photos – A Jaunty Little Blog

May 6, 2019May 6, 2019

What Are You Doing? Digging Through The Photos Edition

Friends,

One of the big reasons I’ve started taking a lot more photos is to be able to have something for every post here. Recently, it’s been the reverse. I find that I’m digging through albums to find something interesting to write about.

This is not one of those times. I just saw this glassware in a resale shop lit with a black light and snapped a quick shot.

Oh! This here Internet fever dream received a nice endorsement today from my boss…

“https://www.bobtherieau.com/ is good blog to go to if you want a fun read.”

Granted, it was mentioned to me in a private direct message and apropos of nothing, but I appreciate the sentiment. You know, you can actually like this thing too. Comments are open, or you can go old school and send links this way.

Keep doing that thing you’re doing. It’s really working for you.

Your pal,

– bob

January 31, 2017

The Magic Of Webcammery!

A lovely centered picture of the computer room

Friends,

Over the weekend, I replaced the old webcam server with a not nearly as old webcam server and the results so far have been better than I’d hoped. The new server is more responsive, has more storage, and should be able to stay up and running more consistently. Plus, it’s a nice way to keep technology up and running and useful that some Cupertino-based computer companies have deemed obsolete.

During the transition, I temporarily lost one of the primary cameras, but I added a new one that’s taking great pictures. Now you can see what the neighbors are up to during most of the day and some of the night.

That’s not creepy, is it?

Your pal,

– bob

January 30, 2014

The Photons Are Bouncing Off Of Things In The Atmosphere In A Pleasing Manner

a lovely centered picture of a stunning sunrise in sorta-hdr

Friends,

Some days you just want to press on through your commute as fast as you can. Year in and year out you look at the same landscape. You change the channel on the radio to mix it up. Have another sip of coffee to stay alert.

Today, on the eve of a minor precipitation event (which would be a grandiose way to hype the promise of some rainfall this afternoon) I found the sunrise so spectacular, that I had to share. My iPhone’s High Dynamic Range (HDR) setting only begins to capture the depth of the colors on display, but it wasn’t too far off.

We’ll see what today’s sunset offers. Maybe another reason to stop.

Your best pal in the whole wide world,

– bob

June 6, 2013

Great Minds

TWA lounge photo from Shorpy!

Friends,

Here’s a photo of the TWA lounge at Idlewild Airport taken sometime in 1964. Looks sort of like the departure lounge at the Idyllwild International Airport, without the pine tongue and groove panelling, of course.

And the squirrels scampering around.

– bob

August 11, 2011

Gladiolus? Better Than That, We’re Tickled Pink!

Friends,

It’s time to clean out the card on the camera for the weekend, and I thought you might like to see pictures of flowers and a grinning puppy dog. The mild weather has done wonders for the late Summer bulbs and having the place to herself again is doing wonders for the girly dog’s disposition.

The pictures are pretty good, but I’ll try to get more words out very soon.

Your pal,

– bob

July 21, 2011

Finality.

Friends,

America’s space shuttle program ended today with the successful landing of Atlantis. Times are tough in this country right now, but this really drove it home.

Your pal,

– bob

P.S. Image courtesy NASA’s photo stream on flickr.

February 21, 2011

Storm Watch 2011! – Motor Racing Edition

Friends,

I was supposed to head to the desert early this morning to see the vintage auto racing at the new Chuckawalla Valley Raceway in Desert Center. Unfortunately, something happened overnight…

A foot and a half of snow fell on my little town and buried the cars. This wouldn’t be too tough to deal with except the local government hadn’t yet plowed the road, so I called off the trip.

With the ice and snow on the ground and the new brakes I installed only yesterday, I wasn’t sure that traveling off the hill was a good idea.

Was watching the Daytona 500 on teevee a good substitute? Not at all.

But the neighborhood is very pretty today.

