 PM

NOTE: the link to this Shortcut, and then its changelog, is at the end of this page.

About

I’ve created a macOS 12 only Shortcut to remind me what Fujifilm Recipe or Film Simulation I used for my off the camera photos. It requires exiftool in your path (manually or via Homebrew etc). For some …

11/21/21 →

From Maui earlier this month: sunset on a boat. While we mostly enjoyed the sunset cruise, we learned that we are firmly terrestrial people and won’t bother with boats again. Unless it is a ferry in exceedingly calm waters (like the San Francisco Bay).

11/21/21 →

With macOS 12.0.1 Shortcuts’ Run Shell Script, Shortcuts often crashes when reading stdout text. After much experimentation, my workaround: send output to a file and then use Shortcut’s File function to read the file into the workflow.

11/20/21 →

From Maui: Sea Turtle Part Photos: 

Here’s a collection of sea turtle parts while on Maui earlier this month. I made ample use of the X100V’s continuous shooting mode, getting several hundred photos and out of those only about six with clearly identifiable turtle parts. They’re amazing creatures and I can spend hours …

11/11/21 →

Saw a beautiful orchid today.

11/10/21 →

From the left: Jupiter, Moon, Saturn. Then just the moon.

jupiter, half moon, saturnhalf-ish moon

11/10/21 →

Haleakala as the morning sun peaks over. Then crepuscular rays! The first time I ever noticed them.

Sunrise just occurring at a silohetted Haleakala, a sudden mova of brightness.pinkish bands of light with intervals of dark sky, haleakspa silohetted.

11/9/21 →

Dragon’s Teeth at Kapalua, Hawaii.

11/9/21 →

Playing with Bulb on my X100V. 7 second exposure of Haleakala at nautical dawn. So cool that I can control the shutter with my phone.

pink glow under wispy clouds above haleakala. City lights abound and sky glow against the sea.

11/8/21 →

Sunrises and Haleakala on Maui, Hawaii never get old.

sun rises over Haleakala volcano

11/6/21 →

I didn’t get why people include grain in their digital photos, thinking it is an anachronistic hipster thing. I’ve fully come around and find grain added by my camera can make photos seem sharper yet give blur and subjects more character. Photos feel better with grain.

11/6/21 →

Current Slate of Fujifilm Film Simulations: 

I’ve got a slate of six Film Simulations from Fuji X Weekly loaded on my X100V. Fuji X Weekly’s Film Recipes app is nice for a quick reference. Here’s what I’ll be working with for a while in hopes of greatly limiting RAW reprocessing with Straight-Out-Of-Camera (SOOC) JPEGs:

  • General Purpose: …

11/5/21 →

Closer look at a senescing apricot leaf compared to a still green leaf.

yellow heart shaped apricot leaf in front of a green leaf

11/5/21 →

Our apricot is almost ready to overwinter. The nectarine at the bottom left is being a bit stubborn. California wild rose at the bottom right is in full growth mode.

11/2/21 →

Perfect field weather today.

October 2021

10/31/21 →

Sourdough biscuits for breakfast today. With the X100V, learning manual focus & judicious aperture settings are key for food. And willing use of the flash. The flash on this camera is good! But don’t use the Velvia Film Simulation with flash as shadows get a very blue cast.

biscuits with red paprika on a plate

10/30/21 →

We’ve got patty melts and a cat tonight, but no Aurora.

10/30/21 →

Oh hello there! 👋

upside down mantis in california buckwheat

10/30/21 →

I love not spending tons of time processing RAW by using Fujifilm X100V’s Film Simulations. These on-camera JPEGs look great and Fujifilm X Raw Studio makes slight tweaks using the original RAW a breeze. Definitely getting all value out of this fun camera.

Backyard scene with citrus trees against cedar bark and vivid blue skies with clouds

10/30/21 →

My current drip system is an aging hodgepodge with uneven tree watering. I just got a bunch of new drip stuff from dripdepot.com (20% sale). Will be converting compression fittings to perma-loc. That’s more flexible and fittings are, importantly, easily reusable.

10/29/21 →

Fridge water dispenser started leaking. Its valve refuses to completely close. This has been an on and off problem but now is permanent. I had to remove the water line junction because there’s no valve. Plumbing is the worst as I never trust that my connections are leak free🤞

water line junction to remove so as to disconnect the fridge water line going to the rightwater line junction removed from the under sink plumbing.

10/28/21 →

This little backyard lizard lives underneath that cinder block.

juvenile lizard sunning on a cinder block

10/24/21 →

Chocolate chip with walnut cookie connections.

10/23/21 →

Turkey taquitos. Fried. Meaning delicious.

browned fried taquitos on a grid rack

10/23/21 →

So much rain and soon far too much in too few days. 1” total so far this month.

water dripping off a silohette of grapes. water drops are reflecting things and are in focus.

10/22/21 →

This morning after 0.55” rain. The clouds cleared out astonishingly fast.

10/22/21 →

No rest for birds this time of the year. Here’s a Yellow Rumped Warbler (lower right) and Lesser Gold Finch (upper left) in our cultivated native grapes.

Yellow Rumped Warbler (lower right) and Lesser Gold Finch (upper left) in our cultivated native grapes.

10/22/21 →

We got the JJ Covid-19 vaccination very early this year so of course we just went and got Pfizer boosters 🙌

10/21/21 →

Our cat utilizing all her available space.

10/20/21 →

I don’t do sports but I have a backyard.

rainy day in a landscaped backyard

10/19/21 →

Bird bath mirror.

10/17/21 →

First measurable precipitation of the 2022 water year in Orland, CA! 🎉

10/17/21 →

As a follow up, I’ve updated an older Fujifilm Get Film Simulation iOS Shortcut to now include ACROS and Monochrome simulations. This has only been tested on JPEGs from an X100V. Get this not well tested iOS Shortcut here.. For everyone else, enjoy a stuffing waffle using the Velvia film simulation. …

10/17/21 →

There’s a thoughtful post on Fuji X Weekly. After spending several weeks with a X100V, I’m in agreement with the utility and power of Fujifilm Film Simulations. As a hobbyist, it is liberating embracing Fujifilm out-of-camera JPEGs. I barely need the RAW Power app.

10/15/21 →

Cooler weather = bread baking season. My partner made Sourdough specifically for stuffing. Excellent priorities.

well caramelized sourdough loaf on a rack.

10/15/21 →

Ethereal light shafts in a coastal forest (Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in California). From 2015.

10/15/21 →

Perma-loc splice is an okay fix for drip tape punctured by fighting cats. Please keep your cats indoors. Cats are destructive of not only wildlife but also your neighbor’s stuff.

10/13/21 →

Of all the animals we see in our backyard, the western toad is our favorite. It was very loud tonight in the leaves. Just look at that foot!!

10/11/21 →

Hygge in the neighborhood. Hygge is part of today’s micro.blog challenge.

10/11/21 →

M6.9 earthquake in Alaska registered on my RaspberryShake.

10/10/21 →

There’s now a Thai restaurant where I live! Pretty decent for a small town.

10/10/21 →

Last night’s constellation of the moon, Venus, and street light at one of the bridges over I-5.

waxing crescent moon, venus, street light, and a car driving up a bridge. black and white photo.

10/9/21 →

I wouldn’t feel safe flying in that biplane! Almost as bad as a helicopter.

10/9/21 →

Celebrated mom’s birthday today with chicken fried steak (one of her favorites)! A great day.

10/9/21 →

Albums queue syncing between my iOS devices is effing amazing. Start a queue of albums on my iPhone, then effortlessly transition play on iPad (and airplay to home speakers). Why Apple hasn’t done this with their Music app confounds me.

10/8/21 →

A Feijoa sellowiana of ours got very stressed this summer because of a clogged irrigation emitter. It is now flowering out of season. A nice surprise.

10/8/21 →

At just about Civil Twilight tonight.

10/7/21 →

Here’s our resident Western Toad that’s likely en route to the compost pile. And yes, that’s toad scat in front of the toad. The toad has a circuit to complete every night.

10/7/21 →

Spice in the form of home grown assorted peppers. Turned these fine frozen specimens into hot sauce last weekend.

10/6/21 →

Our street is nicely obscured from the front yard by cultivated native California plants. They rarely get watered but has been more frequent the past two summers. California buckwheat is showy now with its rust colors and white flowers.

10/5/21 →

I don’t consider this Fujifilm X100V a toy but it sure brings me a lot of joy. Most photos I’ve posted lately are from it. Except this one, of course.

Photo of my Fujifilm X100V

10/4/21 →

Sharp looking (spotted bird?) grasshopper! It was resting in our California buckwheat.

10/3/21 →

A little bit of excitement at an over crossing today.

10/3/21 →

Our first backyard Spotted Towhee!

10/3/21 →

A majority onion tarte tartin. This tarte literally has the flavors of French Onion soup but this is so much better.

onion tarte tartin

10/2/21 →

September 22, 2021: full moon after dark.

10/1/21 →

Our replacement rear fence got finishing touches today. Very excited to no longer have a very old fence threatening total collapse because its wood posts weren’t set in concrete, had split boards, and rails severely sagged. Photos are after and before. Contractor did great.

10/1/21 →

Just got this year’s flu shot! 💉

September 2021

9/29/21 →

I just tried Fastmail’s and 1Password’s Masked email. It’s pretty great especially since it worked with a custom domain on day one!

9/27/21 →

Preying Mantis in our California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum). They sure do keep two eyes on you.

9/26/21 →

Sunflower seeds ready to be eaten by backyard birds. Bet the scrub jays will cache them all.

sunflower seeds in a dried out sunflower head.

9/25/21 →

I was not a fan of this Black Widow that was in my very well sorted irrigation parts bin earlier today. 🌱

9/25/21 →

I’ve installed valves to isolate our crop rows so we can have slightly better control of what rows get water. Hope to get herbs seeded in the first (closest) row and the other two will be shutoff. 🌱

0.7" diameter drip tube with valve installed.

9/25/21 →

California fuchsias still blooming, and that makes our hummingbirds very pleased.

blooming red fuchsia flowershummingbird hovering above our driveway

9/24/21 →

Now that I’m adding to our compost pile at night, our resident Western Toad can be seen hard at work. Mustn’t let the bugs get too far away from the pile!

9/24/21 →

My partner’s new iPhone 13 Mini setup with no fuss. Phew. Coming from an XR, she is super excited about its size. Super pocketable.

9/24/21 →

Here’s my annual “elderberries are breaking summer dormancy” post.

9/24/21 →

Before and after: California grape leaves.

green, live grape leafa collection of fallen grape leaves

9/21/21 →

I had one last use of Dropbox with a iOS Shortcut. Now that iOS 15 supports file operations anywhere in iCloud, Dropbox is a goner.

9/20/21 →

Quick temp fence repair. Someone long ago didn’t set the fence posts in concrete so they’ll all rotting out. It’s time for a new rear fence. Cross braced it up on the other side with a long 2x4. Empty lot behind us fortunately.

9/19/21 →

Long time followers know I cannot not take the opportunity to photograph a mantis.

9/19/21 →

If you use recent Fujifilm camera (e.g. X100V), they have neat film simulations. I’ve made a iOS 15 Shortcut that’ll get the film sim from EXIF of a Fujifilm JPEG. Handy if you need a quick reminder about what film sim you used. Doesn’t yet work on B&W and sepia sims.

9/19/21 →

Last night the clouds and last light of the sun put on a good show.

orange and pink light off the bottom of clouds

9/18/21 →

Korean Fried Cauliflower.

9/18/21 →

Cooler weather today meant I could finally cleanup the backyard garden. I can’t believe how hardy pepper plants are. Most were still alive despite a few months of zero irrigation.

9/18/21 →

Good morning! The weather in Northern California is starting to feel like fall. 😍

9/17/21 →

I got a new stand-alone camera. I had forgotten just how powerful choosing your own f-stop is. Makes iPhone cameras feel cramped as they get faster and faster in the pursuit of “more light.”

9/12/21 →

Being up when it is dark now means we get to see The Infinity Toad.

9/12/21 →

I kept thinking that my elderberries are late waking up from summer dormancy but my log shows they wake up in early October. I’m impatient! 🌱

9/11/21 →

A Katydid visited and rested with us today.

9/10/21 →

Autumn.

9/10/21 →

Got 0.29” rain last night here in California 🤗 I’m quite happy that our rain gage survived the summer.

9/8/21 →

California fuchsias and hidden mantis in the front yard this morning.

9/7/21 →

Grapes are now turning to raisins but the birds still love them.

9/5/21 →

Mockingbird.

9/3/21 →

Really cool hearing a Spritualized song on Ted Lasso.

9/2/21 →

Our first grosbeak sighting! This is a Black-headed Grosbeak. It is eating our cultivated California native grapes.

August 2021

8/31/21 →

I see Instagram is phasing me out as a user with their future requirement for date of birth. I can hardly trust anybody with that Personally Identifiable Information these days and certainly NOT FaceBook. Hope more people switch to Micro.blog.

8/30/21 →

If you live in California, please vote no on the recall of Governor Newsom. There’s literally no good reason to upend State government right NOW. Things are as good as they can be under the circumstances – frankly, better than I expected. He’s made mistakes but nothing fireable.

8/15/21 →

Mockingbirds enjoying our grapes (these cultivated California native grapes are for the birds!).

8/11/21 →

Mockingbirds love our cultivated native grapes 🥰 It’s the best seeing them swallow a large grape whole. We’ve seen at least five in our backyard. They mostly get along. We have a kind of neutral zone

Mockingbird sitting on a grapevine

8/7/21 →

Homegrown Fantasia nectarines are amazing, even when still firm. Hope I can keep the tree that’s been planted for 1-year safe from beetles. 🌱

8/2/21 →

Still many small earthquakes occurring south of Black Butte mountain on the Mendocino NF. Impressive M3.7 today AND a M2.7 on the same @raspishake seismograph.

8/1/21 →

On 7/31, six small <= M3.0 quakes ocurred on the Mendocino NF near Rocky Basin Creek. All within hours of each other. The last cluster was 7/24-7/25. Total of 12 tremors so far. I don’t know of mapped nearby faults. Fascinating. Here’s the 7/31 M3.0 quake from my @raspishake. RaspberryShake RS 20210731 20210731 MNF Rocky Ridge Quakes

July 2021

7/29/21 →

My @raspishake captured the M8.2 Alaska earthquake. And then some. Wow.

7/25/21 →

So there’s been a cluster of small shallow quakes in a central part of the Mendocino National Forest the last couple of days and this is the largest so far. Hmmm. Recorded on my @raspishake

7/25/21 →

We started pickling two almost full pint jars of Santa Fe peppers today. Turns out they’re not great for hot sauce as their flesh is pretty thin and they’re very seedy.

yellow to red sliced santa fe peppers, in a jar, ready for pickling brine.a close up of santa fe peppers, in a jar.

7/24/21 →

We made our first batch of hot sauce the other weekend. Two pounds worth of home grown peppers made about 32 oz of sauce (we like a sauce that is thicker and doesn’t dribble off things). So good. 🌱

frozen home grown peppers in ziplock bagsweighed peppersroasted peppersbottles and jarred peppers.

7/24/21 →

It’s our first smoky day of the summer. The automatic air filtration device agrees with a bright LED and maximum power.

7/23/21 →

We have harvested around 6 pounds of peppers and there’s probably another pound on our plants. They were no longer setting fruit in our heat so we’ve stopped irrigating them. I think the peppers will be fine as the plants will care for them until they’re sucked dry.🌱

multitudes of ripening thai pepperstwo santa fe plants that died for no reason. multicolor peppers are fine.dead pepper plants with still good peppers

7/18/21 →

I love fixing cracked main drip line tubing and a bad pressure regulator seal in 100°F weather. I took this as an opportunity to remove previous temporary fixes and an unnecessary valve.

the old leaky tubingthe repaired not leaky tubing

7/18/21 →

M5.1 earthquake south of Eureka, CA registered nicely on my RaspberryShake @raspishake though I definitely didn’t feel it (was asleep).

seismic infohelicorder of M5.1 earthquake

7/17/21 →

As far as I can find my county has a paltry 40% of its population fully vaccinated. That is very sad. So though I’m vaccinated, I’m still running errands masked. I don’t want mild COVID or to give it a chance to evolve.

7/11/21 →

So many ripe Serranos & other varieties. This is hands down our best year for peppers. It has taken many years of trial and error to get here. Hot sauce here we come! (Yes, we are eating some fresh). Oh and it’s fig season!🌱

red ripe serrano peppers on a planta pile of ripe peppers of various kindsripe figs

7/10/21 →

Volunteer sunflower from this morning. It took advantage of an emitter and I’m a sucker for known flowering volunteers 🌱

7/8/21 →

Wow big seismic signal from near Tahoe and also the Central Valley‽ Recorded by my #RaspberryShake @raspishake #ShakeNet mobile app. I didn’t feel it. ☹️

7/5/21 →

Edible garden update: we continue to harvest lots of red & ripe peppers for hot sauce. The tomatoes are basically done for the season at 195 tomatoes weighing in at 34 pounds. We froze most. And finally, our figs are starting to ripen and we’re on nectarine watch 2021🌱

7/4/21 →

Had a really good Independence Day fried chicken with a slaw based on real garlic aioli & ripe red Santa Fe peppers.

fried chicken on a baking sheet with slaw to the side (slaw has ripe red Santa Fe pepper slices).

7/3/21 →

I like Sierra Nevada’s Summer Break. Citrusy as expected and not too hoppy. It’s very refreshing. Just don’t expect a lot of complexity (it is a solid drinkable beer!).

7/3/21 →

The Annie Cat hoping neighbors don’t ruin her sleepy time with obnoxious fireworks this July 4.

7/2/21 →

Because of Safari’s new clearly bad UI changes, I’m not installing the public iOS and MacOS betas. Just listening to people talk about the new UI makes me cringe. I’m super excited about Focus though.

June 2021

6/30/21 →

Tried Spotify again after a few years and it still is terrible for managing and listening to actual music libraries. Apple Music (my profile) is a revelation after using the Spotify app for 1/2 hour. Weird cuz Music app needs more work (and why Albums app is amazing).

6/27/21 →

Yesterday’s max temperature at my Orland, CA station was 115°F.

weather station chart from MesoWest showing States and a graph of weather measurements

6/26/21 →

View of the backyard before we shelter indoors from the heat the rest of the day.

Trees. Tomatoes, peppers, and a house with grapevines along a porch overhang. Deep blue morning sky.

6/26/21 →

Covered up the avocados again in advance of today’s 110°F weather. Every time we do this it gets simpler and better. Wrapping the sheet around a ladder is genius.

Sheets covering two avocado trees

6/25/21 →

Our peppers are now rapidly ripening. And they are crazy hot 🤤! 🌱

santa fe peppers ripening on a plantred ripe thai, santa fe, serrano, and jalepeno peppers on a cutting board

6/25/21 →

Windows 11 requires UEFI firmware. I use VMWare Fusion 12 Player (free) for Windows 10. Seems only VMWare Fusion 12 Pro can change firmware from BIOS to UEFI. Maybe VMWare will be nice and enable the UEFI option for Windows 11’s reqs. firmware = “efi” works not.

6/22/21 →

The lapins cherry we planted last November is dead. It only grew a few leaves. Super bummed. Stark Bro’s is great & gave me a 125% store credit, no hassle (with proof of dead tree via scratch test), so we will try again this winter. I have no idea what went wrong.🌳🌱

6/20/21 →

Last Monday, on the Bright Angel Trail at the Grand Canyon, we were lucky to see Spotted Towhees. They really blend in to their surroundings!

two spotted towhees in a messy treeadult spotted towhee with dark red-orange sides

6/19/21 →

Last Sunday at Hoover Dam. Yes, Lake Meade is visibly very low (look at that bathtub ring!) and perhaps the dam is all the more impressive because if it.

Lake Meade upstream of hoover dam with white bathtub ringlooking down the downstream wall of the damlookkng from the south of the damlooking at the intakes and upstream wall of the dam

6/18/21 →

No surprise why I spent today processing raw photos. Cool that Carrot Weather can report on my weather station.

6/18/21 →

Big Horn Sheep seen from the Bright Angel Trail at Grand Canyon NP last Monday. The young one hopped up from below and surprised the hikers. Glad I wasn’t there but had my Olympus TG-4 at the ready.

an adult big horn sheep under a rock shelteran adult big horn sheep under a rock sheltera young big horn sheep on the Trail with some hikers

6/18/21 →

40 tomatoes harvested today at just over 7 pounds. During cooler weather a few weeks back they managed to set fruit, so lots more on the way. Our peppers, grown for mainly hot sauce, are ripening nicely.

harvested ripe tomatoes, piled high in a metal colanderharvested ripe peppers, super shiny and redSanta Fe peppers ripening, red and yellow agains the leavesseranos ripening, red against the leaves

6/17/21 →

My first flight on a 737-MAX8. Yeah I’m a commercial aviation geek and it’s great to be back in the air.

Southwest 737-MAX8 at the gate.

6/15/21 →

Went to the Grand Canyon yesterday. Over 250 photos to sort through but here’s two photos from the Bright Angel Trail. Obligatory one of the canyon and then… hops‽

look into the Grand Canyon from the bright angel trailCommon hops with a blurred canyon background

6/13/21 →

20 months since my last flight. Happily flying on a 737-7H4.

6/12/21 →

Does anyone else get yearly free download speed increases from Comcast/Xfinity or are they giving rural areas more bandwidth to look better on paper? It’s great 🤗 but I’m cynical 🤨

6/12/21 →

Six pounds of tomatoes harvested today. Total of 12 pounds this season. Ants have started aphid farming but hoping our mantises keep up! 🌱

6/12/21 →

Pandoc now available for M1 Macs via Homebrew: 

The amazing document converter, Pandoc, is finally available from Homebrew for M1 Macs! So I’ve adjusted my journal workflow to be on my M1 Mac mini. I’ll use 

jhead -autorot *.jpeg
(instead of Graphic Convertor since I only have one license and I want it on my MacBook Pro) for …

6/10/21 →

We harvested 2.5 pounds of tomatoes today. Almost 6 pounds total so far this season. We can’t use them that fast so many go in the freezer for future processing into soup, sauce, jam, etc. Same goes for peppers reserved for hot sauce🤤

tomatoes sitting on a scale reading about 2 pounds

6/8/21 →

We have a crazy amount of tomatoes ripening all at once — this is just one plant. We have three more.😳 Marigolds we started from seed are finally blooming.

ripening tomatoes on a plant with human hand for scalemarigolds with seranos behind them

6/8/21 →

I can hardly wait for Shortcuts on MacOS. That’s my favorite announcement from WWDC. Automator never clicked for me. I’m willing to wait so bugs hopefully won’t destroy my Shortcuts or iCloud data.

6/6/21 →

First ripe backyard garden tomato of the year. 🌱🍅 There’ll be many more to come!

6/6/21 →

Cultivated California buckwheat (front yard) flowers being buzzed by a honeybee.

white buckwheat flowers

6/5/21 →

These Santa Fe peppers are prolific! They seem to be more resistant to disease than jalapeños. 🌱

6/5/21 →

I’ve always loved listening to entire albums, as is evidence by my iOS Shortcut to randomize complete albums in track order. I don’t need that anymore. The Albums app is everything I always wanted Music.app to be. Shoutout to MacStories for letting me know about it!Albums app for iOS showing the queue as... albums. Lovely.

6/5/21 →

One variety of Cultivated California Fuchsias are full bloom in the front yard. This clump regularly blooms first, the others a month or two later.

6/3/21 →

This beneficial little mantis (and other excellent insects) is why we don’t use insecticide in our yards. 🌱

mantis on a pepper plant with nearby white pepper flowers

6/2/21 →

One day at 111°F in my sunny backyard and another at 105°F, and my Logitech Circle View doorbell has not overheated. Its circumstances: 24V 20VA transformer, north facing in the shade all day. I’m quite pleased with it.

Logitech Circle View doorbell by a red front door

6/2/21 →

Finished reading: City of Saints and Madmen (Ambergris, #1) by Jeff VanderMeer ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📚

6/1/21 →

Our fennel plants are managing fine in this 105°F+ heat. 🌱 a growing fennel plant

May 2021

5/31/21 →

Ooof. Though I have a suspicion my weather station measures higher than it should. It topped out at 111°F today.

temperature chart

5/31/21 →

That time of the year where we temporarily shade the avocado trees as they have a hard time taking up water fast enough during 105°F+ temperatures… yeah they don’t belong here. At all. 🌱

5/30/21 →

Front yard cultivated California Buckwheat & a few butterflies (Coliadinae?). 🌱 attached white and yellow butterflies on a bed of white buckwheat flowers

5/30/21 →

Happy to say this sap sucking Leptoglossus zonatus is no longer suckling our tomato plants. 🌱

sap sucking bug on a ripening tomatocaught Leptoglossus zonatus in gloves showing its zigzag markings

5/29/21 →

These jalapeños decided they had enough being outdoors and came right off the plant during inspection. They look fit to eat though are a little dried out. 🌱

5/28/21 →

Not sure why the M4.2 Lake Tahoe earthquake event isn’t showing up in the RaspberryShake app but my Shake definitely detected it. I did not feel it.

5/26/21 →

Our oldest jalapeños are starting to ripen to red. We can’t get delicious ripe peppers from the local store so it is worth growing them. We’ve got a few more days of temperatures where fruit will set… and tons of flowers. Should be very productive! 🌱

a jalapeño that is slowly turning red

5/24/21 →

Front yard Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) is flowering now. Small pollinators are rejoicing. Maybe this winter it’ll finally have bright red berries. 🌱 small white flowers amidst slightly serrated green leaves. A small fly like pollinator sits on one flower.

5/23/21 →

Serrano & Santa Fe peppers are doing great and just a few dozen tomatoes with end rot. Jalapeños are quickly recovering from black spot. Thai peppers are so close to fruiting and fennel bulbs are growing (not shown). 🌱 Nice long Serrano pepper A bunch of Santa Fe peppers coming in tomato end rot presenting with brown soft circles on the bottom tomato plants

5/22/21 →

Partner made Boston cream pie (dessert after an amazing ribeye). 🤤

5/22/21 →

First bloom of cultivated California fuchsias. The California buckwheat is about to start feeding pollinators. Toyon is next, though about a week behind last year.🌱

5/22/21 →

My partner uses my Apple ID for apps and her own for iCloud. When I changed my Apple ID email, her (my) App Store Apple ID seamlessly switched over. Later, her devices tried wrongly to switch her iCloud account to my new Apple ID. iMessages freaked out first. All fixed now. 😖

5/21/21 →

I just changed my Apple ID email address. That was scary. I think everything is fine? Took a bit of device coercing. Some needed complete log-offs, other devices figured it out on their own. Really inconsistent and that made it more scary. Hope I never have to do that again.

5/20/21 →

Western redbud has to share soil with a bird planted sunflower.

5/17/21 →

I think we are having a bumper crop of figs this year. Oh and we did find some tomatoes with end rot but seems localized for now. We likely added calcium to the tomatoes later than we should have. 🌱 young green figs on a fig tree brown end rot on a tomato

5/16/21 →

Front yard California fuchsias (or maybe the buckwheat or the toyon) are next to flower. Our fuchsias and buckwheat can flower all summer into fall and sometimes into winter. Red fuchsia flower bud getting ready to bloom

5/16/21 →

YesPlz #129 nailed our preferred roast (medium-ish). First time with YesPlz. Was well balanced and not overly acidic. YesPlz (weekend roast) on the left, Tres Pontas (weekday roast) on the right. Basically the same perfect roast but very different beans.

5/15/21 →

I created a shuffle albums Shortcut a while back. It’s now retired for the iOS Albums app. It’s great with its focus on albums and I love its insights. Album’s new releases section isn’t polluted with artists from Apple Music’s Radio.

5/15/21 →

With the latest iOS, if a martini is in my face, Apple Watch unlocks my phone 🤗

5/15/21 →

Ensalada Hybrid Tomatoes are doing extremely well in Orland, CA. No sign of end rot or any disease. 🌱

bunch of tomatoes

yellow tomato flower

5/14/21 →

Santa Fe pepper flower and a young Santa Fe pepper. We did get a bit of bacterial spot (?) on the jalapeño plants but that seems to have winked out. 🌱 Santa Fe pepper flower with white petals Santa Fe pepper, yellowish, growing upwards

5/13/21 →

Got a new work truck today. Looking forward to breaking it in next week. Hope it handles as well as or better than the last rig 🤞

5/11/21 →

Pineapple Guavas (Feijoa sellowiana) are flowering. Perhaps this year they’ll fruit.

pink flower petals with red filaments and yellow anthers

5/10/21 →

Our cultivated native California Grapes are coming along very nicely. Same can’t be said for our new cherry tree (more on that later perhaps) 🌱 a bunch of green, unrobe grapes hanging in the sunshine

5/9/21 →

California Corn Lilies contrast with a burned Forest. There’s possibly shallow groundwater below this patch.

