Archive




2025-07-05 A duo of juvenile Northern Mockingbirds in our elderberry & ceanothus bushes #BirdPhotography …

2025-07-05 Juvenile Northern Mockingbird enjoying our backyard bounty of Elderberries #NorthernMockingbird …

2025-07-04 Happy mulch watering day to those that celebrate it

2025-06-30 A California Towhee taking the bridge to a singing perch #CaliforniaTowhee #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge …

2025-06-28 I was watching fire tanker aircraft land at San Bernardino (KSBD) on runway 24, which has no …

2025-06-28 Comcast is simplifying its Xfinity internet plans and dropping data caps: The plans will include …

2025-06-27 If you’re an AvGeek, here’s some freshly available self-care thanks to Cockpit Casual …

2025-06-27 In case you wondered why there are roadless areas on Forest Service land, Zeke Lunder has a good …

2025-06-27 Overnight, an unusual but small M3.6 earthquake happened north of us in Redding, Ca. Crystal clear …

2025-06-24 Return to Office is surprisingly exhausting.

2025-06-15 #SilentSunday #GroundSquirrel #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

2025-06-12 In my backyard, a juvenile scrub jay has been tearing pieces of green tree tape and caching them. …

2025-06-08 Switching Network Tips on US Mobile

2025-06-03 Day 3 of the Micro.blog June Photo Challenge: Shadow L-188 Electra, operated by AirSpray, at Chico, …

2025-06-03 We’ve a bumper crop of volunteer Holy Basil plants and we’re extremely pleased #Yarden

2025-06-02 Day 2: Curve Lufthansa 747-800 (D-ABYH) at SFO, departing for Frankfurt #MBJune #B748 #DABYH …

2025-05-30 Our lone volunteer backyard sunflower bloomed yesterday #Sunflowers #BloomScrolling #Fujifilm #SOoC

2025-05-26 Today we suspended shade cloth over the avocado trees. The trees will now survive 100°F+ …

2025-05-25 #SilentSunday #Sunset #Fujifilm #SOoC

2025-05-24 Yarden pool season has begun. Rubber ducks (and more elsewhere) serve as life rafts for insects. …

2025-05-24 #StreetPhotography #SanFrancisco #BlackAndWhite #Fujifilm #SOoC

2025-05-22 October 2023 at Chico Municipal Airport: BAE 146-200s, Reg. C-GRNT and N908AS. Owned by AirSpray. I …

2025-05-21 Iberia A330-2 & ITA A330-9 #WidebodyWednesday #PlaneSpotting #Aviation #AvGeek #SFO #ECMLB …

2025-05-20 Alternate angle of today’s surprise Fence lizard. #FenceLizard #Fujifilm #SOoC

2025-05-20 A surprise today when a large Fence lizard took advantage of water under a spigot backflow preventer …

2025-05-20 Preparing for takeoff May 1, 2025: Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 flying SFO-FRA and United Boeing 777-2 …

2025-05-18 Family photo of Mount St. Helens (foreground) and Mount Rainier (background). Probably on a flight …

2025-05-18 Tips for Porting out of T-Mobile (mid-May 2025)

2025-05-17 Bruce Lee Memorial in Chinatown, San Francisco #BruceLee #StreetArt #ChinaTown #SanFrancisco …

2025-05-15 The Northern Mockingbird pair are mostly absent from their nest. I guess the ambient temperature is …

2025-05-14 First year our milkweed has bloomed! #Milkweed #BloomScrolling #Yarden #Fujifilm #SOoC

2025-05-13 These compound eyes! #WesternBlackHorsefly #Insect #InsectPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoC

2025-05-13 This Western Black Horsefly rested in our front yard this morning #WesternBlackHorsefly #Insect …

2025-05-13 This morning in California after the rain #CaWx #California

2025-05-11 There are at least two Northern Mockingbird eggs in the nest! The momma bird went off for a snack …

2025-05-11 #PrairieCreekRedwoodsSP #California #SilentSunday

2025-05-10 June 2022: Narrow-gauge steam train from Kurort Oybin to Teufelsmühle (south of Zittau) …

2025-05-10 Our (male?) Northern Mockingbird is still actively inspecting and improving the nest in our grapes …

2025-05-08 Double-crested Cormorant flying very low over the San Francisco Bay at Anza Fisherman’s Park …

2025-05-07 A foraging Bewick’s Wren #Wrensday #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm

2025-05-06 A claw machine house on Grant Avenue in San Francisco #BlackAndWhite #SanFrancisco #Photography …

2025-05-05 A Northern Mockingbird has decided to build a nest on the grape vines growing under the outer edge …

2025-05-04 #SilentSunday #Fujifilm

2025-05-04 Hawaiian A330-243 (N391HA) HNL-SFO on May 3rd, 2025, south of arrival runways #N391HA #A332 #AvGeek …

2025-05-03 Me getting Dim Sum for breakfast in San Francisco

2025-05-02 Whimbrels! From near San Francisco Intl. Airport #Whimbrel #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm

2025-05-02 Bayfront Park. 📍 A bumblebee enjoying a carpet of asters (probably invasive capeweed 😕) at Bayfront …

2025-05-01 TIL the Houston Rockets have a game at the Golden State Warriors tomorrow in SF. This is the team’s …

2025-05-01 Hah. I went to load Ritchie Roesch’s “PRO Negative 160C” film sim recipe to my Fujifilm X-T5 just to …

2025-04-26 Backyard native flower status: Pink and white California roses and Elderberry. There appear to be …

2025-04-26 Backyard trees have decent fruit set. New Century Asian Pears, Hosui Asian Pears, and a Nectarine …

2025-04-25 From a few weekends ago, Tree Swallows racing through the skies above Black Butte Lake. …

2025-04-23 Cool orange headed beetles on our milkweed today #Beetles #InsectPhotography #Milkweed …

2025-04-23 From this morning, a Cranefly on a Milkweed leaf #Cranefly #Milkweed #NativePlants #Yarden

2025-04-21 Colorado's outdoor companies are buckling under Trump trade war: “I’m the U.S. manufacturer using …

2025-04-19 Ospreys are amazing. Last week, before our eyes, one plunged into Black Butte lake and caught a …

2025-04-16 You got this #WrensDay #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifim #SOoC

2025-04-14 At Black Butte Lake this last Saturday, we were treated by a flying formation of American White …

2025-04-13 Useful FastMail Rules that rely on Headers by @jsonbecker Mail rules on Fastmail that make my life …

2025-04-13 Yesterday: Damselfly and a Mosquito at Black Butte Lake #Damselfly #BlackButteLake #Fujifilm #SOoC

2025-04-12 Spectacular day at Black Butte Lake today #BlackButteLake #Fujifilm #SOoC

2025-04-12 Okay, dilapidated front yard sprinkler valve assembly is removed and system capped off. The water …

2025-04-11 My latest project is to remove one entire unused sprinkler valve assembly. Took a bit of care …

2025-04-11 Dad and Son Crash Underwater Drone Into Unexploded World War II Bomb | PetaPixel: The cops asked …

2025-04-09 Bushtit! #Bushtit #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

2025-04-08 Towhees are all the rage right now, so here’s one busy looking for food at the Refuge’s parking area …

2025-04-08 AirlineReporter has a JFK to Singapore flight report up! World’s longest flight.

2025-04-07 Loggerhead shrike from the Refuge the other weekend #LoggerheadShrike #Birds #BirdPhotography …

2025-04-06 Flew from Orland-Haigh Field (O37) to San Francisco International in the Beaver, and ATC told me to …

2025-04-05 X-Plane 12.2 beta is out and it’s nice. It fixes dark cockpits, greatly improves atmospherics, …

2025-04-04 For the first time, I repaired a sliding glass door screen today. The old synthetic one had weakened …

2025-04-03 I was feeling left out, so please enjoy the Black-Necked Stilts in lieu of penguins. …

2025-04-02 I finally have a #Wrensday post, thanks to this constantly singing Bewick’s Wren #BewicksWren …

2025-04-01 Another photo from the Refuge this last Saturday #GreatEgret #WhiteFacedIbis #Birds #BirdPhotography …

2025-04-01 I once again commit to only Fork food. That is all.

2025-03-31 #TurkeyVulture #Birds #BirdWatching #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

2025-03-31 CalFire has a pretty neat Fire Fighting Aircraft Recognition Guide including radio frequencies and a …

2025-03-30 American Bushtit at the refuge yesterday. What an acrobatic fuzzball! #AmericanBushtit #Birds …

2025-03-30 What's new in GraphicConverter? macOS SHORTCUTS have been added! I thought they were going to wait …

2025-03-30 On the Waihe’e Ridge Trail on Maui in 2021 #SilentSunday

2025-03-30 Yesterday, I shot at the refuge using Ritchie Roesch’s “Emulsion ’86, a Fujifilm X-T5 (X-Trans V) …

2025-03-29 Western Fence lizard basking in the sun at the Refuge today #WesternFenceLizard …

2025-03-27 Two Eurasian Collared Doves enjoying this evening #EurasianCollaredDoves #Birds #BirdWatching …

2025-03-26 Random unexplained photo of a very narrow part of our backyard #BloomScrolling #Ceanothus …

2025-03-24 It’s quite warm and pleasant in California. Running the whole house fan in the evenings is glorious.

2025-03-23 Ceanothus and Asian Pear #BloomScrolling

2025-03-23 #SilentSunday #DeathValleyNP #MosaicCanyon #Fujifilm #SOoC

2025-03-22 I guess both of my Asian Pear trees have a fungal infection. These black spots certainly do not …

2025-03-21 Flew my hot-rod DHC-2 Beaver to the gravel strip at Lake Pillsbury. My landing was awful as I …

2025-03-20 DOGE Federal Worker Layoffs Are Causing Trauma – and Costing the Government | US News Opinion The …

2025-03-18 Super-duper niche but: if you fly X-Plane 12 with the Thranda DHC-2 Beaver with a Yawman Arrow …

2025-03-17 Last Friday, this coyote had plenty of rabbits and birds to consider but instead wanted to check us …

2025-03-16 Whoops #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #GreatBlueHeron #Birds

2025-03-16 The U.S. egg industry has forced us to find egg alternatives. Vegans know! For breading sweet potato …

2025-03-16 #SilentSunday

2025-03-15 My simple X-Plane 12 FlyWithLua scripts that enable aircraft specific multi-button functionality for …

2025-03-15 A Northern Harrier from yesterday’s visit to the refuge #NorthernHarrier #Birds #BirdWatching …

2025-03-14 What luck at the refuge today! Among many others, we were treated to Northern Flickers, an Egret …

2025-03-14 The Albums app for iOS can now save Quick Collections to Apple Music playlists. Now my Sonos …

2025-03-09 Here’s my first clear keeper ever of an American Bushtit. Such a smoll borb!

2025-03-09 Flew the Beaver VFR from Orland Haigh Field (O37) to Round Valley (O09) this morning. Middle Eel …

2025-03-09 Up an hour early and heating the house an hour early. DST feels like a DOGE thing

2025-03-08 The Seattle Times: Trump’s Forest Service firings killed dreams, left big holes to fill in WA …

2025-03-08 From SFGate: ‘There is literally no one’: Forest service in Lake Tahoe is gutted …

2025-03-08 Mount Lassen from Brokeoff Mountain, October 2019. The trail up Brokeoff is arduous with a massive …

2025-03-06 A fired biologist criticizes Elon Musk for valuing nature only in monetary terms and lacking …

2025-03-04 Manky1’s Dash 8 Q400 aircraft for X-Plane just got a major update!

2025-03-02 #SilentSunday #UbehebeCrater #DeathValleyNP #Fujifilm #SOoC

2025-03-02 Can One Use an LLM to Defeat the Evil Robots?

2025-03-01 I adore our random bunch of daffodils that grew unbidden under a manzanita in the front yard …

2025-03-01 Trump and Musk plan to close 164 Interior Department offices, severely impacting local economies and …

2025-02-28 When you’re not used to landing tail draggers (DHC–2 Beaver in this case), physics gives you the …

2025-02-27 The post emphasizes the importance of the go-around procedure in aviation for safety, contrasting it …

2025-02-23 When California Went to War Over Eggs | Smithsonian The scramble for eggs drew entrepreneurs to an …

2025-02-23 Guidance on OPM Saturday Email | National Federation of Federal Employees NFFE believes this email …

2025-02-21 Our backyard Nectarine is now in full bloom! #NectarineTree #Yarden #HomeOrchard #BloomScrolling …

2025-02-21 A few weeks steady at $8.98 for a dozen eggs.

2025-02-21 I’m going to learn to fly this de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver (developed by Thranda for X-Plane …

2025-02-11 This Black Phoebe chirped it up while catching insects mid-air in our backyard today. This is the …

2025-02-09 First bloom of our nectarine #Yarden #HomeOrchard

2025-02-09 Welcome to Superb Owl Sunday. Though I’ll throw an Eagle in too. #SuperbOwl #SuperbEagle …

2025-02-07 Backyard nectarine is at first pink #Yarden #HomeOrchard

2025-01-26 . #SilentSunday #Fujifilm #SOoC

2025-01-20 Lewis’s Woodpecker (spotted Saturday) #LewissWoodpecker #BlackButteReservoir #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC

2025-01-18 Went out to Burris Creek today, west of Black Butte Lake. For the first time we saw Lewis’s …

2025-01-13 Well, it’s a fine photo but I’m not going to try any harder. It’s cold and windy out there and this …

2025-01-12 It’s been years but managed to boot up an old QNAP TS-251. Last firmware was from 2023. If I decide …

2025-01-12 Central Ducted Fujitsu Heat Pump: Use the Wall Thermostat Sensor instead of the Air Handler's Sensor

2025-01-06 Today I finally photographed one of several Orange-crowned Warblers that use our backyard as a …

2025-01-05 The resident Scrub Jay had herself a vigorous bath on this fine California day #WesternScrubJay …

2025-01-04 I’m stoked that our asparagus bed, now in its third home over the last ten years, is beginning to …

2025-01-02 For the A330-900 Neo by X-Plane aircraft developer Toliss, I wrote a FlyWithLua script that enables …

2025-01-01 My top 2024 albums per the Albums app. This is not a full dataset though as I used Tidal until they …

2024-12-31 2024 was an off year for travel as I didn’t once make it to a major airport. I only stopped in …

2024-12-27 If you fly X-Plane 12 with the Yawman Arrow Controller, check out my basic aircraft specific …

2024-12-25 Today: Downy Woodpecker skillfully foraging at the Pine Creek Unit of the refuge #DownyWoodpecker …

2024-12-25 Snow sculptures from a very wintery Berlin in early December 2023

2024-12-23 Last Sunday, we witnessed a Western Meadowlark in a meadow! 😲🫣 #WesternMeadowLark …

2024-12-22 Poor Great Horned Owls have no privacy in the winter #GreatHornedOwls #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge …

2024-12-21 A soggy juvenile Bald Eagle at the Refuge today! #BaldEagle #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge …

2024-12-19 Last Sunday: an American Kestrel. Just look at that face! 🤩 #AmericanKestrel …

2024-12-16 Stereotypical Black-necked Stilts at the refuge yesterday #BlackNeckedStilts …

2024-12-15 The Snow Geese cannot be missed right now at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. Also not to be …

2024-12-14 When my wireless network goes on the fritz, adding another WiFi node fixes it. Then I remove it a …

2024-12-14 Only 9am and already there’s an inch of rain for the day! Gotta pump the closed basin in our …

2024-12-12 Overnight rain total was 1.25”. That’s quite good for the Sacramento Valley! #CaWx

2024-12-11 Marsh Wren! #WrensDay #MarshWren #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC 🪶

2024-12-09 Some ducks had a bad hair day yesterday on account of the wind. These may have been Mergansers …

2024-12-09 The new Dawn dish soap scent is… intense. And therefore bad. Didn’t they think of the poor oil …

2024-12-09 ~M5.7 earthquake just happened southeast of Reno, NV. I did not feel it but of course my Raspberry …

2024-12-08 A stunning clear day today. Here’s Mt. Lassen from the Black Butte Dam. Quite the change from burn …

2024-12-08 A nice, if breezy, day at Black Butte Reservoir. It was not great for bird watching… unless you …

2024-12-05 A fire pit at a Christmas Market in Berlin, 2023 #Berlin #Travel #Fujifilm #SOoC

2024-12-05 USGS reports a M6.6 off Cape Mendocino. Here’s my seismograph curtesy of Raspberry Shake. Be sure to …

2024-12-05 well that was an earthquake that I felt. Thought I was losing it for a moment #CAWx #Earthquake

2024-12-04 Berlin, December 2023. Looking across the Spree toward the Berlin Cathedral #Berlin #Travel …

2024-12-03 Frankfurt Airport train station on December 4, 2023 #Travel #Trains #EDDF #Fujifilm #SOoC

2024-12-02 On this day in 2023, we began our trip to Germany. We flew KSFO-EDDF (Frankfurt) on United 777-3 …

2024-12-02 A random San Francisco photo, looking south down Main Street from Market Street. January 2023. …

2024-12-01 A very grim story - it doesn’t candy coat the great human tragedy of airplane crashes: “Chaos in the …

2024-11-30 Our first frost! And so the birds are having a lousy morning (re)discovering frozen water #Birds 🪶

2024-11-26 November 26 and we’ve already heard Last Christmas.

