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📺 Enjoyed the second episode of “Foundation” on AppleTV+ Glad it’s back for second season as the book series was awesome 👏

Daily Photo Frames: Nagano's Zenkoji Temple
Location: Nagano, Japan, Asia https://travelessayist.substack.com/p/daily-photo-frames-naganos-zenkoji #travel #photography #aubstack #newsletter

💻 I bought myself today the new MacBook Air 15-inch (2023) M2 8GB Memory 512GB SSD Storage, as really needed more storage and the larger screen is beautiful so it’s a bonus over the small and now 2 years older MacBook Air I had #apple #macbookair

📰 Since Feedly stopped working on macOS last week I switched to free and open-source NetNewsWire which I used years go. It’s good to see it alive and kicking. #rss #rssreader #feedly

😊 It looks like another great day for spending time in the garden, I actually have some work to do as well. Like cutting the grass, good it’s cooler today. We got a lot of rain last night. Everything is grown so fast now.

Record-Breaking June: The Warmest Month Since 1850 in Global Temperature History https://escribitionist.com/2023/07/20/record-breaking-june-the-warmest-month-since-1850-in-global-temperature-history/

Daily Photo Frames: Cheers Beacon Hill
Location: Boston, MA, USA https://travelessayist.substack.com/p/daily-photo-frames-cheers-beacon #travel #photography #substack #newsletter

The First Issue of Amazing Stories: Exploring a Sci-Fi Magazine Journey from the Internet Archives https://escribitionist.com/2023/07/20/the-first-issue-of-amazing-stories-exploring-a-sci-fi-magazine-journey-from-the-internet-archives/

Reading the latest Ctrl-ZINE Issue. 5 Download the latest issue free. https://ctrl-c.club/~loghead/ctrl-zine.html

A Perfect Morning Kayaking Adventure: Embracing Serenity on the Lake - Escribitionist.com #nature #summer #kayaking #photo #video https://escribitionist.com/2023/07/19/a-perfect-morning-kayaking-adventure-embracing-serenity-on-the-lake/

Daily Photo Frames: Basilica Cistern
Location: Ancient cisterns lie beneath the city of Istanbul, Turkey
#travel #photography https://travelessayist.substack.com/p/daily-photo-frames-basilica-cistern

Finished reading: The Redemption of Time by Baoshu 📚
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ https://micro.blog/books/9781250306012

Listening to Stockholm-based pianist and composer, Shida Shahabi, a Swedish-born musician with Iranian heritage. Her music is influenced by Persian pop, classical composers, and Western bands like Cocteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine. Her latest album, Living Circle, featuring cellist Linnea Olsson

Felix Gall went from Tour de France rookie to Tour de France stage-winner today after stage 17; 165.7km from Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc to Courchevel.

Kayaking this morning for a change, perfect weather with almost no wind. Lots interesting bird are out and about today. Calm waters and clear sky, just awesome day to be outside.

Love my Pig Incense Burner for katori senko (senko meaning “incense” in Japanese) which is used as a mosquito repellent. Bought this piggy in Ginza Mitsukoshi department store during my last visit to Tokyo. Now, it’s in my garden sitting on a table during summer months, keeping mosquitoes away. https://cp.mistore.jp/global/en/ginza.html

She cracks me up daily: NORMAL ISLAND NEWS
Tories furiously insist they will starve more children than Labour would. And they have the track record to back this up. https://open.substack.com/pub/normalislandnews/p/tories-furiously-insist-they-will?r=1u2xez&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post

An unopened, original 4GB Apple iPhone that was released on June 29, 2007, has sold for $190,372.80. There were 28 total bids lodged for it, five of which were over $100,000. I should buy an extra iPhone 15 when it comes out and keep it for a decade or two as retirement investment 😜

Daily Photo Frames: Streets of Ho Chi Minh City
Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Asia #travel https://travelessayist.substack.com/p/daily-photo-frames-streets-of-ho

Tour de France - 22.4km time trial stage 16 today was awesome! Jonas Vingegaard soared to a crushing triumph on stage 16 of the Tour de France on Tuesday, winning the 22.4km time trial by 1min 38sec from Tadej Pogacar, who was second. #cycling

Well, this just dropped into my Kindle as it was released today. Since I love her books I am reading: Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia now📚 #books https://micro.blog/books/9780593355374

Listening to: Tape Piece I Davi Music https://music.apple.com/ca/album/air-talk/1547812179

Current view:

