“Stone Wave Breaking”

Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 15mm, f/7.1, 1/30s, ISO 400. Along the Lawler Trail.

Rock formation along the Lawler Trail

“Into the Mist”

Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 14mm, f/11, 1/20s, ISO 100. Taking a break along the Lawler trail.

Taking a break along the Lawler trail.

“Bad Hair Crowd”

Olympus TG-6 @ 18mm, f/6.3, 1/400s, ISO 400. Close-up of moss along the Lawler Trail.

Close-up of moss along the Lawler Trail.​

The Democracy Index

If you don’t have time to keep an eye on the whole river of shit coming out of DC these days, this looks like a useful interactive tool to catch the low points.

Industry groups are not happy about the imminent demise of Energy Star

Nor is anyone with half a brain. Note, too, that this is yet another illegal action of the Trumpistas: you can’t just eliminate a Congressionally-mandated program with the stroke of a Presidential pen. Though I guess if a law falls in the forest and nobody goes to court it doesn’t really matter.

“Hidden cafeteria”

Olympus TG-6 @ 5.4mm, f/3.2, 1/100s, ISO 800. Bugs feasting in a skunk cabbage blossom along the Lawler Trail.

Bugs feasting in a skunk cabbage blossom along the Lawler Trail.

Looks like Oregon wildfire season is getting underway.

“Capturing the Sun”

Olympus TG-6 @ 9mm, f/4.5, 1/125s, ISO 200. Fawn lily along the Lawler Trail.

Fawn lily along the Lawler Trail

“Helleboring”

Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 33mm, f/11, 1/125s, ISO 200. A small bit of a meadow full of white false hellebore near the Lone Wolf Shelter.

A small bit of a meadow full of white false hellebore near the Lone Wolf Shelter.

“Spring Morning”

Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 14mm, f/9, 1/50s, ISO 1250. Along the Lawler Trail.

White House ‘actively looking’ at suspending habeas corpus in immigration crackdown

Because of course they are. Of course, this statement comes from Stephen Miller, who I’m sure would actively look at a plan to legalize wrapping people of color in duct tape and locking them in closets forever.

“Hound’s Tongue”

Olympus TG-6 @ 12.7mm, f/5.6, 1/250s, ISO 320. Along Lawler Trail.

Vance: War between India, Pakistan would be ‘none of our business’

Yeah, because the end game of two nuclear powers lobbing atomic bombs at each other can’t possibly affect us.

Donald Trump Threatens to Stop Barbie Dolls Being Sold in US

This man really does not like toys. Well, except for treating the entire US government and economy as toys.

‘Fire season is here,’ Gov. Kotek declares May Wildfire Awareness Month, state prepares

Ugh.

The 2025 fire season is projected to be more intense than the 2024 season fire leaders said, but emergency response agencies have begun preparing early

Guess I’d better enjoy more hikes before it all burns down.

Finished: Doorways in the Sand, by Roger Zelazny 📚. Another relatively minor Zelazny work, perhaps most notable for the protagonist Fred Cassidy, perpetual college student and climber of buildings. It’s also a bit of an interstellar mystery written with humor.

“Implied Bridge”

Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 42mm, f/11, 1/200s, ISO 200. South end of Cougar Reservoir at low water.

Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College ChatGPT has unraveled the entire academic project.

I know I just sound like a curmudgeon, but I find this deeply, deeply depressing.