New Carnivorous Plants from Seed. Hoping for a Binata Mulifida
Here's the newest member of the carnivorous plant family.
I'm actually not sure what kind of plant this is as of yet because it's so so small. I have put seed in the fountain several times this year and this one is the first sign of growth.
Here's my fountain which sits next to me in my office and has a grow light on it and it runs 24/7 with distilled water. I have put seeds here many times and this is the first one to actually grow (This year that is).
I saw something green about a month ago and I used a microscope to find out if it might be alive or what. But now I see that it's growing a shoot that's shooting upward. Here is the plant next to a normal sized pill for scale.
Here are the shelves of the fountain on the left side. At the top, you will see a shoot from the spider Venus flytrap. And two shelves below you will see a leaf from the butterwort.
If successful, these shoots will grow baby plants at the base where they touch the Moss. This is one of two ways to create a new plant of the carnivorous type. The other way is from seed which is happening in the second photo, but I do not know what kind of plant it will be as of yet.
I am hoping for a Drosera Binata Multifida pictured here...
I had one and it flowered only one time - those were the seeds I put down months ago...
Thank you for stopping in to see what is happening. We are all learning to grow things together.
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Early Morning Sunday - EAA Airshow - Part One
The Grass Strip
It is called General Rodriguez and it is located about sixty miles outside the city and surrounded by farms and ranches.
I have not seen an air show in the last 25 years. when I arrived in Argentina I only saw helicopters in large commercial Jets so I thought there wasn't much of an aviation community here at all. I flew once back in 2002 and right after that the airport and closed. Life went on and I just forgot about flying until recently when my doctor introduced me to one of his patients who owns a plane. He told me about the EAA event that I am covering now.
*Tanker used to wet the runway down*
I am so glad to be back at air shows and I will be attending this one every year from now on until I leave the country.
We got here at 9:00 in the morning and we walked the length of the airport which is a grass strip with grass taxiways. Due to the dryness we have had lately, any propeller turning churns up a lot of dust and dirt but they handle it quite well by spraying water on areas where lots of thrust is produced.
We then sat down under a white tarp the outdoor portion of a restaurant and we got some sandwiches for breakfast.
We ate and saw a couple of planes take off but none of them were show related planes. We tried to stay at the restaurant as long as we could because the sun was brutal and the temperatures were rising into the mid-90s by 11:00 in the morning. That table was our one spot in the shade.
The Stunts
The first plane was the Stearman and he did his routine over 3,000 feet so it did not come out on video. The next one to take off was this guy who you have seen if you looked at my last video.
This got me out from under the tarp and put my eyes to the skies. A real hot dog! After take off, he climbed out and then entered center stage heading toward the crown inverted, and did a negative G push to altitude.
This footage from today was all taken on my cell phone. I was saving the battery on the GoPro for the main show which came at four o'clock. Filmed in 4k with stabilization, I should be able to zoom in on the hammer heads and sky writing.
The hardest part about filming this Air show was the heat. I have a Google pixel that shut down about 8 minutes into a video, I have a OnePlus and it shut down only one time all day while taking video but I turned it off several times because it was very hot.
https://3speak.tv/embed?v=maniobras/yfllidpp
▶️ Watch on 3Speak
or https://3speak.tv/watch?v=maniobras/yfllidpp
Bitchute: https://www.bitchute.com/video/JtSS2M1ayz45/
The air show started normally with a Stearman biplane, followed by an aerobatic Cessna - both included in this video. I have thousands of photos and I cannot find the one that contains the name of the pilot, based on what the announcer says, he is Gaby Garcia.
--
Runway Dust
This is a very short runway and it is hard to bring in a large aircraft.
The last craft to come in before the "heat pause" was an Argentine Airforce prop-jet that engulfed the north end of the field with dust after it reversed its prop to slow down. The plane landing (in the video) was not photographed, but there were people lined up to go inside the jet to look around.
After that, we hung out in the hanger where my friend keeps his playing and had some fruit kept cool. It seems that only here in South America, planes cannot handle any above 90° although every year that I went to Oshkosh, heat and humidity were brutal even over a hundred degrees.
At around 4:00 p.m., the plane started flying again and the show went on until 7:00 p.m.. the afternoon activities and other routines done by some very skilled pilots will be in the next few videos. I hope you enjoy what you see here!
BitChute: https://www.bitchute.com/video/JtSS2M1ayz45/
▶️ 3Speak https://3speak.tv/watch?v=maniobras/yfllidpp
Another Short Video 🏍️ Practicing Circuit Riding
The Surron Likes Dirt!
My son, on the other hand, likes pavement. We ride on the roads on sunny days, but I insist he learn several types of footing under his wheels and get used to compensating for different levels of traction.
<center>[](https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-buzz/xagwsyfh)</center>
I learned on dirt when I was a kid and the skills saved my life many times over. He is getting a late start in his mid teens and now acquiring the in his late teens. We live in a country where vehicles are so overly regulated that you cannot think of getting one until you are making good money. Then when you get a car, they tow it when you park it and they stop you at check points and mass tow vehicles to the impound. The government lives on stolen money from vehicle owners.
I am buying vehicles that are not ***yet*** regulated. This one is considered to be a bicycle. An electric bicycle. A beefy electric bicycle in some cases.
▶️ [Watch on 3Speak](https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-buzz/xagwsyfh)
Enjoy the video - me on my s22 and my boy on the Surron.
Shrooms in the Woods
I had my head in the clouds the other day and while watching the white fluffy things, that happened to look down and saw a mushroom.
Here's a fabulous profile picture in case this guy ever gets arrested.
To think, I am always going pretty fast through the trails and pass right by the simple beauty that lies beneath my feet.
