Category: stories

I Did a Thing

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The light was nice this Sunday morning and The Girl wanted out to do her morning thing. She then plopped down in a sunny patch. I ran back into the house, grabbed the Nikon D750, and made a few captures. I like this one the best. Captured with NIKON D750, 2025-09-07 08:24:51, 180mm, 1/2500sec, f/8, ISO-800, SOOC but for a slight crop.

This morning I slept in a bit (especially for me) and did not rise until about 0730h. Heh… As I made coffee, I let The Girl out. With my coffee ready, I sat at my desk and she ran back in and to her mat under my desk. As I finished my first mug and started preparing the second, she asked to go back out. So, I reopened the doors and finished putting me coffee on to steep. (I use an Aeropress.)

I stepped back outside to find her sunning. The light was lovely, so I ran back into the house, grabbed the Nikon D750 from the kitchen table, checked the battery, and ran back out. I squatted at about the right distance and made a few captures. I think I like this one the best.

We finished our morning routine and then loaded up to head out for a hike. The left front signal lamp burned out yesterday afternoon, so I stopped at AutoZone thinking I could buy a replacement, but with a LED lamp. There was no joy, so we crossed the street to O’Reilly and I picked up a two-pack of 1156A halogen bulbs and an air filter for the 4Runner. Then we headed up the hill.

We had a great hike, with me chatting with a ham buddy partway. The weather was spectacular and I am loving the fall feeling that we have at the moment. On the way back to the rig, I thought “I should see if I can make the change with the tools I have on hand.”

So I retrieved my tool roll from its crate, grabbed the knee pad, and turned the front wheels to the right, full stop. I then began the process of removing the inner fender liner and found I needed a pry bar to separate the line from the fender. So I returned to the back of the rig and fetched the large tool roll (mostly cheap Harbor Freight tools, yuck). There I extracted a flat-point stubby and used it to separate the liner from the fender. I then reached into the well and unfastened the lamp socket. It was easy to replace the bulb and only a little fiddly to replace the socket into the housing. Reinstalling the fender liner was a little fiddly, but eventually all the screws were back into place.

I did remember to function check before buttoning everything up. I’ve been there (before), done that, and did not collect a T-shirt.

I was hungry on the way back to the house and decided that a BLT would be good. (I need a grocery run.) I pulled in to the Red Hut, got Sera’s vest out (“In Training”), and prepped her to go in with me. Red Hut traffic was light and she needs the reps. We were seated quickly at my choice of booths and she went under the table with just a little encouragement. (She likes the back corner better than the front corner, it seems.)

The BLT was good (actually, it was a BLTC — with cheese) and I boxed up some of the bacon and the remaining fries for her treat, once she was out of vest. We returned to the rig and I gave her her treat.

As I was about to leave, a young man with cross-clipped red hair and a well-trimmed red beard approached.

“Would you be happening to be going by The Nugget?”

I shook my head “no” and shrugged. He trotted off.

I have a thing about unknown contacts. Any time a stranger approaches the element of risk increases. One can never know another’s intention and I am more distrustful of people now than I have ever been. It is not paranoia; it is a sign of our troubled times.

As I watched him hurry across Clearview Avenue, I heard that small voice in the back of my head say “You could give him a ride. It is not far out of your way.”

I have heard that voice before. I think it is the Holy Spirit telling me that there is something I should do to help another and that it is OK.

So I started the rig, crossed Clearview, and crossed the parking lot. I intercepted him and offered him a ride to The Nugget. Sera hopped into the back seat and he climbed in. I asked “Are you late for work?”

“No, I have an interview at 2:30 and I don’t think I can make it in time. I’d also be sweaty and that’s not how to show up for an interview.”

“Gotcha.”

“Thanks man, I really appreciate this.”

“No worries.”

Sera clambered up on the console between us. She gave no indication of anything awry and I had a peace about giving a man a ride. We chatted a little on the way, he asking about my equipment on the dash.

