Vibrant Sunrise From Orbiting International Space Station
Let me try to help understand what this feels like for me.
Returning from Orbit a Space Shuttle Astronaut wisely observed —
“The first day we all pointed to our countries.
. . .
“The third or fourth day we were pointing to our continents.
. . .
“By the fifth day we were aware of only one Earth.”
President Harry S Truman
“I don’t give them Hell. I just tell the truth about them and they think it’s Hell.”
–US President Harry Truman
That pretty well describes my experience in local politics.
Mark Twain, my father’s favorite humorist, said
“Always do right. this will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”
Mark Twain and Will Rogers are proof that if you want to tell the truth in politics, it helps to have humorist skills.
Craftsman Socket – Cracked – Lifetime Warranty Ignored
More than 40 years ago I purchased a broad set of Craftsman mechanics Tools (wrenches, sockets etc. ) – in no small part because of their “Lifetime Warranty.”
That had a nice feel ever since – that I would be taken care of if any of my Craftsman tools ever failed.
My craftsman tools never failed – until a year ago. A 12mm socket wrench cracked. Continue reading
Ben making a MotoGP Bike Look Good
Generous Gentleman, Genetically-Happy Prankster, world class Writer, world traveler, Career Electrician and lifelong bachelor Ben Marchand passed away bravely fighting Lung cancer this week – leaving behind a plethora of wonderfully kind-hearted women, hearty friends and a widespread wake of thoughtful kindnesses.
Courteous – European Manners
Rarely known to emit epithets, Ben commanded an uncommon display of European manners, courtesy and thoughtfulness. His graciousness was as comfortably home among San Francisco aristocrats, as he was in Paris and Roma. As example – he never forgot to send a Birthday Card with a crisp new Two-Dollar bill ! A better example was his caring kindness to his elderly neighbor Maureen. Ben spent every Thanksgiving with her for the last decade of her life.
On the other hand when some Jackass tried to bully him or his friends – Ben was the guy you wanted in your corner. One evening while riding bicycles on a Pebble Beach golf course cart-trail a neighbor yelled at us. Ben stopped to eloquently eviscerate the fellow, calmly. He finished with “Don’t let this happen again – because Continue reading
You’ve got to be kidding. Not our “Fog Forest”
California Wildfire Risk Map. LA is Red and Yellow. Monterey Peninsula is Dark Green! (Report to California Utility Commission)
Worry & Fear
I completely understand why people living here on our Monterey Peninsula are seriously worried about fire – after seeing the horrible wildfire tragedy Live-on-TV in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades. And the neighboring areas of Eaton, Hughes, and Malibu — who wouldn’t be worried or frightened?
Many of us know friends of family who have lost their homes and everything in those fires. Some have lost their lives and their pets.
Not to mention all the wildlife that has been killed by the fires.
However, what happened (and is still happening) in Los Angeles is wildly different than here in our bucolic nest named “Grove.” History and a little science shows our area is far safer from wildfires thanks to Fog, cooler temperatures and mild winds.
Drought vs Fog
Los Angeles and Pacific Palisades have experienced a strong drought.
Contrast with how our forests have totally reliable fog every summer – keeping George Washington Park damp. Combined with the Fire Station only a few quick blocks away — maybe that’s why we’ve never had a serious fire in George Washington Park.
We have Pine Forests – LA doesn’t.
Pines need the fog. Indeed our pine forest delineates the edge of where our fog shows up reliably. Where pines grow naturally, its because they have reliable fog. Damp Forests don’t sustain or spread fires. That’s why its called a “Fog Forest.”
The only recent fire in our Peninsula forest was set by a homeless camper in 1987 (almost 40 years ago) and blown by one of the 20 mph strong Spring winds. It burned 36 homes, but it did not spread beyond the ocean facing wind-blown Pebble Beach ridge. Thankfully no one (humans or pets) died and no one was seriously hurt. The ecosystem was damaged and wildlife undoubtedly died.
LA Hot vs PG Chilly
Why don’t more Los Angeles folks move here?
Because its too cold for them. (Notice the frost outside the past few days?)
Its also a lot harder to make, sustain or spread a forest fire in the cold, next to the ocean.
Continue reading
Gaza-Terrified Children
Ralph Nader’s Open Letter Exposing President Biden’s Genocidal Pact with Israel
“You have just decided that grizzly bears can remain on the endangered species list.
“Yet, week after week, you have watched Netanyahu target with U.S. F-16s innocent defenseless Palestinian families, killing 50-100 a day, and blocking humanitarian aid trucks with food, medicine and water for the dying and sick people in this encircled, blockaded tiny Gaza enclave.
* Have you no decency? No willpower to make your master Netanyahu obey? Any final demands by the President of the United States?
In your eulogy of Jimmy Carter yesterday at the Washington Cathedral, you said President Carter taught you “the strength of character.”
Dan Davis – Polymath
An extraordinarily valuable bright light in our world’s “civilization” blinked out last week with the death of Pacific Grove’s Daniel Davis.
