Fall hayfield near the Carson River in Carson City, Nevada. Shot with the Fujifilm X100V at f/8 with Reggie’s Portra film simulation. Post consisted of a contrast adjustment only.
We got out late Wednesday because of work and the cold. It seems very cold for so early in the season. I was about to get us out, and then decided that lunch was in order first.
So I made a toasted cheese sandwich with a slice of sourdough bread and some Havarti I bought just for that purpose. I warmed a can of Progresso Ministroni soup while the cast iron heated to toast the sandwich.
I started cooking with cast iron a few years ago. My small skillet is developing an excellent seasoning. I always cook with a little oil or butter as a lubricant and most of the time all I have to do for cleanup is wipe out any residue. The larger skillet is where I cook bacon and it is also developing a good seasoning. But, I digress…
The skillet heated, I dropped the sandwich into the skillet and listening to the slight sizzle that indicates I got my heat right. I stirred the soup while the bread toasted (with a little butter for lubrication and flavor). I tipped the sandwich up with the butter knife, and set it back down — not quite ready to turn. I gave the soup another stir and it was just about ready. Another check of the sandwich and I turned it, noting the lovely sizzle when the freshly buttered bread hit the surface.
I enjoyed my soup and sandwich. I think Havarti is an excellent cheese for a toasted cheese sandwich. Ministroni is one of my favorite soups as well.
I gave The Girl the last bite, gathered up our things, and we headed out about 1330h. It was still pretty cool, about 40ºF, with the sun shining wanly through high clouds. At least there was some sun.
The Girl danced and chirped on the way out. The staging area at the gate was a mess of vehicles parked at random angles — a pet peeve of mine (why can’t people park reasonably without lines?) — so we drove to the upper staging area and I backed in.
I grabbed my camera kit, made a quick check, and call The Girl out. We walked our regular route, just in a different order. This gave me a little different perspective on our path. It being a little later in the day also meant the light was a little warmer.
We gathered ourselves back into the 4Runner and headed home. The Girl was ready for another drink and a nap. I was ready to work a bit more and call it a day. I love my walks and I love walking with The Girl. We always play a little on the trail and we always train a little as well.
I liked the contrast of hayfield and sky in the captured frame. When I looked at it on the computer, I decided that the contrast was weak, so I opened it up a bit and exported the image. The colors are SOOC.
This capture came about as an experiment. The Girl and I were walking Silver Saddle Ranch and I carried the Sony A7Sii with a Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm f/1.8 Pancolar mounted on it. The shot was recorded in raw format at f/1.8. Post processing was in Silver Efex 6 with changes to exposure and contrast and a bit of Tri-X film grain added. I then downscaled the image with Iridient Developer.
I seem to be learning something constantly. Some might call me a scanner because I have a difficult time focusing on just one thing. I have been this way as long as I can remember.
In thinking about processing my images, I decided to update my copy of the Nik Software Collection so that it will run on my new MBP. In particular, I am interested in the black and white capabilities of the Nik software as that is where I really like to work.
One might ask why I am interested in post processing to produce more filmic (film-like) images from my digital cameras. It would be a fair question. I am an amateur photographer. I do not need the almost clinical images produced by modern cameras with exceptional lenses because I do not have a client who is expecting those kinds of images. Photography is one of my ways of reaching into the arts. Although there is something about striving for the ultimate in sharpness and extreme detail, that does not appeal to me most of the time. I want to look at and make images that speak to the heart and less to the analytical mind.
This will likely lead me to shoot some film. I have the Pentax 645NII out of the hutch and am building a kit for it. It is a big, heavy camera that shoots 120 film. But, this is a topic for another entry.
Yesterday seemed like a good day to take the Sony A7Sii out for a walk. I mounted the Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm f/1.8 Pancolar on the M42 converter and checked that the camera was setup for a 50mm lens1. (The camera has in-body image stabilization.) That done, I collected The Girl and we went out to walk.
Given it was after noon, the temperature was much warmer than this morning (about 40ºF) and the sun was shining. The Girl was very excited to get outdoors. She wriggled and chirped as we drove out to Silver Saddle Ranch. As we walked, I made some images. The different camera and very different lens challenged me a little, which is a good thing.
