Robb Hannawacker

This close-up photograph captures the delicate beauty of a Milkvetch (Astragalus sp.) in bloom, documented at Lipan Point in Grand Canyon National Park. The image showcases the intricate morphology typical of the pea family (Fabaceae), highlighting a cluster of vibrant purple and white wildflowers against a softly blurred, sun-drenched background. Visual Breakdown * The Flowers: The focal point is a pair of papilionaceous (pea-like) blossoms. The petals transition from a deep, saturated magenta-purple at the tips to a pale, almost translucent white at the base. One prominent petal features distinct, pinstripe-like purple veins that guide the eye toward the center of the bloom. * Structure: The flowers emerge from a sturdy, pale green stem that appears slightly fuzzy or pubescent. Below the blooms, several small, oval-shaped green leaflets are visible, arranged in a pinnate pattern characteristic of the Astragalus genus. * Lighting and Composition: The shot utilizes a shallow depth of field, which makes the sharp details of the flower "pop" against the creamy, bokeh-filled backdrop of the Arizona desert floor. The warm, natural light suggests a bright spring day, illuminating the fine textures of the petals. Ecological Context Finding this Milkvetch at Lipan Point in mid-April is a classic sign of the Grand Canyon's spring awakening. Lipan Point sits at an elevation of approximately 7,360 feet, where the rugged terrain provides a harsh but unique habitat for these resilient perennials. Fun Fact: The genus Astragalus is incredibly diverse, with over 3,000 species worldwide. Many species in the American Southwest are known as "locoweed" because they can be toxic to livestock, though they play a vital role in the local ecosystem by fixing nitrogen in the soil.

Milkvetch
𝘈𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘱.

Lipan Point
Grand Canyon National Park
Arizona, USA
19 April 2015

Generated by GEMINI: This vertical photograph captures the serene Little Deer Creek Falls nestled within the rocky terrain of the Uinta Mountains in Utah. Taken in mid-August, the image depicts a slender, tiered waterfall cascading through a rugged stone gorge. The Waterfall The falls are the central focus, characterized by a white, frothy stream that contrasts sharply against the dark, wet rock face. • The Drop: The water begins as a narrow plunge at the top of a cliff and descends in a series of smaller veils and splashes. • The Flow: It follows the natural contours of the rock, stair-stepping down a dark, recessed crevice that suggests years of gradual erosion. Geological Features The surrounding canyon walls are composed of massive, blocky sandstone or quartzite common to the Uintas. • Texture: The rock faces are highly textured with horizontal fractures, deep shadows, and weathered edges. • Coloration: The stone varies from pale tan and beige on the outer sunlit surfaces to deep charcoal and black where the rock is saturated by the mist of the falls. Vegetation and Setting The starkness of the stone is softened by hardy subalpine flora. • Evergreens: Vibrant green coniferous trees, likely subalpine fir or Engelmann spruce, grow precariously from the cliff edges and the base of the canyon. • Foreground: A blurred evergreen branch in the left foreground provides a sense of depth, making the viewer feel as though they are peering through the forest at the hidden falls. • Lighting: The soft, even light suggests either an overcast day or that the falls are tucked away in a deep, shaded alcove, preserving the lush green tones of the late summer foliage.

Little Deer Creek Falls

Duchesne River
Uinta Mountains
Utah, USA
15 August 2018.

Text generated by GEMINI: This crisp wildlife photograph features a Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus) perched on a weathered branch in Denali National Park & Preserve. Captured in early May, the image showcases the bird's subtle beauty against a muted, out-of-focus forest background. The Subject: Boreal Chickadee The chickadee is the central focus, shown in profile facing left. It displays the classic markings of the species: • Cap and Face: A soft, dusky brown cap (rather than the black cap of its cousin, the Black-capped Chickadee) sits above pale white cheeks and a distinct black bib under its beak. • Plumage: Its back is a grayish-brown, while its flanks show a warm, cinnamon-brown wash that contrasts with its white underparts. • Features: The bird has a small, dark, pointed beak and dark eyes, giving it a bright and alert expression. The Environment The bird is perched on a network of thin, lichen-covered twigs. These branches appear dry and rugged, characteristic of the subarctic boreal forest. The lighting is soft and natural, likely from an overcast Alaskan sky, which prevents harsh shadows and brings out the fine details of the feathers. Composition and Atmosphere • Background: The background is a soft, "bokeh" blur of grays, whites, and dark browns, suggesting a lingering winter or early spring landscape in Alaska. • Vibe: The photo captures a quiet, intimate moment in the wild, highlighting the resilience of this small songbird in a vast, rugged environment like Denali.

Boreal Chickadee
𝘗𝘰𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴

C-camp
Denali National Park & Preserve
Alaska, USA
2 May 2009.

