A favorite place to pause for some water. Shot with Fuji X100V 23mm f/2 at f/8 with the Reggir’s Portra film simulation.
I begin writing my remainders after the previous instance posts on Saturday evening. So each remainder is a sort of bread crumb track of my path through the Internet each week.
In migrating to a new Winder$ laptop, I looked at a lot of files. I came across the source for my literate programming FAQ and, in fact, a lot more that I did not expect. This includes a very nice website on Literate Programming, which I intend to revisit.
I am experimenting with RStudio because I use R on both of my computers. The experiment is whether it is worth the effort to use a second tool to work with the first, or should I just use the command shell that is included in R. The jury is still out on this one.
I also am looking at a \TeX installation on the Winder$ notebook. It looks like TeX Live is the better option. It is also the basis for my \TeX system on the MBP.
I ran into a wrinkle with the Winder$ laptop LaTeX install. I keep all of my custom standard macros on my Dropbox in a /texmf directory. It took me an hour to figure out how to set TEXMFHOME environmental variable to point to that directory under Winder$. This helped.
I have a Pentax 645 NII in my inventory. I got it out this week and it needs a little TLC. The leatherette is peeling a bit at some of the corners. A little Pliobond will fix that.
In a holiday saving offer from Clever Supply Co. I received a referral to another small business/maker who operates Ugmonk. I bought two of the monitor stands because I need an external monitor for my two laptop computers and I want them up on stands at eye level. This will also permit me to use the laptops’ monitors as well. I am expecting good things, especially because these units are premium price. I am done with cheap s#%(.
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 Minestrone 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. Minestrone 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 called 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.
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.
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 hydrate 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.
A bridge too far. The Girl and I have walked this bridge innumerable times. Shot with the Fuji X100V 23mm f/2 at f/8 with the Tri-X 400 film simulation.
I am pretty sure I will have a few links this week. Yes, I start this list on Sunday and finish it on Saturday.
By the time this posts, I likely have received a new ASUS ROG G14 laptop computer. This will replace my aging desktop and do the heavy computational lifting for numerical models and GIS work.
HEC-RAS is updated. I downloaded and installed it and will be looking at changes from the previous version.
I decided I want a small day pack. Haley Strategic has an interesting approach to assault packs. I am going to try one of theirs and see if I can make it work in conjunction with a small camera bag (for my camera).
By now, everyone knows that I am a Fujifilm Fanboi. They are solid cameras with excellent glass. One of the perquisites is the film simulations (built in). But Ritchie Roesch’s adaptations of this capability to favorite film stocks is lagniappe! This list is one that I am working on. I have a few already programmed into the custom settings slots of my X100V. I will continue working through the list.
I have a PA500 for my little TX500 rig. The amplifier sometimes runs a little hot when using digital modes. So, here is a solution to that problem.
Captured on walkies using the Fujifilm X100V with its lovely 23mm f/2 lens at f/8. I used Reggie’s Portra 400 film simulation. Minor post processing in Iridient Developer (contrast, saturation, curves).
I am working on the hydrology for one of my projects. The weather is cooler and more windy, so I do not want to get out as early.
Once I made some progress on project work and the markets, The Girl and I headed out to walk Silver Saddle Ranch. The weather today was cooler than yesterday, but also less rainy. Still, I could see rain to the north in Washoe Valley and behind Mt. Scott. A curl of rain clouds pulled south to the east of Mt. Scott, but did not seem threatening.
The Girl continues to worsen the condition of her toe with the missing nail. If I am distracted for just a moment, I will catch her licking. So, she slept in the cone-of-shame last night, wore it all morning, walked without it (but limping), and is now wearing the cone. She will get to sleep in it again tonight, although I might remove it when we sit on the sofa to relax and snuggle.
I carried the Fuji X100V with me again today. Last night I read a bit on Ritchie Roesch’s website, Fuji X Weekly about those film simulations he recommends. He has a list of seven because most of the recent Fujifilm cameras have seven custom slots. I am already using several of his recommendations, but I have some empty slots to fill and will add his recommendations. Then I will use them.
Today I used Reggie’s Portra 400 simulation, which is intended to produce results similar to the Kodak Portra 400 film stock. One of the things Reggie did was to set Auto White Balance instead of using the Daylight balance of the regular Portra simulation. This adds a little to the flexibility of the simulation. There are other details as well, but I consider them relatively minor.
I came home with a couple of decent images. That is, images that I like. I make images for me — that is, I am the only one who needs to like them. If others like them, that is good. I appreciate the acknowledgement.
Alex (The Photographic Eye) recently did a video on the subtle impact of social media on the photographs we produce. This resonated because I left Instagram a couple of months ago (again) because I was tired of doomscrolling through things I did not want to see to find those that I do. On my IG account, I sometimes posted photographs I knew would gather more “likes” partly as an experiment. It is a nice dopamine hit to see that my work is appreciated.
What Alex made me think about is the who and why of my photography. It is good for me to do something creative and that is why I do it. The photographs are for me, because there was something about the subject that attracted my eye (and my mind).