Green corn lilies amidst dark brown and black burned trees and soil broad green leaves of corn lily with a few red ladybugs

5/9/21 →

A Shooting Star (Primula) flower in the August Complex burn area about 1/4 mile north below the summit of Black Butte.

A purple, yellow and black shooting star

5/8/21 →

iNaturalist hasn’t confirmed but these purple flowers appear to be Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata) near the cirque & summit of Black Butte in the northern Coast Range of California in the Mendocino National Forest. Again, the rocks make the shot!

5/7/21 →

Glacier Lily (Erythronium grandiflorum) from near the summit of Black Butte in California’s northern Coast Range. Rocks always make a photo great, but I am biased.

5/7/21 →

M4.7 earthquake near Truckee, CA on May 6 at 21:35 was recorded on my #RaspberryShake. I did not feel it.

5/6/21 →

Finally had a chance to visit the summit of Black Butte on the Mendocino NF. About time. A geologist’s wonderland: several identifiable glacial landforms (been deglaciated for an undetermined time AFAIK), metabasalt, gneiss, and 360° views.

one view from the summit of Black Buttebenchmark monument

5/4/21 →

First bloom of the peppers. Serranos in this case. 🌱

white serrano pepper flowers and a deep red ladybug on a leaf

5/2/21 →

When the gusty winds are trying to uproot the top heavy tomatoes, one must get creative to save them. 🌱🍅

four patio chairs helping to keep tomatoes upright

5/2/21 →

Can’t wait for For All Mankind season 3. Ridiculously good 2nd season 😳

5/1/21 →

Fairly rare earthquake (M3.0) in Chico, CA today at 11:26PDT. The #RaspberryShake managed to record it though I didn’t feel it 😕 I just noticed it occurred.

5/1/21 →

I’ve thinned at least a dozen nectarines off this young tree. This “Fantasia” Nectarine is incredibly fruitful. 🌳🌱

April 2021

4/30/21 →

Japan — was that you, M6.8‽ #RaspberryShake

4/27/21 →

Tomatoes are incoming! 🌱

4/26/21 →

Cultivated California Wild Grapes are looking great after a heavy prune. I always forget to take before photos 🌱

4/25/21 →

Biiig kitten stretch!

4/25/21 →

And here’s the follow-up @raspishake graphic of the M3.7 at Lake Tahoe.

4/25/21 →

I really enjoy how Shadow and Bone (on Netflix) has integrated Six of Crows. Very smart.

4/25/21 →

The M3.8 Earthquake near Incline Village, CA at 15:33 UTC/08:33 PDT isn’t yet on the RaspberryShake app but it may well have been recorded by my @raspishake

4/24/21 →

Peppers and tomatoes got their second Jobes fertilization today in advance of likely rain. We really don’t want end rot on our fruit! Flowers should be developing on the peppers real soon. Fruit set is beginning on the tomatoes. Meanwhile, front yard annuals are looking hot 🌱

4/24/21 →

Going to be starting Shadow and Bone on Netflix today. Really good books by Leigh Bardugo.

4/24/21 →

M6.5 Tonga earthquake registered on my #RaspberryShake - first non-local earthquake I’ve seen recorded! Took 12 minutes for the seismic waves to hit my station.

4/23/21 →

My #RaspberryShake detected a M3.9 earthquake in the Bartlett Springs Fault Zone just northwest of Lake Pillsbury in the Mendocino National Forest. I was asleep — happened today at 04:18 PDT. Probably just shook a few rocks loose.

4/22/21 →

Might be a Copestylum mexicanum (Mexican cactus fly). If so, it is fittingly on a cultivated California wild rose flower.

4/20/21 →

I just noticed there was another small M2.8 earthquake near Willows, CA last night. This was also clearly detected by my #RaspberryShake — so cool.

4/19/21 →

Now that is a clear, unambiguous seismic signal! M3.7 near Willows, CA. I didn’t feel it. #RaspberryShake

4/19/21 →

Our back porch grapes look awesome this year! The fullest they’ve ever been.

grapes vining below a porch coverdeveloping clumps of grape flowers

4/18/21 →

The humble shrub that’s predicting a terrible fire season: 

The humble shrub that’s predicting a terrible fire season.

I like the rust color of dried out chamise flowers. I don’t like where this fire season is headed.

4/17/21 →

Peppers and tomatoes garden update: tomatoes are flowering and peppers are finally growing post-transplant. The Drip Depot crop row irrigation kit is ace. 🌱

4/17/21 →

Our mandarin tree is in full bloom. 🌱🌳

4/17/21 →

While adding 1/2 GPH drip to the backyard Ceanothus plants, spotted this glorious lizard doing its thing on our largest Ceanothus. 🌱💚

4/16/21 →

MeteoBridge Email Weather Alerts & FastMail: 

MeteoBridge reports my weather station data to all sorts of services. To be rid of IFTTT, I finally set MeteoBridge up to send an email if certain weather conditions happen. And FastMail, to my surprise, has a rule Action for notifications! Yeah, definitely don’t need IFTTT anymore.

4/15/21 →

The “Fantasia” nectarines are coming along. First ever crop. We’ve had to thin a dozen or so because its branches are too young. We’ll thin more soon. 🌱🌳

a young nectarine fruitthe nectarine tree

4/12/21 →

iOS Shortcut: RaspberryShake Helicorder 24 Hour PDT Plot: 

I’ve a RaspberryShake that serves up helicorder plots. By default, they’re in UTC. My brain isn’t yet wired to convert UTC to PDT (my local time). So I’ve modified my original shortcut to overlay PDT onto the left Y-axis. Someday I’ll make this a bit more sophisticated such as switching to standard …

4/11/21 →

Front yard update. Poppies are now blooming, joining the creeping sage and the Ceanothus (California Lilac). 🌱

light purple sage flowers, golden poppy flowers, and violet ceanothus flowers.

4/10/21 →

Backyard Elderberries are seeking pollinators.

yellow elderberry flowers against elderberry leaves

4/7/21 →

Our “Bacon” Avocado tree is blooming basically right on time as compared to last year on April 11th. It has yet to produce any fruit and it is supposed to be self-pollinating. 🌱🌳

4/4/21 →

It’s been well over a year since since we last saw lizards in our backyard. I blame outdoor cats. These are alligator lizards and I’ve spotted them twice in the last week. That gives me hope we’ll see them regularly again.

alligator lizard at bottom of fence looking at the camera.small alligator lizard in some leaf litter.

4/3/21 →

This seems like a legit earthquake signal. Happened in the middle of the night April 2nd so cultural noise is minimal.

#Earthquake recorded on the #RaspberryShake #CitizenScience seismic network. See what’s shaking near you with the @raspishake #ShakeNet mobile app

4/2/21 →

I just hooked up one more drip line to the little Antelco eZyvalve valve box. I think I’m done for the season reconfiguring our drip system. Time to see how reliable this thing is. I’m not sure what I’ll do with the last two valves. Spares for now. 🌱

4/1/21 →

Spring mornings in our front yard. Sage and Ceanothus are in full bloom. 💚🌱

sage (light purple) and ceanothus (violet) flowers.

March 2021

3/31/21 →

Our native California grapes have been very busy over the last week! 🌱

3/30/21 →

This morning, two Northern Mockingbirds briefly hung out on our backyard patio. It seems super rare to see a pair of them.

3/28/21 →

We planted all our indoor pepper and tomato starts. The Serranos looked most distressed prior to transplant 🤞🌱

3/28/21 →

iOS Shortcut: RaspberryShake Helicorder 24 Hour Plot: 

I rapidly made a iOS 14 Shortcut that automatically pulls the last 24 hours of helicorder plots from your #RaspberryShake (it assumes a rs.local hostname). Handy to have on the Home Screen. Let me know if there’s any problems. If you’re not in the US west coast, you’ll need to adjust to UTC from …

3/27/21 →

I just installed this Antelco eZyvalve 4 Zone Valve Box. I’m very pleased so far. We’ll see how durable and long lasting it is. I’ll be connecting drip to it. It’s wired to my Rachio Gen 2 irrigation controller.

3/26/21 →

I used the Controller app to create an automation that triggers upon press of my Logitech doorbell button. Then I converted it to a Shortcut so that upon doorbell press, my dining room lights will flash. Real cool. So the light is Set on or off and then reversed depending on the light status.

3/25/21 →

Ceanothus (California lilac) is magnificently blooming. 🌱

3/20/21 →

Row Crop irrigation kit from Drip Depot installed. Really pleased with this so far. I need to stake the tubes in a bit. Will be planting in a week or two. The peppers & tomatoes are hardening now. 🌱

3/19/21 →

Currently reading: 1Q84 (Vintage International) by Haruki Murakami 📚

3/18/21 →

Finished reading: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin ★★★★★ 📚. I honestly could barely put the book down to sleep. Super.

3/18/21 →

J&J Vaccine ✅ thanks, quick call list!!

3/17/21 →

The nectarine is about to start shedding its flowers. Leaves are growing. Since it is pretty young starting its second year in the ground, I’ll be super impressed if it successfully fruits. 🌳🌱

3/16/21 →

A slow, rolling bloom for the apricot this year. It didn’t fruit at all last year. Here’s hoping for a fruitful year. (it has fruited before so we know it is possible) 🌳🌱

3/14/21 →

In-flight water drops.

drops of water

3/14/21 →

Twitter Feeds in the latest NetNewsWire 6 beta are great. The key is to be really choosy.

3/13/21 →

The monster alligator lizard in the shed still lives! Maybe 6 inches long. Been well over a year since last seen.

alligator lizard on an old fence board

3/13/21 →

Facebook/Instagram Harvests Location Metadata Before Stripping for Posts: 

I always expected this: Facebook/Instagram harvests photo location metadata before removing it for posts. That data is added to the poster’s data profile. Presumably for targeted ads. I presume when micro.blog crossposts photos to Twitter, locations have already been scrubbed by micro.blog?

3/12/21 →

Took a Potensic D58 drone photo today of the backyard (bottom photo) to compare against January 2020 (top photo). Looking real nice. Fun to have unusual views of the yard.

Jan 2020 photo of lawn on top and then a 2021 photo of new garden rows at the bottom

3/11/21 →

We’re finally eating our backyard Valencia oranges. Sooo good. 🍊🌳🌱

valencia orange in a handsliced valencias on a plate

3/10/21 →

We got some pea-sized hail today!

3/9/21 →

Currently reading: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin 📚

3/8/21 →

I finished reading: The Power by Naomi Alderman ★★★★★ 📚

3/8/21 →

How it started (Mar 2020) and how it’s going (Mar 2021) in the backyard. All lawn is removed! Garden rows are ready for our indoor started peppers and tomatoes. 🌱

3/7/21 →

Sunday dinner: Sous vide Arm Roast followed by Boston Cream Pie.

roasted brussel sprouts, popovers, medium rare arm roast, au jousboston cream pie - yellow cake

3/7/21 →

Slowly preparing the backyard garden rows over the past few months 😅 Almost time to plant the peppers, tomatoes, and direct sow the herbs. No more lawn!!!!!! Tilling is amazing at removing thatch and dead lawn. 🌱

before most of the lawn removal, showing three garden rows but not yet preparedtilled and rocked with three garden rowscompost atop the three garden rows.

3/6/21 →

This is quite the year for catchweed (aka bedstraw aka genus Galium). It is everywhere! It even manages to grow in thick mulch with impressively long taproots.

3/6/21 →

Our “Bacon” Avocado flower buds are developing nicely. Also, the fig is waking up. 🌱🌳

avocado flower budsfig showing leaf growth

3/4/21 →

First apricot bloom. Hopefully, as in past years, far more will follow. Figure this flower puts pollinators on notice. 🌳🌱

3/3/21 →

The front yard blue oak has awakened! 🌱

3/2/21 →

This should be my last nectarine flower photo. This year. 🌳🌱

pink to magenta nectarine flower

3/2/21 →

Easiest way to deal with (perhaps) hundreds of mandarins once ripe: juice them. These have brightened to very red-orange I wonder if they are closer to tangerines?

mandarins cut in half. they're very seedy.mandarine juicemandarin tree ringed by rocks

February 2021

2/28/21 →

The nectarine is up and at ‘em with many glorious blooms. 🌱🌳

2/27/21 →

Pompasetting nectarine.

2/26/21 →

Not my favourite 3/4”-minus gravel as the rocks definitely didn’t come from rivers with their headwaters in the California Nothern Coast Range but it’ll do in the backyard. Just as back breaking 😝

2/25/21 →

One of these days I’ll paint the PVC pipe to hide my poor PVC cementing job and a few barcodes. 🌱

2/25/21 →

First bloom today of our nectarine! 🌳 🌱

2/24/21 →

In 2012 our baby kitten (aka The Annie Cat) was just as clumsy as she is today (though she is more cautious now).

2/23/21 →

A banana slug from a 2010 trip to Jug Handle State Reserve, California (the north coast).

2/22/21 →

Got a warm spell in California so now I expect the nectarine to bloom any day now. The local almond trees already have.🌳🌱

2/21/21 →

There are so many colors in a landslide. This slide complex is at Bar Creek on the Mendocino NF, dropping a main road a dozen or so feet and topping it with mudslides - all in a day. Wish I got to the top but slopes were too steep and very slick. Quite the mess. Gorgeous day.

2/20/21 →

Currently reading: The Power by Naomi Alderman 📚

2/20/21 →

Started prepping the garden rows today. Great weather and perfect soil moisture. Was surprised how well the electric tiller did. 🌱

before tilling 3 rowsafter tilling three rows

2/20/21 →

I’m experimenting with HomeKit Automations converted to Shortcuts. This one, when a Home member arrives, will turn on a welcome light if the Logitech doorbell reads < 200 Lux. Otherwise it’ll flash the living room lamp to indicate an arrival.

2/20/21 →

This morning: the most symmetrical Dutch baby we’ve ever had.

top-down view of dutch baby in cast ironoblique view of symmetrical dutch baby in cast iron

2/19/21 →

I finished reading The child finder by Rene Denfeld ★★★★ 📚

2/19/21 →

The peppers and tomatoes are still alive and growing fast. The tomatoes might get root bound sooner than we’d prefer… 🌱

2/18/21 →

Today, at home, the spice drawer was cleaned out and organized.

