“Welcome”
Olympus E-M10 IV, M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens @ f/10, 1/20s, ISO 2500. Vine maple along the old Separation Creek Trail.
Finished: Year of the Tiger, by Jack Higgins. 📚 This is early Higgins, written under the name of Martin Fallon and then re-issued under his name (which is, ironically, a pseudonym itself) to sell better. They needn’t have bothered. It’s an unbelievable and shallow minor work that one might as well skip.
“Luckily I am not a Horse”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 30mm, f/6.3, 1/40s, ISO 250. Along the old (now decommissioned) Separation Creek Trail.
“Echoes of Trees”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 42mm, f/13, 1/160s, ISO 1250. Separation Lake.
“Froggie Friend”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 42mm, f/5.6, 1/50s, ISO 1000. Cascades Frog along the Separation Lake Trail.
“Troll with Antennae”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 16mm, f/9, 1/15s, ISO 3200. Separation Lake Trail.
“Fall Creek”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 14mm, f/11, 1/160s, ISO 250. Shot from the bridge at Bedrock Campground.
“Yellowleaf Iris”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 26mm, f/9, 1/30s, ISO 4000. Close to the Clark Butte trail.
Eugene police arrest man who brandished rifle-shaped object for disorderly conduct
The object he was carrying turned out to be a bong in the shape of a semi-automatic rifle, Eugene police said.
Possibly the most Eugene news ever.
Oregon and Washington could be in for another destructive wildfire season
Worrisome. I was on trails yesterday that shouldn’t have been snow-free for another month. In my small sample, the snowpack is receding far too quickly.
A Double Win For Voters in Pennsylvania
More good news in the fight against the MAGA voter-suppression efforts. This stuff scares me more than anything else; if they can seize control of the ballot box before 2026, that may be the end of American democracy (though we’d keep having Soviet style show elections, of course).
Group Founded by Trump Ally Stephen Miller Sues John Roberts in Bid to Control Courts
Well, you have to give them points for creativity. Also asininity.
Because they can’t say the word “serfs” out loud. Yet.
Russia’s Medvedev says Trump’s statement about US World War Two role was ‘pretentious nonsense’
And he’s right. Not that history is a strong suit of the MAGA crowd.
Why Balcony Solar Panels Haven’t Taken Off in the US
Another good idea we’re denied by living in a technologically backward country. I’d install one if I could.
Finished: The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley 📚. I’m a sucker for a good time travel book, and this one is pretty good. Focused on the interpersonal relationships and intrigue rather than silly technical nuts and bolts, which is also good.
New Oklahoma curriculum includes pro-Trump conspiracy theories
The stupid, it hurts.
“The Trail Endures”
Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 15mm, f/11, 1/160s, ISO 320. One of the few portions of the Jones Trail still visible after the fires.
Stephen Miller claims Americans likely ‘willing to pay more’ for US-made dolls
These people are just utterly, utterly out of touch with the financial realities of ordinary people trying to raise children. The choice for many parents is not “cheap import doll vs expensive better domestic better doll.” It’s “cheap import doll vs kids get no toys at all.”
Finished: The Last Kingdom, by Bernard Cornwell 📚. First book in Cornwell’s series about the making of Britain in the time of King Alfred. I enjoyed it, though I didn’t think it was as good as the Sharpe books. But then, what is?