It was early morning and there were a lot of wet leaves and branches on the ground due to the dew. I really wanted to get the dew drops of the mushrooms as I took the pictures but I don't think there's much evidence of it in the final shots.
For those of you who think of me sitting at home all day playing in the garden, you are part right but I do get out some as well. I hope you love the mushrooms that are presenting today as much as I do. Take a bit of time and bend down to see what's at the level of your toes. Then share it here on Hive and I'll be voting on you.
Morning at the Reserve Video - What is there to see?
Today's Nature Ride Video
▶️ Watch on 3Speak or Bitchute https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-buzz/ywbnybul https://www.bitchute.com/video/knN5np2QCXvV/
I ran across a couple of these monster 4X4 Camper things. Is there a rally race in town or something? I find a lot of people camping near the reserve for some reason. The food stands are open 24/7 so that could be it.
A few minutes of the video shows this bird eating a snake. I think it may have bit him.
I guess you could call it a fight to the death, but Mr. Beaks has the advantage. I think this one is a "Little Blue Herin" but I could be wrong. Maybe one of you out there know it.
Then there is the strange paddle boat with the scoop on the front. It is said to have maintained the duck pond out front. That one is entertaining by itself.
Have a look at the video and let me know what you think.
This Morning's Nature Ride - compilation video
The hawks and eagles present at the reserve are very people shy.
As I said in the video, you need to be the first one in the gate and you have to reach the back stretch of paths to be on the scene first. This picture was taken after the other nine friends of his left. When they hear people coming, the hunter class birds leave for quieter hunting grounds.
▶️ Watch on 3Speak https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-buzz/lusfptms
I took these photos this morning while on my ride. I am leaving the camera running and then sifting through the footage when I sit down in front of the computer. Seems to work the best for me.
Here is a little guy I saw on the wall - if it is a Cardinal, then it is the state bird from Illinois, which is where I am from. You're a long way from home my friend!
These birds are very people-shy too! See if you can find him in the video.
Pigeons got a surprise when something (me) approached them without making a sound.
There is a dove in the mix today. The pigeons scatter when they see my wheel coming. They cannot hear it since it makes no noise, so they scatter when they see it. I have had many times where they fail to move and I have to brake or steer to miss them.
▶️ 3Speak https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-buzz/lusfptms
Birds are not the only thing that I look for. It is rare to have any sizable ship close enough to get a clear picture. This one was reasonably close to shore this morning and I grabbed a shot of it. It has some sort of crane on stern.
I was riding for over two hours today and all the coolest parts of the ride condense nicely into a four minute summary. Let me know what you think.
Submarine Ducks 🦆 and Swan 🦢 Video
These are amazing birds. If you see a lot of posts about them, it would be because they are one of my favorites.
I could not get into the nature reserve for over a month and that forced me to look around for where else they hang out. This is at the quiet end of the docks where a Daddy Aninga was teaching his boys how to go under and fish for their food. There will be another video on that one when I get it edited.
Today's film is one where I stopped t see some large brown neck swans and when I zoomed in to see them better, I caught my favorite swimmers ducking under and popping back up again. Here is the video.
https://3speak.tv/embed?v=sponge-buzz/mnizhtzg
▶️ Watch on 3Speak https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-buzz/mnizhtzg
Grabbing the igrit was an incidental grab. I pointed and got one standing, the anhinga drying, and the other igrit flying by.
I will also have a dedicated video of the mother igrits and their kids learning how to fly and land a bit. No fishing that I remember. My hope is to have that one edited and narrated soon to.
Living so close to a bird sanctuary is so sweet. I used to get pictures of these amazing creatures only when I was vacationing in Florida. Now I can see them as long as I head to the edge of the city. How nice.
Fire Damage in the Nature Reserve 🌿 Photos and Video
🌿 My last video, the second bridge video, showed smoke above the nature reserve. It has been closed since that date and I was not allowed in until we had had some rain and the fire was out.
It has been closed so long that the burnt area already has new growth around the charred ruins of plants and trees.
If I had to guess, I would say that eight or ten percent of the open lands were burnt. The above looks this way sweeping right and left as seen in the video.
The video also has two different burn sites - none of one portion of the video covers any of the area in the other portion. They were take from one path facing back to back - if that explains it - click below...
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-buzz/bahrbgeh
▶️ https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-buzz/bahrbgeh
Zooming in on the biggest tree still standing, you get the idea.
I am pretty sure this old palm will come back. I go to the reserve a few times per week and I can check on it. It is sad that it was closed for so long, but new life will spring from the ashes.
Spider Venus Update
Hey! Thanks for stopping in and checking on my Spider Venus Fly Trap today. Here's a picture of the plant as it stands today with a few new traps some of the old ones getting black.
And here's the plant how it stood the day I got it. pardon the quality but this was taken from the video that I had posted on the unboxing.
Here's another shot from the side - you can see six good looking traps and a couple, three or so, that are past their days.
This is a shot primarily of a brand new trap that's sprouting up then it will unfold it will develop its eyelashes, I guess you would call them, and start catching flies.
And here's the biggest trap as of yet. I have a lot of difficulty focusing on the traps because the camera wants to focus on what's behind them but this one actually focused well enough to see the sensors or triggers on the inside that the bug would have to trip.
I just went to water all the plants and I found that almost all the traps had caught some sort of bug overnight. Mind you, none of them have caught anything in the past few weeks and in one night they all got something. Strange!
So these last two are of the spider with his first meal at its new home
All of the above photos were taken by me with my cell phone. None of them have any filters applied because I thought they were pretty good as they are.
I appreciate this platform and all who stop by because of their 💚 for God's creations!
