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2023/04/29 Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival

π 2023-04-29 01:01 in Outings

Glad to be able to go back, it's always fun:

I was meaning to try Jyorei, not sure if I believe in it, but was curious:

similar to what was in SF, unsurprisingly

I always enjoy the garden decors they have each year:

Fun animal interactions:

Multiple shows/performances:

I always, ikebana:

plus other displays:

Plus activities:

Fun times as always.

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2023/04/28 Astrix at Public Works, Pystrance night Heaven Along with Seventh Sign and Khromata

π 2023-04-28 01:01 in Clubbing, Tfsf

Astrix is one of my favorite psytrance DJ, and even within the genre, he is definitely a one of a kind. It was great to have him come visit us in SF, and even better that we had our local Seventh Sign open up, and our psytrance queen Khromata after that.

Seventh Sign:

Khromata was next:

Great to see the fun crowds having fun again:

And Astrix ended the night and took pictures for us:

video Summary:

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2023/04/27 Wildflower Hike in Wunderlich Park with Arturo

π 2023-04-27 01:01 in Hiking

Arturo and I went for a quick hike in Wunderlich Park that I had never visited before. Glad we go to do so, still got to see some beautiful wildflowers:

Hike Track (oregon 7): https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/10995441476

Hike Track (vivoactive 4): https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/10995445732

Arturo found this small dead snake

there is a small museum at the parking lot with horse boarding:

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2023/04/23 San Carlos' Hiller Aviation Museum

π 2023-04-23 01:01 in Flying, Nflying

It had been a while since I had been to San Carlos' Hiller Aviation Museum, so it was nice to do another visit while I was there after landing from a FOG trip:

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2023/04/23 FOG Tour Of Victorville's Southern California Logistics' Airplane Graveyard

π 2023-04-23 01:01 in Flying, Nflying

I have flown over VCV a few times, always a very cool sight. I went to look for older pictures for history, and finally got lucky enough to get a tour on the ground thanks to San Carlos Flying Club's FOG tour.

2007

Flew to Victorville for the Darpa Urban Challenge (passenger in a 737 ;) ), it was a bit basic back then:

2017

This was my first flight to San Bernardino, and I got some good shots of VCV then

2022/03

My 2nd flight to SBD was still during the 737 Max debacle. Boeing, due to their greed and stupidity, had all their new badly designed planes grounded for close to 1.5 years and lost billions over their terrible decision making. This led to them having so many planes that couldn't fly and be sold, that many were stored at VCV, filling an entire runway and taxiway:

The boneyard was still there of course:

2023/04

This was my 4th time, and the best by far, this time it was with FOG and they SCFC nicely organized a tour of the facilities on the ground, that was very cool. By then, the 737 Max had been removed from runway and taxiway.

First time landing there:

FOG members had a good time in the FBO Million air:

golf, even :)

obligatory group picture

Then it was my group turn's for the van tour of the grounds (it's big). During the tour, I found out that indeed part of the airport is used for scrap, planes that exceeded their safe design limits, and that can be used for spare parts, or recycling of the metal. There are also boeing planes that are being parked there until they can find a new customer (planes that were ordered during covid and then the orders cancelled).

so long Victorvile, it was a very cool visit, thank you to Million Air for the private tour.

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2023/04/22 Socal USAF Airshow at March Air Reserve in Riverside with FOG

π 2023-04-22 01:01 in Flying, Nflying

Flyout Group organized a trip to Socal for the USAF Airshow at March Air Reserve in Riverside, and I was thankfully able to join last minute.
Even though we had a hotel almost next door, traffic was a complete mess. We left 1h30 early and the van I was in got almost nowhere in 3h and ran out of gas before making it to the entrance. Thankfully I made the call to get out and walk, it was a long walk (30-40mn), but I passed all the cars that were stuck in line, and got it before they nicely decided to close that entrance to pedestrians, so the poor people behind me were sent on a 1h30 walk all the way around the base, ridiculous :(

that was more than 20mn into my walk in, at least by then I was in the base and going towards the visitor entrance

The flight line and displays were interesting:

first time I see a B1 outside of a museum

cool to still see snow in the background

It was definitely warm and sunny, thankfully I found a tent to hide in :)

The airshow was quite good, here are some pictures:

had never seen a B1 fly before

So happy to see a F35 fly for the first time, both an F35B (vtol) and F35C:

short field takeoff

Nice to see this performer again with precision flying, including landing on the top of a van:

And the show ended with the thunderbirds:

All in all, a good show, nice to see some planes I had never seen outside or in flight

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2023/04/16 Woodland Auto Display at Paso Robles

π 2023-04-16 01:01 in Cars, Ncars

I had been there briefly 10 years prior, and had a chance to see it again. It felt bigger and with more displays, either way, it's a cool museum if you are in the area:

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2023/04/16 Solvang Motorcycle Museum

π 2023-04-16 01:01 in Cars, Ncars

While in Solvang, there was a small motorcycle museum, which despite the small size, had lots of bikes, cool collection to go through:

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2023/04/16 Paso Robles Estrella Warbird Museum

π 2023-04-16 01:01 in Flying, Nflying

It had been almost 10 years since I last went in 2013. My original plan wasn't to go back, but I got stuck at PRB with a low overcast, so that gave me time to go visit it again :)

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2023/04/16 Flight over Carrizo Plain To See Wildflowers

π 2023-04-16 01:01 in Flying, Nflying

We had a superbloom this year, so it was a good time to fly over it to have a look while flying from Paso Robles to Solvang:

that's a *lot* of flowers

and they go far

even the hills

Once it got to to the hills towards LA Coast, it was over though (and also a nice overcast):

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2023/04/16 A few hours in Solvang

π 2023-04-16 01:01 in Ntrips, Trips

Arrived a bit late on a sunday due to a solid overcast that hung around longer than planned, and eventually arrived in town close to 14:00. I was a bit worried that it wouldn't be enough since many things closed at 17:00, and a few at 18:00, but by being efficient it was just enough.

Started with the old spanish mission just outside of town:

Then it was time to visit town, which is indeed best done on foot. It's a nice little danish town that a few immigrants decided to make it their home and it grew from there:

lots of stores and overpriced tourist stuff:

And a few museums:

Including the motorcycle museum

After being done with town, went to the fun Ostrige Museum a few miles down the road:

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2023/04/16 Ostrigeland in Solvang

π 2023-04-16 01:01 in Outings

After visiting Solvang, Ostrigeland was next door.
I'm not a huge fan of Ostriges, because those birds are assholes and will put a hole through your hand while you're trying to feed them. Turns out the place also had Australian Emus which I like a lot more, they are gentle, and make a very cool deep sound that I've never heard anywhere else. So, it was fun to go visit:

I definitely watch those birds carefully

and fed them carefully too

the Emus are so much nicer and gentle :)

Compare Emus that I could hand feed, vs Ostrige that I kept my distance from:

Definitely a fun stop if you are in the area, especially for those who haven't been to Australia and see Emus before, it's pretty rare to be able to see them in the US.

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2023/04/15 3rd Visit of Hearst Castle

π 2023-04-15 01:01 in Outings

Looks like I'm set to visit Hearst Castle every 10 years, so it was time for my 3rd visit :) It was a quick 45mn from Paso Robles.

Signing up for tours is tricky, the website was entirely broken and the phone lines didn't work either. It's also unclear how much time you need between tours, because the main issue is that they force you to take the bus up and down for each and every tour, which wastes 40mn and gets very annoying when you do 3 or 4 tours. By the I remembered having done 3 tours last time, and how I regretted it with all the bussing, as well as the 3rd tour being less essential (kitchen and cottages). Honestly CA parks sucks for not offering combined tours that are back to back, but they probably don't do it because of lack of bathrooms and food at the top
I booked the first 3 tours, then remembered, and cancelled the 3rd tour to have moe time left over for the rest of the day in Paso Robles. 3103*

Thankfully I got some nice shots from the air the previous day, which give a good idea of the land:

private runway that people outside the Hearst family, cannot use

castle in the sky

view of the unfinished wing that CA Parks is not allowed to finish

seen from the castle, the runway was tempting :)

Long story short, Hearst was a rich man with somewhat questionable taste who bought lots of things and tried ot make it all fit in his ever growing ranch house (only later renamed to Castle). It's interesting to see, but a bit weird at the same time too.

Took the 2nd bus up (9:20) for the grand tour and then went to the upstairs tour right afterwards at 10:10. Pictures below as a composite of both tours. If anyone has to pick, the upstairs tour is better than the main tour in my opinion:

actual sphinx from egypt

Time to get in:

OMG, ketchup and terrible mustard

Upstairs has nice rooms of all types:

Nice views outside:

The last bit is of course the indoor swimming pool that is beautiful:

After being done with the Casle, just up the road a bit, there is Elephant Seal Vista Point, missed it last times but not this time:

Nice little half day trip from Paso Robles that gave enough time left to see other things in Paso Robles

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2023/04/14 Flights From Palo Alto to Oceano, then Paso Robles, Santa Ynes (Solvang) and back to Palo Alto

π 2023-04-14 01:01 in Flying, Nflying

It had been a while since I had been to Oceano and its sand dunes, and I also wanted to see Field of Lights at Paso Robles, as well as Solvang, the Danish town, a bit more south, so it was a good excuse for an extended weekend flight.

Pao to Oceano

Moffett hangar is being re-skinned

the quary in the hills is definitely making big holes

Santa Cruz

can go for house shopping

hopefully erosion is not a problem :)

whale watching boat going out

Hwy 1 is cool

Was able to fly around Hearst Castle:

Then on the way to Oceano:

had not seen diablo nuclear power plant before, cool sight with cooling pool above and hole in the hill for storage

Oceano ATVs

san dunes to play on

Oceano to Paso Robles

San Luis Obispo

Paso Robles

Paso Robles to Santa Ynes/Solvang

Departure from Paso Robles was delayed until the cloud cover lifted, beautiful flight with a small detour by Carrizo Plains for wildflowers

Santa Ynes back to Palo Alto

After a nice day in Solvang, easy flight back to Palo Alto:

able to see the oceano dunes

Apple spaceship buildings

new google campus and sports field

Very nice flights and fun trip..

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2023/04/14 Sensorio/Field of Lights at Paso Robles

π 2023-04-14 01:01 in Bm, Outings

I had seen a similar such installation in Uluru, Australia, and it was fun to see the Paso Robles version while in the area:

found a little friend :)

I wouldn't say it's worth driving to all the way from the bay area, but if you are in the area, definitely worth a visit, even if it's expensive (close to $50).

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2023/04/14 Oceano Sand Dunes

π 2023-04-14 01:01 in Ntrips, Outings

It had been about 10 years since I had been to Oceano, so it was a good time to go back and try an ATV. I got lucky with timing because they had just re-opened a few days earlier as there was a river crossing the beach that had way too much water courtesy of the very rainy season.

The flight down the coast was scenic as always

ATVs waiting for customers :)

Oceano is a small runway, but not an issue for a 182:

After signing up paperwork and getting a ride to were the ATVs are parked, it was time to have fun again

I took the briefing seriously and made sure not to flip by going sideways up or down. I did ok overall:

the dunes can be challenging, definitely easy to get hurt if you're doing it wrong

and sure enough, someone did

didn't look good, many vehicles went there and were still there 30mn later :(

so long Oceano

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2023/04/14 Couple of days in Paso Robles

π 2023-04-14 01:01 in Ntrips, Trips

As part of a flying trip to Oceano, Paso Robles, and Solvang, after flying to Oceano Sand Dunes, Paso Robles was next.

It had been a while since I last went, happy to have been back:

There was a bit of time left in the day after arriving from Oceano, so going to downtown to check out a few local stores and galleries, made sense:

then time for an early dinner

After dinner, it was almost time for sunset and to go check out Field of Lights/Sensorio

The next day, got up early-ish to drive to Hearst Castle

After making sure that Hearst Castle wasn't going to take the whole day, got back in time to visit Paso Robles, starting with the Pioneer Museum, which was much better than expected:

they also had a old oil pump

After the museum, there was time left over to visit downtown which had an art festival that weekend:

The plan was to go visit Franklin Hot Springs next, but honstly when I arrived, it looked pretty ghetto, so I aborted that plan :)

The next morning, plan was to go to Solvang early, but both areas were solid overcast, delaying the flight. In the end it was a mixed blessing because I had some extra time to visit both museums on field:

Estrella Warbird Museum

Woodland Auto Display

And then that was it for Paso Robles. Honestly there didn't seem to be much else to do if you're not into wine tasting :)
'till next time.

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2023/04/14 Collection of spins at the track over the years

π 2023-04-14 01:01 in Ncars

In 20 years of track driving, I lost control a few times. Most often it was because I got tired and/or over ambitious. It doens't take much:

Sometimes, it's not me. That day, Fast Toys rented me their expensive car with totally trashed tires. I kept telling them, they didn't really listen until the tires were visibly corded, and then put another set that was also mostly trash :(

This one was my fault, went a tiny bit wide, the underneath of the very low car, caught, spun me, and caused 10K of damage :(

And then, there is snow, I have many more, but just one:

2023/04/08 Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco

π 2023-04-08 01:01 in Outings

I had never been to the Cherry Blossom festival in San Francisco, so I decided to fix this, this year. It was a few streets around Japantown in SF. It was fun enough and a good way to spend the afternoon. Definitely different from the one in Cupertino, but fun to see, especially as an excuse to revisit the Japanese mall there that I hadn't seen in years.

trees were perfectly in bloom

I still know how to make a crane :)

Very good display of flower arrangements:

had a bit of time left to see the rest:

Good time, happy to have seen it.

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2023/04/07 Managing a chicken coop door and checking water level with RC Plane Servo and ESP8266

π 2023-04-07 01:01 in Arduino, Electronics

I have these adorable silkie chickens, but have better things to do than to let them out every morning and close the coop at night after they get back in, so that was the first thing I had to fix. I had enough random hardware at home to open the door with a high torque RC servo:

once I got the servo validated, I connected it to an ESP8266 as a wifi controller

Here is the basic end result:

The one downside of the ESP8266 is at least the one I have with the firmware I'm using, does not have super reliable Wifi connectivity, so my server keeps track of it being there or not, and can remotely power cycle it as needed. Not ideal, but it works...

There are predators (hawks at least), so I had to add a full net around the area:

cute chickens

This is the door in action after I added a switch to control it locally and wrote code on my home controller to talk it is via wifi:

The last thing I wanted to add was a water level monitor, especially because I had issues with the dispenser leaking, and ending up without water, is bad obviously. My first plan was a predictable total failure;

looks wonderful, but it's not meant to stay in the water and the board, failed

2nd try with pins

oh look, lots of metal ended up in the water, of course!

So yeah, all those classes in middle school about electrolysis are not just to bore you, it is a real thing, and sending current to sense the water through conductors causes ions to move and metal too:

So, I tried again with new conductors and changed my code not to check for water constantly but only 20 seconds every hour. That's thankfully enough that it mostly stopped the issue I had:

And obligatory cute chickens and chicks videos:

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2023/04/04 Hidden Villa Wildflowers Hike with Johannes

π 2023-04-04 01:01 in Hiking

I was lucky enough to have my private hiking guide for a nice little wildflowers hike at hidden villa, which connects to Rancho San Antonio trails going all the way to black mountain if desired.

We did a shorter loop here, which was plenty for wildflowers

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2023/04/01 pycentral upgrade breakage

π 2023-04-01 01:01 in Linux

Dear google, please index this:

Some old python-central package and compat breakage I wasn't interested in debugging, caused upgrades and uninstalls to fail. Causing a complex upgrade to fail in the middle due to a failed package removal on a pre-uninstall failing on pycentral, broke the system quite badly.

I restored it from a brrfs snapshot and then disabled pycentral (/bin/true) to allow its removal and apt-get -f install to suceed. After that, upgrades were possible again.


Removing gnome-codec-install (0.4.7+nmu1) ...
  File "/usr/bin/pycentral", line 87
    raise ValueError, 'unknown version info %s' % vinfo
Removing python-gst0.10 (0.10.22-2) ...
  File "/usr/bin/pycentral", line 87
    raise ValueError, 'unknown version info %s' % vinfo
                    ^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax
dpkg: error processing package python-gst0.10 (--remove):
 installed python-gst0.10 package pre-removal script subprocess returned error exit status 1
dpkg: too many errors, stopping
  File "/usr/bin/pycentral", line 87
    raise ValueError, 'unknown version info %s' % vinfo

saruman:~# mv /usr/bin/pycentral /usr/bin/pycentral.orig
saruman:~# ln -s /bin/true /usr/bin/pycentral
saruman:~# ln dpkg --remove python-central python-gst0.10 python-bluez gnome-codec-install bzrtools
(Reading database ... 503974 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing python-bluez (0.18-1+b2) ...
dpkg: warning: while removing python-bluez, directory '/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/bluetooth' not empty so not removed
dpkg: warning: while removing python-bluez, directory '/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/bluetooth' not empty so not removed
Removing gnome-codec-install (0.4.7+nmu1) ...
Removing bzrtools (2.3.1-1) ...
Removing python-gst0.10 (0.10.22-2) ...
dpkg: warning: while removing python-gst0.10, directory '/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/gst-0.10/gst/extend' not empty so not removed
dpkg: warning: while removing python-gst0.10, directory '/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gst-0.10/gst/extend' not empty so not removed
Removing python-central (0.6.14+nmu2) ...
Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme (0.15-1) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.7.0.2-4) ...