It was cool enough this morning that I could wear my sweatshirt and my vest. I like the vest because it has pockets, one of which can hold my sunglasses and another which is large enough to hold the E-PL7. This leaves my arms free.

Yesterday I tried to walk at a faster clip, and my pace was 17'49" per mile. That's with the E-PL10 hanging from a sling behind my back. It was 68°F with 93% humidity too, which I've learned has a significant effect on my pace.

Today, with the E-PL7 in my pocket, my pace was 16'18" per mile. And the temperature was 53°F and 84% humidity. Despite that, my sweatshirt was was damp when I got home.

Average heart rate yesterday was 118bpm, today it was 130bpm.

Anyway, I stopped to take a few pics. This was the only one I really liked, even though it's kind of a nothing shot. I'm much more conscious of the time, so I don't do much in the way of composition or checking the exposure. I may just stop carrying a camera when I'm making a significant effort to exert myself on my walk. Maybe make two walks a week "camera" walks or something.

This was at the clubhouse, which is slightly post-midpoint. It's convenient because I pause the workout on my watch and hit the head and I'm much more comfortable on the second half of the walk. (It's 3.2mi overall.)

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Originally posted at Nice Marmot 10:40 Thursday, 4 April 2024

This morning I wanted to try and focus on walking at a brisk pace. I often feel as though I'm walking briskly, making an effort, and yet some neighbor walking his dog will pass me. Part of it is my stumpy little legs, I'm sure. The other part is the sheer mass they're compelled to propel. But some of it has to be form, I think.

I nearly always carry a camera. Usually a mirrorless DSLR on a sling with a sizable, albeit lightweight, lens mounted. It rests at the small of my back when it's not in use as that leaves my arms free to swing as I walk. If I pick up the pace a bit, it'll begin bouncing around and that's unpleasant.

If I carry a rangefinder-style camera, it's usually on a wrist strap. That's usually effortless to carry, but I can sometimes feel the asymmetry in my shoulders as this ~1lb pendulum swings from my wrist.

This morning I thought I'd try something different. I put the E-PL10 (lightweight rangefinder-style mirrorless) on the sling. Less weight equals less bounce if I increase the pace?

Well, yes. But, it's a terrible way to carry the camera if I plan to use it. It's a much smaller body than the OM-1 or E-M1, and so the strap kind of interferes with the grip. It does ride well. But if I'm planning on walking at some vigorous pace, do I really want to be taking pictures?

Conflicted.

Anyway, I only took a handful and kept only two. Not sure either one qualifies as a "keeper," but this caught my eye this morning, so I'm sharing it.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 09:42 Wednesday, 3 April 2024

I asked ChatGPT what the heck these things are called:

Those yellow, bumpy pads at crosswalks are called "truncated domes" or "detectable warning surfaces." They are designed to assist visually impaired individuals by providing tactile feedback, indicating the boundary between the sidewalk and the street.

Shot it with the black E-PL7 the other morning. Didn't shoot anything this morning. Shot so many kite and cedar waxwing shots that I made too much work for myself. Just concentrated on walking briskly this morning.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 12:01 Tuesday, 2 April 2024

The only problem with having a nice camera that can take a lot of pictures is that you wind up creating a lot of work for yourself. On yesterday's walk, and Friday's too, the kites were playing above the preserve on the early part of my walk. In drive mode, I wound up taking hundreds of shots, which I had to go through and see if any were worth editing and sharing.

And I'm probably not the best judge of that.

But since these are still unusual for me, I still find them exciting. I suspect there are at least two nesting pairs nearby, because I've seen at least three wheeling around in the sky, seemingly chasing each other. It looks like they're playing, but I haven't looked into their behavior at all.

This one is illuminated from below because the sun was still very low on the horizon.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:35 Monday, 1 April 2024

Pretty easy to spot this egg. Happy Easter to those who celebrate.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 07:11 Sunday, 31 March 2024

Back when I was conceiving of what I might want to include in my midwatch entry, I stumbled upon this book. I made a "mental note" to go look for it later, and fortunately it was one that didn't evaporate.

It's not cheap, but the subject matter is likely of specialized interest. I've read two of the entries, and it's well written and researched. I'll do a more thorough review after I've read the entire book.

