Quality sleep, decent in-room coffee

 Some photos from yesterday. VERY pretty country with lots of green, lovely old homes and then the unexpected delight of the small towns. The bottom photo is where we had dinner ~ I mean, wouldn't you? The Blue Moon Cafe. You can also see the Blogmaid in front of The Little House in Shepherdstown. I did not plan on GREAT sleep here at the Quality Inn, but that is what I received last night. Yay! This morning we meet relatives on my biological father's side ~ tomorrow on the mother's. How exciting is this? And, once again I am missing the SF heat wave, as I did when in Ashland. This is all so delightful.

SFO to Shepherdstown, W. VA

 The Blogmaid picked me up at 3:30am this morning and now we are in Shepherdstown at the Quality Inn. A long day but a smooth uncrowded fight, then a rental car and a drive here. This is such beautiful country and the town is so charming. Photos and more news tomorrow but I did want to report in. Thanks to the Blogmaid for all the planning and heavy lifting. Early to bed now. Zzzzzzzzz.

let's get packing

This isn't really my suitcase, but you get the idea. Travel used to be so easy. I do like the packing cubes and on this trip the Blogmaid has extra space so everything will work out just fine. She will pick me up at 4:30am tomorrow morning. We will sleep on the plane and in Maryland and when we get home in a week.Am I ready for an adventure? Well, almost. 

we finally agree ~ no data centers

 

“Clinton, Iowa, is topographically flat and economically declining. The sawmills that made the city rich in the late 19th century have been repurposed as a museum. One of the Victorian mansions long since abandoned by the old lumber barons is open for tours, but tourists are scarce. Clinton has shrunk to about 24,000 people, and the town center, along the Mississippi River, feels nearly empty. On the west side, miles of deep-green corn and soy fields are crisscrossed with transmission wires and zoned for heavy industrial use. The city’s economic activity includes corn processing, pet-food production, and methamphetamines. With available land and a dire need for investment, Clinton seems like the perfect place for a gigantic data center.” Well, it seemed perfect to everyone except Clintonians. Instead, the town of Clinton is the latest site where one of the most quickly formed and widely supported partyline-crossing political movements is taking place. “The meteoric emergence of the data-center rebellion is a response to the speed and scale of construction, which in turn reflect the sudden ubiquity of generative and agentic AI. President Trump’s policy has been to turn everything about the technology, including data-center construction, over to private industry ... But on this issue, most of Trump’s base remains angry and opposed to him.” A local newspaper editor described the way the issue has formed unlikely partnerships. “Outside of this, there’s no way in hell these people are talking to each other.”

THANKS TO NEXTDRAFT by Dave Pell for this article which I "borrowed".

summer has arrived

 I went over to the Chase Center yesterday to soak up some Valkyrie vibes and then treated myself to lunch at the good old Ramp. Most of the lunch crowd had gone by the time I got there and I almost had the place to myself. So many memories, including Husbando's memorial here 8 years ago. 

SF has turned purple

 Our women's basketball team, theValkyries, are in the playoffs. Hooray. They are such fun to watch. Here is a photo of Terri at the game Sunday night with the Go Valks banner that she quilted. So nice having talented friends. Next game, tomorrow night. 

the smart way across the Bay

 Heidi and I hopped on the ferry to Larkspur yesterday where we met Shelley who kindly drove us to lunch and then to this GREAT movie about James McNeill Whistler. So interesting to learn about this American artist who was so prolific and a bit of a showman. Ridership on our ferry systems has increased dramatically now that gas is so very expensive.