EARTH....

[Number6]

I never did see a grunion run, but when surfing I'd often see them swimming around in the water. They do exist, and they do come onshore to spawn in the sand, and indeed you are only allowed to catch them with your bare hands.

My brother and I spent one summer practically living on the Imperial Beach pier fishing for sharks and bat rays. We'd get there early in the morning and leave around midnight. One night, as we were coming off the pier we noticed a lot of people on the beach and figured out the Grunion were running. There were two other guys with us who were from the East Coast and didn't believe us when we told what was happening until they joined us on the beach and say it for themselves.

The Hotel Del Coronado finally restored their huge wooden building that dates to the 1880s. It looks great. It's probably the best surviving example of late flamboyant Victorian architecture in the US. It's become trendy for tourist attractions in other cities to imitate it. Otherwise, they just don't make fun buildings like that any more.

Since 2005, the hotel underwent a $500 million makeover as well as adding 37 cottages. They also built condo-style building between the Del and the Coronado Shores high rise condos.

The nearby naval air base is where they took the Artemis II astronauts and their capsule after they got back from lunar orbit. The house near the bridge from San Diego that I've been known to mention here, which was known for pro-Trump and anti-everyone-else signs had nothing showing. Maybe The Donald really is losing his core constituency.

Yeah, those signs and MAGA flags are gone, and good riddance to them, but he does have a poster against the house that's hard to see with a picture of Governor Newsom spelling his name as "Newscum,"

The sand castle guy in front of the hotel got his walking papers after saying something bad about Republicans, and he's no longer a fixture on the hotel's beach. Too bad. Apparently he moved farther north to a beach more popular with locals, and he's now free to say what he thinks of the current bunch of crooks that the good voters of America stuck the rest of us with.

Here's a link to the story as to why he was fired.
https://coronadotimes.com/news/2026/02/ ... ave-beach/

It's still a good hideout for people from the movie business in LA.

During the annual Coronado film festival, the city pastes a square poster on the sidewalks of the famous actors, directors, writers, and others from the film industry that have worked in or visited Coronado.

[ZoWie]

That's just the famous ones. It really is quite the who's who of the entertainment biz. They know how to exploit their history. They were having a mural of Marilyn Monroe painted on a wall near the pool when we were there. They know how to advertise their past.

My favorite Del movie is the Stunt Man. It came out while I was in movie school, and so of course I took it as an essay on the epistemological consequences of the movie industry. Eli the semi-divine director making the same kind of entrance as a Destroying Angel, descending from heaven (or at least a camera crane) at the top of the frame. Etc. The line quoted on their one sheet was, "If God could do what we do, he'd be a very happy man."

They built a copy of one of the towers on the roof of the Del and blew it up for a special fx shot. Quite spectacular. They had WW I planes flying through the shot, same way the Ospreys appear out over the ocean.

Good information on the sand castle guy. Sounds like a personality clash. Art and corporate management are definitely When Worlds Collide.

My wife writes, and she's been known to speak at the book fair at the library down there.

[rainwater]

ive not been around lately. im dealing with some depression. i used to type fast on a reg typewriter not so currently.
good to see 'all yall

[ZoWie]

You too.

[ap215]

Get well soon Rain.

[ap215]

Tornadoes cut across Mississippi as severe storms damage 500 homes

Powerful storms that included at least three tornadoes tore through several Mississippi counties, damaging around 500 homes, uprooting trees and injuring at least 17 people, authorities said Thursday.

There were no immediate reports of deaths after the storms cut across the state’s southwest on Wednesday night, said Scott Simmons, a spokesperson for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

https://mississippitoday.org/2026/05/07 ... ssissippi/

[rainwater]

Get well soon Rain.

thanks all yall.
im getting out hiking the dog daily. i must inhale some oxygen.

[ZoWie]

Arizona is already into 100+ temperatures. Phoenix is more like 110.

LA is still running above average, though not much above. I suspect that the averages will start to creep up as the warmer years keep coming, but with over a century of records they will creep slowly.

