Category Archives: Photography

August 4, 2026 · 22:31

Back Yard Blooming

In late July I started to notice these flowers that were blooming like crazy on a short bush next to the pergola in the back yard.

I suspect it’s an annual thing, and while we might have moved in a year ago, I was so busy and frantic back then that the bush could have been burning and in a conversation with Moses and I might not have noticed it.

I’ll have to do some digging to see what it is, but it most certainly is spectacular right now!

Meanwhile, something that I know was happening last year is NOT this year. Even before we bought the house, when we were just looking at it as a possibility, I noticed there was an apple tree and a pear tree in the back. Both were heavily laden with fruit. The apples were small and the birds got most of them, but the pears were nice and I ate several.

This year? Nada. Nothing on either tree. Perhaps they needed to be watered more or fertilized in the spring or something. I’ll consult our gardener and get him on the case, but for now, I’ll have to get my pears the old fashioned way – in the produce aisle at the grocery store. Or maybe at the farmer’s market.

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Filed under Flowers, Forever Home, Photography

August 3, 2026 · 23:02

Shooters’ Sunset

When we went out for our hands-on, live ammunition handgun training yesterday, the shooting range was out in the middle of nowhere, a dozen miles or so north of town off of the major CA highway headed to the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Northern California.

It’s been HOT recently, triple digits mostly, so we pushed our class back from noon until 16:00, which in turn meant that it was after 18:00 when we got to the range. Facing downrange to the west, the Sun setting lit up the holes in the target like a Lite-Bright set, making it easy to see our results.

Once we were done, cleaning up and packing up, we had a great view of a whole lot of dirt, rock, tumbleweeds, Joshua trees, and mountains off in the distance with that classic desert sunset color gradient in the sky.

I, of course, took pictures to share. Because, DUH, like, have you even MET me?

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Filed under Photography, Sunsets

August 2, 2026 · 23:58

Shooters

We came, we saw, we kicked that target’s ass!

For context, Ronnie has never before in her life fired a gun. Not once.

She was, in fact, terrified of the idea of shooting a gun. She hates loud noises. She thought that the recoil would be overpowering.

After a couple of hours of classroom instruction and familiarization with the handguns we would be using, we started with the .22 pistol. (First picture.) Then moved up to the much louder and more impressive 9mm pistol. (Second picture.)

I had a fair amount of experience with handguns, rifles, and shotguns, but that was all over 50 years ago. It came back quick. We both passed our course and Ronnie was a rock star.

Interesting way to spend Sunday afternoon!

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Filed under Photography, Running

August 1, 2026 · 22:07

Moody

 

Me. Not the critter.

It’s all tradeoffs. The good news is that I finally dove into one of the bigger “back burner” tasks that had been getting more and more on my nerves by the day. Had a good idea that seems to be working on how to organize it and make good progress. It’s not done (it has been festering for a while) but it’s respectable and I’m happy about it.

The bad news is that I’m still soooooooooo tired, in large part because I got so wrapped up with this task. Plus, when I did take a break I made the mistake of looking at the news. Between the psychotic, evil chucklefuck in the White House, his cult of pedophile protectors and criminals and sycophants, the shooting in Idaho, the fires in Washington, it’s just exhausting.

So I’ll go with the pissed off, feral, possibly rabid opossum as the symbol of my psyche tonight.

It could be worse.

It probably will be, tomorrow.

 

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Filed under Critters, Paul, Photography

July 31, 2026 · 22:20

Friday Night Abstract

The world viewed through glass brick. One of the many little things that I love about the Forever Home.

Having an alternative view of the world can be extremely useful.

There’s a figure vaugely seen in this one, which is odd since I was alone when I took the picture, and I’m pretty sure that it’s not me. Probably just one of those pareidolia things.

Oh, and goodbye, July! I guess it’s good that you didn’t suck as much as you could have, but still… August, you’re up!

 

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Filed under Art, Forever Home, Photography

July 30, 2026 · 22:58

New Garage Critter!!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, another spectacular moonrise over the mountains of the 98% full moon. I caught a glimpse of it with just the teeniest, tiniest bit peeking over the hills and it was “Ooooh! Oooooh! Ooooooooh!” time, but by the time I got out in back it was fully in view. Barely.

Cool. Beautiful. Spectacular.

