The beautiful Prinzessin

 

It says, when you search, that Xenia Prinzessin von Sachsen is a German writer.  It appears that she is also Princess Xenia of Saxony, and that her great-grandparents on the royal side are Prince Ernst Heinrich of Saxony and Princess Sophie of Luxembourg. Her ancestry goes all the way back to the last King of Saxony.

So I guess in some circumstances she is a princess. She has a Wikipedia page, primarily in German, but it's translatable.  Apparently the writer tag comes from her authorship of an autobiography. She is also a singer and actress, and a celebrity of note (she's been on reality shows, including I'm a Celebrity -- Get Me Out of Here!, so she must be a celebrity).

She's also a very lovely woman. I found out about her kind of accidentally, and she was quite intriguing. Feel free to figure (note that word) out why.  It shouldn't be too difficult.

Lighthouse of the Week, March 29 - April 4, 2026: Dutch Island, Rhode Island, USA

 

Even though this Lighthouse of the Week is late, it's the first of a pair, and the second one won't be as late as this one.  Hopefully I can catch up to the current week after that.

This lighthouse is the Dutch Island Lighthouse in Rhode Island.  Stunningly, it's located on Dutch Island in Narragansett Bay.  It officially has a Jamestown, RI, address.  See why by clicking here. Don't confuse this with Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

Now let's learn more about it, using information in Wikipedia. I can't get to the Lighthouse Directory right now, darn it.

Constructed: 1826

Foundation: Surface rock
Construction: Brick
Automated: 1947
Height: 13 m (43 ft)
Shape: Square
Markings" White with black lantern
Heritage: National Register of Historic Places listed place

Light
First lit: 1857
Deactivated: 1979 - 2007
Focal height: 56 feet (17 m)
Lens: 4th order Fresnel lens (original), 9.8 inches (250 mm) (current)
Characteristic: Flashing red 6 seconds

The island itself has been fortified since the Civil War and even had a fort, Fort Greble, for several years.

Dutch Island Lighthouse Society has more pictures.  I have three.

Do you trust a single engine jet?

 

I guess the answer to that particular question (the one I pose in the subject) could also apply to a single-engine propeller plane, but a single engine jet is going much faster, so it would crash much harder.

But still, it's a pretty cool looking airplane.

Cirrus launches G3 Vision Jet featuring cabin, avionics upgrades

As I've said before, I'd sure like to fly once on a personal or corporate jet, just to see what it's like.

Have you ever heard of the King's Trough Complex?

 

As I just asked, have you ever heard of the King's Trough Complex?  Don't feel bad if you haven't. I think  it's a place that primarily makes geological oceanographers happy.

The King's Trough Complex is a large and deep underwater canyon northeast of the Azores Islands. Now, the Azores are volcanic -- the tallest mountain in Portugal is actually Volcan Pico on Ilha de Pico -- so it's not a surprise that the King's Trough Complex might have some relationship to volcanism and tectonics.

Which it does.

How the "Atlantic Grand Canyon" came to exist

It's a short article -- and this paragraph provides the basic mechanism.

"Between 37 and 24 million years ago, a tectonic plate boundary shifted to the area, resulting in the crust fracturing and the seafloor between Europe and Africa opening like a zipper in an east-west direction. Prior to the shift, the crust was thickened and heated by an upwelling of molten rock from the mantle, making it particularly fragile."

 See?  Simple.  I think they could offer underwater submersible tours for a high price.

How has Jocelyn Hudon been on 'Chicago Fire' since 2012?

 

I recently watched a couple of episodes of Chicago Fire, and couldn't help noticing Jocelyn Hudon.  I discovered she's been on the show since 2012.

The show has been on since 2012?

And she's been on it that long?  She started as a teenager!

I can't catch up on all those episodes, but it would be interesting to watch her evolve in the role.

Meanwhile, here on some on- and off-set photos.

Upcoming debut

 

In just a couple of weeks, the National Zoo in Washington, DC will provide the first time the public can view a newly-born baby elephant (born on February 2).

See the first baby elephant born at Smithsonian’s National Zoo in nearly 25 years
 

They voted on a name:

The Public Has Spoken: The National Zoo's New Elephant Calf Is Named Linh Mai

The calf will first be viewable on April 22, Earth Day, on the Elephant Cam, which will be back online that day.

Below are a couple of pictures of the pachyderm tyke.

Going to Mars (maybe)

 

In case you're interested, with a hopefully successful Artemis II launch and mission slated to happen today, here's the National Academies of Sciences report on how to explore Mars, if humans actually get there.

A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars

I'd sure like to see Olympus Mons up close.  Instead, we have to rely on great satellite views like this: