“Dawn”

Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42mm kit lens @ 42mm, f/8, 1/200s, ISO 250. Looking over Lookout Reservoir. towards Diamond Peak

lake with mountain in the dawn

“Quiet Morning”

Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42mm kit lens @ 37mm, f/8, 1/5s, ISO 6400. Pre-dawn twilight over Lookout Reservoir.

lake and hills at dawn

“Lunchtime”

Olympus E-M10 IV with M. Zuiko 100-400mm lens @ 400mm, f/8, 1/80s, ISO 1600.

xAI scores Pentagon contract

Because why wouldn’t you want MechaHitler running the Army?

Tesla’s penis-shaped Robotaxi expansion illustrates how unserious the business is

Some men are 14-year-old boys no matter what their chronological age claims.

“Beetle Time”

Olympus E-M10 IV with M. Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/5, 1/30s, ISO 320. Shot at Wild Iris Ridge.

a tumbling flower beetle on a daisy

Finished: The Exile, by Pearl S. Buck 📚: This is the author’s lightly-fictionalized memoir of her mother, who was a Christian missionary’s wife in China and apparently a thoroughly good person, devoted to the service of others, though she never actually found the God she was searching for. I enjoyed reading it and pondering this now-forgotten life, though books like this are enough out of fashion that it’s now out of print as well.

“Moo”

Olympus E-M10 IV with M. Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/8, 1/30s, ISO 3200. Cow parsnip seeds at Wild Iris Ridge.

closeup of a seed head

“Slightly Squished”

Olympus E-M10 IV with M. Zuiko 100-400mm lens plus MC-20 teleconverter @ 800mm, f/18, 1/500s, ISO 2500. One day post-full moon shot handheld at Wild Iris Ridge.

night shot of the moon

US drops charges against doctor accused of destroying Covid vaccines

So, forgery and fraud are just fine with this administration, check.

Brazil is a major supplier of coffee beans, frozen orange juice, and fresh orange juice to the USA. Why are the Democrats not loudly publicizing that Trump’s anti-Brazil tantrum is a tariff on breakfast? I swear, the Dems have absolutely zero idea how to market their opposition. (Similarly, they should be referring to “convicted felon Donald J. Trump” at every opportunity.)

Democrats are not bringing a knife to a gun fight, they’re bringing a water pistol to a gun fight.

Finished: The Steel Wave, by Jeff Shaara 📚: Second of Shaara’s novels of WWII, this one covers from preparations for the Normandy invasion through the death of Rommel in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of Hitler. Told through a mix of frontline and command-staff characters, as far as I can tell it stays pretty faithful to actual history, while still telling some good stories.

Finished: Unicorn Variations, by Roger Zelazny 📚: Probably my favorite collection of Zelazny shorts. The titular story holds up well, and “Home is the Hangman” is surprisingly resonant in these AI-heavy days (as is the cute little “Walpurgisnacht”). I think I reread this one about once a year.

Am I forgetting more because of age, or just noticing it more because I have spare time? Either way I was out in 90-degree full sun for a mile or more of walking today before I realized I wasn’t wearing my hat.

Fortunately I’m retired so it probably doesn’t matter if I cook my brains a bit.

Donald Trump Threatens To Revoke Rosie O’Donnell’s Citizenship

A. There doesn’t appear to be any legal path to do this. B. What is it going to take to get the other two branches of the federal government to rein in this increasingly-unhinged dictatorial asshole?

Trump unveils 30 percent tariff for EU, Mexico

Gee, I wonder why he didn’t do this on a stock trading day? I’m sure the founders never envisioned that one clown could collapse the entire economy.

“Waiting for the Wind”

Olympus E-M10 IV with M. Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 lens and Raynox M-250 macro lens @ f/2.5, 1/400s, ISO 1000. Shot at Wild Iris Ridge.

dandelion head

“Moonset”

Olympus E-M10 IV with M. Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 lens @ f/2.8, 1/350s, ISO 200. Shot at Wild Iris Ridge.

moon setting over trees and hills