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June 21, 2021
Fireworks
Today I learned that in Iowa it's legal to display fireworks for sale INSIDE a store! What could go wrong? Don't even ask about "Safe & Sane."
| permalink | June 21, 2021 at 08:00 PM | Comments (0)
Four Of Them
Congdon's Pharmacy on Nantucket, Ektachrome, 1982.
Filed under Photography | permalink | June 21, 2021 at 06:36 PM | Comments (0)
June 20, 2021
CAR2 Photos, plus a recent one from Whitewater
Whitewater Preserve. This is a pano I shot with my iPhone last month.
On California AIDS Ride 2, Ektachrome, 1995.
Lake Cachuma, one of our overnight campsites on CAR2. Ektachrome, 1995.
Striped tights on CAR2, Ektachrome, 1995.
Filed under AIDS Rides,California,Coachella Valley,Photography | permalink | June 20, 2021 at 08:34 PM | Comments (0)
June 19, 2021
Two AIDS Rides, Two From DC
A narrow, isolated road that was not used on California AIDS Rides after CAR2. It was a great road for bicycling, as it had very little traffic. It narrowed down to a width of just one lane. The trouble was that if a cyclist had an accident and needed medical help, it took forever to get an ambulance and medical crew to them. At least two accidents did happen along here, and the injured riders had to be medevaced. Ektachrome, 1995.
CAR2 riders crossing a little flood, Ektachrome, 1995.
DC Metro in 2001, Kodachrome.
Winter shadows in DC, Kodachrome, 2001.
Filed under AIDS Rides,Cycling,Photography | permalink | June 19, 2021 at 06:59 PM | Comments (0)
June 18, 2021
California(?) Traffic Break
Here's a video showing a traffic break being put into effect by the California Highway Patrol on a freeway in the Bay Area. They do this when debris needs to be cleared from a highway, or when they need to do a quick, temporary patch for a pothole. They should do this in all 50 states plus DC, but I never saw it before I came to California and when I've mentioned it to some non-Californians they say they never saw it in their home states.
Filed under California,Public Safety,Travel | permalink | June 18, 2021 at 08:42 PM | Comments (0)
Two in DC, Two in Maine
A light on the U.S. Capitol grounds. I couldn't find any information about this lamp (there is probably more than one) such as designer or the year of installation. If you have more info about it please leave a comment. Kodachrome, 2001.
Stephenson Grand Army of the Republic Memorial in Washington, Kodachrome, 2001.
Lower South Branch Pond in Baxter State Park, Maine. This was my usual campground when I went to Baxter State Park. Kodachrome, 1987.
Maine - probably Baxter State Park, Kodachrome, 1987.
Filed under Architecture,History,Photography | permalink | June 18, 2021 at 07:56 PM | Comments (0)
Safest US States For LGBTQ+
California and Vermont tied for the safest. Massachusetts is #7. District of Columbia, New Jersey and Nevada are tied for 16th. Arizona is 28th. Texas is 32nd. Missouri is #37. Kansas lands at 49. And bringing up the bottom are South Dakota at #50 and North Dakota at #51.
One thing they seem to take into account is the number of "LGBTQ+ family populations" in the state. They don't define "LGBTQ+ family." Does that include LGBTQ+ households? I live alone. Do I count as an "LQBTQ+ family?" Does it mean only households with more than one resident? Do all the residents of the household have to be LGBTQ+? If so, how are children counted, if at all?
Filed under Gay Issues,Public Safety | permalink | June 18, 2021 at 12:05 PM | Comments (0)
4-Wheeled One-Ton Bicycle
They mention Torrington once, so that's either Connecticut or Wyoming. I'm pretty sure it's Connecticut.
Filed under Automotive,Cycling | permalink | June 18, 2021 at 11:50 AM | Comments (1)
Provincetown
Filed under Gay Issues,Music | permalink | June 18, 2021 at 11:35 AM | Comments (0)
June 16, 2021
Ranking States by Prevalence of STDs
The 2019 report from the CDC (PDF).
Chlamydia: Alaska has the highest rate (848.1/100,000); California is in 15th place with 598.4; national average is 552.8.
Gonorrhea: Mississippi is highest at 404.1; California is in 18th place with 203.0; national average is 188.4.
Primary and Secondary Syphilis: Nevada is highest at 26.6; California is in 4th place with 20.9; national average is 11.9.
Congenital Syphilis: Texas is highest at 138.2; California is in 6th place with 94.3; national average is 48.5. Seven states reported ZERO congenital syphilis.
Filed under California,Health | permalink | June 16, 2021 at 03:25 PM | Comments (0)
Not Milk
An article in the Washington Post all about Not Milk, but they didn't see any need to include any nutrition information. Why should they? It's only food. So I found the ingredient list ("Water, Pea Protein, Contains less than 2% of: Chicory Root Fiber, Sugar, Pineapple Juice Concentrate, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Virgin Coconut Oil, Cabbage Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavors, Salt, Gum Acacia, Gellan Gum, Calcium Carbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D2") and nutrition labels for Not Milk, whole and 2% milk.
| Protein | Fat | Saturated Fat | Carbs | Sugars | Calcium | |
| Not Milk | 4g | 5g | 3g | 7g | 3g | 310mg |
| 2% milk | 8g | 5g | 3g | 12g | 12g | 300mg |
| Whole milk | 8g | 8g | 5g | 12g | 11g | 300mg |
| Soy milk* | 7g | 4g | 0.5g | 3g | 1g | 52mg |
Filed under Food and Drink,Health | permalink | June 16, 2021 at 01:38 PM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2021
Three Kodachromes From 1987, plus a Hawaii photo
Kodachrome, 1987. I seem to have visited some garden or conservatory in September 1987, the same month I visited Chicago. So, this photo and the one above (along with several others) may have been shot in the Chicago area, but I just don't remember visiting a place like that while there.
Kodachrome, 1987, but not likely to be in Chicago.
Hiking on Kauai, 1986.
Filed under Photography | permalink | June 15, 2021 at 07:55 PM | Comments (0)
This Is What Marijuana Looked Like In 1980
Kodachrome slide from April 1980 scanned and shared by Thomas Hawk.
Filed under Marijuana,Photography | permalink | June 15, 2021 at 06:54 PM | Comments (0)
June 14, 2021
The 20th Century Will Never Go Away
South Korea and Japan posturing over a border dispute. But of course, North Korea claims an interest as well.
Filed under History,Politics | permalink | June 14, 2021 at 11:09 PM | Comments (0)
Probably All New England
Looks very New England, doesn't it? But I don't recall where I shot this. Kodachrome, 1987.
Obviously a Civil War memorial, but I can't recall where.
Here I am on the Mass Ave (Harvard) Bridge, Kodachrome, 2001.
Filed under Photography | permalink | June 14, 2021 at 06:51 PM | Comments (0)
June 13, 2021
Crowded National Parks
The jump is boosting economies in places like Moab, where surrounding Grand County recently reported the highest sales and use tax revenue ever in the third and fourth quarters of a year, said Chris Baird, county administrator. Businesses are so desperate for workers that a Moab McDonald’s has a sign offering $18 an hour, more than double the state’s minimum wage.
I don't know if it's really the same issue that I observed just last Thursday in Joshua Tree N.P. I drove to the Wall Street Mill parking area, intending to hike to (you'll never guess) Wall Street Mill. There was a "Parking Lot Full" sign on the Barker Dam parking area as I passed it, but there were only 2 or 3 cars in WSM parking. I saw 3 or 4 people on the trail to and back from Wall Street Mill. The Park Service has put up fresh (fresh to me, anyway) wire around the mill. No breaks. All the No Trespassing signs were upright. I was happy just to see that some loony hadn't torn down half the place in these COVID times.
When I got back to the trailhead I was feeling pretty good; the arthritis was not complaining too much. And it was the golden hour. So I decided to continue my hike on to Barker Dam, leaving my truck where it was. I followed the trail that joins up with the Barker Dam trail and then continued just to the dam and came back. That trail was busy! Well, busier than I was expecting it to be on a weekday with temperatures in the 90s. Eventually I realized that NO ONE in this diverse crowd of hikers (women & men, no kids, all races, multiple languages, some mixed groups, some homogenous) was older than about 35 except me.
The Barker Dam trail is just about the easiest trail in the park, and you get quite a bit of bang for only a little investment in walking - so it's just right for me. But these other hikers that looked like they'd been cast by Hollywood for a film about healthy, outdoor living? Why weren't they doing something a little more challenging? Or maybe the question is where are all the other over-35s? Sitting in their A/C maybe.
My final best guess is maybe a lot of people plan weekends in the high desert that starts with them leaving work after lunch on Thursday. They arrive at their accommodations in Joshua Tree (or, you know, wherever) and they have less than 3 hours of daylight left, so in their youthful excitement, they rush into the park and pick the safest, shortest hike they could squeeze in. I'm just making this up.
By the way, on my whole hike, both WSM and Barker Dam, I saw only one person wearing a mask. I did not wear one. I tried to avoid getting into one of those narrow parts with opposite direction hikers.
But the real highlight of the hike was a bird. On the hike into the dam I had heard the bird back in the shrubberies hammering with his beak, very woodpecker like, but I'm not saying it was a woodpecker. Then on my return hike the bird had come out to perch on a waist-high boulder in a curve at one of those narrow points. And it was fearless! I started out about 3 feet from him taking photos. The noise didn't seem to bother him. I moved closer and he shifted, but did not retreat. I stepped to my right and he pivoted, displaying himself in profile, keeping his eye on me. I took several photos. All black and white film, so we won't see those for at least a couple of weeks.
Filed under California | permalink | June 13, 2021 at 10:37 PM | Comments (0)
Descent To The Pacific Coast Highway
This is all fine until you come around one of those curves and find some big road kill or a chunk of a vehicle lying across your path.
Filed under California,Cycling | permalink | June 13, 2021 at 08:48 PM | Comments (0)
Three From California, and a Boston
San Francisco, 1995.
A Studebaker in San Francisco, 1995.
Davenport, California, on California AIDS Ride 2, 1995.
At Beacon Street and Charlesgate East in Boston, Kodachrome, 2002.
Filed under Architecture,Automotive,Photography | permalink | June 13, 2021 at 07:12 PM | Comments (0)
June 12, 2021
Four Various
It looks like the crowd gathering before the Pride parade in Boston, but the date stamped on the slide is September 2001. Maybe I had a roll of film in my camera from June until August or September. It could happen, but unlikely. But if this isn't for Pride, I don't know what's going on. Kodachrome.
The George Washington Bridge and I'm taking the photo from a car which must be stopped in traffic. Those cyclists are on the northern side of the bridge. I don't know when they opened that side to cyclists. Kodachrome, 2001.
Under the old Green Line bridge over the Charles River, between Science Park and Lechmere. This bridge has since been replaced, I believe. Kodachrome.
Hoover Dam. Looking down at the Colorado River from atop the dam. Agfa Scala film, 2001.
Filed under Architecture,Photography | permalink | June 12, 2021 at 07:14 PM | Comments (0)
Mountain Lion PSA
Filed under California | permalink | June 12, 2021 at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)
