I found this on walkies this morning, a yellow jacket working a rose. Shot with Sony A7Sii and a Fujinon 55mm f/3.5 macro at f/8. Post in PhotoLab to make some minor adjustments.
After working part of the morning, The Girl and I got out for walkies here in Carson City. I had stuff to do and a meeting at 1300h, so I did not want to drive up to Spooner for a hike. So, we walked in town.
The weather broke this weekend and it was about 50ºF outdoors. (And it was cool in the house as well.) I wore a cover and took just the Sony A7Sii fitted with a legacy Fujinon 55mm f/3.5 macro lens. It is a new to me lens, but Fujinon glass has always been good. So, I had high expectations.
The light was mediocre, but we did get a little sunlight mixed in with the overcast. The Girl really wanted to chase the plethora of ground squirrels near the rose hedge at the old flume. But I was afraid to let her go as there are sometimes other dogs and poorly mannered handlers.
When we got close to the hedge, I could tell it was clear (of dogs and poor handlers), so I let her sniff about for the dreaded bushytail.
I made a few images of the roses, mostly to test the lens until I saw a yellow jacket working one of the flowers.
“There it is!” I thought. I made a couple captures and the one above is the best.
The remainder of the walk was good and uneventful. My 1300h meeting was cancelled. I worked a bit until mid-afternoon, then The Girl and I took a nap.
She is doing much better. In fact, I think she is back to 100%. This is good. It makes me happy.
It was a good day. I am grateful. Life is good. Really, it is.
While walking my downtown route last weekend, I noticed a walker in front of the Capitol Building. Capture with Fuji X-T5 and Fujinon 35mm f/1.4 at f/8. Post in PhotoLab to Tri-X Film Simulation.
Although I have been around the Internet since my last remainders post, apparently I did not capture a lot of the sites and include them here. Hmmm…
Hugin is an open source panorama stitcher for landscape photographers.
Howard Merklinger is an author of a book on focusing in general and a second on focusing the view camera. They are quite technical, but very good.
The Brewery is another local restaurant that is pretty darned good. Shot with Sony A7Sii and a Carl Zeiss 50mm f/1.7 Planar at f/8. Post in PhotoLab with a Ilford FP4+ film simulation.
After a pretty full day yesterday, I ended up at Garibaldi’s Italian Restaurant front door, waiting for them to open. While I waited, I got out the Sony A7Sii, which was fitted with a Carl Zeiss 50mm f/1.7 Planar lens, and made a few images.
Of the group, I like this one quite a lot. I was facing into the Sun and the clarity of the shot is a testimony to the quality of the lens. There are a few small Sunstars visible.
The Girl is recovering nicely. After spending the morning in the Nevada Emergency Operations Center radio room, we came home, I got a bite to eat, and then we walked a few miles in town. It was warm, but not too hot.
A treat was our encounter with Timber and Lisa. The Girl recognized them and rushed over to engage. She loves her peeps! I had a nice, but short, visit and they were back off to work and we back on our walk.
I did what I said I would do. I even got a bit of work done given there was nothing to do in the radio room. It was a good day. I am grateful.
This place is a Carson City landmark. There are many images of it, particularly at night. Shot with the Fuji X-T5 and Fujinon 35mm f/1.4 at f/8 and rendered to a Tri-X 400 Film Simulation in-camera. SOOC.
It was a busy day and is not quite over yet. I am working on a hydrology report for a client that I need to get out. Then there is another hydrologic analysis that needs my attention. I am called to staff the radio room at the NV EOC tomorrow morning. The EOC was stood up this week in response to the Davis Fire south from Reno and north from Washoe Lake in Washoe County. That is just north of me about ten miles.
Next week and the week following are field work. So I am busy this month. Busy is good.
I checked Facebook this afternoon, briefly, to post a music video I came across from one of my blog posts. It was good when I posted it and is still good. So I decided to share.
After posting the link to YouTube with a smile and small chuckle, I noticed a PM waiting. I opened it and it was from my friend Sandy. Then I nearly hit the floor. My old friend Jim M. died Monday. I have no other knowledge than he is gone.
