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Ryan Elizabeth Cope's avatar

Aw velella velella! Thank you for writing about them, they are one of my favourite sea creatures! What a neat little species.

Good luck on your marathon!!!! 🏃‍♀️💨

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Jessica McKenzie's avatar

Thank you! The marathon went well (posts coming out on a bit of a delay, to give me time to reflect, write, and process photos lol). How did yours go?? I think it was the same weekend as mine!

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Ryan Elizabeth Cope's avatar

I need to catch up on your marathon posts! Congrats. 🎊 I ended up deferring mine…for the second time! (due to a muscle strain) I was thinking I’d muster up energy to train for a fall marathon, but my partner and I also have a big house move ahead of us this summer, plus a Reno, and idk if I can sustain all the things! 🙈

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Jessica McKenzie's avatar

Ooof I'm sorry to hear about the muscle strain, I hope you heal quickly. And ya, I cannot IMAGINE trying to train for a marathon while also prepping for a move, which is like a full-time job in itself. Our move was so stressful last fall and I didn't run before/during at all, basically, not until it was all over.

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Eleanor Doughty's avatar

Huh! As a Washingtonian I had heard that wallpaper photograph was taken in central WA. But looks like that was incorrect. TIL

Also never heard of the little invertebrate critter you found, but now I am prepared if I encounter them on one of our beaches!

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Jessica McKenzie's avatar

That's what E said while we were driving! So I don't think it's just Washingtonians who think that. I think it may be a common misconception because Microsoft is based in Washington so it's assumed they would want a local photo on the desktop?

Ahh I'm regretting now not going into more detail, because the Wikipedia article has so much: Apparently the hill was normally covered in grapevines (because it's near Napa/Sonoma) but had been recently cleared after an infestation of Phylloxera (some sort of grapevine insect pest). The photographer saw it while driving and pulled over on the side of the road. He later recalled thinking, "There it was! My God, the grass is perfect!" (I love this.) Anyway, now it's a vineyard again, hopefully pest free, but this photograph can never be recreated as a result.

Lots more fun facts in the Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bliss_(photograph)

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