Photos

Part of the HVAC replacement project included removing the decrepit swamp cooler. The eyesore & potential rain entry point is gone!! Contractors did a great job matching the shingles. Last part of the project, to be completed Monday, is a whole house fan.

no swamp coolerhouse with swamp cooler

Heat pump installed and initial impression is it is amazingly quiet compared to the old traditional AC. First photo is the new heat pump (Fujitsu AMUG36LMAS), last is the old air conditioner. No more natural gas for heat! Winter will be amazing without jet engine sounds.

Snagged the best plane spotting spot at KSEA’s N terminal.

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

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

787s - BA58 and Japan airlines 787

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

Alaska airlines E175

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

Today at the Orland Flea Market.

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

Today the weather was very nice and we had to make molè. An indulgent start of heavy comfort food season.

a plate of mole, Spanish rice, and black beans

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

Covid booster ✅ Flu shot ✅

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

screenshot of my backyard weather station data

beestat says it’s too hot for the A/C to keep up. It’s also a Smart Day / which means we need save energy. That’s easy: increase the AC from 77°F to 83°F.

For the next week, ~record hot temperatures! Once again, time to protect our Hosui Asian Pear’s central leader with shade cloth. I had to lash an old pruned apricot branch to the tree stake for height for the shade cloth. The tree put on several inches in the last week! 🌱

hosui pear covered by shade clothupcoming weather from WeatherStrip app

Had a standoff tonight. White had just rolled the double sixes.

Hope this leaf bursting bud on the central leader of my young Asian pear tree survives today’s max 114° heat in Northern California. A few more days of this too.

Smoke from the Six Rivers Lightning Complex earlier this morning creeping in towards our home in the North Sacramento Valley. It’s now smellably (😜) here.

We’re very happy with Trader Joe’s Bavarian Bratwurst. Pretty close to Nürnberger style but much bigger. Of course we had no choice but to prepare it as part of Currywurst.

Plated currywursttrader Joe's bavarian style bratwurst label

These backyard figs look good but they’re not sweet. We dried them out and plan on using them in a bake in a week or so.

M4.3 earthquake SE of Orovolle, CA occurred at 18:41 Pacific. I didn’t feel it. @raspishake #ShakeNet

Super happy with our peppers this year. Best harvest ever (and much more to pick). Mostly serranos in the bowl. Love ripe peppers. Can’t get those at the market where we live.

Peppers & tomatoes (fortunately many of the delicious fruit do not have end rot) are ripening and we’re harvesting every few days now.

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

From early June: rain over Munich’s Olympiapark.

All is not great in our garden though. We still have a heck of a time with end rot on our tomatoes despite amendments with calcium. Into the compost these went! 🌱

Pepper garden update🌱

garden path with ripening peppers on both sides and a glorious sunflower at the end of the trail

With insanity at European airports I’m thankful our early June trip to Germany was nearly flawless. We 😷managed to not get Corona (we tested ourselves before leaving though the US lifted that requirement while we were there). Almost 4 years of planning! Photo is Frankfurt Intl

Aircraft at Frankfurt terminals

Beetle killed trees in Saxony, Germany.

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