Month: May 2025

Remainders 31 May 2025

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After the flower comes the fruit. Desert peaches, shot with Fuji X-T5 and the Fujinon 60mm f/2.4 at f/8, SOOC.

For now, a weekly schedule of remainders is too ambitious for me. I have enough required project work that my fun stuff has to take a lower priority for the season. Nonetheless, I will want to post items of interest that come up during my day once in a while.

  • The Ghost Phone is a real thing for individuals who want to reduce the amount of spying by Big Tech (and perhaps others).
  • This article on wisdom is worth a read.
  • I have an affinity for aphorisms. Hanlon’s Razor is one of my favorites.
  • The Classical Guitar Store is just what it sounds like. This is interesting.
  • Neil Armstrong’s Speedmaster sold for $2.2MM.
  • I have long thought I would like a Solo Stove for camping and for the house.
  • Omega Speedmaster watches are among my favorites. I really like both the 1957 Reissue and the Moonwatch.
  • This Aliner camper is kitted out to be a communications trailer.
  • A suitable object of lust.
  • I do not post about politics, as a rule. However, sometimes something makes me think about my beliefs and values. In general, I consider myself a Libertarian. However, I am more like a Classical Liberal. The term liberal has been subsumed by the far left to mean something other than what it really means. Such is the nature of language, I suppose, despite my disdain for perverting good words.
  • I sometimes (often?) forget how to subset a R-Project variable. This is a reminder of one way.
  • Another vital package for my R work is zoo. It provides functions for working with time series. A lot of hydrologic work is working with time series data.
  • I do a lot of analytical work in R. Part of what I like about the tool is that it produces very nice graphics, with some work. For an analysis I am working on, I needed a graph with dual y-axes (dual ordinates) for two variables that I think are related. Not knowing how to do this, I found some direction here.

Well, that will finish the month of May. I will start another Remainders list for June shortly.

Daily Doggo

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I love this soft face! I stepped out the back door and noticed her pawing the sand in the yard. I had a Nikon D750 in hand with a Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 affixed to it. I made a few grab shots and this one was the keeper. Post in PhotoLab 7 with light editing.

The Girl seems to be on a plateau in terms of her knee surgery recovery. I notice that she does not have the stamina that she did pre-injury and if we push too hard then she will be lame the remainder of the day.

So, we are adjusting our hikes again. I like to have some relief in my hikes to challenge my legs and CV system. But the climbs seem to leave her more sore afterwards. Although we hiked a little up at our favorite Spooner location yesterday, I kept it short. We often walk the river trail now and I try for about two miles. It gives her plenty of opportunity to sniff and mark and is good.

Life is good.

Blue Seatbelt Nylon NATO

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A capture of my Speedmaster Triple Date with a seatbelt nylon NATO affixed to it.

My Omega Speedmaster Triple Date is the first nice watche in my small collection. It came with a stainless steel bracelet that is sized to fit my wrist. However, like most humans, my wrist dimensions change over the course of a day such that a bracelet is either too loose or too tight.

And, I have little tolerance for a loose bracelet because of a bit of bone on my wrist that is more prominent than in a lot of people. A loose watch with any mass will bounce into it multiple times a day, which results in some discomfort.

As a result, I prefer my watch to be relatively immobile on my wrist. That means that bracelets are not my best choice for affixing a wristwatch to my wrist.

A leather, rubber, or cloth strap will work much better because they are readily adjustable as my wrist circumference changes during the day. They also have a little inherent give to them that means they will change length slightly with my changing wrist geometry.

I have learned a bit about NATO and Zulu nylon straps. They provide another way of adding some color that can complement my wristwatch.

And so I have my Speedy on a seatbelt nylon NATO in blue. This straps complements the blue dial of my Speedy nicely and I like the combination. Plus, the strap is very comfortable against my skin.

I also think that a blue strap with some gray or silver might also be a nice color combination for the Speedy. I will spend some time this weekend shopping.

Salt and Pepper

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While out for breakfast, I noticed the salt and pepper shakers on my table. Shot with Fuji X-T5 and Voigtlander 27mm f/2 at f/4 and processed in PhotoLab 7.

While out for breakfast a few days ago, I noticed the light on the salt and pepper shakers on my table. This resulted in a grab shot using the X-T5 and the Voigtlander 27mm f/2 lens. I selected an aperture that would give enough depth of field for the shakers but provide a little subject isolation.

For this capture, I used the RAW mode and then post-processed the result in PhotoLab 7. The adjustments were all minor and I used a PhotoLab preset for the black and white conversion.

The little Voigtlander pancake lens can do the job if I do mine.

Breakfast was good. The Girl and I had a nice hike after. She enjoyed the bulk of my bacon.

Life is good.

Signs

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The Girl and I have walked past this sign so many times. But, Sunday evening I noticed to late afternoon Sun illuminating them brightly. Shot with Fuji X-T5 and Voigtlander 27mm f/2 at f/8. No post.

The Sunday evening Sun really illuminated the street signs at the corner of my cul-de-sac. I noticed it a little earlier in the day. So, I determined to take The Girl for an evening walk and grab a capture if the lighting remained strong.

Well, it did, so I did. Along the walk, The Girl had a chance to exercise and to do a little training, sans collar. It was good for both of us.

The capture reminds me a bit of some of Alex Kilbee’s work. He likes angles quite a lot.

Zuiko 50mm f/1.2

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She clearly wants something, but I do not remember what it was. Captured with Sony A7iii and a Zuiko 50mm f/1.2 wide open. Light post processing with Snapseed in my iPhone to render the image in black and white.

