Category: bloggish

Busy Again

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At elevation, the late spring Lupine is blooming. These are a favorite wildflower and remind me of the bluebonnets in Texas. Captured with X-Pro3, 2026-06-09 10:33:23, Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4, 1/1000sec, f/4, ISO-400, light DxO editing.

I find myself in another busy period. Fortunately, a number of projects rolled off the active list. Some of them went inactive and others are complete or at least nearly so. A slow-paying client finally paid their bill so I had a large influx of income, which replenished my bank account.

It turned hot here in Carson City — too hot for June and more like late August. I have new window fans and they are much better than those that they replaced. They are quiet enough and keep my place mostly cool enough. The shade sails are up, which mitigates the direct Sun on my apartment and reduces the heat load some. The portable swamp cooler keeps the living room under 80F most afternoons and I can tolerate that.

The forecast for today is a high of near 100F. This is unusual for Carson, but not unheard of. I might decide to take the truck out for a long run late this afternoon. I need to drive it at highway speed for a half-hour to clear the exhaust filter. Yes, I now have a diesel-powered Ford F-250. I decided that I do not want to pull my camper with the 4Runner any more. I want to keep the 4Runner in excellent mechanical condition (as it is) for use as a daily driver and for day trips for radio (or other) play. The truck will be used for camping trips or travel.

I plan to take The Girl up to Spooner today for our walk. There are wildflowers blooming at 7,500ft. The image of the Lupine was made in the eastern Sierra while hiking The Girl. We both enjoyed that walk and it is always cooler up there.

The hike will be after my dentist appointment. It seems that I have a tooth problem that needs attention. I do not allow dental problems to continue. Chalk that up to experience.

Field Day comes the end of next week. I have a few more things to do to prepare, but am looking forward to a few days camping with friends. I am not all that focused on making a lot of contacts, but want to have some radio fun and take a few days away from the desk. Camping with friends is always a good thing.

Although I am busy, I take time to be grateful and to pray. Life is good.

Postscript: An entry about Ki came up on today’s on-this-day. She was recovering from removal of a number of skin lesions nine-years ago (2017). The cancer finally got her and I still hate that. She was a great dog who came into my life at a time I needed her the most. And two-years ago (2024), Sera posed for me atop a old deadfall while we were hiking up at Spooner. She is a great dog and we have a good time together. Both of these companions make (or made) my life better. Canine companions are a gift from God.

The Stash

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I walked to the pharmacy a few days ago and came back a different route. I think Young Son would probably like this place. Captured with X-Pro3, 2026-03-28 15:03:59, Fujinon 23mm f/2, 1/480sec, f/8, ISO-500, post in PhotoLab7.

Life continues to be very busy with project work. That seems to be the case looking forward over the next months. Then, maybe, the workload will let up a bit for other things.

Do not get me wrong, I am very grateful for the work. I am a little less pleased with myself for saying “Yes” too many times. The resulting workload (self-inflicted) is a little challenging, but I will get through it.

Regarding the image, a couple weeks ago I decided to walk to the local pharmacy and pick up a waiting prescription. I carried the new-to-me Fujifilm X-Pro3 with the little Fujinon 23mm f/2 lens affixed to the body. This is a favored focal length for street photographers. But there was nothing going on in suburbia.

But… I knew there was an interesting store of some kind on the south side of Fairview, so I walked home that way. What I found is a place I think Young Son would really like — a game store. I went inside and walked around a bit. There were a couple of small groups playing MTG in the back room and a few interesting items on the shelves in the storefront. I chatted with the young man working the counter, and then left. I might go back to peruse the movies as there might be something to add to my collection.

In any event, I came home with a nice capture. I converted this one in Photolab 7.

I remain grateful. I remain prayerful, at least most days. Life is good.

Regrouping

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On walkies with The Girl Sunday evening, we both were enjoying the lovely winter Sun and the mild temperature. I noticed this storefront and the light and geometry, so paused to make a capture. She kept pulling at me to go. I won. Captured with X-Pro3, 2026-02-15 16:31:56, 27mm, 1/680sec, f/8, ISO-640, in-camera Classic Chrome film simulation, SOOC.

An old friend sometimes says “Fall back, regroup, and prepare for the next assault.” He was an infantryman in a former life. Although the context is substantially different, as are the risks, this is something I do just about every time a project comes to an end.

The last three months have been a story of increasing pressure to complete such a project. I first thought I was brought in to look at one specific task, a hydraulic model. The scope expanded substantially when I noticed a number of irregularities in a drainage network design. I was sucked in to the vortex of this project. It is self-inflicted; I am a team player and the team needed me.

The result is that my workload blossomed to the point of almost unbearable. I think the effort peaked last week with delivery of the second report draft. There is a workshop tomorrow that I hope will be the last effort on this one. This is good because another is waiting for a similar push.