The Girl teased me quite a lot. Sometimes ranging out and sometimes staying close. I felt the tension melt away as I walked and I laughed at The Girl quite a bit as well.
On the return leg of the hike, I realized that having finished up another chunk of work took a big load off my shoulders. The tension melted away and I started playing grab-ass with The Girl, who jumped and twirled away, laughing her doggy-laugh. She looked over her shoulder, grinning that big, goofy pitbull grin, then spun around to run back in for another round. She grabbed a stick and teased me with it.
Her energy was dissipated as we neared the rig. I patted her while we drove home, and then gave her a couple of her small cookies. She was snoozing under my work table as I finished up the day. As I wrote this, it was time to feed her (she is asking) and time for me to get a shower and think about some supper.
I downloaded my images and picked this one to play with. I call it Points and it was shot raw with the Sony A7Sii, and then post processed with Nik Silver Efex 6 to make the black and white conversion.
I am learning some new tools. Life is good. I am grateful.
1I noticed the battery was at about 50% state of charge. I should have tossed a second battery in the bag. I ran out as I stopped to make my last few images.
She’s always looking at her phone. Captured with MPro app on the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
I am working my way through Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism. I picked it up again after I quit reading again a few weeks ago. But it is an important book for me to read. I want to finish it. I want to learn from Newport’s thoughts and experience. I want to spend less time on technology and more time doing things that nourish my soul.
The latter is something that has been in focus for a few weeks/months now. I took a sabbatical from Instagram several months ago, went back, caught myself doomscrolling, and deleted that IG app again. After my first IG sabbatical, I found and started reading Digital Minimalism and got to the point I was convinced that there are certain appetites I should not indulge1. I also deleted the Reuters new app from my iPhone, but left it on my iPad.
I check FB once or twice a day. I want to see if my kids posted anything, commented on one of my postings (I cross-post my weblog entries there), or if I received any DMs that need a response. Then I close the browser window.
This addiction is designed by the tech companies that produce the devices and the software that runs on them. IG, FB, X, and the others are all designed to provide that temptation to keep on scrolling. (Ooohhhhh… a sparkly!)
I now see that I will likely need to limit my YouTube access as well. I do not want to do away with YT; it is too valuable a resource to eliminate entirely. But I need to eliminate my use of it to occupy my mind with a nearly endless supply of fluff. It is not exactly doomscrolling, but it is close enough that I do not want to do it.
I usually check the Reuters news app on my iPad before I sleep. I spend a few minutes scanning the headlines and then reading a little if I want to know more. But I do not spend a lot of time on it.
I started noticing this addiction to our devices a couple-three years ago (maybe a bit more). Everywhere I went, I see people glued to the little glowing screen. They notice nothing of what is going on around them and see none of the beauty in the world. They are looking for that next dopamine hit, that “like” on a post or comment on a FB page.
When I visit my kids I see them doing the same thing. We sit in the living room, the three of us focused on the little glowing screen. I stopped much of that the last time I was there.
Instead, I got out my Kindle and worked on reading. I have a couple of books going on, usually. One will be a novel and the other something to learn from.
The Kindle has its own issues. There are too many books on my Kindle. I collect lots of samples of books I want (or think I want) to read. I usually push finished titles back to the cloud.
Yet, there are still too many books on my Kindle. I sometimes get stuck in a loop trying to decide what to read.
That is not a good thing.
I might need to go through my Kindle and delete the bulk of the content there. But that is another problem and another topic. At least I do not doomscroll through the Kindle. At least, I do not do that yet.
I made the capture Sunday afternoon at the restaurant in Bodine’s Casino. I went there after The Girl and I had a great hike out at Silver Saddle Ranch. I was hungry and could not decide whether I wanted a bar-burger or a Reuben sandwich.
The Reuben won the decision. Bodine’s has a decent sandwich. So we drove out there. I parked the rig in the sun and cracked the windows for The Girl. I went into the restaurant.
Yes, I had my iPhone with me. I did a quick check of email and then checked my open search lists on fleaBay. I then set my phone down on top of my hat. I decided not to use the phone as a distraction.