But the best news of the day was the sighting of a new critter hiding out in the garage!

Our main exit to the garage and driveway and cars is through the laundry room. I was going to take the trash out, and as I swung the door open I was surprised by a little critter running out from the gap between the wal and the dryer. By the time I reacted it was behind the open door, so I shut the door just in time to see it scurrying under the edge of the door and into the garage.

No pictures, I only got a glimpse for a second.

First of all, this guy is tiny, probably not even three inches long. Maybe not even two. And he doesn’t have a long, thin tail at all. And I didn’t see scales or any pattern. And it was monocolored, sort of a light gray-ish green.

I don’t think it’s a fence lizard, like we’ve had in both the front and back and side yards of this house, all over at the previous house, and all over at the house before that. Search for “lizard” or “fence lizard” or “Fred” or “Bubba” on this site and you’ll find hundreds of pictures. But they all have patterns and scales and they’re brown or black and they have those really long “fingers” on all four feet. This guy didn’t look like that at all.

Nor was it an alligator lizard, like we would occasionally get coming up through the sewers at our Pomelo house.

The body was more rounded, the legs and tail were much shorter. It definitely had legs, was NOT a small snake. As I said, the coloration was odd.

I’m wondering if it might be a skink, perhaps a juvenile Western Red-Tailed Skink. We’re on the edge of their range according to the low-resolution map I found, so I guess it’s possible.

So, heads up to anyone wandering around the laundry room or garage! Let’s hope for pictures (maybe) and a better ID at some point!

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Filed under Critters, Photography

July 29, 2026 · 23:56

Southwest Airlines 2392

At the pointy end of the white line, a Southwest Airlines 747, LAX to Denver, at 25,523 feet, climbing to 37,000 by the time it got over Victorville. 470 knots of peanuts and soft drinks.

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Filed under Flying, Photography

July 28, 2026 · 23:37

The Pergola Illuminated

Since we bought the place and moved in there have always been lights on the pergola. I’ve just never bothered to plug them in more than once or twice, because when I go out in back I generally want it to be as dark as possible so that I can see the stars better. But tonight I forgot to refill the birdseed feeders until it was dark, so on they went!

With the Full Moon rising above it all, it looked lovely! If/when we have a party (our big Super Bowl bash will be GREAT out here!) and BBQ, this is going to be spectacular!

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Filed under Astronomy, Forever Home, Photography

July 27, 2026 · 23:26

Moonrise Through The Rafters

The almost, kinda, sorta Full Moon (it’s actually early Wednesday morning officially) as seen through the support rafters for the pergola, complete with the three empty birdseed feeder on the table and the bag of seed.

Even though it’s been really stinkin’ hot (and the end of the week and most of next week will be far worse), by this time after sundown it was lovely out.

Desert skies, man! When there are clouds they tend to lean toward the spectacular, and even when it’s clear as a bell there’s that little bit of dust to simply give every molecule of the atmosphere some texture.

And the mountains… There are plenty of trails and parks up in there. I need to get some exploring done, it’s been a year!

But not this weekend. Holy shit it’s going to be hot!

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Filed under Forever Home, Photography, Sunsets

July 26, 2026 · 23:11

Sunday Morning Brushfire Alarm

I love it when the Watch Duty app (get it for free if you haven’t already, it’s fantastic) goes off and shows you a new brush fire that’s practically just down the block…

That might be two miles, it might not be. Down in the Cajon Pass, over the edge of The Mesa. (It should be pretty obvious where that edge is…)

I was not worried. Anything near homes they jump on pretty fast. Worst case scenario was that it might burn up as far as Summit Valley Road, which would wreak havoc on traffic along there, as well as along the BNSF train tracks that run next to Summit Valley Road. I didn’t see much chance for it to spread up to the edge of The Mesa, let alone beyond.

A quick peek over the wall in that direction showed no sign of a smoke column, although there was a quite noticeable smell of smoke. When I had first seen the Watch Duty image above there had been no aircraft on the job (the app shows them in real time) but now there were a couple of helicopters and a pair of “water bombers,” the smaller scout or guide plane and the bigger bomber.

The “threat” was over in a half hour and the fire only grew from two to five acres. Thanks, CalFire!

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Filed under Forever Home, Photography, Video