2/17/21 →

The Fantasia nectarine (planted Jan 2020) is still in swollen bud stage. Has been for days. It’s sooo close to blooming. Here’s hoping it’ll produce fruit for the first time this year!

swollen lateral flower bud with a red tip

2/16/21 →

Look, I put a pressure gauge on the new hose bibb! I must be an erudite of irrigation systems. 🙃

water pressure gauge on new hose bibb.pressure gauge showing a reading of about 50 PSI.

2/15/21 →

Korean cheese buldak for dinner tonight. Chicken in a hot chili sauce covered with mozzarella 🌶🌶🌶🌶 😋

cheese buldak

2/15/21 →

Mount Lassen’s reflection upon Juniper Lake in summer of 2016.

an evening orange glow on mt lassen as it reflects off a tree lined lake

2/15/21 →

I pressure checked the new hose bibb this morning; it had a slow leak at the valve threads & PVC adapter. Tightening made it worse, so after redoing the pipe thread tape with more layers, the new hose bib seems to be fine at full water pressure.

2/14/21 →

Front yard update: the manzanitas are in full bloom! The poppies are trying to take over. Waiting on the Ceanothus (California lilac) to bloom… they’re the most showy.

2/14/21 →

I installed a new hose spigot on an old PVC waterline today. I’m trying to have the patience to give the PVC joints lots of time to cure before pressure testing 😬

2/14/21 →

Have compassion for your neighborhood birbs and borbs. They may help you relax a bit as you gaze at their theatrics.

2/13/21 →

Someday we’ll figure out how to make rice noodles right. Did a bunch of experiments today and almost got there. We just want perfect Drunken Noodles and Pad See Ew.

2/13/21 →

Hello, probably Spruce. Put on some good growth this year, yeah? You weren’t invited, you’re kind of a weed, but I like you anyway.

2/13/21 →

Got to make the rock rings around the citrus trees larger so drip emitters can be moved back for better root growth. Also may help with frost as the ground can now radiate heat up into the trees rather than be insulated by wood chips. Here’s before and after.

before expanding the rock ring around the mandarin.after expanding the rock ring around the mandarin tree.

2/12/21 →

Happy Lunar New Year 🧧

2/12/21 →

Sporg! A pipe to nowhere 😋

2/11/21 →

A cozy sleeping machine. Yeah she’s awake. She can sense when the camera comes out to give the stink eye.

2/10/21 →

Currently reading: The child finder by Rene Denfeld 📚

2/10/21 →

Energy makes growing peppers & tomatoes in the winter possible. Got lots of jalapeños, serranos, santa fe, and a variety of tomatoe. We’ll transplant outdoors in mid to late March 🌱

2/9/21 →

I finished City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab ★★★★ 📚

2/9/21 →

Mud Creek, CA south of Mt. Shasta after a pretty intense debris flow in 2014. The deposits are muddy and full of variously sized rocks and other debris (such as entire trees).

2/8/21 →

Got a lot of hope for these little peppers and tomatoes! 🌱

2/7/21 →

For Sunday breakfast, my partner made rösti with Swiss cheese in the middle and a sunny-side up egg on top. For Sunday dinner, my partner made Mushroom Pot Pie. She’s the best.

plated mushroom pot pierösti with a sunnyside up egg

2/7/21 →

We’re craving Manzanita flower blooms in the front yard. Almost there… 🌱

2/6/21 →

Beef tenderloin filets getting the royal treatment of butter basting. Cooked to medium rare.

2/6/21 →

Our first front yard daffodil flower of 2021. Bloomed about two weeks later than last year (Jan 24, 2020). A small pollinator is already taking advantage! 💚 🌱

2/6/21 →

Apple Photos thinks eating campfire roasted marshmallows off a metal stick is a sport. I agree.

2/5/21 →

Pets are the best since they always find new unexpected ways to delight, unknowingly helping their stressed out humans!

2/4/21 →

Back in 2013 we half-heartedly grew corn. We got so excited over the seemingly nice looking ears of corn. We peeled back the layers of husk and silk… surprise! Hardly any kernels. Very poor pollination I guess. Never tried growing corn again.

2/3/21 →

Cats are pros at comfort.

2/2/21 →

Currently reading: City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab 📚

2/2/21 →

I finished The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. I’m sooo looking forward to the next book in this series. ★★★★★ 📚

2/2/21 →

A screensaver with the best most relaxing photos and a nice hot morning beverage to start the day.

2/1/21 →

Close up of a Meyer Lemon still on the tree. 😋

January 2021

1/31/21 →

Tomato sprouts all day today! Peppers should be next. 🌱

1/31/21 →

Lemon grass is overwintering nicely. This time we dug up the plant to include roots. Last year we rooted a few stalks in water; here’s its progeny 👌 There’s another bunch of lemon grass outdoors. If it survives, that’ll be the second year overwintering outside in native soil. 🌱

lemon grass overwintering in a pot.

1/31/21 →

We have a lot of citrus in the backyard: mandarins, Meyer lemons, and Valencias. This means it is time for Alton Brown’s Acid Jellies! We don’t coat them with sugar at the end of the cook as we’ve found the sugar is too hydrophilic in humid winters & the jellies get… damp. 🌱

1/30/21 →

Gorgeous today at Burris Creek in Northern California.

1/29/21 →

White Crown borb soaking in the warmth of a cinder block & preening outside the slider.

1/24/21 →

Here’s my iOS Shortcut that uses ShellFish App to show all journals over the years written “On This Day”. I’m pretty pleased with it. You’ll see it relies on good file management!

1/23/21 →

Secure ShellFish for iOS is wonderful. Its shortcut functions allowed me to create a Shortcut that shows all journals written “On This Day” from my SSH server. Slick.

1/23/21 →

Last year we successfully grew peppers by direct sowing mid-Spring. Today we’re starting plants from seed indoors. Mostly peppers: Thai, Serrano, Jalapeño, Santa Fe. 🤞🌱

1/23/21 →

Dutch baby for breakfast. It is really great with Meyer lemons (from the backyard tree; which is great as we can’t get Meyers in town).

dutch baby in cast iron dutch baby served with meyer lemons and apples

1/20/21 →

Today was a very, very good day. 🇺🇸

1/18/21 →

Possibly a Cooper’s Hawk casing out bird feeder and really freaking out the House Sparrows and White Crowns. We’re honored to have a hawk visit our backyard. Amazing.

coopers hawk sitting on a fence. has barred tail feathers.coopers hawk

1/17/21 →

Pruned the apricot today. I only kind of know what I’m doing. It looks about right to me. Every year I open it up a bit more and reduce its height. I let it get too big. Before and after.

1/17/21 →

Statement from President-elect Biden on Religious Freedom Day: 

Statement from President-elect Biden on Religious Freedom Day:

Today, Religious Freedom Day, is a symbol of that commitment — and a reminder that the work of protecting religious freedom, for people of all faiths and none, is never finished.

I love the inclusiveness of the incoming Biden-Harris …

1/16/21 →

My partner is making beef salami but this time with added pork fat and more spices— the last batch was too dry and too smoky (will smoke less this time).

1/16/21 →

A Peaceable Washington D.C. in 2015: 

I’ve been looking through photos of my work trip to Washington D.C. in 2015. Insurrection against the Constitution at the Capitol was not a thought and I felt safe, secure.

Near the Washington Monument, looking towards the White House:

Near the Washington Monument, looking towards the White House

The Washington Monument:

2015 06 09 09 10 37

The Yates Building, U.S. Forest …

1/11/21 →

Currently reading: Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker 📚

1/10/21 →

Bibimbap!!

1/10/21 →

Lesser Gold Finch picking at raisins that are softened from the rain and dew.

1/9/21 →

Finished reading: Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor ★★★★★ – pretty dang original! 📚

1/9/21 →

I’m team pocket universe. It’s bigger inside. Spoilers in this linked article. Star Trek: Discovery’s Turbolifts Defy Logic - CBR

1/9/21 →

Installed Logitech Circle View Doorbell Chime-Kit and Hardware Doorbell Chime: 

Why did I decide to install the chime-kit and doorbell chime after I installed the Logitech doorbell (and it worked fine)? Netatmo released their doorbell and in their FAQ they wrote this about why a chime is required (Logitech never explained but they require it despite their doorbell seemingly …

1/2/21 →

Logitech Circle View Doorbell and new transformer w/junction box successfully installed! I replaced an unused garage outlet with a proper junction box for enough cable slack. Cables are clamped. 👋 old wireless doorbell! 👋 Nest Aware!

old outlet I removed.replaced with junction box that includes cable clampsLogitech Circle View Doorbellold wireless doorbell

1/1/21 →

I routed the new doorbell wire from the garage, along the foundation tucked under the sheathing, then up the hollow frame of a security door, then through a hole I drilled. The doorbell will replace an old wireless one. Hope tomorrow I’ll successfully install the transformer.

doorbell wire routed along foundation and tucked gently behind sheathingnew door bell wire routed up the frame of a security door and through a drilled hole.

1/1/21 →

Backlit senescing cultivated hybridized California grapes (“Roger’s Red”). So far the Northern Mockingbirds are its prime visitors for raisins. We’ve seen Lesser Gold Finches seemingly drinking water or eating bugs out of the raisin’s nooks and crannies.

1/1/21 →

Logitech Circle View Doorbell Initial Thoughts: 

Got a Logitech Circle View doorbell. I haven’t mounted it yet but I’m already pretty happy with it after setting it up and testing it. It can power up using USB with 2A power. Logitech says it needs a hardware chime but it doesn’t! It indeed has HDR video for dealing with shadows and sun. It looks …

December 2020

12/31/20 →

Apple is successfully getting me to put HomePod Minis all over my house. Bought one, liked it for my smaller rooms, so I’m slowly adding more. They all have U1 chips and Thread radios. I hope Apple takes advantage of this new network of devices. So long, Sonos.

12/28/20 →

I installed a Lutron Caseta in-wall dimmer switch for the hallway today. Before it was wired as a 3-way so one switch is now a wired dimmer and the other switch is now a Pico remote (with adapter for switch box install). Real nice. Caseta is solid for home automation w/HomeKit.

wired in-wall dimmer switchPico renote installed at switch box for 3-way use

12/27/20 →

Currently reading: Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor 📚

12/27/20 →

Earthquake M 3.8 - 16km ESE of Willows, CA: 

Earthquake M 3.8 - 16km ESE of Willows, CA: well, I heard a quick shifting/crack-like sound from the house reacting from this earthquake and that was that. I filed a Felt Report.First earthquake I’ve felt at home! See, earthquake insurance is needed here ;-)

12/26/20 →

Finished reading: Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman ★★★★★ 📚

12/26/20 →

Annual chest freezer de-icing, cleaning, inventory, and organizing. This year it’s especially important since we’re about to get a 1/2 Table Mountain Ranch Beef. So excited!

12/25/20 →

We had a lot of left over brisket so some went into disco fries.

12/24/20 →

Tonight’s brisket prepared by my partner using Sous Vide for literally fork tender meat and then finished with convection bake for decadent crust/bark.

12/24/20 →

My New Markdown Editing and Preview Apps: 

MultiMarkdown Composer and Marked 2 fit my Markdown needs perfectly. One key item is that I can drag a photo into the MultiMarkdown window and it’ll insert the image syntax with relative paths. For some reason that feature I need is astonishingly rare on other editors I’ve trialed. …

12/23/20 →

Automating Deselection and Unchecking of Twitter Interests - EvilTester.com: 

Automating Deselection and Unchecking of Twitter Interests - EvilTester.com: The final JavaScript works to automatically deselect Twitter ad interests, but I had to change the timer from 2000 milliseconds to 10000 milliseconds or 10 seconds per uncheck to avoid Twitter Over Capacity errors. The …

12/23/20 →

I like Apple Fitness+. HIIT workouts are accessible for a newbie. The trainers make me feel at ease and not judged (it’s irrational). I exercise daily for mental and then cardio health. Usually I’m on an elliptical watching Netflix or I go for a brisk walk.

12/21/20 →

The preceding sunset was way more picturesque than Jupiter and Saturn 😜

12/21/20 →

Here’s Jupiter and Saturn through a pair of high powered 9x63 binoculars.

12/20/20 →

A benefit of not having anyone over for Christmas dinner is we can do wild, special food experiments. So we’re making Sous Vide Smoked Brisket for Christmas dinner. Method 1 with liquid smoke.

12/20/20 →

The front yard California fuchsias (Epilobium canum) are still flowering and providing forage to the hummingbirds. I really need to cut these back but…. the hummingbirds! And other small pollinators!

12/18/20 →

And here’s the final caramel. They’re perfect. 🤗

12/18/20 →

Annual caramel making. These seem 👌and perfectly plastic. Here’s a series of photos showing sugar mixture color at ~300°F, 320°F, near 340°F, after cream & butter added, and cooling to finish. Stressful making these as one errant crystal can cause it all to crystallize.

boling sugar mixture a gold color, almost 300Fboling sugar mixture an amber color, about 320Fboling sugar mixture a dark amber color, almost 340F.boling cream, butter, sugar mixture caramel color.coarse salt caramel cooling in a parchment lined pan

12/15/20 →

Black Phoebe! These flycatchers are elusive in our backyard.

12/13/20 →

Unidentified hummingbird enjoying rosemary flowers today. Maybe a Black Chin. Doesn’t seem to have the colorations of an Anna’s.

12/12/20 →

Split Pea Soup made with a ham hock! Love the cold season 🥰

12/12/20 →

Just watched the latest Star Trek: Discovery. Did not expect these twists! 😲Helps I don’t watch the “Next Time…” scenes. 🖖

12/12/20 →

House Sparrows frenetically bathing under the mandarin this morning.

three house sparrows in a shallow birdbath with one sparrow waiting its turn. all under a mandarin tree with ripening oranges.

12/11/20 →

Giant exhale.

12/11/20 →

Front yard: today and April 19. I cleaned up a lot of it today. This yard of cultivated native plants is so much more rewarding than a lawn.

Dec 11 2020 front yard, cleaned up and died backApril 19 2020 yard, very green, overgrown, with bright orange poppies

12/9/20 →

Pulling out grass from the cultivated native sage is exhausting. At least I’m perfumed with sage now.

sage full of grasssage with less grass

12/6/20 →

Currently reading: Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman 📚

12/6/20 →

The Annie Cat maximizing sunlight.

black and white cat on a perch taking in a sun beam

12/5/20 →

Last year this was not our view into the backyard from the house. Now we regularly see White Crowns, House Sparrows, European Collared Doves, Scrub Jays, and less often Lesser Gold Finches. Thanks, bird feeder! What this means for spring/summer tree fruit harvest… 😬

12/3/20 →

New bird in our backyard! Yellow-rumped Warbler. A pair was feasting on our cultivated California Grapes that now have raisins.

12/2/20 →

Finished reading: Peculiar Peril by Jeff VanderMeer ★★★★☆📚

12/2/20 →

December 2nd, 2013: at the Dresden Christmas Market.

November 2020

11/29/20 →

Partner made Naan today (along with Turkey Tikka Masala).

cooking naan on a baking steelbatch of naanTurkey tikka masala

11/29/20 →

macOS Big Sur TimeMachine and Bootable External Drives: 

If you have any bootable APFS containers on an external drive, macOS Big Sur will not allow you to assign any of the containers on that drive to TimeMachine. I had to delete my SuperDuper! volumes, but SuperDuper! doesn’t work yet on Big Sur anyway. Here goes another reorg of my external …

11/27/20 →

Stuffing waffles. So crispy & savory.

stuffing waffles

11/27/20 →

Mandarins and Meyer Lemons are ripening nicely. Maybe one more month until the Mandarins are sweet enough.

mandarin treemeyer lemon tree

11/26/20 →

Leftovers 🎉. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

11/26/20 →

Alice’s Restaurant, a Thanksgiving tradition: music.apple.com

11/26/20 →

The makings of Thanksgiving dinner for a couple is bread for stuffing and Turkey stock for just about everything. My partner is very busy; I don’t cook! ❤️

turkey partsturkey stock in jarshomemade sourdough loafcubed sourdough bread for stuffing

11/25/20 →

Pecan Squares instead of Peacan Pie. And as we’re not having Thanksgiving with anyone, dessert is a day early! 😋

11/22/20 →

Sunset during our isolation vacation at the North Coast of California.

11/22/20 →

Fox Sparrows (?) enjoying the cultivated California Grape raisins. We’ve also perhaps identified House Finches… in addition to the many White Crown Sparrows (not photographed).

Fox SparrowHouse Finch

11/22/20 →

New M1 Mac Mini on the way: 

I bought a new M1 Mac Mini, 8gb RAM with 1 TB SSD for home server duties and testing software (like Homebrew) I need for a non-server machine. I’ve been using an older MacBook Air for server duties and it did fine but its lack of ports, large power wart, and space it all takes is less than ideal. …

11/20/20 →

Cistus × purpureus (Purple-flowered Rock-rose)

11/19/20 →

We brought ribeyes and a cast-iron with us (and the rest of what’s on the plate. Yeah that’s canned baked beans, so what?)👌

ribeye, searer vegetables, baked beans

11/19/20 →

Hot chocolate on the North Coast of California.

11/19/20 →

Moonlight over the Pacific. Above the moon, Jupiter and then Saturn.

11/18/20 →

Sundown at Trinidad, California. We’re hunkered down here for a few nights, completely self-sufficient and not likely to go anywhere. Not a bad choice with this view. I have a feeling this is the last time we’ll risk going somewhere until vaccinations.

11/17/20 →

Good morning. This morning’s sun rise almost makes up for my neighbor being obsessive with their sheet metal shelters and sheds.

11/16/20 →

I’m very thankful that my family is supportive of not getting together for Thanksgiving and very likely Christmas. We’ve so much hope for next year being (eventually) so so much better.

11/15/20 →

I tested my journaling workflow in Big Sur on a secondary Mac and it worked. So I couldn’t help myself and, despite SuperDuper! not being ready for Big Sur, I installed Big Sur on my production machine. I’ve zero complaints so far.

11/15/20 →

The Results of the 2020 Home Orchard Fixed Daily Watering Experiment: 

This last orchard growing season, I watered using daily fixed schedules that took into account average daily evapotranspiration and estimated daily plant water use. I set up schedules for each month in the summer, since evapotranspiration and water usage changes significantly month to month. …

11/14/20 →

Joint Statement by President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris On Diwali, the Festival of Lights:

But Diwali is ultimately a reminder of the light that’s within us all to hope and dream, and to overcome our differences and keep the faith in each other. That’s the light we see …

11/13/20 →

Toad in our bird bath tonight. That’s a first. We usually empty the baths to keep mosquitoes at bay and keep cats from being too keen on the backyard at night. Not tonight!

11/11/20 →

Planted a New Cherry Tree Today: 

I planted a replacement Lapins Cherry today. Bought it from Stark Bro’s and it has a great unblemished, no prune cut trunk. That is never the case if I buy locally, even from a family operated nursery. As planted, it’s a 42” tall stick. It’ll develop branches next spring. I finally got to use our …

11/8/20 →

Pumpkin pie! And rump roast. Sunday is the best.

11/8/20 →

The rainy season in California is right around the corner, so I just cleaned the rain gage & other weather station components of summer’s dust and ash. Meanwhile, the mandarins are slowly ripening.

11/7/20 →

Today’s celebratory homemade sourdough loaf and Prosecco

11/7/20 →

Tearing up here. Biden & Harris wins.

11/4/20 →

Since November 2nd I’ve stayed away from Twitter & Instagram. Feels kind of nice. Getting some mileage out of Apple Arcade for distraction.

11/3/20 →

I’m looking forward to winter. Summer was far too long.

Furnace burners at full flame

11/2/20 →

I accidentally trashed my Windows 10 Virtual Machine and thought it was a total loss with no backup. Two weeks later I realized I had a SuperDuper! clone of my MBP as I… prepared to update the clone. Phew and glad I remembered!

11/2/20 →

For today and a while after the election, Twitter & Instagram apps are removed from my devices. So far I’m avoiding their web counterparts. Instead, let’s enjoy some tiny coyote bush flowers!

October 2020

10/29/20 →

Dark-Eyed Junco (Oregon) in the backyard! Had to photograph it through binoculars.

dark eyed junco

10/27/20 →

Northern Mockingbird in our backyard. They’re not nearly as brave as the scrub jays but they’re using our backyard more and more.

10/25/20 →

Got two volunteer conifer seedlings in the backyard — their needles are roundish and pointy, not in clusters. Thinking maybe spruce? 🧐 We’re encouraging them.

10/24/20 →

PowerPhotos is worth the cost alone for trashing duplicate photos in a MacOS/iCloud Photo Library. I’m curious about using it to move legacy scanned photos into a separate library. I’ve got those hidden anyway…

10/22/20 →

Started reading: Peculiar Peril by Jeff VanderMeer 📚

10/18/20 →

TBH, Fall is grilling season here.

10/18/20 →

A happy scrub jay feasting on some big bird seeds.

scrub jay eating bird seed on the ground

10/17/20 →

Gorgeous loaf of homemade sourdough.

10/17/20 →

Tore out the bark beetle infested Lapins Cherry today. It was half dead by beetles girdling it. In November we’ll put in a new Lapins Cherry from Stark Bros.. The old tree was from a big box store and while it provided prodigious fruit it was oddly pruned and I couldn’t fix it.

Three year old beetle infested tree we tore outthe tree removal crater left. it is hard work.

10/15/20 →

Our dropped off California ballots were collected and accepted. I get very anxious when signing — afraid of signing it wrong. I practice a bit first.

10/14/20 →

On iPhone 12: I love the telephoto lens so I’ll wait for the 2.5x camera or better to migrate down into the iPhone Pro from the Max. The Max is a nonstarter for my small hands. My 11 Pro already pushes my limits. As for the super wide angle lens, I use that more than I expected.

10/12/20 →

Saved this gorgeous western alligator lizard this morning from a murderous outdoor cat. It was cold, on its back, and sluggish (very vulnerable) when I scared the cat away. It seemed uninjured.

10/11/20 →

Siri Shortcut for Meteobridge Weather Report: 

If you have a weather station with Meteobridge, I’ve made a iOS Siri Shortcut so Siri can tell you about current conditions. You can tweak the weather report using variables on Meteobridge’s template page along with other small shortcut adjustments.

By default it reports current temperature, …

10/10/20 →

Backyard cultivated native elderberries decided summer is over! Yay!

10/10/20 →

My typical workflow: here’s a thing I need to do. Hm. That seems more difficult than expected. What’s easier than that? And easier than that? No, that’s silly and overcomplicated. Easier than before that? Can I live with that? Probably. Not what I wanted but A-OK.

10/10/20 →

Just voted🇺🇸

10/9/20 →

The Annie Cat has seasons. She only uses the wool bed during the cold season.

10/8/20 →

Lemongrass came back this year after dying back over winter (we also took cuttings over winter and one managed to take). So here’s homemade lemongrass ice cream topped with praline. 😋

10/8/20 →

Franciscan Assemblage. Mendocino NF. ❤️

10/8/20 →

Been a few years since we first wanted to mulch the backyard. Weather got nice so here we go with 10 cu yd of chips!

10/7/20 →

We made roasted hot pepper sauce recently. A mix of jalapeños, anaheims, serranos and yellow wax peppers (more orange red upon ripening)👌 Worth the wait growing and ripening peppers to red. 🌶

September 2020

9/21/20 →

For iOS 14 Shortcuts, seems the volume control function for AirPlay devices is only reliable after the audio begins. So for a DarkNoise shortcut, it switches to an AirPlay device, then DarkNoise plays, and finally after a four seconds wait the volume is controlled.

9/20/20 →

Coconut-Gochujang Glazed Chicken With Broccoli is pretty good. We added Gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes) for extra heat. Would recommend serving as a rice bowl though. It begged for a bowl.

9/20/20 →

Tess of the Road was excellent so now reading where it all started: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman 📚

9/19/20 →

Billions of almonds waiting to be hulled.

9/16/20 →

Western Toad finally makes a reappearance in the backyard and it has GROWN. Wish I had something for scale.

9/13/20 →

The Annie Cat is so displeased that the game controller isn’t working right.

9/12/20 →

Excellent sourdough shape, crumb, and pretty good flavor (48 hour refrigerator proof).

9/12/20 →

Accidentally scrolled to the bottom of Sunlit app credits 😉

9/9/20 →

Today’s obligatory wildfire smoke scene. Halide app made it dead easy to override auto white balance.

9/8/20 →

Winds started after midnight here and dramatically warmed the air from ~75 to ~87°F. Likely katabatic winds.

9/7/20 →

Blue Jay yelling at everything this afternoon. Maybe it’s angry at the wildfire smoke.

9/6/20 →

Can confirm.

9/6/20 →

Oof.

9/6/20 →

Good morning: light of sunrise reflecting off the smoke.

9/5/20 →

Today starts an oppressive heat wave. At least the humidity is low. The smoke from California fires is thin today so not getting much help from it.

9/4/20 →

A scrub jay checking out the new bird feeder. Birds haven’t taken to it yet. They’re still eating grapes and desiccated elderberries.

9/3/20 →

Finished The City We Became (great book) and now currently reading: Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman 📚

9/3/20 →

August Complex smoke this afternoon. Silver lining is the smoke cooled the air temperature down several degrees.

9/2/20 →

9/1/20 →

Our trio of Scrub Jays are leaving almond hulls behind. Maybe they’re giving us gifts for providing water? We do compost….

August 2020

8/31/20 →

We love this homemade smoked beef salami — could use a bit more paprika but great first try.

8/30/20 →

A day of discovery making salami for the first time with a smoker we were given. Smells and looks great but it may be a bit loose.

8/29/20 →

Kimchi-Brined Fried Chicken: 

Kimchi-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwich Recipe by J. Kenji López-Alt is an excellent recipe — those with lower spice tolerance may want to drizzle the finishing sauce instead of liberally brushing. We did not make the sandwich, but served simply with white rice and kimchi.Kimchi-Brined Fried Chicken

8/29/20 →

Still currently reading: The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin – and enjoying it! Making me look through my photos of New York. Oh look, Brownstone buildings! But hardly anything of The Bronx and no surprise: nothing of Stanten Island. 📚

8/29/20 →

Large ash flake that landed in my safe backyard — over a dozen miles away from the August Complex on the Mendocino National Forest. This had a lot of atmospheric lift to make it this far. You can see the leaf pattern!

8/28/20 →

Nothing but pleasant emotions with a view like this. I wish this were my backyard but so glad I had the presence of mind to take this photo. Hidden Lakes area, Lassen National Forest.

8/27/20 →

Overcome a poorly seasoned cast iron pan by cooking lots of fatty things like Guanciale.

8/26/20 →

The Annie Cat is not always relentless at being judgy. Sometimes she looks borderline benevolent.

8/25/20 →

Here’s some hope that our trio of Scrub Jays will eat our cultivated California native grapes.

8/24/20 →

Frosty garden grown hot peppers (from the freezer) about to become hot sauce. We harvest over the summer and freeze until ready.

8/23/20 →

In mid-2016 we discovered this graceful Silk Moth at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, CA.

8/23/20 →

I dislike Instagram’s new suggested posts. It is a new source of anxiety in that I might see something I try to avoid. Instagram is in solid FB territory now but is all I have to maintain connections with friends and family. Maybe it’s not worth it now.

8/22/20 →

This last week was insane and that is why I posted the Sourdough Dashi Scallion Pancakes twice for the micro.blog August challenge. Is that cheating? Well, at least they were different photos. Also there is still a lot of Regina Spektor being played. And now Rilo Kiley.

8/22/20 →

VMware Fusion 12 Player: 

It is pretty awesome that VMware Fusion Player is replacing VMware Fusion Standard and Player is free for personal use. This is weird to me since I never expect a company to stop asking for money for great software. Now, it seems, I can upgrade VMware Fusion 11 Standard to VMware Fusion 12 Player …

8/22/20 →

This perch is pretty much The Annie Cat’s summer home during the day.

8/21/20 →

Sourdough Dashi Scallion Pancakes from last weekend had some serious crunch. A bit salty but very tasty. Perhaps use a bit less Dashi next time.

8/20/20 →

Wish I could change today’s cooler smokey summer day to a rainy winter day. The August Complex fires are insane.

8/19/20 →

Metallic ribbon and a fake bird of prey truly keeps the birds away from our figs.

8/18/20 →

Falafel on a grid.

8/17/20 →

This western milkweed bug stuffing itself into the eye of the Brown Turkey Fig is decidedly not cuddly and I do not like them ruining my figs! We actually cut into a fig the other day, decapitating a milkweed bug that got inside.

8/16/20 →

Likely the plume of the Doe Fire on the Mendocino National Forest.