So, what I share here and also on FB are images that somehow spoke to me and caused me to pause, find a composition, and make the capture (usually several). I do not always like the end result, but I usually learn something in the process.
OK, so I do indulge a little and share a lot of Doggo images. Those are for fun (and I do love the subject) and for my dog-loving friends.
So, I like this capture of Mt. Scott and the weather over Carson City. The fall colors are mostly gone, with just a few hangers-on. We’ll soon start to see snow and some gray days and certainly cooler temperatures. But I still love the high desert and I am good so long as the sun is shining.
Captured with the Fuji X100V 23mm f/2 at f/8. I used Reggie’s Portra 400 film simulation, but the scene required some heavy post processing to make it look reasonable.
We fell back last night, or rather, early this morning. I woke about 0200h and could not tell if I woke pre- or post-change. I patted The Girl’s ass, got a sleepy look, and went back to sleep. (It’s a nice ass…)
Yesterday was a rather dark day for me. I remembered that Wife died early on a Saturday morning and I still miss her. I spent some time reflecting on our joint life and how I never expected to be the one who lived longer. I was supposed to die first, or at least that is what I believed.
I also thought quite a bit about Ki. I was looking through my image archive, remembering. I found a small cache of Ki photographs and then stumbled on this entry from years ago. That entry was not so much about the Vivitar 90mm f/2.5 Series 1 macro lens as it was about The Ki Girl.
Then The Girl and I got out to walk. I figured the fair-weather-walkers would be all over Silver Saddle Ranch, so we drove up to Spooner Summit and hiked our favorite trail there. I thought that would be good because the snow could fly anytime and then that hike will be much harder. I talked to my ham buddy while walking and watching her and that raised my spirits considerably.
I have been putting too much pressure on myself to move my personal projects forward. I have a desire to move on from the duplex to something else. I think a first step will be to spend some time with Older Son and his wife, spend some time seeing my loved ones (which means travel), and working on what is next.
But I am also working near full time (for the moment) and just spend more than a month overseeing a construction project. The latter left me with little time for other projects, so they are behind. Plus it left me with little energy on the weekends so not much got done but for recovery and the chores that had to be done.
As a result, my blood pressure yesterday morning was high… much higher than normal (for me). This morning I told myself “You have to give yourself freedom to do things as you can. You are putting too much pressure on yourself and it’s not healthy. Figure out what is the next thing you can do that will improve your life… then do that.”
So, today I worked on research for a new Winder$ laptop — one that can do all of the modeling work I need to do, but portably. I also had a nice walk with The Girl, a chat with Younger Son (who helped me with the research), a nap with The Girl, and nice cup of tea (Chai Spice, Earl Grey, a bit of sweetener, and cream).
I have some supper cooking (a box meal, but still good to cook for myself) and will sit with The Girl, some supper, and a glass of wine shortly. I have a meal plan for the week and a grocery list for tomorrow. I also have a plan for what work to accomplish this week and how to go about doing it.
In other words, it was a Good Day.
The image was captured on walkies today. The weather is changing (the wave cloud says so, as did the southerly wind). The image required quite a bit of post processing. Supper will be ready soon and The Girl and I will spend time together.
One of my favorite places along the Carson River — Mexican Ditch Trail on the Silver Saddle Ranch. Shot with the Fujifilm X100V at f/8 with the Portra film simulation. #SOOC
For the last number of weeks, my daily walks have mostly been on the job site in El Dorado National Forest. By the end of the day, I was pretty much done and getting in a half-hour walk for The Girl was about all I had left in me. I sometimes carried a camera, but the creative juice just was not there.
Now that I am recovering from that slog, I have time and energy to play a little radio, work a little in my house, and do something with a camera. I am also walking an hour or so for both The Girl and I. We love those times together.
Today was a treat for a couple of reasons. First was the image above. An irrigation structure on the Mexican Ditch often returns flow to the Carson River at this location. The flow crosses the road and I love the sound and sight that it makes. With the colder temperatures of the last few nights, the cottonwoods are dropping their leaves as the color leaves them. The sight this morning made me pause for a couple of captures. I like this one.
On the way back to the rig, I was keeping an eye out for other walkers/dogs and heard a whistle behind me. For a moment I thought of the Mockingjay whistle from The Hunger Games movies. That caused me to pause and I looked behind us.
Sera came to attention. When Timber and Lisa started calling her I said “Go! See you peeps!”
She blasted off, of course and I heard Lisa call “Watch your knees!” as she blew in to greet them. Sera was all wiggles and soft looks as she interacted with some of her favorite people.
I walked back to greet them and retrieve The Girl and we walked back to my rig. We paused to visit for a few minutes. I so enjoy them and it was good to spend a few minutes catching up.
The capture was made with my Fujifilm X100V and its lovely 23mm f/2 lens. The capture was made at f/8 using the Portra-400 film simulation. I am running a light diffusion filter on the camera, which provides a more filmic look.
