She's wearing a buff. They are really great for riding in the city, you can pull it up and down according to how much other bike traffic you are encountering. https://www.buffusa.com/ I wore mine every day on our trip, sometimes for dust, sometimes for sun protection.

Wow. It's like waking up from a dream.

Likely young fragrant water lilies.

https://inside.ewu.edu/ewflora/nymmphaea-odorata/

So, your photo is of the male pollen packets (the red things) plus a tiny bit of new growth of needles emerging in the center. Usually up near the top of the tree on the tips of branches will be the tiny reddish beginnings of the pine cones and will indeed turn into pine cones if the pollen gets up there.

Well said.

Hi, Jonathan. First off, thanks for following along! Nice to know you’re out there.

FWIW also, our experience with Capitol One until now has been just like yours. They’ve been our primary card for thirty years, and I’ve always sworn by them. Like you, I’ve appreciated their fraud protection monitoring. We’ve had to cancel several cards over the years, after losing my wallet, or after an ATM ate the card, or after fraudulent charge issues. It is a hassle having to notify all of our recurring charges, but we’ve never had a complaint about the company, until now.

I’m really quite surprised. I kept thinking that if I just found the right person I could get a reasonable response, but the answer was always the same. It’s especially frustrating that no one can even explain what the concern actually is. No one I spoke to actually knew. They all just said the card was locked, they couldn’t see why, and they couldn’t see any alternatives but the one given. I really wonder if it isn’t the result of a failure in their computer system somehow.

Anyway, thanks again for the perspective and the company.

Cheers,
Scott

FWIW...

I’m a former commercial banker, never involved with credit cards, and never employed by Capital One. And yes, I’m an avid, but non-blogging, bike tourer, to which the Millers can attest!

While banks, credit companies, internet/cable companies, and others can be impossibly difficult to deal with, I am a Capital One customer and must say that I have been very pleased with their customer service.

It’s interesting that they are making you do loopty-loops through hoops without giving you any good reasons. I’ve had my credit card blocked due to fraudulent charges and the solution was to cancel the card and issue a new one. Legit charges and credits were automatically transferred to the new card.

The biggest pain factor was notifying a couple of places that charged the card monthly...like my health club and a couple of utilities.

By the way, I’ve also had good luck dealing with them through Twitter. Maybe you could regroup and try that approach, if only to expedite the return of a credit balance.

Good luck...and please watch out for dogs!

Jonathan

Great video! The wide angle of the GoPro is fantastic for this landscape and sky!

Thanks for helping us rediscover it, Ron. Gold star.

I'm glad we're not the only ones to take shelter in a bathroom.

At least you didn't have to spend the night there!

Wish you could find that photographer from Saturday Market and show him these photos.

I shouldn’t read your comments while eating breakfast, Ron. I almost spewed my cereal across the table laughing.

Puns are becoming a loest art.

Design by Eric Trump.

A very nicely positioned barn!

Just enough of it hiding to make me wonder about all of the stories it could tell .. about its builders, inhabitants, and the surrounding landscape.

Dammit! That's what I was going to say....