My journal and a vintage Esterbrook J Series in the demi size. Shot with the Sony A7Sii and a lovely Canon 55mm f/1.2 S.S.C. vintage lens, SOOC.
I write with a fountain pen most every day. In fact, I think I write with a fountain pen every day.
This year I returned to using an analog (paper) bullet journal from using a digital notebook (SuperNote). Each has its advantages and disadvantages, but in the end I enjoy the analog experience much more than the digital. So, despite the convenience of an unending supply of pages, I returned to my paper bullet journal.
I have been thinking about downsizing my possessions. Over the last year, this is a topic that was recurrent in my thoughts. (This was written as I laugh out loud looking at the additions to my camera, lens, and radio collections!) But, in the end, I want to reduce the load to include only those things I use often enough to justify a place in my life.
There are clearly cameras, lenses, radios, books, and so forth that fall on the used often enough list. There are also clearly such things that are not on said list.
As we move into the fall, I expect my workload to reduce somewhat. The field work will definitely fall off and work will turn to the desktop. But I also think I will have time to use the light tent I bought to photograph and offer for sale items from my shelves that do not pass the used enough muster.
A good (as in simple) place for me to start is with my collections of fountain pens and vintage glass. There are a good number of vintage pens in my collection that I am not going to use to any significant degree. Similarly, there are a number of lenses.
I think I should make it a fun project to try these things on paper and camera and use that exercise to filter out the unwanted. I certainly have enough items from each class that fall onto the used often enough list.
It is time to let them go.
A problem is figuring out how/where to sell the books. I used Half.com for years to sell books. But, eBay decided to kill the service. I remain unconvinced that eBay is the better platform to sell books.
My buddy loaned me a lovely Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 SSC lens to play with. The capture above was made with this lens affixed to my Sony A7Sii camera. The aperture was wide open (f/1.2) or thereabouts. The depth of field is razor thin. I should get out my Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 and shoot some comparison shots. I think the Canon might be a smidge better wide open.
I no longer have a Canon film body. I considered finding a nice Canon F1, which was a suitable object of lust when I was a young photographer. But then I might go off down the vintage Canon glass rabbit hole.
I think that, however, might be a topic for another entry in my weblog.
The Girl is doing better. I am grateful. Life is good.
Sera was not feeling well a couple of days ago after being snakebit. Shot with Sony A7Sii and Canon 55mm f/1.2 at f/2.
While recovering my friends’ Jeep on Bald Mountain, The Girl was doing her usual puttering around the area. She managed to find, and engage, a small rattlesnake. She was bitten twice on the muzzle, both bites hitting chin and upper lip.
One of our party told me that she heard “buzzing” in the distance about the time Sera came to me, shaking her head and pawing at her face.
“Let me see” I told her. She patiently allowed me to check her face. At first, the marks seemed too far apart to be a snakebite. But, as I processed what happened, I realized that the snake’s bite must not have been horizontal when it struck her, but turned about 90ยบ.
I headed in the direction of the buzzing, although I could not hear it.
“Be careful!” my friend called out. The other member of our party caught and restrained Sera as I searched for the snake. When I headed that way to investigate, Sera wanted to accompany me (or course).
When I got closer, I could hear the snake. I found it under some brush and it looked like a small (juvenile) Great Basin Rattlesnake.
It was a bit more than a year ago that The Girl had her first encounter with a rattlesnake. I did not think her life was in danger, but I also knew this was serious. I needed to get her out of there and in medical care.
After a bit of wrangling, with me not wanting to leave my friends stranded on the trail, I elected to leave them to finish reloading the Jeep and I headed down the mountain with The Girl. I paused when I noticed my iPhone indicated it had a decent signal and looked for a vet clinic in Yerington. But after a couple of minutes decided I could spend time sitting and searching or just call the clinic in Gardnerville and move that way. So, I called, gave my report, and the clerk told me she would advise the team I was on my way.
She laid her head down on her mat and the swelling spread out to the sides. I could not help myself — I laughed. Shot with Sony A7Sii and Canon 55mm f/1.2 at f/2.8.
It was difficult to keep my speed down on the rough trail down the mountain. But, I knew it would take a lot longer if I broke a tire and did my best. Once off the trail and back on high-speed dirt roads, I moved. After all those years living on the county roads of Phelps County, Missouri, I know how to drive fast on gravel.
