RenoVous

  You may have seen some images or video of this last week, rare supercilium clouds in Santa Cruz. "Supercilium" means eyebrow in Latin, identifying the arc shapes. They develop in turbulent mountain air rushing downwind. But it's an unofficial classification, not formally listed in the International Cloud Atlas.  It is a more recent proposed supplementary feature of already established altocumulus, stratrocumulus, or cirrocumulus clouds.

  But a busy day for me. Back in 2016, Jack White's Third Man Records launched a "space-proof" turntable 94,000 feet up using a high-altitude balloon. The first vinyl to play in space was Symphony of Science composer John Boswell's song from Carl Sagan's Cosmos.

  Mary, Queen of Scots and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley were married on this day, 1565. I came across some others as well though. Actress, Gloria Stuart and screenwriter, Arthur Sheekman, 1934. They had the most successful marriage, until his death in 1978. Diego Rivera and his art dealer, Emma Hurtado, 1955. This was about a year after Frida Kahlo's death.  He had married her twice, in 1929 and again in 1940. Prince Charles and Lady Diana, 1981. Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, 2000. We never really got a fuller look at her dress. That's what I like most about wedding retrospectives - we know some of these marriages were awful, ending in divorce, but Diana's is one of the most iconic gowns ever worn. And the dress Mary, Queen of Scots wore for her first wedding (in 1558) was in fact the first white wedding dress.  It was Queen Victoria who later popularized it though, in 1840.

  "Conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends." The Nature Conservancy Community Backlash to AI Data Centers Is Growing Across the U.S. When we were checking in on the eagles earlier this year, I mentioned Friends of Big Bear Valley were raising money in order to protect Moon Camp, and they met their goal! "63 acres of undisturbed forested open space and shoreline used by Jackie and Shadow."

  Zendaya and Law Roach The star and stylist duo have provided the only real fashion for this week. Pick your favorite! And a throwback to 2016 when Amy Adams wore it first.

 Researchers at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory have been studying yellow-bellied marmots since 1962. It is the second oldest continuous study of individually marked mammals in the world. "Long-term research like ours is both very valuable to understand how and why things change over time," says professor Daniel Blumstein. This type of study requires funding though, and that has recently been cut across the board. So the team turned to Only Fans  Marms. It is a subscription platform where users pay creators for content, such as exclusive photos and videos. They've had some engagement over the last month, not a lot of money, but they're also just hoping to raise public awareness. "I think this can be an amazing way to teach people more about animal social behavior, which can sometimes be hard to observe," says team member, Emily Renkey.

  My cousin was involved with a short documentary about the Picon Punch, a favorite drink among the Basque houses and those who frequent. The first Basque Hotel was actually in San Francisco, and that's where the drink originated.  When the owner moved to Elko, he brought the Picon with him. Amer Picon is originally a French herbal bitter liqueur.  But when prohibition ended, the owner was looking for a cheaper, more local source.  And he found it with Torani.  They make flavoring syrup and sauces.  Amer was the only alcoholic drink they manufactured, and they never had to advertise. They recently decided to end production, but they shared the recipe with a Reno distillery, Ferino. In 2025, Picon Punch became the official state cocktail. Recipe There was an Artown event to see the movie and hear some talk. I've had the punch before, so I tried a Basque Old Fashioned - replacing whiskey with the Amer. Topa!

  Sardine Valley. We're at the site of More's Station.  This was part of a lower route to the goldfields - after the Donner Party tragedy, people were more hesitant to use the higher pass. When silver was later found in Nevada, it remained a hub for back and forth travel, as well as a supply chain. The area later became Wheeler Sheep Camp, built and managed by a Basque immigrant.

  We took the Old US 40 route around Donner Lake and across the Yuba River. Then we found ourselves on the North Fork American River from Emigrant Gap.

 Shout-out to The Odyssey  ladies again, but.... Eileen Gu (A little wrinkly there but still a double win). Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens Cynthia Erivo Anya Taylor-Joy Princess Catherine Dayton Paradis Danielle Pinnock Zendaya Emmy Rossum

  The sugar in raspberries is called erythrulose, and it has been found near the center of our Milky Way. "It opens up the possibility of discovering in space other sugars such as ribose, which is part of RNA, and other important molecules for the origin of life," says co-author, Carlos Briones.  Erythrulose can change into the ingredients that create nucleic acids, which are essential to life. There were previous reports of a dust cloud, called Sagittarius B2, that radio telescopes determined smells like raspberries, (caused by ethyl formate), but this is the first time sugar has been found in the interstellar medium - the space between star systems in a galaxy.

  We found a time capsule in the middle of the desert. Some filming for Independence Day  took place in Rachel, NV. Specifically, the mobile home park Russell Casse lived in with his kids. And it was during this time that SR 375 officially became known as the Extraterrestrial Highway. The studio is now owned by Disney. It's important to note that when Will Smith is walking towards Area 51, he is on the Bonneville Salt Flats.  Not even Nevada desert.

  Casa Casuarina, the home of Gianni Versace, and the scene of his death. On this day in 1997, the fashion designer was shot on the front steps, twice in the head. Andrew Cunanan was in the midst of a killing spree. It started on April 27th in Minneapolis, where he bludgeoned Jeffrey Trail.  On May 3rd, he shot an ex-lover, David Madson.  Trail had been an acquaintance of his. Two days later in Chicago, he killed Lee Miglin and stole his car.  This was abandoned in New Jersey, after Cunanan killed William Reese for his pickup truck.  He then drove down to Florida. There was an FBI manhunt already underway, and a fast food worker in Miami Beach called the tip-line on July 11th.  Police arrived too late though. Cunanan was found on July 23rd, having broken into a houseboat less than 40 blocks away from the Versace mansion.  He had shot himself. It is now a hotel. The Villa

 An event held annually on the Drina River in Serbia, it is the largest and most popular water event of its kind. It is a carnival on the river, with a non-competitive descent ending with live music on Raca Beach.  You can row solo or with a team - or you can just float along on a traditional raft, called a splav . Throughout the day in the town square, there are cultural programs, such as folklore dancing.  Food stands offer local treats like cevapi - a grilled dish of minced meat sausages. There is also a fish soup cook-off, which is a competition called the "Golden Kettle."  The event is a celebration of the old timber rafters and honors the scenic heritage of the Drina. *** We saw quite a few people floating the Truckee River over the weekend.  We did it once years ago and had fun - but it's not usually high enough to avoid all the rocks, and then my sister's raft got caught by some old rebar.

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