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Rode a local bus to the hillside town of Frigiliana. Wandered through a maze of steep streets past whitewashed houses.

We divided into three teams for a scavenger hunt I’d created for the GooseChase app. The theme of six “missions” was “Nerja Rocks (Literally).” Goofy photographic evidence was encouraged; pixelation protects reputations.

We’ve been talking for months about revisiting this restaurant by the beach for paella. There was plenty paella to feed the six of us at lunch, including two teenagers. In the foreground, shrimp are being rinsed in a sink, and chopped-up wooden pallets wait to fuel the fire.

Arrived Nerja, Andalucia, on schedule after our overnight journey. Took a selfie on the grounds of our hotel for the next week.

Posted An Unplanned Flight.

Our backpacks wait near the front door for tomorrow’s trip. We’re strong proponents for traveling light, but we’re bringing a few extra clothes this time because we won’t be walking much more than a mile at a time with the packs. These 35-liter packs will still easily fit the overhead bins.

Posted Backpacking in Southern Spain and Portugal about a trip we’re about to take with our nephews and their parents.

Started gathering gear for an upcoming trip to Europe. All expense was spared on the SIM removal tools.

Today was my monthly “drug run” to a pharmacy about 10 miles away by bicycle. Picked up a med at Hy-Vee for $184; at my local Walgreens it’s $2,754. On the way, stopped to take in the slow decay of the former Fruen Mill.

Cycled, then stopped for a bit of art and lunch at the Walker. Revisited the Hockney exhibit, where I was reminded he’s much more than gorgeous Los Angeles swimming pool pix. Over his career he’s worked many forms, including stage set design. This large-scale model was for a provocatively titled opera, Les Mamelles de Tirésias.

Cycled trails on both sides of the Mississippi, including this recently repaired section that had been underwater. At this point we’re on the St. Paul-side looking across to Minneapolis.

I’m anticipating some meals with interesting ingredient combinations: we’re running the freezer down before a trip next week. Cue the song, “Lime Jell-O Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise.”

Spent the morning mapping and logging issues for each of eight irrigation zones on a rooftop deck on our building. Used a Google Maps satellite image that shows every garden bed and planter.

I love the name of this device: Time-of-Flight sensor. It measures distance by bouncing a laser beam off a surface. Today I started figuring out how to use it to measure water depth in a tank for our indoor garden. As always, software is the challenge. I’ve previously used ultrasound for this application, but stray… Continue reading Time of Flight

On a day when women lost a Culture Wars battle, and it was clear people like Dwight and me would be the next target, met lovely people, straight and LGBTQ+, at a Pride gathering in our community room.

I sometimes point my bike through this yard where sculptors work. I like the accidental sunlight flare on the lens creating a mystical water effect at the bottom. Continued my ride while imagining interpretations of the sculpture, not knowing if it was unfinished.