2024-11-21 I nearly forgot to show-off this Ruby-crowned Kinglet that foraged in our backyard today. It loved …

2024-11-19 Big storm coming, the air is thick with smoke, so all the ag piles must be burning 🤢 glad we’ve an …

2024-11-19 Yawman Arrow is celebrating MSFS2024’s release with a sale on their fantastically portable …

2024-11-17 More big birds from yesterday: a White Egret, a Red Tailed Hawk, and an Air India 777-2 VT-AEG …

2024-11-16 Today’s best birds at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge includes a Bald Eagle, a Belted Kingfisher …

2024-11-16 “We have about the same number of federal employees than we had in the 1960s, even though the …

2024-11-15 Tankless Water Heater citric acid flush day! About 1.5lb citric acid to 3.5 gallons of water. Long …

2024-11-15 Big X-Plane 12 beta release! ATC now support SIDs, STARs, and the AIRAC cycle is now 2402, iirc …

2024-11-13 X-Crafts, an X-Plane Aircraft developer, is trying to list all actively maintained X-Plane 11 and 12 …

2024-11-11 House Finches are gorging on shriveled up elderberries in our backyard

2024-11-03 A Lesser Gold Finch gorging on sweet basil seeds in our backyard

2024-11-01 As previously mentioned, there was a circus behind us from last Friday through Monday. And its final …

2024-10-30 A circus came to town for the weekend. Behind us. The City got an earful from us and our neighbors …

2024-10-26 I just donated to Rose Yee to #KickLaMalfaOut

2024-10-23 Welcome back, small yellow bird! #Birds #WarblerOrNot #BirdWatching #Fujifilm #SOoC 🪶

2024-10-20 As today is the International Day of the Controller, here’s a photo to celebrate their astonishing …

2024-10-19 We voted! I voted the Not a Loser or a Sucker Veteran slate. Oh, and for democracy and actual …

2024-10-18 Big thank you to Hawaiian Airlines for being compassionate and generously refunding our …

2024-10-14 Bidwell Park has goats! Under the watchful eye of a Great Pyrenees, they’re chowing down on the …

2024-10-14 But for the cost, this new lens is tempting. PetaPixel: The Familiar Fujifilm XF 500mm f/5.6 Brings …

2024-10-13 Today we made a quick visit to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. There’s no missing the White …

2024-10-11 It’s a nice 69°F outside in NorCal but the air quality is gnarly because of agriculture/large …

2024-10-08 A (western?) toad left this dropping literally at our front door. It’s full of pillbugs …

2024-09-30 Inspector Woodpecker was quite enthusiastic about this eucalyptus #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge …

2024-09-29 Here’s to a fine Sunday morning flying an Embraer E-175 from KSEA to KPHX (Seattle to Phoenix). Mt. …

2024-09-28 At the refuge, the only newcomers are white crowns and white fronted geese. But I only photographed …

2024-09-22 XPlane 12’s boat update is fun but IMHO a sailboat just down SFO’s runway 28R is taking it too far …

2024-09-22 It’s great that XPlane lets aircraft devs bypass native modeling but that means other native …

2024-09-21 For now, here’s an urban Black Phoebe #BlackPhoebe #Birds #BirdWatching

2024-09-21 Geese & White Crowns are back. Soon as the weather stays cooler, I hope to be out at the refuges …

2024-09-15 Yikes. Dresden’s Carola Bridge collapsed in their early morning hours. Apparently a tram had just …

2024-09-14 I got the latest iOS 18 developer beta and its Home app can download PG&E energy use data & …

2024-09-09 Today, our roofers repaired a set of joined eaves that had been a leaky but exterior only problem …

2024-09-08 My wife enjoyed sunset at Laguna Beach this last Friday

2024-09-07 My modern need to vanquish all notifications and icon badges has bled into World of Warcraft, where …

2024-09-04 Today, my wife (on a business trip) photographed the Southwest “Missouri One” livery at Sacramento …

2024-09-03 I’ve had Grado SR–125 headphones for almost 20 years now. I’ve neglected them the last ten years. …

2024-09-02 Spam texts are getting feisty

2024-09-01 In World of Warcraft’s War Within, I have made it to Dornogal. My Druid hasn’t died yet. Not sure if …

2024-08-31 FlightFactor 777v2 Release is “Imminent” The FlightFactor 777v2 has been in development for a …

2024-08-30 I just learned about Follower Dungeons in World of Warcraft. Being able to now play the game solo, …

2024-08-28 Got the new Covid vaccine tonight

2024-08-25 Asian pears are ready for fresh eating! The yellow ones are New Century and the brown ones are …

2024-08-12 Last Sunday, caught this Navy E6-B bird flying west of the refuge. Apparently they were on a west …

2024-08-11 Saw a bad-ass Tarantula-hawk Wasp at the refuge. I haven’t seen tarantulas around these parts, …

2024-08-11 Rabbits all day at the refuge this pleasant summer morning #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Rabbits

2024-08-10 In X-Plane 12, flew from KLAX to KJFK in the classic 747-200. I came in hot and then a bit low, but …

2024-08-08 My RaspberryShake detected the M7.1 earthquake from super early this morning Pacific time. Here’s …

2024-08-07 It’s really disappointing that Amazon can’t be bothered to make reasonable delivery schedules in my …

2024-08-06 Well, I cannot help but be excited that Tim Walz is a Geographer and a GIS practitioner.

2024-08-03 If you have a Yawman Arrow Controller, X-Plane 12, and the Felis 747-200, here’s my amateur-hour …

2024-07-28 Smoke from thr Park Fire has, for the first time, obviously made it to the surface of the west side …

2024-07-28 Plex is nice. Random album radio FTW. Even better that I can augment my local library by adding …

2024-07-27 The temperatures are in the 70s and it is quite overcast with clouds and smoke. So we took advantage …

2024-07-26 I guess this is one way Scrubjays cool themselves off? All splayed & fluffed out with its beak …

2024-07-26 A better view of the Park Fire pyrocumulous from the other side of the Sacramento Valley. #ParkFire …

2024-07-26 Park Fire from way across the west Sacramento Valley near Orland ☹️ #ParkFire #CAWx

2024-07-22 Today’s Sonos app update restores most local library functionality. Here I go with app and firmware …

2024-07-21 At Medford, Oregon airport, two fire fighter tanker aircraft on final approach on July 17, 2024. A …

2024-07-19 Apple moving drivers away from kernel space to user space on macOS suddenly makes sense. #macOS

2024-07-19 With all the CrowdStrike insanity, glad I’m off work today. But hoping my org didn’t get hit too …

2024-07-17 Today I’m at Medford just for the evening. So here’s a photo straight out of the camera of tanker …

2024-07-16 So my spouse noticed her Kindle Lock Screen is now trying to sell Large Language Model slop 😖

2024-07-16 Finally, alternatives to Lithium batteries are on the market. Undecided with Matt Ferrell: Solid …

2024-07-13 Monsoonal moisture is invading the Northern Sacramento Valley. There are high level clouds now. …

2024-07-10 If you like Watch Duty, the free (!) iOS app Calamity goes beyond wildfires into major airport …

2024-07-09 The highly unusual multi-day extreme heat of over 110°F took a huge toll on our Asian pears and …

2024-07-07 SFGate has a good round-up of the latest at KSFO (San Francisco International Airport): "Why the …

2024-07-07 Rabbit at the refuge yesterday. #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Rabbit

2024-07-06 Today, before the heat got too extreme, we visited a nearby wildlife refuge. Here’s a Heron, King …

2024-07-06 Good morning from the westside of the North Sacramento Valley where, at 06:00, it was 79°F at 31% …

2024-07-05 It is 19:00 and the outdoor temperature is finally dropping. The high was 113°F at 7% relative …

2024-07-05 Today I learned how to use BareBones Edit with Git. It is real easy. I’m such a nerd.

2024-07-04 I’m watering the front yard plants tonight because knuckleheads gotta set off fireworks. I must say …

2024-07-03 In my part of the N. Sacramento Valley, 85 degrees F this morning. The humidity is 20% and it’ll …

2024-06-29 Internet has been great all morning. Condition Green. Thanks for being good sports over my rants!

2024-06-29 I connected my RaspberryPi ADSB receiver to Ethernet and turned off WiFi. It gained an impressive …

2024-06-28 Maybe my getting stormy today over a few week’s of progressively worse internet speeds dislodged an …

2024-06-28 I sure hope my streaming services don’t use IP addresses alone to determine a household. ‘Cuz my IP …

2024-06-28 Comcast/Xfinity Internet Woes

2024-06-28 U.S. land management agencies losing Chevron deference will be madness. Generally judges accept that …

2024-06-27 How about some American White Pelicans doing some formation flying last weekend. They were real far …

2024-06-26 Fujifilm just released firmware updates that include, for some models, the Reala Ace film …

2024-06-23 A different kind of common bird one can see from the nearby refuge. An Air Tractor. The heat shimmer …

2024-06-23 Here’s that Northern Harrier, a bit distant & blurred in the center of this photo, that I …

2024-06-21 We saw a Double Crested Cormorant at the wildlife refuge today. Not shown here, but there was also a …

2024-06-19 A helicopter has been flying a lot over my town so I looked up their previous flights. Okay… guess I …

2024-06-19 On PetaPixel: Scientists Capture Never-Before-Seen Footage of Deep-Sea Squid Cradling Huge Eggs

2024-06-18 Windows 11’s File Explorer’s Forward and Back buttons randomly not working is quite the …

2024-06-17 Stories on California ghost towns are always entertaining. The latest one is from SF Gate: It was …

2024-06-07 I received a new kind of spam text message today: “Hey, is this Ryan?” Guess spammers/scammers are …

2024-06-05 Our resident scrub jays didn’t have much of a green thumb this year. Or they did a great job eating …

2024-06-03 Our avocado tree seems to be producing now. But I won’t bet on any of the fruit making it to …

2024-06-02 Just as most non-native plants stop flowering in time for summer, the California Fuchsias have just …

2024-06-02 Paramount+'s Strategy is Baffling

2024-05-31 Marestail weeds are impossible to pull out of compacted ground. I’m avoiding herbicide so I’ve …

2024-05-27 The Flight Simulator Navigation Data Economy

2024-05-26 The Capay Unit refuge was bustling today. Here’s a Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar and a Black …

2024-05-26 Sonos Ace headphones are not for me since all I ever wanted from such a thing was to transfer my …

2024-05-26 Western Wood-Pewee! A first for us. Spotted at the Pine Creek Unit of the #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge …

2024-05-24 Windows 11 Thoughts

2024-05-20 It is hilarious to me, but not surprising, that my AirPods only work properly with the web-based …

2024-05-19 It is super cool that Flame Skimmer dragonflies are spending time in our backyard. This one was …

2024-05-18 Lots of Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies feasting on purple thistle flower nectar at a wildlife …

2024-05-16 From last weekend at the refuge: a Bullock's Oriole in a Willow tree. #BullocksOriole #Birds …

2024-05-13 NO Pedestrians Beyond This Point: Black Phoebe enforced #Birds #Fujifilm #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge

2024-05-12 At the refuge yesterday, pretty certain I saw and photographed a Western Kingbird vomit up a stone …

2024-05-11 Sometimes unintentional photos are the best. Today at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge south …

2024-05-11 Aurora in Northern California ☺️ Good night, folks!

2024-05-10 Tonight with aurora potential in Northern California, there’s opportunity to run three cameras …

2024-05-05 As I understand the Chestnut-backed Chickadee, it being upside-down in the trees is pretty typical. …

2024-05-02 This is a vicious scam. Chase Bank needs to fix that app prompt ASAP to make it clear they’re …

2024-05-01 One of very many Western Blue Birds at Lynch Canyon Open Space Park, Northern California. Lots of …

2024-04-30 In Tonopah, NV, they have a Hometown Pizza and two classy looking hotels 📷 #MBApr

2024-04-29 On our hike last Saturday, a few drifting swarms of bugs were along the trail. Probably mosquitoes …

2024-04-28 One year ago today: spotted three of the California Condor community in flight at Pinnacles National …

2024-04-27 On today’s 3 mile hike at the Lynch Canyon Open Space Park in California ‘s North Bay, we were …

2024-04-26 Poor critter lost its tail! This was also the first lizard I’ve seen this year so it has had a rough …

2024-04-26 I’ve had a lot of gardening to do with sharp implements so finally got my TDAP booster. I’m ready …

2024-04-25 I think this is the “Big Al” Allosaurus skeleton at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, MT. Nice …

2024-04-24 I love the layers of light in this photo of me taking photos in the desert near Death Valley 📷 …

2024-04-23 Compared to my old Intel 16” MacBook Pro, this M3 14” MBP is dreamy. As everyone reports, the …

2024-04-22 I’d love to be this solo seagull flying sapphire blue skies 📷 #MBApr

2024-04-21 Death Valley’s Telescope Peak from Furnace Creek. It is the park’s tallest mountain at 11,043 feet …

2024-04-20 Mid-March 2024 at the Donner Summit rest area (east-bound). I suppose once the building was dug out, …

2024-04-20 We’re planting only one row this year. Just tomatoes, various peppers, basil, and an overwintered …

2024-04-20 The new The Libertines album “All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade” is solid if you like Britpop

2024-04-19 A slightly early birthday present to me: a Sonos Move 2. Sounds very good! It’ll be great keeping me …

2024-04-19 Neighbor’s gas mower they use every year: won’t start. My electric mower I start every couple of …

2024-04-19 Got off work just in time to find out Congressman LaMalfa voted against aid for Ukraine. 😩 …

2024-04-18 Here is a random Death Valley vista. They’re all stunning no matter my mood 📷 #MBApr

2024-04-17 Definitely looking forward to the absolute transcendence that is homegrown nectarines! Our two Asian …

2024-04-16 Gotta have a bit of the flâneur spirit to partake in street photography. Or you’d miss a random …

2024-04-15 Today I lucked out and saw a small Painted Lady butterfly delighting in our clover. My X-T5 camera …

2024-04-14 A gorgeous Barrel Cactus from Joshua Tree National Park 📷 #MBApr

2024-04-13 My spouse took a page from Korean cuisine and made a nice gochujang-based BBQ sauce for tonight’s …

2024-04-12 In X-Plane 12, I finally managed to get the 747-200 (modeled by Felis) up to cruise with only minor …

2024-04-12 I installed my first Sharkbite plumbing fixture and it’s kinda magic how easy & low stress it …

2024-04-12 Uncovered a historical artifact while cutting back the lavender. Guess AT&T hasn’t needed this …

2024-04-12 Perfect day in California for yard work. So much to do. I can’t believe this young of the year mix …

2024-04-11 A few weeks ago, we spotted a Bald Eagle high in the sky. It appeared to have nesting material or …

2024-04-10 A narrow gauge steam train engine at Oybin, Saxony, Germany. June 2022. 📷 #MBApr

2024-04-09 Last December, in Berlin, we went to the Ritter Sport store and bought what seemed like every …

2024-04-08 I was way more interested in the sunspot. Used the reverse binoculars projection method to aid in …

2024-04-07 The occasional donut or two may not be genuinely super-duper essential to my well-being but they’re …

2024-04-06 Here’s a windy 2019 August day at Coyote Point, just south of San Francisco International Airport. …

2024-04-05 Death Valley National Park can seem incredibly (and perhaps dangerously) serene 📷 #MBApr

2024-04-04 Last weekend, fresh foliage adorn our stalwart oaks of Northern California. The interior coast …

2024-04-04 A M4.8 earthquake northeast of Chico just happened. I didn’t feel it. But my Raspberry Shake REALLY …

2024-04-03 Ever played with Guinness themed cards at Lassen National Park? Eight years ago, we did! 📷 #MBApr

2024-04-02 Pear flowers! This year our two Asian pear trees bloomed simultaneously. Good bet they cross …

2024-04-02 Absolutely massive earthquake in Taiwan. Detected by my Raspberry Shake seismometer. It was …

2024-04-01 I’m going to try participating in micro.blog’s April photo challenge. So each day in April I’ll post …

2024-03-31 Flying Swallows are tough to photograph. They are speedy! Here’s an assortment of Cliff Swallows …

2024-03-30 I never appreciated how electric ovens do not exhaust heat like gas ovens. This new oven of ours …

2024-03-28 My watch today basically told me to breathe. There was no good reason for the surge of adrenaline at …

2024-03-25 Death Valley Road Trip Part 7

2024-03-24 Death Valley Road Trip Part 6

2024-03-23 Death Valley Road Trip Part 5

2024-03-22 Death Valley Road Trip Part 4

2024-03-21 Death Valley Road Trip Part 3

2024-03-20 For the first time both our Asian pear trees are in full bloom! They can pollinate each other so …

2024-03-19 Death Valley Road Trip Part 2

2024-03-18 Death Valley Road Trip Part 1

2024-03-18 Rainbow Canyon near Death Valley

2024-03-18 At Death Valley, a Crow Apparently Begs

2024-03-16 Passed through Tonopah 🤡 😬

2024-03-15 The wind was far calmer today at Death Valley, so here’s a Desert Sunflower without motion blur …

2024-03-15 Meanwhile, yesterday, somewhere in Death Valley #DeathValley #Fujifilm

2024-03-13 I’m trying the Tidal music streaming service. So far I really like the mixes they make based on the …

2024-03-10 Conical perforated metal strainers are pretty great for pulpy food compared to fine mesh wire …

2024-03-10 Daylight Saving Time means more energy use. The heat pump works harder w/hour longer low temps …

2024-03-09 Our full bloom nectarine tree

2024-03-09 We were barely tolerated by a pair of nesting Osprey at the refuge today. 😬#Osprey #BirdPhotography …

2024-03-09 Yesterday I picked up our wine club box at the New Clairvaux winery in Vina, CA. Couldn’t beat the …

2024-03-08 Our front yard Ceanothus bushes are nearly in full bloom. They are very popular with all sorts of …

2024-03-04 A Glossy Ibis at the refuge yesterday #GlossyIbis #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge

2024-03-03 Spotted a stunning American Kestrel at the refuge today #Birds #BirdWatching #AmericanKestrel

2024-03-03 Lagunitas IPNA is very good for a hoppy non-alcoholic beer. It’s has non-generic, tasty hops (citrus …

2024-03-02 Some photos my awesome wife took at the airports she traveled through for a work trip. A319s and a …

2024-03-01 Sun and rain! Thunderstorms are trying to develop. Maybe they’ll amount ri something on the east …

2024-02-27 Today, our nectarine had its first bloom #BloomScrolling

2024-02-26 We think this is a Loggerhead Shrike, though could also easily be a Northern Shrike. Either way, …

2024-02-25 Black Necked Stilts at the Sacramento Refuge yesterday with the Sutter Buttes looming beyond #Birds …

2024-02-25 Northern California is in full almond bloom. Our backyard fruit trees are on the precipice of …

2024-02-24 Gorgeous day at the Refuge. #Fujifilm

2024-02-23 “‘Like sending bees to war’: the deadly truth behind your almond milk obsession” …

2024-02-23 A Golden-crowned Sparrow 🪶 #BirdPhotography #GoldenCrownedSparrow #Fujifilm

2024-02-19 This rainy President’s Day, I’m getting used to the Yawman Arrow Controller by flying …

2024-02-19 If the sun can keep breaking through the clouds today, we may see some thunderstorms in the northern …

2024-02-10 On our induction stove, just a regular silicon mat under heavy cookware is good to protect the …

2024-02-04 Near Chico, CA, we just accumulated 2” of rain and this mockingbird has seen quite enough

2024-01-27 Local Raley’s grocery has non-alcoholic beer imported from Germany. It’s good as hoped. Malty, which …

2024-01-27 Today, finally saw a Spotted Towhee at the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge - Pine Creek …

2024-01-27 A quick storm today for the N. Sacramento Valley. I missed this in the forecast. We’ll actually …

2024-01-26 The weather has been so damp that there’s been hardly any good time to prune. Since we’re finally …

2024-01-22 Turns out a 2023 model year dishwasher is quite the upgrade to a 2003 model year dishwasher. Oh the …

2024-01-21 I’ve never seen an installed anti-tip bracket for a slide-in oven/stove until I installed one …

2024-01-18 We’re getting a new dishwasher tomorrow. Whoever installed the old one I’m removing…. WTAF with the …

2024-01-16 Just had my first flight with the Yawman Arrow flight simulator controller. It is so nice. I’m …

2024-01-14 Compared to German Non-Alcoholic (NA) beer, Sierra Nevada Brewery’s NA Trail Pass beer is fine. The …

2024-01-13 Here’s a Western Meadow Lark photobombing a White Crown Sparrow. Or was it the other way? …

2024-01-09 A ravenous Orange Crowned Warbler! #Birds #OrangeCrownedWarbler #fujifilm 🪶

2024-01-06 Here’s a surprise flock of American White Pelicans flying north along the Sacramento River near …

2024-01-06 Germany has great non-alcoholic beer and they seem quite popular there. More than you’d expect! …

2024-01-04 A Western Blue Bird living its best life. First time we’ve seen them feasting on our cultivated …

2024-01-01 Some birds spotted today at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge: a Bald Eagle, a Merlin, and a …

2024-01-01 Here’s my RaspberryShake’s recording of the M7.5 earthquake at Japan. #RaspberryShake #Earthquake …

2023-12-31 #SilentSunday

2023-12-30 COVID Sucks (Stay Fully Vaccinated )

2023-12-24 #SilentSunday #Deutschland #Berlin

2023-12-23 A Hooded Crow harasses a generally unflappable Kestrel at Berlin Tempelhof. #Fujifilm #Birds …

2023-12-17 After two weeks in Germany, Fujifilm’s new XApp was ace for geotags and JPEG transfers to my …

2023-12-17 #SilentSunday #Tempelhof #Berlin #AvGeek

2023-12-16 I’ve been waiting for this compact flight simulator controller for over a year. I’m pretty excited …

2023-12-15 Love getting out of the bus at the departure stand. Returning today to SFO from Germany. #Travel …

2023-12-03 Guten Morgen! Yesterday, after arriving at Frankfurt, Germany, we had lunch with jet-lag friendly …

2023-12-02 My 3-year old 777-300 ride tonight to Frankfurt. SFO gate G9 has decent views of that gate’s …

2023-12-01 On PetaPixel: “Science Explains The Rainbows That Appear in Hummingbirds' Wings” …

2023-11-26 #SilentSunday

2023-11-24 Yellow-Rumped Warbler was on the backyard cultivated Native California Grapes just long enough for …

2023-11-23 Here’s the turkey that appeared out of a hollow at Point Reyes National Seashore (years ago) and …

2023-11-21 Orange-crowned Warblers are back, feasting on dried out grapes. We’ve also observed Yellow-Rumped …

2023-11-11 Snow Geese are back in Northern California. It’s nice living in a fly-way. #SnowGeese #Birds …

2023-11-07 Walnut trees in Northern California right now.