I noticed the people around me. There were several of us singletons there for a late lunch or early supper. I watched a couple in a window booth taking to each other. A woman across the aisle from me was working on her meal. Then I noticed the woman sitting alone in a window booth. She was fixated on her smartphone.
She made one of the captures I shot with the MPro app on my iPhone. The MPro app is a black and white camera application that only makes black and white images. It also produces high quality TIFF files as its output.
As I watched her, I thought about my own struggle with the digital black hole. I think I need to start carrying a small kit that has my Kindle, my journal (and a couple of pens), and a camera in it. The iPhone can serve as a decent camera, but I prefer a purpose-built tool for photography. But the iPhone will do in a pinch.
In the end, I believe that such a strong connection to a smartphone is not healthy. It takes us away from being present in the moment and in the place. It denies us the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of our surroundings and the breath of life.
I think there is nothing morally or ethically wrong with use of the devices. But I think they present a risk to intellectual and spiritual health. I have decided to be less connected to my device and spend that time on things that nourish my soul, such as reading, looking around when I am outdoors, interacting with The Girl, and my inner spiritual life.
The iPhone will be there. But it is the servant, not the master.
A couple of weekends ago I decided it was time to not work all weekend. On Saturday morning, The Girl and I headed out, not knowing where I might end up. We walked for an hour out at Silver Saddle Ranch, then headed east on US 50. I was on the phone with my buddy Dick and indicated that I needed to get out and do something away from the house.
At first, I thought I would drive down to Yerington and activate the wildlife management area north of town. But, as I turned south on US 95, I decided that either Buckland Station or Ft. Churchill were both closer and needed to be activated.
Buckland Station won the coin toss. I parked the rig and looked for a place to deploy a wire. Seeing none, I retrieved the drive-on mast mount and the 10m SOTAbeams mast from the rig and set them up. I also retrieved the Elecraft KX3 and a small battery from the rig.
A little wider shot of the Buckland Station deployment. The KX3 is in the foreground and the SOTAbeams mast, random-wire antenna, and part of the drive-on mast are in the background. Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max.I used the Sagebrush Antenna deployed to near vertical with the distal end affixed to the top of the mast. The opposite end went to a cobrahead adapter and direct to the radio. I threw the counterpoise on the ground around the rig.
I sat down at my folding table with my back to the sun (it was chilly), started a log on my iPhone (HAMRS), and listened on 20m near the QRP watering hole of 14.060MHz. With nothing heard, I called QRL? (“Is the frequency in use?”) a couple of times, then hit the message button to transmit “CQ CQ POTA DE AG7TX AG7TX POTA K” a couple of times, then paused to listen for a caller.
The KX3 station setup at Buckland Station for a POTA activation. Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max.While the radio was sending my general call, I spotted myself on the POTA network. After a few minutes, the calls began to come in. I worked each station as I could and even managed a few DX (foreign country) contacts. The most memorable being an OH1 station located in Finland.
I worked the bands for an hour or so and made my quota for an activation. I was cold, so The Girl and I headed home after a brief pit stop.
The door of Buckland Station. This is what arriving travelers and Pony Express riders would have seen a hundred years ago. Shot with Fujifilm X100V at f/8 with Reggie’s Portra film simulation.I woke Sunday morning again not wanting to spend the day working. So I puttered a bit over my morning coffee and then decided to get The Girl out to walk and do another POTA activation.
I grabbed a snack because my blood sugar has been falling unexpectedly, some water, and a battery for the radio. We loaded up into the rig and headed west to Spooner Summit. I pulled off onto the forest road and parked the rig at the staging area where I like to work.
The Girl and I then headed out to walk before I set up a radio. Again, I talked to my buddy in Montana as I walked. But I kept my eyes open for critters as I have seen a big coyote who is not afraid of humans several times.
She was ready to rest when we returned to the rig, so I gave her some water and put her in the 4Runner. She settled right down for a nap in the sun.
I retrieved the new line-throwing kit from the 4Runner, stretched out the line, and affixed the throw weight. After four or five throws, I was unable to hit my target branch. Instead of fumbling more, I retrieved the drive-on mast mount and the 10m mast from the rig and setup a wire antenna. I again used the Elecraft KX3 barefoot (10-15w of power) and set up my table and chair.
