Jack-O-Post 2012

Here is this year's O'lamp-post - created as usual with no plan, electrical tape, scissors, and an orange light bulb CFL.

Links to previous years' posts:

• 2011
• 2010
• 2009
• 2008

Leaf It To Me

I didn't get these posted yesterday because, well, I was, um, exercising.  And if you ever need to know, yes, a ton of leaves is heavier than a ton of whatever, especially when damp.

Also, perhaps these Fall colors will tide you over while the BlackOakNaturalist finds a way around the no-such-thing-as-a-free-lunch-forever Google wall. 

Peak Peeping Season

If the past is any predictor of the future, this weekend may be the time to see the venerable "Judge Thieler sugar maple" near its peak. 
Even the BlackOakNaturalist is making time for the maple as evidenced by this shot on his blog today.

Below is this year's day-by-day leaf-by-leaf-turning slideshow.

After the sugar maples' peak relatively early in the season, there's still a month

of Awesome Autumn around Quincy and all of Plumas County.

Here are links to the photos from previous years for comparison.

• 2011
• 2010
• 2009

By the way, the Al spelled his name "Thieler", and you should too.

More Than Books

College should be about a lot more than book-learning.

And here is more from the "million acre classroom" at FRC.

Weekend Class: Beginner Whitewater Kayaking from ORL Feather River College on Vimeo.

More on Facebook and at www.saylorflett.com.

Sumac

Where I grew up, this was a weed.  Joe is right, we should celebrate the magnificent weeds.

Horse Power - Iron Style

Engine 844 in Colfax, California today celebrating Union Pacific's 150^th anniversary.

Photo by Alan.

Autumn Leaves

Actually, Summer is what has taken leave, and with its leaving
it is time again to document the the annual autumnal display of
the famous "Judge Thieler Sugar Maple".

Here is the slide show that will be updated regularly.

Below are links to the photos from previous years for those who either

want to plan their visit for the days of peak color, or who want to

search for evidence of global climate change in year-to-year data.

• 2011
• 2010
• 2009

And here just for fun is a simulated 3D view of the tree at the end of summer.

Two Crescents

Venus and the waning crescent moon this morning.

Four centuries ago when Galileo saw through his telescope that Venus was also a crescent, he knew that the Sun was the center of the solar system, not Earth. He knew because if the Sun and Venus were both going around the Earth, Venus would never be a crescent, it would always appear gibbous to us.

BlueBird of Happiness

Cool is in session.

It doesn't matter when you get there
if you don't know where you're going.

Still Smokin'

The Chips fire is now three weeks old.  It now covers 32,000 acres.

Here are links to more information:

• InciWeb
• Local Newspaper

For a more active experience:

• Local Radio Scanner
• Twitter

The photo above was taken around 5:30pm and the one below around 8:30pm. Both are looking northwest from Quincy. All that stuff in the sky is smoke and ash from what was once trees.

Cold Cash

Installing a new cash cooling unit at Plumas Bank.

For updated reports about the Chips fire,

check InciWeb , PlumasNews, or #ChipsFire on Twitter.

More smoke

Judging from the latest news report, this may be the last photo with blue sky for a while.

Looking NW on CA highway 70 from near the Plumas County Courthouse.

The smoke plume from the "Chips" fire is clearly visible stretching
from northwestern Plumas County east into Nevada.