2023-11-05 We had a distinguished visitor in our backyard today, hunting at our feeder. This is a Cooper’s Hawk …

2023-11-05 Good morning. The time changed so I’m now technically up an hour early but I got the usual hours of …

2023-10-28 I’m still amazed how the beta blocker Propranolol means I no longer have a physical tachycardic …

2023-10-20 The Orange-crowned Warbler(s) is/are back! They found our cultivated native California grapes a few …

2023-10-15 KCIC (Chico Municipal) had an open house yesterday. Two BAE-146s, C-GRNT and N908AS, are stored …

2023-10-14 Orland, CA government is pretty decent: “Groundwater recharge sites in Glenn County help provide …

2023-10-09 I guess it’s good that the lost Budgie (parakeet) keeps returning to our bird friendly backyard. The …

2023-10-09 I may have a breakthrough with my anxiety. A beta blocker. Forces my brain to stop being an …

2023-10-09 Good morning from California, where Fall is finally reasserting itself.

2023-10-08 Some wildlife at the Red Bluff Recreation Area (managed by the Mendocino National Forest). Lots of …

2023-10-01 Happy new water year! According to WeatherCat software, my wx station recorded a total of 27.91” for …

2023-09-30 Someone lost a parakeet or a small parrot 🙁😳 #BirdsOfMastodon #NotFromAroundHere

2023-09-30 Three episodes into Silo on Apple TV+ and I’m loving it. https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/125988

2023-09-25 About time Apple Music shows are available in Apple Podcasts. Now, imagine this, I can resume …

2023-09-24 In Northern California’s Fall, our whole house fan really shines. We can bring in cooler air at …

2023-09-23 Got out to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge this morning. The White Fronted Geese are here …

2023-09-22 Covid 💉✅ Flu 💉✅

2023-09-19 At KSFO, just outside BART, is a pretty great view of the west side of G terminal. It’s easy to miss …

2023-09-17 From the KSFO Terminal 2 Sky Terrace. I didn’t have my telephoto lens so I embraced the glass panes. …

2023-09-14 Covid booster and flu shots scheduled for next Friday! 🎉

2023-09-09 We sometimes spoil our resident scrub jays with sunflower heads loaded with seeds.

2023-09-09 So long, Google Chrome. The last straw has come.

2023-09-06 I finally deleted my Twitter account. Even having an inactive account felt icky. And really really …

2023-09-05 Lots of people with Covid at my workplace. I think the worst I’ve seen.

2023-09-04 Today: A Coopers Hawk at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge. #CoopersHawk #BirdWatching #BirdPhotography

2023-09-04 Gray Buckeye Butterfly today at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge. #Fujifilm #GrayBuckeye #Butterfly

2023-09-03 Weather was nice today! Summer is waning and so I guess outdoor photography season can begin. Here …

2023-09-03 Here’s a reminder that Fujifilm’s X RAW Studio stores its camera profiles at ~/Library/Application …

2023-09-01 Hooray, season 5 of Matt Groening’s Disenchantment is out! I’m always surprised now when Netflix …

2023-09-01 I’ve been learning ArcGIS Pro cartography and I like what I’m finding. However the interface is like …

2023-08-24 I managed to write an ugly Python script that converts MesoWest (via Synoptic download; nice people …

2023-08-21 Everyone should wash their watch bands more often, no matter the watch! Apple Watch bands are …

2023-08-18 “Potentially historic summer storm event to unfold in SoCal this weekend as weakening Hurricane …

2023-08-17 The clouds didn’t clear this morning so much of yesterday’s heat couldn’t radiate to space and it’s …

2023-08-15 Sigh. Appears there’s another big fire on the Mendocino NF. Plume over Mount Linn. Slide Fire @ 1.5 …

2023-08-13 macOS WeatherCat and Meteobridge with any Supported Wx Station

2023-08-11 Session 3 of Only Murders in the Building is out on Hulu!

2023-08-08 A female Oriole having a nice evening Mantis snack in our backyard tonight.

2023-08-06 Syrah grapes in Vina, California, at the New Clairvaux Winery are looking great! #California …

2023-08-04 Drip line auto sprinkler diaphragm replace after it started leaking. Hope it clears leak checks …

2023-08-02 Mercury News: “We may be the last maskers’: California COVID cases are rising. “ I’m still wearing a …

2023-07-28 New The Clientele album! I Am Not There Anymore by The Clientele https://album.link/us/i/1678797674

2023-07-23 Huge cooldown for Northern California this week. I’m about to get a lot less cranky 😂

2023-07-21 Nice! Photomator and Pixelmator Now Support Fujifilm Compressed RAW: …

2023-07-21 “Abortion bans and restrictions are known to increase infant deaths, maternal deaths, and maternal …

2023-07-19 This morning, House Finches were breakfasting on ripe elderberries in our backyard. #HouseFinch …

2023-07-15 Much as I dislike that my heat-pump requires a proprietary communicating thermostat, I do like that …

2023-07-12 Delta 767 (N1604R) SFO-JFK and flock of Brown Pelicans. #AvGeek #B767 #PlaneSpotting …

2023-07-09 In more expected bird behavior, on the infill shores of the San Francisco Bay, here’s a Willet (a …

2023-07-08 Back from a relaxing day of plane spotting at SFO. Here’s a series of aircraft landing and preparing …

2023-07-07 Some real dinosaur stuff happened today at Bay Front Park just south of SFO. This Great Blue Heron …

2023-07-04 Volunteer Sunflowers in the backyard. The scrub jays garden really well. I continue to be impressed …

2023-07-04 Out of an abundance of caution, early this morning I’m watering my front yard native plants in case …

2023-07-02 My #RaspberryShake detected the M6.9 in the vicinity of the Tonga Islands. #EarthquakeMastodon

2023-06-30 Suppose it will only be a matter of time before the Justices are on the receiving end of their …

2023-06-28 In preparation for the heat in California, added a ton of shade for some sensitive trees. That side …

2023-06-24 It sure is easy to rise in FlightRadar24’s ADS-B rankings! I guess most people don’t even try to get …

2023-06-24 The new Rachio hose timer works well. Currently, it has fairly simple operation with basic App …

2023-06-20 Perfect morning in California to cool the mass of the house off with our whole house fan. Normally …

2023-06-19 X-Plane 12 performance on a M2 Max Mac Studio

2023-06-18 I was watching BigJet TV’s Paris Airshow Preview and didn’t notice one of my E-175 gears didn’t …

2023-06-13 Using Migration Assistant via thunderbolt is insanely fast.

2023-06-10 I’ve been very patient with my M1 Mac Mini. But now I have an M2 Mac Studio on the way. Flight …

2023-06-05 Offline Apple Maps. FINALLY. #WWDC2023

2023-06-05 Little NavMap, open source flight simulation flight planning software, is pretty great. I should …

2023-06-03 Canceled YouTube Premium due to Google’s decision to once again allow election lies. Too bad they …

2023-06-02 macOS Universal Control is so very good when I’m multitasking between my Mac Mini and my …

2023-06-02 I’m slowly getting the canopies of my shrubs off the ground. Mostly to reduce outdoor cats hiding …

2023-05-29 Ash Throated Fly Catcher.

2023-05-28 The new Fujifilm XApp is a vast improvement for transferring photos to a smartphone on the fly. But …

2023-05-28 Air Tractor N802WW was overflying rice fields this morning. I think they were practicing seeding the …

2023-05-26 It is a few degrees warmer outside but 10% less relative humidity. The whole house fan made it more …

2023-05-25 Our native plants are going to love this storm! #CaWX

2023-05-24 I hope the PR hype for the new Fujifilm mobile app is worth it! Seems promising and I like its new …

2023-05-21 Virgin Orbit’s Cosmic Girl OBT01 is on its way back to Long Beach. No idea what it is doing out and …

2023-05-21 My ADSB receiver (plane tracker) has been doing quite well under adverse conditions of its testing …

2023-05-21 Here is a Black-necked Stilt from the #SacramentoNationalWildlifeRefuge #BlackNeckedStilt …

2023-05-20 We visited the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge and it was busy with all sorts of creatures. Gray …

2023-05-19 Found my old Raspberry Pi 3 and finally got it set up as an ADSB feeder (aircraft tracker). Are …

2023-05-17 Got sick of ArcGIS Pro 3.1’s Export Layout not saving export settings per Layout. So Export settings …

2023-05-16 Woodpecker granaries are really neat. This one was right on a trail at Pinnacles NP. We did see an …

2023-05-13 With the family today, we had whole glazed ham with scalloped potatoes (the potatoes are a Kenji …

2023-05-13 71°F at 06:23 in the North Sacramento Valley. 18°F warmer than yesterday this time. 😬

2023-05-12 I neglected to post that our cultivated native California roses (Rosa californica) are blooming. …

2023-05-12 3am today: Another quake, another shake alert. M5.2 and I didn’t feel it. #RaspberryShake

2023-05-11 Earthquake east of Chico near Susanville! People in Chico felt it but not here in Orland. Very clear …

2023-05-07 Ortho4XP on macOS Ventura

2023-05-06 Last weekend: just a taste of the views you can have at Pinnacles National Park, California, if you …

2023-05-06 Last weekend: in its most happiest habitat, predominantly here are Yellow Monkeyflowers within …

2023-04-30 I’ve learned a bit about repairing hose bibs and turns out it’s pretty easy. I’m kind of looking …

2023-04-30 Ash-throated flycatcher was also a new bird for us at Pinnacles National Park.

2023-04-29 Went to Pinnacles National Park on Friday and we were treated to soaring and resting California …

2023-04-26 American Gold Finch digging for sunflower seeds the other day. #AmericanGoldFinch #Birds #Fujifilm

2023-04-23 We’ve been monitoring a nest over the last two months. We saw nothing but the tip of tail feathers …

2023-04-23 Our native plant garden in the front yard. It looks unmaintained but I swear it is! Nearly …

2023-04-19 And now a female Bullock’s Oriole has shown up in our backyard. What luck. #BullocksOriole #Birds

2023-04-18 Here’s yesterday’s Bullock’s Oriole looking right at the camera. #BullocksOriole #Birds

2023-04-17 Bullock’s Oriole in our backyard Ceanothus. This is our first backyard Oriole! Wow. …

2023-04-16 Ladybug larvas were later than normal this year but geez do they have a feast now!

2023-04-15 We planted our vegetable and herb seedlings today. Our home compost has turned out real nice. Took …

2023-04-15 Present me is very thankful that past me connected all the commons in our newer irrigation box. So I …

2023-04-15 I experienced weirdness with my HomeKit Thread network the other day after updating to the latest …

2023-04-14 We’re now a one car household. Feels good! My poor Golf has been barely driven since I started …

2023-04-12 My #RaspberryShake caught the M 4.4 Cobb, CA earthquake early this morning. I did not feel it here …

2023-04-11 First Cedar Waxwing ever in our backyard! They have a creepy high pitched song.

2023-04-08 Sorry, I’m not selling my X100V. I’ve had it since Sep 2021, and I only had to wait 2 months to get …

2023-04-02 Spotted our first Marsh Wren today at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge. That vertical tail is …

2023-04-01 It has been a week. Today, introvert me gets what it needs and now I’m alone for a bit. Always …

2023-03-26 Annie the Cat taking in a big dose of sunlight (again, but cuter this time). I hope she shakes her …

2023-03-25 Photographed our first Downy woodpecker today. #Birds #BirdWatching #DownyWoodpecker #Fujifilm

2023-03-25 Here’s Annie the Cat enjoying some fresh air. She’s been sick but we’re fighting through it. …

2023-03-24 Our young “New Century” Asian Pear tree is in full bloom. Our “Hosui” Asian Pear isn’t mature enough …

2023-03-24 Not long from now is Summer. Better get our fresh baked sourdough fix while we can!

2023-03-23 I went to Shasta Dam today for a work thing. I think I overheard they may have opened a controlled …

2023-03-21 Just got some pea sized hail in Orland, CA. #CaWX

2023-03-21 DPReview.com to close. I loath Amazon even more now. I wish DPReview employees the very best. The …

2023-03-19 European Honeybees were all over our manzanitas yesterday.

2023-03-18 Korean Air 777-3 HL7204 from ICN on approach to SFO on January 21, 2023. #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting …

2023-03-15 I’m getting more sore that MS still don’t have a macOS Bedrock edition. Surely the market is bigger …

2023-03-14 1.5 inches of rain so far today in Orland, CA. 😬#CaWX

2023-03-12 I didn’t lose an hour of sleep but I sure did lose a precious hour of weekend daytime activities.

2023-03-11 First bloom of our a front yard Ceanothus today. So many more to come. So. Many.

2023-03-11 The iOS Parcel app doesn’t write expected delivery dates to an iCloud calendar but only to a local …

2023-03-11 The iOS Parcel app doesn’t write expected delivery dates to an iCloud calendar but only to a local …

2023-03-10 And here’s a rabbit at the Northern California refuge. Normally they’re at a full run. #Rabbit

2023-03-10 Northern Flickers have evaded my best efforts to photograph them. So this photo from today at a …

2023-03-10 Last week I nearly missed this Great Blue Heron at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge. #Birds …

2023-03-09 We just hit 1 inch of rain today in the North Sacramento Valley. 😳

2023-03-09 For several years I was in a “I hate hops in beer” phase. After having tons of not hoppy beer in …

2023-03-09 Here’s the Bald Eagle from last week’s headshot in all its glory. The wildlife refuges in California …

2023-03-08 Snow Geese from last weekend. #Birds #BirdWatching #SnowGeese

2023-03-05 Spotted a Bald Eagle today!

2023-03-05 X-Plane Official now has a Discord. I didn’t expect that development. Hopefully it’s well moderated. …

2023-03-04 macOS Ventura settings and notifications (STILL getting unfixable log-in item notifications …

2023-03-01 Overnight, as often it does, a slight breeze developed in the west side of the North Sacramento …

2023-02-28 A hard freeze likely tonight and tomorrow night in the North Sacramento Valley. Hopefully a light …

2023-02-28 Finished reading: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️… and now starting there …

2023-02-26 This was one of two batches of mandarins juiced today for this week’s breakfast 😋

2023-02-26 I hate the MacOS login items notification that when clicked doesn’t tell me jack and furthermore the …

2023-02-24 A few “better” photos of last night’s brief snow around 1 am last night in Orland, CA. Around 1:15 …

2023-02-24 Snow in Orland, CA. Wow. #CAWx

2023-02-23 Just a few degrees lower and Orland, CA could get snow tonight. Raining right now at 39°F. Doppler …

2023-02-20 I juiced & pasteurized two liters worth of mandarins today. The mandarins still on the tree …

2023-02-20 In X-Plane 12.04 Beta 2 I’m following United 2376 (777-2, EWR-SFO) in an A340-6. I’m barely keeping …

2023-02-18 I spied a Spotted Towhee today by the Sacramento River. #Birds #BirdWatching #SpottedTowhee …

2023-02-17 The Western Blue Birds have already discovered the new piles of grape vine trimmings that still have …

2023-02-17 Finally pruned the bird feeding native California grapes (cultivated of course). Only had a few more …

2023-02-16 On January 20 at SFO, 2023. Eva Air 777-3 Reg. B-16731 arrives from Taipei with Japan Airlines 777-3 …

2023-02-11 Western Blue Birds have been in the neighborhood for a while now. Today they finally found our …

2023-02-10 Just flying an A340-600 from San Francisco International into Norman Y. Mineta San Jose …

2023-02-09 I’m done with 1Password. I'm tired of the 1Password 8 Safari extension breaking. The app itself is …

2023-02-04 Another #Caturday about to pop down into history.

2023-02-03 I updated my iOS/macO Shortcut that takes a photo with geotag & date (preferably with timezone) …

2023-02-03 I must admit I’m going to miss certain key people & orgs on Twitter no longer showing up in …

2023-02-02 My first listen to Everything Is by Neutral Milk Hotel - released yesterday. Very short. …

2023-02-01 Why companies use Okta device verification for accounts that rarely need to be used is mind …

2023-01-31 On the celebrated day of the last ever delivery of a new 747, here’s a throw back to 2005. The lone …

2023-01-29 Here’s a quick & dirty iOS Shortcut that takes a photo with full geotag, date metadata …

2023-01-29 Alaska follows up on using boxed water with this is good news: No more plastic cups for Alaska …

2023-01-29 A Bufflehead south of the active SFO runways 28L/28R. They’re fun to watch foraging.

2023-01-28 Thanks to my library, currently reading: The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik 📚

2023-01-28 On BigJetTV first class+ members only live stream (part 3) on YouTube, just watched an insane …

2023-01-27 UA59 777-322 from Frankfurt landing at San Francisco on 1/20/2023 #B77W #PlaneSpotting #avgeek …

2023-01-27 I love that people regularly share what music they’re excited about on mastodon. I rarely saw that …

2023-01-26 Black-necked Stilt near the City of Burlingame Shorebird Sanctuary. What a pose!

2023-01-26 Got lists set up in Mastodon. Much better than a deluge in my main timeline. @ivory@tapbots.social …

2023-01-25 Emirates A380 preparing to take off from SFO to Dubai on 1/20/2023 during golden hour #avgeek …

2023-01-24 Here’s an Emirates A380 turning right onto SFO runway 28R on January 20, 2023. I’m fully impressed …

2023-01-22 Lunar New Year’s Eve in San Francisco. #LunarNewYear #SanFrancisco #Fujifilm

2023-01-22 Great Egret on the San Francisco Bay Trail just south of The City Of Burlingame Shorebird Sanctuary. …

2023-01-20 My first time at Bayshore for SFO plane spotting.

2023-01-19 I’d love to be able to customize my autofocus boxes. www.dpreview.com

2023-01-17 This is super exciting - the Yawman Arrow controller for flight simulation has been (finally) …

2023-01-16 Indisputably confirmed Yellow Rumped Warbler at yesterday’s visit to the Sacramento National …

2023-01-15 What luck today. Photographed a juvenile Bald Eagle (second year?) at the Sacramento National …

2023-01-14 OMG this is insane. Pea sized hail & the backyard is just flooded here in Orland. Lightening …

2023-01-14 I really enjoy flying the Toliss A340 in X-Plane 12. This is on approach to Oakland International. …

2023-01-13 Now that the latest wave of rain is done, 1.6 inches of rain today. Highest daily total so far I …

2023-01-13 0.6 inches/hour now in my backyard😳 #cawx

2023-01-13 Annie Creek is flowing! 0.4 inches/hour right now. The back yard is ponding hard.

