I had The Girl out Sunday morning (as usual) for exercise. She is recovering and seems to be more like herself every day. I still give her a dose of Carprofen at night because she sometimes seems sore.
This stack of pallets caught my eye (hat tip to Wife) and so I paused to make an image. It being Sunday, there was no traffic at the business nor on the street in this industrial area.
Life is good.
I have been so busy with work and caring for Sera that I have not recorded any of my Internet wanderings. However, there are a few sites from this week that are worth taking a minute to share.
Just a couple of days ago I noticed the cherry tree at the corner of the block had blossomed. The Girl and I were out on a beautiful Spring morning. I had the Fujifilm X-T5 with the 60mm f/2.4 macro affixed to the camera, just in case. Although the blossoms were bobbing in the breeze, I still managed a couple of nice captures. I like this one the most.
The 60mm lens is something interesting. Although it is a macro lens, it is also good for general photography. It also has character.
Image SOOC using the in-camera Kodachrome 64 film simulation with no post processing.
Ex Post Facto: I started this remainders a couple-three weeks ago, then did not give it much attention, then did a rush of searches for a variety of reasons that finally gave me a few entries.
I then became extremely busy for a several days and wound up working the weekend. Therefore, I did not close out my remainders list properly. So, I have now updated it (Monday 23 March 2025).
A couple-three weeks ago The Girl and I were out at Mason Valley WMA for an outing and to play some radio. I am using my weekends to get away from the house when possible. I work from my home office so I spend a lot of time there. It is a mental-health necessity to get away from that environment periodically.
After activating the park, I walked Sera again. For the moment, she is on two walks per day of about ten minutes each but on lead for control.
After our walk, we loaded up and headed for the park exit. Along the way, I noticed some equipment where they (staff or contractor) were excavating another pond. I decided to stop and get out my camera for this trip, a Sony A7iii with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 adapted to the E-Mount. It was far too bright for the fast aperture, but the lens also works well stopped down and I find the f/4–f/8 range to be adequately sharp.
So I walked the area for a few minutes and made a few captures. The Sun felt good and the air was clean. It was a good day.
The Girl was waiting for me when I returned.
Life is good.
Goodness, I have been busy the last few weeks. I have project work plus the markets are giving me fits.
Saturday I just could not stand to stay in the house. So, I took Sera back down to Yerington to the Mason Valley WMA and activated the park. We had a nice walk and came across this pond that had quite a bit of activity. I made a few images with the Fuji X100vi and wished I had brought the Sony A7iii and the 400mm lens. There might have been a few more nice captures.
Still, I am satisfied with this one.
After the park, we drove over to the northeast side of Yerington to look at a property. It is a manufactured home on a five-acre lot. I am unsure about the condition of the home. The storage building looks fine and there is a small metal shed workshop that would be lovely, but awful hot in the summer.
It was good to take a look. I would like to have room for some wire antennas and be away from the noise of the mains behind my duplex. It looks like there could be some grass in a fenced front yard for The Girl.
I will have to think on it some more. I think the price is much too high for what it is.
Life is good.
Saturday morning I woke, made coffee, and sat down to collect my thoughts. It was a normal day. Well, it was until I decided there were a couple of tasks I needed to get done. So, I busied myself photographing the Fuji X100V and the X-E2 that were on my list to sell.
Once that task was done and the images reviewed, I wrote the descriptions and listed each camera on fleaBay. I realy do not like to use the service anymore because their fees are excessive. My cost to sell is on the order of 15 percent. But, it is the devil I know so I continue to use them.
That task done, I asked myself what was next. By that time, The Girl had wandered into my workroom, checked in with me, and moved to her daytime mat. I gave her a ruffle of the ears and a shoulder pat and turned back to my work.
“Nope, this is not going to do. We need to get outside.” So I fed her, took her out, and started to gather up a few things. We both needed some outside time and I decided to make a run to Washoe Lake for some air, some exercise, and some radio play.
The rig was basically loaded, so I grabbed a couple of water bottles, her gear, and we loaded up. I grabbed McD’s for lunch and we drove to the park, nibbling on fries as we drove. (Yes, she gets fries…)
At the park, I got her out and we got a short walk in. The wind was down and the Sun felt good. I let her sniff about while I got out my table, chair, and her mat. She stayed in the rig while I deployed the Chameleon MPAS 2.0 antenna with the mil-extension and the mil-whip. I used my hand-built counterpoise set — three wires about 16-feet long that I deploy symmetrically about the antenna. I’m confident I get a better ground plane from multiple wires and it takes only a couple of minutes to deploy them.
I then turned to setup the station and found that I had… wait for it… left the station battery behind. At that point, several thoughts passed through my mind, none of them printable. With the antenna deployed, I could not leave the site to retrieve the battery.
