Collapsarian: skip this re-post if you don't want to be depressed, or just look at the pics of fish and twins

Hello all:

Amended Version

Dept of Re-emphasis: The NYer has published an even more dire climate change article that THB believes is worth getting even more depressed after reading

Extreme Weather, Bill McKibben NYer


And to cheer you up, a few more pics of the twins!

B'day cupcakes

Pics of the anemonefish are by Ana Martin from her Undersea 2019 Calendar (well, THB took pics of Ana's pics, so her quality is way better than what you're seeing here). If you're interested in buying a calendar (while they last), contact Ana at uwhabtat@comcast.net HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 

Spinecheek Anemonefish

THB was snorkeling in Hawaii in September this year.

THB was snorkeling in Bonaire, an island in the Caribbean just north of Venezuela, in August 2017.

The coral is bleaching out, dying. THB saw it in person; it is very noticeable even if you haven't snorkeled over many years as THB has.

THB and DB are on their way to Antarctica. Since this is his first trip to Antarctica, THB has no point of comparison. From the news and videos, THB knows the polar ice caps are melting away faster and faster, on their way to only forming during the winter and then melting during the summer.

Pic by DB...that's a Miller Park t-shirt on the THBfish, two San Ramon Angelfish posing in their pajamas in foreground 

THB does not think Jasmine and Cecily will be taking these trips, at least not for the reasons THB had for making them. THB thinks his own kids probably won't be making these trips in a few years, there won't be much to see: no ice, no icebergs, no penquins (or almost none).

As many of you know from following the blog, THB is a collapsarian, which means he doesn't think there is anything that is going to stop severe climate change from happening, the tipping point has been reached. 

Pic by K or E. These two San Ramon 1 year old juvenile angelfish are posing on a THB-assembled lime green Ikea chair-coral (their camping tent-coral is in the back left)

There's no collective political will to do try and stop the change, and it will take immense political will to even do something as important as subsidizing renewable energy sources and eliminating the use of carbon based fuels. That is not something democratic governments are in line to accomplish. And China isn't slowing down on coal either. And India's cities are so smog-ridden that there are articles on potential brain damage to children from the pollution. 

To help envision what is now the near-term, here's a link to a very short three page article in the October 15, 2018, issue of the New Yorker by Elizabeth Kolbert. Kolbert has been writing on climate change for the New Yorker since 1999. 

Now You See It (the article has a different title on-line) 

By continuing to use fossil fuels in opposition to the science (the warming of the planet through the burning of carbon was scientifically established in the 1940s), we collectively bet the planet.

The planet will evolve, most species living today will not and thus disappear forever, likely including humans. 

Pic by THB. of two San Ramon 1 year old juvenile Venetian angelfish in Italian dresses

Twins going to daycare on Halloween in aloha-hulagirl-fish outfits

Two of the day care infant staff dressed as bumblebee-fish; the twins went as juvenile aloha-hulagirl-fish

And on that cheerful note, THB and DB are off on another adventure with sporadic updates between now and November 26.

Bonus pics: 

THB and DB add a chair by Goro Suzuki to the loft

Front

Back

THB and DB add new stairs to the beach house upstairs deck

Our unit was one of very few multi-level houses without stairs off the upstairs deck

After the original construction in 1975, #206 (left) finally catches up with #208 (right)

Day 3: Yakima to E-ville

Day 3:  Yakima to Portland to E-ville

Mt Hood is visible at bottom of pic

 Quote of the Day: Really, you won’t wait for pastry?

Weather: Cool in early morning in Yakima, drizzly at lunch, raining at PDX, hot in E-ville with smell of smoke in the air

A brief trip to the FC for the 7 minute workout and stretches. THB and DB decide to walk to Safeway (about a mile away) to get another plastic tote bag for our unshipped apples and then arrange a stop on the walk back for breakfast at Essencia. Even though they’ve been open for 20 minutes, the pastries aren’t out. The coffee orders seem backed up even with only 7 people inside. Another few minutes go by without service and THB says: let’s have breakfast in the hotel…one of THB’s pet peeves is places that aren’t ready to open when they say they will, let alone not ready to open early.

Breakfast of yogurt, smattering of granola and fruit (included); we sit with J, now 75 + 1 day. She didn’t seem any different today. Hotel Maison: $462 for two nights which includes $10 for overnight parking and breakfasts. Finish up packing and posting (yesterday’s post: NUMBER SEVEN HUNDRED!!), around 9:30 we head to lunch with B&T near the Portland airport.

Former "poor house"

They have picked a special spot: McMenamin’s Edgefield. Two brothers have been re-purposing obsolete buildings in the Northwest into hotels and various assorted other semi-associated businesses: eateries, breweries, wineries, theaters and glass-blowing studios. Edgefield used to be a “poor house”. We got a peak at some of the rooms, complete with old style wallpaper, beds, and furniture of bygone eras, looking freshly done. Some of the hotels have en-suite bathrooms, some have communal restrooms. Some places that the brothers converted: schools, fire stations, power stations, etc. 

