This is a picture of the Spectrum, a local shopping center, taken through the window of a new parking structure at the south end. I was there one day and saw this view and thought it looked interesting, so the next time I had business at the Spectrum I brought my camera.

As is so often the case, getting this picture right was harder than I expected. Not just any window would do, it turned out, and once I found the right one I had trouble with placement and focal length and several other things. I had figured it would be a two-minute operation, but I ended up spending more than half an hour on it.

Was it worth it? Well, I was there anyway and I didn’t have any pressing business at home, so I guess so. At the very least, it was good practice.

July 18, 2019 — Irvine, California

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AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

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