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Death Valley Road Trip Part 3

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

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

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Death Valley Road Trip Part 2

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

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Death Valley Road Trip Part 1

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

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Rainbow Canyon near Death Valley

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At Death Valley, a Crow Apparently Begs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

View from inside an airport terminal with large windows overlooking a United Airlines 737-800 aircraft parked at the gate with ground service equipment nearby.