Hump Day

A waning or Gibbous moon peaking through the Marine Layer.
A mnemonic that works for me....
Lit on right... Rising.
Lit on left... Leaving.
bye-bye.

I'm happy to report our town clock is back on track!

I received this bit of information from my friend Mary:

At the corner of West and W Fir Streets are two Victorians (circa 1904) that are mirror images of each other. Although I have not been able to verify this, local lore has it that the builder of the Guest House built these two houses for his daughters, and one of our City employees says that her great uncle built them. I have also heard that the high schoolers, when driving north on West Street, call it, “Passing through the vortex” .

During this morning's walk I checked it out and here they are!

The sun cleared the coastal hills at 6:45 AM.

Observing Time

I see the Town Clock has stopped again.

Time's up for this bird and the patience of a bird lover.

This rose looks to be at the peak of it's life cycle.

Time to stop by Mendocino Coast Television in the former Footlighters Building on Laurel and pick up your hubcap.

The moment before flight.

A Fun Friday for Fabulous Fotos

Just get in the truck!

Downtown Wilderness

Less than half a mile from the corner of Franklin and Laurel is Otis Johnson Park. Deep wilderness almost in the heart of Fort Bragg! I parked my camera on various stumps and rocks to take photos of me hiking around in this "wilderness" to give scale to the redwood trees and surroundings. Quite amazing.

I had to take this photo to point out something only my friend Ed will understand!

This is a burnt redwood stump from the "good ol' days".

There are some rather steep trails I am using to help prepare me for the upcoming backpacking trip to the High Sierras.

You can't see it in this photo but there is a small burbling stream coming down this gully.

All this inside the city limits! Nice!

Scenes and Signage

And I'm pleased to see the ravens are eating their fruit and not just junk food.

And so it goes

It was a fine three day weekend of radio controlled model airplane flying at Klamath Glenn. A nice turn-out of pilots. Great food and decent weather. Perfect!

Each morning I did my one hour walk using the levee that surrounds and protects Klamath Glenn. There were other walkers that used this nice hiking path provided by the Corp of Army Engineers!

Yesterday, Monday, I had to drive over to the Ukiah Courthouse for Jury Duty. After being included in the first pool of fifty potential jurors it was announced our trial was settled out of court! Cool! Back to blogging.....

Sunrise clearing the coastal hills later and later each day. I wouldn't doubt ol' Orion is starting to show up in the evening sky. Bummer. Fall is on the way.

Oh yeah, Fall is definitely on the way!

But the fully mature flowers are spectacular.

Nice!

I have been reluctant to mention "it" because mentioning "it" on my blog sort of turns "it" into a commitment made to a wider audience than just myself. If I would just keep "it" to myself I could always change my mind and nobody would ever know but..., well....

So..... what is "it"?

"It" is a eight day backpacking trip in the High Sierras with my friend Pete. I have been thinking about doing this since Spring Break last April when Pete first offered to show me around "up there" in return for me showing him around "down there" in the deserts. Since then I have been just sort of dancing around the edges of the possibility but recently I have started to prepare my body as my mind has come to accept the idea. You see, I have not gone backpacking since my hike to Panamint City and that was for only two nights two years ago. And..., I'm getting older.

I dug out my old Kelty backpack and have gradually been adding books and potatoes and water and Petanque boules as dead weight and going for short hikes. My pack it now up to 33 pounds but I need to be able to haul at least 35 pounds, maybe 40. Recently I started hiking up and down and all around Otis Johnson Park. Otis Johnson is the only place within walking distance that isn't flat! I know hiking at sea level isn't preparing me for McGee Pass which is around 12,000 feet but.... well, I'll just have to deal with that when I get there. Our trip is set for early September. Stay tuned.

Flying Weekend

I'm going to take a little break and attend the Klamath Fun-Fly Weekend in northern California. It is a three day event for us radio controlled model airplane enthusiasts. Camping and flying! Woo hoo!

I am taking three of my planes but none of them are the size of this Ultimate biplane!

These photos are from the last time I was there, two years ago, when I tripped and broke my arm. I'm going to be a lot more careful this time. :-)

I'll be back to blogging next Monday. Have a great weekend.