For the best experience view this post on Liketu https://liketu.com/@greenthings/spider-venus-update
Limited Access - Dry Weather and Fires at the Reserve. + Bridge Video #2
There was a fire in the nature reserve the other day. I went every morning last week and they had stayed closed due to fire Wednesday. I took my son there early morning on Friday and it was still closed due to fire. I know the fire is not still burning, I would see the smoke if it were.
So; I venture out yesterday and I kept seeing firetrucks racing down the streets along the nature reserve. Here is one of the trucks headed there.
As truck number five was heard approaching, I snapped a shot of the trees in the reserve and there does seem to be something on fire in there.
It has been days since I went inside the reserve. But I do understand that they do not want hundreds of people all over the reserve and have a fire break out and put them all at risk.
The good news is...
That I was able to catch one of the rotating bridges closing this time. I happened to have my camera with me as I pulled up to the gate.
https://3speak.tv/embed?v=sponge-buzz/joigutff
▶️ Watch on 3Speak https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-buzz/joigutff
I rode all along the coast as close as I could get to the water (not very close most of the time.). I am waiting for my photos to sync up to the computer and i should have more posts. Very strange and interesting to have two bridges active in one week.
***Happy Sunday to all!***
Bike Outing on the Trails
It has been really hot out lately, in the mid-nineties for the most part. This is the kind of weather that makes you want to stay moving and get the wind in your face. We headed out to the river side park to see the boats and animals. Lots of fun on our electric vehicles. Again, we did not want to peddle and sweat up a storm... Some of our trip is captured on a video below.
We just got back from the nature reserve. Right at the end of our ride, I wanted to switch to 4K on the GoPro and see how it comes out, hopefully well if I drive nice and slow. It is a short video to see how 4K looks on some platforms.
I have shot 4K in the past but when I went to edit the footage, the screen was just black. I looked up what the problem might be and they're saying it's a codec but upon further investigation, I found out that my editor will transcode 4k to 1080p so that I can see it and edit it with very few difficulties.
I don't get to see the finished video until I upload it. It looks like HD when I use my phone or the new laptop.
I edited this video and cut it down to 5 minutes. On my phone, it looks really clear and well-defined but I'm wondering if it would be worth recording 4K all the time or not. Your comments would be welcome.
https://3speak.tv/embed?v=sponge-buzz/zhcsnybc
▶️ Watch on 3Speak (if it doesn't play here) https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-buzz/zhcsnybc
Let me know what you think.
When the road you are on goes sideways...
Change of plan...
I have been in Puerto Madero quite a bit lately riding through it to practice on the wheel and to get to the reserve for early morning rides. Good morning, I'm riding up to the bridge. I hear a ding dong sound and I stopped what I was doing, pulling over to see what's up.
One thing I should tell you is that my electric wheel is so quiet that birds don't hear me coming. First photo shows birds getting out of the way as I pull up to the railing. It makes me want to install a horn on my wheel.
So I was waiting there, and I hear the ding dong sound again and realize if I stay on this side of the bridge and it opens, I will not be able to get back to the other side which is where I live. I mean, I have already blown a couple of hours riding through the reserve and I should get some work done, so I don't want to be stuck on the wrong side of the bridge.
I decided to take video of the bridge opening if it does in order that my kids can see what happens when they open because they don't open very often. the kids saw the bridge open one time but they were so little that they don't remember it. So I'm capturing this for you but also so that my kids can see it since we don't go out on the weekends too much anymore now that they're bigger.
I'm shooting video and I swing around to the correct side of the bridge and go to a spot where I can see the entire bridge. I paid left to see the pump house where all the machinery and hydraulics are to make the bridge work. And I see that men are going down to the spot where the bridge is going to swing if it opens.
I checked both sides to see if any boats are coming which would be a clue telling me if the bridge is going to open or not. There are no boats. At this point I don't know if I'm wasting my time and my SD card or not.
While I'm waiting, I'm taking video of ducks overhead playing in formation pictures of the cranes that are everywhere because this used to be a port after all.
Then finally it happens! The gates go down as a pedestrian runs to get off the bridge. Sometime passes and then I hear the wine of hydraulic pump and the bridge starts to rise.
It must lift the weight off of the edge of the road so that the bridge can swing. So the bridge comes up about 6 in and then starts to swivel.
This is the part where we talk about how the road goes sideways when you want to go to work or home.
**LInks to the video...**
*On Hive...* https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-buzz/pdwfjfbg
*On Bitchute* https://www.bitchute.com/video/7DoGu5ZfdJY0/
Lastly there is only to show the pile-up of cars behind the closed gates where everything is gridlocked so the bridge can open for the boat that never came through! It must have been for maintenance - that is my guess.
**What a fun morning this was!**
See full post on Hive - https://hive.blog/video/@sponge-bob/when-the-road-you-are-on-goes-sideways-on-you
Dusty Trails and New Camera Angles (video)
As some of you may know, I have been able to ride four mornings per week plus weekends. Two reasons: I have replaced my @s18, and also I can now ride seated part of the time, which gives my feet a break if I ride for a long time. https://hive.blog/@s18/posts
I'm still learning how to point the camera correctly without the screen to actually see where it's pointing. I rode the entire nature reserve this morning and decided to play around with some different camera angles as I went. The ones that turned out are here in the video below.
I think you can see how much dust is being raised by the knobby tire. More of that below, click ***Play***
▶️ Watch on 3Speak https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-buzz/jkfxxlve
I opened the video showing the side of the wheel me seated on it going fairly fast. I found out the other day that when I accelerate fast it raises it quite a dust cloud behind me. I did not realize that until I saw part of this video in the cloud that was developing behind me.