2023-01-13 My partner only looked at cat, bird, and wildfire posts on Twitter using Tweetbot. Its permanent …

2023-01-12 1.2” yesterday in Orland. CA. #cawx

2023-01-07 Love to see Stony Creek flowing in the main channel and out into its braids. I never saw it flow in …

2023-01-06 Last night an RV and car caught fire behind us. As far as I know, no one was injured. Here are …

2023-01-05 RV and car caught fire behind us in an empty lot. We’re pretty sure it was abandoned. Ambulance left …

2023-01-04 In my N. Sac Valley backyard, got 0.44” from 17:00-19:00 today. Winds are beginning to gust over 20 …

2023-01-03 There’s potential for large impacts from weather in California over the next week or so. We just …

2023-01-02 Red Tail Hawk from yesterday’s bird watching at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. It’s not …

2023-01-02 The Fujifilm X-T5 can output to HIEF (.HIF) with 10-bit color. That gives more room for minor …

2023-01-02 While bird watching yesterday, a M5.3 earthquake occurred south of Rio Dell. My RaspberryShake felt …

2023-01-01 Snow Mountain in the Mendocino National Forest in Northern California still has snow and seems it …

2023-01-01 Spotted a Belted Kingfisher today! #kingfisher #birds

2022-12-31 The Annie Cat in her new favorite sleeping place #caturday

2022-12-31 Okay I’m glad the brunt of the atmospheric river missed the North Sacramento Valley. Geez. Gerry …

2022-12-31 I’m happy to see there’s still snow on the peaks of the interior Northern California Coast Range. …

2022-12-30 In X-Plane 12, the KJFK RNAV Z Runway 13L approach is lot of fun. Watch a real-world YouTube video …

2022-12-28 May 2016 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. In late 2017 this 747-400 went out of service. …

2022-12-27 Our thrice delayed trip to Germany has this year’s three of my top four aviation photos — from SFO …

2022-12-26 Randomly thinking about my first A340-600 flight in 2013 SFO-Munich. I love that plane - especially …

2022-12-26

2022-12-25 Some flyover photos from 12/24: United 777-200 LHR-SFO at 37,000 ft; Emirates A380-800 DXB-SFO at …

2022-12-24 Yesterday: Red-winged Black Birds at the local wildlife refuge. Likely some Starlings in there too.

2022-12-24 I’m rather impressed with how popular #caturday is on Mastodon.

2022-12-24 Our cat’s 2nd preferred winter sleeping area. #caturday

2022-12-24 Snow Geese flying overhead at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. #fujifilm

2022-12-23 Just had a leak detector go off. This time a toilet water line started leaking at its connector to …

2022-12-23 Here’s a Red Tail Hawk from today’s visit to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.

2022-12-23 Chef’s treat: caramel scrapings from the pan!

2022-12-23 Done. Just need to salt the caramel in 30 minutes.

2022-12-23 Almost done making the caramel. Just needs to hit 250°F

2022-12-23 I’m going to make caramel today. Alton Brown’s Dark Caramel recipe never fails. Though I prefer a …

2022-12-23 The 2013 Dresden Christmas Market. Guaranteed to make you cheerful no matter how cold it is.

2022-12-20 A ravenous Yellow Rumped Warbler visited our grapes again. Eat up, little bird!

2022-12-20 My RaspberryShake detected the M6.4 earthquake in Ferndale, CA. Sounds like a lot of important …

2022-12-19 Frankfurt International last June. I knew there’d be no shortage of 747s there but was still …

2022-12-17 This Yellow Rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) is yet another bird feasting on our raisins. Yesterday’s Ruby …

2022-12-17 Tried the first “Phat Tyre” ale I bottled. It’s good! The batch can use one more week to bottle …

2022-12-17 Black Butte peak and Black Butte butte. Mostly greenstone/metabasalt at the snowy peak and basalt at …

2022-12-16 Ruby Crowned Kinglet (update on 12/17: more likely a Orange-crowned Warbler, as the Kinglet has bars …

2022-12-16 Today’s moon.

2022-12-15 Relatively rare morning where my car door was slightly stuck due to frost.

2022-12-14 I am super excited to now have the XF70-300mm telephoto lens. I’ll no longer feel crazy constrained …

2022-12-14 Western Mockingbird foraging for raisins in our backyard.

2022-12-11 Pizza night!

2022-12-11 Rain in California. You got to love it after months of hazy blue sky.

2022-12-10 #Caturday

2022-12-10 Extremely interesting to watch KSFO operations with a stiff wind from the south. All the approaches …

2022-12-09 Beer is bottled and now to hope nothing got contaminated during the process. This is so much work. …

2022-12-08 Bottling day tomorrow! Bottles are now washed and will drain & dry overnight. It’s Phat Tyre …

2022-12-08 My account on mastodon.sdf.org straight up vanished during their database upgrades that were meant …

2022-12-07 A quick Mars + the Moon shot

2022-12-05 I set up my MBP’s Hazel to sync the latest Fujifilm X RAW Studio camera profiles from my Mac Mini. …

2022-12-03 First roast of the winter!

2022-12-03 Yellow Rumped Warbler in the grapes this time!

2022-12-02 Got a Kinglet in one place for a few moments!

2022-12-02 Close up of the pea sized hail and frost. The hail didn’t melt overnight!

2022-12-02 First major frosty morning here.

2022-12-01 Pea sized hail in Orland!!

2022-12-01 Some kind of Kinglet, maybe a Ruby Crown Kinglet, in the grapes this time. Was moving fast as birds …

2022-12-01 It’s hilarious to me that it’s easier for me to use the Sonos app to listen to the latest Apple …

2022-11-29 Western Mockingbird enjoying a desiccated grape in our backyard.

2022-11-28 Oops. Didn’t quite get the focus right. Still looks delicious. And was. Left over cranberry sauce + …

2022-11-27 Fujifilm X Raw Studio is very snappy with the X-T5 camera. Hardly any wait for reprocessing lossless …

2022-11-26 #caturday

2022-11-26 In the Micro.Blog app, I’d love to be able to selectively disable cross-posting sites instead of all …

2022-11-25 Gorgeous day today in Northern California. This is from the same place where we saw the Northern …

2022-11-25 Northern Flickers galore on the trail today. Managed to photograph one.

2022-11-23 My contribution to Thanksgiving is cleaning up the kitchen after major steps are completed by my …

2022-11-23 WiFi tethering with the X-T5 looks like a game changer for around the house photos. I’ve got my Mac …

2022-11-22 The 5 Ghz WiFi setting to transfer from X-T5 to the Fujifilm iOS app is surprisingly usable with …

2022-11-22 Backyard House Sparrows - 84mm equivalent & cropped to zoom, using those X-T5 40 Megapixels! I …

2022-11-22 Put the ale into secondary fermentation this morning and my sample is at 5% ABV! 🍺 🙌

2022-11-22 Good news. The X Raw Studio config files (~/Library/App Support/com.fujifilm.denji) for the Fujifilm …

2022-11-20 Here’s me on the Snyder Creek trail gazing at the talus field, but still wanting to be out of there …

2022-11-19 Back in September we visited Glacier National Park. We didn't take the Going to the Sun Road, but …

2022-11-19 Been over a week since putting in 1 Gbps powerline adapters and it’s perfectly fine for basic Mac …

2022-11-18 I’ve snagged a Fujifilm X-T5 — it’ll be delivered Tuesday. I haven’t had a camera with …

2022-11-17 I’m apparently harvesting Mastodon accounts tonight.

2022-11-12 I’ve had good success with an old 200 Mbps powerline adapter, so I’ve finally splurged on a gigabit …

2022-11-12 Had my gas & electric company switch our home from gas heat to electric heat service (we now …

2022-11-11 Phat Tyre Ale is now fermenting. A couple of mistakes were made but nothing critical (probably). …

2022-11-10 Funky moonrise tonight.

2022-11-10 I just turned the compost and wow those soaking rains bring the FATTEST volunteer earthworms into …

2022-11-05 Went to New Clairvaux Vineyard (home of Trappist-Cistercian monks) to pick up our first wine club …

2022-11-05 Sierra Nevada Brewing’s Narwhal Imperial Stout is really good.

2022-11-05 Thoughts on Heat Pump Heating

2022-11-03 Going to try Northern Brewer's Phat Tyre Ale Extract Beer Recipe Kit this Winter. Will be the first …

2022-11-02 Fujifilm X Raw Studio for macOS crashed on launch the last few weeks. Worked fine with other user …

2022-11-01 0.34” of rain today! Finally, the rainy season has begun in California. 🤞

2022-10-31 So Slate is suddenly increasing their subscription from $59 a year to $119. And I can’t find the …

2022-10-30 Go away, Bolsonaro.

2022-10-30 Region appropriate milkweed seeds sown today. Hope we get enough rain to avoid regular irrigation …

2022-10-30 I’m slowly understanding Mastodon and I’m sure happy that I chose micro.blog a while …

2022-10-29 Replaced a leaky toilet valve this morning. Now that have had quite enough low grade anxiety & I …

2022-10-28 More signs of Fall with flocks of birds migrating overhead.

2022-10-27 And here I thought we had a neighbor operating a wood stove for heat. Ugh. share.watchduty.org Barn …

2022-10-25 Thumbs up on Apple’s Shared Photo Library. We set it up to start with photos starting on 10/24, …

2022-10-23 Found European Fanta at World Market yesterday, and it goes very well with pizza. Fanta being …

2022-10-23 Software documentation is usually neglected. So I’m super impressed that ToLiSS has already …

2022-10-22 It’s the time of the year where every two weeks I prune the front yard native plants back. I fill …

2022-10-22 I hope M2 Mac Minis are announced this week. X-Plane 12 goes over energy budget of my 2019 MBP …

2022-10-16 I replaced our two bedroom smoke detectors. The new ones have sealed 10 year batteries so no flimsy …

2022-10-16 This is great for X-Plane quick view key bindings: Get a UI Numpad using macOS Accessibility (Easily …

2022-10-15 Shedding of a mantis on our rosemary plant.

2022-10-15 I now always get way inside my head when signing a mail-in ballot. It didn’t used to be this way.

2022-10-10 Cleared out the pepper plants that were vigorously revived from rain ~18 days ago & put some …

2022-10-10 Mantis in our happiest avocado tree.

2022-10-08 The whole house fan is really nice. It actually cools off the mass of the house so its temperature …

2022-10-02 That’s a lot of Rice A Roni 😬

2022-10-01 Part of the HVAC replacement project included removing the decrepit swamp cooler. The eyesore & …

2022-09-30 Heat pump installed and initial impression is it is amazingly quiet compared to the old traditional …

2022-09-27 Snagged the best plane spotting spot at KSEA’s N terminal.

2022-09-22 Mount Rainier and in the far distance, likely Mount Adams. Flying east from KSEA to KMSO

2022-09-22 787s at KSEA. I’m on board that E175 from earlier today & now going to KMSO

2022-09-22 I appreciate that we’ll be on this exact E175 later today for a connecting flight to MSO

2022-09-19 I’ve been enjoying X-Plane 12 Early Release (now beta 3) even if my MacBook Pro (x86) frame rates …

2022-09-18 The very first storm of meteorological Fall and White Crown birds have already descended upon our …

2022-09-17 In California, our baking season has begun. Inaugurated with Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.

2022-09-17 Today at the Orland Flea Market.

2022-09-16 To no one in particular… Please remember to wipe your smart phone camera lenses off before taking …

2022-09-13 My @raspishake detected the M4.4 earthquake out of Santa Rosa, CA. Too far for me to feel though.

2022-09-11 Today the weather was very nice and we had to make molè. An indulgent start of heavy comfort food …

2022-09-11 Our volunteer conifers seem happy. First year they’ve developed cones‽ 🌱🌲

2022-09-11 Used to be ddclient for dynamic DNS updates required web-skip=’IP Address:’ when checking the web …

2022-09-08 Covid booster ✅ Flu shot ✅

2022-09-08 06:54 AM and was 82°F & rising in the backyard here in Orland, CA. Amazing.

2022-09-05 beestat says it’s too hot for the A/C to keep up. It’s also a Smart Day / which means we need save …

2022-09-02 Got a proposal back from a contractor. It includes a ducted mini split which is a new concept to me …

2022-09-01 Pacific Gas & Electric SmartDay today and I bet tomorrow, too. Between 1600-2100, we’ll be …

2022-08-31 For the next week, ~record hot temperatures! Once again, time to protect our Hosui Asian Pear’s …

2022-08-28 Had a standoff tonight. White had just rolled the double sixes.

2022-08-27 Seems the first contractor I asked for an estimate from for a heat pump ghosted me. Takes a lot out …

2022-08-16 Hope this leaf bursting bud on the central leader of my young Asian pear tree survives today’s max …

2022-08-14 Smoke from the Six Rivers Lightning Complex earlier this morning creeping in towards our home in the …

2022-08-13 We’re very happy with Trader Joe’s Bavarian Bratwurst. Pretty close to Nürnberger style but much …

2022-08-13 For All Mankind finale was a heck of a roller coaster. Woah.

2022-08-13 Our home heat and air conditioning is 18 years old. We were planning on replacing it with a heat …

2022-08-05 Guess my endless tweaks to my drip schedules with the Rachio sprinkler controller are paying off. We …

2022-07-24 These backyard figs look good but they’re not sweet. We dried them out and plan on using them in a …

2022-07-22 M4.3 earthquake SE of Orovolle, CA occurred at 18:41 Pacific. I didn’t feel it. @raspishake …

2022-07-18 Super happy with our peppers this year. Best harvest ever (and much more to pick). Mostly serranos …

2022-07-16 Based on my spreadsheet, it’s time to replace our ~20 year old A/C & nat gas heater with a new …

2022-07-15 Introverts that have to go to the office at least once a week find fridays amazing. Or at least I …

2022-07-10 Peppers & tomatoes (fortunately many of the delicious fruit do not have end rot) are ripening …

2022-07-10 Hot air balloons behind our house this last Saturday. Not common at all & a delight to see.

2022-07-07 From early June: rain over Munich’s Olympiapark.

2022-07-05 All is not great in our garden though. We still have a heck of a time with end rot on our tomatoes …

2022-07-04 Pepper garden update🌱

2022-07-04 How the Yurok Tribe is bringing back the California Condor - On ArsTechnica

2022-07-03 With insanity at European airports I’m thankful our early June trip to Germany was nearly flawless. …

2022-07-02 Beetle killed trees in Saxony, Germany.

2022-07-01 On my Mac Mini I have NetNewsWire pulling Tweets by specific users. Meanwhile, I’ve set my eero to …

2022-06-29 Earlier in June: on a trail to Oybin, Saxony, Germany. Saxony has the best sandstone.

2022-06-27 Earlier this month: When in Munich, you must ride the catfish?

2022-06-26 Before our trip to Germany, I pruned the first big leaves off a sunflower because they were shading …

2022-06-25 6/12: in a forest southwest of Bautzen, Saxony, Germany.

2022-06-25 Gray Hairstreak butterfly on one of our pepper plants.

2022-06-23 6/14: Minerals under ultraviolet light at the Freiberg Mineral Exhibition.

2022-06-23 6/14: Freiberg Mineral Exhibition at Freudenstein Castle. An exquisite collection.

2022-06-23 I emergency bought a Ratio 6 coffee maker after my old Ninja broke. Best of all, and I didn’t know …

2022-06-22 June 6 in Munich.

2022-06-21 June 6, 2022: the higher regional court building in Munich (Oberlandesgericht München).

2022-06-20 Germany trip recap: some 787-9 photos while boarding FRA-DEN. I love it when boarding is at a stand …

2022-06-20 Our peppers exploded. Best yields ever. Already we roasted some shishitos to go with quesadillas. 🌱

2022-06-19 We concluded our trip to Germany. It ended nicely despite the current upheaval of travel. Best …

2022-06-17 Hello my first ever 787 flight! 🛫EDDF🛬KDEN🥳

2022-06-16 I’m thrilled with this view of Frankfurt International from my hotel room. Great place to end this …

2022-06-10 Countryside of Saxony, Germany. Barley fields!

2022-06-08 Obligatory photo of surfers at the Eisbachwelle in Munich’s English Garden.

2022-06-07 Eurasian Coots in the Pagodenburger See at the Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich.

2022-05-31 Gorgeous dragonfly in the backyard today. Lucked out with the lighting.

2022-05-30 Been trying to get to Germany to visit very good friends the last three years. Might actually happen …

2022-05-30 A very comfy Eurasian Collared Dove. Glad our backyard can be a refuge from the neighborhood outdoor …

2022-05-29 So I’ll not fly MSFS 2020 again with it bugging out & turning me straight to the airport at …

2022-05-27 Peppers are on the way! 🌱

2022-05-24 A few more photos of the #EdwardFire in Orland, CA today. Fortunately our house was never in danger. …

2022-05-23 Elderberries are ripening already. And there’s so many more in the hopper! 🌱

2022-05-22 One front yard clump California Fuchsias is blooming. This one is always a month ahead of the …

2022-05-21 I do not love it when Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 inexplicably drops my entire approach flight …

2022-05-15 Backyard is looking good. Peppers & tomatoes are flowering. The elderberries are still …

2022-05-14 Our grapes are getting plump real fast. And our volunteer conifers are super happy. They grew …

2022-05-13 Baby “Bacon” variety avocados! Latest date I’ve seen berries on this tree. Let’s see if they’ll …

2022-05-13 Probably going to have a bumper crop of figs this year! Last year was meager. 🌱🌳

2022-05-12 Spotted a Hooded Oriole in the front yard as we we started an after lunch walk. What luck. A first!

2022-05-09 More of this rain please.

2022-05-08 Our front yard Toyon (first photo) and Yarrow (2nd photo) are blooming. Just the California …

2022-05-08 Been several years & usually I’m behind on WiFi tech so figured it was time replace the old eero …

2022-05-07 Mockingbirds are going to have an amazing late summer of grapes from our cultivated California …

2022-05-02 Pineapple guavas have been blooming for a few weeks now. The Mockingbirds love munching on the …

2022-04-25 Elk at Point Reyes National Seashore, California. Last March.

2022-04-24 Spring.

2022-04-24 Wild California Grape flowers.

2022-04-18 Area scrub jays have really got the hang of our feeder. Although, recently one jay tried to peck at …

2022-04-17 Our homemade Bulgogi fries. Inspired by a food show that had a terrible implementation of this idea. …

2022-04-17 Here’s a magenta flower from one of our cultivated California Wild Roses.

2022-04-10 The Annie Cat.

2022-04-09 So far, max gust of 40 mph at my backyard today. And that weather station isn’t ideally located.

2022-04-09 The Annie Cat in a bag.

2022-04-08 Today was the first taste of the Bravarian Hefeweizen home-brew and it is an unqualified success. …

2022-04-03 California Scrub-Jays carefully inspecting our just planted peppers and tomatoes🌱

2022-04-03 Happy I got the last batch of beer fermented before this upcoming insane heat wave. We’re …

2022-04-03 Good morning, Waffle! 🧇

2022-04-03 Colors balance shift is a key part of Film recipes so my Shortcut would fail to match as white …

2022-04-01 Hefeweizen bottling day. Here’s my factory. This’ll be the last brew until winter as I don’t use …

2022-04-01 Avocado flowers! 🌱🌳

2022-03-31 Assassin bugs are bad ass. They seem to be more common than ever in our yards. They’re also not …

2022-03-27 Lessons learned: in MSFS 2020, never change flight phases if flight plan is manually input to FMS. …

2022-03-27 Finally got to the season two, episode two of Picard 😳 what a great premise

2022-03-26 Only 4% of Flight Simulator players have completed an Instrument Landing System landing‽ Clearly I’m …

2022-03-26 Poppies (1st photo) are now in full bloom and clarkias (2nd) are about to do the same. 🌱

2022-03-25 Recent mornings, our cultivated native California grape leaf tips have droplets of water. Apparently …

2022-03-20

2022-03-19 Now in bloom in our backyard: cultivated California Wild Roses (pic 1) and Elderberry (2). Still …

2022-03-19 Latest Shortcuts for macOS Has Vast Improvements

2022-03-18 Here goes my second brew - a simple Bavarian Hefeweizen. With way warmer than normal temperatures I …

2022-03-16 Eurasian Collared Dove drinking party.

