The sounds of robins and cardinals off in the trees. a little bit of breeze swishing through the branches.
A spot in the shade on the balcony outside our room, an incredibly comfortable Adirondack chair.
Adds up to the best nap ever!
Author Archives: momdude
In Vermont Via Boston
It’s been a long day of travel. Between staying up very late last night tying up loose ends at work before I clock out for five days, and getting up early this morning to get to LAX, getting picked somehow for the full public pat down and groin grope by TSA, a flight that left an hour late, and then a three hour drive from Logan on a bunch of very dark, two-lane state highways through New Hampshire, it’s now 01:42 local EDT, and I’m glad I don’t have any commitments until tomorrow night. Tomorrow might be a “crack o’ noon” sort of day.
My favorite bridge on I-93 North, just as you emerge from the Williams Tunnel, was all lit up!
And getting to Vermont was magical – the back parking lot at the Hartness House is dark and there were one hundred bazillion stars out, as well as CLOUDS of fireflies out in the trees!!! ❤️🪄
Filed under Photography, Travel
Here We Come, Green Mountains!
Time to cross the continent once again to see friends and old stomping grounds.
No doubt, shennanigans will ensue!
Filed under Photography, Travel
Bunnies By Streetlight
Two of the local rabbits on our front lawn this evening, illuminated by the streetlight and a tiny bit of moonlight:
I wasn’t sure if the picture was going to come out, but the iPhones these days (this is a 13) have amazing low light capabilities. To the eye it was much, MUCH darker. I could barely see the rabbits.
They get all upset when I go out to stretch my legs, but were I to be them I would be more concerned about owls and coyotes.
Filed under Critters, Photography
Do You Know Where Your Goat Is?
No, it’s not my goat.
I just happened to be standing there watching the parade when the guy with the goat came by.
Isn’t that the way that it always seems to happen?
If the goat guy was hanging out near you, wouldn’t you take a picture? Maybe even try to get a selfie with the goat?
Filed under Critters, Photography, Travel
Frantic Hummers
A new reader, Victoria, stumbled on an old post which had the audio from the hummingbirds “clicking” as they flew around. She was wondering what they looked like.
Funny you should ask.
It turns out that this weekend, while I was trying to get some peace and quiet sitting in the shade in the back yard and reading, a rough and rowdy band of three hummingbirds decided that I was an idiot who didn’t know that their feeder (which I was sitting near) was empty. They buzzed me repeatedly, and would hover right in front of my face within an arm’s length, then zoom up to hover next to the empty feeder, then zoom back down into my face, and repeat two or three more times before zooming off into the trees. The message seemed pretty obvious.
“Look, stupid human who’s supposed to keep the feeders filled! This one’s empty! See! Hey, look at us! Hey, look at the empty feeder!”
After they did this two or three times and I was too surprised and stunned to get my phone out, two of them came back for one more pass.
I haven’t played with the audio to clean it up and the YouTube compression algorithm butchers the sound a lot, but you can still hear them zooming.
For having a brain that’s smaller than a walnut, they sure can fly, and apparently make the connection between me (or at least, people in general) and their feeder being refilled. They’ve watched me do it enough times. I wouldn’t have thought it was possible or likely, but I’ve been wrong before.
Or I’m wrong now, anthropomorphizing the crap out of the situation, and just feeling guilty about letting the feeder get empty. (There are other feeders, the trees are in bloom and covered in pollen, and the place is lousy with flowers in bloom. None of them are starving to death.)
It also reminds me that the Forever Home, wherever it might be, needs to have lots of birds in general, hummingbirds specifically. I live for this particular style of abuse.
Filed under Birds, Critters, Forever Home, Video
The Music Center In Spring
Back at the Ahmanson for “A Strange Loop.” Going into this one cold, no clue what it’s about except for the emailed warnings about “…explicit language, references to internalized racism, homophobia, HIV stigmatization, sexual assault, and scenes of an adult nature. The show uses theatrical haze, strobe and flashing lights, and sudden loud noises.” So, unlikely to be musical comedy.
As the days get longer, we get to see a bit more of the Downtown LA area and Music Center when we get here early.
The iconic LA City Hall, on the far side of the Great Park, with the Hall of Justice on the left (I think).
The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is at the other end of the Music Center plaza. Despite the dozens and dozens of times I’ve been to the Ahmanson, I don’t think that I’ve ever been to the Chandler. Something to check off the list in the next year!
The Mark Taper Forum is the round building on the left, with the Ahmanson behind it, and the LA Cathedral sunlit on the right across the street.
We ❤️ LA!
Filed under Art, Los Angeles, Photography
Two Day Moon
There was another Falcon 9 Starlink launch out of Florida right around sunset here, which meant I was out looking at the sky about 80 minutes later. (Just shy of the end of the first 90-minute orbit.)
Nada!
Which is not to say that there wasn’t anything pleasant or wonderful to see, I just didn’t spot any second stages passing overhead venting fuel.
There was a very pleasant and beautiful, if somewhat subdued, sunset to watch. None of the flaming golds and oranges and reds that we can occasionally get, and not a cloud in the sky to give it “texture.”
But the Moon is just barely two days past new, so it’s just a silver sliver popping into view and hanging there once it started to get dark.
If your skies are clear, go take a look tomorrow night. It will be just as stunning then. And the night after. And on, and on, and on…
Filed under Astronomy, Photography, Space, Sunsets
Barnacles
Ventura Pier
It’s funny the things you remember five years later about a set of pictures. Well, maybe “funny” isn’t quite the correct word…
Filed under Critters, Photography, Travel
You Can’t Take A Bad Picture Here – Vermont
Just a random picture from a hospital parking lot off into the distance toward Montpelier.
It’s been five years since we were there last, so we’ll be headed back again next week. Time to see old friends and celebrate FIFTY FREAKIN’ YEARS??!!!
How did that happen?
Filed under Photography, Travel
We Love The Stars Too Fondly 