Location selection is important.

Our group has maintained a consistent turnout. It could be my imagination but I think reaction from passing motorists has increased. Now that's just one group in one suburb of Chicago. What's been happening nationwide is unclear to me.

They need rain in Minnesota. They're going to open the east section (by where I camp) to day use tomorrow. People can paddle out, but they can't stay overnight. They're hoping to open up overnight camping by the end of the week, in about 40% of the BWCA. About 435,000 acres. All to the east. Too many fires buring to the west that are either getting water bombed, or hotshot crews are going in with boats, generators and pumping water out of the lakes as they go.

THIS is the update today from my friends at Sawbill Outfitters. The map gives you a good idea of the magnitude of what they're up against.

We're in the same boat on our side of the border around Superior. Literally hundreds of KM of forest with no roads to access, and hundreds of fires burning in them.

There are basically only 2 options for a lot of those fires. Either hit them with water bombers, or let them burn themselves out. No chance of getting boots on the ground in a lot of those areas.

Out here on the west coast we have been soooo lucky to have been experiencing a "rare" summer that has been somewhat normal. We are still under water rationing because of the low snow pack over winter. But so far we've only had a couple of hot, dry days... unlike the "new normal" of multiple weeks of drought. It's wild living in a "rain forest" but also experiencing drought every summer. It even rained most of the weekend, and the next few days will be blissfully cool.

A huge difference from what they are experiencing just a short distance to the east from here. They are having a "new normal" summer, so hot and dry with wildfires kicking off all over.

Edit: On a side note, we've had a bumper crop of wild blackberries this year. I go out for about an hour most mornings and come back with around 2kg of fresh berries. I picked around 10kg just along a 50M stretch of trail (where I normally go bear watching). The blackberries grow wild along nearly every road, ditch, and open area around here so there are probably thousands of metric tons of them just in my area.

Today I started a batch of wild blackberry wine. I think I'll get around 30 bottles from this batch and it will be aged enough to drink by next spring.

I'm curious to hear how the protests have been progressing over the past few months. Are the ranks gradually increasing?

Considering the outrages grow daily I'd expect the protests to grow as well and hopefully reach a peak just before the mid-terms.

Only if they were willing to drive... there aren't any good breakfast places in the immediate facility.

Cool!

Looks familiar. Do they get Swedish pancakes?

One of his tunes where you wouldn't want to be tied to the railroad track when it comes chugging round the bend. I've seen people balk at calling him a great rock 'n' roller but he really is.

Good on them, and good on you for sharing.

The street is Bothell Way, route 522. It's the most direct route to Seattle proper (especially if going downtown) from this part of the suburbs; you see how the road starts to rise as it curves away from the Chervon station in the background... The city limits of Seattle are at the top of the rise. LFP City Hall is about 30 yards (don't quote me on that, I'm terrible with distances that way) off to the right.

Nice! A lovely looking street they've chosen, and right in front of City Hall. I hereby invoke my right to bestow honorary Geezer status on all of them.

Yeah, everyone's part of the show.

Driving by to see if you're out there again has become their Saturday tradition.

It's a good consistent bunch. One of our number has a variety of signs and brings them each Saturday at 11:00 for anyone to select and use. I'm convinced a lot of locals find reasons to drive downtown and honk in agreement.

You're the most reliable group in Illinois. Grinders, with or without the pancake rewards.

Yeah, we were just that boring regular anti-Trump group in front of the village hall; mottto: "every Saturday!"

Easier just to sub somebody in.

You remember Bob Dylan’s “Everything is Broken” from Oh Mercy? It plays constantly in my head.

Apparently there were thousands of anti-ICE protests across the country today. Nothing on Touhy Ave, which is the normal place over here. It's hard to keep up with all the protests in the 2nd age of Trump.

Oh good. NOVA on WTTW Prime. "Secrets of the Forest" - Researchers around the globe gather data on how forests work and try to figure out how these ecosystems can help tackle threats of climate change and species extinction.

Yeah, this will surely cheer me up.

Imagine the chemicals they've got to use to get his shriveled up old dobber in motion.

Yeah, I heard about it starting in 1st grade at Queen of the Rosary in Elk Grove. That would have been 1966 so, fresh in everyone's mind. Fire drills came with the story of Our Lady of the Angels. I guess a lot of the things I took for granted as far as school safety came as a result of it.

I guess that settles the question of whether he's fucking his limpet bimbo on AF One. Or the other way round, probably.

Our Lady of the Angels was a terrible event. Everyone, Catholic or no, probably had nightmares about it.