Here you're looking at camera about 4 inches off the ground facing forward as I ride at the east end the reserve along the water's edge.
The next angle is doing a trail on powder like dust or dirt. I like riding speedy through the reserve but sometimes I actually do slow down as well I will toward the end of the video.
As a swing to the west side of the reserve, I stand and I start holding the camera with my right arm outstretched and capture the camera going close to items on the side of the road while I myself am not at any kind of risk.
I later found some pretty good size holes on the right side of this very path which I could have fallen into if I weren't paying attention. Now that I'm watching this, I may attempt to redo this camera angle at a higher speed, what do you think?
Here we're coming to the end near the entrance where everything is brick instead of dirt. They haven't have a really nice bridge which is all black and you can see plants in all directions. See what happens when the gyro in the camera rotates the video during a turn. A bit dizzying. This is the same bridge that appears in another video and I made in 4k as a test. https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-buzz/zhcsnybc
Finally a few stairs and the way out of the park and out of the street where I must mesh with the cars in traffic but at least I can go as fast as I want.
Back Home
I leave the video there but I have to say, the miles I have been riding lately leave this new wheel very dusty. I think I will leave it on the terrace for now...
Bringing some nature back with me from the nature preserve!
***Let me know if you would like to see more 4K video.***
B52 Venus Flytrap Update
Here is my latest picture of the Venus flytrap B-52
Here is the newest and smallest of the new leaves coming in. So small and tender.
Here is its Big brother starting to raise its neck. Each trap that grows will eventually become bigger than the largest trap that is catching insects right now. That is how they grow, each one larger than the last.
These two have just started to open up after they have unfolded. After the trap has unfolded and opened then the tentacles around the edge of the trap will elongate and become very sensitive.
This one seems to have eaten already but with the size of the tentacles showing very little, I would think that maybe it is only first opening.
These two are adult traps and the last one is even starting to brown. This is a sign that it's dying so that it does not take up water and resources as the younger ones catch the food now.
It will eventually turn black and need to be removed._
---
It would seem that this plant is becoming adjusted to its new home because it has plenty of new traps growing.
During the unboxing, this plant had five full grown traps and two babies. Now it has two full grown traps and five baby leaves which means it's adjusting and there's a lot of new growth.
These plants are extremely sensitive to being moved or even to their compass rotation, which way they're facing and such.
I am planning to start a baby plant by pulling off one of the traps but it kind of bothers me to do that if it's going to put the plant at risk. So I think I will wait until it has many more traps so that it can spare one.
thanks so much for stopping in to see my photos and learn about my plants!
For the best experience view this post on my @greenthings account on Liketu
Originally posted on Community Articles. Hive blog powered by ENGRAVE. https://dclub.dblog.org/
A Touch of Argentina - Three floors packed.
*The front of La Brigada, in San Telmo.*
*Cowhide Menu - including the hair... My son hated that!*
*Waiters cut every steak to show the color, and they always use a spoon to cut it.*
*Beef cut with no name. But I was able to order it non-raw.*
*Chicken Provensal*
*Nobody will be stealing the floor.*
*Every inch is filled on every wall and ceiling...*
*Every inch is filled on every wall and ceiling...*
*One wall is a drawing of the restaurant with signatures of patrons.*
*Signed by the winners, Diego and Leo, who both wore 10*
I finally got a chance to sit down and try La Brigada. It is a touristy place, a mix of trendy and old time environment, filled with memorabilia and known for serving the best Argentine beef. The prices are on the high side but worth it. It is always packed with tourists and the waiters are of an average age of sixty three, which is normal at all of the famous restaurants.
So, as the first photo shows, this is a three-story restaurant with at least 15 dining rooms and a terrace outdoor on the roof. My son was looking at the menu when we got there. I was looking at the gangster face just inside, but he was freaking out about the cover of the menu, made of cowhide with the fur still on it.
Before we got our food, I kept seeing the waiter serving steaks to other tables and they always, always, cut it for the customers using a fork to hold it and a spoon to easily slice it in half. I tried to post a video of that action here on LikeTu but it did not show up so I did a screen cap of the video.
I had ordered filet mignon but was not allowed to have it done medium, it only comes bloody raw so they said they would bring one that is allowed to be cooked though...
We got our food. I had the unnamed steak of non-raw eaters and my son got chicken with provensal (Garlic and Parsley). These were both delightful the best I have ever had.
Next I have a few photos of the decorations and examples of the quantity of memorabilia that they have everywhere. Every inch of the place is covered. Much of it is signed by the famous people who wore it or won it. Hope you liked my run down. There was another surprise I had here that I will save for another post.
Overcoming Stairs-Fright
**Have you every ridden you bike down a flight of stairs?**
Well, I did. But my bike has only one wheel.
I got my first wheel in 2014 and have upgraded a couple times since then. Transportation was the reason for my purchase and I have been using it for many years with no urge to do any crazy tricks with it.
Then came a day when I saw someone taking their unicycle down a set of stairs! **I had to learn this new skill.**
I started out doing curbs. Then I worked my way up to small two stair sets, always hitting them on an angle just in case I fall - grass is softer than cement.
In this video, you can see where I started practicing the smaller ones, then five stairs, and finally sets as large as nine stairs.
Video
▶️ Watch on 3Speak - or - on BitChute https://3speak.tv/watch?v=s18/iojsfxiy https://read.cash/watch?v=s18/iojsfxiy https://www.bitchute.com/video/mnlkuGE2GxAj
To the right, you can see me doing the largest set of stairs. Again, I head for the grassy area in case something goes wrong.