However, I had the Elecraft KX2 shack-in-a-box in the rig. So, I put away my exterior equipment (save the antenna), got the little radio out, connected it to the antenna, and turned it on. It powered right up, so I checked the 20m band but it was busy. So I moved to 15m and found an open frequency. I spotted myself on the POTA.app website and started calling.
I was puzzled that the little rig was putting out only seven watts. I checked the antenna match and power output settings and found nothing. Then, in the middle of a contact, the rig shut down. The battery was depleted.
It took only seconds to retrieve the spare from the rig’s kit. I plugged it in and powered the rig on. In my haste, I had changed frequencies, did not notice, and lost the contact I was working.
So, I paused, took a breath, changed back to my frequency, and found it occupied. “Poop!” I thought (well, kinda-sorta). Frustrated and harried, I searched for an unoccupied frequency, adjusted my log (HAMRS on my iPhone), and edited my spot. I restarted my call, CQ POTA DE AG7TX AR, and started working callers again.
We came up on the close of the day (1600h PST == 0000h UTC), so I took the last call and then cleared the frequency. I powered down the little radio, closed my log, and sat for a minute. What might have been a frustrating experience turned out fine. I had a spare radio that had a good battery. I made about 20 contacts (more than enough to make my activation), solved a couple of problems, and had a good day.
I recovered the station and the antenna and put them away. I got The Girl out of the rig and we took a ten-minute walk around the area we have been working. She sniffed, pulled on the lead to go faster, peed, and pooped — all the doggie things. Her gait is improving and maybe the muscle mass of her left hip is increasing. She limps less and all of that is good.
The day ended well with us heading back to the house for a good evening. I got the KX2 kit from the rig and put it on the charger. Both batteries needed to be charged.
I woke Sunday morning with the time change screwing with my natural rhythm. I made coffee (a substantial habit) and sat down at my desk. There are a few websites I check daily while I have coffee. As I worked through my second mug, I looked out the window and noticed the Sun shining. I checked the weather and we were in for another lovely day. So I checked the radio weather and it looks like propagation would be OK if not good.
I decided to go activate Mason Valley WMA. It is only a bit more than an hour away, is not heavily used (at least the area where I like to play radio), and I have not activated it in a long time (a couple of years). So, if propagation turned out to not be good, it was not a long trip to have spent.
I took The Girl out to eliminate and sniff. Then I fed her before I started preparations to go. (If I do not do things in the proper order, she will not eat.) I checked the KX2 and swapped batteries on the charger. This meant I was not taking the little rig with me. I grabbed a snack, The Girl’s gear, and we headed for the rig.
I started the rig and then realized I did not have a battery for the Yaesu FT-897D. Hmmm… I almost violated the First Rule of the Day… again. Well, for the second day in a row. I retrieved the Bioenno 30Ah battery from its charger in the camper and stowed it in the carry bag in the 4Runner.
Then we headed for McD’s for a breakfast sandwich and another coffee. Provisioned, we headed through town and then east on US 50 while I chatted with Older Son.
The trip was uneventful and I remembered the trail at the park to my preferred operating position. I got The Girl out for a short walk and enjoyed the air and the Sun. Then I put her on her mat and started setting up the station. Again, I used the Chameleon MPAS 2.0 and the Yaesu FT-897D. The radio would not power up. Hmmm…
I checked the connections, but no joy. I thought this odd because I had used the radio only a week ago. I returned to the rig and checked the 897 box. I had a spare power cable. I retried it, swapped it for the cable connected to the radio, and the radio powered up. Hmmm… I thought. That is odd. There was nothing physically apparent from a brief examination. I will need to check it.
With the station setup, I picked up my iPhone to spot myself on the POTA.app website.
“#!#$$#%%#$#!!!” no freakin’ signal. Plus, in my haste, and had not posted an activation on the website. So, I took a drink of water, paused, and decided how to solve the problem. I could a) just start calling and then send my park number as part of the first exchange with a request for a spot or b)drive a half-mile back towards the main road to pick up a cellular signal.
I elected Plan B. So, The Girl and I drove back toward the main road until I got a good signal. I then posted an upcoming activation, and we returned to the OP. I set the radio to an open frequency on the 17m band and started calling (CQ). I was greeted with a caller after a couple of calls and started working stations. At this point I knew that the Reverse Beacon Network would pick up my general calls (CQ POTA DE AG7TX) and then the POTA website robot would scrape by call sign from the RBN. This would keep me spotted so that callers could find me.
The Sun was a little too much, so I moved the rig to shelter the station (and me) a bit. The hatch does a pretty good job of providing shade.
I worked the bands for a couple of hours until the number of callers fell off. My farthest call of the day was an operator in Sweden whom I have worked a number of times. When the upper bands are working, I get calls from Europe and sometimes South America. That is fun.
Satisfied and ready to head back home, I recovered the antenna and station. With the equipment stowed, The Girl and I did another walk. We then loaded up and headed home.
I reflected on the weekend as we drove home. The Fujifilm X100V sold Sunday morning. I knew I would want to pack it and get it prepared to ship Monday. I thought about supper and decided I had not had enchiladas in a long time. There is a Mexican place in the CVS lot on US 50 on the east side of town, but it was closed. So, I started for San Marcus Grill. I called a buddy who has been trying to engage for a shared meal, but he was just taking supper from the oven.
So, I was solo. The Girl would be fine in the rig while I got a bite of supper. I parked in the lot, dropped the windows a bit, and opened the moonroof a bit. She would have plenty of ventilation.
I went inside, was finally seated, and the helper brought chips and salsa. I ordered a Margarita because I have not had one in a very long time. In fact, I have all but given up alcohol since the first of the year. It was not that I felt addicted; but I thought the habit was not my best self and decided to try an experiment wherein I reduced my alcohol intake substantially to see how I feel.
The result is that I have almost no reflux overnight and I think I sleep a little better. So I will maintain the regimen even if I allow myself an occasional Margarita or glass of wine with supper.
I ate most of my enchiladas, so I did not pay the Dog Tax. Forgiven, I drove us home, put the battery on the charger, and fed her. We then settled in for the night. It was a good day.
There were things learned, of course.
As usual, I learned a few things. I hope the lessons stick. It was a good weekend. The weather was good. The Girl is healing, albeit slowly. I played some radio. One of my excess cameras sold (the X100V is still in high demand).
Oh yeah, hat tip to Dickens for my use of his meme.
Life is good. I am grateful.
I had supper with my buddy Jimmy last night. He brought me a pretty to wear for a few days. I cannot recall the brand name, but it is called a Zodiac. I believe it is vintage, from the 1960s. It is a triple-date (Day, Date, Month) and has a moon phase complication that is cool.
I have not timed it yet, but my sense is that it is running within a few seconds per day, which is better than my Speedie! It is also small enough that it does not dwarf my 6.5-inch wrist.
I am completely enamored of my Omega Speedmaster chronograph. Plus, I really like tool watches. But I might actually wear a Zodiac.
Last Sunday I was a bit out of sorts, tired of sitting at the house, tired of doing the same old thing, and kind-of just generally out of sorts. So, I decided to get out and go somewhere.
I need to renew my Nevada Senior Park Access Pass (gets me in free), so elected to see if I could activate the Walker Lake SRA. It was a new park for me and I would like to my number of unique parks activated.
So, I grabbed the 30Ah battery from the camper, loaded a few things into the 4Runner, and we set off. I knew The Girl would want to go along. I also knew that we could get in a couple of short walks as well.
The drive down was uneventful until I approached the turn off to the park. The driver behind me apparently was displeased that I slowed to make my turn. So, he shouted at me rudely (honked the horn), expressing his displeasure with my driving skills.
We worked our way down to an unoccupied portion of the park, found a relatively level place, and stopped. I got The Girl out for a short walk (that is all she gets at the moment). Then I put her back into the rig, got out the radio and antenna, and got out my table and chair.
It was warm enough to sit outside in the Sun, with it playing peek-a-boo through the clouds. I put down a mat for Sera and she took advantage of it. It did not take long to set up the antenna and the Yaesu FT-897D. I also put out a solar panel and connected it to the battery.
I started on the 10-meter band, phone, and then worked my way down to 20m. The bands were not very good and there was a lot of noise on 20m. I made enough contacts to make the activation before the noise drove me off.
I put away the station and gathered up The Girl for another short walk. I carried the new Fujifilm X100vi along with me and made a few captures. I am pleased with the two shared in this entry and the Rexall Drug Store capture in the last Remainders entry.
Although unusual, I came away with no lessons learned this outing. It was a straightforward setup, operate, enjoy, and recover the station operation. That is good.
We headed home and I drove through Yerington, Nevada instead of taking the bypass. The bypass has been heavily regulated. I suppose there was too much traffic using a local/collector road so they took action to reduce the traffic load. The road is not in good condition, anyway.
I used the opportunity to drive downtown. The Lucky Gold Casino was open and the restaurant/diner was serving. So I bought a grilled chicken breast supper and enjoyed some coffee.
Of course I carried the dog tax to the rig for The Girl. She enjoyed her early supper quite a lot and then settled in for the remainder of the trip home.
It was uneventful. I am grateful. Life is good.
