Maria Langer

writer • silversmith • jewelry artist • boat captain • commercial helicopter & drone pilot • traveler • maker • weather nerd • independent thinker Don't blame me; I didn't vote for him. I TRY to maintain a No Politics Zone. (Failing lately.) I have a low tolerance for bullshit. I want to follow interesting people who share stories and images from their own lives. Original quality content rocks. Make some. .

Personal Blog: http://www.AnEclecticMind.com/
Boating Blog: https://www.MyGreatLoopAdventure.com/
Helicopter YouTube Channel: https://www.YouTube.com/c/FlyingMAir/
Jewelry Site: https://www.MLJewelryDesigns.com/

Public Key

npub10vr7rt6avkrzx0p0jpvuq9k48safeyp59p0ajz7lmemnwf80xqxsz8a88z

NIP-05 Address

mlanger_at_mastodon.world@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs8kplp4awktp3r8sheqkwqzm2ncw5ujq6zsh7ep00auaehynhnqrgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsk02kw9

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub10vr7rt6avkrzx0p0jpvuq9k48safeyp59p0ajz7lmemnwf80xqxsz8a88z

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Last Notes

2026-07-23 21:03:32 UTC

There are hollyhocks growing in profusion at the entrance to our local Fred Meyer supermarket. They are just past prime bloom and those seed heads down the stalks are calling me. I have hollyhocks at home that grow pretty well, but they are all the same brownish purple color. Ugh. These are much nicer colors. Do you think it would be awful if I went over there and helped myself to a pint size container of seed heads? #gardening #SeedTheft

2026-04-29 20:56:51 UTC

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My experience with boating certifications is that they are money grab. Companies create certifications. They charge instructors to get certified to teach them. They charge students to get certified. The source company makes and sells training material of average quality and doesn't make sure that their testing materials have just one correct answer per question. This has been my experience with the power boat division of American Sailing, American Boating.

2026-04-26 13:17:38 UTC

I've been quiet lately because I'm on a job in my own boat. I've got a client on board and I'm working with him to get him some experience in a single engine motorboat. We anchored at Sucia's Echo bay yesterday, hiked on the island, and a reasonably good grilled tritip steak for dinner. This trip is also part of the boat's shakedown cruise, so I'm looking for problems that need resolving before I release the boat to charter guests. #boating #PNW (1/2)
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/471/198/698/795/271/original/20c98f894993048d.jpeg
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/471/198/950/221/364/original/b25b6328b20bd288.jpeg

2026-04-26 11:57:11 UTC

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I would like to try building something like this one day. Not sure how much it would be used, though.

2026-04-22 10:22:02 UTC

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Can you take your family with you on any of these work trips?

2026-04-13 03:19:29 UTC

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You lost me at #5. A murderer is a murderer. You sink to their subterranean level when you make asinine suggestions like this.
Related: emoticons are for joking. I don't see one. And it wasn't very funny anyway.

2026-04-11 02:50:40 UTC

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Thanks! I am a total sucker for reflections.

2026-04-11 02:31:20 UTC

The light is really nice right now. #boating #MarinaLife #BoatLife #sunset
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/383/722/998/500/172/original/ec67faa84d50e7ab.jpeg

2026-04-05 20:52:15 UTC

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Love the lighting on this.

2026-04-02 14:35:22 UTC

Well, the sun came out, which I'm very happy about. I wanted to grab a shot of the mountains with the snow on them because I really think all that snow will be gone by noon. Temperature should get into the 50s today but it's usually warmer in the sun. I'm really looking forward to getting out into the garden.
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/335/609/230/572/679/original/32446c0db3eac452.jpeg

2026-03-18 12:35:11 UTC

RE: https://mastodon.social/@fesshole/116249199061416985
This would be absolutely heartbreaking if it happened to me.
#note1ju0…3q3t

2026-03-14 14:20:33 UTC

#FirstLight is best light, #snow edition. 😉
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/227/967/044/681/240/original/ed71981d3eccb7e0.jpeg

2026-03-12 14:18:50 UTC

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I'm sorry, I can't. This was over a year ago. I've given up.
Understand that I wrote computer how-to books for a living for more than 20 years. I would typically get beta software without any documentation, figure it out, and write about it in a way that beginner to intermediate users understood. When I can't figure something out, there's probably something wrong.
And when the software doesn't act the way the documentation says it should, there's definitely something wrong.

