Watched the Eurovision Grand Final with my daughter - something we’ve done together for years, though this year it had to be via online chat instead of gathered around the same screen. We still had much fun snarking about the various acts. As usual, our picks didn’t win, though at least we liked #3 and #4 this year.
Where local forecast offices no longer monitor weather around-the-clock
Including one just across the Cascades from where I live. Gutting the Weather Service this way is completely idiotic.
Trump berates Walmart over price hikes: ‘Eat the tariffs’
Guess it’s finally come to his attention how much Trump-caused inflation is going to hurt his shrinking base.
“There’s a Reason for the Name”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 27mm, f/11, 1/30s, ISO 640. Devil’s Club coming up along FR 2005 near Marys Peak.
“Trail Work”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 28mm, f/11, 1/30s, ISO 4000. Along the Marys Peak North Ridge Trail.
“Coming and Going”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 14mm, f/11, 1/10s, ISO 250. Along the Marys Peak East Ridge Trail.
“Octopus’s Garden”
Olympus TG-6 @ 11.1mm, f/5, 1/250s, ISO 160. Along the Sutton Creek Trail.
“Vegetable Cobra”
Olympus E-M10 IV with M.Zuiko 60mm f//2.8 lens @ f5.6, 1/125s, ISO 320. Darlingtonia plant near Florence, Oregon.
“Can’t Keep a Good Tree Down”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 16mm, f/11, 1/10s, ISO 1000. Along the Sutton Creek North Trail.
“Paintbrush Rising”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 42mm, f/7.1, 1/80s, ISO 1600. Along the Sutton Creek North Trail.
“Rainy Rhodies”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 34mm, f/11, 1/80s, ISO 320. Along the Sutton Creek North Trail
Reforestation by shooting seeds into the ground from 14-foot drones. Pretty nifty. Might be the only drone I wouldn’t mind seeing while out on a hike.
“Maybe Not the Best Spot”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 41mm, f/11, 1/80s, ISO 320. Along the Sutton Creek North Trail.
“Who You Lookin' At?”
Olympus E-M10 IV with M.Zuiko 100-400mm lens @ 400mm, f/11, 1/60s, ISO 2500. Spotted in Dune Lake next to Alder Dune Campground.
Finished: Lords of the North, by Bernard Cornwell 📚. In this installment the Saxon-Dane Uhtred gets his revenge on some of the Danes who mistreated him way back in the first book. Meanwhile, Alfred and his allies continue to consolidate control over Britain. There are lots more in the series but I think I’m going to leave it here for now. It’s just not clicking with me the way some of Cornwell’s other books have.
Finished: Dreamers in Hell, ed. by Janet Morris - 16th book in this shared universe series, so you probably don’t want to start here. In this installment, Satan and a cast of zillions from across history (mainly people you’ve heard of) use a new energy source developed by Tesla to try to take the attack straight to heaven’t gates.
Trump says he doesn’t want Apple building products in India: ‘I had a little problem with Tim Cook’
Another tech giant discovers that sucking up to a mercurial wannabe dictator is not a winning strategy.
Dark matter formed when fast particles slowed down and got heavy, new theory says
So basically this theory is another attack on junk food.
EA Tried to Stop an ‘Anti-DEI Mod’ for The Sims 4—but More Keep Surfacing
This is what happens when hate gets normalized.
Montana judge strikes down law banning gender-affirming care for minors
More good news from the judiciary.