September 3, 2026 · 22:07

Covey

It’s a covey of quail. There were at least twelve of them, might have been a couple more. They were scurrying about and refused to count off, no matter how nicely I asked.

It was just before sunset. They all stayed in the shadows.

They didn’t spook, even when I opened the shutters on the window to get a better view. Their markings and coloration were spectacular!

Most were brown like this one above, but a couple were jet black while still having the same patterns. I don’t know if that a different subspecies, one was male, the other female, or if it’s a total coincidence and normal variation within the species.

Between these guys and the roadrunner, it’s been a busy bird week at the Willett Nature Sanctuary (a.k.a., our back yard)!

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Filed under Birds, Forever Home, Paul

September 2, 2026 · 22:52

No Context For You – September 02nd

There’s a line from Bilbo early in “The Fellowship Of The Ring,” when he’s talking to Frodo about how tired he is, something like he feels “thin, soft of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”

I get it.

Getting old is not for the cowardly. The growing list of nagging physical twitches and foibles are not helping.

Nor is the news. But ignoring the news isn’t a good option either. I want to see the evil fuckers coming and have as much of a head’s up as possible.

I should make time to watch more Ted Lasso…

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Filed under Paul, Photography

September 1, 2026 · 23:29

Fine Feathered Friends – September 01st

Weird bird on the wall this morning.

Bigger than the quail and pigeons, and some of them aren’t particularly small. On closer examination it’s not a quail, doesn’t have that little bobbing thing over the forehead. Wrong body shape for a pigeon. Turtle dove? Maybe, the head shape is sort of, kinda similar.

Grab a camera with a honkin’ big zoom lens.

Interesting feather pattern. Interesting shape. Seems a little familiar…

It’s looking a little bit ragged and ratty. And I thought they were strictly ground birds. (I was wrong!) What’s it doing on top of the wall?

Walking, and there’s no doubt left. As delighted as I was to see the quail, seeing a road runner in the yard is even better!

And then it ran off down the wall, that tail bobbing like a rudder!

WOW!!

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Filed under Birds, Forever Home, Photography

August 31, 2026 · 23:55

Post-Worldcon Brain Fuzz

Back home, back to the routine, back to work tomorrow, back to the liminal spaces and brain fuzz tonight.

Goodbye vacation, goodbye restaurants, goodbye 150 step hike from the room to the elevator and 800 step Bataan-death-march from the hotel to the convention center.

Goodbye August, hello September.

Not sure what day of the week it is? Shit, not sure what freakin’ MONTH it is, and the year is up for grabs as well at times.

In an almost Biblical moment upon arrival back at home, “Consider the birds of the air…” (Matthew 6:26-27) Contrary to popular opinion, “our Heavenly father” doesn’t feed the ones in our yard, *I* do, and I’ve been gone for six days. They were pissed! Then, while re-filling the seed feeders, ALL of the sirens and fire trucks took off, headed toward a small brush fire less than a mile away, down in the Cajon Pass over the edge of The Mesa.

Maybe three acres, they stomped on it FAST (which is good!) but it’s a great reminder that we’re not in Fandom any more.

At least football starts in earnest in September…

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Filed under Photography, Paul, Fandom, Forever Home

August 30, 2026 · 23:48

Proof Of Life – August 30th

A good day at Worldcon, two excellent panels featuring two of my favorite authors, John Scalzi and Martha Wells.

Then tonight we had the Hugo Awards ceremony, where Martha Wells’ “Murderbot” show won for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form) and John Scalzi won the Best Series award for the “Old Man’s War” series, which is also a huge favorite of mine.

Many other amazing people won awards for fantastic works, congratulations to them all.

And Brisbane, Australia won the bid for the 2028 Worldcon, which will be just five days after a total solar eclipse across Australia, so we’ve got some planning to do. That trip really, REALLY needs to happen!

A good day at Worldcon. Tomorrow we wrap it up and head home.

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Filed under Fandom, Photography

August 29, 2026 · 23:12

Fireworks From Afar

Over the July 4th weekend this year we were down in Anaheim to see the Angels lose a three-game serie to the Red Sox, with fireworks after each of the games. (Pictures here, here, and here!)

Tonight we’re not at the Angels game, but we have a clear view of it about three miles away from our hotel at Worldcon. And it being Saturday, there were fireworks again.

Not quite as good, but still better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!

 

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Filed under Fireworks, Photography

August 28, 2026 · 22:12

Walkway

Between the Anaheim Hilton, the primary hotel for Worldcon, and the Anaheim Convention Center, the huge convention hall where the dealer’s room, art show, and dozens of huge meeting rooms are, there’ a couple hundred yards of walkway. To keep it cool and shaded and gorgeous, they have palm trees.

It doesn’t get much more stereotypical “Southern California!” than that!

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Filed under Fandom, Photography

August 27, 2026 · 23:16

ACC & The Partial Lunar Eclipse

The ACC is the Anaheim Convention Center, which, along with the next-door Hilton and Marriott hotels, are the site of this year’s World Science Fiction Convention.

It’s a massive venue. We’re all getting our steps in, and then some.

Just when you think you’ve seen how big it is, you go around a corner and it’s huge-r.

A good first day of activities. Three panels (all space & science related), a first run through of the dealers’ room and art show, and the first open filk of the con.

And then, tonight, there was the moon and the partial (96%) lunar eclipse.

We had mostly cloudy conditions all day and I didn’t expect to see anything, but when I came up to our room after dinner, there it was, just after maximum coverage! It was a healthy shade of brownish-orange, particularly orange-ish along the top edge of the Earth’s shadow. All of the recent forest fires worldwide might be helping with that.

It was very pretty, but the picture is just a handheld, 10-second iPhone exposure, braced against the hotel window for stability. The blurry lights below are Anaheim, looking off toward Anaheim Stadium.

Did you get to see it?

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Filed under Astronomy, Fandom, Photography

August 26, 2026 · 22:55

Worldcon #21 For Me

My first World Science Fiction Convention was in 1978 in Phoenix at Iguanacon.

Tonight we’re at the 21st Worldcon that I’ve attended of the 48 starting in 1978. Not quite half. A lot of them were overseas and expensive to get to. A lot of them were when I was busier than God being a single dad. A lot of them were both.

This weekend we’re just “down the Hill,” in Anaheim. Piece o’ cake!

The picture is from up on the third floor of the Hilton, the main convention hotel, looking down into the lobby and bar.

Tomorrow the panels start, the artshow and dealer’s room open, and filk concerts kick off.

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Filed under Fandom, Photography

August 25, 2026 · 23:31

Partial Lunar Eclipse On Thursday Night

In slightly less than 48 hours, the Full Moon will pass into the Earth’s shadow and we’ll have a partial lunar eclipse over most of the Western Hemisphere.

Tonight it was only 95% full.

And the world moves on. Despite everything.

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Filed under Astronomy, Photography, Sunsets