I had to fish my drone out of the LA River!

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Filming the mural that is called, “The Great wall of Los Angeles.” i crashed my drone by being a terrible pilot (i need more practice in tight spaces}). I had to fish my DJI Mini 2 out of the LA River. good thing it crashed onto a dry patch and suffered minimal damage.

The Great Wall of Los Angeles is a mural on one wall of a one mile stretch of the LA River. If you don’t know that, it is the flood drainage system of Los Angeles.  There was a river at one point, but now it is a concrete riverbank accented with chain link.

At first i thought i just needed to flip it over and i could liftoff.  alas, i had to construct an elaborate fishing pole of entangling loops attached to a telescoping dusting pole i had.  Just out of reach, it took nearly 30 minutes and countless attempts to ensnare my little mini.

Drone Crash View Drone Crash Damage

The look on my face when i finally recovered my drone
The look on my face when i finally recovered my drone

I Visited Niland, The Salton Sea, and Slab City.

Niland CA - Beach Sunset

I traveled to The Salton Sea to meet some of the alternative communities and see the incredible artwork coming from the area.  Also it’s a great place to get in some drone flights.

Niland CA - flooded streets Niland CA - Art Niland CA - Beach Niland CA - Beach Art Niland CA - Beach Art Niland CA - Beach Art Niland CA - Beach Art - Phone Booth of Love Niland CA - Beach Art - Bus Stop Niland CA - ArtworkNiland CA - Artwork and be3n credit: https://instagram.com/Christi.lugtu
Outside of the town of Niland sits the remains of a Camp Dunlap (commissioned in 1942).  All that remain are the concrete slabs that give Slab City its name.  Since the 1980s people have been camping there for free.  Now a few permanent encampments and even a few event venues exist.  There is no water or electricity or any other government services.  There is an eBike rental place, an internet cafe, a Hostel, a Library, and the East Jesus art exhibition.

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My final visit to the Encino Avenue bridge.

Encino Avenue bridge demolition

After reading of its impending destruction, i was hoping to pay the Encino Avenue pedestrian overpass a final visit.  Unfortunately visits were discouraged. The messaging was a bit mixed, as the fence was literally tied up with string.  i took pictures without trespassing.  The 101 will shutdown between White Oak and Burbank over the weekend for the bridge’s demolition.

Encino Avenue bridge demolition - Do Not EnterEncino Avenue bridge demolition - Tied up with string

Camarillo Airshow 2022

camarillo airshow 2022

A saw some great acrobatic flying including a helicopter doing loops and barrel rolls.  The sky was full of Jets, skydivers, simulated strafing runs, a water drop, and so much more.  On the ground i was able to check out a lot of incredible machines including a jetpack and aquatic aircraft called the ICON.  There was a STEM hanger where kids could operate basketball playing robots.

camarillo airshow 2022 - coordinated flightcamarillo airshow 2022 - autonomous helicopter
camarillo airshow 2022 - classic trucks and Corvettescamarillo Airshow 2022 - custom car

My garden keeps growing!

Home Assistant: Garden Panel

I’ve kept working on my garden. i have this sweet Home Assistant panel.  I am still working on automation, but integration is coming along nicely. I am using Home Assistant as my platform.  Most of my garden sensors are command line sensors.  I even figured out what i was doing wrong with command line switches (using capital letters).  Now that I have had my camera in place long enough, I have a pretty decent test time lapse.

**  warning flashing lights **

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