A wind had come up, maybe gusting to 10–15mph, but variable direction. It was kinda-sorta from the south, but was curling around to the point I could not get shelter.
So I put on my heavier hoodie, put my back to the wind (and the sun), and worked the radio. The higher bands have been good lately, so I started on 10m and worked my way down.
Again, it took an hour or hour-and-a-half to make my activation quota and work the bands dry. The sun was falling lower in the sky and I was cold, so I quit.
It did not take long to put away the station and get The Girl out for a last bit. She looked for critters and peed until I called her in and we got into the rig.
It was another good day and a good day for me to get outdoors. The Girl loved it, too.
I learned a few more things.
I need practice with the throwing kit. I suspect there is something of an art to using a throw weight and line to hit a particular target.
I need some kind of shelter for cool-weather activations. I looked at a fishing hut last year, but did not buy one. A small fishing hut that folds up would make a good operating shelter. I could deploy a heater (I have one) and place a mat for The Girl.
My principal reservation about a hut is the lack of windows. I like being outside because (in part) I like the sun and the light. I do not want my activation shelter to cut those things off.
I need the means to heat water and make coffee, tea, soup, or a hot meal. I have used the Trangia burner in another stove I have in my inventory. But it is not as handy as I want. Hence, I am working on an upgraded kit and some of the results are posted on this weblog.
The iPhone works for spotting myself and for logging, But I think a Rite-in-the-Rain notebook and pencil should be in my field kit. I am thinking again of reducing my dependence on technology, although it is good to be able to spot myself for SOTA/POTA activations.
HAMRS is well suited to logging POTA activations. It has features that display other activators and make it easy to log their information for park-to-park chasing.
I am not sure I ever documented my post-processing of POTA logs. Most of my activations are multiple parks, at least two. I have a couple of favorite places that are three or four park activations. That means the post-processing of my log requires some editing so that chasers get credit of more than one park. I also get credit for activating multiple parks.
The new field cooking kit is coming along. I will have the ability to make a hot drink or food in the field. This is a critical safety issue as hypothermia is real and it does not have to be very cold for it to strike. Hot food and drink are part of combating environmental dangers effectively.
I am really enjoying Morse Code. I still operate phone part of the time. But the ability to deploy a small radio kit and make contacts thousands of miles away with a few watts means everything is smaller, lighter, and simpler than a more powerful radio kit.
That is all I can think of. It was a good couple of days in the field. Life is good.
Before I left the park, I walked around Buckland Station for a few captures. This one is of the north-facing side of Buckland Station. Shot with the Fujifilm X100V at f/8 with Reggie’s Portra film simulation.
This area is in the back of Buckland Station. Horses and mules would have been housed to the right, where the old stables are. This area is probably where wagons were parked. Shot with the Fujifilm X100V at f/8 using Reggie’s Portra film simulation.
As I start this entry, it is the beginning of another week. I will celebrate Thanksgiving, and will be grateful. I will also be working and taking care of my love, Sera.
This documentary on Jill Freedman is outstanding. She was a hoot and a helluva photographer.
Source Tactical produces a fill adapter for hydration bladders that permits refilling the bladder without removing it.
This story about the construction of the transcontinental telegraph line is very good and worth the time to read.
The USGS 3DEP project has the goal of collecting and making available high-resolution topography acquired using LiDAR. Open Topography produced a Jupyter notebook that describes the acquisition and use of LiDAR from the 3DEP project.
Mylio is an image cataloging software. I used one for several years until the developer decided to abandon it. Since then I just have a bunch of directories (sorted by date) that contain my images. Searching is a PITA, but is not dependent on software. Both approaches have their strengths and weaknesses. Is it time for me to look at a software solution again?
OK, so Windows 11 came with the new laptop computer. I do not like the changes to the Start Menu (at all). I had good organization of my Start Menu on the desktop. There is a fix on PC World, though. I used the instructions to fix my install of Windows 11.
It is no secret that I am a fan of the 7zip archive management utility. However, Windows 11 screwed up the right-click context menu. It turns out that there is not a fix, but the wonderful 7zip context menu is available.
The monitor of my new ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is blindingly white. While working through some fixes for this, I found that my weblog front end can also be changed using WP Dark Mode. This is a God send for me!