When we hit Wellington, the clinic called and I advised them I was about an hour out. She asked me again where I was, “I’m just passing the post office in Wellington,” I replied. “I will call when I’m five-minutes out.”
The highway was pretty clear and what traffic the was moved reasonably quickly. I noticed some swelling that started near the bite site was moving along Sera’s jaw line toward her throat. This gave me some concern that she might suffer from a restricted airway, but there was nothing in my kit to treat this kind of need.
We pressed on.
I called when we were about five-minutes out and advised my ETA. “Do you need assistance bringing her in?” I was asked.
“She is awake and responsive, so only maybe.”
In a few minutes I pulled into the emergency parking spot and an attendant brought out a gurney, but Sera was ambulatory so she just picked Sera up, chest hugged her, and carried her in. I followed with the gurney.
Then the situation was out of my hands and in the care of the medical team. I handled the check-in and chatted with the clerks.
They put me in a room and the vet came in to talk to me about the treatment plan. Then a technician came in to give me an estimate of the cost and take my deposit. Yes, the clinic now requires a deposit before they will treat.
Then there was nothing for me to do, so I headed home. I dropped off the broken tire at my friends’ place and went home, concerned about The Girl.
My friends called a bit later to see if I still wanted supper. “Yes!” So we had supper together and discussed the weekend. Our experience is a fact-of-life if one is going to spend time outdoors on the trail. There will be broken bits of equipment. There can be/will be medical emergencies.
I was called Monday morning by the clinic and Sera’s blood work was normal and she was ready to be retrieved. So, I finished my walk downtown (in Carson), returned home, cleaned up, and headed down to Gardnerville to pick her up.
When I got there, she was her normal self — ready to be out of the clinic and to go home with me. Her neck was really swollen and she looked like a toad about to croak. But I was glad to have her back.
Tuesday morning I offered her a walk and we headed out from the house to walk a little in town. After a quarter-mile, I could tell she was tiring. So, we reversed and returned home. She got back on her mat on the sofa and went to sleep.
I had a field walk scheduled for Wednesday and we headed out towards Truckee, California to the site about 0800h. She nibble a bite of my breakfast sandwich and looked excited to be out and about. I kept an eye on her and she seemed normal. But, I called her in regularly because I did not want her to overdo the exercise.
Thursday we walked one of our regular trails up near Spooner Summit and then returned home. I noticed a couple patches of mottled or spider-webbed skin on her chest. But she seemed alright otherwise.
Friday morning, late, she was not feeling well. So I called the clinic and they scrambled to get us an appointment, but got us a slot at 1920h. I was very concerned about The Girl because she was just not doing well. The swelling was down, but there was something else going on. Her blood work checked out OK and the vet looked at her skin. They sent me home with an antibiotic and direction to watch her. It was a late night and we did not get home until 2200h.
Saturday morning I could not get her to eat much, take her medicine, or drink much. I immediately called the vet and they got me an appointment for 1430h. Sera did not seem well at all and I was afraid that she was seriously ill.
When we arrived, they put us in an examination room and after a few minutes the vet came in (same one we had seen Friday). She checked Sera’s vitals and then took her for a blood test, which was normal. She returned a few minutes later with the news that Sera was most likely reacting to the antivenin with inflammation. She checked for anaphylactic shock, but there were no indications thereof.
So, the treatment plan was hydration (subcutaneous), antihistamine, and a steroid. They treated Sera and released her to me with direction for administering the medication.
By the time we got home (about a half-hour), Sera was feeling much better. The antihistamine/steroid was already working to relieve her system. She went to her water bowl and drank well. She nibbled at some chicken and kibbles. Then she got another drink and went to her favorite place — her mat under my worktable.
As I write this, I believe that Sera has turned the corner. She is on the mend, I think. But, I also think that she cannot afford another rattlesnake encounter. I am making plans for her to do an aversion training and located a trainer. I will be very careful with her where there can be rattlesnakes until the cold comes and they hibernate. Our walks will need to be in areas where she is highly unlikely to encounter a snake or on-lead.
I hope I am right about her recovery. She is still young, only about five-years old. I will know in a few more days if this treatment will work. In the meantime, I will continue to care for her, love her, and enjoy her company.
There was not much besides caring for her and work the last few days. There was not much of anything else, including photography or radio play.
Yet, I remain grateful. As hard as this was for me, emotionally, I am grateful for God’s gifts. These include The Girl, who is the love of my life. Life is good.
