I Guess It's Not Summer Anymore

Outside my front door.

I guess it's not summer anymore. The once-endless days of sunshine and warmth have given way to a cool, crisp breeze and the changing colors of the leaves. The air is filled with the aroma of burning wood and the distant sound of geese flying south.

Gone are the lazy afternoons spent lounging by the pool and the sound of ice clinking in glasses. In their place are cozy sweaters and hot cups of tea, enjoyed in front of a crackling fireplace. The world begins to hunker down for the long winter ahead, drawing in and slowing its pace.

As the days grow shorter and the nights longer, the world prepares to slumber once more. The trees shed their leaves in a riot of gold and red, the flowers close their petals, and the world grows quiet.

It is a time of contemplation and introspection, a time to gather in the warmth and comfort of loved ones. So let us bid farewell to summer, for it is time to turn our faces to the cool and stillness of the coming autumn, and then the snows of winter.

(Text by ChatGTP,  photo by me.)

The World Changed

The world changed a few days ago.  OpenAI released ChatGTP, a conversational AI open to everyone. It's blowing minds everywhere.

I have big plans with this thing ...

Barky's World at PHAF '22

 It's been 3 long years since the last Plumas Homegrown Americana Festival. One year was canceled due to Covid, the next due to the Dixie Fire. This year it was hot but we pulled it off and it was fun! I have my own section of the festival with a stage as well as several pop-up tents for work/play shops.

Rickety Bridge on Barky's Stage

Barky's Jam-O-Rama

Another Day, Another Bike Ride

 Dragging BB around in a trailer behind an e-bike. I borrowed this bike and trailer, 'cause I want to build or buy my own. Thinking about possible different configurations. This could be a new, fun hobby for us!

MCing an event this Friday (Aug5)

 Plumas County is commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Dixie Fire. I'm organizing and MCing the Friday night event which is a show and tell for locals to express their sentiments about their experience of the fire in song, dance, prose, etc.

Here is the Facebook page with more information:

https://www.facebook.com/MemOfPlumQuincy

Played with Leslie Mink at Jessie's Last Night

 

Photo from 2008

'Twas fun. We worked on our tunes, which we've accumulated over the years. My favorite from last night was probably Cricket On The Hearth into Sadie At The Backdoor.

Playing Solo at Jessie's Joint Thursday Nights

 

I just started playing at JJ in E. Quincy.  Solo (so far), 6:30ish Background music. Vocals. Experimental.

Postscript To A Funny Thing Happened: Farewell, Lucky

 Some months later, Lucky found a new home.

A nearby ranch had what I was told—quite delicately—was a “hen-heavy situation.” Dozens of ladies. No rooster. The kind of imbalance that called for… let’s just say, some poultry-level testosterone.

Enter Lucky D. Clucky.

He was dropped off like a traveling bard with a story to tell and a mission to fulfill. I wished him well. Gave him a quiet goodbye. Told him to mind his manners but enjoy himself.

He’d earned it.

After all, he’d lived in my living room. Jumped through windows. Napped with rabbits. Survived fires and predators and the existential oddness of being a rooster raised in the company of mammals and music and hardwood floors.

I hope he’s out there somewhere—strutting a little, crowing a lot, surrounded by hens who listen. Or don’t. Either way, I hope he feels like he landed in the right place.

Some animals pass through your life like background noise.

Others leave claw marks in the woodwork and take a piece of your heart with them.

Lucky was the second kind.

Hiking After The Fire

 The Dixie Fire has devastated us. It will be forever until we bounce back. I was worried that my favorite local hiking trails had burnt, but most of them didn't!

An Old Project Continued, Part 2

I finally finished this electrical rebuild in the Beaver.  I ordered all the parts I thought I needed, did more research, and started cutting, splicing, and crossing my fingers.

As it is now, there are 3 batteries that are interconnected with cable and switches. There is the starting battery that everyone needs because it gets the whole show on the road. It is connected to a second battery as a backup if needed. I can switch it on if necessary to assist the starting battery and it can get juice from the alternator to keep it topped off. The third battery is a deep cell version that fuels the interior lights, etc.

I bought a half-dozen 12-volt lights, wire, cabling, switches, a high-end charger/conditioner, and other miscellaneous devices like cell phone charger plugs.

I have some solar panels but have no plans to integrate them into this project.

I have yet to put this all into practice by going on a trip. Hopefully, that will change soon.

It feels good to have completed this. I know it's not a professional job, but it seems to be working and I learned a ton about 12-volt electronics. 👍

(Actually, there is a little more to do, but I'm calling it good.)