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Brenor
@brenorbrophy.com
500 followers 350 following 510 posts
Retired renewable energy engineer, amateur geologist, hiker, & backpacker.

Reared in Ireland, reside in California.
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With the war of fonts heating up and the assendancy of Times New Roman in the State Department, I can't help but post this fantastic and classic comment from Metafilter.

#fonts #typeface #timesnewroman
In the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Trajan, my legions were attacked by the Calibri in the hills of Helvetica. The canny tribesmen made their assault before we could reach and lay siege to the city of Gentium, thereby rendering useless our trebuchets and high towers. My couriers soon reported that the Calibri, as was their normal habit, had assembled a force of light cavalry, clad in copperplate gothic and armed with arials, while also bearing short onyx used for close-in fighting. They relied on speed and maneuverability in the rough terrain, using their arials to fire flaming caslons into our midst and then retreating. A generation ago, this tactic would have wrought grievous damage. But by the grace of the gods, this was a more modern era, and I was able to deploy a force of heavy infantry, armored in stout verdana and armed with the new garamonds. No cavalry, however fleet, can stand long against a trained force armed with garamonds. So this I say to the fools who have said that our armies have fewer meliors and sylfaens than they have at any time since the war with the Lucida Sans. We have no need of such toys now. Those are the weapons of the old Rome – a century old style. And these are the Times New Roman. posted by kyrademon at 11:33 AM on October 23, 2012.
December 10, 2025 at 5:25 PM
brenorbrophy.com
Look who I met on a sunny Saturday afternoon hike in Alum Rock Park, San Jose. Bobcats always seem surprised you had the audacity to walk in their patch. He stood there contemplating a response before deciding I wasn't worth it and sauntered off.

#photography #nature #cats
A Bobcat standing in the middle of a first road checks out the photographer. Dappled sunlight and shadows from a low winter afternoon sun.
December 7, 2025 at 3:15 AM
brenorbrophy.com
Earthquake preliminary 5.9 near Reno, Nevada. Just received an alert in the Bay Area.
Screen capture of earthquake map
December 4, 2025 at 4:11 PM
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The environmental aftermath of the most destructive gold mining technology ever deployed OR entrance to the fairy kingdom?

It's the first one, but it doesn't usually turn out this well. This is some of the karsk landscape excavated by hydraulic mining during the gold rush in Volcano, #California. ⚒️
Moss coated, twisted spires of grey marble point skyward. A damp trail leads between them. A forest of pine and madrone surrounds.
November 16, 2025 at 5:54 AM
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Out trying to get a shot of Comet Lemmon in the bright Bay Area skies, during its closest approach to Earth. Unfortunately I couldn't get more than a smudge, but did capture a nice sunset as I was waiting for it to get dark.

#photography #sanfrancisco #sunset
A darkening sky with wispy clouds after sunset
October 22, 2025 at 5:34 AM
brenorbrophy.com
The contact between the Chinle and the base of the Windgate sandstone on the Cohab Canyon trail in Capitol Reef NP. We speculated that the contact is a paleosol and the green reduction marks might be caused by residual carbon from tree roots. What do you think?

#geology ⚒️
The base of a cliff. Sloping purple, crumbly rock forms the base with vertical tan colored sandstone on top. Along the contact between the two rocks are pale green intrusions into the purple rock.
October 14, 2025 at 4:04 PM
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Very striking Miocene lahar deposits of the Mount Dutton Formation along route 62 in Kingston Canyon, #Utah.

#geology ⚒️
View looking up from the base of a cliff of pinkish rock. The rock face is vertical with large voids. On top similar, but rougher rock appears to form a cap on the skyline.
October 14, 2025 at 3:23 PM
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This statue of Junipero Serra, Spanish missionary, Catholic saint and a major participant in the subjugation and genocide of the native California peoples, has been removed and destroyed by Caltrans. Erected with private money on public land in the 1970s, I for one shall not miss it.

#sanfrancisco
Large concrete statue of a priest with his right arm outreaching and pointing.
October 3, 2025 at 8:47 PM
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A spectacular trackway in the Permian Organ Rock formation of Canyonlands NP. On the Green River, just downstream from The Turk's Head, river-left. I'd guess it's 20-30cm wide, but hard to judge at the distance. Amazing how the slabs are just sitting on display. Anybody know anything about it?

🧪⚒️
View upwards from the river of two large slabs of what appears to be sandstone. Each have a striking fossil trackway from a terrestrial creature, perhaps 20-30cm wide. A closer view of the slabs.
September 16, 2025 at 2:24 AM
brenorbrophy.com
The beautiful Point Bonita on the Marin Headlands at the entrance to the Golden Gate and San Francisco Bay.

Check out the dark basalt cliffs and the pillows in the arch. They almost look like they erupted yesterday.

⚒️🧪 #seascape #photography
A view looking down from clifftop to a calm sea. Dark vertical cliffs on the right reach out to a sea arch. Atop the cliff is a small white lighthouse with a metal suspension bridge extending back towards the viewer. A grey overcast sky above
August 23, 2025 at 4:10 PM
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For fans of wooden sailing boats the famous Tally Ho arrived in San Francisco today on her way back to the UK from Washington.