Text generated by GEMINI: This stunning photograph captures the iconic Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, acting as a natural stone frame for the vast, rugged wilderness beyond. Taken on a late February day, the scene beautifully juxtaposes the warm, orange-hued sandstone against the cold, winter elements of the high desert. The Foreground: Ancient Stone The underside of Mesa Arch dominates the upper and left portions of the frame. Its surface is textured with deep grooves and weathered layers, glowing with a soft, reflected light that highlights its rich ochre and terracotta tones. In the lower foreground, jagged boulders are dusted with patches of pristine white snow, a reminder of the freezing temperatures common in the Utah desert during late winter. The Midground: Deep Canyons Through the "window" created by the arch, the eye is led across a dizzying drop into the Island in the Sky district. The landscape is a labyrinth of: * Sheer cliffs: Vertical drops showing millions of years of geological history. * Stone spires: Dark, towering monoliths (like Washer Woman Arch or Monster Tower) that rise from the canyon floor. * Shadow and Light: The low winter sun creates long, dramatic shadows that accentuate the depth and complexity of the buckled earth. The Background: Snow-Capped Peaks In the far distance, the horizon is anchored by the La Sal Mountains. These peaks are heavily blanketed in snow, their pale blue and white silhouettes providing a cool contrast to the fiery reds of the foreground canyons. Above them, a soft, overcast sky with thin layers of gray and white clouds suggests a quiet, still atmosphere. The composition creates a powerful sense of scale and timelessness. The arch feels like a protective, ancient gateway overlooking a silent, frozen cathedral of stone.

Mesa Arch

Canyonlands National Park
Utah, USA
27 February 2019

This close-up photograph captures a delicate **Desert calico** (*Loeseliastrum matthewsii*) in bloom at **Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA**, taken on April 3, 2014. The flower stands out vividly against its arid surroundings. Five slender petals spread outward in a star-like arrangement, each petal a rich pink with darker magenta speckles concentrated toward the center. The throat of the flower fades to white, creating a striking contrast that draws attention to the reproductive structures. A pale, curved style extends gracefully from the center, tipped with a yellow stigma dusted in pollen. Surrounding the blossom are dense, green stems covered in fine white hairs and sharp spines, emphasizing the harsh desert environment in which this fragile-looking flower thrives. The spines jut outward in multiple directions, creating a protective barrier. The shallow depth of field softly blurs the background, isolating the flower and highlighting its intricate textures—velvety petals, speckled markings, and bristly stems. The image beautifully contrasts softness and severity: the vivid, almost delicate bloom emerging from a tangle of thorny, resilient desert vegetation. The lighting is natural and bright, enhancing the pink hues while revealing the fine hairs and textures of the plant. Overall, the photograph captures both the subtle elegance and remarkable toughness of desert wildflowers in springtime bloom.

Desert calico, 𝘓𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸𝘴𝘪𝘪. Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA 3 April 2014

What a composition!

He gives me the heebeegeebees. Another populous. But he'll say things that sound so genuine, thoughtful and eloquent; like, "Louisiana, go fuck yourself!"

One of the only things I enjoyed coming from Trump's mouth, "Iran in Israel been fighting so long, they don't know what the fuck they're doing!"

He gives me the heebeegeebees. Another populous. But he'll say things that sound so genuine, thoughtful and eloquent; like, "Louisiana, go fuck yourself!"

One of the only things I enjoyed coming from Trump's mouth, "Iran in Israel been fighting so long, they don't know what the fuck they're doing!"

Join us for some essential viewing — this month's SPARK webinar! ✨
What: Awareness to Action - Combating Autism Disparities in Black Communities
Who: Natasha Nelson of Supernova Parenting
When: Wednesday, February 25th at 12:00 pm EST
Join us via Zoom: bit.ly/4kvElxy
(1/2)

Whoa

Ironically, post retirement, ChatGPT 5 + Speechify, have kept me intellectually engaged.

Good science documentaries, podcasts, scholarly lectures, have a similar effect on me, as my academic years 1993-2002.

Retiring because of chronic illness, is hell, since I had purpose as an educator.

Most reasons that I use AI:

• Chronic illness (advocate, insurance, scrutiny over treatments, etc)
• Dyscalculia/dyslexia (reading assistants)
• Social advice (communication)
• DYI (Auto & RV)
• technical policies, procedures
• Questions of the human condition & science
• never for friendship

I'm in a bind, since LLMs help me get along for personal use. I'm intellectual, though I have an intellectual disability. I live off grid, so maybe ethically it balances somewhat, with my water consumption and solar generated energy. Mass data processing, has been a prosthetic, of sorts.

A single Joshua tree stands in sharp silhouette against a desert twilight sky. Its trunk rises straight and dark from the low, scrub-lined horizon before branching into irregular, angular arms tipped with clustered crowns of spiked leaves. The form is spare and sculptural—both awkward and balanced—like a figure paused mid-gesture. Behind it, rounded desert hills sit in shadow, their contours soft and subdued. The foreground is nearly black, with only faint hints of grasses and yucca shapes blending into the dusk. The tree becomes the dominant vertical element, anchoring the frame. The sky carries the scene. Near the horizon, a band of warm color—apricot, peach, and pale gold—lingers from the recently set sun. Above that, the gradient cools into muted blues. Broad, elongated clouds stretch horizontally across the scene, their undersides brushed with lavender and mauve. One long cloud appears to hover just behind the tree’s upper branches, accentuating the silhouette. The overall atmosphere is quiet and transitional. Light is fading but not gone; the desert holds a residual glow. The contrast between the dark land and luminous sky emphasizes the isolation typical of high desert landscapes. There is no visible human presence—only the stark geometry of the Joshua tree and the slow shift from day to night. The composition feels balanced: a solitary vertical form intersecting layered horizontals of cloud and hill. The result is restrained, contemplative, and distinctly Mojave—an emblematic desert scene defined by space, silence, and the last light of evening.