There are a couple more waiting in the wings for my attention. They all have deadlines. Therefore, I will be quite busy for the next couple of months, maybe three.

I must be more careful about saying “yes.” I must be aware that boundaries are necessary and healthy.

In the meantime, I began doing some of the things that feed my soul. I have a couple captures of the spring cherry blossoms from the landscaping in my neighborhood. I noticed that the desert peach is blooming when I hiked with The Girl yesterday. The sagelands smell lovely right now, with the bitterbrush in bloom as well.

I will put the Fujinon 60mm macro lens on the X-T5 this week and get some images before the flowers fade for the season. I love the look of the desert peach blossoms. They are lovely.

So is life. I love my life with The Girl. I have enough. I am grateful. Life is good.

RIP Chuck Norris

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I learned that Chuck Norris died a few days ago. He was 86-years old.

I recall seeing him first in a Bruce Lee movie as the antagonist. I then recall seeing him on the talk show circuit with his impossible-to-block punch. He was very fast.

Best I can tell, he was also a solid businessman, managing a number of training schools in Southern Callifornia.

I can say I watched a few episodes of “Walker,” but I was not a particular fan. It was light fare, but reasonably produced. Now, with him departed, I might decide to go back and revisit the series to see if I find it interesting.

His passing is a yet another reminder of the dynamic nature of life. Change is constant and an expectation of stability is unreasonable. We all come with an expiry date.

RIP Mr. Norris and Godspeed.

On the Trail

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I do not generally take selfies. I made this one for my loved ones. Captured with TG-7, 2025-07-08 10:15:14, 4.5mm, 1/200sec, f/2.8, ISO-100.

I have stated, many times, that I do not make many selfies. I know a lot of social media posters value these as documentation of having been someplace or in the middle of some event. But, I am not that kind of photographer.

Nonetheless, I make an occasional selfie for my loved ones. On the way back to the staging area, on our favorite trail near Spooner Summit, The Girl chased chipmunks and I made this self portrait.

It was a good hike and a good day. Life is good.

Daily Regimen

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At the turn-around point, we break for water and a quick rest. The Girl posed for me. Shot with TG-7, 12.73mm, 1/125sec, f/3.9, ISO-200, JPG SOOC.

I have been busy enough with trading and work lately that there is not enough energy left at the end of the day to post anything here. That does not mean that I am inactive, though.

The Girl and I continue to hike daily, generally up near Spooner Summit where the air is cooler and there is less traffic. We also get in an evening walk most days about dusk here in town. We have a half-mile loop that gets her outdoors, gives an opportunity to eliminate and sniff around a bit. She might bark at another dog if we encounter one. And I get away from the desk or whatever has me occupied.

I am exercising the Olympus Tough TG7 on our outings. I want to learn to use the camera and test its capabilities. So far I am impressed. It performed for me in the field during out last field walk. I am still working on that field report and will be including images from the camera in my report.

I am researching Graphene OS for a new phone. Although I have been aware that BiG Tech (and probably many others) is snooping around in our data, it was only last year, when Apple and M$ kicked off their AI craze/affectation/love affair/infestation (choose your favorite object), that it became a real concern. It should have much, much sooner. But, it is what it is.

What I realize is that it is going to take some time to extract myself from the data suck. I am working on a Linux test bed to determine if I can operate my business in a Linux environment and still function. I think it will start with the phone and then work into the computer. I am due for a new phone number now that it is out in the wild and I receive many (too many) spam calls.

Anyway, here I go…

The ARRL Field Day for 2025 is approaching quickly. We have a place picked to camp, play a little radio, and fellowship. It looks like there will be some shade and some water. My hope is that the insects are not too bad. It will be good, regardless.

The Girl posed for me a couple of days ago. I made the capture. I am grateful for her, and so many others. Life is good.

Daily Doggo

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I love this soft face! I stepped out the back door and noticed her pawing the sand in the yard. I had a Nikon D750 in hand with a Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 affixed to it. I made a few grab shots and this one was the keeper. Post in PhotoLab 7 with light editing.

The Girl seems to be on a plateau in terms of her knee surgery recovery. I notice that she does not have the stamina that she did pre-injury and if we push too hard then she will be lame the remainder of the day.

So, we are adjusting our hikes again. I like to have some relief in my hikes to challenge my legs and CV system. But the climbs seem to leave her more sore afterwards. Although we hiked a little up at our favorite Spooner location yesterday, I kept it short. We often walk the river trail now and I try for about two miles. It gives her plenty of opportunity to sniff and mark and is good.

Life is good.