Just. Like. That.
I felt that heart-hit that comes with such news. I wept, openly. Jim and I knew each other since back in the 90s when I came across his weblog, long idle and soon to be long gone. His love of photography and words match my own and we became friends. I still remember Sunday Morning Coffee with Jim. We would type back and forth on AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) for an hour or so every Sunday morning.
He was there for me during my clinical depression. He was there for me when Wife died.
I do not carry much regret, but I carry this one — I was close enough to visit earlier this year. I did not take the time. Now, that time has passed.
Now his wife Sandy has a long row to hoe. Her griefwork will be different than mine, but yet it will be the same in that it has to be done.
I have a few more thoughts, probably. But they need to rattle around in this brain of mine before I can make sense of them.
Vaya con Dios, my friend. You are missed.
The image? Well, with The Girl sick I walked from the house and made a few circuits through downtown Carson City. Old Cactus Jack is still there, beckoning the tourists to come in and spend a dime, or a dollar. I saw the setup and made the capture.
The Girl sleeping on her mat on our sofa. She is healing. Shot with the Sony A7Sii and a Canon 55mm f/1.2 SSC FD at f/2, post processing to a Tri-X 400 Film Simulation.
The ongoing story of The Girl’s second encounter with Jacob-No-Shoulders continues. After a turn for the worse last weekend, which likely caused me the loss of several years of life expectancy, she is being treated with an antihistamine and steroid. The cause was a reaction to the antivenin administered to counter the effects of the rattlesnake bite she got ten-days ago now.
That was after a few days home from hospital from the initial treatment. She was improving until she was not. That prompted two more visits to the clinic to identify and treat the problem.
Yesterday was the third day after her retreatment for the symptoms that developed. From what I can determine, the serum sickness that resulted from her body’s reaction to the antivenin is not life threatening. However, the symptoms were dramatic and concerning (for me). I feared that I was losing my Girl and was unprepared for that.
Yesterday morning she seemed a little more interactive, giving me a bit more energetic wag when I greeted her after rising. I carried on with my morning routine, making my coffee, going through my morning ablutions, and giving her the prescribed medications and her food.
I left to take the 4Runner to the Toyota House for service around 1000h. She was sleeping on her mat under my worktable. I got the rig checked-in and then walked home, looking for an image on the way. After attending to some work, a call came from the dealership that my rig was ready to be picked up.
I gathered up my things to walk back and retrieve the rig. As I was about to step out the door, she walked into the living room and asked to along. She did not know where I was going, but she wanted to be part of the going.
So, I picked up her leash, affixed it to her collar, and out the door we went. Although not particularly energetic, she was more her normal self — sniffing at most every blade of grass, marking territory, and finally eliminating (which I policed up).
The Sun was a little warm on us, so she panted a bit. But it was only a mile to the shop and I had water in the rig if she needed it.
After clearing my bill, we found the rig and loaded up. After sitting in the Sun for however long, it was hot inside… the kind of hot that emanates from the rig’s body. It needed fuel anyway, so we headed to the Shell station to refuel and run it through the wash bay.
The wash really cooled off the rig and also The Girl (although the air conditioner helped). We headed back to the house and indoors so I could finish my day.
She was tired (of course) and retired to her mat. However, my heart was lifted because she is more herself now. She is not yet 100 percent, but she is on the mend. I am encouraged and grateful. I gave a little thanks to God for looking after us.
Life is good.
NB: Yes, it is 11 September. I remember. I will not forget. I will not forgive.
Cover art from David Gilmour’s latest offering, Luck and Strange. I recently added this to my music collection.
When I learned that David Gilmour was releasing a new studio album, Luck and Strange, I placed a pre-order with Amazon.
It arrived late last week. I set free:ac to ripping and encoding the music to Apple lossless and then imported the result into Music on my Mac.
So far, I think this is another excellent example of Gilmour’s music. I have four of his solo studio recordings and I like them all enough to listen to them now and again. I think I am missing only one of his solo efforts.
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 90º.
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.