Get your McMenamin passport stamped

And, to THB’s delight, they sell, for $30, a “passport” where you can accumulate stamps from the various spots you might spend the night, drink or carouse….DAMN!!

We dine at one of the several possible on-site choices: the Black Rabbit. B and THB go for chilaquiles (THB has his con carne asada y salsa) and P and DB opt for the lobster rolls. P has a local cider (not up to Tieton Cider Works Ashmead’s Kernel, still pretty good), B and DB have hot tea and THB has ice tea. B and P treat!!!

Somebody famous in the history of the poor house?

The lighting in the hotel is very dim, this is the door to the women's restroom

Return the car to Budget off the airport and the shuttle back seems slightly more direct than the drop off when we arrived. $215 for 3 days of lots of miles of easy driving.

Southwest flight home, back in E-ville to hot weather and the smell of smoke from a fire in Vacaville.

Next trip: a cruise to Antarctica most of the month of November.

Day 2: Tieton (tye-uh-tun)

Day 2: Yakima and Tieton

This 18 month old knows right where to go to pick the low hanging fruit; he carried the bucket across a road and into the orchard on his own

Quote of the Day:  What did she say? Ashby? Ashmeal? Who’s the Colonel?

Weather: High 40s in early morning, 50s mid-day, low 60s to high 60s in the sun in the afternoon, cooling quickly in the evening

A former Masonic Temple

The view from our room in morning

THB gets a good night’s sleep, up early to visit the fitness center and check out the continental breakfast included with the room charge. Nothing special so we bundle up and walk a few block’s to an artisan bakery, Essencia. Beehive and Almond Kouign Amann (say what? Maybe kweege ah mahn), two Americanos, $15.

We’re not due in CC and SC’s Tieton orchards until 10:30 so back the room to relax and discuss how many layers to take with us. Last year we heard it was very cold (THB and DB couldn’t make it last year, something to do with imminent multiple deliveries). Hah!! Times have changed. When we show up and the rest of the 50 pickers are assembled, we’ve opted for warm undershirts and fuzzies, hat and cap. By the end of the picking at 1ish, we’re down to our warm undershirts.

Cool and clear

DB modeling the latest in apple-picking fashion (Josh doesn't look like he'll be picking today; turns out he is a twin, his bro lives in NY, he's in Seattle)

We're loaded onto 3 flatbeds and tractored hither and yon

Six or seven varietals to pick from, with Ambrosia (the first) and Ashmead’s Kernel (the last) are THB’s favorites. THB and DB are shipping apples back to E-ville and in between gathering enough for ourselves we do some picking for folks that weren’t able to make it today.

More pics from the picking:

Pollinator trees are spread throughout 

Ambrosia - excellent eating

Pinovas

A small set of non-commercial blueberry bushes

Lady apples: more for decoration than eating

How you know you're in the right place

This kid ain't goin' nowhere

Synchronized picking

Red Delicious looks almost purple while still on the tree

Tony our flatbed driver and 38 year employee showing DB the hidden horde of Nashi

DB and THB fill two bags, most of which will arrive later next week via truck

We’re back at the assembly point, time to pack up our pickings and head to the Tieton Cider Works for weighings, cider and tacos. Now we’re getting hot in the sun and a bit tipsy. The Ashmead’s Kernel draft cider tastes so much like the apples it’s scary (and scary good).

On our walk this morning we passed Gilbert Cellars and since we get to take advantage of CC’s shipping of apples, we’re going to add some cider and wine. A quick taste of Gilbert’s Allobroges  Red to reconfirm our taste of the wine with dinner last night (the 2014 is yummy) and we opt for a few bottles to go with the apples.

Nothing like sun, picking and alcohol to make an afternoon nap appealing. And to really encourage nodding off, there’s playoff baseball on TV. Yep, Indians at Astros.

{ed note: non-baseball fans can skip this brief paragraph}

For those of you who already think baseball is dreadfully dull, THB has some words of consolation for you…it’s more dull than you remember. How so? For the first time ever, there were more strikeouts this year than hits.

We’re back in Tieton for dinner at SC’s and CC’s architectural marvel in the midst of the orchards. They’ve also included J, a Seattle neighbor of SC’s and CC’s in Seattle who is celebrating her 75^th birthday today and P and S, friends that we’ve met before.

Art in common

A tour of the property below the house complete with a mandala of poplars and a sheltered orchard with apple trees over 70 years old and still yielding excellent fruit, followed by S’s fine cooking, gifts for all, and a lot of very lively conversation…accompanied by Ashmead's Kernel cider, Gilbert’s Allobroges and champagne.

Expressionistic view

CC giving us the lowdown, these trees are heavy with fruit

A section of the mandala has already turned

Growler of Ashmead's Kernel cider

Elkenploppen