Post Master General:

𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘻𝘪𝘱 𝘤𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯?

Mayor:

𝘗 - 𝘛 - 𝘈 - 𝘙 - 𝘔 - 𝘐 - 𝘎 - 𝘈 - 𝘕

Post Master General:

𝘏𝘢𝘩𝘢 -- 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘗u𝘩-𝘵𝘢𝘳m𝘶g𝘢𝘯?

Mayor:

𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯-𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥.

Post Master General:

𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯, 𝘈𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘢 99732 USA

A quiet desert scene at twilight, dominated by a vast, open sky that fades smoothly from deep indigo at the top to soft violet, pink, and pale lavender near the horizon. The colors blend without sharp edges, giving the sky a calm, almost weightless feel, as if the light is slowly exhaling after sunset. In the foreground, the land is rendered almost entirely in silhouette. A tall Joshua tree stands to the right, its thick trunk rising straight before branching into irregular, angular arms tipped with dense, spiky clusters. The tree’s dark outline is crisp against the luminous sky, emphasizing its sculptural, almost otherworldly form. Farther left, smaller Joshua trees repeat the shape at a distance, reinforcing the sense of scale and depth. Low, gently rolling hills form a dark, uneven horizon line across the lower part of the image. Their contours are subtle, suggesting desert terrain without drawing attention away from the sky. Near the center-left, a few smaller yucca or desert plants appear as sharp silhouettes, adding texture and variety to the foreground. There are no people, structures, or artificial lights visible. The scene feels still and expansive, with a sense of solitude typical of high desert landscapes. The emphasis is on contrast: solid black land and vegetation set against a luminous, color-rich sky. Overall, the image conveys calm, openness, and a fleeting moment of transition between day and night in a desert environment.

So, apparently the folks upset that they couldn’t understand Bad Bunny’s lyrics really like these:

A broad desert scene unfolds under a pale blue sky with scattered white clouds. In the foreground stands a dense grove of Joshua trees, each with a rough, fibrous trunk that splits into irregular, upraised arms. The arms end in spiky green rosettes, giving the trees a bristled, almost animated silhouette. They are spaced unevenly across sandy, tawny ground dotted with dry grasses and low desert shrubs, suggesting an open but resilient ecosystem adapted to arid conditions. To the right of center rises a prominent cluster of rounded granite boulders, stacked and fractured like a natural stone tower. The rock surfaces are smooth and weathered, colored in warm tans and muted grays, with subtle shadows emphasizing cracks and ledges shaped by erosion. Behind the boulders, Ryan Mountain dominates the background. Its broad slope ascends gently but steadily, darker and more massive than the foreground rocks. The mountain’s surface shows patches of exposed pale granite and darker scrub-covered areas, revealing the complex geology of Joshua Tree National Park. The mountain’s scale contrasts with the smaller trees and rocks below, giving a strong sense of depth and distance. The overall mood is quiet and expansive. The scene conveys the stark beauty of the Mojave Desert in autumn: dry air, resilient plant life, ancient stone, and wide open space, all viewed from Hidden Valley within the park on an October day.

Ryan Mountain
A view from Hidden Valley
Joshua Tree National Park
California, USA
21 October 2014

Join us for an engaging talk with Dr. Daniel Swain on California’s climate and extreme weather events. As global temperatures rise, the atmosphere’s capacity to hold water vapor increases rapidly. This “expanding atmospheric sponge” raises the ceiling on how intense precipitation can become, yieldi Dr. Daniel Swain | Weather and Water Extremes on a Warming Planet: The California Experience

If you weren't able to attend in person or missed the livestream, a recording of my presentation on "Weather and Water Extremes on a Warming Planet" is now available! Thanks again to Aquarium of the Pacific 🐋 for the invitation, and for making this event so accessible!

Smart dude!

Contribute to Alex Vindman for Senate Become a donor to Alex Vindman's campaign for Senate today.

...𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰- 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘚 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘢.

𝘐 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘚 𝘈𝘳𝘮𝘺... 𝘪𝘯 2019 𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘥 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱’𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘜𝘬𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦...

...𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘸 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵...

YouTube video by Forbes Breaking News FULL HEARING: Facebook Whistleblower Testifies Before Senate Judiciary Committee

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Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism

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The Social Dilemma - A Netflix Original documentary We tweet, we like, and we share- but what are the consequences of our growing dependence on social media? Discover what's hiding on the other side of your screen at TheSocialDilemma.com

thesocialdilemma.com

Protect Our State’s Elections From Federal Voter Intimidation Text SIGN PLBIXU to 50409 to send this to your officials.

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Split DHS Funding—ICE Must Not Survive This Budget Text SIGN PRBJXH to 50409 to send this to your officials.

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