#sailing #tallyho #sf
A small flotilla of sail boats passes under the Golden Gate bridge on a clear blue day.
August 18, 2025 at 10:43 PM
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I met this chap at the top, it all felt a bit mythical.
A raven perched on a rock at the summit of Carrauntoohill mountain.
August 13, 2025 at 1:42 PM
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Carrauntoohill, highest mountain in #Ireland at just over 1000m. An awesome though strenuous hike, the views from the top on a clear day are more than worth it.

#photography #landscapes
A conical shaped peak with a wisp of cloud makes the horizon. A grass and gourse covered rocky slope in the foreground with a winding path. A blue sky above.
August 13, 2025 at 1:42 PM
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The coast of #Ireland had a vast number of beautiful, unspoiled and almost empty beaches. Here is the spectacular Kilmore Quay in County #Wexford on one of the nicest days of the summer so far.

#seascapes #photography
The gentle curve of a long sandy beach hooks around. Sand dunes on the right, calm sea on the left, an almost clear blue sky above. Some scattered people in the mid ground.
August 12, 2025 at 1:45 PM
brenorbrophy.com
The rocks below the Broch of Gurness in #Orkney are wet and seaweedy today, but 390ma they were a dry lakebed with dessication cracks. Mapped as the Rousay Flagstones, these sediments record many cycles of fluctuating levels in Lake Orcadie during the Devonian.

#geology #seascapes
A view looking down from a small cliff onto a rocky outcrop at the water's edge. In the center, a flat rock surface has a poliginal pattern that are fossilized dessication cracks. Brown seaweed covers many of the rocks and floats in the water.
August 10, 2025 at 9:06 PM
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A lovely example of soft sediment deformation in Devonian lake sediments on #Orkney. The vertical bedding is due to Neolithic inhabitants erecting this fine geological example as one of the Stones of Stenness.

#geology
A slab of rock with vertical bedding showing soft sediment deformation. A hand is provided for scale. A zoomed out picture of the outcrop showing it to be a Neolithic standing stone.
August 7, 2025 at 12:52 PM
brenorbrophy.com
Spectacular noctilucent clouds high over Hudson Bay. I saw them about the same time last year, it seems like they are becoming more common. Tiny ice crystals right at the edge of space.

#photography #noctilucent #cloud #weather
Electric blue wispy clouds in the night sky. A reddish line across the horizon, dark below.
July 15, 2025 at 1:12 PM
brenorbrophy.com
This is so sad, the loss of the Lodge on the North Rim to the Dragon Bravo fire. I was there just last September, such a beautiful place. At least there were no injuries or lives lost. But I can't help feeling it will take a long time to recover. The picture below was posted to Reddit.

#grandcanyon
A wooden and stone building engulfed in flames.
July 13, 2025 at 10:31 PM
brenorbrophy.com
Not everyone realizes how active tectonics are in California. Sometimes cities have a hard time just keeping up with changes. 😀

#geology
City road sign for Palo Alto, California showing population 66,573 and elevation 2358'. The first two digits '23' are just adhesive labels stuck on the sign.
June 21, 2025 at 1:08 AM
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A gas vent formed by the likely violent reaction of acidic hydrothermal fluid and the early Cambrian Polecat marble, 14ma, that created Lehman Cave in Great Basin NP. I call it the Cookie Monster. On the road with @geotripper.bsky.social and the students of Modesto Junior College.

#geology #caves
A view of a cave ceiling showing a dark recessed vent surrounded by cave formations, with a slight resemblance to Cookie Monster.
June 16, 2025 at 7:22 PM
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The imposing Navajo sandstone cliffs of Zion National Park stand over the hardworking white vans that have been our homes for nearly two weeks. On the road with @geotripper.bsky.social and the other students of Modesto Junior College for a wonderful geology field trip on the Colorado Plateau.
High tan colored sandstone cliffs rise towards a blue sky with some wispy clouds.
June 15, 2025 at 10:16 PM
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For #FossilFriday, a Jurassic pine tree from the famous Morrison formation at Escalente Petrified Forest State Park, #Utah. On the road with @geotripper.bsky.social and the other students of Modesto Junior College.

#geology
A long fossilized tree trunk. Information sign. Information sign. Information sign.
June 13, 2025 at 10:49 PM
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Enigmatic Upheaval Dome in Canyonlands National Park, roots of a Jurassic impact crater or unusual salt dome? I believe the latest research is pointing towards an impact as more likely. On the road with @geotripper.bsky.social and the other students of Modesto Junior College.

#geology #landscapes
Overlook of a crater like geologic feature. Red rock walls and a central hill of blue grey clay like material. A blue sky with scattered clouds above.
June 12, 2025 at 4:33 PM
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The spectacular view of Monument Valley and the incised meanders of the San Juan River from Muley Point, #Utah. On the road with @geotripper.bsky.social and the intrepid students of Modesto Junior College.

#geology #photography
View across the deeply canyoned valley to the mesas of Monument Valley. Thunderheads on the horizon.
June 10, 2025 at 7:58 PM
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On an amazing geology field trip of the Colorado Plateau with @geotripper.bsky.social and the other students of Modesto Junior College. Yesterday some of us hiked down to Cedar Ridge on the South Kiabab trail in Grand Canyon. Awesome!
A old tree reaches dead branches towards the sky. Red rocks and clay in the foreground. The buttes and cliffs of Grand Canyon beyond. All under a blue sky with scattered clouds in the distance.
June 8, 2025 at 4:20 PM