2022-03-13 Potatoe croquettes for lunch today. Great use of leftover mashed potatoes.

2022-03-13 Citrus gummies are a great way to use backyard citrus. We made Meyer lemon with Valencia orange …

2022-03-13 macOS Shortcuts, Logger for Shortcuts, Shortcuts Temporary Files, and Hazel

2022-03-12 From last Monday near Tomales Point in beautiful California, a genus Arctia moth caterpillar on …

2022-03-12 Raspberry Shakes do great science in the challenging conditions of Haiti: When a seismic network …

2022-03-11 I’ve been playing Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 on the Xbox Series S. I’m surprised at how it …

2022-03-11 From last Monday, a very loud acorn woodpecker at the Point Reyes National seashore visitor center.

2022-03-10 From last Monday, the Pacific Ocean and Tonalite rock at Tomales Point.

2022-03-09 Peppers and two tomato seedlings are making great progress. We’ll likely be hardening them off in a …

2022-03-09 More Point Reyes National Seashore photos from last Monday: bumble hovering near a flower, elk, and …

2022-03-08 Yesterday, at Point Reyes National Seashore on the Tomales Point Trail, this hunting coyote could …

2022-03-06 The freeze we got a few weeks ago, down to 28°F, did no clear harm to our plants. Mandarin, …

2022-03-05 Front yard is looking really nice. I’ve been trying to rein it in with lots of pruning. I know our …

2022-02-27 After weeks of warmer than normal weather, weather swung the other way and we had freezing temps for …

2022-02-21 We’re slowly preparing the backyard crop rows for planting. We just pulled all the weeds & …

2022-02-20 Harvested our first homegrown Valencia orange this year. So very sweet. Even the pith isn’t bitter. …

2022-02-20 The Annie Cat.

2022-02-19 Veggie sushi for dinner tonight.

2022-02-19 Gilias were the first annual flowers to bloom in our yard. Can you believe these are just as or more …

2022-02-19 First bloom for our Valencia orange tree. About three weeks early compared to 2020 & 2021. 🌱🌳

2022-02-19 Ladybug larva gorging on aphids gorging on sage. And nearby, a bright orange ladybug pupa. 🐞 🌱

2022-02-18 Honey bee approaching a nectarine flower. 🌳🌱

2022-02-17 Our New Century Asian Pear tree, seeing as it’s already showy as heck, will be glorious in a few …

2022-02-16 Our cultivated native grapes are leaking water from pruning cuts, and that is normal. But …

2022-02-15 Today I noticed my cultivated native grapevines we’re leaking water where I recently pruned them. A …

2022-02-12 Here’s three more flowering cultivated native plants from the front yard: sage, then manzanita, then …

2022-02-11 … and here’s a lovely jumping spider hanging out on a manzanita leaf that’s surrounded by a creeping …

2022-02-11 Sure feels & looks like spring in our front yard. I think this is an assassin bug on a newly …

2022-02-10 …. and here is our new (this year) New Century Asian Pear about ready to burst. 🌱🌳

2022-02-10 Our Nectarine is very close to blooming. This is its second year in the ground here. 🌱🌳

2022-02-06 California Towhee from this morning. First sighting ever in the backyard but have seen these around …

2022-02-06 Almond bloom season is already upon us 😒. You can’t avoid it in most of California.

2022-02-06 Okay, for once in my life I managed to replace a key home feature without any frigg’n drama. Kitchen …

2022-02-06 Thanks to a Honeywell leak detector, at 22:30 we woke to an extraordinarily loud beeping from under …

2022-02-05 Took a walk around a small lake today and saw: 1) turtles sunning on a log; 2) a western meadow …

2022-02-03 Audio calls where I have to talk are literally bad for my health hah. The two heart rate peaks after …

2022-01-31 I looked out into the backyard just in time to see a Nuttall’s Woodpecker investigating our …

2022-01-30 We started our peppers today: ancho, jalapeño, serrano, shishito, santa fe, and two tomatoes. Trying …

2022-01-29 Did a bit of pruning of the apricot today. Doesn’t look like much but I removed lots of suckers and …

2022-01-29 If you’re new to Apple Music, because reasons, you may follow me. …

2022-01-29 Dynamic Range Priority Added to "What was my Fujifilm Recipe?" macOS 12 Shortcut

2022-01-28 The Annie Cat successfully catting this past afternoon.

2022-01-23

2022-01-23 Managing Anxiety

2022-01-22 A few different birds & a landscape from today’s nature walk. One vulture and one 777.

2022-01-22 macOS Shortcut: What's my Fujifilm Focal Length?

2022-01-22 I pay for 800 Mbps down and 15 Mbps up. Xfinity/Comcast over-provisions my download a ton. Recently …

2022-01-21 House Sparrows on the feeder and a reddening House Finch waiting its turn on top of the pole.

2022-01-17 The front yard Manzanitas (1st photo) and Coyote Bushes (2nd) are flowering. Next up are the …

2022-01-16 Today I had to remove a trespassing & bird harassing “Happy Birthday To You” balloon from our …

2022-01-16 Last night’s roast beef dinner. Sunday night came early! 🤭

2022-01-16 Random aircraft photo of mine from 2005 at Incheon International Airport, Republic of South Korea. …

2022-01-15 Today we moved our lemon grass over a few feet to give our new Asian pear tree some room. Then we …

2022-01-15 On Twitter, Matt Roberts, an atmospheric science student, showed a spike in atmospheric pressure at …

2022-01-11 Honey bees are apparently feeding on bird seed dust. Never seen this behavior before. More photos on …

2022-01-09 On today’s walk, there was a very photogenic & easy-going Black Phoebe. This one did not want to …

2022-01-08 My favorite person made cinnamon rolls today for tomorrow morning and another weekend (raw rolls …

2022-01-07 In the great valley of California, one learns to appreciate winter clouds after summer’s constant …

2022-01-02 A very frosty morning today. My weather station read a low of 29°F just after midnight.

2022-01-01 I planted two Asian pear trees today. A New Century (1st photo) and a Hosui (2nd photo). They’re …

2021-12-31 We’re ending the year with disco fries. Everyone, have a good start to 2022.

2021-12-31 One more photo of today’s aebleskiver making.

2021-12-31 Aebleskiver day!

2021-12-30 After a few years of iPhone night mode, high ISO photography (as high as 12800) with my X100V is …

2021-12-26 Last night. Winter views like this make slogging through summer worth it.

2021-12-25 As is annual tradition, made caramel the other day. Every batch is unique. Compared to last year, …

2021-12-24 Christmas Soup is a before Christmas tradition for us. Easy and so very tasty.

2021-12-23 😬 this backgammon game ended more intensely than expected. I won 🙌

2021-12-23 Has anyone figured out the rhyme or reason behind Fujifilm cameras expiring smart phone-provided …

2021-12-22 I really enjoyed Hawkeye. A lot of fun. Hailee Steinfeld is great as Kate Bishop (… and Emily …

2021-12-21 I had rain gage issues the last big rain & wind storm. A mast pole was slightly loose so I …

2021-12-21 Listening to last week’s Accidental Tech Podcast– I’m befuddled by Marco …

2021-12-21 “What was my Fujifilm Recipe?” macOS Shortcut update: exiftool now preserves the …

2021-12-20 I didn’t feel the M 6.2 - 38km W of Petrolia, CA earthquake in Orland but it was easily recorded on …

2021-12-19 Had homemade Korean pancakes (jeon) tonight. Filled with leftover banchan used in last night’s …

2021-12-19 Whole wheat waffles… smothered with definitely very healthy butter and maple syrup.

2021-12-17 Success! First try of Hank’s Hefeweizen home brew and it is exactly what a Hefeweizen should be: …

2021-12-13 Wind and rain today in California.

2021-12-12 Soggy House Finch.

2021-12-12 Soggy house finches and house sparrows (maybe a fox sparrow too) sheltering on grape vines from the …

2021-12-11 Installed two of three Caseta switches. The 3rd end of run circuit neutral is miswired somewhere as …

2021-12-11 Caseta dimmer switches are easier since they don’t care about hot versus load wires. But the jokers …

2021-12-11 I’m getting really good at installing Caseta switches. A no-contact voltage tester pen is key for …

2021-12-08 First beer I ever brewed is now bottled and will be carbonating for a few weeks. I tasted it and it …

2021-12-08 Finished reading: The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett 📚 ★★★★

2021-12-07 Beer bottle label graveyard. Tomorrow is bottling day.

2021-12-06 Moravian star - the most festive our house gets on the exterior.

2021-12-06 Our front yard cultivated native fuchsias are still blooming. All summer, with minimal added water, …

2021-12-05 The household chef making sandwich melts. I was just trying out the Kodak T-Max 400 film “recipe” …

2021-12-04 Mushrooms!

2021-12-04 Mural at La Corona Mexican Restaurant, Orland, CA.

2021-12-04 Better B&W Recipe Detection and exif Keywords added to macOS "What was my Fujifilm Recipe" Shortcut

2021-12-03 Shortcuts for macOS really makes me want to say many oaths 🤬

2021-11-27 Turkey Milanese. A great use of leftover white meat.

2021-11-26 Turkey Pho (well, inspired by Pho).

2021-11-26 Stuffing waffles for post-Thanksgiving breakfast is now 100% a tradition.

2021-11-25 My partner in crime sure does know how to cook a golden, juicy bird.

2021-11-24 Earlier this month In Lahaina, Maui, two Java Sparrows (Padda oryzivora) silently discussing the two …

2021-11-23 For the first time, tried a very simple beer brewing. This is Hank’s Hefeweizen. I’m fermenting in …

2021-11-23 From Maui earlier this month: Waihe’e Ridge Trail. A very popular choice these days. It’s in …

2021-11-22 Was trying to take a casual picture of The Annie Cat and…

2021-11-22 Finished reading: Champion by Marie Lu 📚 I read this one pretty dang fast! I returned it to the …

2021-11-22 From Maui earlier this month: a few more early mornings with Haleakala.

2021-11-21 macOS 12 Shortcut: What was my Fujifilm Recipe?

2021-11-21 From Maui earlier this month: sunset on a boat. While we mostly enjoyed the sunset cruise, we …

2021-11-21 With macOS 12.0.1 Shortcuts’ Run Shell Script, Shortcuts often crashes when reading stdout text. …

2021-11-20 From Maui: Sea Turtle Part Photos

2021-11-11 Saw a beautiful orchid today.

2021-11-10 From the left: Jupiter, Moon, Saturn. Then just the moon.

2021-11-10 Haleakala as the morning sun peaks over. Then crepuscular rays! The first time I ever noticed them.

2021-11-09 Dragon’s Teeth at Kapalua, Hawaii.

2021-11-09 Playing with Bulb on my X100V. 7 second exposure of Haleakala at nautical dawn. So cool that I can …

2021-11-08 Sunrises and Haleakala on Maui, Hawaii never get old.

2021-11-06 I didn’t get why people include grain in their digital photos, thinking it is an anachronistic …

2021-11-06 Current Slate of Fujifilm Film Simulations

2021-11-05 Closer look at a senescing apricot leaf compared to a still green leaf.

2021-11-05 Our apricot is almost ready to overwinter. The nectarine at the bottom left is being a bit stubborn. …

2021-11-02 Perfect field weather today.

2021-10-31 Sourdough biscuits for breakfast today. With the X100V, learning manual focus & judicious …

2021-10-30 We’ve got patty melts and a cat tonight, but no Aurora.

2021-10-30 Oh hello there! 👋

2021-10-30 I love not spending tons of time processing RAW by using Fujifilm X100V’s Film Simulations. …

2021-10-30 My current drip system is an aging hodgepodge with uneven tree watering. I just got a bunch of new …

2021-10-29 Fridge water dispenser started leaking. Its valve refuses to completely close. This has been an on …

2021-10-28 This little backyard lizard lives underneath that cinder block.

2021-10-24 Chocolate chip with walnut cookie connections.

2021-10-23 Turkey taquitos. Fried. Meaning delicious.

2021-10-23 So much rain and soon far too much in too few days. 1” total so far this month.

2021-10-22 This morning after 0.55” rain. The clouds cleared out astonishingly fast.

2021-10-22 No rest for birds this time of the year. Here’s a Yellow Rumped Warbler (lower right) and Lesser …

2021-10-22 We got the JJ Covid-19 vaccination very early this year so of course we just went and got Pfizer …

2021-10-21 Our cat utilizing all her available space.

2021-10-20 I don’t do sports but I have a backyard.

2021-10-19 Bird bath mirror.

2021-10-17 First measurable precipitation of the 2022 water year in Orland, CA! 🎉

2021-10-17 As a follow up, I’ve updated an older Fujifilm Get Film Simulation iOS Shortcut to now include ACROS …

2021-10-17 There’s a thoughtful post on Fuji X Weekly. After spending several weeks with a X100V, I’m in …

2021-10-15 Cooler weather = bread baking season. My partner made Sourdough specifically for stuffing. Excellent …

2021-10-15 Ethereal light shafts in a coastal forest (Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in California). From …

2021-10-15 Perma-loc splice is an okay fix for drip tape punctured by fighting cats. Please keep your cats …

2021-10-13 Of all the animals we see in our backyard, the western toad is our favorite. It was very loud …

2021-10-11 Hygge in the neighborhood. Hygge is part of today’s micro.blog challenge.

2021-10-11 M6.9 earthquake in Alaska registered on my RaspberryShake.

2021-10-10 There’s now a Thai restaurant where I live! Pretty decent for a small town.

2021-10-10 Last night’s constellation of the moon, Venus, and street light at one of the bridges over I-5.

2021-10-09 I wouldn’t feel safe flying in that biplane! Almost as bad as a helicopter.

2021-10-09 Celebrated mom’s birthday today with chicken fried steak (one of her favorites)! A great day.

2021-10-09 Albums queue syncing between my iOS devices is effing amazing. Start a queue of albums on my iPhone, …

2021-10-08 A Feijoa sellowiana of ours got very stressed this summer because of a clogged irrigation emitter. …

2021-10-08 At just about Civil Twilight tonight.

2021-10-07 Here’s our resident Western Toad that’s likely en route to the compost pile. And yes, that’s toad …

2021-10-07 Spice in the form of home grown assorted peppers. Turned these fine frozen specimens into hot sauce …

2021-10-06 Our street is nicely obscured from the front yard by cultivated native California plants. They …

2021-10-05 I don’t consider this Fujifilm X100V a toy but it sure brings me a lot of joy. Most photos I’ve …

2021-10-04 Sharp looking (spotted bird?) grasshopper! It was resting in our California buckwheat.

2021-10-03 A little bit of excitement at an over crossing today.

2021-10-03 Our first backyard Spotted Towhee!

2021-10-03 A majority onion tarte tartin. This tarte literally has the flavors of French Onion soup but this is …

2021-10-02 September 22, 2021: full moon after dark.

2021-10-01 Our replacement rear fence got finishing touches today. Very excited to no longer have a very old …

2021-10-01 Just got this year’s flu shot! 💉

2021-09-29 I just tried Fastmail’s and 1Password’s Masked email. It’s pretty great especially since it worked …

2021-09-27 Preying Mantis in our California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum). They sure do keep two eyes on …

2021-09-26 Sunflower seeds ready to be eaten by backyard birds. Bet the scrub jays will cache them all.

2021-09-25 I was not a fan of this Black Widow that was in my very well sorted irrigation parts bin earlier …

2021-09-25 I’ve installed valves to isolate our crop rows so we can have slightly better control of what rows …

2021-09-25 California fuchsias still blooming, and that makes our hummingbirds very pleased.

2021-09-24 Now that I’m adding to our compost pile at night, our resident Western Toad can be seen hard at …

2021-09-24 My partner’s new iPhone 13 Mini setup with no fuss. Phew. Coming from an XR, she is super excited …

2021-09-24 Here’s my annual “elderberries are breaking summer dormancy” post.

2021-09-24 Before and after: California grape leaves.

2021-09-21 I had one last use of Dropbox with a iOS Shortcut. Now that iOS 15 supports file operations anywhere …

2021-09-20 Quick temp fence repair. Someone long ago didn’t set the fence posts in concrete so they’ll all …

2021-09-19 Long time followers know I cannot not take the opportunity to photograph a mantis.

2021-09-19 If you use recent Fujifilm camera (e.g. X100V), they have neat film simulations. I’ve made a iOS 15 …

2021-09-19 Last night the clouds and last light of the sun put on a good show.

2021-09-18 Korean Fried Cauliflower.

2021-09-18 Cooler weather today meant I could finally cleanup the backyard garden. I can’t believe how hardy …

2021-09-18 Good morning! The weather in Northern California is starting to feel like fall. 😍

2021-09-17 I got a new stand-alone camera. I had forgotten just how powerful choosing your own f-stop is. Makes …

2021-09-12 Being up when it is dark now means we get to see The Infinity Toad.

2021-09-12 I kept thinking that my elderberries are late waking up from summer dormancy but my log shows they …

2021-09-11 A Katydid visited and rested with us today.

2021-09-10 Autumn.

2021-09-10 Got 0.29” rain last night here in California 🤗 I’m quite happy that our rain gage survived the …

2021-09-08 California fuchsias and hidden mantis in the front yard this morning.

2021-09-07 Grapes are now turning to raisins but the birds still love them.

2021-09-05 Mockingbird.

2021-09-03 Really cool hearing a Spritualized song on Ted Lasso.

2021-09-02 Our first grosbeak sighting! This is a Black-headed Grosbeak. It is eating our cultivated California …

2021-08-31 I see Instagram is phasing me out as a user with their future requirement for date of birth. I can …

2021-08-30 If you live in California, please vote no on the recall of Governor Newsom. There’s literally …

2021-08-15 Mockingbirds enjoying our grapes (these cultivated California native grapes are for the birds!).

2021-08-11 Mockingbirds love our cultivated native grapes 🥰 It’s the best seeing them swallow a large grape …

2021-08-07 Homegrown Fantasia nectarines are amazing, even when still firm. Hope I can keep the tree that’s …

2021-08-02 Still many small earthquakes occurring south of Black Butte mountain on the Mendocino NF. Impressive …

2021-08-01 On 7/31, six small <= M3.0 quakes ocurred on the Mendocino NF near Rocky Basin Creek. All within …

2021-07-29 My @raspishake captured the M8.2 Alaska earthquake. And then some. Wow.

2021-07-25 So there’s been a cluster of small shallow quakes in a central part of the Mendocino National Forest …

2021-07-25 We started pickling two almost full pint jars of Santa Fe peppers today. Turns out they’re not great …

2021-07-24 We made our first batch of hot sauce the other weekend. Two pounds worth of home grown peppers made …

2021-07-24 It’s our first smoky day of the summer. The automatic air filtration device agrees with a bright LED …

2021-07-23 We have harvested around 6 pounds of peppers and there’s probably another pound on our plants. They …

2021-07-18 I love fixing cracked main drip line tubing and a bad pressure regulator seal in 100°F weather. I …

2021-07-18 M5.1 earthquake south of Eureka, CA registered nicely on my RaspberryShake @raspishake though I …

2021-07-17 As far as I can find my county has a paltry 40% of its population fully vaccinated. That is very …

2021-07-11 So many ripe Serranos & other varieties. This is hands down our best year for peppers. It has …

2021-07-10 Volunteer sunflower from this morning. It took advantage of an emitter and I’m a sucker for known …

2021-07-08 Wow big seismic signal from near Tahoe and also the Central Valley‽ Recorded by my #RaspberryShake …

2021-07-05 Edible garden update: we continue to harvest lots of red & ripe peppers for hot sauce. The …

2021-07-04 Had a really good Independence Day fried chicken with a slaw based on real garlic aioli & ripe …

2021-07-03 I like Sierra Nevada’s Summer Break. Citrusy as expected and not too hoppy. It’s very refreshing. …

2021-07-03 The Annie Cat hoping neighbors don’t ruin her sleepy time with obnoxious fireworks this July 4.