My father was something of a poet as a young man of 18 in the Pacific aboard an LCS, a "Mighty Midget," dodging kamikaze attacks and firing rockets ashore at Iwo Jima. Dad had dropped out of school in the 8th grade to go to work full time to support his widowed mother. That's what he told us; but now I'm wondering what the laws were regarding child labor back then? Anyway, at 17, he enlisted in the navy and the rest is history. These poems were written by commissioned officers, many of whom appear to be Naval Academy graduates. Dad got his GED in 1967, at the age of 40. He was very proud of it, attending "night school" classes to prepare for it.

Anyway, I'm more interested in history these days than the future. Looking forward to this.

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Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:54 Saturday, 30 March 2024

Mitzi saw this pic and had an idea. She wants to see if we can have a laundry sink installed in the laundry room. We'd remove one of the cabinets and buy a matching washer so we could stack the washer and dryer. She's not fond of using the kitchen sink to empty buckets or containers of water that was used to clean the floors.

Frankly, I don't know why we bought such a large washer and dryer in the first place, except we did it without thinking about it. It seems like our default setting is to "go big." I'm sure there will be times when we may wish we had the larger dryer. LG makes a 7-something cubic foot model, but I think yesterday showed it should be adequate for most of our regular needs.

I think the room can accommodate a sink, but it'd be a significant plumbing renovation. Obviously, water and a drain are present. The stack would go on the right. A lot of drywall would have to be removed to make the plumbing alterations, and I suspect water to the house would be off during that effort. Shouldn't take more than a day though. The drywall replacement would take another day probably. Her project though. I'm sure it'll be pricey and that may be the deciding factor.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:41 Saturday, 30 March 2024

This guy was one of the first things I saw on my walk yesterday after having the dryer delivered and the Midwatch entry sorted.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:18 Saturday, 30 March 2024

Because I had to.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:11 Saturday, 30 March 2024

At the end of my walk I spotted this "murmuration" (which I guess is most appropriately used with starlings) of cedar waxwings. It was very cool watching them wheel about as a flock. Not as huge as a flock of starlings, but beautiful nevertheless. This was one of a "spray and pray" effort as this was unexpected. Looking at the shots, I might have done better backing off on the zoom. But I thought this was cool, even if it's not a "great photograph."

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 10:43 Friday, 29 March 2024

Stuck my head out the door this morning, and it was there so I took the shot.

A shower, some laundry and then a few more chores are in store. Mitzi gets back tomorrow.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 10:32 Friday, 29 March 2024

Okay, I wasn't hallucinating. It was on the SSD. I guess I didn't think it was good enough to get added to the Photos library, which is a pretty low bar. But it's a pretty cool little place. It even came up last month at the Photography Club meeting, because they're doing a lot of construction down there and much of the "old Florida" charm is being renovated into "modern" sterility. Magic Beach is supposedly safe.

For now.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 13:07 Monday, 25 March 2024

Mitzi and I stayed in Vilano Beach last October for our anniversary, and I would have sworn I took pictures of this hotel. But I did take a picture of the TV screen last night and texted it to Mitzi in New York.

That hotel is in Vilano Beach, just down the road from here. We didn't stay at that place, we stayed at the newly-opened Hyatt Place. But we did notice it, and I thought I shot the neon rabbits, but nothing in Photos. Maybe they're on the SSD I use.

Anyway, surprised I hadn't seen anything in local media about Netflix filming locally. Kinda cool.

Finished the series yesterday. I liked it. Would like to see it continue.

I decided not to read the trilogy. I have other sf books lying around here I haven't read. I seem to be more interested in non-fiction history than imagined futures these days.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 12:54 Monday, 25 March 2024

Not expecting much, I carried the silver E-PL7 with the 45mm/f1.8 mounted just for something different. Rainbow was a pleasant surprise.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 09:01 Saturday, 23 March 2024

I shot this on July 5, 2017 with my E-PL7, which I liked to travel with back then. This is a downsized version of a downsized version, I'd have to go into my old library and look for the original. I just searched for E-PL7 "favorites" in my Photos library and this is one of them.

Some years ago, I decided to try and save space in my Photos library by only adding 3MP versions, then increased that to 5MP, now I just do full-res and deal with the heartache of finite disk space.

But I liked this shot. Shot it with the 14-150mm super-zoom. Kind of a big lens for that body, but I had a cheap, detachable grip/L-plate that I could use when the 14-150 was on it.