Meta's Threads: A Journey of Ascension and Uncertainty, with Bluesky as My Top Choice https://escribitionist.com/2023/07/18/metas-threads-a-journey-of-ascension-and-uncertainty-with-bluesky-as-my-top-choice/ #MetaThreads, #SocialMedia, #UncertainFuture, #BlueskyTopChoice, #TechTrends, #UserEngagement, #Competition, #ChangingHabits

‘King the Land’: A Must-Watch K-Drama
https://escribitionist.com/2023/07/18/the-addictive-charm-of-king-the-land-a-must-watch-k-drama/

Short Story Review: “Paycheck” by Philip K. Dick - Love this blog, very enjoyable and always points me to something I have not read before. I will have to look for the paperback of this book as there is no Kindle version and the local library does not seem to have it either.  https://sffremembrance.com/2023/07/17/short-story-review-paycheck-by-philip-k-dick/

Finished reading: Fury by Henry Kuttner 📚 ★ ★ ★ ★ https://micro.blog/books/9780575128910

Our latest guilty pleasure is ‘King the Land’ #K-Drama. We are on episode 5. It tells the story of Goo Won who is the heir of The King Group, a luxury hotel conglomerate, who was thrown into an inheritance war, and Cheon Sa-rang, a hotelier who always has a smile on her face till she meets Goo Won.

Listening 🎧 to Davi Music’s latest album “Good Morning Deja Vu” released by Flow State Records. It combines tape loops, analog processing, and a blend of natural and synthetic sounds. Also, check out his captivating previous record “Freedom Arboretum.”

Summer ice tea choice: Barley tea from Japan. It’s a roasted-grain based infusion made from barley. This is a staple across many East Asian countries such as China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan especially during summer months when you brew it cold in the fridge. Plus it’s delicious… 😋

Daily Photo Frames: Murano
Location: Islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy, Europe https://travelessayist.substack.com/p/daily-photo-frames-murano

Smoke from forest fires made its way here again. Unhealthy air warnings popping up on my phone:

Here just for the day, very Buddhist like flowers, all about impermanence… a Daylily, so beautiful! #flowers #dailylilies

Tour de France: Wout Poels blasts to blockbuster stage 15 solo victory… Stage 15 was 179km from Les Gets Les Portes du Soleil to Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc. #cycling

Listening 🎧 to Herbie Hancock’s Head Hunters which brought a deep funk groove, with tracks like “Chameleon” and “Sly” nodding to Sly Stone. The band’s tribal-electric version of “Watermelon Man” pushed boundaries with Hancock’s funky synthesizer use.

Finished reading: The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu 📚 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ https://micro.blog/books/9781466853447

Our #dog is having a lazy Sunday, giving rabbits and squirrels in the garden a break as well:

Started harvesting the first batch of mint today for drying, this way the plants will recover and regrow for another harvest in late September. Now it’s time to dry these leaves so there is plenty of mint tea for the winter months:

Daily #Photo Frames: San Telmo Shops
Location: The oldest barrio (neighborhood) of Buenos Aires, #Argentina https://travelessayist.substack.com/p/daily-photo-frames-san-telmo-shops

It rained last night so the #garden looks amazing this morning:

Customized the theme so it feels a little bit more interesting:

Picked up “Fury” by Henry Kuttner; a vintage sci-fi novel and I am excited about reading it:

"Originally published in Astounding in 1947 under the pseudonym Lawrence O’Donnell (Kuttner co-authoring with his wife, Catherine L. Moore), the book is set on Venus several centuries after an atomic Armageddon has destroyed Earth."

Finished watching live coverage of Stage 14th of Tour de France - 151.8km Annemasse to Morzine Les Portes du Soleil. It was an impressive battle between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard today, but the stage winner was Carlos Rodriguez at the end. Bravo!

Daily Photo Frames: Life Underground
Location: New York City Subway’s 14th Street/Eighth Avenue Station, NY, USA

Discover these sculptures by Tom Otternessnd through the lens and immerse yourself in their wonders. https://travelessayist.substack.com/p/daily-photo-frames-life-underground

Indulging in farm-fresh berries this morning:

Watching Season 2 - Ep. 1 Hari finds himself trapped in a mysterious prison. An assassination attempt leaves Day shaken. Gaal and Salvor devise an escape plan.

"More than a century after the events in the Season 1 finale, tension mounts throughout the galaxy. As the ruling dynasty begins to unravel, a young queen plots her revenge. Meanwhile, a colony of people with special abilities poses a new threat. It’s all leading toward a collision course for war."