As it is, I did not fall while learning stairs. The trick is to approach the top step at medium speed and when the descent starts, do not try to increase or decrease speed. The wheel cannot brake when descending. When I was done learning, I found a stair set with hand rails on both sides. I attempted braking while going down. It did not work. The wheel took a tumble. I caught myself with both arms. Can you find that footage?
I have become very comfortable doing stairs around town, and I get a lot of looks when I do. Heads shake. Comments like, "You're crazy!" are heard as I ride away. I don't need all the safety gear either unless I try something I have not done before. I cannot take any and every kind of stairs I see though. I have to have a fair amount of space at the bottom of the stairs in order to slow down since I cannot brake while on the stairs. I have to stabilize, then brake.
Though I have not tried, I doubt that I could do a curved set of stairs or sets with short landings in between them. It may be possible one day but my main goal is to keep from falling off the wheel. I also do not try stairs if there are too many people near the stairway. I would never want to hit anyone.
Yes, I have insurance to cover anyone in case of an accident.
This was the first set of stairs I did, seen in slow motion on the video, and I had taken it quite slowly at first. lots of jarring on the knees. With lots of practice, I found that these go very smoothly as I increased my speed. That is because these stairs or a bit longer (less square).
Also seen in the video, there is a more square set (first photo above), that needs to be taken a bit slower otherwise the wheel does not touch all of the stairs on the way down - a bit scary. I remember one of those descents missing the chattering sound as I went down. These small adjustments in technique had to be learned in order to safely take stairs.
Other than that, I have not done any jumping, though I know it is possible. I will hold off on jumps for now. I may learn to ride backwards. My kids already know that one.
Thanks for reading/watching. The video was put together over a three month period. I still feel a bit of panic before heading down a set of steps. I used to land airplanes and the panic before landing went away over the years, I am sure this apprehension will leave me too one day.
I have been shadow banned here on read.cash - Many have said they cannot find my posts, until I send them the link to them. I have to say, twitter is back up now and has stopped doing that (some will be charged for this crime). So what is keeping me here? Not sure. Not much money here compared to Hive. If it keeps up, I wlll write about it. Read.cash was a super idea. Too bad.d
Vamos Argentina - Ganamos Hoy!!
So as not to be a Jinx
I am sitting at Che Taco with the Owner David and my son @rx7 watching Argentina warm up for the big game. https://steemit.com/@rx7
*Photo and video from the last Argentina win...*
I was out and about during the last win traveling through the streets and onto the plaza at the Obelisco - see the video below - it was intense the amount of celebration and good vibes. I did not stay late into the night but I am sure it was a party.
▶️ Watch on 3Speak https://3speak.tv/watch?v=bolonqui/vhhngjbf
It was only thirty minutes ago that I rode through the same area today. It looks like there will be martial law at the monument today. There are barricades already up and ready to be slid into place to prevent anyone from gathering there.
I am not sure if they are blocking people for a win or for a loss tonight.
It looks like they are ready to lock the whole area off from anyone looking to riot.
I say we just watch the video of the last celebration and bring some "***Buena Onda***" to the team.
C'mon Everybody! Cheer for Messi's last game! Let's Go!
Vamos
**We cannot lose this one. We are better than the Netherlands!**
Oh, is there a game today?
I was heading out to pay a few bills and to pick up some meat for dinner. I got on my wheel and went to pay the parking garage. When I got there, the owner wasn't there. They kept saying "tomorrow, tomorrow." I did not know why.
I usually pay my bill on the last day of the month or the 1st of the next month.
And then went to the butcher shop, and they were closed. That was also strange! So now I'm wondering what's happening?
I'm riding down the street, I noticed there are very few people and almost no cars, plus many of the shops and their shutters down. This is a feeling that I used to get when I first arrived here in Argentina.
I had the feeling that there was some sort of nuclear war or major world event that had killed everyone or something. Back then it was the **siesta**, which people sleep from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. then open back up like nothing happened. But I have not felt this way since I am moving to the city because generally shops don't close to take a nap here in Buenos Aires. Today is different, it's not a nap that is asking for their attention. It's a football game.
I don't have a television. I actually do have a "television" but there has never been an antenna or a cable plugged into it, only my computer filling that sixty inch beauty with tabs, videos, social sites like Hive and monitoring nodes and wallets. Anything that I want to watch I can get on the internet and if the internet is not in service, I have a collection of over a thousand movies on a removable hard drive.
So, Yeah. I am out of touch...
I don't have any clue that there is a ***futbol*** game happening. I did not know until I asked someone. I did not know who is playing who, but I do know it's Argentina against someone today and it's about to start. The only reason I know this is because someone stopped me as they were closing their shop and told me that they have to go get something to eat before the game starts when they won't eat at all.
It is quite normal for people to stop me because I am walking at thirty miles an hour. slower if on the side-walk.
So I high-tailed it right to the taco stand to grab me enough food for the whole day just in case. There was not a soul in sight at the restaurant, Fabrica del Taco. Then I saw someone at the television, adjusting it for the game. I quickly ordered my food and brought it home and now the ominous feeling of some sort of world disaster has gone from an empty stomach and it's time to enjoy some really good tacos.
*If by some crazy off chance... Nah, they could never lose. There won't be any rioting or burning of anything, right?*
Drosera Flowers and Green Tomatoes
Snap Happy Thanksgiving
I went a bit snap happy while watering the plants.
My biggest drosera has 12 flowers open today. I counted them and wanted a picture that you could count too, but they cannot all be in focus at the same time. So, I opted to take many, many photos.
These are a little over and inch across when they are open. That may give you a reference as to how big these plants are now. The largest stands sixteen inches tall from the bottom of the pot. It's nine inches from the moss to the highest flower.
The plant has a Siamese leaf. I think I may have posted on this defect when it was still unrolling itself.