She is recovering nicely and mostly herself again. The swelling is all but gone. Shot with Sony A7Sii and Canon 55mm f/1.2 at f/2.
A tilted stump in the Toiyabe National Forest. Shot with Fuji X-T5 and the Fujinon 35mm f/1.4 at f/4. In camera conversion to Kodachrome 64 film simulation.
The Girl and I are walking up at the Spooner Summit site again. The heat returned this week, so we seek altitude to find cooler temperatures during our hikes. In addition, I just love the forest this time of year. The bear brush is beginning to show signs of fall (yellow leaves). Very soon the days will cool and snow will come.
This old stump is a remnant from a fire that occurred in the area some years ago. The floor mast has mostly recovered and signs of the fire on the ground are limited to a few burned remnants of trees and the plethora of stumps where dead trees were felled as a matter of safety. I presume the wood was recovered and used for gainful purpose.
I have been carrying the Fujifilm X-T5 body with the Fujinon 35mm f/1.4 lens quite a lot. It is a standard lens for the APS-C sensor of the X-T5 and I think renders one of the better images from the Fuji glass.
I used one of the Fujifilm film stock recipes from Ritchie Roesch’s Fuji X Weekly website, the Kodachrome 64 simulation. I loved K64 back when it was available. The warmer colors suit my vision well. It is a pity that Kodak stopped manufacturing the stock. I would shoot it now.
Sera on overwatch. Shot with Fuji X-T5 and Fujinon 35mm f/1.4 at f/8. Kodachrome 64 film simulation in-camera.
Yesterday was a good hike, once I got up the hill. I was huffing and puffing on that first steep climb out. But the rest of the hike was good even if I was a bit pressed for time.
I paused, briefly, along the way to make a few captures. I like this one of The Girl. She was not completely on-alert, having just surveyed the area for chipmunks. But, she had taken the high ground and was holding it.
I got out the Nikkor 105mm f/2 D for a few test shots with the Nikon D750. This one is at f/2 with the Defocus set to f/2 R.
In conjunction with yesterday’s post, here is the shot from the Nikkor 105mm f/2 D Defocus lens shot wide open. The background blur and bokeh are lovely, as expected. This is a big lens and wants to be carried on a big camera. It is probably not a lens I would walk around with. However, the 85mm f/1.8 is such a lens. It is on the chunky side of glass, but not unforgivably so.
However, for staged captures, the Nikkor 105mm f/2 would be an excellent choice.
I have the Nikkor 135mm f/2 D Defocus in my inventory. I need to get it out and spend a little time with it as well. These are some of the best Nikkors in existence and a reason why Nikon is one of the best manufacturers of cameras and lenses.
This is a test shot with the new-to-me Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 shot wide open on the Nikon D750.
A couple of weeks ago a new-to-me Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 AI’d lens arrived. It is one of the lenses that established Nikon as a major camera manufacturer and is still revered by photographers. The later f/2 version was changed optically and does not have the same quality as the earlier f/1.8, although the AIS capability offers some advantage with more recent camera bodies. (Note: I posted an image from the Nikkor 85mm f/2 here.)
I generally prefer the AIS version of Nikkor glass because most of my cameras use the feature to improve exposure during the making of the image. However, I will always choose optical quality1 if there is a better version of the lens.
I made the test shot of Lucas at my desk this morning. I had the D750 close at hand, after making a couple of test shots with a Nikkor 105mm f/2 D (Defocus) lens. (I will share this in another entry, later.) The shot was captured wide open (f/1.8). Sharpness is very good, I like the image quality, and the background is nicely out of focus with a lovely bokeh-ball from the living room lamp.
This lens will be fun to take to the field. It will also work on my Nikon film cameras just fine.
The week begins. I have work to do. I am grateful. Life is good.
1While this is generally true, I certainly have a lot of vintage glass in my collection that exhibit character over sharpness. Therefore, the definition of image quality is somewhat subjective.
Although posted before, I am reposting this capture in a slightly larger form. We were at Asilomar State Park for a meeting in 2011. I left the room to get coffee from the lodge. I turned and looked back and saw her in the window. I had a camera, of course, so I turned and made the capture.
In 2020, I wrote Seven Years. It was a reflection on life with and without Wife and Ki. At the time, Wife had been gone for seven-years and Ki was dying.