An Olympus Zuiko 50mm f/1.2 lens came into my possession a while back. It is in regular rotation whenever I carry the Sony A7iii. While a little soft wide open, that f/1.2 look is highly desirable. The lens deserves some additional testing as well as the other f/1.2 lenses in my inventory. These include legacy lenses from Nikon, Konica, and Canon, as well as the Zuiko.

Life is good!

Voigtlander 27mm f/2 Ultron

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This is a daily image of an old deadfall shot with the Fuji X-T5 and the Voigtlander 27mm f/2 Ultron at about f/4. The conversion was done with DXO Photolab 7 with a Tri-X film simulation.

One of my favorite lenses is the Voigtlander 27mm f/2 Ultron. It is a manual focus lens manufactured by Cosina. It also has a chip and contacts to transmit EXIF data about the lens settings to the camera to be recorded in the EXIF image data portion of the digital image.

This lens came to mind a couple of days ago when I was watching a video from a favorite content creator, Chris Orange. He was effluvious about a new TTArtisan manual focus lens in the 27mm focal length that he was using on his X-T5 instead of buying a Fujifilm X100vi.

The X100vi is not a terribly expensive camera — not cheap, but not as expensive as some brands. I have had a few people dismiss my X100v (and now my X100vi) as just an expensive point and shoot. But, it is not that simple. It is a capable camera using the same sensor and IBIS as the X-T5 and offering complete controls if that is what one wants. The fit and finish are top shelf and reminiscent of an older fixed lens rangefinder. The Fujinon 23mm f/2 is very good. It is a good focal length for the camera.

The X100vi (and the X100v before it) is my go-to camera if I do not want to think about what lenses to carry, do not want a large(er) or heavy bag, and do not want to fiddle with which lens to mount. And so, when I want to simply have a camera that is far more capable than a phone camera, this is the one I pick up to carry. It goes into a small Domke bag that was a collaboration between Domke and Fujifilm. There is room for extra batteries and extra SD cards. There is also room for a water bottle.

But, I digress. I have not tested (and probably will not) the TTArtisan 27mm f/2. I have the focal length covered with the Fujinon 27mm f/2.8 and the Voigtlander 27mm f/2. I bought the former before I picked up a used copy of the latter. Although I have not done serious testing of either, the Voigtlander tends to get the nod when I want a simple carry (or that focal length) for my X-T5.

I carried it last Friday on walkies. I need to grab frame and include it. The frame below was captured with the Fuji X-T5 and Voigtlander 27mm f/2 (at f/8) with post processing in PhotoLab 7. The lens is plenty sharp and I like the rendering. I should carry the Fujinon 27mm f/2.8 along with the Voigtlander and make a few captures of the same setting. I might decide to sell the Fujinon.

Life is good!

A shot of Mt. McLelland using the Fujifilm X-T5 and the Voigtlander 27mm f/2 at f/8. Post processing in PhotoLab 7 to render as Ektachrome 100 VS.

Tri-X Film Simulation

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Granite found along the trail, Toiyabe National Forest. Shot with Fuji X-T5 and Fujinon 35mm f/1.4 at f/4. In camera conversion to Tri-X 400 film simulation.

I made this capture a year and change ago. We were hiking, probably up near Spooner summit. I came across this bit of granite and decided that the play of light and shadow was interesting. So, I made the capture.

I know that I was playing with some of the film simulations one can readily program into Fuji cameras. I think that the color capture was not what I was looking for.

So, a black and white film simulation it is.

It was a good day. Today is a good day. Life is good.

US-11125 Blue Slip Tower Site

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The road to the tower site. Shot with iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Last year we activated a number of parks while staying with my Springfield, MO, contingent of kids. The Girl and I drove out to activate the Blue Slip Tower Site, US-11225, during our stay. This is one of the newly added state conservation areas. These are small plots acquired by the state and used by citizens for a variety of outdoor activities.

They are always fun to activate. There is usually an opportunity to get in at least a short hike as well.

Salt Fork State Park

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After setting up the camper and deploying the Chameleon MPAS 2.0 antenna, I paused to make this image. Shot with my iPhone 13 Pro Max.

More than a year ago I was on the road from Springfield, Missouri to York, Pennsylvania to see Daughter and Grandsons. As I recall, it was still winter. So, of course, I ran into a spate of winter weather on the way. I had a reservation at Salt Fork River SP for the night, but the worsening weather and short winter days resulting in my arriving near dark.

It took me a couple of passes through the camping area to find my spot, then a couple of attempts to get the camper backing into my assigned space and set up for the night. I did not unhook and did not deploy the stabilizers because I would be leaving first thing in the morning. The light rocking of the camper when I move about does not bother me anyway.

I got The Girl out for a short time (the snow was heavy enough that she eliminated and then asked to go back inside). That task completed, I quickly deployed the Chameleon MPAS 2.0 for a little radio play (to activate the park) before I called it a night.

I don’t recall the mode of operation for that activation, but I know I was experimenting with FT8 for POTA (Parks on the Air) activations at the time. I do recall making some supper, feeding The Girl (of course), and playing a little radio before crashing for the night.

When I woke the next morning, early, I was treated to some lovely sunshine on the snow. The Girl and I had a short walk, fed, and then we recovered all of the equipment, buttoned up the camper, and we were off on the last leg of our journey to see my family.

I need to make this trip again, soon. Work will keep me busy until the fall. But then, God Willing, I will make the trip east to see my loved ones and friends.

Life is good.

While it was beautiful, I did not relish thinking about dragging the camper on snowy roads. Shot with my iPhone 13 Pro Max.