Dan was a genuine Polymath: a brilliant, but humble Math genius, distinguished Naval Postgraduate School Professor, ethical and successful Pacific Grove Councilman, leading edge Digital Research Programmer and Manager, MBARI Engineering Manager, Single-handed ocean-crossing Sailor, Accordion aficionado, graceful Ballroom dancer and a great friend to many.
He was a gentle man of well-thought out life principles, deep study and reflection, sharp insight into complex problems, high quality abilities in many fields, sincere public humility – but fierce in his advocacy for ideas (often quoting from Sun Tzu’s “Art of War” and Sir Thomas More), an ironic sense of humor, and an ability to expound for hours on many subjects dear to his heart – and never say anything trivial.
Dan was perhaps known most widely locally as a Pacific Grove City Council member and a graceful classic ballroom dancer. However, he conducted important acts on the world dance-floor to make ours a notably better world. Continue reading
Lightly Used Robot – BradburyBot Humanoid. 5 feet tall – only 11 hours.
Continue reading
Trump was found Guilty by a unanimous Jury of Felony Criminal “Election Cheating” – Not “Hush Money Payments.” Thirty four (34) times he got caught cheating for his own election.
Three Strikes? – Turd-Blossom has 34 Strikes
How did everyone water down Trump’s Guilt to something most people don’t care about?
By everyone I mean not just Republican Spin-meisters, but leading Democrats as well as all the pack-journalism media.
Literally the only people who use the term “Election Cheating” – is Trump himself. But of course he falsely accuses everyone else of election cheating (1), when Trump is the only person convicted of this criminal offense.
Everyday voters understand and give a darn about “Election Cheating” Continue reading
The Grand Canyon’s Colorado River was thundering . It was the renowned June 1983 season, gushing at one of its highest flows ever; 60,000+ cubic feet per second. That’s some serious roaring 
whitewater. It generated huge, towering, tumultuous, treacherous, rapids.
But on the paddle boat, raising a few eyebrows, some teamwork skills were a bit lacking.
Lets backup a bit for some context. Some years ago, my dear friend and World Class whitewater river guide, Alan Williams arranged a Grand Canyon river trip for his family and invited me to join in.
(I refer to the brilliant, thoughtful, strikingly handsome*, athlete Alan Williams from Pacific Grove, not the extra-plush Malaprop spouting Carmel development goofapottamus.)
Such a rare and eagerly anticipated treat. Continue reading
Fasten your seatbelts.
Because
‘Oh…Mostly because we can. Now do you want to get your car registered or not?’
I’m going to tell you a true story — that you simply won’t believe.
For context, you may be familiar with the theme of how the California Department of Motor Vehicles (“The DMV”) has a reputation for gigantic wait times; lines that similar to Mountain passes – take literally hours to traverse. And that’s when you make an appointment. Its worse if you don’t have an appointment, and you get scolded.
Along with staff so overworked, they barely have any sense of humanity, let alone a sense of humor.
Well, I am here to report the unbelievable. Continue reading
Eiger, North Face
Tall vertical rock faces are simply – supremely powerful. I don’t mean a few hundred feet. I’m talking the world’s biggest vertical rock faces. Some more than a kilometer straight up.
Any ordinary person can climb a mild grade trail, or even the world’s steepest residential road.
Not many are drawn closer to the biggest rock faces. Most are content to see them from a comfortable distance. To most they inspire fear. To others they intrigue – to climb it, to fly from it, to fly around it. To land on it.
Ultimately they satisfy a deep core emotion.
Vertical Granite Faces (in no particular order):
I define a vertical rock face as one where a stone thrown from the top will not bounce off or away until it has dropped the full height listed here. “Near vertical” is a bit looser.
Yosemite’s famous Half Dome rises 4,700 feet above the valley floor and has about 2,000 feet of vertical granite. Continue reading
What Mountain is that ?
Ok — What’s the world’s tallest mountain ?
Did you know a correct answer to this depends on your definition ?
1. Do you want to know what point is father from the center of our Earth? Continue reading
Had a marvelous flying adventure recently – two soaring flights on the magnificent, breathtaking, Morning Glory of Northern Australia.
Morning Glories can be hundreds of miles long. They are the rarest of five types of soaring and only happen reliably in Northern Australia.(1) Pilots are often understandably addicted to soaring them for their majesty, beauty, and near magical smoothness. Notably, after communicating with the few world Morning Glory academic experts, in my opinion only two people can reasonably explain how they work. The best is a terrific pilot from Cairns named Geoff.
This is my view under my right wing as dawn first peeks over the tallest Morning Glory wave cloud which is hundreds of miles long. It is swooshing towards me from ocean over the Gulf of Carpentaria. I soared this one for some 40 miles – over Crocodile Dundee outback – and Giant Saltwater Crocodiles. Continue reading
(c) Copyright 2018 David Dilworth
I relish puzzles. My parents gave me books of them when I turned five, to keep me occupied while we drove cross-country. As they told it – I’d finished them all by the second day.
However, solving puzzles to start a car is not my favorite. I’m happy to leave those to Sherlock Holmes, Mensa, car thieves, or anyone else. Which brings us to the so-called “Smart”car.
There are a lot of pleasant benefits with a “Smart”car.
They are darn cute, lots of people smile and wave when they see it – kind of like driving with a happy puppy hanging out the window. Indeed, they are so short I really have (legally) parked it straight in to a tiny parking spot – rather than parallel to a roadway. Also the cars get good, though not amazing, gas mileage, and (if you like this sort of thing) it feels like driving a Go-Kart, particularly over undulating, curvy roads. Continue reading
This is an exciting, sincere narration of an event by a captivating humorist: Daphne Wynne Nixon
Gray Wolf – Similar type and pose to Daphne’s Sighting,
Courtesy Calif. Dept Fish and Wildlife
A very bright, outdoor painter, who has a track record of finding cool stuff no one else has noticed for centuries (she found California’s missing Mission), Daphne believes she met a Wolf in Carmel Valley this February, at a distance of no more than 30 feet.
Daphne’s observation is very difficult to dismiss because she regularly sees and knows well her local coyotes, bobcats and even mountain lions walking through her yard.
The nearly full moon was out and her outside yard lights were blazing in the animal’s face. She could easily compare the wolf’s size with her Siberian Husky Ziggy, who at one point was only about 15 feet from the wolf (Ziggy was on a leash).
____________________
For context – this is not a Big Foot sighting (no evidence ever), it is not a Mammoth sighting (they haven’t lived here for 10,000 years) or a Polar Bear. It is a possible sighting of a Grey Wolf that not only exist, and used to live right here in Monterey County, they have been sighted very recently only about 200 miles away.
In any case, whether you believe Daphne met a Wolf or not, read on and you will discover she is a delightfully entertaining writer —
“I was walking Ziggy last night at 10:45, or rather, I stood next to my house with all the porch lights on at the top of my driveway hoping my Siberian Husky would hurry up and pee. I felt nervous outside alone in the full moon light. No one around for miles out here in this remote valley of the Santa Lucia Mountains by the Big Sur Wilderness.
Cheese so Hard I could barely Scrape Dust off of it
My enjoyment of Parmigiaheno-Reggiano cheese, more often known in America as “Parmesan,” is a bit above average. I’m slightly hesitant to admit how sometimes I enjoy it all by itself.
Today I found a sizeable block of Italian Parmesan cheese waiting in my refrigerator. Was excited about using it on a new pasta sauce experiment.
However, apparently it had grown tired of waiting a few months for me. The Parmesan had turned hard; brick hard. It was so stoney I could barely scrape off a few shards with a sharp cheese grater or a butcher knife. How hard was it? I’ve sculpted statutes from Cararra marble that were easier to chew.
Shame to waste what should be good cheese, so I turned to the web and found – nothing. Even WikiHow was worthless. The only advice was useless: Shave it, dab it with vinegar, put it in soup. Those aren’t solutions – those are what to do after you give up.
I wasn’t about to give up with a simple solution simmering in my mind. Continue reading
Bill Kampe-Insistently Harming Your Public Interests
There’s a frighteningly large (and mostly secret) debt that you will have to pay to live in Pacific Grove due to years of horrible politics. This article about how it happened is researched and written by a Pacific Grove resident, a highly respected lawyer, and verified by one of the smartest people to ever serve Pacific Grove: Councilman Daniel Davis.
It is a story about how local government employees gigantically inflated their pensions by deception and bullying enough elected officials to get this approved – however illegally it was done. Before you buy a home in Pacific Grove, you might ask your realtor to officially disclose to you – “how much will this cost me over the next 10 years?”
What realtors are not required to tell you is how the City Council has been cutting everything else to the bone to pay these outrageous costs: Cutting Library services, Recreation, Planning, etc. One Council led by the disgraced Mayor Cort even gave away our beloved Museum.
Every Pacific Grove resident owes thanks to John Moore for painstakingly following this issue and trying hard to fix it.
___
“Genesis of Pacific Grove’s Excessive pension costs and debt“
by John Moore
This is a brief out-line of how Pacific Grove arrived at its ruinous pension cost/pension debt condition: according to its latest financial report, it now spends about a quarter of its budget ($5-million dollars per year) for pensions (including pension bonds and payment to Monterey as part of the fire service contract). Continue reading
Ever heard of a Tates Compass ?
Originally alleged to work only in the Southern Hemisphere as it points South instead of North – it inspired the saying — Continue reading
Eiffel Tower – Courtesy Wikipedia
Some years ago, a splendid, incisive article about the French culture appeared in a coffee table magazine written by an American woman who’d lived in Paris for 20 years or so, having married a Parisian and raised children there.
Having lived in Europe myself, including a couple dozen moons in many marvelous regions of France, and having the pleasure of meeting dozens upon dozens of fabulous French folk in their native habitat, I was rather eager to learn of her far more experienced wisdom on it.
With sharp insight, she addressed the American misunderstanding that the French are rude to Americans. Roughly, (wish I could quote the article exactly, but it is filed inscrutably away in some folder in storage) she explained: Continue reading
Fire Makes “Change”
You want to “change” the world?
Whoa. That’s frightening.
George W. Bush changed the world . . . acclaimed worldwide for making our world worse. In a horrible way. Continue reading