Even now, as I write these words, a tear comes to my eye — a remembrance of my life with Wife for all those years and for the nine years that Ki lived with us, and then with me.
Now Wife has been gone for more than a decade. Few days go without some kind of remembrance of her, certainly no weeks do. The pain of that loss is mostly abated, although the longing that goes with loss never ends. Each time I remember her, I wish things had turned out differently even if my rational mind begs to differ.
Each time I pour a glass, I raise it to the east where her home was and her final resting place is. It is a toast and a salute to the years we spent together. And a chance to whisper a prayer of thanks and gratitude for that happy accident that brought us together.
And I remember Ki, gone now almost five years. She was the first dog so integrated into my life that we were inseparable. With Ki’s departure, Sera now lives that role. We are seldom apart and only when necessary.
Life goes on, with its ebb and flow of easier times and harder times. But it does go on. And, even with that ebb and flow of ease, it is still good. And, I remain grateful.
I remember clearly that day at Asilomar when I made the capture. I remember exactly how I turned and saw Wife framed in the window, watching me head for the lodge for a coffee. And I remember the quality of the light falling on her as I raised my camera to make the capture. I am grateful that I noticed and took the time to capture the moment.
I do not recall where I found this sign. But, I made the capture with the Fujifilm X100V at about f/8. Light post-processing with Photolab7.
I do not recall where I made this image. I found it in my archive from earlier this year. The light and color struck me as I worked through my images (as I am sure it did when I made the capture).
From the gazebo overlooking Washoe Valley, I shot this frame with the Fuji X-T1 and the Voigtlander 27mm f/2 at f/8 raw. I post-processed the image with Photolab 7 to look like Kodachrome 64.
When The Girl and I paused at the gazebo that overlooks Washoe Valley from the south yesterday, I made a few captures with the (now ancient) Fujifilm X-T1 and the Voigtlander 27mm f/2 manual focus lens (in X-Mount).
I really like this vantage point and should probably get up really early and hike it so I can catch some morning Sun just striking the valley floor. That would probably make it worth dragging the Pentax 645Nii and shooting some film.
While I stood there just taking in the scene, I thought how interesting it might be to bring a large format film camera to this location and make some captures on black and white film. With the proper filtration, the sky could be darkened to make the contrast pop. That would be best if there were a few clouds.
A couple of color frames might be interesting as well.
The Girl ignored my thoughts, of course, and focused on cooling down and her water bowl.
When I put away her bowl and stowed my camera, she jumped up, ready to continue the lizard hunt. We headed back down the hill, both satisfied and a little warm.
The Girl leading me down Deadman’s Creek Trail out at Washoe Lake State Park. Shot with Fujifilm X-T1, Voigtlander 27mm f/2 at f/8, and post-processed to a Tmax 400 film simulation using Nik Silver Efex Pro 6 and DXO Photolab 7.
After my physician’s appointment this morning, I decided to take The Girl out to Deadman’s Creek trail for our daily outing. It was not too hot (could have been on the south facing side of the climb) and I was surprised at the amount of vegetation growing along the creek and the coolness caused by said vegetation’s respiration. It was very cool, literally and figuratively.
The climbout tested me a bit and I was very watchful of the girl as there can be rattlesnakes there. It seems that previous traffic motivated the snakes to stay away from the trail, so The Girl had some fun chasing lizards and rodents while we hiked.
We paused at the gazebo overlook for a water break and for me to make a few captures of Washoe Lake and Slide Mountain. I finished the test roll in the Fujifilm Klasse and made a few more captures with the Fujifilm X-T1 and a lovely little Voigtlander 27mm f/2 lens. That X-T1 has been carried a lot and the body shows it. But the shutter does not have a high count because I shoot all of my cameras like I do film — deliberately.
I saw another hiker with two dogs depart the staging area, so decided to be watchful on our return trip. But, they took the cutoff (which is marked “Do not cut the trail“) and there was no canine encounter. I think that is just as well as they seemed pretty active and Sera would have loved to engage.
Maybe it would have been alright. I just never know until the dogs meet. Don’t start none; won’t be none.
As we reentered the cool of the vegetation along the creek (still water in it too, which she enjoyed), I noticed her waggle as she advanced down the trail. I made the capture.
When I arrived back home, got some stuff done, and then reviewed the images, the caption came to mind. We do wander quite a lot, The Girl and I. We are rarely lost, though. We simply like to wander.