Saturday Morning

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We had a bit of snow Thursday, with maybe five or six inches of relatively heavy snow. Although it was early (about 0630h local) and not very bright, I stepped out the front door (briefly) and made this capture with the Sony A7iii and a new-to-me Zuiko 50mm f/1.2 manual focus lens. I brought the brightness up slightly in post.

I need another mug of coffee, my second. I think I will go make one and take Sera outside to eliminate. It looks cold outside, so we will not be long.

OK, so I took her out and she peed. I am right — it is cold… but not too cold. Winter is good. The snow provides snowpack in the mountains and that means water in the spring and early summer. The cold reduces the insect population and helps maintain the ecosystem that I so enjoy here in the high desert. The capture is from Thursday morning when we had snow. I used the Sony A7iii and a new-to-me Olympus Zuiko 50mm f/1.2 at f/5.6 as I recall. It was quite early so there was not a lot of light. I had to bring up the exposure slightly and made the edit in my iPhone with Snapseed.

And… I have another mug of Joe. That makes for a good morning.

We had a good snow this week with five inches or so here in Carson and several feet in the high Sierra. Much of the snow in the valleys is already melted. That means some ice on the roads, but I do not plan to drive much today. I do see a grocery run in my day and I will probably have supper with an old friend.

I see a workout and a walk also in my day. I have a few chores on my to-do list as well. I think I will enjoy my coffee and then get on with it.

Life is good.

The Ritual

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The makings for my morning ritual. Shot with Fujifilm X-E4 and a Voigtländer 27mm f/2 at f/2.8 using the HP5+ film simulation. SOOC.

Every morning, my day starts with a mug of Joe (or cup of coffee for non-aficionados). There is a ritual associated with my coffee and the tools (most of them) are displayed in the image. The tools comprise a kettle to heat water, a scale and cup to weigh beans, a press, a hand grinder, and a mug to receive the goodness from the press.

My process is:

  1. Fill the kettle with cold water while allowing hot water to flow to the faucet to warm the press and mug.
  2. Place a new paper filter into the filter ring.
  3. Weigh the beans.
  4. Moisten the beans with a fingertip dipped into the warming water of the mug.
  5. Grind the beans in my hand grinder.
  6. Empty the press of warming water and place the coffee into the press.
  7. Pour hot water into the press.
  8. Stir the mixture to wet all of the grounds.
  9. Place the filter ring onto the press.
  10. Set a timer for four minutes.
  11. At the appointed time (or a little after), invert the press onto the mug and press out the newly extracted coffee.
  12. Add some cream to the coffee and top off the mug with hot water.
  13. Utter the required assent (Ahhh…).
  14. Enjoy!

I have been using an Aeropress for a number of years now. It is easy to use and cleans up far more easily than a regular press. It has another positive characteristics — it is nearly indestructible. (Hat tip to DiL.) I generally use the inverted approach instead of placing it filter ring down on top of the mug. I think I get a better brew that way.

My current grinder is a Knock Aergrind with stainless steel burrs. It is a precise grinder that can grind very fine if desired.

My current scale is a Hario I bought from The Evil Empire. (Amazon…)

With the Peet’s dark roast, I am using about 15gm of beans to make 300ml of coffee. I am currently running 200ºF water (the boiling point at my elevation is about 205F) and four minutes for extraction. This gives me a nice rich dark roast that is very tasty with a bit of heavy cream.

I am grateful for coffee. It adds quite a bit to my life. Life is good.

The New Year — 2025

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At the Red Hut for breakfast. Captured with X100V, 2025-01-01 09:55:45, 23mm, 1/26sec, f/8, ISO-6400, in-camera Tri-X Film Simulation, SOOC

The New Year arrived last night. I heard fireworks at midnight, briefly. They did not really disturb either of us, but I am struggling to stay asleep the last fortnight or so. So I rose and went to my workroom. I picked up my new bullet journal, not quite a tabula rasa, but pretty close. I started working up the format for this year. Part of that is migrating tasks from last year to the new journal.

I finally gave up and returned to bed for a few minutes before rising at 0530h and making a coffee. Yeah, a handful of hours of sleep New Year’s Eve. It is what it is.

I fed The Girl later and decided to go get breakfast. So it was a trip to The Red Hut for a waffle sandwich, from which I brought home a strip of bacon for my love.

Given it was pretty cool this morning, I puttered around the house and then got us out for a hike at Silver Saddle Ranch. There were a few other walkers, but not so many as there would have been had the weather been better. It was gray, blustery, and cool. The fair-weather hikers stayed home, probably nursing a hangover.

All in all it was a quiet beginning to the new year. I came away from Red Hut with a decent capture. The Girl and I napped a bit, hiked a bit, and interacted a bit more.

I have a lot of tasks for 2025. I better get after it.

I remain grateful. Life is good.