Here is a macro shot (even harder to get everything in focus) of a leaf, in the sun, and it has caught a fly. The leaf will slowly wrap around its prey to help it absorb the nutrients as it digests it.
The flowers rise high above the rest of the leaves in order to attract the flying visitors that have the most energy. The ones that are tired will land on one of the leaves and be invited to stay permanently.
Let's see if we can count the flowers on this one plant... (many angles for you to try)
They are all closing as I write.
I though it may be easier to count them when they are not touching one another.
I also wanted to show you how I can tell when it is time to re-pot them.
These keep growing out of their soil (not soil - moss) so they need to have more put in to cover the dead stems of old leaves that have turned brown. In nature the streams near them wash new moss around them. Here at home, I have to take care of that.
I can still pus new moss up around the base of the main stalk on this one, but soon it will nee d a taller pot so that the moss does not fall over the edges. It also allows more space for the roots to go downward.
And a quick update on those same first tomato flowers from a week ago.
Cherry tomatoes in a couple of days.
***Till Next Time...***
Fat Cats Feast While the Rest Struggle
Protests Against Inflation
As usual, all traffic is stopped and flags are carried all around town because people are unhappy with the collapse of the currency and the inflation that comes with it.
These are tourists who paid for a guided bike tour. I was riding on my way to four one hundred dollar bills for a hundred and twenty two $1,000 peso notes when I ran into these poor vacationers from who knows where. I could not speak with them because of the drums and megaphones.
What gets me about these protest is how they cut off travel for other citizens that are struggling with the same degradation of the paper money. So everyone is getting nothing done all day, most are angry and frustrated, and the only people that have a care free day are the officials that caused it all. The elected politicians.
The crowds marched on the largest, widest street in the country and blocked traffic, made noise and carried signs. Then they divided and blocked all the smaller streets just to make sure they did not miss bothering everyone that is trying to work.
I usually make if from home to the exchange houses in less than ten minutes, even when traffic is bumper to bumper. This trip took me almost thirty minutes because I could not get across the big avenue. I had to ride the length of the city to find the end of the marching protestors and then double back to the blue money district. Blue speaks of the price, not the color of the place.
See me fighting my way along Nine of July on my way there.
https://3speak.tv/embed?v=bolonqui/wesxhhcr
▶️ Watch on 3Speak https://3speak.tv/watch?v=bolonqui/wesxhhcr
If it were me running the protest, I would go directly to where the president is and protest there. Then again, I have seen them do that, but the president is ready. He bought water canons to fight back. Some people here tell me that all of this is planned and even funded by the political party that is not currently in power.
You will see roles completely reversed in the video when motorcycles are riding on the sidewalk because the people are crowding the streets. It is fairly lawless here.
*Politicians eating very well while the public goes hungry.*
I have to say also that the police do not really do anything to the protestors. This photo was taken as the people march down Cordoba Avenue in the opposite direction that traffic usually flows. I was riding in the correct direction while the police made way for the protestors.
Blood Moon to Blood Buildings - What's up?
I am not sure where you stand on these things...
but it is mighty strange that the night before last was a lunar eclipse and then last night there was a building eclipse as well. 🤯 Hmm...
I was just out for a ride and passed by one building that is usually adorned in the colors of the flag - but Evita was now quite devilish looking. What's up with these new and ominous color schemes?
The pointed tower was in a pink mood as well. So I started to sense a pattern and I swung back around and started grabbing shots of these oddities.
You can see the base of the base of the Obelisco to the right in this next photo - I was trying to capture the large spotlights they use to light this puppy up and there they are. Three of them can be seen.
As with camera focus, it is hard to light something close and its farther away parts evenly I guess.
Then we have the English Tower at Retiro and it was also lit in a blood red color scheme. I was on to something!
I rode west to see if other parts of the city were also turning red but I did not find any. My bike was at the end of one battery so I decided to call it quits at 10:30 p.m. I would have liked to see if the bridge in Puerto Madero was also lit in red, but I didn't have the "energy" to go there. Pun intended.
**I hope this post got you thinking if you live here as many of my friends do...**
If not, you have at least learned that some governments are spontaneous about unpublished actions to confuse the population and intrigue the tourists. Now that we again have tourists, we have people to intrigue.
I was out and about before anything got really messy. A crowd was gathering at the congreso building as I was wheeling around. A friend asked me to snap some shots or video when things are going nuts here. I guess I am playing the part of a citizen journalist of sorts.
Funny how you can have the sidewalk and foreground all level in front of you, but then the huge building in the background seems to be build uneven. This was taken with my phone and I was holding it level.
The video shows what the plaza looks like today as they attempt to put down new sod and water it. Then you have a bunch of protestors who have a different idea. They want to petition their government about the price of food.
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-bob/buxrbvmf
What to do with these little suckers.
Talking Tomatoes
When you start to grow tomatoes, all you need is one good healthy plant about twelve inches tall and you are all set for the season. Faster start if you have several - then you can get a dozen growing in no time.
This is a sucker. They grow out of the crux of the tomato branches. Once you start getting tomatoes on the plants, you want to remove these and toss them. Otherwise, they will suck all the nutrients, trying to expand the size of the plant, and in turn they will stifle the growth of the tomatoes.
These should be taken off as soon as you see them during fruiting season. But notice the little fuzzy spikes on the suckers, or anywhere else on tomato stems for that matter...
Early Season
Before you start to see flowers, you can take suckers off and just put them in the soil. I talked about the fuzzy spikes you see on the stems, right? Well when those spikes touch soil, they will turn into roots instantly (within a day or two).
To increase the number of tomato plants, just find a sucker that has 5 to 8 new leaves already and a inch to inch and a half of stem below the first leaf.
