u/PhantomCranefly

I don't see these every year, so this was a nice surprise. (US/Maryland)

Trip was 2 weeks in southern France during the heat wave. The first week was a nature tour, and the second week was meeting up with friends in Montpellier. I traveled by plane/tour van/tram.

(Image description is below after this introductory information.)

What I would have done differently:

• I came to dislike the Patagonia Terravia pants. They didn’t have enough pockets and didn’t seem to clean well enough with a sink wash. They did well in the heat, though.
• The tiny Lumix camera didn’t work well for what I wanted to shoot; I should have figured out how to make room for my larger camera.
• I could have left out one of the sleeveless tops and two of the scarves

New ideas I was pleased with:

• Figuring out that I could use the 3L Side Kick as an organizational insert inside of the 6L Packing Cube on travel days and then use both as needed onsite during the nature tour.
• Bringing a couple of Clorox wipes meant that I could wear my white-soled HOKAs out in the dusty countryside but then have them be clean enough for the city, saving me having to bring a second pair of shoes
• The SPF sun sleeves gave extra protection from the sun and took up much less room than a long-sleeved top would

Brought but never used, or used less than I thought I would:

• Patagonia Houdini jacket: it never cooled down and it never rained. (But I’d probably bring it again since it rolls up small and you never know)
• Baseball cap. Replaced with a white bucket hat bought there.
• 10-oz water bottle. I make fun of people's giant water bottles, but in this case I really did need a larger one; bought a bigger one there

Image description/list of what I brought:

Bags:

• ULA 30L Ultra Dragonfly (fit underseat, but barely because it was pretty full)
• Tom Bihn 6L Packing Cube crossbody bag with Tom Bihn 3L Side Kick inside it

Clothes:

Worn on plane:

• Navy merino t-shirt
• Blue Patagonia Terravia hiking pants/trousers
• Navy HOKA Challenger 8s
• Compression sox
• Big silk scarf

Packed:

• 3 sleeveless silk tops (black, navy, brown)
• 2 Patagonia Cool Daily t-shirts (gray, off-white)
• 2 pairs hiking pants (green REI Trailmade, black Patagonia Terravia)
• 2 silk scarves
• Flip-flops
• 7 pairs underpants (1 for a pj bottom)
• 2 bras
• 7 pairs merino socks
• Pajama top
• Baseball cap
• Patagonia Houdini jacket
• SPF sun sleeves

Stuff for plane/travel:

• Mini-Moleskine notebook, two pens
• passport, wallet in zipper case, tethered to interior of crossbody
• kindle
• phone
• shades
• small EDC zipper bag with lens cleaning wipes, ibuprofen, etc
• power bank and cord
• hand fan
• 10-oz water bottle
• folder with printout of all confirmation numbers, contact info, etc
• in-ear headphones

Stuff for while I was there:

• 2 pairs of binoculars (one close-focus, one distance)
• Panasonic Lumix ZS99 camera
• eye mask and Loop quiet ear plugs
• backup glasses
• laptop (smallest Macbook Air)
• 2 USB-C fast chargers
• cords for laptop, phone, kindle
• international adapter
• ziploc with liquids
• zipper case with other toiletries including solid shampoo, mini deodorant
• picnic kit (plastic cutlery, plate, cup) (annoying but unavoidable because of nature tour)
• laundry kit (Fels-naphtha, cord, Clorox wipes).

Having a little conversation on a log in the Potomac River. (One of those amusing instances when you've taken a photo of a bug and then discover a second bug when you process the photo.)

(Hetaerina americana and Argia moesta)

I can't get over this color combination - just amazing, definitely the best bug I've seen this year. Southern France (the Camargue)

I hit my 200th album today too. Really enjoying the project, almost as a writing project, and also as an opportunity to pay attention to a lot of the bands from the 90s and 2000s that I didn't really pay attention to when they first came out.

My "love more" and "love less" lists at this point confirm the fact that my preference is for experimental-sounding music that's either instrumental or has weird or incomprehensible lyrics. (lol currently listening to Angine de Poitrine)

(Progomphus obscurus) I was super pleased to find this one in the neighborhood stream, which I didn't think was clean enough for this species!

(The article title says "unmasking" but it doesn't! I would never break The Rule.)

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/may/08/unmasking-angine-de-poitrine-rock-duo-quebec-khn-klek?CMP=share_btn_url