2021-07-02 Because of Safari’s new clearly bad UI changes, I’m not installing the public iOS and MacOS betas. …

2021-06-30 Tried Spotify again after a few years and it still is terrible for managing and listening to actual …

2021-06-27 Yesterday’s max temperature at my Orland, CA station was 115°F.

2021-06-26 View of the backyard before we shelter indoors from the heat the rest of the day.

2021-06-26 Covered up the avocados again in advance of today’s 110°F weather. Every time we do this it gets …

2021-06-25 Our peppers are now rapidly ripening. And they are crazy hot 🤤! 🌱

2021-06-25 Windows 11 requires UEFI firmware. I use VMWare Fusion 12 Player (free) for Windows 10. Seems only …

2021-06-22 The lapins cherry we planted last November is dead. It only grew a few leaves. Super bummed. Stark …

2021-06-20 Last Monday, on the Bright Angel Trail at the Grand Canyon, we were lucky to see Spotted Towhees. …

2021-06-19 Last Sunday at Hoover Dam. Yes, Lake Meade is visibly very low (look at that bathtub ring!) and …

2021-06-18 No surprise why I spent today processing raw photos. Cool that Carrot Weather can report on my …

2021-06-18 Big Horn Sheep seen from the Bright Angel Trail at Grand Canyon NP last Monday. The young one hopped …

2021-06-18 40 tomatoes harvested today at just over 7 pounds. During cooler weather a few weeks back they …

2021-06-17 My first flight on a 737-MAX8. Yeah I’m a commercial aviation geek and it’s great to be back in the …

2021-06-15 Went to the Grand Canyon yesterday. Over 250 photos to sort through but here’s two photos from the …

2021-06-13 20 months since my last flight. Happily flying on a 737-7H4.

2021-06-12 Does anyone else get yearly free download speed increases from Comcast/Xfinity or are they giving …

2021-06-12 Six pounds of tomatoes harvested today. Total of 12 pounds this season. Ants have started aphid …

2021-06-12 Pandoc now available for M1 Macs via Homebrew

2021-06-10 We harvested 2.5 pounds of tomatoes today. Almost 6 pounds total so far this season. We can’t use …

2021-06-08 We have a crazy amount of tomatoes ripening all at once — this is just one plant. We have three …

2021-06-08 I can hardly wait for Shortcuts on MacOS. That’s my favorite announcement from WWDC. Automator never …

2021-06-06 First ripe backyard garden tomato of the year. 🌱🍅 There’ll be many more to come!

2021-06-06 Cultivated California buckwheat (front yard) flowers being buzzed by a honeybee.

2021-06-05 These Santa Fe peppers are prolific! They seem to be more resistant to disease than jalapeños. 🌱

2021-06-05 I’ve always loved listening to entire albums, as is evidence by my iOS Shortcut to randomize …

2021-06-05 One variety of Cultivated California Fuchsias are full bloom in the front yard. This clump regularly …

2021-06-03 This beneficial little mantis (and other excellent insects) is why we don’t use insecticide in our …

2021-06-02 One day at 111°F in my sunny backyard and another at 105°F, and my Logitech Circle View doorbell has …

2021-06-02 Finished reading: City of Saints and Madmen (Ambergris, #1) by Jeff VanderMeer ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📚

2021-06-01 Our fennel plants are managing fine in this 105°F+ heat. 🌱

2021-05-31 Ooof. Though I have a suspicion my weather station measures higher than it should. It topped out at …

2021-05-31 That time of the year where we temporarily shade the avocado trees as they have a hard time taking …

2021-05-30 Front yard cultivated California Buckwheat & a few butterflies (Coliadinae?). 🌱

2021-05-30 Happy to say this sap sucking Leptoglossus zonatus is no longer suckling our tomato plants. 🌱

2021-05-29 These jalapeños decided they had enough being outdoors and came right off the plant during …

2021-05-28 Not sure why the M4.2 Lake Tahoe earthquake event isn’t showing up in the RaspberryShake app but my …

2021-05-26 Our oldest jalapeños are starting to ripen to red. We can’t get delicious ripe peppers from the …

2021-05-24 Front yard Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) is flowering now. Small pollinators are rejoicing. Maybe …

2021-05-23 Serrano & Santa Fe peppers are doing great and just a few dozen tomatoes with end rot. Jalapeños …

2021-05-22 Partner made Boston cream pie (dessert after an amazing ribeye). 🤤

2021-05-22 First bloom of cultivated California fuchsias. The California buckwheat is about to start feeding …

2021-05-22 My partner uses my Apple ID for apps and her own for iCloud. When I changed my Apple ID email, her …

2021-05-21 I just changed my Apple ID email address. That was scary. I think everything is fine? Took a bit of …

2021-05-20 Western redbud has to share soil with a bird planted sunflower.

2021-05-17 I think we are having a bumper crop of figs this year. Oh and we did find some tomatoes with end rot …

2021-05-16 Front yard California fuchsias (or maybe the buckwheat or the toyon) are next to flower. Our …

2021-05-16 YesPlz #129 nailed our preferred roast (medium-ish). First time with YesPlz. Was well balanced and …

2021-05-15 I created a shuffle albums Shortcut a while back. It’s now retired for the iOS Albums app. It’s …

2021-05-15 With the latest iOS, if a martini is in my face, Apple Watch unlocks my phone 🤗

2021-05-15 Ensalada Hybrid Tomatoes are doing extremely well in Orland, CA. No sign of end rot or any disease. …

2021-05-14 Santa Fe pepper flower and a young Santa Fe pepper. We did get a bit of bacterial spot (?) on the …

2021-05-13 Got a new work truck today. Looking forward to breaking it in next week. Hope it handles as well as …

2021-05-11 Pineapple Guavas (Feijoa sellowiana) are flowering. Perhaps this year they’ll fruit.

2021-05-10 Our cultivated native California Grapes are coming along very nicely. Same can’t be said for our new …

2021-05-09 California Corn Lilies contrast with a burned Forest. There’s possibly shallow groundwater below …

2021-05-09 A Shooting Star (Primula) flower in the August Complex burn area about 1/4 mile north below the …

2021-05-08 iNaturalist hasn’t confirmed but these purple flowers appear to be Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata) near …

2021-05-07 Glacier Lily (Erythronium grandiflorum) from near the summit of Black Butte in California’s …

2021-05-07 M4.7 earthquake near Truckee, CA on May 6 at 21:35 was recorded on my #RaspberryShake. I did not …

2021-05-06 Finally had a chance to visit the summit of Black Butte on the Mendocino NF. About time. A …

2021-05-04 First bloom of the peppers. Serranos in this case. 🌱

2021-05-02 When the gusty winds are trying to uproot the top heavy tomatoes, one must get creative to save …

2021-05-02 Can’t wait for For All Mankind season 3. Ridiculously good 2nd season 😳

2021-05-01 Fairly rare earthquake (M3.0) in Chico, CA today at 11:26PDT. The #RaspberryShake managed to record …

2021-05-01 I’ve thinned at least a dozen nectarines off this young tree. This “Fantasia” Nectarine is …

2021-04-30 Japan — was that you, M6.8‽ #RaspberryShake

2021-04-27 Tomatoes are incoming! 🌱

2021-04-26 Cultivated California Wild Grapes are looking great after a heavy prune. I always forget to take …

2021-04-25 Biiig kitten stretch!

2021-04-25 And here’s the follow-up @raspishake graphic of the M3.7 at Lake Tahoe.

2021-04-25 I really enjoy how Shadow and Bone (on Netflix) has integrated Six of Crows. Very smart.

2021-04-25 The M3.8 Earthquake near Incline Village, CA at 15:33 UTC/08:33 PDT isn’t yet on the RaspberryShake …

2021-04-24 Peppers and tomatoes got their second Jobes fertilization today in advance of likely rain. We really …

2021-04-24 Going to be starting Shadow and Bone on Netflix today. Really good books by Leigh Bardugo.

2021-04-24 M6.5 Tonga earthquake registered on my #RaspberryShake - first non-local earthquake I’ve seen …

2021-04-23 My #RaspberryShake detected a M3.9 earthquake in the Bartlett Springs Fault Zone just northwest of …

2021-04-22 Might be a Copestylum mexicanum (Mexican cactus fly). If so, it is fittingly on a cultivated …

2021-04-20 I just noticed there was another small M2.8 earthquake near Willows, CA last night. This was also …

2021-04-19 Now that is a clear, unambiguous seismic signal! M3.7 near Willows, CA. I didn’t feel it. …

2021-04-19 Our back porch grapes look awesome this year! The fullest they’ve ever been.

2021-04-18 The humble shrub that’s predicting a terrible fire season

2021-04-17 Peppers and tomatoes garden update: tomatoes are flowering and peppers are finally growing …

2021-04-17 Our mandarin tree is in full bloom. 🌱🌳

2021-04-17 While adding 1/2 GPH drip to the backyard Ceanothus plants, spotted this glorious lizard doing its …

2021-04-16 MeteoBridge Email Weather Alerts & FastMail

2021-04-15 The “Fantasia” nectarines are coming along. First ever crop. We’ve had to thin a dozen or so because …

2021-04-12 iOS Shortcut: RaspberryShake Helicorder 24 Hour PDT Plot

2021-04-11 Front yard update. Poppies are now blooming, joining the creeping sage and the Ceanothus (California …

2021-04-10 Backyard Elderberries are seeking pollinators.

2021-04-07 Our “Bacon” Avocado tree is blooming basically right on time as compared to last year on April 11th. …

2021-04-04 It’s been well over a year since since we last saw lizards in our backyard. I blame outdoor cats. …

2021-04-03 This seems like a legit earthquake signal. Happened in the middle of the night April 2nd so cultural …

2021-04-02 I just hooked up one more drip line to the little Antelco eZyvalve valve box. I think I’m done for …

2021-04-01 Spring mornings in our front yard. Sage and Ceanothus are in full bloom. 💚🌱

2021-03-31 Our native California grapes have been very busy over the last week! 🌱

2021-03-30 This morning, two Northern Mockingbirds briefly hung out on our backyard patio. It seems super rare …

2021-03-28 We planted all our indoor pepper and tomato starts. The Serranos looked most distressed prior to …

2021-03-28 iOS Shortcut: RaspberryShake Helicorder 24 Hour Plot

2021-03-27 I just installed this Antelco eZyvalve 4 Zone Valve Box. I’m very pleased so far. We’ll see how …

2021-03-26 I used the Controller app to create an automation that triggers upon press of my Logitech doorbell …

2021-03-25 Ceanothus (California lilac) is magnificently blooming. 🌱

2021-03-20 Row Crop irrigation kit from Drip Depot installed. Really pleased with this so far. I need to stake …

2021-03-19 Currently reading: 1Q84 (Vintage International) by Haruki Murakami 📚

2021-03-18 Finished reading: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin ★★★★★ 📚. I honestly could barely put the …

2021-03-18 J&J Vaccine ✅ thanks, quick call list!!

2021-03-17 The nectarine is about to start shedding its flowers. Leaves are growing. Since it is pretty young …

2021-03-16 A slow, rolling bloom for the apricot this year. It didn’t fruit at all last year. Here’s hoping for …

2021-03-14 In-flight water drops.

2021-03-14 Twitter Feeds in the latest NetNewsWire 6 beta are great. The key is to be really choosy.

2021-03-13 The monster alligator lizard in the shed still lives! Maybe 6 inches long. Been well over a year …

2021-03-13 Facebook/Instagram Harvests Location Metadata Before Stripping for Posts

2021-03-12 Took a Potensic D58 drone photo today of the backyard (bottom photo) to compare against January 2020 …

2021-03-11 We’re finally eating our backyard Valencia oranges. Sooo good. 🍊🌳🌱

2021-03-10 We got some pea-sized hail today!

2021-03-09 Currently reading: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin 📚

2021-03-08 I finished reading: The Power by Naomi Alderman ★★★★★ 📚

2021-03-08 How it started (Mar 2020) and how it’s going (Mar 2021) in the backyard. All lawn is removed! Garden …

2021-03-07 Sunday dinner: Sous vide Arm Roast followed by Boston Cream Pie.

2021-03-07 Slowly preparing the backyard garden rows over the past few months 😅 Almost time to plant the …

2021-03-06 This is quite the year for catchweed (aka bedstraw aka genus Galium). It is everywhere! It even …

2021-03-06 Our “Bacon” Avocado flower buds are developing nicely. Also, the fig is waking up. 🌱🌳

2021-03-04 First apricot bloom. Hopefully, as in past years, far more will follow. Figure this flower puts …

2021-03-03 The front yard blue oak has awakened! 🌱

2021-03-02 This should be my last nectarine flower photo. This year. 🌳🌱

2021-03-02 Easiest way to deal with (perhaps) hundreds of mandarins once ripe: juice them. These have …

2021-02-28 The nectarine is up and at ‘em with many glorious blooms. 🌱🌳

2021-02-27 Pompasetting nectarine.

2021-02-26 Not my favourite 3/4”-minus gravel as the rocks definitely didn’t come from rivers with their …

2021-02-25 One of these days I’ll paint the PVC pipe to hide my poor PVC cementing job and a few barcodes. 🌱

2021-02-25 First bloom today of our nectarine! 🌳 🌱

2021-02-24 In 2012 our baby kitten (aka The Annie Cat) was just as clumsy as she is today (though she is more …

2021-02-23 A banana slug from a 2010 trip to Jug Handle State Reserve, California (the north coast).

2021-02-22 Got a warm spell in California so now I expect the nectarine to bloom any day now. The local almond …

2021-02-21 There are so many colors in a landslide. This slide complex is at Bar Creek on the Mendocino NF, …

2021-02-20 Currently reading: The Power by Naomi Alderman 📚

2021-02-20 Started prepping the garden rows today. Great weather and perfect soil moisture. Was surprised how …

2021-02-20 I’m experimenting with HomeKit Automations converted to Shortcuts. This one, when a Home member …

2021-02-20 This morning: the most symmetrical Dutch baby we’ve ever had.

2021-02-19 I finished reading The child finder by Rene Denfeld ★★★★ 📚

2021-02-19 The peppers and tomatoes are still alive and growing fast. The tomatoes might get root bound sooner …

2021-02-18 Today, at home, the spice drawer was cleaned out and organized.

2021-02-17 The Fantasia nectarine (planted Jan 2020) is still in swollen bud stage. Has been for days. It’s …

2021-02-16 Look, I put a pressure gauge on the new hose bibb! I must be an erudite of irrigation systems. 🙃

2021-02-15 Korean cheese buldak for dinner tonight. Chicken in a hot chili sauce covered with mozzarella 🌶🌶🌶🌶 😋

2021-02-15 Mount Lassen’s reflection upon Juniper Lake in summer of 2016.

2021-02-15 I pressure checked the new hose bibb this morning; it had a slow leak at the valve threads & PVC …

2021-02-14 Front yard update: the manzanitas are in full bloom! The poppies are trying to take over. Waiting on …

2021-02-14 I installed a new hose spigot on an old PVC waterline today. I’m trying to have the patience to give …

2021-02-14 Have compassion for your neighborhood birbs and borbs. They may help you relax a bit as you gaze at …

2021-02-13 Someday we’ll figure out how to make rice noodles right. Did a bunch of experiments today and almost …

2021-02-13 Hello, probably Spruce. Put on some good growth this year, yeah? You weren’t invited, you’re kind of …

2021-02-13 Got to make the rock rings around the citrus trees larger so drip emitters can be moved back for …

2021-02-12 Happy Lunar New Year 🧧

2021-02-12 Sporg! A pipe to nowhere 😋

2021-02-11 A cozy sleeping machine. Yeah she’s awake. She can sense when the camera comes out to give the stink …

2021-02-10 Currently reading: The child finder by Rene Denfeld 📚

2021-02-10 Energy makes growing peppers & tomatoes in the winter possible. Got lots of jalapeños, serranos, …

2021-02-09 I finished City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab ★★★★ 📚

2021-02-09 Mud Creek, CA south of Mt. Shasta after a pretty intense debris flow in 2014. The deposits are muddy …

2021-02-08 Got a lot of hope for these little peppers and tomatoes! 🌱

2021-02-07 For Sunday breakfast, my partner made rösti with Swiss cheese in the middle and a sunny-side up egg …

2021-02-07 We’re craving Manzanita flower blooms in the front yard. Almost there… 🌱

2021-02-06 Beef tenderloin filets getting the royal treatment of butter basting. Cooked to medium rare.

2021-02-06 Our first front yard daffodil flower of 2021. Bloomed about two weeks later than last year (Jan 24, …

2021-02-06 Apple Photos thinks eating campfire roasted marshmallows off a metal stick is a sport. I agree.

2021-02-05 Pets are the best since they always find new unexpected ways to delight, unknowingly helping their …

2021-02-04 Back in 2013 we half-heartedly grew corn. We got so excited over the seemingly nice looking ears of …

2021-02-03 Cats are pros at comfort.

2021-02-02 Currently reading: City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab 📚

2021-02-02 I finished The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. I’m sooo looking forward to the next book …

2021-02-02 A screensaver with the best most relaxing photos and a nice hot morning beverage to start the day.

2021-02-01 Close up of a Meyer Lemon still on the tree. 😋

2021-01-31 Tomato sprouts all day today! Peppers should be next. 🌱

2021-01-31 Lemon grass is overwintering nicely. This time we dug up the plant to include roots. Last year we …

2021-01-31 We have a lot of citrus in the backyard: mandarins, Meyer lemons, and Valencias. This means it is …

2021-01-30 Gorgeous today at Burris Creek in Northern California.

2021-01-29 White Crown borb soaking in the warmth of a cinder block & preening outside the slider.

2021-01-24 Here’s my iOS Shortcut that uses ShellFish App to show all journals over the years written “On This …

2021-01-23 Secure ShellFish for iOS is wonderful. Its shortcut functions allowed me to create a Shortcut that …

2021-01-23 Last year we successfully grew peppers by direct sowing mid-Spring. Today we’re starting plants from …

2021-01-23 Dutch baby for breakfast. It is really great with Meyer lemons (from the backyard tree; which is …

2021-01-20 Today was a very, very good day. 🇺🇸

2021-01-18 Possibly a Cooper’s Hawk casing out bird feeder and really freaking out the House Sparrows and White …

2021-01-17 Pruned the apricot today. I only kind of know what I’m doing. It looks about right to me. Every year …

2021-01-17 Statement from President-elect Biden on Religious Freedom Day

2021-01-16 My partner is making beef salami but this time with added pork fat and more spices— the last batch …

2021-01-16 A Peaceable Washington D.C. in 2015

2021-01-11 Currently reading: Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker 📚

2021-01-10 Bibimbap!!

2021-01-10 Lesser Gold Finch picking at raisins that are softened from the rain and dew.

2021-01-09 Finished reading: Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor ★★★★★ – pretty dang original! 📚

2021-01-09 I’m team pocket universe. It’s bigger inside. Spoilers in this linked article. Star Trek: …

2021-01-09 Installed Logitech Circle View Doorbell Chime-Kit and Hardware Doorbell Chime

2021-01-02 Logitech Circle View Doorbell and new transformer w/junction box successfully installed! I replaced …

2021-01-01 I routed the new doorbell wire from the garage, along the foundation tucked under the sheathing, …

2021-01-01 Backlit senescing cultivated hybridized California grapes (“Roger’s Red”). So far the Northern …

2021-01-01 Logitech Circle View Doorbell Initial Thoughts

2020-12-31 Apple is successfully getting me to put HomePod Minis all over my house. Bought one, liked it for my …

2020-12-28 I installed a Lutron Caseta in-wall dimmer switch for the hallway today. Before it was wired as a …

2020-12-27 Currently reading: Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor 📚

2020-12-27 Earthquake M 3.8 - 16km ESE of Willows, CA

2020-12-26 Finished reading: Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman ★★★★★ 📚

2020-12-26 Annual chest freezer de-icing, cleaning, inventory, and organizing. This year it’s especially …

2020-12-25 We had a lot of left over brisket so some went into disco fries.