8/16/20 →

Currently reading: The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin. I’ve had this book on library hold for months. The eBook finally became available in Libby (thanks to the public library)! 📚

8/16/20 →

Read Gideon the Ninth by Tamsym Muir. ★★★★☆

The novel meandered a bit but was thoroughly enjoyable. Its prose took a little bit to get used to. I look forward to reading the second book in this series. 📚

8/16/20 →

These Sourdough Dashi Scallion crepes were not stationary for long.

8/16/20 →

Unusual weather in NorCal but it is keeping daytime temps cooler than yesterday. The overnight low was about 80°. It is currently 81°. Lightning to the south and west of us (on the Mendocino NF).

8/15/20 →

The cultivated native plants likely needed some morning water for this California heatwave. It’s like a furnace vent out there.

8/15/20 →

The Annie Cat in silhouette.

8/14/20 →

Peppers among peppers. Nachos for dinner tonight. The red jalapeño and yellow wax peppers were home grown.

8/13/20 →

With the incoming heatwave in California, we will filter out direct sunlight to help keep these little avocado trees from scorching to death. Also: save the U.S. Postal Service. ✉️

8/12/20 →

West Point Light House on the Puget Sound. During a trip to visit friends Mid–2016.

8/11/20 →

SFO, August 2009: when 747s were still fairly popular for long haul transport. I’ve never flown on one 😞

8/10/20 →

Looking out at set of creepy toothy, grinning windows (dormers?) from Dom St. Petri in Bautzen, Germany. 2009.

8/9/20 →

So much Regina Spektor in my playlist lately.

8/9/20 →

The Annie Cat is black-and-white and loves self-scritching her mouth and cheeks (don’t all cats?)

8/8/20 →

Another Bee’s eye view. Gorging on a Gilia. Early 2017.

8/8/20 →

Hummingbirds love these cultivated native California fuchsias so here’s their bird’s eye view of them.

8/7/20 →

Daytripping in mid-October can result in this view of Mount Lassen from Brokeoff Mountain. 2019.

8/6/20 →

Fissures bisect land in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness. The massive landslide is moving to the left. Late 2019.

8/5/20 →

A quaternary lava flow at ʻĀhihi-Kīnaʻu Natural Area Reserve on Maui. Haleakalā is in the background. Late 2018. #mbaug

8/4/20 →

Currently reading: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsym Muir 📚

8/4/20 →

There was (and must still be) absolute peace in the Haleakala erosional crater. Late 2018. 

8/3/20 →

A bug that we call the European honeybee, enjoying cultivated native California sage flowers. 2017. #mbaug

8/2/20 →

Jellyfish floating in an aquarium at the Birch Aquarium, La Jolla, CA in 2004. #mbaug

8/1/20 →

I can’t say if it’s related but I haven’t received any mail for four days now. I can say that’s highly unusual and concerning.

twitter.com

8/1/20 →

What used to be Up at Coyote Point just south of SFO. #mbaug

July 2020

7/29/20 →

Mantis on the cherry tree.

… and peppers! Though ants are trying to farm aphids on them.

7/27/20 →

Cultivated native California grapes. Seedy & thick skinned but good to eat. Since the birds aren’t.

7/25/20 →

Bulgogi.

Beef Bulgogi (asada cut) hot off the grill.

7/25/20 →

Today’s harvest. Brown turkey figs and a small ripe jalapeño.

7/24/20 →

Orange Grove Update: 

This year, our Mandarin orange will provide plenty to eat in January. We’re lucky it’s not alternate bearing (this year, anyway).

Mandarin

Meanwhile, this is the first year our Meyer lemon has produced more than a couple fruit. Super exciting! It did lose a lot of leaves earlier this summer, though. I …

7/23/20 →

The lemon grass coming in strong. It came back from last year’s planting and a cutting we took.

7/22/20 →

Change your AC and/or furnace filter with high flow MERV-8 every three months or sooner if you’ve got pets (long haired cat in our case). The HVAC blower and evaporator coil will thank you with less repair bills. Fresh filter at the top.

7/21/20 →

Here’s a drooping Brown Turkey fig — means it’s perfectly sweet & tender for eating. Don’t wait too long after a Brown Turkey fig reaches this stage else it may start to ferment and/or critters will get to it first.

7/19/20 →

Brown Turkey figs are rapidly ripening. Patiently waiting for them to start drooping as a sign of ripeness.

7/19/20 →

The birds aren’t eating the grapes, so we might as well. 😋

7/18/20 →

Here’s an adjusted/“developed” version of NEOWISE (see the original straight from Night Mode)

7/18/20 →

Anaheim pepper with a surprise mantis for scale. Then a jalapeño. Just popped out of nowhere while I inspected the peppers this morning. It’s protecting our garden!

7/17/20 →

Garden Update: 

Experimental pepper garden update: Cayenne, jalapeño, Anaheim, Hungarian wax. We will ripen all peppers to red for making hot sauce and tastier eating. Direct seeded March 29.

7/14/20 →

Scrub jay!

7/12/20 →

Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) at 04:17. Very cool. The last quarter moon washed it out a lot. iPhone 11 Pro, night mode.

7/11/20 →

Watering the front yard and this hummingbird was really curious about the water and I swear the bird took a drink.

7/10/20 →

Our cultivated native California grapes are ripening! The birds will hopefully soon find them. Or we’ll enjoy them despite their massive seeds.

7/10/20 →

Our peppers are doing okay despite the very late seeding. Just a bit of brown rot initially but some Jobes organic fertilizer seems to have stopped that.

7/4/20 →

Somewhere around Tehachapi, CA.

June 2020

6/27/20 →

The last two days of 110°F heat has also resulted in our cultivated native California grapes turning to raisins on the vine.

cultivated native California grapes turning to raisins

6/26/20 →

110°F yesterday and today. The avocados we planted 2-3 years ago transpire water more than they can replenish from the ground and so their leaves desiccate and die. Especially the young leaves on the Bacon (1) variety and random adult leaves on the Mexicola (2) variety. ☹️

Bacon avocadoMexicola avocado

6/23/20 →

Scrub Jay patiently waiting for the grapes to ripen.

6/21/20 →

The makings of Chai ice cream (admittedly without the tea).

6/21/20 →

Upon a recent update to VMware Fusion 11.5.5, sound began crackling in Windows 10. For some reason

sound.virtualDev = "hdaudio"

was missing from my .vmx file so Windows 10 was using VMWare’s generic audio drivers. Added that line into the .vmx file and all is well as now Windows is using its High …

6/20/20 →

So many Brown Turkey Figs!

6/18/20 →

Leafhopper Assassin with a meal.

6/15/20 →

Hummingbird enjoying succulent flowers.

6/14/20 →

Shooting Star or Primula hendersonii (maybe) at Hidden Lakes, Lassen National Forest last Friday 6/12.

6/14/20 →

Sous Vide Filet Mignon, Medium Rare: 

We set the Filet Mignon into the water bath (in a bag of course, air displaced by water so water touches as much steak surface as possible), then set the Sous Vide to 130ºF. Once the water hit 130ºF, we set the timer for an hour to officially start the cook. When the Sous Vide cook was finished, we …

6/13/20 →

Tostones or patacones (made whenever we find green plantains at SavMor, which isn’t often). 😋

6/13/20 →

Hidden Lakes, Lassen National Forest: 

We went on a hike to the Hidden Lakes in the Caribou Wilderness on the Lassen National Forest. It started at the Hay Meadows Trail Head, north of Lake Almanor, California. It was six miles of relatively flat hiking with periodic steep inclines. The trails were not at all crowded, though we brought …

6/7/20 →

Volunteer tomato is flowering. Who knows what kind of fruit this might grow (if pollinated). So too blooms our late April direct seeded peppers blooming.

May 2020

5/31/20 →

[Crispy Cheese and Kimchi-Topped Skillet Rice](https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2019/10/kimchi-cheese-rice-recipe.html) — quite delicious.

5/30/20 →

Keep MacBook from Sleeping with Lid Down: 

The MacOS app Amphetamine is pretty slick. As promised, it keeps my MacBook Air awake even if the lid is closed and there is no external display attached. So now I can run it as a part-time file server (via SFTP and Secure ShellFish for iOS). At least, that’s the plan. Since it is running on a …

5/28/20 →

The California Buckwheat is now blooming — cool hot pink anthers!

5/27/20 →

The toyon is in full bloom and it is impossible to photograph its flowers without pollinators. A very popular plant!

5/25/20 →

Today’s front yard Poppies and Clarkias.

5/25/20 →

I finally got around to messing with iStat Menu's Time menu and I’m sold. Having a calendar and events embedded in the clock is lovely.

5/24/20 →

Cultivated native California grapes are coming along quite well.

5/24/20 →

... made from the left over Bulgogi the next day, Bibimbap! Crisped up the white rice a bit too.

5/23/20 →

Homemade Bulgogi.

5/23/20 →

If only I could have got closer to this gorgeous blue dragonfly in the front yard. This super crop will have to do.

5/23/20 →

Inaugural cook on the Baking Steel Mini Griddle. We love the original size for pizza, cooking lots of vegetables etc but it is too big for most of our griddle applications.

5/21/20 →

The Annie Cat in a box.

5/19/20 →

Bee butt on the first understated blooms of our cultivated Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia).

5/17/20 →

Upgraded to 16" MBP ❤️: 

Since 2010, I have always had a 13” Mac laptop — now I’m on a 16” MacBook Pro and I love it. I upgraded from a 2018 MacBook Air.

I waited for the new 13” MBP. The new 13” MBP had the necessary Magic keyboard but didn’t satisfy in terms of evolution: its screen was not 14” as rumored; it has the same …

5/15/20 →

An unidentified grasshopper of some kind on our cultivated native California wild rose. Genus _Scudderia_?

5/13/20 →

Why must Apple hide three finger drag on their touch pads under Accessibility? It’s my favorite touch feature of the touch pad.

5/12/20 →

Lunchtime snack: Sweet Cherries fresh from the backyard tree.

5/10/20 →

Freshly churned strawberry ice cream.

5/10/20 →

Lunch today: Chuck Roast (left over) Sandwich. Cooked on Baking Steel.

5/10/20 →

chuck roast (left over) sandwiches on homemade sourdough. The Baking Steel is pretty great as a griddle.

5/8/20 →

Cherry tree update: almost dark red! (and then they’re hopefully ripe and sweet; had two today and they were not there yet: tasted like early season supermarket cherries.)

5/7/20 →

The backyard native California grapes are about done flowering and beginning to swell.

5/4/20 →

Metallic flagging and a fake hawk to discourage birds from the cherries. The blue jays are smart and eventually don’t care but smaller birds stay away. Just say no to critter killing netting.

5/3/20 →

Our sweet cherries are looking tastier everyday.

5/3/20 →

Pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana) flowers.

5/2/20 →

Cherries on the bark beetle-caused malnourished, unshaded branches (to right) are blushing fast (May not be very good cherries). The resident blue jays should stick to those branches.... they ignore the metallic tape with malice in their dinosaur eyes...

5/2/20 →

Just found out that MacOS Catalina’s new shell (zsh) doesn’t require me to remove spaces from file names for my simple Markdown to PDF shell command — nice!

for f in *.md; do pandoc $f -o ./Archive/${f%.md}.pdf -t latex; done

April 2020

4/30/20 →

Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana) flower bud. These flowers are going to be huge.

4/29/20 →

Turns out native California grape flowers ate definitely not showy but are well loved by small pollinators.

4/27/20 →

I think these are as showy as native California grape flowers get. Will report back.

4/26/20 →

Backyard elderberry in full bloom. Fence behind it is six feet tall.

4/26/20 →

Fruit Tree Irrigation: an Experiment: 

For several years I’ve watered my fruit trees using a Generation 2 Rachio controller and their irrigation method called “Flex Daily”. This method relies on many variables, a few of which I can only make good guesses at. For example, my soil’s Available Water Capacity from the U.S. Soil Survey.  Flex …

4/25/20 →

Wild California Grapes are coming along — these are the flowers buds.

4/24/20 →

Front yard Clarkia update: nearly full bloom. Hoping the white lined sphinx moth caterpillars show up soon. Though, this year there is far less forage than the last. Not enough rain.

4/22/20 →

For Earth Day, bees on the elderberry and the avocado.

4/21/20 →

This HUGE bumble bee really wants the Toyon flowers to open up! Been buzzing around for several minutes.

4/20/20 →

Today’s Clarkias and Poppies.

4/19/20 →

Homemade Naan atop a piping hot Baking Steel.

4/19/20 →

First bloom of our backyard California wild roses (Rosa Californica)!

4/18/20 →

Today, first time in weeks flour and sugar could be bought 🥳 go King Arthur flour!

4/17/20 →

Snakefly hunting insects on a bed of elderberry flowers.

4/17/20 →

Warmer than usual weather means Peppers are rapidly sprouting. We direct seeded this year as an experiment.

4/17/20 →

I can never remember brackets or parentheses for Markdown links!

4/16/20 →

Yarrow is now in bloom and the carpet beetles are gorging themselves on pollen.

4/16/20 →

Seen at lunch: iNaturalist guesses this is a Leafhopper Assassin bug on our California grape. Assassins in our back yard! A good bug!

4/15/20 →

Today we donated all our U.S. stimulus money to the local food bank.

4/13/20 →

The swarm in our little blue oak is getting a new home.

4/12/20 →

With [Watchsmith](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/watchsmith/id1483088503), I get a hamburger when my move/exercise/stand goals are met.

4/12/20 →

Never knew my penchant for buying cleaning supplies weeks in advance of running out would be useful during a pandemic. Thankful for my insanity under normal circumstances!

4/12/20 →

When your yards are a pollen and nectar paradise, this can happen. Time to get in touch with a local apiary!

4/12/20 →

Bee butt on a front yard Gilia 🐝

4/11/20 →

This western toad is why I carefully cut back the parsley. I knew it was in there somewhere. I stopped at the toad and gently covered with trimmings to maintain shade and moisture.

4/11/20 →

Got to pay attention to notice avocado flowers. Our “Bacon” Avocado tree is flowering. Our “Mexicola” variety is not— too bad because they’re type A and B so would have pollinated each other.

4/10/20 →

Falafel soft tacos tonight since we had dry chickpeas, the herb garden was begging for it, and we always have corn tortillas. Topped with red onion quick pickle and herbed buttermilk 🧆

4/9/20 →

Think we might get cherries in mid to late May! A few tree branches have extremely undersized leaves because of bark beetle damage starving the branches of resources. Mainly from metallic bark beetles. Two branches completely died last year so they got lopped.

4/8/20 →

Got a few Apricot fruits to set... in a few weeks they may drop as the tree balances its energy.

4/7/20 →

First elderberry flowers in the backyard.

4/5/20 →

Our (majority) whole wheat crust pizza.

4/5/20 →

🐞

4/5/20 →

Apple delayed shipment of 2020 MacBook Air. Understandable. Buyer’s remorse came fast and furious so I canceled. I’ll keep mashing those butterfly keys for a while longer.

4/4/20 →

Home fried sweet potato chips. Because we didn’t use the potato in a Massaman curry last week (had spaghetti instead).

4/4/20 →

I’m experimenting with Meteobridge Templates and Siri Shortcuts so Siri can tell me about the weather just by pulling data off the local network data logger. Works pretty good!

4/1/20 →

Newly emerged ladybug 🐞

March 2020

3/31/20 →

Future native California grapes.🐞🐝

3/29/20 →

Was prepping the vegetable garden bed and had to dodge lots of ladybugs.

3/29/20 →

We had been planning a May trip to Germany for a few years. We’re cancelling it. We're patiently waiting to get a refund for airfare. We’re glad to have booked cancellable hotels and trains. Our German friends are encouraging a visit next year.

3/27/20 →

Front yard (mostly) native garden update.

3/23/20 →

Good morning! Here’s Orion’s Belt of Ladybugs on white clover.

3/22/20 →

Yellow Dal w/Garlic & Brown Basmati and make ahead veggie enchiladas all at once.

3/22/20 →

Our local grocery store’s distributor ran out of eggs by the dozen. 😕

3/22/20 →

What do you need this morning? Bee butt on Gilia flowers and Baby Blue Eyes.

3/21/20 →

Realized we can keep our front door open with closed screen because there shouldn’t be door to door sales people right now. The Annie Cat is in heaven.

3/21/20 →

Takeout from a local Orland, CA restaurant. Even in rural California, online takeout is available! Several restaurants here are offering online orders or call-in. One restaurant has kits to make meals. Another has frozen takeout. 🤞

3/21/20 →

I’d say nationwide telework went very well this last week. Only had a few hours of repeat VPN disconnections. Bandwidth was not constrained relative to my home internet. Good job, CIO staff!

3/21/20 →

“Hey Siri, play some music.” “Okay, let’s kick things off with Widespread Panic.” 😳

3/17/20 →

Working from home today - nationwide stress test of VPN.

3/15/20 →

It’s high time we start taking photos behind the flowers. Apricot flower.

3/14/20 →

Sous Vide London Broil (Beef): 

We had a two pound London Broil in the freezer chest and nowhere to go because of SARS-CoV-2. Might as well try Sous Vide!

We did the water displacement method with a 1-gallon freezer bag. I massaged out as many air bubbles as possible. I also pinched the sides of the bag together. The idea is to …

3/14/20 →

Glad lots of people are learning about public library eBooks. My library in rural California has had them for a while now and I love it. They’re also open saturdays!

3/14/20 →

Not going anywhere unless necessary so time to try Sous Vide London Broil. Just under two pounds of meat held at 132°F/55.6°C for 8 hours. Just salt and pepper for the beef. Will sear it to finish.

3/13/20 →

Cherry tree in full bloom.

3/13/20 →

At the USDA, I’m not allowed to telework as I haven’t been personally affected by SARS-CoV-2. I’m capable of telework and I prefer it. Guess they’re waiting for mass infections at workplaces first. USDA significantly curtailed telework ~two years ago.

3/12/20 →

There’s a retirement party this Saturday. Could be up to 100 people. So far it’s not postponed or cancelled. I started getting very anxious over SARS-CoV-2 so I’m no longer going.

3/12/20 →

This morning’s view out the backyard window. The California Lilacs (purple!) are out of control. Mandarin in the foreground. Elderberry to the far left.

3/9/20 →

A successful section of our vegetative fence line screen. Elderberry (Sambucus mexicana), California Lilac (Ceanothus), and a Mandarin tree. A few years in the making.

3/8/20 →

Wow first earthquake I’ve experienced in a very long time. Off Cape Mendocino. It was a slow roll. Made me slightly nauseous and confused at first. Filed Did You Feel It.

3/8/20 →

Sunset over the Pacific. Two versions, no filter, just different exposure settings. iPhone 11 Pro 2x. Northern California.

3/8/20 →

Gray Whale spouts (center photo) off the coast of Northern California.

3/7/20 →

Western toad hanging out in one of our irrigation boxes. We have a wildlife ramp in there for this reason.

3/6/20 →

A Very Good Overcomplicated Journal Workflow: 

Our journal workflow is probably more complicated than it needs to be. There’s room to optimize this workflow. It grew out of our moving away from Day One when they went to the subscription model. At the time there were some terrible limitations and we wanted none of it. Instead, we went with a …

3/6/20 →

European honeybee on a California Lilac (Ceanothus). 🐝

3/5/20 →

Our front yarden sage plants (first two photos) and all the Ceanothus are now flowering.

3/4/20 →

Our apricot had its first bloom today. A few weeks ahead last year. This tree has rarely yielded fruit. 🤞🌳

3/3/20 →

Our cherry tree had its first bloom today.

3/1/20 →

There are many **vision**s brewing in these caskets at [Moksa Brewery](https://moksabrewing.com).

3/1/20 →

Alcohol dreaming to escape their bottles. Later, I had a dry gin martini on the rocks.

February 2020

2/29/20 →

Ember leaping from a pepper roasting over a gas flame.

2/28/20 →

2020 Spring: Blooms to Come: 

Here in the Northern Sacramento Valley of California, the blooming seems to be happening all at once with the unusually dry and warm late winter.

Apricot is about to start blooming:

bud swell on apricot

The cherry will be blooming soon too:

 

buds on a cherry

Western Red Bud (Cercis occidentalis) is about to bloom:

IMG 1765

California lilacs …

2/28/20 →

And here’s a California gilia.

2/28/20 →

First front yard California poppy bloom of the year.

2/28/20 →

We love this red curry paste. Fortify it with fresh lemon grass! 🌶🌶🌶🥵

2/28/20 →

Glad I’m not below that cherry picker.

2/27/20 →

Our cherry tree’s super close **together** buds are opening up! Soon flower buds will rapidly drop on stems, bloom, and then by late May... ripe cherries! If the birds don’t get them first.

2/26/20 →

This horse won’t escape… though I feel jumping the fence is easily within its abilities.

2/25/20 →

In 2010: Plenty of limestone & marble rock hurdles in the Marble Wilderness, Klamath National Forest, Northern California.

2/24/20 →

Double

2/23/20 →

Experimenting with our first bird feeding station. Suet with seed for a variety of birds.

2/22/20 →

The dull spectacle of me trying to figure out the kitchen sink’s plumbing. My iPhone is a handy remote eye, well suited for dark, tight spaces.

2/21/20 →

Progress. Nectarine is growing!

2/20/20 →

A tan greywacke sandstone from the Northern California Coast Range (Franciscan Assemblage bedrock). cm scale.

2/19/20 →

The pull to “like” on Twitter is impressive. I’m doing my best to refrain but my finger has a mind of its own.

2/19/20 →

Never for want of space in California’s Central Valley. Those grapes will be waking up soon.

2/18/20 →

Hard to oppose California’s almond bloom! ❤️ Our apricot will bloom mid March and the cherry late March (but it’s nearly girdled by boring beetles).

2/17/20 →

One of two Valencia oranges from the backyard tree 😋

2/17/20 →

Not cool. Whoever installed the kitchen sink didn’t use plumbers putty or silicone so now the under sink bracket is rusted out. Might be a plumber’s job to save my sanity.

2/16/20 →

Bees seem to never **rest** when manzanitas are blooming. I gave up trying to photograph them.

2/15/20 →

House Wiring is an Adventure: 

I finished installing some new switches today. Worst thing I found in the existing wiring that I could fix myself was paint coated copper under the wire nuts. Whoever did that must think wires work off of luck that the wire nuts cut into the copper or magic or induction. Pictured below are neutrals …

2/15/20 →

Use of ladders require good balance. I barely have that and dislike them immensely despite their great utility.

2/14/20 →

Mid-February 2020 Update: Home Orchard and Native Plants: 

It has been 19 days since it last rained here. The outdoor temperatures have been in the mid-70s. The area’s almond orchards are blooming in waves about a week earlier than last year.

Our deciduous plants are waking up! We planted a nectarine this winter and it is beginning to grow. Our California …

2/14/20 →

Warmth and a marshmallow on the Carrizo Plain in 2010.

2/13/20 →

Late last year in New York I saw many a High Rise including this curvy one.

2/12/20 →

During the cold season, Annie has an enormous attachment to her heated bed.

2/11/20 →

November 2010: The Carrizo Plain National Monument. A great spot for geology students to explore structures along the San Andreas Fault.

2/10/20 →

This morning’s view of Northern California’s interior coast range. Cameo by a Tractor Supply sign.

2/9/20 →

I. Uh. Well.

2/9/20 →

During a lull of the wind.

2/9/20 →

I want a cavern full of juke boxes playing All You Need is Love.

2/9/20 →

The Prisoner is wild and genius.

2/8/20 →

The transparent rectangular thing is the push on connector I wrote about earlier. Really nice; way better than wire nuts in some cases.

2/8/20 →

Quite a contrast! Old switches in bottom photo, new Caseta switches in top. I finally got to use a few push-in connectors and they’re great when the bare wires are perfectly straight.

2/7/20 →

Last August I went to Coyote Point just south of the main approach to SFO. Coyote Point is famous for people looking above at airliners. It’s probable very few saw this cool hawk perched in the eucalyptus.

Raptor perched on a Eucalyptus branch

2/6/20 →

The California native plant garden is very green right now and soon there will be plenty of flowers. The blue oak will wake up near end of February.IMG 1622

2/5/20 →

Wildlife scaring and killing outdoor cats like to hide under our native ceanothus. I regularly scare them out in hopes they’ll eventually stay away from that unpleasantness.

2/4/20 →

Love it when I can spot Mt. Lassen and Brokeoff Mountain from the valley.

2/3/20 →

Sweet mandarins reflecting a whole lot of red showing just how ripe they are. Picked last Saturday to share at work. They were gone shortly after lunch.

2/2/20 →

No sight distance through the evergreen toyon. It’s very happy. So is our manzanita — getting ready to flower. 🐝🌳

2/1/20 →

Planted more asparagus today. They came with white asparagus sprouts. Looks like freaky white worms in this photo.IMG 1586

2/1/20 →

My attempt at an open vase pruned apricot tree 🌳 📷

January 2020

1/31/20 →

Backyard Relaxation: 

Relaxing can mean accomplishing things. The backyard always offers things to accomplish! Accomplishing things makes me feel good.

Today I:

  • braved a ladder and pruned the apricot
  • cut up pieces of bug ridden wood for disposal (remnant of last occupant of the property that used untreated non-cedar …

1/31/20 →

I would very much love it if MacOS Catalina stopped logging me out of some anonymous Apple ID service. Every week, if not more. And the process to log back in is mayhem. Maybe 10.15.3 will fix it?

Screen Shot 2020 01 31 at 7 09 16 AM

1/26/20 →

Tree Chilling Hours and a Bad Bug: 

We’re around 770 chilling hours this season — almost 100 more than last year at this time. We hope this means we get a good crop off our ~800 chilll hour apricot (it was our first fruit tree and we had no concept of chill hours; with the usual climate and especially with climate change we’re now …

1/25/20 →

Asparagus is weird. Finally moved the crowns to a place we can regularly irrigate.

1/20/20 →

Previous home owners did not ground the ceiling fan! Such an easy fix for a bit more safety. Did they not read the installation manual? At least the electrical box is not plastic (but metal) and seems very secure. Can’t tell if fan rated though.

1/19/20 →

Upgraded from (down/up) 175/6 Mbps to 300/11 Mbps soon as I hit the “order” button. $1 less, too. No contract. Worth checking Xfinity internet-only plans periodically! Unreasonably excited at double up speeds.

1/18/20 →

When a ceiling fan announces that it absolutely wants to be replaced, this happens.

1/17/20 →

The beetles really tore up our Lapins cherry tree this last year. It is almost girdled. If we’re lucky maybe one more season of fruit.

1/17/20 →

1/12/20 →

Yesterday’s planted nectarine began life here in a rather peculiar way:

1/12/20 →

Going to punt this fan replacement job to another weekend. This nest of wires needs a day I can be relaxed and patient.

1/11/20 →

Our 2-year old plum died so now we’re trying a “Fantasia” nectarine. 400-500 chill hours is doable here.

1/9/20 →

Left to right: Moon and Orion (partial; got the belt!)

1/7/20 →

Frosty morning in the yarden 🐝

1/5/20 →

Our Elderberries coming back after they scorched in the summer heat last year. Resilient native plants! The birds loved the berries late summer.

1/5/20 →

Yesterday we spent some time taking a mental break at Burris Creek near Black Butte Lake, CA.

1/4/20 →

We’re trying to propagate lemon grass after dividing canes from our outdoor plant (hope it overwinters). The centers of the canes have popped up — thinking this means positive water pressure and that may mean the canes are taking in water so this may work.

1/3/20 →

I disturbed this overwintering ladybug while cleaning up this past year’s Holy Basil growth.

1/3/20 →

Our Mandarin tree 🌳 is ready for as-needed harvest!

1/3/20 →

ImperfectFoods is trying to sell people on the produce I get at my rural grocery store: smaller, misshapen, definitely not the produce you’d find at Whole Foods or Raley’s. And this rural grocery store produce is way cheaper and just fine! 🤷‍♂️

1/2/20 →

This is a nightmare.

1/2/20 →

Caseta & Dimming LEDs: 

I replaced a Caseta dimmer switch with the non-dimming version as I’m installing a ceiling fan w/light soon. I’m getting used to tucking and bending wires just so and shoving the switch in with screws ratcheting it snugly in place.

I’ve found dimmer switches are difficult since they can’t have …

1/1/20 →

Dealing with house wiring that makes me go “WTF THEY THINKING?” Don’t DIY if you don’t want to take the time to do it right…

December 2019

12/28/19 →

I am really into For All Mankind.

12/28/19 →

Unearthed and powered up a Raspberry Pi 3. Took a bit of time to remember how I configured it for HomeBridge. Upgrading to Debian Stretch for the heck of it.

