A few evenings ago I drove over to Olive Garden for some supper. This time of year I sometimes do that to get into the cool. Plus, I eat well and have enough to make another meal.
On this evening, I noticed the light and the crowd gathered outside the door. That made me pause on my way in to make the capture. This is pretty close to street photography.
It was a good meal that fed me twice. I am grateful. Life is good.
A couple of weeks ago The Girl and I were on our morning hike up near Spooner Summit. We were there maybe a little earlier than we are many times and I liked the light in the forest. I carried the Fujifilm X100vi that day, not wanting to deal with choosing a lens to affix to either the X-Pro3 or the X-T5. Sometimes not having a choice is the better way.
After recovering from the first climb up the old fire road, I felt pretty good and was looking around for a daily capture of some kind. I noticed this gnarled old tree that looked as though it was lightning struck sometime long ago. It certainly was subject to some trauma, given how two limbs had taken over the remainder of its growth.
Perhaps there is a life lesson in this… that sometimes life throws a bolt that is a terrible, but not fatal hit. A part that was the main line of growth is ended, but there are other branches remaining to take over. It might be a tough hit, but not life-ending. So, life moves forward, albeit in a different direction than before.
There are certainly elements of my own life that reflect this. Life still goes on, but not in the same direction as before.
It is good. I am grateful.
For the first time in nearly 14 years, I own a new vehicle. I decided that I did not want to use the 4Runner as a tow vehicle any longer. I want to keep it running well for many years, yet. My camper is not over the vehicle’s limit, but there were many times I thought I was stressing the vehicle more than I wanted to.
I also think I want a slightly larger camper. These are things mentioned here a number of times, whenever they come mind.
I decided to buy a diesel truck. My friend has had good luck with Fords. So have I, although it was a long time ago that I had an F-150. I do not care for the fit and finish of the Dodge products, although the Cummins engine has quite the reputation. The GM products seem to focus on the Allison transmission and less on the Duramax. So, I bought a Ford.
I love my truck, but do not intend it to be my daily driver. It is for work and pulling the camper, either to remote locations or cross country.
My friend helped me install a VHF/UHF radio in it. I have a place for an HF rig as well (and have the rig). I am slowly adding a few things to make it work better for me. I want some MOLLE racks in the bed so I can lash equipment and keep the bed organized.
The truck has the power to pull anything I want to pull. On Field Day, the camper was barely noticeable behind the truck. In fact, I have to be careful not to muscle the camper. It is not up so some of the rough roads we travel without care. The truck has no problem.
So, my next step is to find an appropriate camper. I am thinking an Arctic Fox might do well, given I have frozen my tush off any number of times in the A-frame. I need cold weather capability. The additional storage will be good, too.
This could very well be my last new vehicle. That is not sad; just an observation.
I am quite grateful. Life is good.
I have not done a remainders post in a long time. My energy has been used up by other tasks of higher priority than maintaining my weblog. Yet, my weblog remains a part of my life and is important to me, for reasons I do not really understand. I see things, I read things, I make photographs, and somehow my brain amalgamates this material and the results need to go someplace. Decades ago I created this space to hold those results. So, here we are.
Well, that is a restart of my remainders practice. It will be seen if I can maintain it.
Regardless, I am grateful. Life is good.
The last week or two has seen a lot of days that are hot for western Nevada in June. These days feel more like what we experience in August. Some might say this represents global warming, but I understand that this is weather, not climate. Anyway, it has been hot.
The Girl and I have taken our daily hikes to an elevation of about 7,300ft. It is generally much cooler there and the pines provide substantial shade. Depending on the time of day we get out there, I might zig-zag through the shade the tall trees provide and avoid the direct Sun in between. The light-colored DG reflects a lot of heat, so it is a kind of double-whammy when walking in the Sun.
One day after our hike, The Girl was pretty hot. (Well, she is always hot, but I mean over-heated.) I decided to take the truck down to Logan Shoals and hike down to the lake so she could cool off in Lake Tahoe. This avoided a lot of construction on US50 and gave me an opportunity to visit a favorite place in the area.
There were not too many people at the location, we parked readily and started the hike down to the lake. There are many trails bushwacked through brush, but they can be steep and a bit treacherous. We got down with no mishap and found place to work our way down to the lake.
Sera was a little tentative about the boulder scramble, but she got down to the water and had a nice drink. Then she laid down the rock she was standing on and got wet up to her midline. That cooled her substantially.
We worked our way back up the hill, which was a pretty good climb. I sent a text message to a colleague about possible lunch, but she was buried with deliverables. So The Girl and I drove home via Kingsbury Grade, which gave me some more practice with the truck and a cool ride home.
All in all, it was good outing and good day. Life is good.
My Toyota 4Runner has been my primary vehicle for more than ten years. I bought it when Wife was sick and we were making a daily trip to Truckee during the winter for her radiotherapy. She was struggling in and out of the sedan and there was enough snow that I wanted more capability.
When I started playing radio I found myself in a group of light adventurists who like to do field operations. So the 4Runner got a few upgrades so I can better negotiate trail driving and then started pulling a small camper.
I learned that I really like camping, and in particular, dry camping. There are so many places to go here in the west where camping is free and unencumbered by developed campgrounds. I also learned that I like state campgrounds, particularly when the sites are spread out.
In any event, for a couple of years, I used an emergency tarp (5×7) to make some shade. It was OD on one side and aluminized on the other. What made it effective as an emergency blanket (tarp), made it effective for desert shade.
Sadly, though, it was light duty and after several deployments it failed. Instead of pressing my second unit into service, I abandoned the approach. Most of the time, the 4Runner’s hatch provides enough shade if it is just me. However, if I have a guest, then it is cramped.