Anyway. Cool camera. Looking forward to getting a black one. It'll take better pictures! 😜

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 13:30 Thursday, 21 March 2024

This is an Olympus PEN E-PL7. I have a silver one, it looks like this. The camera was released in August 2014, almost a decade ago. My first PEN was a black mini, E-PM1 in November 2011; and it was my introduction to micro four-thirds. My next M43 camera was the E-M5 in October 2012, followed by an E-PM2 in May 2013 and the E-M1 in November 2013.

I ordered the silver E-PL7 on March 25, 2015. A refurb that came with a silver 14-42mm/f3.5-5.6 zoom, not the pancake electronic zoom. It was my third PEN camera, but the first that really embraced the retro-rangefinder vibe. (The E-PM2 was white. While it had a rangefinder body style that evoked the retro look, the color was definitely more contemporary than "retro.") I can't recall if I ordered the silver one because that was all that was available, or because it appealed to me in terms of its retro-aesthetic.

I still have that camera. It's among the ones I've shot with the most, with nearly 10K shutter activations. Still works fine and looks great. No dings, scratches or screen issues.

I recall getting the E-PL7. Mitzi was at her place, recovering from her ankle surgery and I was staying there helping her out. I remember being surprised at how heavy the camera was, for being so small. The E-PM2 was considered "entry level," and it felt very light. As a "mid-tier" product, I thought the E-PL7 looked and felt quite premium, and I recall being really pleased with how it felt in my hand.

I don't recall the first time I actually noticed the black E-PL7. I know it was years after I'd bought the silver one. I do recall thinking at the time that it was a very smart looking camera, better even than the silver one.

I've had or have several of Olympus' PEN cameras. Of the ones that were explicitly evoking that "retro" look, they were all silver and black. My E-P5, PEN-F, E-PL7, E-PL8 and OM System E-P7 were or are all silver and black. (I still have the 7, as mentioned, as well as the PEN F and the E-P7.) I should add that I think the E-PL5/6 design (I have a red, sooo red, E-PL6) was transitional between the modern look of the earlier digital PENS (other than the flagship models), and the explicitly retro style of the E-PL7 and E-PL8.

I also have an E-PL10 kuro, which hedges on the retro vibe, tending back toward contemporary. I almost sold it to KEH, but do I like the appearance. I think it leans much more modern in its design, embracing clean lines and flat surfaces more than the E-PL7. I think that's partly to accommodate the built-in flash, which the E-PL7 lacks.

(The E-PL8 started the move toward a flatter, more squared-off body. Some people like the look of the E-PL8, I feel like it's neither fish nor fowl. Can't decide what it wants to be. The brown one is nice though. It was easy to sell the E-PL8.)

But, for reasons that I can't pretend to understand, I'm presently searching for a black E-PL7. I think it's just about the best looking (digital) PEN Olympus ever made. The PEN-F is a nice-looking camera, and fully embraces its retro chic. But it's kind of big and chunky, and a little busy with the twin control dials and a separate exposure compensation dial. I mean, if you like buttons and controls, and many if not most photographers do, the PEN-F is fully equipped. But I'm accustomed to dealing with just the one control dial of the E-PL series.

The other thing I like about the E-PL7 over the E-PL10 is that the 7 retains the accessory port beneath the hot shoe. I can plug in an electronic viewfinder on sunny days. And the E-PL7's TruPic VII image processor retains nearly as many customization settings as its OM-D siblings. The E-PL10 has the TruPic 8 image processor, with a much simplified user interface and far fewer options for control customization or saved settings.

My silver E-PL7 remains a favorite of mine, but I'd really like to have an all black one. I think the proportions of the black paint to the black leatherette are more pleasing than on the E-PL10. The black is a real black on the E-PL7, while the E-PL10 is more of a dark gunmetal gray color. I think the dark lettering looks nice on the E-PL10, but the small white letters against the black paint of the E-PL7 are more appealing to me.

Anyway, this kind of thing seizes me and I'm a bit transfixed until it passes. The black ones seem to be in short supply on the auction site, but I've put a bid in on a "best offer" listing. They're also kind of pricey, I think, for a nearly 10-year-old camera. We'll see how it goes. If the offer is rejected, maybe the feeling will pass.

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Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:56 Thursday, 21 March 2024

Woke at 0400, figured I might as well get up. Probably last clear morning for several days. This should be old hat by now, but the moon remains irresistible to me.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 04:23 Thursday, 21 March 2024

Got up to get a glass of water, saw the moonlight through the kitchen window. Had the water and went back to bed. Kept thinking about the moon. So here I am.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 03:25 Wednesday, 20 March 2024

After this morning's "work," I went for my walk. It looked cloudy and I wasn't sure the light would be favorable, so I didn't bring the OM-1 with the 75-300. Instead, I just stuffed the OM-5 in my vest pocket and headed out.