12/28/19 →

Cut down this years’ California fuchsias yesterday to encourage & release a new year of growth.

12/27/19 →

I’m pleased that MacOS 10.15’s Photos app reconstructs Live Photos from exported .heic and .mov pairs that I uploaded to my NAS via PhotoSync. 📱👍

12/25/19 →

I love Shortcuts. There goes a tedious repetitive task to oblivion!!📱

12/22/19 →

Side mirror view: tumbleweed on a front bumper.

12/21/19 →

Dancy Mandarins are so very close to perfect ripeness. Need to blush a bit more toward red.

12/21/19 →

A very good Mantis.

12/20/19 →

Never fails. This infernal badged Sys Prefs issue is so far the most annoying MacOS Catalina issue I’ve had. What services need iCloud to be logged back in? Why does MacOS forget so easily?

12/20/19 →

My favorite around-the-home power tool. Okay, besides my electric drill/driver.

12/20/19 →

An indoor aloe succulent growing a flower stalk.

12/15/19 →

A colorful sunrise and a fresh coat of snow on Snow Mountain, NorCal. I love my iPhone 11 Pro. No way my previous could have exposed these well enough for posting.

blues and oranges of dawn over some water and a freewaysnowy mountain tops along a highway

12/13/19 →

Color Stages of Caramel: 

I use Alton Brown’s dark caramel recipe with some minor modifications to suit taste. First, the mixture always gets to 230°F a few minutes faster than expected and it takes 10 minutes instead of 6 or 7 to get to 300°F. Then, I heat to 340°F instead of 350°F because that’s too burnt for friends. I …

12/7/19 →

Front yarden update: California Buckwheat’s dead flowers are showy red and the Blue Oak has decided it is winter. California fuchsias still have flowers for the hummingbirds. Front of the house illuminated by mostly bug friendly amber lights. 🐞🐝

12/7/19 →

To HomePod: “How’s the timer?” HomePod: “The timer is cancelled.” 🙀🤷‍♂️📱

12/6/19 →

The [iRobot Braava m6 has a threshold problem](https://homesupport.irobot.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/21012/kw/Threshold) and it is a bit frustrating but workable. In my case it can easily go from laminate (higher) to linoleum but not the other way. It’d perhaps take just a quick rev of the wheels …

12/6/19 →

Dear iPadOS notes: I’d love a default where a new single Notes window launches when I tap your springboard icon instead of the last split screen I used with 1Writer.

12/1/19 →

Nest Cam vs HomeKit Secure Video: 

There’s been some frustration with the current state of HomeKit Secure Video, but coming from a very pricey Nest Cam IQ Outdoor that basically is useless without another subscription (cancelled when they removed camera features), HomeKit Secure Video is a revelation. I’m using a Logitech Circle 2 …

November 2019

11/30/19 →

Test from MarsEdit - does RichText convert to MarkDown? Does it bold? Who needs Italians when they steal arctic circle candy? Is underlining for chumps that know nothing of hyperlinks? All these answers and more… to come.

11/29/19 →

Sometimes my Sonos goes out of sync with the HomePod. The HomePod appears to then go through a process to resynchronize — maybe 75% successful. They’re within earshot of each other so makes since a HomePod might do some fancy sync.

11/29/19 →

Just cracked open the homemade boozy eggnog that’s been aging since September 8 2019. It’s delightful, smooth, and not gloppy.

11/28/19 →

Birds gorging on sweet basil seeds.

11/28/19 →

The birds are gorging on seeds in our front and backyard gardens. So happy to provide them sustenance rather than a lawn desert!

11/27/19 →

I didn’t end up with even one permission prompt after installing MacOS Catalina & launching various apps. Maybe I accidentally turned off SIP? No… that’s not it. Or it’s not so bad in the current installation version. 👍👍📱

11/27/19 →

So MacOS Catalina’s SideCar feature requires the Mac user and target iPad to be signed in to the same AppleID even if the iPad is connected to USB. 👎👎👎👎👎👎👎📱

11/27/19 →

HomeBrew and SuperDuper! just released MacOS Catalina support so I suppose I will try to upgrade today…

11/24/19 →

  1. Valencia sloooowly ripening & 2) mandarins rapidly coloring but still a month out from peak sweetness

11/23/19 →

These Extra-crispy Parmesan-crusted roasted potatoes by J. Kenji López-Alt are pretty great.

11/21/19 →

So my iPhone has started detecting The Annie Cat as a focus area!

11/21/19 →

One more month until these mandarins are perfectly sweet. Patience!

11/20/19 →

Armillaria mellea. Honey mushroom 🥾

11/19/19 →

Very pleased that HomeKit Secure Video streams live video on the LAN. No more stream to cloud and download, adding many seconds of video delay & failure points. 📱

11/17/19 →

I finally got a HomePod and I’m impressed that it can accurately hear me mumble across the room while it plays music📱

11/16/19 →

Full Random Albums Playlist Shortcut (Apple Music): 

I love listening to full albums. But often I’m not in the right mood to choose them. So a long time ago I created a Shortcut that creates an Apple Music playlist of a variable number of full, track list ordered albums. It allows you to unselect albums that you have a strong opinion to not listen to. …

11/16/19 →

Looking toward Saint John Mountain from near Fouts Springs, CA. Chaparral plants.

11/15/19 →

Pleased that my HomeKit devices still worked from the Home app during a big Comcast (Xfinity) & Verizon internet outage. Pretty sure Alexa and Google alternatives would have been dead.

11/13/19 →

Visited some tree frogs in the forest today. Pseudacris sierra.

11/11/19 →

Old iPad Pro 9.7” just got replaced by an iPad Pro 11”. I did not expect to be impressed by the differences but dang that’s nice!

11/10/19 →

I have some anxiety over the iOS 13 Reminders upgrade button. If I upgrade, then my partner has to upgrade, and she lives on reminders. So if the upgrade goes wrong… 😱📱

11/9/19 →

The Prisoner, episode 10, “Hammer into Anvil” — soo good.

11/9/19 →

Today’s sourdough with a side of Annie Cat stare.

11/8/19 →

Shared Photo Libraries: 

All these years Apple still has no way to share entire photo libraries with family. The shared family album is useful only to temporarily share the week’s photos. So I use PhotoSync iOS App to sync our iPhone photos to the NAS, files prefixed with first names, and then once a week manually …

11/6/19 →

Tree says “It's not fall, but spring!”, Other Tree says “FALL!”: 

The Lapins Cherry has some confused or mutated buds. It’s probably nothing to worry about. The dormant appearing plum tree, however, did not look well so I checked if it was alive. There’s still some green in a cutting so… I suppose it’s still alive. I needed to prune that branch anyway.

11/5/19 →

A very good lake. 🥾

11/3/19 →

Also in bloom! Eriogonum fasciculatum (California buckwheat).

11/3/19 →

Front yard native plants currently in bloom: Epilobium canum (California Fuchsia; red flowers adored by hummingbirds) and Baccharis pilularis (Coyote Bush; small, pleasantly scented white flowers loved by small pollinators).

11/3/19 →

Only those with broken circadian rhythms get an hour extra of sleep going to standard time.

11/2/19 →

We’re starting to get some color on our Mandarins. These should be perfectly sweet by end of December 🌳

11/2/19 →

In the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness on the Mendocino National Forest via the Ides Cove trail: A landslide-related fissure and then a view.

October 2019

10/31/19 →

19 trick-or-treater’s. Half last year. Fortunately, we’re stuck with good candy and not the milk duds with taffy (where milk duds taste like strawberry taffy). Happy Halloween 🎃

10/30/19 →

Yesterday: Mount Shasta from near Mount Linn. 🥾

10/26/19 →

iTunes Match to Apple Music: 

My new iPhone refused to access old iTunes Match music, perhaps as a result of my unsubscribing from iTunes Match months after subscribing to Apple Music. I did that as Apple Music includes Match. But things broke anyway. No idea why. So I spent yesterday rebuilding my collection using Apple Music. …

10/25/19 →

Barely photographed a bee on our holy basil. They were extremely shy and did not loiter. 🐝

10/23/19 →

The Annie Cat waiting patiently for the nighttime brushing routine to begin.

10/22/19 →

Western toads in the backyard 🐝😍

10/20/19 →

A little more than halfway through The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater and I don’t want it to end.

10/20/19 →

So the Shortcuts widget syncs the same shortcuts & order on iPad and iPhone. Too bad, as I have very different Shortcuts uses for these devices.

10/20/19 →

Cooler weather means it’s time to check your tire pressure! A bit low as they need 32 PSI.

10/19/19 →

Trees & rocks. 🥾

10/18/19 →

🤦‍♂️📱 iPadOS 13.1.3

10/15/19 →

Mount Lassen. 🥾

10/14/19 →

I neglected to post a photo of Lassen National Park’s Brokeoff Mountain. The hike to its summit was 👌🥾

10/13/19 →

I love a sun-dappled wet meadow with accenting volcanic rocks! Yesterday, on the trail to Brokeoff Mountain in Lassen National Park.🥾

10/12/19 →

Today: Mount Lassen from Brokeoff Mountain.🥾

10/11/19 →

A front yard native garden update! Fuchsias & Cal Buckwheat are still flowering. Coyote bushes are struggling to flower (tiny pollinators love them). The Blue Oak has no complaints. Poppies & yarrow are back after a couple of soggy thunderstorms. Toyon barely has berries.

10/11/19 →

Thankful Apple still allows a different iTunes account for app purchases as Apple STILL provides no mechanism to share app subscriptions & in-app purchases (I’d gladly add a buck or so for a family app subscriptions)! 💻

10/6/19 →

Praying Mantis on the grapevine. 🐝

10/5/19 →

Patecones are 👌🍴

10/5/19 →

Worth the tens cents for the bag. 🐈

10/5/19 →

Flu shot season!

10/5/19 →

Apple knew what they were doing delaying Deep Fusion photography feature in iPhone 11. After I saw real world results, I needed to upgrade from my blurry XS. Garden and cat pictures will be amazing. Deep Fusion certainly kept the iPhone 11 in the news cycle longer.

10/2/19 →

The Annie Cat enjoying her heated bed that comes out every fall. 🐈

10/1/19 →

Another very good Praying Mantis hanging out in my front yard. 🐝

10/1/19 →

Oh cool. The exercise trigger for iOS 13.1.2 Shortcuts finally started working today.

September 2019

9/29/19 →

This Preying Mantis (or others like her) has been hanging out on one of our California wild grape vines for a few days now. It’s lovely to have critters take refuge in our plants. 🐝

9/28/19 →

Using iOS 13 shortcuts & iPad home screen widget to set audio output to my airplay capable Sonos speaker and then immediately play music are all I ever needed. Using control center to change audio output is 👎

9/27/19 →

California Wild Rose (Rosa californica) flowers are incredibly fragile. This backyard plant became quite happy when I added it to the drip irrigation.🐞

9/27/19 →

This “Beauty” Japanese plum has been quite temperamental. No idea if it should be defoliated by now - happened last year too. Too much water? Sensitive to daylight time? 🤷‍♂️🌳

9/25/19 →

My new favorite watch face, from WatchOS 6, is Solar Dial. I’m often outdoors for work so at a glance view of the sun ephemeris is nice. Apple put a lot of effort on this watch face!

9/24/19 →

Good morning!

9/22/19 →

Piano repair in Flatiron.

9/21/19 →

This crisp very low IBU Montauk Summer Ale is what I needed this warm late summer evening on Long Island, NY.

9/21/19 →

Love how Mott Street in China Town (Manhattan) curves out of sight like a movie set.

9/20/19 →

I wanted all of the knishes.

9/20/19 →

Gorgeous day on the Brooklyn Bridge. Walked from Penn Station to Atlantic Terminal. Knishes, Lotus Seed Paste Cake, Ruebins, and Cheese Cake were devoured along the way.

9/20/19 →

JFK, New York. Scene from last night: a traffic jam in the hourly garage. Was treated to a horn serenade near midnight. Was kinda funny though the pay booth operator was clearly having a bad night w/ technical difficulties.

9/19/19 →

Snow Mountain and St. John mountain are looking pretty good after yesterday’s rain.

9/18/19 →

The audio sync feature on Apple’s tvOS 13 is 👌 Also, here’s a🌈 🌈

9/18/19 →

My almost 2 year old plum is so fickle. It’s senescing early. After digging into the soil, I think it is water deprived. So trying adding 1 gallon per hour emitter as 0.5 gallon per hour emitters are not delivering nearly enough water. I’m also annoyed at the borer bugs.

9/16/19 →

Urban prescribed fire 🔥. Provides volunteer fire department training and reduces city blight & fine fuels in vacant lots.

9/15/19 →

Epilobium canum (California Fuchsia) keeping pollinators, including hummingbirds, happy.

9/14/19 →

Mantis enjoying the accommodations of our little Blue Oak.

9/13/19 →

Anna’s Hummingbirds fighting over native fuchsias!

9/13/19 →

HomeKit is great because it doesn’t require internet for day to day operations. Internet goes down, I can still operate or expect automations as normal. The same cannot be said of the other smart home ecosystems. Ecobee goes out of business? HomeKit!

9/13/19 →

Ecobee 3 lite seems nice but had to change its default 0.5°f “Cool Differential Temp” to 1°f. We keep our house pretty warm so its heat saturated mass rapidly causes air temp to rebound. To Nest’s credit, I think it had a non-programmable ~1°f diff. Short-cycling 👎

9/12/19 →

Bye bye Nest Thermostat Gen 1. Hello ecobee3 lite! I revised the Nest’s fancy screws to avoid drywall anchors — critical as the drywall is backed by 2x4s. Super easy install with the common wire I enabled last weekend.

9/11/19 →

Almond harvest season.

9/10/19 →

Can’t wait to replace the 1st gen Nest Thermostat with this Ecobee3 Lite. A Friday project.

9/10/19 →

Going to be jealous of that iPhone 11’s 📱grown up front camera! About time it has near parity to the rear.

9/9/19 →

The package only had to go from one end of the state to another. Instead, it first went across the country! 🧐

9/8/19 →

Tonight’s homemade pizza 🍕

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9/8/19 →

Preparing to move away from Nest (Google) to Ecobee this week. Just used a spare thermostat wire and C terminal on HVAC mainboard to create a common wire. Minimizes fussing with wires at the mainboard and no PEK for me!

December 2012

12/8/12 →

Eucalyptus plantation near Corning. This was supposed to be for a sustainable biofuels project.