I’m listening to Home, a synthwave project by producer Randy Goffe. He was inspired by ’70s and ’80s electronic music and started creating synth-heavy music. “Resonance” from his 2014 album Odyssey gained popularity on Vine and became associated with the “Simpsonwave” aesthetic.

Shorts: 6AM Ride

Today’s Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier
137.8km stage 13th of Tour de France winner is Kwiatkowski.

PetaPixel reports that “Instagram’s Threads Engagement Has Already Dropped off”

"The engagement on Meta’s Twitter rival app Threads has already dropped off – after it hit 100 million users barely a week after its launch."

Must be all EU users who got blocked… https://petapixel.com/2023/07/14/instagrams-threads-engagement-has-already-dropped-off/

Daily Photo Frames: Taiwan Food Markets
Location: Taiwan, officially called Republic of China is a country in East Asia https://travelessayist.substack.com/p/daily-photo-frames-taiwan-food-markets

Perfect start to the day:

Morning ride

Listening 🎧 to Les Sewing Sisters who defy categorization. With pin cushion tomatoes on their heads and sewing machine music, they’re unique. It’s a industrial pop music made entirely from sewing machines. Their songs explore clothing’s cult: inspiration, deconstruction, mediocrity, and moths.

Unpasteurized sauerkraut contains probiotics, which are beneficial bacteria that act as the first line of defense against toxins and harmful bacteria. They can also improve your digestion and overall health!
We eat a lot of through out the year, the key here is “unpasteurized” fermented product.

Made batch of sauerkraut from new green cabbages. It’s in my favourite 5-litre fermenting jar. I usually alternate it between sauerkraut and homemade kimchi. It’s delicious but first you got to wait 4 weeks or so before it’s ready to eat. It’s fun to watch daily as it bumbles and changes colour…

Daily Photo Frames: Kazimierz Dolny
Location: Eastern Poland, in Puławy County, Lublin Voivodeship https://travelessayist.substack.com/p/daily-photo-frames-kazimierz-dolny

Appreciate Apple News+ having all the great magazines still available. I know it is dying industry but I still really enjoy flipping through the digital “pages”. Latest Gardens Illustrated issue is stunning with its esteemed garden designers and passionate horticulturists. It’s a feast for your eyes

Flowers all the garden… love it.

Ion Izagirre breaks away to win Tour de France stage 12 today from Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais (168.8km)

Catalpa is blooming and the flowers look like orchids… Commonly called catalpa or catawba, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bignoniacee, native to warm temperate and subtropical regions of North America, the Caribbean, and East Asia.

Package from GCN mega-base in UK arrived this morning with some new Tour de France swag. Love the quality of the sweatshirt and the limited edition water bottle!

During a morning walk, spotted this old fishing boat today:

Looking forward to watching tonight the next episode of Hijack on Apple TV+ It’s is a thriller miniseries created by George Kay and Jim Field Smith, starring Idris Elba and it’s really good!

NYT reports that airlines are finally dropping prices, so there is hope for more reasonable options in the future:

"Airfares took another dive last month, following a wild ride over the past year, reflecting volatile energy prices and swings in demand. Prices have dropped 18.9 percent in the year through June, or 8.1 percent between May and June, even as passenger traffic has reached record highs."

Daily Photo Frames: Trams of Lisbon
Location: Lisbon, Portugal in Europe https://travelessayist.substack.com/p/daily-photo-frames-trams-of-lisbon?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

I’m listening to the instrumental music project called Bing & Ruth, led by NYC-based pianist David Moore. He skillfully combined his gentle piano playing with various instruments like clarinets, voices, cellos, basses, piano, trumpet, and lap steel.

Tour de France: Jasper Philipsen flies to fourth sprint victory on stage 11 today! From Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins (179.8km).

Back from the local farm market:

It’s looks a like beautiful day outside:

Remembered this year to collect Poppy flower seeds today before the seedpods ended up empty so I can sow them elsewhere in the garden. We have really nice variety with huge, stunning flowers. https://flowermag.com/saving-and-growing-poppy-seeds/

Currently reading: The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells 📚 https://micro.blog/books/9781467776219

Pello Bilbao won Stage 10 of Tour de France from Vulcania to Issoire (167.2km) today.

