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.
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.
I made this capture of Sera hunting last summer. There was something moving about in the weeds/irrigation ditch that caught her attention. I do not recall what it was, but it was probably some California Quail, which frequent the area.
I am going through my image archive (my weblog image library) and am posting some images made, uploaded, but never posted.
This capture is of the memorial to Squirrel, a little dog lost in an attack by two larger dogs at the Station 51 Park where I used to take Ki, a lot. It was first constructed years ago, long before Sera came to live with me. It is still there, although I do not know who maintains it. But it does get some love now and again as others, sensitive to the loss, contribute a bit of something or pull weeds.
I did not record what camera I used to make the image.
After a full day of work, yesterday, The Girl and I finally headed out for a hike at Silver Saddle Ranch about 1715h. This is late for us, but the Sun was really warm yesterday and I did not want The Girl to overheat. I noticed some heavy clouds to the south and paused at the rig to check the weather before we left. Light rain was forecast for the next hour.
“I guess we’ll get wet,” I said to The Girl.
Sure enough, as we drove to the upper staging area, the sprinkles started. I made her contain her excitement while I retrieved a packable puffy I keep in the back of the rig. It was not particularly cold, but I knew the light jacket would shed most of the rain.
Prepared, I got her out, grabbed my camera, and we headed out. We had the place to ourselves. No one else wanted to hike in the rain.
The Girl chuffed and sniffed (on lead, of course) as we walked south. I did not really expect any critters, but I simply do not trust her to stay out of trouble.
The rain came a little harder for a bit. She paused to shake now and again, but did not ask to return to the rig. Neither of us minded a little rain to close out the week. The jacket kept me mostly dry.
The Fuji X100vi is waterproof with a filter affixed to the lens. I have had a filter affixed to the lens since I got the camera. I often use a light diffusion filter at night or indoors, but use a UV filter during daylight hours. A diffusion filter can really drop contrast if the sun shines on the glass.
As we neared the end of the hike, the shower passed off to the north and a bit of Sun peeked through the clouds. That lit up the vegetation wonderfully. So, I took advantage of the serendipity (the moment, not The Girl) and paused for a few images. I think some of them are decent.
We then hiked the couple-hundred feet back to the rig and mounted up. I decided to go by DQ for a bite of supper (cheeseburger, fries, and small Blizzard), all of which were shared with The Girl. She was a little grabby with the fries, so I had to correct her.
We then headed back toward the house, with a stop at Costco to refuel the rig. It was a good day. I am grateful.
Life is good.
It was a very cloudy morning here in Carson City, Nevada. But, The Girl and I had to get out for morning walkies and I had a short break between morning meetings. So, we walked one of our local circuits so she (and me) could get a little exercise.
Along the path I came across this flowering tree. With the overcast, the colors really pop. The Velvia film simulation just increases the pop.
So, I paused and made the capture.
We then finished our walk and I made my next meeting. There is another new project for me to work on this year.
I am grateful. Life is so very good.
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.
Older Son and DiL had a day off while I was there early this year. We took the day to drive down to Johnsonville, Arkansas (I think) to go to the Duluth Trading Post store and to go the kids’ favorite bookstore there.
On our way to Arkansas, I noticed this state park. I cannot remember the name. It was cold but not frigid. The Girl wanted out. Although there was a leash-law posting, there was nobody around the park. So, we carried a leash, but we let her run off-lead.
I also cannot remember what camera I carried. At first I thought it was the little Contax TVS. But as I write I am not so sure. It might have been the Nikon F2 and now I think it was.
It was cold. The head was closed. But, it was still a good day. And, the capture will do.
Life is good!
On Monday I carried the Sony A7Sii with an old Fujinon 55mm f/3.5 Macro affixed to the camera. It was a test run with a lens my buddy Jimmy loaned me. I made a few captures on walkies and shared one of a yellow jacket and rose a couple of days ago.
On our circuit through Carson City to the Station 51 park and back, we came across a shrub (“Bring me a shrubbery!”) covered in orange berries. I doubt they are edible or the birds would have carried them off. But, the color made for an interesting capture with a macro lens.
The Girl sniffed around a bit as I worked the subject. It was a quiet day on the Nevada DOT grounds. The overcast made the orange really pop.
The subject worked, The Girl and I made our way home to get on with our day — she a long drink from her bowl and a nap… me with a dry shirt and a push on some paying work.
It was a good day. Time spent with The Girl is time well spent. Life is good.
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.