A few minutes later I pulled around on the north side of The Nugget (off Carson Street, the main drag) and stopped at the curb.

“Thanks man!” he said as he started out. I offered my hand and he took it. “Break a leg and good luck with the interview. Get the job!”

He grinned and took off. I hope he gets the job.

Sometimes I hear that voice that tells me I should do something. It always feels right.

It is a good day. Life is good.

End of the Week

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I made this capture with the Sony A7iii and a lovely Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AIS lens. Post processed in PhotoLab7.

Whew… it has been a week. I received a call early in the week for some help with a project. The question was whether (or not) an alternate outfall could be used for a proposed treatment/detention pond. I had limited data to work with.

So, I went to work to understand the existing system and assess whether there was sufficient capacity to accept outflow from the proposed pond. That lead down a rabbit hole of the existing system for which we do not have complete data.

I learned that we will need to do a more complete analysis of the system capacity and how much of it is currently used. So, I wrote up what I learned and forwarded it to my client yesterday.

Part of my current struggle is with The Girl. No, she is not a problem, but on Thanksgiving Day she got into a kerfuffle with a coyote (best I can tell — I never saw the fight or the animal). She was marked up a bit but of greater concern was that she was lame in the port rear leg. The incident caused us to make a trip to the 24/7 animal hospital in Reno for treatment. There it was identified that she likely tore her ACL in that leg.

I took her to her vet here in Carson for a follow up and she was healing nicely. This resulted in an ACL workup this week and the news is that she has a torn ACL. This is a common injury, particularly with athletic canines (she is) and requires surgery to repair.

The cost is not cheap but doable. The recovery will be three months or more. That is a lot of reduced activity time for a high-drive dog. But, we will do it.

This also puts me in the research mode to understand her injury and the various surgical (and recovery) approaches to treat it. That is what I need… another rabbit hole to go down.

I was up early this morning (just after midnight), rolled over, and could not go back to sleep. So I was up for a bit, reviewing YT videos of the surgical approaches and recovery regimens. I heard her shake, then she showed up in my workroom for some attention, which she got. She asked to go out, so out we went.

I noticed the sky was mottled with clouds and backlit by the Moon. So I returned to the house and retrieved the Sony A7iii and affixed a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens to it. I used the combination to make a series of captures of what I saw. The frame above is the one I liked best of the lot. I did a bit of post-processing in PhotoLab and might make another run at it to produce a black and white image.

I will figure out what to do for The Girl. She is not a pet; she is my companion on this walk through life. While I am sorry she got herself into trouble, I remain grateful for her presence in my life, grateful I have the resources to take care of the surgery, and am simply grateful. I remember my buddy and am grateful he was a part of my life. He was good for me. He is missed. And, life is still good.

Camper Work

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Or rather replaced. The pressurized gas cylinder on the starboard side of the camper failed. It spit out its oil through the bottom seal. So, I ordered a replacement and replaced it Friday.

Yesterday, Saturday, was spent on camper repairs. When I arrived at the Walker River Paiute Tribe research station a couple of weeks ago, I discovered two problems with the camper. The bracket/brace that the front portion of the shower was affixed to had released from the front bulkhead of the camper’s hull. That meant it could not be raised. Because I was at the research station, I was going (and did) use the shower and head in the main trailer. So, this was not a fatal problem.

The second was that the bracket/retainer of the rear bulkhead of the camper’s hull had parted from the camper’s floor and side panel. I did not want to lose the bracket, so I “borrowed” some zip ties from a colleague and attached the bracket to the rear bumper bracket. That way I figured it would not readily depart from the camper on my way home.

I also noticed oil leakage from the pressurized gas cylinder (lift) I use to make raising/lowering the roof tractable by hand. Yes, I press it up from the ground. The linear actuator was a bad design and after two of them failed, I chose to move to a different solution.

I ordered replacement cylinders and replaced the starboard unit. The port unit is fine (for now).