I tried a Kelty Wayfarer, which hangs off the back of a SUV. However, the material is light and thin. Although it provides shade, it does not block infrared from the Sun. Therefore, it is still hot under the canopy.
That lead me full circle. I bought a 6×8 reflective tarp (heavy) and a couple of telescoping poles. I have suction mounts for the rig. I am able to quickly deploy good shade/shelter from the 4Runner (and I think the pickup as well). I bought a second tarp to double up or to add a lean-to for additional shade/shelter on the sunward side.
This approach works. Shade is good, particularly in the summer desert Sun.
I am so grateful. Life is good.
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.
It has been a minute since my last post. Between various tasks, there just was not enough energy left over to write anything. Good news — after months of not paying their bill, a client finally did and put a chunk of cash into my account. I was getting a little concerned that they might stiff us. But they paid. Good.
I am happy to have that one behind me. It is possible that it will reanimate later, but I hope not.
I am looking forward to Field Day this year. I plan to camp with friends at Desert Creek Dry Lake. I think that was our FD site three-years ago.
The truck will not be fully outfitted in time, but that is OK. I am slowly working out what I want to add to my truck and it will take a little time to acquire the equipment and get it installed. The bed liner will be sprayed in Monday. That will be the first step.
I spent a lot of time the last couple of weeks researching maintenance issues with the new truck. The primary item is that US diesel fuel is out of specification for the fuel pump used by Ford. Therefore, supplementation of the diesel fuel is required to ensure sufficient lubrication for the pump. Fortunately (for me), my sales agent at the Ford dealership pointed me in the additive direction.
The other issue that came up is the abandonment of a defined service interval in favor of a sensor and indicator. Vehicles have had service intervals for as long as I can remember. The standard service interval has also been always dependent on the service level of the vehicle in question. Those that see heavy service require a reduced service interval.
A YT content creator, The Motor Oil Geek, has several videos on oil change frequency and the impact on engine wear. He recommends, based on testing, an oil change early in the engine’s life (maybe 500-1,000 miles), then a second after several thousand more miles. These remove residual particles from the build and provide a refreshed filter as well. He also suggests that a regular-period service change also be followed instead of relying on the vehicle’s sensor/algorithm.
I am careful to follow Toyota’s service interval recommendation for my 4Runner. Although I did not use a break-in service for it, the oil was renewed every 10,000 miles. Other maintenance items (coolant, transmission fluid, transfer case, differentials) was also changed. The rig now has 235,000 miles on it and does not use oil or leak. This speak to the quality of Toyota manufacturing. It is a pity they do not offer a diesel pickup in the States.
The Ford pulls the little camper effortlessly. I will no longer be lugging up hills. Moreover, I will replace the little trailer with something just a bit larger this year or next. I want something capable of handling colder weather (the current unit does not) and that provides just a little bit more living space. On my month-long travels, the little camper is a bit cramped and I want more space for when I am working.
The adventure continues. I am liking my truck a lot. It is a lot more vehicle than the 4Runner and requires some adjustment in driving style. I am even more careful choosing a parking spot. I do not mind walking from the rig to the store or whatever.
For the moment, I intend to keep the 4Runner as a daily driver. It seems a bit wasteful to have two vehicles, though. So, we will see.
In any event, I am very grateful. Life is good.
I am in a busy season, once again. But I still carry a camera daily. An image does not always present itself, or I am not paying sufficient attention to see the image presented.
Walkies through the sagebrush out at Silver Saddle Ranch sometimes provides an interesting image. This pile of boards, while presenting a hazard for doggo with respect to exposed nails (and later the possibility of a rattlesnake hide), was something, once. It might have been a door or gate. Or maybe a platform for some other purpose. There was clearly a structure in the area by virtue of other ruins. But I do not know what it was.
In any event, the area provided some fodder for a daily image.
I am grateful. Life is good.
Last week, I had The Girl outdoors for walkies/hiking at Silver Saddle Ranch, our favorite Winter haunt. The days are extraordinarily warm for now and so hiking is pleasant without the Winter Bite. We do need more snow, though.
I rented a Fujifilm X-Pro3 body from (a href=”https://lensrentals.com”>Lensrentals a couple of weeks ago and have been putting the camera through its paces. It has a relatively low shutter count (about 15K actuations) and the body is pretty clean, I would say very good with only a little paint lost here and there and a mark on the bottom plate from tripod use or something else. The hybrid optical viewfinder is interesting and I can see why the rangefinder-style body is so popular, especially with street shooters. I am liking what I see and this camera is probably good for a lot of my daily carry outings where I do not need to extra size of the X-T5 for larger lenses or the in-body stabilization for low-light.
I have been in something of a photographic rut, needing some inspiration or a photographic ass-kicking to restart my observational skills. So, I elected to mount a lens I do not often use, the Fujinon 16mm f/2.8 that is in my inventory. I tend to have a telephoto eye, so do not usually use a wide-angle lens. So, I thought mounting one might shake up my vision a little.
Well, it did make me look at things a little differently. I am really enjoying the in-camera Acros and Monochrome film simulations, and am playing with the Classic Chrome simulation as well. I have not programmed any of the film recipes into this camera. I will play with those Fuji provided for awhile first.
I noticed the juxtaposition of the Mormon Tea against the McLellan backdrop, so I open up the aperture to put the background somewhat out of focus, framed the shot, and made the capture. I rather like the contrast of the in- and out-of-focus areas. I did not post processing of the image other than resizing.
It was a good day in the field. I am having a lot of good days in the field. I love hiking with The Girl. I am grateful. Life is good.