2020-12-24 Tonight’s brisket prepared by my partner using Sous Vide for literally fork tender meat and then …

2020-12-24 My New Markdown Editing and Preview Apps

2020-12-23 Automating Deselection and Unchecking of Twitter Interests - EvilTester.com

2020-12-23 I like Apple Fitness+. HIIT workouts are accessible for a newbie. The trainers make me feel at ease …

2020-12-21 The preceding sunset was way more picturesque than Jupiter and Saturn 😜

2020-12-21 Here’s Jupiter and Saturn through a pair of high powered 9x63 binoculars.

2020-12-20 A benefit of not having anyone over for Christmas dinner is we can do wild, special food …

2020-12-20 The front yard California fuchsias (Epilobium canum) are still flowering and providing forage to the …

2020-12-18 And here’s the final caramel. They’re perfect. 🤗

2020-12-18 Annual caramel making. These seem 👌and perfectly plastic. Here’s a series of photos showing sugar …

2020-12-15 Black Phoebe! These flycatchers are elusive in our backyard.

2020-12-13 Unidentified hummingbird enjoying rosemary flowers today. Maybe a Black Chin. Doesn’t seem to have …

2020-12-12 Split Pea Soup made with a ham hock! Love the cold season 🥰

2020-12-12 Just watched the latest Star Trek: Discovery. Did not expect these twists! 😲Helps I don’t watch the …

2020-12-12 House Sparrows frenetically bathing under the mandarin this morning.

2020-12-11 Giant exhale.

2020-12-11 Front yard: today and April 19. I cleaned up a lot of it today. This yard of cultivated native …

2020-12-09 Pulling out grass from the cultivated native sage is exhausting. At least I’m perfumed with sage …

2020-12-06 Currently reading: Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman 📚

2020-12-06 The Annie Cat maximizing sunlight.

2020-12-05 Last year this was not our view into the backyard from the house. Now we regularly see White Crowns, …

2020-12-03 New bird in our backyard! Yellow-rumped Warbler. A pair was feasting on our cultivated California …

2020-12-02 Finished reading: Peculiar Peril by Jeff VanderMeer ★★★★☆📚

2020-12-02 December 2nd, 2013: at the Dresden Christmas Market.

2020-11-29 Partner made Naan today (along with Turkey Tikka Masala).

2020-11-29 macOS Big Sur TimeMachine and Bootable External Drives

2020-11-27 Stuffing waffles. So crispy & savory.

2020-11-27 Mandarins and Meyer Lemons are ripening nicely. Maybe one more month until the Mandarins are sweet …

2020-11-26 Leftovers 🎉. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

2020-11-26 Alice’s Restaurant, a Thanksgiving tradition: music.apple.com

2020-11-26 The makings of Thanksgiving dinner for a couple is bread for stuffing and Turkey stock for just …

2020-11-25 Pecan Squares instead of Peacan Pie. And as we’re not having Thanksgiving with anyone, dessert is a …

2020-11-22 Sunset during our isolation vacation at the North Coast of California.

2020-11-22 Fox Sparrows (?) enjoying the cultivated California Grape raisins. We’ve also perhaps identified …

2020-11-22 New M1 Mac Mini on the way

2020-11-20 Cistus × purpureus (Purple-flowered Rock-rose)

2020-11-19 We brought ribeyes and a cast-iron with us (and the rest of what’s on the plate. Yeah that’s canned …

2020-11-19 Hot chocolate on the North Coast of California.

2020-11-19 Moonlight over the Pacific. Above the moon, Jupiter and then Saturn.

2020-11-18 Sundown at Trinidad, California. We’re hunkered down here for a few nights, completely …

2020-11-17 Good morning. This morning’s sun rise almost makes up for my neighbor being obsessive with their …

2020-11-16 I’m very thankful that my family is supportive of not getting together for Thanksgiving and very …

2020-11-15 I tested my journaling workflow in Big Sur on a secondary Mac and it worked. So I couldn’t …

2020-11-15 The Results of the 2020 Home Orchard Fixed Daily Watering Experiment

2020-11-14 Joint Statement by President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris On Diwali, the …

2020-11-13 Toad in our bird bath tonight. That’s a first. We usually empty the baths to keep mosquitoes at bay …

2020-11-11 Planted a New Cherry Tree Today

2020-11-08 Pumpkin pie! And rump roast. Sunday is the best.

2020-11-08 The rainy season in California is right around the corner, so I just cleaned the rain gage & …

2020-11-07 Today’s celebratory homemade sourdough loaf and Prosecco

2020-11-07 Tearing up here. Biden & Harris wins.

2020-11-04 Since November 2nd I’ve stayed away from Twitter & Instagram. Feels kind of nice. Getting some …

2020-11-03 I’m looking forward to winter. Summer was far too long.

2020-11-02 I accidentally trashed my Windows 10 Virtual Machine and thought it was a total loss with no backup. …

2020-11-02 For today and a while after the election, Twitter & Instagram apps are removed from my devices. …

2020-10-29 Dark-Eyed Junco (Oregon) in the backyard! Had to photograph it through binoculars.

2020-10-27 Northern Mockingbird in our backyard. They’re not nearly as brave as the scrub jays but they’re …

2020-10-25 Got two volunteer conifer seedlings in the backyard — their needles are roundish and pointy, not in …

2020-10-24 PowerPhotos is worth the cost alone for trashing duplicate photos in a MacOS/iCloud Photo Library. …

2020-10-22 Started reading: Peculiar Peril by Jeff VanderMeer 📚

2020-10-18 TBH, Fall is grilling season here.

2020-10-18 A happy scrub jay feasting on some big bird seeds.

2020-10-17 Gorgeous loaf of homemade sourdough.

2020-10-17 Tore out the bark beetle infested Lapins Cherry today. It was half dead by beetles girdling it. In …

2020-10-15 Our dropped off California ballots were collected and accepted. I get very anxious when signing — …

2020-10-14 On iPhone 12: I love the telephoto lens so I’ll wait for the 2.5x camera or better to migrate down …

2020-10-12 Saved this gorgeous western alligator lizard this morning from a murderous outdoor cat. It was cold, …

2020-10-11 Siri Shortcut for Meteobridge Weather Report

2020-10-10 Backyard cultivated native elderberries decided summer is over! Yay!

2020-10-10 My typical workflow: here’s a thing I need to do. Hm. That seems more difficult than expected. …

2020-10-10 Just voted🇺🇸

2020-10-09 The Annie Cat has seasons. She only uses the wool bed during the cold season.

2020-10-08 Lemongrass came back this year after dying back over winter (we also took cuttings over winter and …

2020-10-08 Franciscan Assemblage. Mendocino NF. ❤️

2020-10-08 Been a few years since we first wanted to mulch the backyard. Weather got nice so here we go with 10 …

2020-10-07 We made roasted hot pepper sauce recently. A mix of jalapeños, anaheims, serranos and yellow wax …

2020-09-21 For iOS 14 Shortcuts, seems the volume control function for AirPlay devices is only reliable after …

2020-09-20 Coconut-Gochujang Glazed Chicken With Broccoli is pretty good. We added Gochugaru (Korean pepper …

2020-09-20 Tess of the Road was excellent so now reading where it all started: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman 📚

2020-09-19 Billions of almonds waiting to be hulled.

2020-09-16 Western Toad finally makes a reappearance in the backyard and it has GROWN. Wish I had something for …

2020-09-13 The Annie Cat is so displeased that the game controller isn’t working right.

2020-09-12 Excellent sourdough shape, crumb, and pretty good flavor (48 hour refrigerator proof).

2020-09-12 Accidentally scrolled to the bottom of Sunlit app credits 😉

2020-09-09 Today’s obligatory wildfire smoke scene. Halide app made it dead easy to override auto white …

2020-09-08 Winds started after midnight here and dramatically warmed the air from ~75 to ~87°F. Likely …

2020-09-07 Blue Jay yelling at everything this afternoon. Maybe it’s angry at the wildfire smoke.

2020-09-06 Can confirm.

2020-09-06 Oof.

2020-09-06 Good morning: light of sunrise reflecting off the smoke.

2020-09-05 Today starts an oppressive heat wave. At least the humidity is low. The smoke from California fires …

2020-09-04 A scrub jay checking out the new bird feeder. Birds haven’t taken to it yet. They’re still eating …

2020-09-03 Finished The City We Became (great book) and now currently reading: Tess of the Road by Rachel …

2020-09-03 August Complex smoke this afternoon. Silver lining is the smoke cooled the air temperature down …

2020-09-02

2020-09-01 Our trio of Scrub Jays are leaving almond hulls behind. Maybe they’re giving us gifts for providing …

2020-08-31 We love this homemade smoked beef salami — could use a bit more paprika but great first try.

2020-08-30 A day of discovery making salami for the first time with a smoker we were given. Smells and looks …

2020-08-29 Kimchi-Brined Fried Chicken

2020-08-29 Still currently reading: The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin – and enjoying it! Making me look …

2020-08-29 Large ash flake that landed in my safe backyard — over a dozen miles away from the August Complex on …

2020-08-28 Nothing but pleasant emotions with a view like this. I wish this were my backyard but so glad I had …

2020-08-27 Overcome a poorly seasoned cast iron pan by cooking lots of fatty things like Guanciale.

2020-08-26 The Annie Cat is not always relentless at being judgy. Sometimes she looks borderline benevolent.

2020-08-25 Here’s some hope that our trio of Scrub Jays will eat our cultivated California native grapes.

2020-08-24 Frosty garden grown hot peppers (from the freezer) about to become hot sauce. We harvest over the …

2020-08-23 In mid-2016 we discovered this graceful Silk Moth at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, CA.

2020-08-23 I dislike Instagram’s new suggested posts. It is a new source of anxiety in that I might see …

2020-08-22 This last week was insane and that is why I posted the Sourdough Dashi Scallion Pancakes twice for …

2020-08-22 VMware Fusion 12 Player

2020-08-22 This perch is pretty much The Annie Cat’s summer home during the day.

2020-08-21 Sourdough Dashi Scallion Pancakes from last weekend had some serious crunch. A bit salty but very …

2020-08-20 Wish I could change today’s cooler smokey summer day to a rainy winter day. The August Complex fires …

2020-08-19 Metallic ribbon and a fake bird of prey truly keeps the birds away from our figs.

2020-08-18 Falafel on a grid.

2020-08-17 This western milkweed bug stuffing itself into the eye of the Brown Turkey Fig is decidedly not …

2020-08-16 Likely the plume of the Doe Fire on the Mendocino National Forest.

2020-08-16 Currently reading: The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin. I’ve had this book on library hold for …

2020-08-16 Read Gideon the Ninth by Tamsym Muir. ★★★★☆ The novel meandered a bit but was thoroughly enjoyable. …

2020-08-16 These Sourdough Dashi Scallion crepes were not stationary for long.

2020-08-16 Unusual weather in NorCal but it is keeping daytime temps cooler than yesterday. The overnight low …

2020-08-15 The cultivated native plants likely needed some morning water for this California heatwave. It’s …

2020-08-15 The Annie Cat in silhouette.

2020-08-14 Peppers among peppers. Nachos for dinner tonight. The red jalapeño and yellow wax peppers were home …

2020-08-13 With the incoming heatwave in California, we will filter out direct sunlight to help keep these …

2020-08-12 West Point Light House on the Puget Sound. During a trip to visit friends Mid–2016.

2020-08-11 SFO, August 2009: when 747s were still fairly popular for long haul transport. I’ve never flown on …

2020-08-10 Looking out at set of creepy toothy, grinning windows (dormers?) from Dom St. Petri in Bautzen, …

2020-08-09 So much Regina Spektor in my playlist lately.

2020-08-09 The Annie Cat is black-and-white and loves self-scritching her mouth and cheeks (don’t all cats?)

2020-08-08 Another Bee’s eye view. Gorging on a Gilia. Early 2017.

2020-08-08 Hummingbirds love these cultivated native California fuchsias so here’s their bird’s eye view of …

2020-08-07 Daytripping in mid-October can result in this view of Mount Lassen from Brokeoff Mountain. 2019.

2020-08-06 Fissures bisect land in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness. The massive landslide is moving to …

2020-08-05 A quaternary lava flow at ʻĀhihi-Kīnaʻu Natural Area Reserve on Maui. Haleakalā is in the …

2020-08-04 Currently reading: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsym Muir 📚

2020-08-04 There was (and must still be) absolute peace in the Haleakala erosional crater. Late 2018. 

2020-08-03 A bug that we call the European honeybee, enjoying cultivated native California sage flowers. 2017. …

2020-08-02 Jellyfish floating in an aquarium at the Birch Aquarium, La Jolla, CA in 2004. #mbaug

2020-08-01 I can’t say if it’s related but I haven’t received any mail for four days now. I can say that’s …

2020-08-01 What used to be Up at Coyote Point just south of SFO. #mbaug

2020-07-29 Mantis on the cherry tree. … and peppers! Though ants are trying to farm aphids on them.

2020-07-27 Cultivated native California grapes. Seedy & thick skinned but good to eat. Since the birds …

2020-07-25 Bulgogi. Beef Bulgogi (asada cut) hot off the grill.

2020-07-25 Today’s harvest. Brown turkey figs and a small ripe jalapeño.

2020-07-24 Orange Grove Update

2020-07-23 The lemon grass coming in strong. It came back from last year’s planting and a cutting we took.

2020-07-22 Change your AC and/or furnace filter with high flow MERV-8 every three months or sooner if you’ve …

2020-07-21 Here’s a drooping Brown Turkey fig — means it’s perfectly sweet & tender for eating. Don’t wait …

2020-07-19 Brown Turkey figs are rapidly ripening. Patiently waiting for them to start drooping as a sign of …

2020-07-19 The birds aren’t eating the grapes, so we might as well. 😋

2020-07-18 Here’s an adjusted/“developed” version of NEOWISE (see the original straight from Night Mode)

2020-07-18 Anaheim pepper with a surprise mantis for scale. Then a jalapeño. Just popped out of nowhere while I …

2020-07-17 Garden Update

2020-07-14 Scrub jay!

2020-07-12 Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) at 04:17. Very cool. The last quarter moon washed it out a lot. iPhone 11 …

2020-07-11 Watering the front yard and this hummingbird was really curious about the water and I swear the bird …

2020-07-10 Our cultivated native California grapes are ripening! The birds will hopefully soon find them. Or …

2020-07-10 Our peppers are doing okay despite the very late seeding. Just a bit of brown rot initially but some …

2020-07-04 Somewhere around Tehachapi, CA.

2020-06-27 The last two days of 110°F heat has also resulted in our cultivated native California grapes turning …

2020-06-26 110°F yesterday and today. The avocados we planted 2-3 years ago transpire water more than they can …

2020-06-23 Scrub Jay patiently waiting for the grapes to ripen.

2020-06-21 The makings of Chai ice cream (admittedly without the tea).

2020-06-21 Upon a recent update to VMware Fusion 11.5.5, sound began crackling in Windows 10. For some reason …

2020-06-20 So many Brown Turkey Figs!

2020-06-18 Leafhopper Assassin with a meal.

2020-06-15 Hummingbird enjoying succulent flowers.

2020-06-14 Shooting Star or Primula hendersonii (maybe) at Hidden Lakes, Lassen National Forest last Friday …

2020-06-14 Sous Vide Filet Mignon, Medium Rare

2020-06-13 Tostones or patacones (made whenever we find green plantains at SavMor, which isn’t often). 😋

2020-06-13 Hidden Lakes, Lassen National Forest

2020-06-07 Volunteer tomato is flowering. Who knows what kind of fruit this might grow (if pollinated). So too …

2020-05-31 [Crispy Cheese and Kimchi-Topped Skillet …

2020-05-30 Keep MacBook from Sleeping with Lid Down

2020-05-28 The California Buckwheat is now blooming — cool hot pink anthers!

2020-05-27 The toyon is in full bloom and it is impossible to photograph its flowers without pollinators. A …

2020-05-25 Today’s front yard Poppies and Clarkias.

2020-05-25 I finally got around to messing with iStat Menu's Time menu and I’m sold. Having a calendar and …

2020-05-24 Cultivated native California grapes are coming along quite well.

2020-05-24 ... made from the left over Bulgogi the next day, Bibimbap! Crisped up the white rice a bit too.

2020-05-23 Homemade Bulgogi.

2020-05-23 If only I could have got closer to this gorgeous blue dragonfly in the front yard. This super crop …

2020-05-23 Inaugural cook on the Baking Steel Mini Griddle. We love the original size for pizza, cooking lots …

2020-05-21 The Annie Cat in a box.

2020-05-19 Bee butt on the first understated blooms of our cultivated Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia).

2020-05-17 Upgraded to 16" MBP ❤️

2020-05-15 An unidentified grasshopper of some kind on our cultivated native California wild rose. Genus …

2020-05-13 Why must Apple hide three finger drag on their touch pads under Accessibility? It’s my favorite …

2020-05-12 Lunchtime snack: Sweet Cherries fresh from the backyard tree.

2020-05-10 Freshly churned strawberry ice cream.

2020-05-10 Lunch today: Chuck Roast (left over) Sandwich. Cooked on Baking Steel.

2020-05-10 chuck roast (left over) sandwiches on homemade sourdough. The Baking Steel is pretty great as a …

2020-05-08 Cherry tree update: almost dark red! (and then they’re hopefully ripe and sweet; had two today and …

2020-05-07 The backyard native California grapes are about done flowering and beginning to swell.

2020-05-04 Metallic flagging and a fake hawk to discourage birds from the cherries. The blue jays are smart and …

2020-05-03 Our sweet cherries are looking tastier everyday.

2020-05-03 Pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana) flowers.

2020-05-02 Cherries on the bark beetle-caused malnourished, unshaded branches (to right) are blushing fast (May …

2020-05-02 Just found out that MacOS Catalina’s new shell (zsh) doesn’t require me to remove spaces from file …

2020-04-30 Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana) flower bud. These flowers are going to be huge.

2020-04-29 Turns out native California grape flowers ate definitely not showy but are well loved by small …

2020-04-27 I think these are as showy as native California grape flowers get. Will report back.

2020-04-26 Backyard elderberry in full bloom. Fence behind it is six feet tall.

2020-04-26 Fruit Tree Irrigation: an Experiment

2020-04-25 Wild California Grapes are coming along — these are the flowers buds.

2020-04-24 Front yard Clarkia update: nearly full bloom. Hoping the white lined sphinx moth caterpillars show …

2020-04-22 For Earth Day, bees on the elderberry and the avocado.

2020-04-21 This HUGE bumble bee really wants the Toyon flowers to open up! Been buzzing around for several …

2020-04-20 Today’s Clarkias and Poppies.

2020-04-19 Homemade Naan atop a piping hot Baking Steel.

2020-04-19 First bloom of our backyard California wild roses (Rosa Californica)!

2020-04-18 Today, first time in weeks flour and sugar could be bought 🥳 go King Arthur flour!

2020-04-17 Snakefly hunting insects on a bed of elderberry flowers.

2020-04-17 Warmer than usual weather means Peppers are rapidly sprouting. We direct seeded this year as an …

2020-04-17 I can never remember brackets or parentheses for Markdown links!

2020-04-16 Yarrow is now in bloom and the carpet beetles are gorging themselves on pollen.