Daily Photo Frames: Sapporo Beer Museum
Location: the Sapporo Garden Park in Higashi-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan https://travelessayist.substack.com/p/daily-photo-frames-sapporo-beer-museum?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Morning walk by the lotus ponds… still no flowers but it is early in the season. It will be a hot day today with a chance of thunderstorm. That’s perfect.

My obsession continues with Lofi girl, the YouTube livestream of an animated girl studying, sometimes with her cat, while lofi music — a form of music that’s downtempo, typically combining elements of hip-hop and jazz, formulated to create a relaxing atmosphere — plays. https://www.youtube.com/live/jfKfPfyJRdk?feature=share

The Verge reports that:

"Tumblr’s staff blog has posted a long update on the future of the platform, alluding to coming changes that include redesigning its reply and reblog features. The goal, according to Tumblr staff, is to make Tumblr less intimidating — implicitly at a time when it could attract users disillusioned with platforms like Reddit and Twitter."

So not dead yet…

Really enjoying “Moonbound: Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight” by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm. Graphics are excellent!

Today is a Tour de France rest day and tomorrow they are back onto the next stage of the race. So what really happens today? There’s actually very little ‘resting’ on a grand tour rest day. Teams remain a beehive of activity, from training rides, backroom deals, family visits, and media. Crazy!

Daily Photo Frames: Murals of Diego Rivera
Location: the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico https://travelessayist.substack.com/p/daily-photo-frames-murals-of-diego?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Summer Escapades: Mulberries, Tomatoes, and Unexpected Surprises https://escribitionist.substack.com/p/summer-escapades-mulberries-tomatoes?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

Listening to music of Hideyuki Hashimoto, a Japanese pianist from Osaka. Based in Kagawa, his improvisational piano career started with intimate conversations with the instrument, crafting fragments of songs. His profound inspiration stems from daily life, nature, art, spirit, and the piano itself.

Morning hike was a success, it’s great time for forest bathing. The term emerged in Japan in the 1980s as a physiological and psychological exercise called shinrin-yoku (“forest bathing”). The purpose was to inspire residents to reconnect with and protect the country’s forests.

Love this Substack: JAPAN ORDINARY -photos-

"I like to capture the “INTERESTING NORMAL” in my life. I hope that my photographs will give you a sense of the “REAL ATMOSPHERE OF JAPAN” that cannot be obtained from tourist brochures or “Lonely Planet”." https://open.substack.com/pub/hige?r=1u2xez&utm_medium=ios

Strike a pose:

The New Yorker has interesting article: Profiles - How Samuel R. Delany Reimagined Sci-fi, Sex, And The City - A visionary novelist and a revolutionary chronicler of gay life, he’s taken American letters to uncharted realms. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/07/10/samuel-r-delany-profile

Current view:

Listening 🎧 HALOU, a project by Rebecca and Ryan Coseboom, gained attention with their 1997 bedroom releases in San Francisco. They signed to Nettwerk for their second album, WISER, which earned a cult following. Their third album, WHOLENESS AND SEPARATION, was released in 2006. 

No words, just photos! Today’s daily visual journey through the captivating sights of Street Art in Brussels. https://travelessayist.substack.com/p/daily-photo-frames-street-art-in

Excited to watch Stage 9 of Tour de France today. They are doing 182.4km from Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dôme.

Lovely morning again:

Picked up today “Moonbound: Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight” by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

This graphic history is the story of the first men who first traveled from Earth to the moon. Wrapped into their story are the stories of the visionaries, the stargazers, the adventurers.

Strawberry Farm trip was a success:

Mads Pedersen wins stage eight of Tour de France today. It was a 200.7km route from Libourne to Limoges…

Future coffee:

I see a future cycling session around the countryside… tomorrow morning:

"Recovery was high today and you can still build 3.0 of Exertion to reach your Target Exertion Zone."

Feeling those summer vibes today:

Retro is a personal photo journaling app. A new social app wants to help you share what’s happening in your life with a small group of friends and family members. The app will be available very soon on iOS. In the meantime, anyone can sign up to the waitlist and reserve their username. https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/07/retro-is-a-deeply-personal-photo-journaling-app-for-close-friends/

Listening 🎧 to Al Wootton, a London electronic music producer. He started as Deadboy in 2009, scoring UK dance hits. He releases music under his own name, with influences like garage, dub, jungle, and house. His latest LP is fast-paced techno blending artificial and natural sounds.

Watching live Tour de France - Stage 7; today they are racing from Mont-de-Marsan to Bordeaux, total of 169.9km