The winds, they are a blowin’ again, with the humidity low and the fire danger high. The little bit of rain we got a week or so ago and all of the winds now have stripped away almost all of the dead leaves, but there are a few hangers on way up high.
We’ll see how many of these make it through the night.
Filed under Critters, Photography
For five years now I’ve worked for the ALS Network, a non-profit organization that provides services to individuals and families who are living with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). As part of our community outreach and public education programs, we hold public events such as today’s “2024 LA Walk & Roll to Cure ALS.” It was held at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, where the LA Galaxy play.
A sort of last-minute comlication was that the Galaxy went deep in the MLS Cup playoffs, and hosted the Championship game on Saturday, and then they won, so they were holding their parade and celebration this afternoon. We got squeezed in between the two, but it worked out just fine. (Thanks to a LOT of hard work, both by our excellent staff and the staff at the stadium.)
Our weather was perfect, sunny and upper sixties, little to no wind.
We had plenty of space, and a big crowd. The support from all of the teams and individuals was wonderful to see.
No, I did not do this. Many others did. It has been suggested that I should try this some time, but being freezing cold is one of my least favorite things in the Known Universe, so let’s assume it won’t be happening any time soon.
When I’ve been at this site before (at least twice, maybe three times) it was with family and we were sitting at the far end here, watching my beloved Chiefs stomp on the Chargers, when the Chargers used this site for a couple of years before SoFi Stadium was completed. This is the starting line for the Walk which was the highlight of the day.
Dozens and dozens of teams participated, most in memory or in support of a family member or close friend who is living with ALS now or has passed away from it. The Walk was about 1.3 miles in and around the stadium and between the Walk and spending 5+ hours on my feet working our registration table, I was guaranteed to get my 10,000+ steps in today.
My feet hurt, but it was a good day.
Filed under ALS Network, Critters, Photography
One of the changes I’ve made in my Christmas light display this year is the removal of four strings of incandescent lights (150 each, 500 total) with five strings of LED lights (300 each, 1500 total) on the long, narrow strip of land next to the driveway.
These are the old incandescent lights, with that warm glow that makes them so popular.
These are the new LED lights. You can see, first of all, that they have a far different color temperature. While performing far, FAR better than the first LED Christmas lights a few years ago, they’re still more dim than incandescent, and they appear far “cooler” and more toward the blue end of the spectrum. Of course, there are also far more of them, three times as many for the same amount of power. They’re also supposed to last far longer without burning out, but I haven’t had them long enough to test that claim.
With so many more lights, instead of just stringing them along the rose bushes on the ground and having a couple of long extension cords needed to get them where I want them, it’s just one huge, long string, and there are more than enough lights to fill the bushes along the edge of the yard in addition to in the rose bushes. More, more, more lights is always good! Having them look a bit funky and “Halloween like” is less desireable.
But LEDs are the wave of the future. They cost a few dollars more to start with, but given their longevity and durability and power savings, they’re cheaper in the long run. But I doubt that I’ll ever give up completely on the incandescent lights, especially the bigger, brighter bulbs along the gutters.
Filed under Christmas Lights
I had a Christmas light thing I wanted to share, but I couldn’t find some old photos that I need, so that will have to wait.
Instead, have a tree with leaves that turned yellow. It might be a ginko tree?
Still alive.
Filed under Critters, Photography
It’s been four days and so far the candy cane lights are intact. Every year for the past three years the wire has been cut at least once – we believe that the rabbits are biting through them somehow for some reason.
So far, so good. I love this view.
Filed under Christmas Lights, Critters, Photography
No new lights, but I wanted to highlight one touch I added this year.
There’s a bunch of lights over the garage that are anchored at both sides, go up over the beam at the roofline, and are sort of bunched up into a “clot” of lights hanging down on both sides. Visually, it’s always reminded me of a black widow spider web.
Just before we do the Christmas lights, we do Halloween, and I have two large, fake spiders…
No one’s said anything, but you know they’re thinking things.
I like it.
Filed under Christmas Lights, Critters, Photography
They’ll be more separated tomorrow night, and a bit more the night after, and so on, and the Moon will be a bit more full every night, but they’ll still be beautiful.
If your western sky is clear at sunset later this week, go take a look. You might also check to see if there’s an ISS pass about sunset, we’re in a period when they’re happening almost every day.
Filed under Astronomy, Critters, Photography
…but he’s much brighter and much, MUCH louder!
I don’t know what the heck they were doing out there, blocking the street and and being REALLY loud at 8:00 at night (and working their way down the street until past 10:00) but while they were loud and extremely bright, I was much more mellow, relaxing, colorful, and cheery.
It’s not a contest, but I won!
Filed under Christmas Lights
I think it’s finished.
There are, in theory, two or three open plugs for more light strings, but the other issue with this house is that there aren’t as many plants or landscaping features to put lights on.
I have more lights, so maybe some brilliant stroke of insight will strike and I’ll be able to add a few more lights.
Probably not. Time to turn to the tree and the cards. (Reminder, if you’ve gotten cards in the past and you’ve moved in the last two years, email your new address to me. If you haven’t gotten cards in the past but want to get on the massive “Christmas card list from Hell,” let me know and send me your address.”
Filed under Christmas Lights, Critters, Photography
First and foremost, to answer the major burning question of yesterday, YES!
You can fit an 8′ ladder into a Honda Fit. Hissy was so proud of herself!
(FYI, do not try to fit an 8′ 2″ ladder into a Honda Fit…)
Today I got 90% of the “aerial” lights put up, i.e., those that require a ladder to be climbed to be mounted along the gutters or roof flashing. My legs are cramping and aching appropriately. (I’m hobbling around like an old man. Wait…)
I also got a start with the first three of the “ground” light strings with eight or nine more to go tomorrow. The final total will depend on when I start blowing circuit breakers. The good news for the light count and the limitations in the home circuitry is that today’s LED lights use MUCH less power than the old mini incandescent lights, so now (for example, the lights to the left of the driveway) I can put in 600 mini LEDs to replace 75 or 125 mini incandescent lights. I’ve still got a ton of the incandescent lights, but many are decades old and starting to fail, so as they go they get replaced with three or four times as many LEDs using the same amount of power.
The incandescent lights have a much warmer color to them, but at least now the LEDs are as bright as the incandescents. When the LEDs first came out they were MUCH dimmer and I didn’t get them, but that’s changed a lot. I still use the big incandescent C9 bulbs along the roof line, and I’m finding that getting up on the 20′ extention ladder to get up to the peak of the roof on the end of the house is getting tougher (and more dangerous) every year. So far this year there haven’t been any falls! (Unlike the previous two years, but we don’t speak of those things. No hospital visits necessary, but there have been some “interesting” experiences.)
Filed under Christmas Lights, Critters, Photography
We Love The Stars Too Fondly 