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jaytaylor.bsky.social
Jay Taylor
@jaytaylor.bsky.social
1.6K followers 970 following 1.1K posts
Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, Bicycling, Live Music, Film Photography, Mechanical Watches, Dogs, Bourbon, Progressive Independent.

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jaytaylor.bsky.social
On Black Friday, I attended a local liquor store's allocated bourbon event. I stood in 18 degree temps for an hour and a half. I was about 40th in line, and got a Weller Special Reserve and a Old Forester Single Barrel store pick. A good day!

Two new bottles in, and one got finished off tonight.
A Wall To Wall Wine and Spirits Old Forester Single Barrel store pick, and a Weller Special Reserve wheated bourbon. I finished off the bottle of Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend tonight.
November 29, 2025 at 3:29 AM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
Back in mid-September, I ordered a Submariner "homage" watch from #Ginault. My #OceanRover (v2.5) arrived today.

This watch has a Swiss movement, but is assembled and calibrated in the United States.

I love the blue ceramic bezel and sword hands (MilSub style). I didn't want a date complication.
A Ginault Ocean Rover II watch with blue ceramic bezel.
November 28, 2025 at 11:54 PM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
Kicking back and relaxing tonight with a fresh crack of Calumet Farm 16-yr bourbon.

I'm setting up a new Linux desktop computer (Debian). I've decided to opt out of as much telemetry/data sharing as I can.

I'll be using my Apple devices much less in the future.

#Debian
#Linux
#Bourbon
#GrapheneOS
November 27, 2025 at 3:08 AM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
The megachurch near our house has turned on their X-mas lights for the season.

#ChristmasLights
X-mas lights at the megachurch near our house.
November 24, 2025 at 3:32 AM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
Two photos for the evening…

I picked up an AliExpress big pilot-style watch with a beautiful green dial this week. It has been running at about -1 second per day so far. Not too bad for $75!

I’ve been sipping on my Old Forster 1910 this week.

#Corgeut
#BigPilot
#Watches
#Bourbon
#OldForester
November 23, 2025 at 1:39 AM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
This is the second night in a row of finishing off a bottle of bourbon. The John J. Bowman Single Barrel has been officially retired.

I do have a couple of bottles of this as backups.

#Bourbon
#JohnJBowman
An empty bottle of John J. Bowman bourbon.
November 19, 2025 at 2:44 AM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
I’m finishing off my bottle of Four Roses SBBS recipe OESO tonight.

A friend picked this up at the distillery while she was there.

Good Stuff!

#Bourbon
#FourRoses
#SingleBarrel
#BarrelStrength
An empty bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel Barrel Strength bourbon recipe OESO.
November 17, 2025 at 11:21 PM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
I mowed one last time, then ran the gas out of the mower chopping up the rest of the leaves.

I have a fundamental dislike of mowing in November, and certainly in December. So, I'm done for the year...

#Mowing
#AutumnLeaves
#AlmostSnowBlowerSeason
The front yard after the final mowing session in 2025.
November 17, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Reposted by Jay Taylor
jasonkirell.bsky.social
RIP penny

www.cnn.com/2025/11/12/b...
The last-ever penny will be minted today in Philadelphia | CNN Business
The American penny will pass away later today after a prolonged illness. It was 238 years old.
www.cnn.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:54 PM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
Day of Note - Nov 11, 2025:

Today is the day that I have officially outlived my own Dad. He was taken by Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in May 1996.

My wife and I got married in his hospital room a few days before he passed, and somewhere, I have a photo of him looking down at our hands and rings, smiling.
My Dad, working at the small town newspaper office that he would eventually buy and run for many years. My Dad, holding a very young me.
November 11, 2025 at 5:16 PM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
The other morning, while walking the dogs at sunrise, I took this photo of the neighbor's trees. I'll miss the glow of orange and red.

It's snowing today...

#AutumnColors
#FallColors
#AndNowItsSnowing
#FirstOfTheSeason
#NotAWinterWonderland
Glowing orange and red maple trees near my house.
November 8, 2025 at 9:01 PM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
My wife and I went to #HoytShermanPlace to see blues legend #KebMo and his opening act, Anthony D'Amato. Each played solo acoustic songs, and we really enjoyed the show(s).
Anthony D'Amato playing at Hoyt Sherman Place in November 2025. My wife and I bought CDs and got a selfie with Anthony D'Amato. Keb Mo doing his thing on stage at Hoyt Sherman Place in November 2025.
November 7, 2025 at 2:04 AM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
Doing my part - voting for the 2025 city, school board and public measure FO is complete.

#Vote
#IVotedToday
Voting for the 2025 city, school board and public measure FO is complete. Took a selfie at the Selfie Station.
October 31, 2025 at 9:43 PM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
Tonight was a special, invitation-only Wine-O Bingo night.

The owners of Wine Styles will be retiring at the end of this week.

Lots of familiar faces and laughs tonight!

@sally1025.bsky.social

#WineOBingo
#WineStyles
#HappyRetirement
One game of Wine-O Bingo was to create a "16" to celebrate Allan and Gina's 16 years of owning the Wine Styles store. Allan and Gina were proudly displaying the magnetic Scrabble tiles sign that our group gave to them as a gift. It was a great 16-year ride! Cheers to Gina and Allan as they retire to spend time with their first grandchild!
October 30, 2025 at 3:45 AM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
It’s #Generator Test Day for us. I manual disconnect for the grid and run the whole house on our Honda generator until the fuel runs out.