So I hooked up the camper to the 4Runner yesterday and hauled it over to my buddy’s place. We surveyed the shower panel problem and came up with a solution. One of the screws had sheared, so we replaced it with a bit stouter screw (same size; better quality) and added one screw to each half of the bracket. Coupled with a little construction glue, I think that problem is solved.

Then we attended to the rear bulkhead. The manufacturer had affixed the bracket/molding that retains the entire rear bulkhead of the camper to the unit with four screws. The port-side pair had separated although the starboard pair held.

When I discovered this, I just shook my head in disgust. Clearly, this was insufficient strength to hold the entire rear bulkhead of the hull together. There was insufficient shear strength and the flexing of the system when underway finally broke the weakest link on the port side.

We talked about the solution for a few minutes, then started the repair. We added a handful of screws to the bracket and it was pretty easy to slide the panel into the bracket slot and get it reassembled.

That was after I spent a half-hour cleaning the old caulking from the back panel and bracket. All it took was a little elbow grease and a bit of acetone.

I still need to caulk the rear panel. But, I backed the camper in a little too close to the garage door to do it today. I will do it before I head out to camp on Friday. It will take only a few minutes and I can do the final job while filling the potable tank or over a beer.

In all, the work required a bit more than six hours of labor. I would not be able to do this without the help and knowledge of my buddy. As a result, I bought supper at El Charro Avitia. I had a very good Carne Asada Burrito and a couple of Margaritas in celebration of a job done.

The camper gets better each time we do one of these jobs. We repair a weakness in the design/construction of the unit. I cannot believe how poorly they are designed and assembled.

I sat down on the sofa with The Girl when I got home. However, I immediately crashed. I think I put something on Netflix to stream, but I have no idea what it was. When I woke about 2100h, I had a black screen facing me and The Girl had gone to her mat to sleep. So, I shut down the house and wandered off to bed myself. I was whupped.

It was a good day. Good work was done. Fellowship was enjoyed with good friends. Life is good.

Daily Image: Serious Sera 01 July 2024

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She’s looking for the neighbor dogs. Shot with the Sony A7Sii and a lovely little CZJ 35mm f/2.4 Flektogon wide open.

Late Sunday afternoon I decided that I needed a Blizzard in my life. The Girl agreed that was a good idea. So we loaded up and headed to DQ.

They were stupid busy at 1830h on a summer Sunday evening. They were having trouble getting orders done correctly and the timing was awful.

Maybe it was my mistake for going inside the store and not the drive-through. Lesson learned.

My Blizzard came out quick but the burger took forever. So, I ate dessert first (and saved some for The Girl).

I made the capture after we returned home. I have a new-to-me Carl Zeiss Jena (DDR) 35mm f/2.4 Flektogon that needs some love. I had it mounted to the Sony A7Sii and the image is straight out of camera with only resizing to fit my weblog.

Daily Image: Curved 14 June 2024

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I wonder what happened to this old pine. Shot with the Fuji X-E4 and Fujinon 27mm f/2.8 at f/8, straight out of camera.

We walked up near Spooner Summit in the national forest this morning. It was a lovely morning and the hike did both of us good.

On the way out, I noticed this old pine has an odd curve where it enters the soil. I wonder what happened to it to make it grow this way? It made for an interesting image and a welcome pause as I hiked up the trail.

When we arrived back at the 4Runner, there as a pickup parked next to me with the ramp down. I rounded the back of the 4Runner and a young man was sitting on a granite boulder. Surprised, I muttered…

“Well, hello! You startled me.”

“Hi. Sorry, I’m waiting for my uncle. He took the bike and rode on up the trail. A woman and a child rolled off the trail.”

I listened to the story and the accident must have happened while we were on the trail because there was no emergency equipment at the trailhead when we arrived. (Note: There was equipment when we left.)