[rainwater]

at least i have a mouse that works, now .
im watering my lawn of thick deep sweet grass, its october....

[ZoWie]

And the El Ninos just keep getting stronger.

Certainly helps explain the 95 degree LA heat wave in February this year.

https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/cvgzn11v421o

It is expected to strengthen over the next few months, peaking potentially as a very strong - or so-called super El Niño - in the autumn.

Scientists are concerned about the consequences it could have on global weather patterns, including the likelihood of 2027 being the warmest year on record.

In their latest outlook, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) suggest El Niño will begin within the month.

[ZoWie]

I've been reading up. It turns out that a fringe theory relating solar activity to the strength of El Nino events predicted that a strong El Nino would take place starting right about now. This theory is still in the testing stages, so it can't be considered valid with any kind of scientific rigor. All the data hasn't happened yet. However, it's one more suggestion as to why 2026-2027 will probably be a memorable weather event, even though nobody thought it would last year. This year, it's already started out as one, so we'll see what happens.

The connection, if there is one, would be due to a certain magnetic transition that happens at the end of a solar cycle peak, which we are most likely near. We'll know more next year. Right now, it's still a coincidence that the current cycle wound down about the same time the El Nino Southern Oscillation surprised everyone by starting in Hawaii around January.

It does at least seem more obvious every day that, at least for weather, we are living in interesting times.

[rainwater]

these rockies here have very little snow remaining on the tops. nice flow downstream still by july it will be hot. and dry.
AG water flows thru the canals.
i watered some grass yesterday and didnt realize it was so dry. this area has nice grasses sweet thick grasses.

we had little to no winter at 7000ft up. the masses of oak scrub that cover these mountains are all standing grey.
no spring for dead scrub. it covers these mountains. and chokes everything. birds cant build nests in this crap.

[ZoWie]

LA has settled into its usual May Gray, which might be a precursor to the usual June Gloom, though of course both of these annual events are often punctuated by 3-day sudden 98-degree F heat waves just to keep everyone off balance and aware that nothing makes sense in Southern California.

[ap215]

Earthquake magnitude 6.0 reported Saturday off Antigua and Barbuda

The U.S. Geological Survey National Earthquake Center reported a magnitude 6.0 earthquake 52 miles east of the islands of Antigua and Barbuda Saturday morning shortly before 11 a.m.

Affected countries included British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, U.S. Virgin Islands, Venezuela, Caribbean Netherlands, Saint Barthélemy, Antigua and Barbuda, and Anguilla.

https://www.wgcu.org/human-interest/202 ... nd-barbuda

[ap215]

Strong to severe storms possible in Kentucky and southern Indiana Saturday evening | Weather Impact Alert BLOG

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentuckiana is now under a Weather Impact Alert due to the potential for strong to severe storms as we head into the evening and nighttime hours. The Storm Prediction Center upgraded most of the region to a slight (2 out of 5) risk for severe weather with their midday update and with the increased sunshine this afternoon, the atmosphere has the chance to become more unstable, leading to the potential for stronger storms.

Several severe thunderstorm warnings have already been issued across Kentuckiana earlier today after wind speeds reached warning thresholds. As the afternoon progresses, decreasing cloud cover is expected, which could help destabilize the atmosphere and allow any developing storms to strengthen. That trend is likely why the Storm Prediction Center upgraded Kentuckiana to a slight risk.

https://www.whas11.com/article/weather/ ... 248432da4c

[ZoWie]

What is truly amazing around here is the daily vegetation fires way out on the desert where there just isn't very much vegetation. There's a web app named Watch Duty where people keep track of any vegetation fire that's big enough to require fire fighters to come and deal with it. They use the UC San Diego network of fire cameras bolted to radio towers on SoCal's many mountains. There are a lot of these now, and they can zoom in on just about anything between the southern border and Yosemite.