2026-03-11 22:31:35 UTC

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I have attempted to give them a hand. I bought a copy of the printed manual; it's awful. I've tried participating in the forums and ran up against people who apparently have nothing better to do with their time than criticize the input of newcomers. I'm not willing to help people fix documentation that they apparently believe is perfect. (It's not.)
So I'll deal with it, glad that I no longer write for a living and have to spend more time with Writer than I do.

2026-03-11 15:51:08 UTC

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I'd really like it if you could rework the documentation or create a version of the documentation for Microsoft Word users. I've got 30 years of experience using Microsoft Word and recently switched to Libre Office. There are things I should be able to do in Libre Writer that I could easily do in word but I can't figure out how to do them in Writer. Your documentation and the forum that supports it falls far short of where it needs to be to support former Word users.

2026-02-28 09:46:11 UTC

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Wow! This is a surprise. I thought you were settled in. Any chance of a hint about where you're going?

2026-02-27 19:42:03 UTC

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Many of my smart devices require 2.4.

2026-02-20 21:13:43 UTC

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…arranged for a ride to the shuttle stop, wrote up and sent a contract for captain services, created and sent an invoice for the cost of the airfare and a deposit toward services rendered, completed an insurance form, had lunch, and drove 2 miles to my mailbox and back to retrieve a package “delivered” by Amazon.
How’s your day going?
Also, are you going to tell me an AI could do any of that faster that I did? (2/2)

2026-02-20 21:13:43 UTC

It’s now 1 PM. Since waking up at 5:30 this morning, I showered, had coffee, drove into town, had an annual physical, met a friend for breakfast, dropped something off at the hospital, went food shopping, drove home, put away groceries, booked a multi-city flight from Seattle to Ft Myers (tomorrow) and Orlando to Seattle (next week), booked a round trip shuttle ride to SeaTac from Wenatchee, arranged for a housesitter to come watch my dogs,… (1/2)

2026-02-18 00:43:21 UTC

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My neighbor just got a "great deal" on a pickup truck from a local used car dealer going out of business. After taking it to get new tires put on it, he realized two things: (1) why it was a good deal and (2) why the dealer went out of business.
He says that after putting $3000 into it to get the front end fixed up, he basically spent what he should have for the vehicle. So not such a great deal — but not terrible either.

2026-02-15 17:48:38 UTC

#SilentSunday #DeathValley
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/075/902/871/519/630/original/a6d398ff2b348fa3.jpeg

2026-02-12 21:11:02 UTC

Less than 100 miles from home. 🙄
This is why I pay for roadside assistance. I'm sitting in my camper, debating whether I should make myself some hot cocoa while I wait for the tire change guy to come.
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/116/059/711/826/803/060/original/36e6d1f2272cf654.jpeg

2026-02-05 17:25:06 UTC

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I've been watching the weather back home (the Wenatchee area of Washington) very closely for the past few weeks. The lack of snow and relative warm winter has convinced me to head home early. But are you saying now that it's likely to get cold? I'm planning on returning around Presidents' Day, but I will delay my arrival if there's any snow or daytime freezing temperatures in the forecast.

2026-02-04 20:41:58 UTC

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🤣🤣🤣

2026-02-04 20:34:25 UTC

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The Epstein files are so enormous, I wouldn't be surprised if there were other innocent people "exposed" that way.

2026-02-04 01:48:28 UTC

I bought a dragon fruit for the first time in my life. They had a bunch of them at Fry's in Yuma and one of them felt slightly soft, which I assumed meant it was ripe. I watched a video about how to cut it open and slice it. Pretty easy stuff. It reminds me a lot of of a prickly pear cactus, but has white flesh with lots of tiny black seeds that you can eat. Not very sweet but I'm wondering if maybe it wasn't ripe? I liked it! I'll have the other half with my cereal tomorrow.

2026-01-25 19:54:50 UTC

I stopped at a very crowded Black Bear diner for lunch. Scored a counter seat without waiting. But wow! It's loud in here.

2026-01-23 12:58:41 UTC

One of the things I'm doing these days is getting more practice with my #drone with plans to use it more frequently. I found an excellent #YouTube channel that provides basic to intermediate information in short, manageable videos. No hype! Although it covers lots of DJI products, it's got a bunch of videos for my drone, the DJI Mini 4 Pro. If you are a drone pilot or just thinking about becoming one, I recommend his channel.
https://www.youtube.com/@thedronecreative

2026-01-22 14:15:16 UTC

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I keep getting weather reports from home. And I'm also watching the weather. I'm flabbergasted that they don't really have an accumulation of snow on the ground. Temperature seem to be getting into the 20s every night and 30s every day lately. Every time there's snow in the forecast for later in the week, the forecast changes in the snow disappears. If this goes on for another month, I'll go home two weeks early.

2026-01-09 00:19:36 UTC

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Is Lake Shasta full again?

2026-01-05 16:08:33 UTC

The last two rings: Fire Opal and turquoise. I've made a total of 8 rings since coming to AZ. I'm keeping this turquoise one. #silversmithing
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/843/354/613/980/114/original/70f149567fa148ed.jpeg

2025-12-29 23:21:36 UTC

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Even I'm not that old. My first diskette was 5 1/4.

2025-12-29 20:09:29 UTC

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I am old enough to remember how everyone freaked out when the first iMac didn't have a disk drive.

2025-12-26 00:51:29 UTC

I love it when I can get a little creative (and funny) with #photography. Here's my truck, camper, and cargo trailer parked at our campsite at sunset. Yes, that's the moon way up there; I had to get down low to include it in the shot. This is a wide angle picture I shot with my iPhone. 🤣 #RVLiving #RoadTrip
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/783/125/460/967/167/original/f5e6fc8e7a7cab76.jpeg

2025-12-25 19:35:04 UTC

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Technically, the Department of Defense is still that. But yeah.
I can't wait until we get a real president to reverse all the damage he's done.

2025-12-23 15:55:22 UTC

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Hashtags are a blessing and a curse. The #boating hashtag is widely abused by bots and porn accounts that use it to spam. And don't get me started on the "professional" photographers who share their mediocre photos with 20 or more hashtags to get their for-sale images in front of as many people as possible. I report every single instance of hashtag spam and hope others do, too.

2025-12-23 15:10:07 UTC

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I read this too and I was about to respond that you should follow @npub19xy…lkfq and then I realized that he boosted your toot. I think #geocaching is a great way to get out and about with the kids.

2025-12-21 19:36:29 UTC

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What I failed to mention is when I got to the very top two guys arrived on mountain bikes. We chatted briefly and it turns out that one of them is the guy that actually built the trail I came up on and he was going back down that way. For you, this would be a very easy hike. For me it was a bit of an achievement. I can hike on level ground or downhill all day, but put an uphill trail in front of me and it takes a long time. 1:45 to get up, :35 to get down. 🤣

2025-12-21 19:04:32 UTC

I'm not sure if this will work, but it's a link to guide a GPS showing today's hike and some of the photos I took along the way. I can't stress enough how strenuous this hike was for me and how thrilled I am but I was able to complete it. https://www.gaiagps.com/public/fEOq3hZmZZH2Yt3xjkL6zzz7
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/759/111/907/445/305/original/0127663fecd2857b.jpeg

2025-12-13 17:39:31 UTC

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What's interesting is that sometimes new trees sprout in my garden beds. I dig them out and plant them elsewhere in the yard. Someday I'll have lots of big trees. But I'll probably be gone by then.

2025-12-13 17:32:08 UTC

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I have one very large tree that drops a lot of leaves. I don't rake them. Eventually, they either decompose or get blown away.

2025-11-30 16:40:19 UTC

These freaking dogs are too damn cute. #DogsOfMastodon
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/639/636/351/777/197/original/2dff50a6812f3789.jpeg

2025-11-24 20:37:39 UTC

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It's been unusually warm this autumn. I've only seen one frost so far and I'm at a higher elevation than Wenatchee. I suspect Yakima has similar weather with very little snow on the east side of the Cascades.

2025-11-21 00:25:06 UTC

Going through some drone shots still on the card. Some of them are from a year ago.
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/584/840/582/318/299/original/96dc2d3f42b2d0ed.jpeg
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/584/840/699/749/720/original/2eaa19edd12c39a4.jpeg
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/584/840/840/275/057/original/1c94cefbe8750e11.jpeg

2025-11-20 16:42:01 UTC

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Oh, joy! Why did I think you were homeschooling?

2025-11-20 15:59:17 UTC

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It was misting here this morning but now its just a high overcast.

2025-11-18 14:07:24 UTC

PassageMaker has put the article I wrote for their print publication a few months ago online. You can read it here: https://passagemaker.com/destinations/great-loop/my-mostly-solo-great-loop-adventure/

2025-11-17 15:08:39 UTC

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I've been living here for 12 years now and I cannot remember any period of time with so much rain. It's really getting tiresome.
Outside my window is fog. My home's elevation is about even with the cloud level.

2025-11-17 00:17:24 UTC

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We had a terrible dry spell this summer. And yes, from my work in Ag starting in 2008, I can confirm that it's drier here than ever.

2025-11-13 14:13:23 UTC

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Raining in Wenatchee right now.

2025-11-13 11:22:54 UTC

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Agreed. We are moving backwards as a country.

2025-11-03 14:56:45 UTC

Question for #Apple home automation users. I want to set up an automation where I get an alert when the temperature on one of my sensors drops below a certain value. There does not seem to be a way to send an alert. I must be missing something because this is pretty basic for home automation. Any ideas? #SmartHome

2025-10-31 16:04:56 UTC

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Maybe I should also mention that there's a wildfire airbase right across the river from my house and they commonly dip in the Columbia river, which is between my house and that fire base? Since Wenatchee lost about 24 homes in a wildfire a bunch of years ago, the fire crew are on it now and never let fires get close to homes. I feel somewhat safe.

2025-10-31 16:00:57 UTC

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This would affect me if they instituted in Washington. Personally, I don't want to pay for wildfire insurance. My house is made of metal and I keep good defensible space around it. I also have a decent fire suppression system to keep the flames away. Damage to my home due to wildfire would be minimal. Yet my insurance rates go up every single year due to wildfire risk in my area. I'm tired of paying to cover other people's risk.

2025-10-31 13:54:03 UTC

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How long do you leave them up?

2025-10-31 13:43:45 UTC

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On November 1?

2025-10-31 12:07:49 UTC

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I can't even imagine what it must be like now, 40 years later. I'm sure the development out there is out of control. I don't understand how people can tolerate sitting in a car on a major road that just isn't moving.

2025-10-31 11:57:07 UTC

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That seems like a great trip, taking a train to Cape Cod. I remember going on a road trip there from NYC with some friends on a weekend back in the 1980s and the traffic was absolutely horrendous. I have very little patience for traffic. I've been wanting to take a train trip but Amtrak's pet policy won't work for me.

2025-10-31 11:47:19 UTC

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Wow! I'm really impressed that they had an entire train car dedicated to bicycles. I suspect that's a rarity.
The buses in my area have racks on the front they can hold 2 or 3 bikes but I seldom see bikes on them. The closest bus stop to where I live is about 6 miles away and it's all downhill from my house (and all uphill on the way back). I've been thinking about taking my bike into town (in the back of my truck) to do the 11 mile bike trail but I always seem to find some excuse.

2025-10-29 14:58:29 UTC

Nice light this morning. #iPhonePhotography #NoFilters #Wenatchee #FirstLightIsBestLight
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/458/041/995/187/169/original/fd2d13c30e7a6af9.jpeg

2025-10-28 18:32:29 UTC

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I’m still not understanding why people trust their content to third parties at all.
My content mostly lives on WordPress “self-hosted” sites on an ISP’s server. But I have backup copies of every single word and image in case the ISP goes down or locks me out. This isn’t expensive or difficult, folks.

2025-10-28 15:18:13 UTC

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The one that wiped out the Florida Keys? Or was that 1938?

2025-10-27 13:17:38 UTC

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I'm just glad that it's not showing it inside my garage. I don't need that location tagged on AIS.

2025-10-27 13:14:59 UTC

For some reason, I think it's hysterically funny that until April 2026, my boat's AIS position will be just getting on the I-5 freeway south of Bellingham, W.A. (Last winter, it was on I-90 in Bellevue.)
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/446/310/370/848/765/original/a7609d47bb95cbc9.png

2025-10-26 22:04:57 UTC

#SilentSunday #RightNow #iPhonePhotography #NoFilters
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/442/731/958/980/798/original/69a030e985d05772.jpeg

2025-10-13 13:09:30 UTC

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I passed one of these mini protests on an overpass the other day and was sure to honk and wave as I went under them.

2025-10-10 02:08:27 UTC

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I was hoping to drive home via the north cascades highway, but not in that weather. 😔

2025-10-01 16:37:16 UTC

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Around meaning circumnavigation. All sides, including the ocean side.

2025-10-01 12:47:33 UTC

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I have an opportunity to join a flotilla around Vancouver Island next year and after seeing the kind of winds that can happen out there, I'm just going to say no.

2025-10-01 12:43:42 UTC

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I just think this is amazing.
Doesn't look as if it'll come onshore, though, does it? I know the wind speed is going to be pretty high in the San Juan Islands until around midday tomorrow. I'm hoping next week is much calmer since I have a training cruise scheduled with a client from North Carolina. I'd like him to enjoy the week.🤞🏻
I'm just bummed that it's too rough out in the bay to set my crab traps now that the season has started again.
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/298/967/273/348/573/original/3d5b1d1255945aa8.png

2025-10-01 10:28:40 UTC

Whoa! This looks just like a hurricane off the coast of Vancouver and Seattle. What gives, @npub19xy…lkfq?
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/298/436/276/813/383/original/c2be1bad47b3071c.png

2025-09-29 15:56:13 UTC

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I ask because the drawback of cruising on the West Coast is the limited sheltered bays along the Pacific. If you get up here into Puget sound, the San Juan islands, and the inside passage, there are plenty of places to go that are safe and protected when the weather turns. The benefit of cruising on the East Coast is that you can cruise north and south with the seasons and the ICW is mostly very sheltered.

2025-09-29 15:47:27 UTC

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Buying on the west coast?

2025-09-29 14:27:50 UTC

I should not have waited to tie that fifth dock line to the boat. The rain just started and the wind is blowing it horizontally. The boat is trying very hard to get away from the dock. I am fortunate to be behind a solid stone breakwater, as close to land as possible. I really feel bad for the folks out on charters this week because the weather is supposed to be like this until Friday. I'm not going anywhere and just hope that it clears up by Saturday.
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/288/052/168/798/387/original/8481e9e578d9b878.jpeg

2025-09-29 14:21:29 UTC

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It's brutal here in Bellingham. I'm just glad we got back yesterday while it was still calm. The wind is howling and gusting. The boat is drifting around in the wind while tied up at the dock in the marina. I'd planned to back out later today but between the forecast and an unforeseen engine hiccup, it looks like I'll be here until Saturday at least. I feel bad for the charter boats that are out in this crap because it doesn't look like it's going to get any better until Friday.

2025-09-29 14:13:17 UTC

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Motor cats are always an option.
The one in the link you shared is extremely spacious, but who the hell wants to deal with sails?
Would you live aboard at a marina or travel?

2025-09-29 03:30:03 UTC

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That's a sweet looking boat.

2025-09-16 12:23:27 UTC

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I can finally see the Enchantments again (after so much smoke) and it looked like there might be a dusting of fresh snow yesterday morning. New snow on the Enchantments is my indicator that summer is really over.

2025-09-12 21:58:01 UTC

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I won't ask you to stop hating them. I hate them too. But what I think is wrong is if either one of us tells other people that they need to hate them or commit acts of violence on them.
But that's what so many of them are doing because of their hate for us. It's just so wrong. But what Michelle Obama said is true: we should never stoop to their level.

2025-09-12 18:27:13 UTC

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The hate being spread these days is stupid and irrational. How can you hate someone just because you don't agree with them? How can you hate someone because their skin is a different color or they speak a different language or they go to a different place of worship? Or come from another country?
Having that hate is stupid, but spreading it is downright wrong. I really don't think it needs to be more complex than that. (2/2)

2025-09-12 18:27:13 UTC

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I'm not understanding your point here.
In my mind, it's OK for one person to hate another when there's a reason to hate them. I might hate a neighbor because they gave me nothing but grief while they lived across the street. I don't think that's unreasonable. But I also don't think it's a good reason spread my hate and try to make other people hate them, too. Or to suggest/encourage violence against them. (1/2)

2025-09-12 17:22:13 UTC

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There's too much hate out there. I really believe it's the root of the problems our country is having these days. Dividing us with hate when we have so much in common. How completely fucked up is that?

2025-09-12 13:56:22 UTC

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I'm sorry, but although I lean firmly to the left, I can't swallow anything coming out of Mother Jones. It is for the left like Fox News is for the right. And MSNBC is right there with it.
My thoughts on all sides of this topic are simple: selling hate is wrong. It is the politics of someone like Hitler. Do we really need that in this country? I don't think so.
And I don't need Mother Jones or MSNBC to tell me this. It's pretty fucking simple to anyone with a brain.

2025-09-12 02:43:22 UTC

I had dinner outside on the deck. With the sun down and a nice breeze blowing, it's cooled down considerably. The only sounds I hear at the wind in my big cottonwood tree (which sounds like a waterfall) and my wonderful wind chimes. (There is nothing quite like a GOOD set of wind chimes.)
The air is smoky but not bad enough to smell it or burn my eyes. I wish fire season was over or that we never had fire season anywhere.
But it's so nice to sit outside and enjoy a calm evening.
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/189/031/302/224/590/original/2eb65ea51cda3562.jpeg

2025-09-09 00:48:30 UTC

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I remember the first time I was at the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado. I lived in New Jersey at the time and I think I went there within 24 hours of my arrival in Colorado. I walked from the rental car to some sort of visitor center and was completely out of breath. It wasn't until I saw medics giving someone oxygen that I understood why.

2025-09-09 00:45:25 UTC

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Until people who live at sea level start passing out.🤣🤣🤣

2025-09-07 11:26:40 UTC

#SilentSunday
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/162/768/985/663/868/original/6516821c52f6080b.jpeg

2025-09-05 13:16:45 UTC

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Kind of funny story here. I bought my second horse, a beautiful paint quarter horse, from a neighbor who neglected to tell me about his unruliness. I worked with him for about a year and then went on a ride with the neighbor out in the desert. I was last in line when we got to a gate. My neighbor was about to dismount to open it. "I'll get it," I said. I rode right up on that horse and opened the gate from horseback. I thought her jaw would hit the ground.🤣
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/151/877/215/633/342/original/b07679846c99ab86.jpeg

2025-08-25 18:43:01 UTC

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I actually read the journal of a woman who crossed with her family in a wagon train in 1850. It was eye-opening.
One thing that sticks to my memory is them trying to move their wagons down a muddy, rocky trail and, in the course of a day, only managed to move 60 feet.
Another thing was the group missing a turn for the last water source for many miles and having to go back to try to find it.
And collecting buffalo patties as fuel for fires.

2025-08-14 23:48:00 UTC

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I've heard that some boats have seawater taps in their galleys so they can rinse dishes with outside water before washing them. That sounds like an excellent feature, but a hack might be to just fill a bucket from whatever body of water you're in and rinse the dishes in that before washing. I'm actually pretty good at washing dishes with minimum water use; I learned how after 20+ years of RVing.

2025-08-14 20:27:13 UTC

New Dockwa Blog Post: The Less Glamorous Side of Long-Term Cruising
Another exclusive article for the Dockwa Blog.
https://mygreatloopadventure.com/2025/08/less-glamorous/

2025-08-14 13:05:12 UTC

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After two weeks in the public steam bath called Florida, this will be like heaven.
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/115/027/260/962/994/245/original/ad23a97f2031db0b.jpeg

2025-08-09 22:44:28 UTC

Some interesting thoughts on enshittification, by the man who coined the term, @npub1fdr…lvhs :
https://pluralistic.net/2025/07/31/unsatisfying-answers/#systemic-problems

2025-08-05 18:24:07 UTC

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Both. Sorted.

2025-08-03 19:25:16 UTC

Well, things are not going swimmingly. The port engine is overheating and the starboard engine can only push this puppy at 9 MPH. We called TowBoatUS just in case that starboard engine crap out, too. But because he can only tow us at 6 MPH, we're cruising under our own power for as long as we can. #boating
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/114/966/470/015/108/991/original/dc17e34b3b0c0ef0.jpeg

2025-08-01 15:30:34 UTC

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Compare to my home three hours earlier in the day.
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/114/954/222/520/179/567/original/839c42cd13a7afee.jpeg

2025-07-31 23:58:01 UTC

How do people live in this?
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/114/950/553/966/497/077/original/ff5292d7e98115bf.png
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/114/950/555/589/073/793/original/fb4befbbed133a00.jpeg

2025-07-28 19:17:48 UTC

I got this spam message only a few minutes ago. The account was created yesterday. I had no contact with this person, yet he sent me this spam message. When I went to report it, I found that the account had already been deleted.
I report all of this shit. Who knows how real it is?
When you pay money to strangers here in a response to an appeal, you open the doors to all kinds of scammers and spammers. JUST STOP IT.
Want to help? Find LEGIT charities and send THEM money.
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/114/932/466/782/405/618/original/6417b699e365c26e.png

2025-07-28 17:42:05 UTC

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I know there are predators in my area so I built a secure enclosure for them that includes fencing over the top (to keep out eagles and hawks). Although a neighbor's dog managed to get in early on, after some improvements it was like a chicken Fort Knox.

2025-07-28 17:10:53 UTC

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Oh, I wish I could have chickens again! But I go away every winter and my housesitter doesn't want to deal with them. So now I'm chickenless.