Pinch it off...
Then just take a pencil or something and make a hole where you want a new plant.
Pop that sucker in the hole and gently push the soil to surround the stem, then water it regularly. It is best not to sprinkle water on the whole plant. Tomatoes do best when watered from below after they have roots. If it rains on them, they survive, but it is generally a good idea to keep the leaves and stems dry on sunny days.
These are cherry tomato plants and they can be grown in a garage or basement with a grow light. They produce lots of tomatoes and can be kept at only four to five feet tall for the whole season. If they get too tall for your comfort, you can snip off the entire top part of the plant and put it in soil just like we did today with this little sucker. They always grow!
**I will do an update on this little sucker when it starts to grow tall.**
Thanks for your interest and good luck on your garden.
First Real Apartment for @vatman - Quick Tour
Big moving day!
My son moved out about a year ago because he wanted some privacy with his better half, which is understandable.
They had moved out a year ago to a "hotel familiar" where they had one room with a shared kitchen and several shared shower/bathrooms. These are common here in Argentina. I even lived in one of these years ago before moving to the city center.
This week, they rented an apartment outside the city. It is a bit far away, see the map in the video, but they are right near the train and closer to the electric bike, wheel, and scooter shop
where he works repairing these amazing vehicles.
▶️ Watch on 3Speak https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-bob/uytooqae
Here is a picture of my youngest as we prepped to up end the bed and fix a weak or broken leg on it.
I had to make a video and get the new apartment walk through uploaded so that we have an idea of when this nice young couple got into their first rental apartment. The move was on the eight of October and it took me this long to get to transferring the pictures and video to my computer.
It is only five minutes long, but you will have a chance to see what $35,000 Argie-pesos would get you in the way of rental property. If you are still calculating life's costs in **u$s** that is **$121.00 per month**.
Yes, it is cheap to live here!
If you can find a way to make bux on-line (hint-hint **Hive**), then you can just convert the tokens and use Satoshi Tango to pay all your bills.
Previously Promised Preview of Pepperoni 🍕
Moving Day Surprise
I went to help one of my boys get moved. He is moving much further away than he has been. We went to the old place which was just a room (I will be making a post to show you his new place too) to an apartment way out in the boonies.
*packet of precious pepperoni*
I was going to make an unboxing video, but photos will have to do for now...
Back to what I was talking about. We got to the new place and were sent out to scope the neighborhood out and get some chow. Because the new place is in "provincia" (suburbs?), everything is different. the garbage is up on poles instead of dumpsters, the businesses have wrought iron signs, the stores have chalk boards for pricing and hand drawn signs.
*close up of ice cream cone -hand dawn.*
**And apparently, the delicatessen (fiamrreria) has pepperoni!**
Now, I have not been able to find pepperoni in stores since 2006 and that was only one time. I was able to buy it but I had no good way to slice it, which makes it rough to put on pizza. Little half moons and quarter moons of red delight were okay, but I just wanted the real stuff.
Still moving on with the unboxing
My son was ordering some ham and getting some cheese when I asked if that was real, I saw the whole pepperonis hanging there. The guy said it was and I asked if I could try some as I doubted him.
He sliced one off and I tasted it - **Spiced Delight** in my mouth as the words came out, "Give ma a pound of that stuff!" (a half kilo). His eyebrows went up, and he proceeded to spend the next five minutes or so stacking them in their paper container.
We got back to the house and I had to open it and share some with my youngest and his sister-in-law. I really wanted pizza at that point but there were only toasted sandwiches.
Everyone was spent and we left at 9:00 p.m., took the train, then a taxi back into the city where we proceeded to pull out some frozen pizza from the freezer, then tweak it with some onion, garlic, and the delightful disks you see here.
I have been excited to have these back in my life again. I hope they will be available when I return the the suburbs to see my middle boy. I have been checking every deli counter for over twenty years to no avail, but tonight was a ***big win***.
I used to have to come into the city to find imported things that remind me of home, but now everything went full reverse. Take me to the river...drop me in the water...
Till the next one.
Riding around the back of the Pink House
https://3speak.tv/embed?v=sponge-bob/mkdhqqar
▶️ Watch on 3Speak https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-bob/mkdhqqar
Another ride!
This one takes us from the edge of Puerto Madero, around the back of the Pink House and up to the Obelisco. I was heading to the meeting that took place right near the Obelisco and I needed to only find the address before going in.
Sorry if I scared you, but I left at 1:00 p.m. and wanted to get there quick. I swerved into oncoming traffic a couple of times as I was passing buses and people who were slow to get going when the traffic lights turn greet (or not).
The rules for this thing do not exist yet, so I can apply the same logic that anyone would use to walk near traffic, or the same rules that a bike might be obliged to follow.
My vehicle is so small that I like to go through red lights, with some caution, in order to get out ahead of the traffic that will be heading on the same path as me. I do not have any bumpers so I like to keep my distance from cars or buses if I can. And since I cruise at the same speeds as four-wheel vehicles, I can easily stay ahead of them. Most times, I have the avenues all to myself.
The Video starts on the sidewalks on the military base and gets into traffic on the streets as we get past the Pink House.
▶️ 3Speak https://3speak.tv/watch?v=sponge-bob/mkdhqqar
Once I was in the meeting, I took advantage of a Hive sticker that was in my welcome bag. My S18 now identifies as a Hive user.
My next door neighbor at the video tripod table had an awesome mic for reducing wind noise - one that I must have!
My backwoods fix for wind noise works but it also muffles sounds a lot because it covers the phone mic. This looks like it would do the job way better but it seems to be plugged into the headphone jack and non of my phones have one of those. I would also have to consider if it would throw off the gyro on my gimbal.