I can't turn on my phone without another alert for something in Palmdale (which has no palms, mostly it has sand). Ditto Lancaster, another city of sorts in another vast expanse of sand. There's never anything flammable in sight, but still, it burns daily, producing smoke clouds big enough to photograph from 20 miles away.

You know it's a bad fire year when the weeds in the desert burn.

[rainwater]

you know it's a bad fire year when the weeds in the desert burn.[/quote
and few to no ants. dog and i do studies of ant hills. locally now see plenty of small holes
pile with small hills. no big piles to watch. i suspect things are being altered, everywhere.

[ZoWie]

The fires are getting closer. Latest one is near the LA county line, way out in the valley.

[ap215]

Heat advisory, air quality alert for NYC, N.J. as hottest weather of the year so far settles in

New York City is under a heat advisory and air quality alert as unseasonably hazy, hot and humid weather settles in across the Tri-State Area.

A heat advisory is in effect from 11 a.m. Tuesday through 8 p.m., Wednesday for New York City and most of New Jersey. The heat index values will range from 95 to 100 degrees.

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/he ... c-weather/

[ZoWie]

Saw that. LA also has several advisories up, and of course there's a fire everywhere you look. In other words, October came early this year.

[ap215]

Longwood High School struck by lightning during severe thunderstorm

Longwood High School was struck by lightning Wednesday night during a severe thunderstorm, according to fire officials.

The bolt hit the Middle Island school’s gym, causing smoky conditions, they said.

https://longisland.news12.com/2026/05/2 ... DCiQ8AuvTG

[ZoWie]

No heat advisories today, but still fires all over the place. The biggest one is Santa Rosa Island, which is 17000 acres and counting. Now it's being fought, but not as big an effort as if it was in a populated area. The island was a great place for camping and just getting away from all, and it was part of a national monument. Now, not so great. All because some bozo shot off a flare the wrong way. Some joker with a flare gun burned the place to the ground. (Cue the guitar riff.)

Big flap in NW LA County outside Simi. Long time ago our taxes paid for a huge government contract for Rocketdyne or one of its affiliates to build a plutonium nuclear reactor out there. This thing promptly melted down, and now one whole big canyon is permanently uninhabitable. It's a no-go zone with big buffer spaces all around it.

If a different fire (Sandy Fire, 2180 acres and counting) gets into there, the smoke will contain plutonium instead of just ashes and soot. They'll be evacuating some big towns out there, not to mention (ironically) the Reagan Library.

So far they've stopped it. So far.

[ap215]

Magnitude 6.0 quake on Hawaii island felt throughout state

Hawaii island Mayor Kimo Alameda urged residents and businesses to report damage to their property from Friday night’s earthquake in South Kona.

“This earthquake was widely felt across Hawaii Island, and we encourage anyone who may have been impacted to check your homes and businesses for damage, including to utilities,” Alameda said in a news release. “Our staff at Civil Defense are waiting to receive your reports and our crews will be conducting on-site assessments to collect more data. Remember to stay safe, stay connected, and use all necessary caution when inspecting your property, especially around gas and electrical lines.”

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2026/05/ ... generated/

[ap215]

These incidents are blowing up the billionaires faces and i'm so enjoying it you reaped what you sow.

Bezos Rocket Named After Astronaut and Senator Blows Up in Massive Fireball

A rocket made by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin blew up on a launchpad in Florida on Thursday during a test.

The New Glenn rocket exploded seemingly without leaving the launchpad, damaging the pad and launching equipment. The test was being conducted before a planned future launch.

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/bez ... -blows-up/

[ZoWie]

Trouble is that they get perfected, and we still don't know for sure whether having a billion satellites all in low Earth orbit with re-entries and launches on a daily basis might end all life on Earth. Several mechanisms have been suggested for this happening. It could short out the equatorial ring current, or pollute the atmosphere beyond recovery, or several other things. Plus there'd be a constant rain of metal and some of it would surely hit something it shouldn't, like a nuke plant.

Talk about a high-risk decision. Nobody will be left to care that you're a billionaire, and anyway you will be dead too.