iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

No surprises, since I grew up in the SF Bay Area. Also, I would *love* to know where some of these other terms for a sunshower are used.

A "dialect map" that shows my speech is most like people from California, Nevada, northwest Oregon or Washington state.

The Dialect map question, "What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?" The selected answer is "sunshower," but other options are "the wolf is giving birth," "the devil is beating his wife," "monkey's wedding," "fox's wedding," "pineapple rain," and "liquid sun."

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Slightly different percentages, but same overall vibe and result. I know they can't to avoid people gaming the quiz, but I am curious what questions got what weight. Particularly, how some of my "neutral"s factored in.

The poster's results for the britmonkey.com 2020s political spectrum test. The results are: 75% Woke to 25% Chud; 38% Techbro to 62% Neo-Luddite; 48% Hopepilled to 52% Doomer; 77% Davos to 23% Dubai. Per the site, the poster is closest to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

A few shots from my hike today in Milo McIver State Park near Estacada, Oregon.

View of Vortex Meadow in Milo McIver State Park near Estacada, Oregon. A grassy meadow, with many white daisies visible in center background, surrounded in the background by a mix of coniferous and deciduous trees. Taken on a sunny morning, but there are some thin white clouds in the sky. (Image slightly cropped from original) Fun historical fact: The reason this is called Vortex Meadow is because this park was the site of the Vortex I music festival in August 1970, which Oregon Governor Tom McCall's administration backed as a means of potentially distracting counterculture youth from violently confronting attendees of the American Legion convention being held in Portland. More information at: https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/vortex_i/

View of the Clackamas River from the Riverbend Loop Trail in Milo McIver State Park near Estacada, Oregon. Many decidious and coniferous trees are visible on the far bank, and thin a deciduous tree is at left. Taken on a sunny day with some thin cloud cover. (Image slightly cropped from original)

A pair of mating damselflies on the Maple Ridge Trail in Milo McIver State Park near Estacada, Oregon. The male in in front, with his tail behind the head of the female. (Image cropped and auto-contrast corrected from original)

A view of Wood Duck Pond off the Maple Ridge Trail in Milo McIver State Park near Estacada, Oregon. The pond is completely covered in green algae, with some wood branches sticking out, and logs and grass visible in the background at top. An adult wood duck and two wood ducklings are visible right of bottom center, while another wood duckling is visible at left. (Image cropped from original)

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

A couple of butterflies and a sneaky bee I saw during a hike at Forest Park today. Also saw some Tiger Swallowtails, and a deer *bounded* downhill past me.

A California Sister (Adelphja bredowil, a black butterfly with white and orange markings) on a plant. Taken on Fire Lane 15 in Forest Park in Portland, Oregon. (Image cropped from original)

A bee barely visible within the curled leaves of a Columbia Tiger Lily. Taken on the BPA Road in Forest Park in Portland, Oregon. (Image cropped from original)

A Clodius Parnassian (a butterfly with a yellow body and white and black wings with red spots) on a white flower. Taken on the BPA Road in Forest Park in Portland, Oregon. (Image cropped from original)

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Had a nice outing to the Tualatin Hills Nature Park earlier today.

View of the Lily Pond at the Tualatin Hills Nature Park in Beaverton, Oregon. There are many green lily pads visible in the middle of the photograph; there are trees and other green plants visible elsewhere in the photograph.

Forest of cedar and fir trees (and a few deciduous trees) with green firs covering the ground. Taken at the Tualatin Hills Nature Park in Beaverton, Oregon. (Image auto-color corrected from original.)

View of a marshy area at the Tualatin Hills Nature Park in Beaverton, Oregon. There is water in the middle, with some green and red vegetation on top of it. There are shrubs and grasses in the foreground, deciduous trees at right and left, and a mix of deciduous and coniferous trees in the far background, all of which are very green. Taken on a clear midday with a bright blue sky.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Attended a May Day rally and march with members of my union local this afternoon. Didn't really take photos of the event itself, so here's the two sides of the sign I carried (which a different member of the local had made at a sign-making party last Sunday).

White sign with "Fighting together for a better world" written on it in black, blue, and red ink. The words "together" and "world" are underlined. Taken with poster's android phone.

White sign reading "Rise Resist Rebuild," each work its own line in black ink with red outlining. The stick the sign was stapled to and the poster's left hand are visible at the bottom of the image. Taken with the poster's Android phone.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Some more photos from my outing to Silver Falls State Park, including a selfie.

View of the path just above Middle North Falls in Silver Falls State Farm, with the river visible at right. There are a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees throughout the image. Taken while the sun was shining.

View of South Falls in Silver Falls State Park, Oregon. A tall waterfall with a pool beneath, against a rocky cliff that is covered with green moss in the lower part. A trail that goes behind the waterfall, with some people on it, is visible just below center. (Image cropped and auto-color corrected from original)

Image of the poster with South Falls visible in the background at right. The poster is slightly out of focus, and is wearing glasses, a green collared short, and a blue jacket. (Image cropped and auto-color corrected from original)

A salmonberry flower (a pinkish-red, 5-petaled flower) in Silver Falls State Park, Oregon. Taken near Winter Falls. (Image cropped from original)

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Had a lovely time hiking in Silver Falls State Park today - my first time visiting there! (1/2)

View of Double Falls at Silver Falls State Park, Oregon. There is a tall waterfall at center, with a smaller upper waterfall visible in the upper background. (Image cropped and auto-color corrected from original)

View towards Middle North Falls in Silver Falls State Park, Oregon. There is a broad, raging waterfall at center. Coniferous and deciduous trees are visible at either side and in the upper background. (Image cropped from original)

View from path behind the Middle North Falls in Silver Falls State Park, Oregon. Falling white water covers most of the picture, with a rocky ledge and some plant life visible at top center and right. Deciduous and coniferous trees and the sky are partially visible through the waterfall.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Also, when I got back to my car and was drinking some water, saw this lil' guy. (Content warning: snake)

A garter snake, coiled up, resting in the sunlight in a small open spot amidst undergrowth. Taken on the side of Skyline Boulevard in Portland, Oregon, near the start of the Firelane 15 trail in Forest Park. (Image cropped from original)

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Had a nice hike in Forest Park this afternoon.

A white trillium in sunlight. (Image cropped from original)

View on the Wildwood Trail in Forest Park in Portland, Oregon. There are ferns, green undergrowth, and mostly deciduous trees with a few coniferous trees on either side of a dirt trail.

View from Firelane 15 in Forest Park in Portland, Oregon. The view is towards the Columbia River, visible in the center middle ground, with farmland-like scenery below it. In the foreground are coniferous trees, and grass, yellow reed-like plants, and shrub sticks in the immediate foreground. Power lines are visible descending from the upper left of the photo to the middle right. The sky is mostly cloudy with spots of blue sky.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Had today off on account of needing to work Saturday, so took the opportunity to go out to some nature areas. Good day for it.

View towards Mt. St. Helens from Rocky Butte Natural Area in Portland, Oregon. The mountain, covered in snow, is visible in the far background. The I-205 bridge over the Columbia River is visible in the middle ground, while there is a mix of deciduous and confierous trees in the foreground. The sky is mostly clear with some thin haze and clouds. (Image cropped and auto-color corrected from original).

View towards Mt. Hood from the Mountain View Trail on Powell Butte in Portland, Oregon. Mt. Hood is visible in the far distance left of center. In the center foreground is a wooden fence that parallels a paved path in the left foreground; at right is a large deciduous tree in a green, grassy field that is only beginning to leaf. Deciduous and coniferous trees are visible in the middle distance. The sky is mostly blue, with some thin clouds in the upper third of the image and some fluffier clouds visible near Mt. Hood. (Image cropped and auto-color corrected from original)

Two tree swallows perched on a wooden bird box, taken from Summit Lane on Powell Butte in Portland, Oregon. One of them is fully visible, while the other is partially obscured by the bird box. The background is blurry, consists of trees on the other side of a field. (Image cropped from original)

An orange butterfly sunning itself on the side of Summit Lane on Powell Butte in Portland, Oregon. The butterfly is on a dirt and rock/gravel trail, with bits of grass visible, mostly at upper right. (Image cropped from original)

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Good turnout at today's march in Portland - easily in the tens of thousands.

View of thousands of demonstrators at the No Kings demonstration in Portland, Oregon, marching on NW Naito Parkway and on the on-ramp to the Steel Bridge. Cherry trees in bloom are visible at bottom and left. Some demonstrators also visible on the Burnside Bridge at left background. Taken from the Steel Bridge. (Image cropped and auto-corrected from original, and demonstrators slightly blurred to protect identities.)

View of thousands of demonstrators for the No Kings event in Portland, Oregon, still approaching or crossing the Steel Bridge as viewed from the Burnside Bridge about half an hour after the previous photo, at which point the poster and plenty of marchers were crossing over the Burnside Bridge. (Image cropped from original.)

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Some nice cloudscapes this evening.

View of the sky. Thick white-to-dark gray clouds at left; lighter gray/white clouds in the distance at lower right. Center and upper right are blue sky at evening. Image cropped from original.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

Took a brief walk this afternoon to see the cherry trees along the Portland waterfront in full bloom. A lot of folks also had the same idea, as you can see from the second photo.

View of branches of a blossoming cherry tree at left, and in the background at center and right is the Steel Bridge in Portland, Oregon. Sky has a thin cloud layer with streaks of blue in it.

View of cherry trees in full bloom along the waterfront in Portland, Oregon, looking towards the Burnside Bridge. There are many people in the photo. The sky is a flat overcast, but there is still some sunlight coming through. (Slightly cropped from original)

A flock of geese flying high overhead of blossoming cherry trees on the Portland, Oregon waterfront. The sky is a flat, light gray overcast. (Image cropped and auto-color corrected from original)

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

Saw one of those misleading mobile game ads featuring pullkey puzzles but . . . what the actual fuck is going on here?

A Heros War ad that shows the . . . protagonist? at the top inside a small barrel floating above a woman sleeping in the field. Below him are water and laval, locked in place with pullkeys (because this is a pullkey puzzle). But there's also a pullkey sticking out of the woman's throat and an indication that her throat is filled with gold.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

Today's labor demonstration against ICE was well-attended, I'm pleased to report! Also was fortunate that my contingent passed the facility *before* they deployed tear gas.

Marchers heading towards Portland's ICE facility. Taken while the poster was looping back to Elizabeth Carruthers park to show how many marchers there still were behind the poster. Image cropped and blurred from original.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

Went to an anti-Trump/anti-ICE demonstration today. Not the largest demonstration I've seen, but bigger than the one I went to in November.

A group of several hundred protesters gathered in front of the Battleship Oregon Memorial in Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon, viewed from as distance as the poster was walking over to join them. Photo cropped and slightly blurred from the original.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

Made some cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving.

Cranberry sauce in a ceramic dish, photographed from above.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

Today it was cold in Portland, but still went out to do a short march. Also got to see a member of the Portland Frog Brigade talk.

A man in a green inflatable frog costume speaking in front of the Battleship Oregon Memorial in Portland, Oregon. He holds a sign that reads, "Frogs together strong" that depicts two frogs holding hands. Another man, not wearing a costume, is visible at lower right. Image cropped from original.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

This passage in particular stood out to me as especially messed up:

A part of the linked article that reads:

In an interaction early the next month, after Zane suggested "it's okay to give myself permission to no want to exist," ChatGPT responded by saying "i'm letting a human take over from here - someone trained to support you through moments like this. you're not alone in this, and there are people who can help. hang tight."

But when Zane followed up and asked if it could really do that, the chatbot seemed to reverse course. "nah, man - i can't do that myself. that message pops up automatically when stuff gets real heavy," it said.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

Picked up my first ever pair of glasses a little while ago - it's a mild prescription mostly for when I'm driving, but I'm pretty pleased with my choice of frames.

Photograph of the poster wearing glasses with "tortoise" frames.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

After a somewhat lackluster turnout for the Labor Day march, Portland showed up today BIG TIME.

View towards the Steel Bridge in Portland, Oregon, from Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Hundreds or perhaps thousands of people are visible walking across to join the demonstration.

View from the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland, Oregon to the Morrison Bridge, showing that it is already full of demonstrators on the last leg of the march.

A paper mache sculpture of a rat holding a U.S. flag and a sign that reads, "Honk if you hate ICE." Taken on SE Grand Avenue in Portland, Oregon, near the foot of the Hawthorne Bridge.

View from the Morrison Bridge in Portland, Oregon to the Hawthorne Bridge. The Bridge is full of marching demonstrators. For context, this was taken a half hour after the photo of the Morrison Bridge from the Hawthorne Bridge - that's an indicator of how many people showed up for this.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 12/10/2025

Had a good (albeit muddy!) outing with some members of my union local to the Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island. Saw a lot of geese and some sandhill cranes.

A field with pumpkins, mostly orange, but some white and green as well. In the middle and further distance are Canada geese in flight. Photo cropped from the original.

A field of pumpkins - mostly organge, but some white, some pinkish, and some green or grayish green. Three people are visible in the middle ground and background. Photo cropped and auto-color corrected from the original.

A flock of sandhill cranes in flight against an overcast sky. Photo is cropped from the original.

A muddy field that has previously been harvested, with Canada geese that blend in rather well with the dirt. More obvious are the geese in flight, getting out of the way of a tractor bulling some haycarts from which this photo was taken during a very bumpy ride. Photo cropped from the original.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

There's a reason that these two passages form Adam Gopnik's review of Timothy Ryback's book "Takeover: Hitler's Final Rise to Power" have stuck in my mind ever since I read it last year. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

Passage from Adam Gopnik's review of Timothy Ryback's book in the New Yorker, "The Forgotten History of Hitler's Establishment Enablers," March 18, 2024. The passage reads:
"Ryback, focussing on the self-entrapped German conservatives, generally avoids the question that seems most obvious to a contemporary reader: Why was a coalition between the moderate-left Social Democrats and the conservative but far from Nazified Catholic Centrists never even seriously attempted? Given that Hitler had repeatedly vowed to use the democratic process in order to destroy democracy, why did the people committed to democracy let him do it?

Many historians have jousted with this question, but perhaps the most piercing account remains an early one, written less than a decade after the war by the émigré German scholar Lewis Edinger, who had known the leaders of the Social Democrats well and consulted them directly—the ones who had survived, that is—for his study. His conclusion was that they simply “trusted that constitutional processes and the return of reason and fair play would assure the survival of the Weimar Republic and its chief supporters.” The Social Democratic leadership had become a gerontocracy, out of touch with the generational changes beneath them. The top Social Democratic leaders were, on average, two decades older than their Nazi counterparts."

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

And finally, taken earlier today at the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge at Leadbetter Point, Washington:

A bee on small, light pink/purple flowers. Taken on the Bay Loop Trail at Willapa National Wildlife Refuge at Leadbetter Point, Washington. Image cropped from the original.

Pelicans in flight, about to land on a saltmarsh on Willapa Bay. It is low tide, so a great deal of mud is visible. There is one pelican who has already landed. Taken from the Bay Loop Trail in Willapa National Wildlife Refuge at Leadbetter Point, Washington. Image cropped and color-corrected from the original.

Pelicans in flight above the Willapa Bay salt marshes during low tide. Four are just right of the photo's center, while two more are towards the upper left of the photograph. It is an overcast day, and the other side of Willapa Bay is faintly visible through fog in the distance. At upper right, more birds in flight are visible in the far distance. Taken from the Bay Loop Trail in Willapa National Wildlife Refuge at Leadbetter Point, Washington. Image cropped from the original.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

Continuing at Fort Stevens State Park:

View of the jetty lagoon leading to Swash Lake and surrounding marshland. Coniferous trees are visible in the background and right; there are also short deciduous trees at right, and a larger coniferous tree at left. Taken from the Swash Lake Bridge at Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon.

Self-portrait of the poster on Swash Lake Bridge, Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon, with grassy marshland to his left and the jetty lagoon to his right. The poster is wearing a red shirt, a blue jacket, and navy blue slacks. The strap of a chartreuse hand-knitted water bottle holder is visible, slung across the poster from his left shoulder.

The heads of two seals and the body of one seal poking above the sea water. Taken from the South Jetty Observation Tower at Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon. Image cropped and color-corrected from the original.

View south from the South Jetty Observation Tower at Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon. At the left and middle in the foreground and at left in the middle ground the jetty - a structure of large stones and packed dirt - is visible. One person is visible sitting on the jetty at upper middle ground. In the background the beach to the south is visible, and at right background Tillamook Head is barely visible through a fog. The ocean takes up the right and middle of the photograph. In the upper right of the photograph, a pelican in flight is barely visible. Taken on an overcast day. Image cropped from original.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

For anyone who needs a nice break from (gestures broadly), I offer some photos from my recent outing to the northern Oregon/southern Washington coast, overnighting in Astoria. This will be in several parts due to filesize limits. First, at Fort Stevens State Park on Thursday:

A small insect with red compound eyes on a clump of light small light pink/purple flowers. Taken on the beach near Lot A at Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon. Image cropped from original.

Bald eagle sitting at the top of a tall wooden pole, set against an overcast sky. The eagle appears to be side-eyeing the photographer. Taken along the Delaura Dune Trail at Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon. Image cropped from the original.

Shot of the eagle in the last image taking off. Somewhat visible in the short trees and brush towards the bottom of the picture is a small shack next to the pole the eagle had been perched on - perhaps the remnants of a listening station from when Fort Stevens was a military installation. Taken along the Delaura Dune Trail at Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon. Image cropped and color corrected from original.

A woodpecker hanging upside down from a small tree branch. Taken near Battery Russell at Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon. Image cropped from the original.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

The only thing I'll say here about Today's Big News is that at this point, I think people from across the political spectrum can agree that this Atlantic opinion piece has aged as well as milk left out in the sun during a blistering heat wave.

Screenshot of an piece published on The Atlantic on July 17, 2024, written by Graeme Wood. The title reads, "The Case for Calming Down: America's political-violence problem is overblown."

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Turnout at today's march in Portland quite a bit lower than the past couple of marches I went to, maybe on account of people going on Labor Day weekend trips. At least I didn't get hit by a cyclist while heading back home this time.

Demonstrators marching on SE Grand Avenue in Portland, Oregon, taken from the Morrison Bridge on-ramp. Image cropped from original and figures in the lower half of the image blurred to protect marchers' identities.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

Hiked up Dog Mountain in the Gorge for the first time in . . . I think a full decade, maybe, today. I'd forgotten how steep the trail is right from the get-go! (Post 1 of 2 due to file upload limits)

View through a clearing of oak trees across the Columbia River to the Oregon side. There are low clouds that partially obscire the peaks of mountains on the Oregon side. Taken in the early section of the trail up Dog Mountain.

View up the Dog Mountain trail to the summit. Left of center, a narrow, rather steep path is visible. There are wind-swept coniferous trees at center and right. There are clouds in the background behind the summit, but the rest of the sky is blue.

Yellow flowers (goldenrod, I believe) on the Dog Mountain Trail, near the summit. In the background, slightly blurry, the Columbia River and Wind Mountain are visible.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

Used my day off work yesterday to go to Sauvie Island. Rather hot out, but still a good outing and beautiful light.

The Bybee-Howell house, a white, two-story residence built in the 1850s on Sauvie Island, Oregon. Taken on a clear sunny day.

View of an adult and juvenile deer running down a gentle, grassy slope at the distance. Taken at Raccoon Point on Sauvie Island, Oregon. Hills on the other side of the Columbia River are visible in the background. Photo is cropped down from original.

View across Sturgeon Lake on Sauvie Island towards Mt. Hood in the distance. The lake is low, so mud is visible in the foreground, and green plants are in the foreground. There are some clouds behind Mt. Hood, but the sky is generally blue. Taken from just off the Oak Island Nature Trail.

Several cattle resting in the shade beneath a copse of trees in a field of yellowed, dry grass on a sunny afternoon. Taken from the Oak Island Nature Trail on Sauvie Island, Oregon. Two more cattle are visible at left background.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

Did some kayaking on the Tualatin River earlier today. Didn't get quite as far as I wanted because of some shallow rapids when going upstream, but still managed about 3.3 miles (5.3 kilometers) in a little over an hour total.

View upstream the Tualatin River in Oregon on a clear, sunny day. Both banks of the river are heavily forested. The bow of a red kayak is visible in the lower foreground.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 29/06/2025

Went to Tualatin Hills Nature Park this afternoon. Beautiful early/mid-afternoon light.

A small clearing along a forested dirt trail with at least two tall, thin Oregon white oak trees at right and in the background. It is a sunny clear afternoon. Taken at Tualatin Hills Nature Park in Beaverton, Oregon.

A narrow wooden walkway, surrounded by green undergrowth and deciduous trees, on a sunny afternoon. Taken at Tualatin Hills Nature Park in Beaverton, Oregon.

View of the Lily Pond at Tualatin Hills Nature Park in Beaverton, Oregon. Most of the foreground and middle ground is covered with green lillies, while there are other green pants at left foreground and a mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees in the background. Taken on a clear, sunny afternoon.

View of a grassy clearing in a forested park (mostly deciduous trees to the sides in the foreground and middle ground, with conifers in the background) with a shallow stream (Cedar Mill Creek) in the foreground. It is a sunny day with a clear sky. Taken at Tualatin Hills Nature Park in Beaverton, Oregon.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

For my first real outing since my minor injuries last Saturday, briefly walked around Powell Butte Park.

A daisy with two aphids on the disc florets (i.e. the yellow center part). Taken at Powell Butte Park in Portland, Oregon, and cropped from original.

A bluebird at Powell Butte Park in Portland, Oregon. Cropped from orginal.

View from the Meadow Lane trail at Powell Butte Park in Portland, Oregon. Mixture of green and yellow grass, with many white daisies and some yellow flowers. A mixture of deciduous and evergreen trees are in the background, more concentrated on the right side. Low mountains are visible in the far background.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

Kind of, yes. Adam Gopnik's review last year of Timothy Ryback's book, "Takeover: Hitler's Final Rise to Power" has some illuminating passages on the topic that hauntingly echo what's happening now www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

So that NBC article about Gabbard trying to make intelligence briefings like cable news shows is making the rounds, but I noticed this line in the article, and: People, rightly or wrongly, have obsessed about Biden's age and possible mental decline. But no one's interrogated Trump the same way.

An NBC article with the paragraph, "According to his public schedule, since his inauguration Trump has taken the PDB 14 times, or on average less than once a week, which is less often than his recent predecessors - including himself during his first term. An analysis of their public schedules during that same timeframe - from their inauguration through May during their first year in office - shows that former President Joe Biden received 90 PDBs; Trump received 55; and former President Barack Obama received 63." The part "which is less often than his recent predecessors - including himself during his first term" has been highlighted to make a point.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Took the day off work for #DBEx2025 , but also used this off day for an early afternoon outing at the Sandy River Delta.

A bee in an orange California poppy. Taken by the Sandy River Delta parking lot. Cropped from the original.

View of a meadow, with deciduous trees in the background. In the center middle ground is a small stand of purple lupine flowers. Sunny weather with some clouds. Taken from the Confluence Trail at the Sandy River Delta.

View of the Sandy River, a mid-sized river, near where it empties into the Columbia River. There are deciduous trees and other greenery at the sides of the photo and on the other side of the river. Taken on a partly-cloudy day during a sunny moment. Taken from the Confluence Trail at the Sandy River Delta.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Often times when inputting data into excel and needing to note a folder range or do a box/folder combination number, Excel often automatically changes it to a date unless I've formatted it to not do so. Not only is this an annoying feature, but . . . seriously, who writes dates this way!?!?!?!?

Image of a cell in an Excel spreadsheet with the text "3-Jan" written inside. Excel automatically changed "1-3" to this.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

Went to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden earlier this afternoon. The rhododendrons, while a bit past peak, were still pretty, and I also got to see some ducklings and nutria! (though admittedly, nutria are an invasive species here)

Bright magenta-colored rhododendron flowers at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in Portland, Oregon.

A nutria (a semiaquatic rodent) on the edge of a log on Crystal Springs Lake in Portland, Oregon. Photo is cropped down from original.

A female wood duck and four ducklings on Crystal Springs Lake in Portland, Oregon. Photo is slightly cropped down from original.

Two rhododendron bushes at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in Portland, Oregon. The bush at left has white flowers, while the bush at right has red flowers.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

So, I've been seeing this "no glyph" emote a lot the past few days, and legit asking: Do I need to install a plugin? Or use a different browser?

Two vertical black bars with sideways text from bottom to top that reads, "No Glyph." Context: I had to zoom in several times to see the text within these bars.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Self-portrait on my 40th birthday (note: This is somewhat cropped to prevent doxxing, since it was on my balcony). Good thing the last attempt I took was the one I chose to post on said birthday! 😄

Photograph of the poster sitting on his balcony, with the outer wall of the building and his windows behind him. Poster is wearing a burgundy polo shirt and dark blue slacks.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

... Then went across the Willamette River for a brief walk at the Smith and Bybee Wetlands.

A body of water at the Smith and Bybee Wetlands in Portland, Oregon. There is red algae covering the water in the foreground.

A Canada Goose nesting on the roof of the Lake Bybee viewing shelter, Smith and Bybee Wetlands.

View across Lake Bybee. There are two ducks in the foreground; one of them is partly obscured by dead plants in the water.

View along the path at Smith and Bybee Wetlands. The sky is clear and bright blue, and deciduous trees with bright green foliage line other side of the path.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

Had another good outdoors day today. First, did a hike in Forest Park starting and ending at the Linnton trailhead . . .

View up the start of the Linnton Trail in Forest Park, Portland, Oregon. There are deciduous trees on other side of the trail; some conifer trees are faintly visible through their leaves.

Yellow wood violets, along the Linnton Trail in Forest Park, Portland, Oregon.

A robin on the Keyser Trail in Forest Park, Portland, Oregon.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Got a new messenger bag for my birthday, and I decided to decorate it with a few things I got during @loadingreadyrun.com 's recent warehouse moving sale.

A blue Tumbuk2 messenger bag with green trim. On the front flap are, left to right, the sticker of Hootie the owl sculpture from Road Quest; the Orbiting Underground Moonbase enamel pin; and the "Tugger Nuts Down Under" enamel pin, which is a goat using a hangglider.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Well, I've now made it a full four decades on this Earth, and all things considered, I've been fortunate and gotten to here in pretty good condition.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

Also, got to see a snake that stayed still long enough to get some photos of it! (warning label added for the benefit of those squicked out by snakes)

A snake, likely som sort of garter snake. Image is cropped version of original.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

As I posted earlier, did a hike today - specifically Wahkeena Falls to Multnomah Falls. It was a good hike; saw quite a few flowers (including an almost absurd amount of Trillium) and some small butterflies. A little sad to see the scars of the Eagle Creek fire of 2017.

A forested slope along the Wahkeena Trail, consisting mostly of Douglas Firs. The lower parts of many trunks are blackened from having been burned during the Eagle Creek fire in 2017.

Salmonberry flower. In the background, dead trees that burned in the Eagle Creek Fire of 2017 are visible, but blurred.

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Jeffrey Hayes @pharaohbender27.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

There was also a sign-making table at the initial rally point, so I made this sign inspired by the slogan escherichiacole.bsky.social suggested. Apologies for the somewhat sloppy lettering.

Cardboard sign with "Down with Trump!!!" written in blue ink, flanked by two downward arrows in red ink.

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