A Pair of Bald Eagles

On walkies near the Carson River, the Girl and I found a pair of bald eagles sitting in a cottonwood tree. It made our day, or at least mine.
I posted this image a few days ago on my Instagram account. I mentioned before that I am disenfranchised with IG of late because of FB’s decision to change to timeline from a chronological order to some algorithmically-driven monstrosity that does not permit me to track my follows. Urgh… OK, I need to end that rant…

The last couple of months were viciously busy with deadline-driven project work. It started before Christmas and has not let up yet. I have a couple more projects in front of me and then I may get a respite. This is not a complaint; I am deeply appreciative of the work. It is an explanation for why this part of my life is quiet — there is simply not enough energy to do the work and to keep up with my personal projects (that are important to me and that provide satisfaction). So my writing and my photography are operating at a low level for now until I finish the paying work.

That does not mean that my daily outings with the Girl stopped or that my carry of a camera has not gone on. In fact, the Girl and I walk at least once each day and on many days we take a second, shorter walk at a nearby doggie-park. I usually carry a camera along with me, either the tiny Olympus OMD E-M10 or now a Sony A7R if I am in a full-frame mood.

I remain a photographic experimentalist, preferring to use vintage or odd lenses on my cameras. I have some solid, modern glass for my Fuji and my Nikons, but those systems are generally reserved for when I need that type of image or am on some kind of project. But, I digress… it is not the equipment that I really care about. The equipment is just a set of tools I use to capture what I see.

On Friday I delayed walkies, partly because Young Son and I went to breakfast and partly because I was working on project work. But we finally drove over to Riverview Park about 1100 hours. I know I can get about a 3.5-mile walk there and it is near the Carson River. Although the river area is much prettier during the warm months, winter still offers the sound of flowing water and an opportunity to see wildlife.

It is this area where I saw my first Kestrel, my first Harrier, and my first Rough-Legged Hawk. I often see flickers, jays, and woodpeckers as well. So I love watching for birds, bunnies, and the occasionally coyote. There are reasons why I prefer walking the Carson River Corridor and not in-town.

As the Girl and I made our way along the path, we were greeted by many other walkers, both two- and four-legged. The Girl loves human interaction and tolerates most canines. She is a different dog than when she came to live with me.

We broke off from the main circuit around Riverview Park and headed north towards Empire Golf Course. As we turned the corner, I noticed a large raptor in a cottonwood tree. It was a bald eagle! Then I saw the second a few feet from the first. It was a pair!

I saw another pair in the area a year or two ago, about this time of year. They were perched in a small tree in the ephemeral wetland in Riverview Park. So I knew that bald eagles are seen in the area. But I was still surprised and delighted to find two of them on my morning walk. It made my day.

Fortunately, I had the Sony A7R with me and an old Vivitar 70-210mm manual-focus zoom lens. I spent a few minutes making captures of the eagles and talking to them while the Girl did doggie things. The eagles just watched us, more interested in the Girl than in me.

We walked on, me marveling at the encounter and the Girl continuing her doggie-things.

I expected them to be gone when we returned. But the pair was still there, still watching. So I made a few more captures, interacted with another walker (who did not see the birds), and we made our way home.

It was a good day. It was a good walk. I am blessed and the visitation of the bald eagles reinforced that for me once again.

Bestech Warwolf

This is my Bestech Warwolf fresh from the hone and strop. It’s a good blade at the price point.

I recently purchased a Bestech Warwolf from an offering on Massdrop. Yes, Massdrop feeds my accumulation disposition. But I generally buy only items that I’m really interested in and are at a favorable price. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I was tempted by a couple of the Bestech knives over the last six months.

My first Bestech is the Swordfish. I’ll have to make a couple of photographs of it and post them, along with some comments, later. It’s on my list of things to do…

The Swordfish is about a half-inch longer than the Warwolf. I’d call the Warwolf a 3-1/2-inch blade. This is a very comfortable length for me to pocket carry and the Warwolf carries a bit better than the Swordfish. So the Warwolf is often carried.

The blade is D2 tool steel. This is a good steel for knives, not the best, but far from the worst. It’s strong and tough and holds an edge reasonable well. It’s also a carbon steel and requires some care (a little oil regularly).

The Bestech Warwolf has an interesting blade shape. The cutting edge is fairly standard, but the spine of the blade has an interesting shape that I really like.
The scales are G10. I love G10 for scales. It is warm, reasonably grippy, tough, and looks good. The frame is also steel and is chamfered so there are no sharp edges. The scales are fit well to the frame. The lockup is solid and relatively easy to release one-handed. The blade deploys via a flipper. The blade is fitted on a bearing that is very smooth and the blade is smooth in the frame but there is not detectable play. A really nice feature is a detent when the blade is closed that prevents it from falling open when handled.

These knives are part of Bestech’s value line. The MSRP is in the $65 range, but they can be bought for about $40. That is an excellent value. As much as I love my Kershaw Blurs, I think this blade is a step up from them. It has much of the character of a more expensive blade but at an excellent price point.

They are Chinese made. When I learned this, I was surprised. It made me recall the stigma of Japanese-produced goods when I was a child. The reputation is that Chinese-made goods are of inferior quality. That is not my experience with Bestech knives.

My only issue with my instance was a small error in the factory grind. I found a small area just toward the tip of the blade that was not as sharp as the remainder of the edge. The fix was relatively easy — I put the blade in my KME sharpener and rebeveled the forward portion of the edge. (I also sharpened the remaining edge to be consistent with my fix.) I’m not completely satisfied with my result and will probably adjust the bevel on my next honing session for this blade. But I now have a very sharp Warwolf with nearly a mirror edge.

I would recommend a Bestech knife without reservation. They are a very good blade at the price point. I expect there will be another Bestech knife in my collection before too many months pass.