A Brief Test of WordPress 5.1

Just trying to figure out how to use this new release. Lots of things have changed. Everything is based on blocks. This is a paragraph block.

I think this release is going to be much easier for both beginners and experts. However, there is a bit of a learning curve to get going if you’ve used a previous release.

If you’re thinking about using WordPress to build a website, this is your ticket.

Next is an image block.

This is a caption on the image above.

This is a heading block.

  • This is a list block
  • another item in the list
  • and another

This is a paragraph block. The above is a gallery block.

The following is a quote block.


The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.


John Kenneth Galbraith
Mess call.

This is a paragraph block. Above is an audio block.

Next is a cover block.

Here is the text over
a cover block.

Next is a file block. If you click on the “test” link, you should see a little Excel spreadsheet. You can try downloading it.

There are a multitude of of other kinds of blocks. I’ve just begun to check them out.

I gotta say that I’m very impressed. WordPress has done a great job of making is easier for everyone.

Going to Bagdad? Plan ahead.

Arizona has many places with odd names. A few of them are Show Low, Two Guns, Bumble Bee, Happy Jack, Tuba City, Ak-Chin, Wikieup, Carefree, Santa Claus, Nothing, and Why. (Yes, Why.)

Taking a place among them is Bagdad.

While on the subject of strange names, when travelling to Bagdad from Sedona, you have to pass through Skull Valley.

On the way to Bagdad, there is wonderful scenery. At one spot, you can look out over the high desert terrain of Prescott Valley.

Another nice view is the San Francisco Peaks fifty miles away in Flagstaff. They are the remnants of huge volcanoes.

West of Prescott, you are in granite country. Huge granite boulders litter the landscape.

Sometimes boulders as big as cars rest in huge mounds.

Grace got this nice shot of a few of the millions of huge saguaro cacti. They grow in a narrow range of annual rainfall and altitude. They can reach a height of forty feet.

Coming into Bagdad, the first thing you notice is an unusual pair of statues. If you’re guessing, they are miners. That’s what Bagdad is all about.

If my research is accurate, there are only two “company towns” remaining in the USA. Both are in Arizona and both are owned by the same mining company.

In company towns, all property, housing, utilities, and amenities are owned and managed by the company. Here at Copper Plaza are several businesses including a supermarket. I presume businesses operate under a company license.

The history of Bagdad goes way back to 1882 when the first mining claim was filed.

This plaque at the town entrance, has some amusing items on it. If you click on the image, you may be able to read the last three lines:

CLAMPER YEAR 5996
LOST DUTCHMAN CHAPTER 5917
E CLAMPUS VITUS

The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus (ECV) is a fraternal organization dedicated to the study and preservation of the heritage of the American West, especially the history of the Mother Lode and gold mining regions of the area. Some very famous people were and are members of the fraternity. Members are called Clampers. Aparently, they have their own rather odd calendar, thus the year 5996.

Near the Copper Plaza is The Diner. It’s an American classic design. The original “diners” were converted railroad dining cars.

There is another restaurant up the road toward the mine entrance. It is the Copper City Bar and Grill. This stuffed javelina unhappily decorates the entry hall.

When I planned (or didn’t) the trip, my intention was to visit the mine. I at least wanted to get to a place where we could look out over the 5 mile wide pit to see the giant trucks hauling ore. Here is a Google Earth image of the mine.

Sadly, that was not to be. Mine visits are on Saturdays only. I should have researched more intensely. There is also a museum, but it too was closed for some reason. We drove up a dirt road beside the mine, but all we could see was a huge pile of tailings.

So, if you want to go to Bagdad, plan ahead.

No-See-Ums – The Scourge of the High Desert

Pretty much anywhere you live, you may be acquainted with no-see-ums, midges, sandflies, or punkies. If so, I’d bet that you don’t call them friends.

Two days ago, we were out picking cherries for just a few minutes. Since it was a quick trip, I did not put on any repellent. Now I’m regretting it.

no see um bite
No-see-um bite after two days

As is obvious, it’s nothing like a mosquito bite, at least for me. I lived in Papua New Guinea for thirty years. Several times, I had so many sandfly bites (they’re called sandflies in Australia) that I would have been hospitalized, if there had been any actual hospitals. It seems I’m super allergic to the proteins in their spit. Aside from crustaceans (prawns, shrimp, lobster), it’s the only allergy I have. Today, my forearm is very hot and about half again its normal size.

As the name suggests, they are absurdly tiny. If you get lucky and smash one, you’ll just think it’s a speck of dust, as this image shows:

Looks like a speck of dust
Looks like a speck of dust

If you could zoom your eyes in enough, you might see wings and legs:

No-see-um zoomed
No-see-um zoomed

None of the species bite a chunk out of anything. They are all sucking insects (you can say that again). Fortunately, some species only sip nectar. The nastier ones suck blood from animals, notably humans. For a real treat, have a look at another kind of midge which dines on bigger bugs.

Yuck! Enough of that.

We have a lovely garden, but I’ve learned that this time of the year, I have to use a repellent. I used to use 100% DEET, but it’s a bother when working, as my hands stick to anything plastic. Yes, DEET melts plastic. Though it’s effective, I can’t imagine anything which melts plastic is good for your skin.

our garden
Our Garden

Now I use the strongest mixture of picaridin I can find. It seems to work as well or better than DEET and my hand doesn’t get glued to a hammer handle.

By the way, my arm will continue looking like that or worse for more than a week.

Hello Again

I neglected my original High Desert Journal for three years. During that time, it was thoroughly hacked because I did not properly care for it.

So, I trashed the whole thing and started fresh today. I had only three posts there, so it’s no great loss.

Facebook has served me well in the meantime, but I occasionally want to write longer articles and organize the images and words in ways which Facebook does not offer. It’s NOT a blogging application. I tried Facebook Notes a couple of times, but it’s not a very satisfying experience for me.

OK, so tomorrow, maybe I’ll actually do something possibly interesting. Until then, or whenever, here’s a random shot from my trip to Chicago in 2008.

Chicago O'Hare airport tunnel of light
Chicago O’Hare airport tunnel of light