I gave Sera some water and took some myself. The uncle returned. The folks were OK if a bit shaken. Apparently, the woman drove her 4Runner off the trail and it tumbled down the slope into the ravine.

I am glad they were not hurt. I remarked “There but for the grace of God go I.” It could have happened to me.

I never know what I will find when in the field.

I am grateful. Life is good.

Daily Image: Scramblers, 20 March 2024

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A new favorite breakfast restaurant here in Springfield, MO. Capture with Fujifilm X100V and Reggie’s Portra 400 film simulation, SOOC.

A week ago DiL took me to breakfast at the subject venue. They produce solid American Diner food and the breakfast was good. I had an appointment to drop off the 4Runner for maintenance and the shop is only a couple of miles from Scramblers. So I decided to treat myself to breakfast.

They were not busy at 0700h this morning so I was seated quickly. Coffee was at hand shortly thereafter. I made my order and working on an image to post to Vero. My food appeared before I finished my edits.

Once again, the food was good and priced reasonably. I enjoyed it, put a little bit in a napkin to pay the dog tax, and then finished my edits and posted my image to Vero while finishing my coffee.

Then it was off the Christian Brothers Auto to have the 4Runner serviced. There is a long list of scheduled maintenance to do. I was on the fence about keeping my 2013 Fifth Gen 4Runner or trading for a new one. My rig has 200,000 miles on it, but has no known mechanical issues.

I have decided to try for another 100,000 miles. So, I am going to clean up a few minor issues and keep running the mileage clock.

Pi Day 2024

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Light-Up PiPi Day was a relatively uneventful day here in Ozark, Missouri. I slept a little late, but still managed to send off Older Son and DiL. I then made a coffee and sat down at my desk to start the day.

I am working on a hydraulic model and it is not being completely cooperative. I sorted most of the wrinkles Wednesday, but had a couple more left to deal with. So I worked on some bathymetric conditioning and then made the needed adjustments to the boundary conditions. I set off a model run and left the desk to let it run.

I warmed a Braum’s banana nut muffin with some butter for a light breakfast, finished my coffee, and got The Girl out for an outing. We walked our normal route near the house, where we encountered a young man preparing to run a small topographic survey. I stopped for a chat before heading on.

I had three trading sessions back-to-back around the noon/early afternoon hour. I worked through those, with the last one producing no trade. At least, there was no official trade. One of my trading services does a once per week one-day trade on the SPX Index. The approach is to choose a put or call spread that is near enough to the trading price to produce a profit but far enough away to reduce the overnight risk.

But it depends on the trading action at the end of the day. The coach did not like the action during our session, so he called it for the week. After the session, I continued to monitor the price action and it turned not long before closing. So I put in my order and it filled at my price. So, now I wait for the theta decay to work its magic and expect my good-till-cancel closing order to execute on Friday’s open.

After all that, I was hungry, so I took The Girl and we drove over to the B-29 Cafe for a sandwich. It was threatening rain but I thought I might be able to beat it.

I ordered a BLT with an added slice of American Cheese. This is the BLTC and I really like this sandwich. It is relatively light but has enough protein and fat to keep hunger at bay. The B-29 fries are also excellent and part of them (usually half) go to pay the dog tax. While enjoying my sandwich, a tornado warning sounded. The B-29 proprietor informed us they have no safe area in the building, but the bathrooms/halls are the best reinforced.

Most elected to finish their meal and stay alert. No tornado appeared, but I finished up my meal and cleared my bill quickly. I wanted to beat the rain back to the rig and The Girl.

I did. And I paid the dog tax before the rain started. But, we drove home in a heavy shower that blew the rain and trees about.

we were able to sneak into the house between bouts of rain.

I have been careful with The Girl to not let her get frightened by thunder. This one seems nonplussed by loud noises and I do not make a deal of them. If anything, I get more playful with her during storms and when there are fireworks.

I ended my day with my son. We emptied the back of the rig so I can take it for service Friday.

