RenoVous

 This is Alfred Packer - the Colorado Cannibal. On this day in 1901, he was released from prison on parole after serving 18 years. He was among the prospectors who combed the Rocky Mountains for gold in the 1860's.  Packer also served as a guide in the Utah and Colorado wilderness.  During the winter of 1873-1874, he led 21 men through harsh weather - after seeking refuge among the Ute Indians, Packer and five of the men decided to continue the journey. Two months later, Packer arrived alone at the Los Piños Indian Agency, but looking relatively well.  He claimed he had been separated from the other men during a blizzard and survived on rabbits and rosebud.  But he also had a bit of money and many items belonging to the men. Being questioned, Packer said four of the men died from the extreme conditions, so he and the other survivors would eat them. The last one, Shannon Bell, went insane and threatened to kill Packer, so he shot him, and later ate him too. This ...

  I'm finishing up the Sinatra book and then my sister gave me a recommend to start next. If We Were Villains She does her own read-along with a friend, so when she reads one she thinks I'll like, it's always something I would not have found myself.  My aunt used to do that too, and I've read some good ones. What are you reading?

  Demi Moore Zendaya Nicole Kidman Zoe Saldana Tilda Swinton Adrien Brody Cynthia Erivo Allison Janney Colman Domingo Viola Davis

  I was born on a year ending in 5, and I met Hubby on a year ending in 5. So I'm aiming for good vibes this new year.  ^_^ I will be off tomorrow for the holiday and though I'll be back on Thursday, I'm off again on Friday for our first camp of the year, so we might just keep this running for the rest of the week. According to Google Photos, my 2024 was "Always outdoors - Covered in sand - Never growing up."  That's a way of life. On my Untappd app, I checked in 54 new beers this year. I don't do Spotify so I don't have that annual summary like so many do, but feel free to share one of your own recaps of the year! Cheers, all!  ❤️

  We took a drive up to Yuba Pass so the pups could enjoy some snow. We haven't seen much on the valley floor yet, and this wasn't much for the mountains either.  We used to come up here for snowmobile camping at New Year's. Trailhead, 2011. Take a walk on the winter side. (2010)

 Welcome to the Denmark Strait cataract, between Greenland and Iceland.  It is where we find the world's biggest waterfall, but it's underwater. It's roughly 300 miles across and falls 11,500 feet, sending a massive amount of water into the Atlantic Ocean every second - like, one and a half Great Pyramids of Giza worth of water. Per NOAA, "Cold water is denser than warm water, and in the Denmark Strait, southward flowing frigid water from the Nordic Seas meets warmer water from the Irminger Sea.  The cold, dense water quickly sinks below the warmer water and flows over a huge drop in the ocean floor, creating a downward flow." This is a vitally important part of the system of ocean currents known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or "a large global conveyor belt," which circulates water from north to south and back in a long cycle. It brings cooler waters and climactic stabilization as well as oxygen, nutrients, and organic matter cruci...

  Beginning in 1900 as an alternative to hunting, Frank Chapman of the Audubon Society started the Christmas Bird Count.  27 people across 25 locations tallied 18,500 birds from 90 species. Today, it's the longest running  community science  project in the world. Results for the Stellar's Jay (2009-2021) Black-tailed Gnatcatchers are popular around here apparently. What's a bird you see around your home?