I usually get 15-16 hours of run time on 5 gallons of fuel.

#MiniPrepper
#HondaGenerator
My generator is set up and covered, in case of rain tonight.
October 26, 2025 at 12:12 AM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
I bought two racks of baby back ribs and the fixin's for Jay's Dirty Beans.

Ribs and beans are now on the #Smoker

#Traeger
#Ribs
#JaysDirtyBeans
A cast iron pot filled with Jay's Dirty Beans, ready to go on the smoker. The baby back ribs and beans are on the smoker. The smoker is smoking!
October 22, 2025 at 9:29 PM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
The #Woodworking project of the day is a custom ramp (1 of 2 pictured) for our whole-house portable generator. I store the generator in my office and deploy it out as needed.

With a new slider door installed, I didn't want to damage the track moving our generator over it.

#WoodworkingProject
#DIY
The prototype of the new generator ramp has been assembled over the door threshold. This is a side view of the configuration that I settled on building. The final prototype ramp has been glued and screwed together.
October 22, 2025 at 1:38 AM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
My friend, Mike, suggested a motorcycle ride to Grinnell, IA to the eat at the #1 rated Pork Tenderloin sandwich restaurant in IA for 2025.

The wind was fierce and weather was cool (46º), but the food was good!

Now, I'm enjoying at Booker's #Bourbon in the driveway.

#PorkTenderloinSandwich
#1 rated pork tenderloin sandwich in IA for 2025. The #1 rated pork tenderloin sandwich with a bowl of tomato and feta soup. My wife followed us in her car. She didn't feel like braving the 46º temps and strong winds. Booker's bourbon #2024-01.
October 20, 2025 at 2:53 AM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
October is the month that our River Birch tree really lets loose with its leaves. This video was taken in 2022, and I've done some trimming of branches, so it's not dropping them quite this heavy any more.

#FallingLeaves
#FallColors
#AutumnColors
October 17, 2025 at 8:52 PM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
Here is a panorama of our neighborhood that I took several years ago.

The software that I used to use to create panoramas stopped working on MacOS after an OS upgrade. But, I managed to track down a different product that would work to stitch RAW files together.

#Photography
#Panorama
#FallColors
This is a panoramic photo of our neighborhood from a few years ago. It has been stitched together from 9 separate RAW digital photo files. We haven't had much color change yet this year.
October 15, 2025 at 1:17 AM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
I couldn’t figure out why Frannie was carrying around a leaf on our walk yesterday. Normally, she carries comically large sticks. She had it in her mouth for a whole city block.

When she finally dropped it, there was some kind of berry on the stem.

She’s such a goof!

#FrannieTheCorgi
#CorgiCrew
Frannie the Corgi carrying a leaf in her mouth.
October 14, 2025 at 3:02 AM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
I spent a lot of time getting up and down from the roof today. Our old OTA antenna was broken and not receiving channels well.

The new gigantic antenna got mounted and hooked up. We now receive all of the OTA local channels, even the set of weak ABC stations.

#Televes
#OTA
#Television
#Antenna
I’m way up off the ground today. The new Televes antenna is mounted and pointing at the broadcast towers. My wife, tying a coax cable to a 100’ extension cord so I can reel it up and attach it to the new antenna. The newly-mounted Televes antenna. We now receive all of the local channels we’re supposed to get.
October 12, 2025 at 1:04 AM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
And, so ends the outdoor painting project left in the wake of our new windows.

Now, I’m sitting in the driveway sipping on a #RussellsReserve #SingleRickhouse #CampNelsonB that I just picked this up in CO.

#Bourbon
#WildTurkey
The South side of the house has been partially painted The East side of the house has been partially repainted. A bottle of Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson B bourbon. The upstairs bedroom on the West partially repainted.
October 10, 2025 at 7:43 PM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
In Colorado, I scored some #PlinyTheElder double IPA beer, so I’m cracking one open in the driveway tonight.

I got the high peak painted today, with an assist from a painter working in the neighborhood.

The day started out cool, but it is now 73°, warm and breezy.

#RussianRiverBrewingCompany
A bottle of Pliny the Elder beer from Russian River Brewing Company. I scored several bottles of this hard-to-find beer in Colorado, and am enjoying it in the driveway tonight. The high part of the roof with the new window has been painted. I recruited the help of a painter in the neighborhood to get it done. Zoey scored a new sweater this morning. A neighbor dog just passed away and his owner gave it to Zoey when we walked by. Frannie the Corgi is out sunning her belly this afternoon. It’s good to be Frannie…
October 9, 2025 at 9:16 PM
jaytaylor.bsky.social
My wife and I attended a #BourbonRaffle at a local grocery store tonight. There were several that I was interested in purchasing, including a Michter's Barrel Strength Rye, Weller Full Proof and an Elmer T. Lee.

My wife's name was called, and she picked an #EagleRare store pick for me.

#Bourbon
The lineup for tonight's allocated whiskey raffle. We picked up an Eagle Rare HyVee store pick.
October 7, 2025 at 3:05 AM