A pair of swallow-tailed kites whistled overhead, I wouldn't have been fast enough to get them anyway. It was fun watching them fly though.

I mainly walk to get some exercise, but I carry a camera because I "see things" that "look like a photograph." And I usually want to get the walk done quickly, because there's usually something else I'd rather be doing than walking. (Other times I'd rather be walking when I'm doing something else. I'm a complicated and conflicted guy.) So there's always some tension on the photography piece.

I saw the blue heron and didn't think it amounted to much until I began to pass it and saw its silhouette against the light in the retention pond. Does it "look like a photograph?" I thought so, but I could be wrong. Other people are more talented than me. (I? Better writers too.)

I got back and made my breakfast, then went to the garden to water our new plants. They looked fine, not stressed at all. Then on to Publix to buy more eggs, mushrooms, spinach avocados, 78% cacao dark chocolate, deluxe mixed nuts (no 'lightly salted," alas), blueberries, and raspberries. On the way out I went down the ice cream aisle. BOGO on Ben & Jerry's!

Did I mention today is Mitzi's sister's birthday? The one who's staying with us?

Yeah, ice cream tonight.

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Originally posted at Nice Marmot 13:29 Saturday, 16 March 2024

Again?

I have quite a few of this kind of shot now, and it still amazes me that they can choke these fish down.

They're killers, though. Little doubt about that!

Not a great shot, I was hustling and it didn't seem too happy about me being there.

Excuses, excuses...

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 09:39 Friday, 15 March 2024

Watched the Starship liftoff and then headed over to the Garden Club. Dave the Plant Man was there and we got some plants and some tips. We put in five tomato plants, but I'm afraid they won't be bearing fruit before we leave for New York this summer.

In addition to the tomatoes, we put in some sugar snap peas, pole beans, some spinach-thing I can't spell or pronounce. The bush beans are still producing so we're leaving them in, as with those leafy broccoli plants. One has gone to seed and we're going to let the pods mature and dry and then hang onto the seeds and see if we can plant them.

Still very little idea what we're doing, but we got some tips about where to plant each type of plant in the bed. Spread some Black Cow soil amendment over the whole thing. We'll see how it goes.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 11:54 Thursday, 14 March 2024

Yesterday, after I'd shot the kite in flight and checked the image, I was excited to notice the anole in the bird's beak. I started hustling up to the corner to get around to a more open area over the preserve to maybe get some more shots.

A thought crossed my mind, unbidden, "Don't get greedy, be grateful." I slowed a bit and sure enough, when I got to the more open area, there were no birds to be seen. Would there have been if I'd hustled? I don't know. But I wasn't disappointed, I was looking forward to checking the images on the iMac when I got home.

And a couple of opportunities came up on the way home anyway, and I was happy for those too.

So this morning I didn't expect much, because yesterday was such a good day. Sure enough, no kites over the preserve. Nothing until I got to the clubhouse area where I'd seen a rabbit last week. I looked for a rabbit along the walkway but didn't see one where I expected to and decided that I wasn't going to get a bunny today either.

And there it was.

So, "let go" and "be open." Or just relax and enjoy the walk.

Brought the same combo this morning and I'm glad I did. Guessing there are two nesting pairs in the preserve nearby. Go to Flickr and watch the sequence (arrow-left) as it transfers the anole from its talon to its beak.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 10:32 Tuesday, 12 March 2024

The orange blur at the top of the frame is my big giant head, because I always forget how wide the fisheye is.

A lot of satellites, but you probably not big enough to see in this post. Larger version at Flickr.

Kind of a nothing shot (with the OM-5), except for the story it tells. I'm sure the guy must go to larger retention ponds where an air boat isn't as absurd. At least it's a small one, and very quiet.

But what he's doing there is spraying chemicals into the retention pond to control (prevent) the growth of algae and unwanted aquatic vegetation which thrive because of the fertilizer we spray onto our lawns.

It's a self-licking ice cream cone for the landscape and chemical fertilizer and herbicide industries.

<blockquote>But you tell me over and over and over again my friend Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction</blockquote>

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 10:29 Monday, 11 March 2024