The Waffle House

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An iconic American diner, the Waffle House. Shot with my Contax TVS on Kodak Gold 200. Exposure details not recorded.
Some decades ago, probably in the 1980s, my practice of long road trips began. They were mostly associated with traveling from where we lived to visit family in Missouri. However, with time (and age), they have morphed into long travels for a variety of reasons. I still visit my family, but have added to that list old friends. Then there are trips added to visit work sites and just because I want to go.

What I found is the Waffle House. I have eaten breakfast at these places all over that part of the country that the franchise serves. The food is decent. It is not bistro-quality, but the short-order kind of food. I really like the waffles, the batter they use is very good. And I found that pecans in my waffle is an added tasty treat.

There is a Waffle House a few miles north from Ozark, Missouri. I am here visiting with my kids and waiting for the camper to be repaired after the blown tire tore s#*$ up. The parts are in and the camper is in the shop. Before the next leg of my trip, it will be good to have the little house restored. I really prefer sleeping in my own space.

I wished I had brought along a couple of my film cameras. Specifically, I had a Nikon FA kit partly assembled and the Pentax 645 kit was mostly assembled. But, I ran out of time to get everything done before I needed to leave. So, I left my film cameras behind.

This I regretted enough that I bought a Contax TVS point-and-shoot. It is a little point-and-shoot 35mm camera based on a Vario-Sonar zoom that is very good. I wanted the T2 (fixed lens) version, but the wannabees have driven up the price of the prime-based Contax that cameras are no longer reasonable. The TVS is a kind of sleeper that makes solid images at some cost to control. It is a point-and-shoot, after all.

I have always wanted a mechanical Nikon camera. When I was a young man, I wanted a Nikon Photomic. It was a tool of the professional, with prices accordingly. I could not afford one. I can now, so a F2AS joined my inventory along with a couple of lenses that are not in my collection.

I have lusted wanted a Hasselblad 500-series camera for a very long time. But, they are out of my price range. I might have been able to buy one four- or five-years ago, but then the prices were driven up because of the Hasselblad reputation, I suppose, and because film is becoming popular again. I have a couple of the V-mount lenses in my collection. I suppose it is now time to sell them… because…

After substantial research, the Bronica S2A is an acceptable substitute for the 500-series Hasselblad. No, it is not the equivalent. But it is close, close enough. It will provide the 6x6cm experience (and challenges). The Nikkor glass for the camera is quite good. It is a mechanical camera that should run the rest of my life. If it needs repair, it is repairable.

One wandered into my life a few days ago. I still need to introduce it. I will.

So, now at the end of my mental wandering (AKA rumination), the image can be explained. I was running a test roll through the Contax TVS and saw this scene. So I turned off the flash and made the capture. I love having access to a Waffle House from Ozark. I am often up early, so I can get out for breakfast at a favorite place. It can be an interesting place to make a few captures as well.

I like it. Life is good.

1Gear Acquisition Syndrome, an affliction of lust that many photographers succumb to that causes an increased load and a reduced bank account.

Daily Image: 23 January 2024 — Books

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One of the stacks at Dixon Books in Fayetteville, AR. Shot with Fujifilm X100V 23mm f/2 at f/2.8 using the Tri-X film simulation.

My kids and I took a day trip down to Rogers and Fayetteville, Arkansas on Sunday. Despite the cold, winter day (but not as cold as it has been), we had a blast. We visited a Duluth Trading Company bricks and mortar store. There I bought The Girl a jacket for our cold outings (and to keep some of the rain off). I bought myself some gloves as those I have are insufficient when it gets this cold.

We drove into Fayetteville for a Mediterranean meal and the headed downtown to Dixon Books. I love used book stores and carried a camera inside with me.

Dixon Books is one of those rabbit-warren bookstores that has lots (and lots) of bookshelves and stacks of books with small aisles to traverse the stacks. I love it.

I carried the Fujifilm X100V in my hand and made many captures surreptitiously of other wanderers of the stacks. A couple of those might be worth sharing. I also carried the Nikon F2AS, but decided that it is a bit noisy for that environment. A quite rangefinder was just the trick. (The X100V is nearly silent.)

I did not buy any new books, not having a list with me. But, I hope there will be another (perhaps many) trips back to Fayetteville and the next visit I will have a list with me.

After the bookstore, there was coffee at Doomsday Coffee, just a couple of blocks away.

It was a good day. Life is good.

No Service

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If you know, you know… Shot with the Contax TVS using Kodak Gold 200. Exposure data unrecorded.

Not long after I arrived here in Missouri, I made my first trip to Bedford Camera & Video in Springfield. I decided to see what the camera store here was like and whether it would be a good place to buy film and have my processing done.

My first experience was positive. I bought some film for my new-to-me Contax TVS point and shoot camera. It is a premium 35mm point and shoot with a Zeiss Vario-Sonnar zoom lens. The zoom range is not large, just two times. But the focal lengths are useful even if the lens is relatively slow.

The clerk loaded the battery for me (a CR123A) and I loaded a roll of Kodak Gold 200. The camera wound the film onto the take-up spool just fine and announced it was ready to go. I added a few more rolls of 35mm film to my order, checked out, and headed back to the rig.

I paused to make an image of the store front and then The Girl and I headed south towards home. I was hungry and decided to stop for a bite.

The first food I came across was the Burger King on South Campbell. I pulled into the lot and walked inside. There I waited at least five minutes without acknowledgement. None of the workers greeted me. None offered to take my order.

I shook my head and walked back to the rig. Clearly they are not interested in my business. I will not be stopping there again.

We drove south a few more blocks and found a Steak & Shake. I have always liked their food, so I parked and walked into the store. I was greeted fairly quickly and then seated. Although it took a few minutes for one of the staffers to take my order, they got it done. My food was delivered hot and was tasty. I really like the fries at Steak & Shake.

I took some with me, along with a bite of my sandwich, and gave them to The Girl. She was expecting a treat, as usual. And, as usual, she got one.

I was satisfied with my outing and determined to shoot the roll of film to complete my testing of the new camera.

A few days later (yesterday), Older Son and I decided to get out of the house and check some of the pawn shops and thrift stores for film cameras. The first pawn shop we stopped at asked “Do they even develop film anymore?”

“Yes, they do.” I responded.

He suggested we visit the Springfield Trading Depot (STD) because all of the pawn brokers are only dealing in digital cameras now. We thanked him and headed out.

STD (yes, that is the acronym) was interesting enough, but there was nothing there I was interested in. It made an interesting photo opportunity anyway. I still need to download and process those images.

I had finished my roll of film, so we headed to Bedford to drop it off for processing, I bought a few rolls of 120 black and white film, and we headed off to pick up DiL. I wanted an early supper and a trip to Bass Pro to replace her collar. The transmitter finally failed after I repaired the rotary control one time. So, it is time to replace it. She sometimes needs it to stay out of trouble. She remains an impulsive Girl.

We took her into Bass Pro (they are dog friendly) and it is such a HUGE place. There were a lot of people there (and quite a few dogs), but she really behaved well and barked at other dogs only a couple of times.

We got what we came for and were looking at the toys when we heard THE SQUEAK. She knew exactly what she wanted.

We played with that for several minutes, all four of us laughing. So we gathered up a couple of new toys for her and headed to the check out line. She was a very excited Girl.

We stopped at a Korean restaurant on the way home for a bibimpap bowl. I had not had one before and it was very good. Win! While there, I received an email that my film had been processed and my scans were ready to download. Win!

We retrieved DiL’s rig and then stopped at Andy’s Frozen Yogurt for a treat and then on home.

Yes, The Girl got a pup-cup.

When I got home, I downloaded my scans. I have a couple of keepers in the lot. That is not bad.

It was a good day. Life is good.