We’ve had a lot of rain for this time of year. A weird looking insect under our back veranda this morning that I haven’t seen before, not 100% sure, it maybe a mole cricket (I used google lens as an indentifer) They usually live & feed underground & could be the chirping I sometimes hear at night This one wasn’t moving much, maybe too much rain got to it.
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We got some snow today down south of here. Here’s a picture of the Very Large Array (VLA) west of Soccorro, New Mexico, from their webcam. You used to be able to go hang out at the base of the antennas, but now it’s more controlled. Still cool to go visit though.
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It’s summer now where I live, I love watching evening primrose grow and branch out like a kraken. It’s threatning to smother my other plants. I’ve already pruned some branches as there is a small daisy bush in middle, which so far is doing really well, and is my third attempt at trying to grow a daisy from a cutting. The last two didn’t progress.
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My favorite Periodic Video I just watched again.
In 2015/16 the government of South AustraIia where I live, conducted a royal commission into the nuclear fuel cycle. The conculsion was that a nuclear power plant wasn’t commercially viable here for the time being. Also discussed was the possibilty of global nuclear waste facility (dump), as Australia exports so much uranium to the world, it was said this country can profit from taking back the waste and storing it. I believe some are still pushing for it. I don’t understand the physics of radioactive material, I just know it’s dangerous and it scares me, this video kind of puts me at ease.
When I was a little kid we spent our summers in New Hampshire. There was a spot I liked to play that was swarming with fire ants. Big angry biting ones. One day I got a magnifying glass and held it over the nest. They fried! They literally curled up and died within seconds. Now I’m worried about the karma I generated with this, but they were vicious little bastards and their bites stung like hell.
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Has anyone been on one of these colossal roller coaster rides? Not me, and not in a million years. Watching it on full screen is thrilling enough for me. I’m amazed how these are constructed. I like the structure of wooden roller coasters. The one in this vid was originally wood, it was refurbushed by adding steel. Originally known as ‘Mean Streak’ it reemerged as ‘Steel Vengence’ It’s located at Cedar Point, Ohio. 
I’ve had to put chicken wire around my palm and wooden picks in a small aloe pot to stop black birds digging in my pots. I should have taken a photo of the mess they make. They can stay dig in the garden & sing all they want. Don’t mess with my pot plants. .
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This is the culprit. They have a beautiful call.
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A week away! Crossing my fingers for reasonably clear skies…
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We’re going to be visiting our eldest daughter in Michigan, and will be driving about an hour to Ohio-ish to see it. Not the best place to see it statistically, but hoping any clouds will part.
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Yeah I’m going to be in Ohio too.
Doesn’t look too bad in NW Ohio according to this interacive forecast from NWS, so we’ll be ending up there somewhere. Looks a bit dismal in Texas unfortunately, because that was a favored spot for others:
https://digital.mdl.nws.noaa.gov/
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Very clear in the morning, a few thin clouds moved in during the afternoon but not enough to affect anything and we had a great view.
To some extent I’ve been waiting for this for 8 years, glad it worked out. 
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Great photo, beautiful. 
Great picture! I’m glad it worked out for you. Your foreground came out really nice. I like to get some context in there too so that it doesn’t just look like every other corona picture on the news. Still nearly impossible to capture what it’s like in person, though.
We ended up in Bowling Green, Ohio (a little South of Toledo), where the clouds were “good enough”. This was my 3rd total solar eclipse, but the first time I’ve seen a promenance or flare with my naked eyes. That was pretty cool. Unfortunately didn’t get that in my pictures.
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That would be the best, to experience it in person. I’ve never experienced a total solar eclipse. One will cross Australia and Asia July/2028. I would have to travel interstate, here where I live it will be partial.
Definitely try to get to the total path if you can. The difference between even 98 or 99% vs 100% is massive.
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Sydney is on the total path and would be the closest for me to travel to, or some small towns up north a bit further away.
XKCD:
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