Your pal,

bob

January 11, 2011

Sunday In The Park

Friends,

Governor Moonbeam II has released his first/next budget for this here golden state and he has laid down some painful cuts extending over the next few years. Here in America’s Very Finest (and cleanest!) Forest, we’ve lived with a lack of services for quite a long time, so this is really nothing new to us. This is the street in front of my friend’s house and her neighbors, who live there full time, managed to get somebody in a truck with a plow to run down the middle of the street once a week ago. Not the county, just some guy.

And now it’s all ice.

She’ll not be driving down there into the Fern Valley holler anytime soon.

I continued into town and took a shot of the fire station. Oh look, some fog…

Then I turned around and shot the other way.

Visibility could be slightly diminished! Good gravy! Noooo!

– bob

December 20, 2010

Important Notes for Monday, 20th December

Friends,

It’s been raining pretty steadily here since last Friday (or as I like to call last Friday, The Great and Terrible Head Cold Epoch) with rainfall totals breaking records all over Southern California. On my way to work this morning, tumbling off of the hill as I am wont, I had to stop and try to get a shot of the view. you may not be able to see exactly what’s going on here, but it’s a top-down shot of storm clouds hovering over the Coachella Valley at around 5:30 AM.

The camera did warn me that I was shaking it too much…

– bob

P.S. Happy birthday Mike Watt!

November 1, 2010

Happy Hallowe’en – Part II, The Parading

Friends,

There isn’t really any conventional door to door trick-or-treating here in my little town. The houses are too far apart and it gets really dark (and spooky!) once you’re out of the range of either of the two street lights. Hence, the Idyllwild Hallowe’en Parade (or Harvest Parade or Pumpkin Festival Parade or something like that) and the turnout this year was the largest I can remember so here are a lot more pictures than I can remember ever posting. Enjoy!

It’s nice to see the families get out.

And the Roma people.

And the hoards in a queue, but what are they waiting for?

Oh just for Steve at Idyllwild Heating to pour buckets of candy over their heads. Yeah, no kidding.

Hey Gingerbread Man, bring buckets of candy and we’ll talk.

Most of the businesses down North Circle Drive had buckets of treats to share.

It’s good business, because it helps you earn a good reputation with the nicer people in town.

But why wasn’t anybody lining up for cider? Because it was two bucks a cup, perhaps.

Maybe some people were waiting for something a little stronger.

Here’s the best shot of the throngs I could manage. There had to be hundreds of people there.

And jellyfish.

And dogs dressed up like squirrels.

And a guy who dressed up as Elvis, but may have been a little distracted—by himself.

The people who were chose a theme were fun. I see what they’re doing here.

But I don’t get this. Any help?

Maybe I should’ve asked these guys.

I showed this picture to our own Idyllwild Weather Clam who was confused and wondered what the shark was supposed to be.

Claudius and Helena brought their daughter Moonbeam. Always good to see the local time travelers getting out and about.

And here’s sexy sailor girl posing with sexy Scooby Doo.

Pippi says what?

“That’s the end of the parade!”

– bob

October 14, 2010

Hard To Know

Friends,

I was tipped to the story by the good folks at Metafilter that retired Air Force officer Stan Fulham has written a book predicting that a fleet of alien spaceships will be breezing by Earth today as some sort of first contact. The 13th? Really Stanley? You clearly didn’t consider the dimensional rift that cuts through my little town right in the middle of the parking lot outside the Village Market. Yesterday.

They’re here.

– bob

September 11, 2010

11 September 2001

Never forget.

August 11, 2010

Lucky

Friends,

Some societies consider visitation by giant beetles to be a good omen (which ones? -ed Just go with me on this.). Sure, it was odd to find this minor monster hanging off the screen door a couple days ago… …but maybe it was a sign. After all, the family was scheduled to stop by my place the next weekend. I wasn’t sure if I’d have time to prep the house, fix the broken toilet, clean up the leftover bits of dog. What I needed was another sign. Something that might, I don’t know, convince me that this wouldn’t be a complete disaster. Right! All that was left was for the kiddos to arrive… …and maybe line up on the staircase for a picture… …or even collapse the swing together… Even through my barbequed berry pancakes, minor meltdowns and a whole lot of mosquito bites, we even managed to get together for a great big family photo. Totally worth it.