Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Arizona

CB&D 20th Blogiversary

At the close of the second decade for this blog, we look back on the previous year and see that we have posted approximately 1.2 times per week. The actual count is 63 posts since the last anniversary. Each year we seem to assert that we will be posting more often in the coming year, but somehow, life events and other interruptions prevail to deflect our original intentions. So, during this next year, we intend to blog some more, but no guarantees.

The last year has been an eventful one, from the election of DJT 47 in November, to the assassination of Charlie Kirk 12 days ago. If you know our political leanings, you may assume our feelings toward both events.

The year also saw another RV excursion in 2025, covering a lot more territory than in the previous year on the eclipse excursion. The (clickable) map below summarizes our 2025 travels. See the previous entry for a list of places visited and routes taken here.

Map created with MAPCHART.NET

As is sometimes the case, the Blog Anniversary falls on the Equinox which is the end of summer, but not necessarily the end of quite warm days here in this part of Arizona. We have had some clouds and showers, but the forecast is to get up to over 100 during the coming week. It will tail off as September ends and getting into October when real autumn desert days will be upon us.

So, have a wonderful Autumn, wherever you may be.

22 Sep 2025 by Arizona Blogosphere Notions Politics Religion Wanderlust

Sunday Dinner

Damsel has a recipe for our Sunday Dinner consisting of Shrimp, Alfredo Sauce and Spaghetti Squash. I doodled the notion of such a meal into the Google Gemini AI image generator on my smart phone, and it produced the (clickable) image shown above. It looks very appetizing for an AI-generated (i.e. “Fake”) photo.

Gemini is a Google AI platform that enables image generation and editing. It uses multimodal input, enhanced reasoning, and natural language understanding to create images. With Gemini, you can generate images with a single model, such as Gemini 2.0 Flash, which combines text and image generation.

Gemini 2.0 Flash can be used for various tasks, including generating stories with consistent illustrations, conversational image editing, and creating detailed imagery with world knowledge
1. It also excels in rendering long sequences of text, making it suitable for creating advertisements, social posts, or invitations
2. Gemini 2.5 Flash Image is another state-of-the-art image model that benefits from Gemini’s world knowledge, enabling new use cases. It can generate images with a wide range of styles and subjects, and it is available via the Gemini API and Google AI Studio
3. To use Gemini for image generation, you can use specific prompts to achieve consistent characters, precise edits, and blended images
4. The platform is actively being improved, and Google is committed to making it more accessible and user-friendly.

Gemini is also integrated with other Google services, such as Google AI Studio, Vertex AI, and the Gemini app, making it a powerful tool for developers and users alike.

Anyhow, the actual meal will be posted on our food blog sometime late Sunday, 09/07/2025, after dinner.

06 Sep 2025 by Arizona Food & Dining Notions Retirement Technobabble

Labor Day 2025

These AI-generated images sort of reflect our activities on this Labor Day. The theme is (of course) grilling filet mignon steaks in a desert backyard, which is what we’re doing today. I also got the AI to summarize the traditions and history of the celebration.

Happy Labor Day to you and yours. Many countries around the world celebrate Labor Day on this day to honor the contributions and achievements of workers. Here’s a brief overview of the day:

Labor Day History

  • Labor Day originated in the United States in the late 19th century.
  • It was first celebrated on September 5, 1882, in New York City.
  • The holiday was created to recognize the struggles and sacrifices of workers in the face of long working hours, low wages, and poor working conditions.

Traditions and Celebrations

  • Labor Day is often marked with parades, barbecues, and other outdoor events.
  • Many people take the day off work to spend time with family and friends.
  • Some countries also observe Labor Day with strikes, protests, or other forms of activism to advocate for workers’ rights.

So here’s hoping that everyone had a good holiday and God Bless.

01 Sep 2025 by Arizona Food & Dining Holidays

Happy 249th, America!

Happy Independence Day, America! On the 249th anniversary of independence from our tyrannical overlords of yore, we seem to be enjoying much in the way of prosperity, peace and the blessings from above.

From The Patriot Post:

On July 3rd, the day before the Continental Congress affirmed our Declaration of Independence, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, that the 4th of July “ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty.” He continued, “It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”

He added: “You will think me transported with Enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will triumph in that Days Transaction, even although We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.”

The defense of Liberty requires eternal vigilance…

Image above: Proudly flying our National and State flags over our little domicile. Click on the image to view enlarged.

Today, we celebrated with prayers and thanks for our freedoms, followed by a steak and salad dinner.

UPDATE: Here is an interesting AI generated spam comment linked to some irrelevant music platform:

Really appreciate how you tied John Adams’ words to the present moment—his vision of posterity ‘triumphing’ feels especially relevant as we reflect on 249 years of hard-earned freedom. Your mention of prayer and gratitude before a simple, celebratory meal struck a meaningful balance between tradition and mindfulness. It’s a good reminder that patriotism can be both spirited and reflective.

It’s interesting how the AI robot parses the post and then generates a somewhat apropos comment. Of course, we won’t link to their clickbait. AI comments are getting to be more frequent, but still caught by the Askimet anti-spam plug-in.

04 Jul 2025 by Arizona Holidays Patriotism

Cardinal Camo Failure
  and Happy Easter Weekend

With all the newly-grown green and yellow colors on the big mesquite tree out back, this Cardinal shows up big-time against the cooler desert hues. Seriously, these Cardinals come to the bird feeders up there and are a delight to see when they grace our area with their brilliant red-orange feathers and black trim.

I took this photo this morning (Good Friday, April 18, 2025) with my Canon EOS Rebel SL3 with the EF55-250 telephoto lens set to 250mm. I think that I took five or six images as the bird moved from left to right across the tree branch; this one was the best of the group.

Now for the message for all, that Jesus died on that fateful day when the sins of mankind were lifted from us on the cross at Calvary. We will be celebrating the sacrifice and resurrection of our Lord this weekend. Happy Easter. HE IS RISEN, INDEED!

Happy Easter!

18 Apr 2025 by Arizona Critters Home & Garden Photography

“Cherry Red” Cactus Flower

Our Cherry Red (or sometimes Red Torch) flowers are starting to open in the courtyard. This is the first of the spring season. There are buds on several of the cacti and we’re expecting more soon. Click on the image to enlarge.

About Trichocereus Grandiflorus:

The Torch Cactus (Trichocereus grandiflorus) is a species of cactus from the Patagonian Desert in Argentina. The Torch Cactus is notable for its huge display of dramatic red colored flowers that open in late spring. When adult Torch Cactus flower they can often produce displays of flowers that cover the top of the plant and can look like a carpet of red flowers from above.

15 Apr 2025 by Arizona Flowers Home & Garden Photography

V-22 Osprey Flyover

Late this afternoon (04/14/2025), an Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft flew nearly over our place here at an estimated altitude of about 500 feet above ground level. Damsel snapped this photo after retrieving her camera when hearing the unusual sound from this one-of-kind aircraft type.

It appeared that the Osprey, in tilted up rotor configuration, might have been heading for a landing at our local airport, a couple miles west of us. Ospreys tilt the rotors up for takeoff and landing, otherwise the rotors are tilted forward for cruise configuration.

As I mentioned above, this aircraft makes a most unusual sound signature when flying by, especially in the rotors up configuration. At this low altitude, the sound was clearly something foreign to our quiet little abode here in the desert.

I haven’t been able to distinguish from the aircraft markings visible in the photo whether this is a Marine or an Air Force craft. While we have seen Ospreys flying over the past few years, this may have been the closest pass to our home to date.

Click on the image to view enlarged.

14 Apr 2025 by Arizona Aviation Military Photography

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