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Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦

@jlkavanaugh.bsky.social

6.8K followers 1.3K following 2.8K posts

Glaciologist and Earth system scientist at the University of Alberta. Luthier, photographer, baker, and coffee maker. Two-wheeled travel enthusiast and dog companion. He/him.

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Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · 1d

Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · 3d

Solid turnout for this morning’s Alberta Teachers’ Association rally in Edmonton.

The Alberta Legislature Building looms above a placard-waving crowd.

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Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · 7d

Good morning, Edmonton!

The Sun rises over the North Saskatchewan River valley through a broken layer of fog.

Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · 13d

Possibly! Feel free to reach out, @bowlerhatscience.org.

Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · 14d

Damn it, this one hits *really* hard.

Rest in peace, Doc. Thank you for all of your hard work. You’ll be remembered, and missed.

Edmonton mountain bike community grieves tragic loss of Dr. Darren Markland - Canadian Cycling Magazine

Respected cycling and healthcare advocate died riding in Nordegg

cyclingmagazine.ca

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Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · 20d

Shakedown Street never misses.

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Reposted by Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦

Pól Micheál O'Slatraigh @pmoslatraigh.bsky.social · 20d

Helena Georgiou

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Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · 20d

YES!

Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · 21d

Ah - thanks for the details!

Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · 21d

The first would 100% result in the rapid loss of driving privileges (which, I guess, would make moot my concerns for its engine's longevity).

The second? Damn - it's difficult to think of a car that I'd like to live with, day in and day out, than that gorgeous machine.

Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · 21d

There are two cars in my neighbourhood that have been catching my eye this week. The first is a resident, a Ford Focus RS (tuned to output 475 hp!); the second is likely a visitor, a older-generation Aston Martin V8 Vantage.

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Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · 21d

Nice! (Elmar 5cm 1:3.5?)

Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · 21d

One of these (though with the much-preferred manual transmission) has been slowly decomposing in a garage near me. Which makes me sad.

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Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · 24d

That lens:

a close up of a man 's face with the words i 've seen things you people wouldn 't believe

ALT: a close up of a man 's face with the words i 've seen things you people wouldn 't believe

media.tenor.com

Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · 24d

That look is burned into my soul.

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Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · 24d

* Pure F’ing Magic

Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · 24d

Logan isn’t the unstoppable force that he used to be, but he still loves going after ruffed grouse.

He flushed two today, but neither presented a good shot. (I doubt I would have taken them anyway, as the population here has been dwindling due to heavy hunting pressure.)

Days like this are PFM*.

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Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · Sep 9

☺ Turn signals are a toggle switch on the dash; they're not self-canceling

I could go on and on, but have work to do. I loved (and still miss) that little white British barchetta.

Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · Sep 9

☺ The door release mechanism is a cable in the gap between these two bits of metal, which you pull (whether from inside or out, the latter after sliding the door window open); there's no door handle

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Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · Sep 9

☺ The doors consist of an outer skin and inner panel of metal - the latter with a big cutout to act as a grab-handle - without any real consideration of safety

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Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · Sep 9

☺ Brakes? What brakes? (I had to stand on the pedal with both feet a couple of times...)
☺ The ragtop and its frame are removed, folded up, and stored in the boot
☺ The sliding door windows are in frames that unscrew, and are also stored in the boot

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Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · Sep 9

These Sprites represent the essence of motoring, distilled down to its purest form:

☺ The engine is only as big/powerful as it needs to be to have a good time in the twisties
☺ When the twin SU carbs were properly balanced, the engine sang

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Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · Sep 9

One cool - and surprisingly visceral - feature of these cars is that first gear is straight-cut (and so whines like a supercharger) and has no synchros.

As a result, rev-matching is an absolute must when downshifting into 1st. Fortunately, the pedals were perfectly arranged for heel-toeing.

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Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · Sep 9

Awesome!

I bought the Sprite for $1100 in '89 or '90. I would love to have been able to restore mine, but was a university undergrad at the time w/zero disposable dollars.

I ended up selling it because I was terrified of engine or transmission failure - repair would've been unaffordable.

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Dr. Jeffrey Kavanaugh 🇨🇦 @jlkavanaugh.bsky.social · Sep 9

Damn. I owned a '62 Sprite Mk II for several years. It lost oil to the ether (i.e., it neither leaked nor burned it), but was the most fun-to-drive car I've ever owned.

With its modest horsepower, you could floor it at any time, and it drifted like a dream around corners.

And so fun to wrench on!

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