Enjoy the video
**And get out on one wheel whenever you can.**
It could be a Gallinule 🦤 I call him "Wide Claw"
**I took these pictures today at the nature reserve.**
I was sitting there eating my lunch, and I noticed a really cool reflection. I was seeing the sky and I was looking into the water so I took a picture.
Then, I noticed this large bird with a huge claw, well two clues, walking on the plants that were floating on top of the water.
Then I searched for "**large bird that can walk on plants floating on water**" and I found this, which could be it but the one I saw was not purple. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-02-29/The-colorful-bird-that-walks-on-floating-plants-OtHyMwQHxS/index.html
Here it is. What do you think it is?
These are smaller than most water birds, so it could be that they're babies.
Either way, it is so nice to get out and play **jungle man** or maybe **swamp creature** for a bit and see the wildlife in their natural habitat.
In the end, I didn't eat lunch alone!
What to do with an Escape Artist
Pancho
When we got him, he was the girth of a hot dog. (Pancho in Spanish)
It is ten years later and he is still the most tame and domesticated dude as a snake can be. But he is also **curious**.
*Snakes behind acrylic*
I have two snakers - an orange/yellow python and this guy, Pancho. They live together - totally platonic though. They both live in here but the motorcycle wheel is Pancho's. There is always at least one part of his body on the tire. Here we have him at the 'glass' peaking out at me. Sad that it has those lines on it - explained below.
I upgraded their cage to a half-closet. They have hot rocks, a water dish and a really soft carpet with a quarter of it folded over in case they want to duck under something (that is Goldie's favorite way to roll).
I have made cages in the past for my snakers in the USA and I usually use Plexiglass or Lexon, but here I could not get that. The Home Depot-ish place we have here is called Easy. All they had was this stuff. It is like corrugated cardboard but made of acrylic. I cut it to size to close off the front and top (three feet tall) with a high intensity light mounted outside the enclosure to give them the rays they need. I cannot be in the cage or they would burnt themselves. I already had one snake injure itself somehow and I will not risk another.
I have not been feeling well but I do not want to sleep all day, so I got Pancho out and laid on my water bed. He keeps me from falling asleep because it would be a mess if he were to get into spot where...
Let's just say... If I do not see him where I left him, then I will be taking something apart to get him out. Couch, furniture, rafters, water bed, etc..
Once I lost him for over a week and he was inside a computer!
I can usually put him under a blanket and he will cruise around under it and curl up all comfortable. Today he found his way out a couple times and went over the edge of the bed, headed for the floor.
So I put him on my foot and stuck my leg up in the air. He was happy as a clam (if they are happy) to be up there all king of the high-up place and stuff. It is really hard to fall asleep if you have a three-pound snake wrapping himself around you ankle and your leg pointed at the ceiling.
When my leg got tired, I crossed my leg on my knee and waited for him to make an escape attempt. Then back up in the air.
I thought I got some nice pictures of him and decided to share them. He is my living leather friend of many years. And we love him tons!
Special Needs Plants and Sequential Flower Blooms
Obsessed with the exotic.
Good Evening! Today I was starting with the flower sequence that blooms on this, the largest of my plants with special needs, the Drosera. These plants need pure distilled water and only moss, not soil. I breed them and provide them to caring nurseries that take exotics.
One flower opens every couple days from one stem that uncurls when ready. Here are the last few buds that will bloom toward the end of the line.
The top ones have already bloomed and the last few are about to bloom. I am watching them in order to pollinate them (for seeds). I also took some pictures as I caught them opening and closing.
Right after I took this picture, I used a small brush to mix the naughty bits around in there and marked the stem so I get the ones that have fertile seeds for sure. That way I will get ones that germinate, not duds. I must have done the pollination really early because today another had opened. It is rare to have two open at the same time. I usually only see one at a time open.
I could not wait for the sun to move to light the flower fronts. They close quickly after pollinated. I liked the photo with back lit petals and shadows from behind.
Here they are as they closed...
**Thank you to my fellow greenery fans for visiting my non-cartoon blog.**
Converting Streets to Nineteenth Century Standards
Bricks are in!!
This is my second post on this topic. This could be considered an update to the other post, but that one was a small job to fix rough spots in an old brick road. This post deals with major projects involving taking out the asphalt and putting in old-time cobblestones.
I have been avoiding these construction sites for the last several weeks, but I do stop here once in a while to see what they are doing.
Old Pictures
(from a month or so ago)
You are looking at street-car tracks that are ancient. The plan was to save them and allow them to be seen when walking on the street.
New Pictures
(taken today)
The upgrades to the street seem to have made shop owners fix up their stores - a coat of paint will not harm the image.
Old Pictures
(from a month or so ago)
This street used to be pavement just six months ago. When it is done, it will still have traffic running up and down it. Parking will be allowed and the curbs are not being eliminated.
New Pictures
(taken today)
It has been some time since I made a post on San Telmo streets, but I wanted to wait until the streets are open to give you a before and after view.
The north-south cross street
(taken today)
It is cool that they are opting to go back to the old time ways of making streets. It actually helps keep traffic slower without putting in speed bumps.
The old-time street lamps are actually brand new.
There are still some barricades on this street because they ares still putting finishing touches on it. The bullet shaped objects are used to keep cars off the sidewalks. This street was also all pavement just a few months ago, so this will end up rerouting a lot of bus and taxi traffic to another street.
Not long ago, there were buses raging down these streets and today there will be no parking, and not high speed traffic. It is essentially an outdoor mall.
If this posts hits #50 - I will do a riding tour of the streets of San Telmo on my Kingsong s18.
**Thank you for reading!** Do you have cobblestone streets near you?
@sponge-bob