2020-04-16 Seen at lunch: iNaturalist guesses this is a Leafhopper Assassin bug on our California grape. …

2020-04-15 Today we donated all our U.S. stimulus money to the local food bank.

2020-04-13 The swarm in our little blue oak is getting a new home.

2020-04-12 With [Watchsmith](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/watchsmith/id1483088503), I get a hamburger when my …

2020-04-12 Never knew my penchant for buying cleaning supplies weeks in advance of running out would be useful …

2020-04-12 When your yards are a pollen and nectar paradise, this can happen. Time to get in touch with a local …

2020-04-12 Bee butt on a front yard Gilia 🐝

2020-04-11 This western toad is why I carefully cut back the parsley. I knew it was in there somewhere. I …

2020-04-11 Got to pay attention to notice avocado flowers. Our “Bacon” Avocado tree is flowering. Our …

2020-04-10 Falafel soft tacos tonight since we had dry chickpeas, the herb garden was begging for it, and we …

2020-04-09 Think we might get cherries in mid to late May! A few tree branches have extremely undersized leaves …

2020-04-08 Got a few Apricot fruits to set... in a few weeks they may drop as the tree balances its energy.

2020-04-07 First elderberry flowers in the backyard.

2020-04-05 Our (majority) whole wheat crust pizza.

2020-04-05 🐞

2020-04-05 Apple delayed shipment of 2020 MacBook Air. Understandable. Buyer’s remorse came fast and furious so …

2020-04-04 Home fried sweet potato chips. Because we didn’t use the potato in a Massaman curry last week (had …

2020-04-04 I’m experimenting with Meteobridge Templates and Siri Shortcuts so Siri can tell me about the …

2020-04-01 Newly emerged ladybug 🐞

2020-03-31 Future native California grapes.🐞🐝

2020-03-29 Was prepping the vegetable garden bed and had to dodge lots of ladybugs.

2020-03-29 We had been planning a May trip to Germany for a few years. We’re cancelling it. We're patiently …

2020-03-27 Front yard (mostly) native garden update.

2020-03-23 Good morning! Here’s Orion’s Belt of Ladybugs on white clover.

2020-03-22 Yellow Dal w/Garlic & Brown Basmati and make ahead veggie enchiladas all at once.

2020-03-22 Our local grocery store’s distributor ran out of eggs by the dozen. 😕

2020-03-22 What do you need this morning? Bee butt on Gilia flowers and Baby Blue Eyes.

2020-03-21 Realized we can keep our front door open with closed screen because there shouldn’t be door to door …

2020-03-21 Takeout from a local Orland, CA restaurant. Even in rural California, online takeout is available! …

2020-03-21 I’d say nationwide telework went very well this last week. Only had a few hours of repeat VPN …

2020-03-21 “Hey Siri, play some music.” “Okay, let’s kick things off with Widespread Panic.” 😳

2020-03-17 Working from home today - nationwide stress test of VPN.

2020-03-15 It’s high time we start taking photos behind the flowers. Apricot flower.

2020-03-14 Sous Vide London Broil (Beef)

2020-03-14 Glad lots of people are learning about public library eBooks. My library in rural California has had …

2020-03-14 Not going anywhere unless necessary so time to try Sous Vide London Broil. Just under two pounds of …

2020-03-13 Cherry tree in full bloom.

2020-03-13 At the USDA, I’m not allowed to telework as I haven’t been personally affected by SARS-CoV-2. I’m …

2020-03-12 There’s a retirement party this Saturday. Could be up to 100 people. So far it’s not postponed or …

2020-03-12 This morning’s view out the backyard window. The California Lilacs (purple!) are out of control. …

2020-03-09 A successful section of our vegetative fence line screen. Elderberry (Sambucus mexicana), California …

2020-03-08 Wow first earthquake I’ve experienced in a very long time. Off Cape Mendocino. It was a slow roll. …

2020-03-08 Sunset over the Pacific. Two versions, no filter, just different exposure settings. iPhone 11 Pro …

2020-03-08 Gray Whale spouts (center photo) off the coast of Northern California.

2020-03-07 Western toad hanging out in one of our irrigation boxes. We have a wildlife ramp in there for this …

2020-03-06 A Very Good Overcomplicated Journal Workflow

2020-03-06 European honeybee on a California Lilac (Ceanothus). 🐝

2020-03-05 Our front yarden sage plants (first two photos) and all the Ceanothus are now flowering.

2020-03-04 Our apricot had its first bloom today. A few weeks ahead last year. This tree has rarely yielded …

2020-03-03 Our cherry tree had its first bloom today.

2020-03-01 There are many **vision**s brewing in these caskets at [Moksa Brewery](https://moksabrewing.com).

2020-03-01 Alcohol dreaming to escape their bottles. Later, I had a dry gin martini on the rocks.

2020-02-29 Ember leaping from a pepper roasting over a gas flame.

2020-02-28 2020 Spring: Blooms to Come

2020-02-28 And here’s a California gilia.

2020-02-28 First front yard California poppy bloom of the year.

2020-02-28 We love this red curry paste. Fortify it with fresh lemon grass! 🌶🌶🌶🥵

2020-02-28 Glad I’m not below that cherry picker.

2020-02-27 Our cherry tree’s super close **together** buds are opening up! Soon flower buds will rapidly drop …

2020-02-26 This horse won’t escape… though I feel jumping the fence is easily within its abilities.

2020-02-25 In 2010: Plenty of limestone & marble rock hurdles in the Marble Wilderness, Klamath National …

2020-02-24 Double

2020-02-23 Experimenting with our first bird feeding station. Suet with seed for a variety of birds.

2020-02-22 The dull spectacle of me trying to figure out the kitchen sink’s plumbing. My iPhone is a handy …

2020-02-21 Progress. Nectarine is growing!

2020-02-20 A tan greywacke sandstone from the Northern California Coast Range (Franciscan Assemblage bedrock). …

2020-02-19 The pull to “like” on Twitter is impressive. I’m doing my best to refrain but my finger has a mind …

2020-02-19 Never for want of space in California’s Central Valley. Those grapes will be waking up soon.

2020-02-18 Hard to oppose California’s almond bloom! ❤️ Our apricot will bloom mid March and the cherry late …

2020-02-17 One of two Valencia oranges from the backyard tree 😋

2020-02-17 Not cool. Whoever installed the kitchen sink didn’t use plumbers putty or silicone so now the under …

2020-02-16 Bees seem to never **rest** when manzanitas are blooming. I gave up trying to photograph them.

2020-02-15 House Wiring is an Adventure

2020-02-15 Use of ladders require good balance. I barely have that and dislike them immensely despite their …

2020-02-14 Mid-February 2020 Update: Home Orchard and Native Plants

2020-02-14 Warmth and a marshmallow on the Carrizo Plain in 2010.

2020-02-13 Late last year in New York I saw many a High Rise including this curvy one.

2020-02-12 During the cold season, Annie has an enormous attachment to her heated bed.

2020-02-11 November 2010: The Carrizo Plain National Monument. A great spot for geology students to explore …

2020-02-10 This morning’s view of Northern California’s interior coast range. Cameo by a Tractor Supply sign.

2020-02-09 I. Uh. Well.

2020-02-09 During a lull of the wind.

2020-02-09 I want a cavern full of juke boxes playing All You Need is Love.

2020-02-09 The Prisoner is wild and genius.

2020-02-08 The transparent rectangular thing is the push on connector I wrote about earlier. Really nice; way …

2020-02-08 Quite a contrast! Old switches in bottom photo, new Caseta switches in top. I finally got to use a …

2020-02-07 Last August I went to Coyote Point just south of the main approach to SFO. Coyote Point is famous …

2020-02-06 The California native plant garden is very green right now and soon there will be plenty of flowers. …

2020-02-05 Wildlife scaring and killing outdoor cats like to hide under our native ceanothus. I regularly scare …

2020-02-04 Love it when I can spot Mt. Lassen and Brokeoff Mountain from the valley.

2020-02-03 Sweet mandarins reflecting a whole lot of red showing just how ripe they are. Picked last Saturday …

2020-02-02 No sight distance through the evergreen toyon. It’s very happy. So is our manzanita — getting ready …

2020-02-01 Planted more asparagus today. They came with white asparagus sprouts. Looks like freaky white worms …

2020-02-01 My attempt at an open vase pruned apricot tree 🌳 📷

2020-01-31 Backyard Relaxation

2020-01-31 I would very much love it if MacOS Catalina stopped logging me out of some anonymous Apple ID …

2020-01-26 Tree Chilling Hours and a Bad Bug

2020-01-25 Asparagus is weird. Finally moved the crowns to a place we can regularly irrigate.

2020-01-20 Previous home owners did not ground the ceiling fan! Such an easy fix for a bit more safety. Did …

2020-01-19 Upgraded from (down/up) 175/6 Mbps to 300/11 Mbps soon as I hit the “order” button. $1 less, too. No …

2020-01-18 When a ceiling fan announces that it absolutely wants to be replaced, this happens.

2020-01-17 The beetles really tore up our Lapins cherry tree this last year. It is almost girdled. If we’re …

2020-01-17

2020-01-12 Yesterday’s planted nectarine began life here in a rather peculiar way:

2020-01-12 Going to punt this fan replacement job to another weekend. This nest of wires needs a day I can be …

2020-01-11 Our 2-year old plum died so now we’re trying a “Fantasia” nectarine. 400-500 chill hours is doable …

2020-01-09 Left to right: Moon and Orion (partial; got the belt!)

2020-01-07 Frosty morning in the yarden 🐝

2020-01-05 Our Elderberries coming back after they scorched in the summer heat last year. Resilient native …

2020-01-05 Yesterday we spent some time taking a mental break at Burris Creek near Black Butte Lake, CA.

2020-01-04 We’re trying to propagate lemon grass after dividing canes from our outdoor plant (hope it …

2020-01-03 I disturbed this overwintering ladybug while cleaning up this past year’s Holy Basil growth.

2020-01-03 Our Mandarin tree 🌳 is ready for as-needed harvest!

2020-01-03 ImperfectFoods is trying to sell people on the produce I get at my rural grocery store: smaller, …

2020-01-02 This is a nightmare.

2020-01-02 Caseta & Dimming LEDs

2020-01-01 Dealing with house wiring that makes me go “WTF THEY THINKING?” Don’t DIY if you don’t want to take …

2019-12-28 I am really into For All Mankind.

2019-12-28 Unearthed and powered up a Raspberry Pi 3. Took a bit of time to remember how I configured it for …

2019-12-28 Cut down this years’ California fuchsias yesterday to encourage & release a new year of growth.

2019-12-27 I’m pleased that MacOS 10.15’s Photos app reconstructs Live Photos from exported .heic and .mov …

2019-12-25 I love Shortcuts. There goes a tedious repetitive task to oblivion!!📱

2019-12-22 Side mirror view: tumbleweed on a front bumper.

2019-12-21 Dancy Mandarins are so very close to perfect ripeness. Need to blush a bit more toward red.

2019-12-21 A very good Mantis.

2019-12-20 Never fails. This infernal badged Sys Prefs issue is so far the most annoying MacOS Catalina issue …

2019-12-20 My favorite around-the-home power tool. Okay, besides my electric drill/driver.

2019-12-20 An indoor aloe succulent growing a flower stalk.

2019-12-15 A colorful sunrise and a fresh coat of snow on Snow Mountain, NorCal. I love my iPhone 11 Pro. No …

2019-12-13 Color Stages of Caramel

2019-12-07 Front yarden update: California Buckwheat’s dead flowers are showy red and the Blue Oak has decided …

2019-12-07 To HomePod: “How’s the timer?” HomePod: “The timer is cancelled.” 🙀🤷‍♂️📱

2019-12-06 The [iRobot Braava m6 has a threshold …

2019-12-06 Dear iPadOS notes: I’d love a default where a new single Notes window launches when I tap your …

2019-12-01 Nest Cam vs HomeKit Secure Video

2019-11-30 Test fromMarsEdit - does RichText convert to MarkDown? Does it bold? Who needs Italians when they …

2019-11-29 Sometimes my Sonos goes out of sync with the HomePod. The HomePod appears to then go through a …

2019-11-29 Just cracked open the homemade boozy eggnog that’s been aging since September 8 2019. It’s …

2019-11-28 Birds gorging on sweet basil seeds.

2019-11-28 The birds are gorging on seeds in our front and backyard gardens. So happy to provide them …

2019-11-27 I didn’t end up with even one permission prompt after installing MacOS Catalina & launching …

2019-11-27 So MacOS Catalina’s SideCar feature requires the Mac user and target iPad to be signed in to the …

2019-11-27 HomeBrew and SuperDuper! just released MacOS Catalina support so I suppose I will try to upgrade …

2019-11-24 Valencia sloooowly ripening & 2) mandarins rapidly coloring but still a month out from peak …

2019-11-23 These Extra-crispy Parmesan-crusted roasted potatoes by J. Kenji López-Alt are pretty great.

2019-11-21 So my iPhone has started detecting The Annie Cat as a focus area!

2019-11-21 One more month until these mandarins are perfectly sweet. Patience!

2019-11-20 Armillaria mellea. Honey mushroom 🥾

2019-11-19 Very pleased that HomeKit Secure Video streams live video on the LAN. No more stream to cloud and …

2019-11-17 I finally got a HomePod and I’m impressed that it can accurately hear me mumble across the room …

2019-11-16 Full Random Albums Playlist Shortcut (Apple Music)

2019-11-16 Looking toward Saint John Mountain from near Fouts Springs, CA. Chaparral plants.

2019-11-15 Pleased that my HomeKit devices still worked from the Home app during a big Comcast (Xfinity) & …

2019-11-13 Visited some tree frogs in the forest today. Pseudacris sierra.

2019-11-11 Old iPad Pro 9.7” just got replaced by an iPad Pro 11”. I did not expect to be impressed by the …

2019-11-10 I have some anxiety over the iOS 13 Reminders upgrade button. If I upgrade, then my partner has to …

2019-11-09 The Prisoner, episode 10, “Hammer into Anvil” — soo good.

2019-11-09 Today’s sourdough with a side of Annie Cat stare.

2019-11-08 Shared Photo Libraries

2019-11-06 Tree says “It's not fall, but spring!”, Other Tree says “FALL!”

2019-11-05 A very good lake. 🥾

2019-11-03 Also in bloom! Eriogonum fasciculatum (California buckwheat).

2019-11-03 Front yard native plants currently in bloom: Epilobium canum (California Fuchsia; red flowers adored …

2019-11-03 Only those with broken circadian rhythms get an hour extra of sleep going to standard time.

2019-11-02 We’re starting to get some color on our Mandarins. These should be perfectly sweet by end of …

2019-11-02 In the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness on the Mendocino National Forest via the Ides Cove trail: A …

2019-10-31 19 trick-or-treater’s. Half last year. Fortunately, we’re stuck with good candy and not the milk …

2019-10-30 Yesterday: Mount Shasta from near Mount Linn. 🥾

2019-10-26 iTunes Match to Apple Music

2019-10-25 Barely photographed a bee on our holy basil. They were extremely shy and did not loiter. 🐝

2019-10-23 The Annie Cat waiting patiently for the nighttime brushing routine to begin.

2019-10-22 Western toads in the backyard 🐝😍

2019-10-20 A little more than halfway through The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater and I don’t want it to end.

2019-10-20 So the Shortcuts widget syncs the same shortcuts & order on iPad and iPhone. Too bad, as I have …

2019-10-20 Cooler weather means it’s time to check your tire pressure! A bit low as they need 32 PSI.

2019-10-19 Trees & rocks. 🥾

2019-10-18 🤦‍♂️📱 iPadOS 13.1.3

2019-10-15 Mount Lassen. 🥾

2019-10-14 I neglected to post a photo of Lassen National Park’s Brokeoff Mountain. The hike to its summit was …

2019-10-13 I love a sun-dappled wet meadow with accenting volcanic rocks! Yesterday, on the trail to Brokeoff …

2019-10-12 Today: Mount Lassen from Brokeoff Mountain.🥾

2019-10-11 A front yard native garden update! Fuchsias & Cal Buckwheat are still flowering. Coyote bushes …

2019-10-11 Thankful Apple still allows a different iTunes account for app purchases as Apple STILL provides no …

2019-10-06 Praying Mantis on the grapevine. 🐝

2019-10-05 Patecones are 👌🍴

2019-10-05 Worth the tens cents for the bag. 🐈

2019-10-05 Flu shot season!

2019-10-05 Apple knew what they were doing delaying Deep Fusion photography feature in iPhone 11. After I saw …

2019-10-02 The Annie Cat enjoying her heated bed that comes out every fall. 🐈

2019-10-01 Another very good Praying Mantis hanging out in my front yard. 🐝

2019-10-01 Oh cool. The exercise trigger for iOS 13.1.2 Shortcuts finally started working today.

2019-09-29 This Preying Mantis (or others like her) has been hanging out on one of our California wild grape …

2019-09-28 Using iOS 13 shortcuts & iPad home screen widget to set audio output to my airplay capable Sonos …

2019-09-27 California Wild Rose (Rosa californica) flowers are incredibly fragile. This backyard plant became …

2019-09-27 This “Beauty” Japanese plum has been quite temperamental. No idea if it should be defoliated by now …

2019-09-25 My new favorite watch face, from WatchOS 6, is Solar Dial. I’m often outdoors for work so at a …

2019-09-24 Good morning!

2019-09-22 Piano repair in Flatiron.

2019-09-21 This crisp very low IBU Montauk Summer Ale is what I needed this warm late summer evening on Long …

2019-09-21 Love how Mott Street in China Town (Manhattan) curves out of sight like a movie set.

2019-09-20 I wanted all of the knishes.

2019-09-20 Gorgeous day on the Brooklyn Bridge. Walked from Penn Station to Atlantic Terminal. Knishes, Lotus …

2019-09-20 JFK, New York. Scene from last night: a traffic jam in the hourly garage. Was treated to a horn …

2019-09-19 Snow Mountain and St. John mountain are looking pretty good after yesterday’s rain.

2019-09-18 The audio sync feature on Apple’s tvOS 13 is 👌 Also, here’s a🌈 🌈

2019-09-18 My almost 2 year old plum is so fickle. It’s senescing early. After digging into the soil, I think …

2019-09-16 Urban prescribed fire 🔥. Provides volunteer fire department training and reduces city blight & …

2019-09-15 Epilobium canum (California Fuchsia) keeping pollinators, including hummingbirds, happy.

2019-09-14 Mantis enjoying the accommodations of our little Blue Oak.

2019-09-13 Anna’s Hummingbirds fighting over native fuchsias!

2019-09-13 HomeKit is great because it doesn’t require internet for day to day operations. Internet goes down, …

2019-09-13 Ecobee 3 lite seems nice but had to change its default 0.5°f “Cool Differential Temp” to 1°f. We …

2019-09-12 Bye bye Nest Thermostat Gen 1. Hello ecobee3 lite! I revised the Nest’s fancy screws to avoid …

2019-09-11 Almond harvest season.

2019-09-10 Can’t wait to replace the 1st gen Nest Thermostat with this Ecobee3 Lite. A Friday project.

2019-09-10 Going to be jealous of that iPhone 11’s 📱grown up front camera! About time it has near parity to the …

2019-09-09 The package only had to go from one end of the state to another. Instead, it first went across the …

2019-09-08 Tonight’s homemade pizza 🍕

2019-09-08 Preparing to move away from Nest (Google) to Ecobee this week. Just used a spare thermostat wire and …

2012-12-08 Eucalyptus plantation near Corning. This was supposed to be for a sustainable biofuels project.

Mastodon.

All photos on this website, unless stated otherwise, are Ryan Mikulovsky's and are Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved.