your third moment of calm

Sweet of @sallyfisherprice.bsky.social to surprise me with a mid-afternoon trip to Silver Falls State Park, and environs! Never been before. Really lovely spot.

At Silver Falls State Park with @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social

your second moment of calm

your moment calm

Walked into Always Here bookstore on Williams here in Portland, for the first time! Really great selection, superbly curated and arranged. Bought a couple of books. Would've bought more, but on long walks I can only buy two that fit perfectly balanced in my jacket pockets.

one of the most amazing things i've ever seen

I think I've gotten some pretty cool shots over the years. Might put together a book of photography, with most of the proceeds going to environmental charities.

Something to consider. That most of what we consider "success" has come with hidden costs that far outweigh the relatively short-term benefits. In a sense, we are placing a bet on solar to help us survive without actually making the foundational changes in *thought* and *approach* needed.

Or, just a thought: Issue a statement about how deranged billionaire tech has threatened core democratic values and Palantir will work to restore power and faith in institutions based on community, fact-based useful policy and governance while self-dismantling the dystopic tech in the 21st century.

a little more clown parade milling

A few more photos. I wanted to say that way the city parks are staggered, it is definitely possible to kind of "tack" your way through the southeast and northeast while replenishing water and also making a pit stop. Public restrooms are mostly quite clean. There're so many streets with shops/ cafes.

Fourteen-mile walk meandering from the southeast to the University of Portland, using 7 parks as my anchors for water. Absolutely gorgeous and scribbled down a lot of the rest of the novel while walking. Goddamn but this city is stunning.

More from the start of the Clown Parade at Laurelhurst Park yesterday. There were still hundreds of clowns converging on the meeting spot when I moved on, so I missed the parade itself.

your moment of calm

Walked into Always Here bookstore on Williams here in Portland, for the first time! Really great selection, superbly curated and arranged. Bought a couple of books. Would've bought more, but on long walks I can only buy two that fit perfectly balanced in my jacket pockets.

Fourteen-mile walk meandering from the southeast to the University of Portland, using 7 parks as my anchors for water. Absolutely gorgeous and scribbled down a lot of the rest of the novel while walking. Goddamn but this city is stunning.

had to escort newly weds off the sidewalk

Long weird walks where you wind up in tucked away neighborhoods you didnt know existed tend to dislodge tons of novel ideas.

your moment of calm

your moment of... clown scrum

Just finished @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social ‘s Annihilation (I haven’t seen the movie yet as I wanted to read the book first). It was sooo good, I cannot even put into words how good it was. And refreshing? I know I’m like a decade+ late but wow! An extraordinary piece of work.

your second moment of calm: a pleasing layer cake boat

your moment of calm

your second moment of calm: a pleasing layer cake boat

Around Kelly Point Park with @sallyfisherprice.bsky.social this afternoon.

was not me!

your moment of calm

What can you expect? --Photos of my favorite alligator pals --Harrowing swamp puppy anecdotes --Observational humor, like "Bogs are just paranoid fens." --My interpretative dance tribute to salt marshes Including harrowing audience interaction. See you there!

Check it out!

A hard thing to learn to do well is the idea of "consistent inconsistency" in characterization. But it's what saves characters from seeming predictable or not layered enough. All of us have a rough "base level" of behavior, thought, routine. But great variability too based on environmental factors.

My review of Miriam Horn's magnificent biography of wildlife biologist and conservation scientist George Schaller from @penguinpress.bsky.social is up @science.org #wildlifebiology #conservation #primates #booksky #bookcritic 🧪

post the best picture you have ever taken of your pet:

this is fucking unreal stuff from Noah Wyle on the magic of The Pitt. www.gq.com/story/noah-w...

The Pitt season 1 was binge-worthy TV. But season 2 felt like something extraordinary.

classical tandem duck butt

Someday, this anecdote will be in a novel.

I still think about this video at least once a week.

The book is out now! Lovely review and profile of influential field biologist George Schaller here: news.mongabay.com/2026/04/geor... (My own review died with the WaPo book review section, but this is better than I could've done anyway.)

yer backyard bird of the day: the deadly executioner sparrow.

One last repost, as I am very happy with how this story turned out

Watch a duck curse us out.

swallows on the wire for your moment of calm

Also in the print edition, Nature issue.

the right part, but just part, is true

It’s fucking bizarre how people are acting like something from 2022 is something they can’t live without. Like dudes, the emotional dependence on a sycophantic machine regurgitating nonsense to encourage you to stop engaging in critical thought and trust the slop is truly depressing to witness.

Around Portland with @sallyfisherprice.bsky.social today.

your moment of calm, on a walk with @sallyfisherprice.bsky.social

Mexican orange blossom. Somewhere in Portland with @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social

yer backyard bird of the day: the deadly executioner sparrow.