For Memorial Day, my parents and I traveled by car to visit the family of my brother’s fiancée. All but one of these photos were taken when we stayed at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch in Missouri, though I do have more photos that were taken with my iPhone. Unfortunately, I can’t open the photos taken with my iPhone on this Linux computer because they are .heic files, which this computer does not recognize. That being said, I am grateful the weather cooperated when we were at the Gateway Arch, since these are some of the best photos I’ve taken with my Canon EOS R.
A portrait of my mom in front of the Gateway ArchThe Gateway Arch next to the St. Louis skylineMy mom walks our dogs by the Gateway Arch. (Yes, the Hyatt is dog-friendly.)Missy and Pugsley near the Gateway ArchThe Gateway ArchGreat Smoky Mountains National Park (in Tennessee)
A couple months ago, I read a gear review on Wired.com about hummingbird feeders. Since my mom is a huge hummingbird fan and has tons of hummingbird decorations, I told her to read the review. We bought a hummingbird feeder—and, later, a second one—and ever since we have been frequented by hummingbirds. If you like hummingbirds, it makes so much sense to have a hummingbird feeder (or two) so you can enjoy hummingbirds every day rather than waiting for perhaps one the entire summer.
Even though the high was around 60 degrees today, and I’m guessing the hummingbirds are beginning to migrate south from Minnesota, I only had to wait about 30 minutes before I captured this hummingbird at one of our feeders this evening.
A hummingbird drinks sugar water out of a hummingbird feeder
The hummingbird feeders we use cost $30 on Amazon. We followed the instructions for the sugar water that were included with the feeders, and the hummingbirds seem to love it!
My mom has a view of the hummingbird feeders from her new home office, which I assembled
My mom had previously counted about 20 days in a row seeing hummingbirds.
And that is so much better than just one sighting for the entire summer.
I bought my first Midland NOAA weather alert radio in 2016. It has informed me of weather hazards numerous times since then. Had I not owned the weather radio, I wouldn’t have bothered checking the weather report manually and wouldn’t have known that severe weather was approaching. The weather radios provide me with alerts in every season, warning me of everything from tornadoes to blizzards.
The National Weather Service Forecast Office in the Twin Cities/Chanhassen, Minnesota. Pictured is the Doppler radar.
I’ve only used Midland weather radios, which are apparently the most popular brand. I have three different models: the weather-only WR120EZ, the WR400 (new model), and the WR300 (old model). The latter two include AM/FM, and they are therefore my picks.
I wanted to make this post to inform everyone how important it is to own a NOAA weather radio. I also wanted a way to save the user manuals, which I often worry I won’t be able to find (in my house or online). Here are pictures of the aforementioned weather radios in addition to their user manuals (linked at the end of this post as PDFs).
In photography, the golden hour is defined as the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset. Many photographers consider it the best time for photography, because of the pleasing, warm tones it gives. I used to go out a few times a week at the golden hour to take pictures. More recently, I haven’t been as interested in photography, but this website is sure to change that.
This evening, I went out with my dogs, beginning an hour before sunset. These are the results.
Pugsley and Missy in the grassMissy stares pensively in the grassMissy flashes a smile for the camera
Centennial Lakes Park is a 24-acre park and man-made pond located in Edina, Minnesota. It’s my mom’s favorite park, so we went there with our puggles, Pugsley and Missy, this evening.
Missy and Pugsley pose for the cameraMy mom and puggles by the pondMy mom and puggles by the miniature golf course
Yesterday, I felt motivated to clear out all the books I’ve accumulated over the years. This project was long overdue, as my books just gather dust and take up an inordinate amount of space. My bookshelf was overflowing with books, and there were books piling up in three rooms. When I stacked all the books together, I was actually surprised to see how many there were. In total, I plan to get rid of 270 books. I will begin by listing them on eBay (all individually photographed) and then see what my options are after that. I’m guessing I will have to donate most of them, but I’d rather they go to someone who wants to read them—even if that means selling for no profit.
I’m listing 270 books from my personal collection on eBay
Going forward, e-books are the only way to go. After hauling these books around and photographing them over the past two days, I must say I am glad these books are going away. I’m sick of them. While in the past I felt a sentimental connection to the books from my youth, I now consider that feeling a symptom of a hoarding disorder. There is so much stuff from my youth I need to sell or throw out. I need to stop thinking everything has sentimental value.
I’ve only tried selling books on eBay one other time, and I wasn’t very successful. This time, I photographed each book for the listings to see if that helps attract buyers, but I’m guessing the vast majority of these books won’t sell. The ones that do sell will probably go for the cost of shipping, or maybe a little more. I’m just glad they’ll go to someone who wants them.