Thanksgiving Day has come and gone. I spent part of the day working and part of it remembering and being thankful. I am grateful. Life is good.
First test of my field coffee kit. Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Yeah, I probably used this image once already. Bear with me.
I am awake a little early this morning. A dream woke me; now it is gone. I started my morning regimen and decided to get in another repetition with my field coffee kit. So I set up the Firebox Nano 2.0 Titanium, Trangia alcohol burner, heating cup, coffee filter, and my new double-walled Snow Peak titanium mug. I lit the stove with a ferro-chromium fire starting rod and a Morakniv Garburg field knife.
The Folding Firebox Nano 2.0 Titanium in action. Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max.I then stepped back and took a couple of photographs. Although there are some things about the camera in the iPhone I do not like (lack of depth-of-field control, primarily), it will make images in almost dark conditions. That makes it fun when there is a light source in the field, such as the blue flame from an alcohol burner.
But I digress — the kit went together smoothly this morning. The additional reps with the little stove are good as I my setup is improving. The burner lit readily with a few strikes from the ferro-rod, while the burner bloomed, I readied the cup and coffee in my grinder.
Two cups of water took about four or five minutes to boil. That is not bad. There is plenty of fuel in the burner to prepare two more cups. I also have a small fuel bottle that will refuel the burner a half-dozen times, or more.
I ground my coffee using the Aergrind I have in the house. I have another to put in the camper and will pull the Porlex ceramic grinder for the field when I do. I also reheated the mug with a little hot water. But there is not much thermal mass in the mug.
The GSI coffee filter in action.When the water boiled, I started the pour-over and then turned to extinguish the burner while the pour-over set. I then completed the pour-over and proceeded with my morning regimen.
The little coffee filter works fine. I use a fairly fine grind for my brew and I do not have a lot of sediment in the mug.
I have a dyneema bag on the way to hold my kit. I will carry this in the field a few times and use it to make coffee (or tea) for a few more reps. The little kit will work. I am pleased.
N.B. I offer a hat time to Thomas Witherspoon for some insight into his field coffee kit that was my model. In fact, he has done a good job of describing the contents of his pack(s) that is informative to those building radio field kits for SOTA/POTA.
Sera sleeping under my worktable. Shot with the Fujifilm X-E2 and XF 27mm f/2.8 at f/4. Black and white conversion in-camera using the Fujifilm film simulation.
It is Thanksgiving Day. I am grateful. I will take some time this afternoon to have a Thanksgiving meal (even if it is a frozen dinner) and reflect on God’s good gifts. Sera and I will get out and get in a nice hike, even if the weather is rather bleak.
I have a new computer working in the background. I started provisioning it yesterday evening. I bought an ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 to replace my aging Winder$ tower. I am confident it will blow the desktop away. It is sufficiently powerful to run my numerical models.
It will free me from the house when I have paying work to do. I have not traveled much this year because of work. Now I have the power to take my work with me.
This was one of my goals for the year. I also have reduced the number of computers to maintain, which is a lovely by-product of the change.
The image is The Girl sleeping under my worktable. She is snoozing right now, waiting for me to move like we are going to do something. So I think I will go feed her and take my morning medications. Then I can get ready to go out and get in a hike.
Happy Thanksgiving, all. I am grateful. Life is truly good.
Boiling water with the Firebox Nano 2.0Ti and a Trangia burner. Shot with my iPhone 13Pro Max.
My Haley Strategic Flatpack Plus arrived yesterday. I bought (yet another) small tactical pack because I want to carry a few things in the field with me and a small camera bag. I want a pack that can carry the necessaries and a small QRP radio kit (if desired). I want to be able to carry a small camera bag cross body1 under the pack.
After the ham radio exam session yesterday, I came home and retrieved the pack from the parcel box. Well, that is, after getting The Girl out for a walk. It really is a small pack with an expanded capacity of about 700 cubic inches. (Flat is is closer to 100–200 cubic inches.) It has two compartments, a bladder pouch, and a small flat pouch. The latter is good for a small tarp or a flat paper map, folded (or both, I suppose).
Aside: I am a Volunteer Examiner for the American Relay Radio League. That means I am certified to proctor an amateur radio license examination and the FCC will accept the result.
I bought two of the clear top pouches, a large and a small. The inside of the pack is lined with a loop field, which means appropriately fitted pouches will affix to both the back of the pack and the inside of the large compartment top. One of these pouches will contain a set of clean clothes — shirt, undies, and socks. I will have a change of clothes. The second pouch (the small one) will catch something; I have not figured that out yet.
There is plenty of room for my small cook kit (the stove is above) so I can heat water for coffee/tea or to hydrated freeze-dried food for a hot meal. I have a small bottle to carry alcohol fuel for the Trangia burner. I will work on some of the remaining components today, but am thinking that a small medical kit (more than a boo-boo kit) to supplement my EDC pouch (cargo pocket), a small fire kit (to create warmth or cook), a small radio kit (one of my QRP rigs, plus battery and wire antenna), and cordage to put up a shelter (the tarp) will round it out. I can carry a water bottle(s) or put a small bladder in the bladder pouch.
The coffee I made by boiling water with the Firebox Nano 2.0Ti and an Aeropress. Shot with my iPhone 13Pro Max.Last night (early this morning), I was awake so I used the stove to heat water for tea. I then decided to use it again this morning to heat water for my coffee. The little burner works fine, but might need a wind screen for the field. I have a small bag to carry makings for coffee and tea. I could add a packet or two of soup mix without adding much weight.
Today I will determine whether (or not) I can carry a small Domke camera bag cross body under the pack straps and still have access to the camera. My camera will be either the Fujifilm X100V or the X-E4 (and a spare lens or two). The cameras are really small, so the bags are small, too.
This might actually work, be reasonably light, and provide routine and light emergency capability in the field when I am hiking with Sera or playing a little radio on a remote summit or a park. I am looking forward to getting in to the field today, even if the weather is quite a bit colder than it has been.
Also, the last of the camper parts are on the way. I hope to have it repaired in a week or two and plan to get out and do some camping before the end of the year.
Sera is snoozing under my worktable. It is a welcome sound. Life is good.
1I carry camera bags and cameras (on straps) cross body because I absolutely cannot stand to have anything hanging around my neck.
A view of Buckland Station to the northeast from the Weeks Crossing. Shot with the Fuji X100V 23mm f/2 at f/8 using Reggie’s Portra-400 film simulation.
I did wander the Internet some this week. Mostly it was when I was looking for something in particular. I was reminded of my love for Chet Atkins’ music.
Bitlocker Holster is on my hit list. Later: Mine was delivered this week.
I am messing around with APRS (automatic packet reporting system) again. I have one my my HTs working with a Mobilinkd TNC. But I want to use my home 2m rig to process packets. It looks like Pinpoint APRS might be a decent software to work with on the Surface Go 2. Time will tell.
The Guitars of Chet Atkins has what I was looking for — Chet’s classical electric guitar. He favored this guitar during the later part of his career. Chester Atkins is also one of my heroes. He was one of the cleanest guitar players ever, which is something I really appreciate.
Speaking of Chet Atkins, this YouTube compilation of his appearances on Nashville Now is well worth a watch, or a listen in the background while you are doing something else.
Sera overlooking the Mexican Ditch on Silver Saddle Ranch. Shot with the Fujifilm X100V 23mm f/2 at f/8 using Reggie’s Portra-400 film simulation.
The week was busy with work and recovery from being in the field so long. Yes, I am still recovering from that. My other work is so far behind that I am only beginning to catch up. But I should be caught up in a couple more weeks.
The Girl and I were walking Thursday about noon. We had a little rain and that softened the sand burrs that plague her on the trails at Silver Saddle Ranch. So she is enjoying the walks more.
Her toe is healing, although she still messes with it too much. I might decide to call her Sera of the three toes when I am feeling a bit ornery. She does not care1. We are also taking a little longer path that adds a quarter mile to our walk. Both of us need the exercise.
I also like to cross the ditch at one of the irrigation structures and walk along the ditch to Mexican Dam. If I time it right, or the weather is less appealing, there is little traffic on the Mexican Ditch Trail and we can get more than three miles in. Plus I get to shoot the Dam.
It was a good hike and a good day. Life is good.
1I often call her Sera Sue because I like the alliteration and rhythm.
