Spotted this family in the yard this morning. Just had the iPhone at hand. Neighbor says she sees them often. They were in a field across the road, though the fawn was still over here, apparently. We saw one of the does come from the field and then a fawn running up to her from the yard. Then a few more appeared, all standing in the road.

Then a car came and they all turned and ran. It took them longer than I expected, but they were well clear before the car went by.

In other news, my struggle with technology continues. Yesterday I posted the Milky Way shot with no difficulty using Tinderbox 10.0.1 and Sequoia 15.1. I tried posting this photo earlier, and it didn't seem to appear. Tried again, and watched closely. The script seemed to be running in Photos, went back to Tinderbox and didn't see the post.

Then I noticed it was at the bottom of the outline. Checked the September 2024 container, even though I didn't really need to because new posts had been sorting in reverse chronological order since I'd updated to 10.0.1. I toggled the "Reverse" checkbox on and off and all the posts sorted correctly.

I connected an antenna to the Samsung TV yesterday evening to see if we could receive any local stations. We brought two antennas with us since we don't use them at home. It was more difficult that it needed to be to attached the coaxial cable. The fetish for "thin" places the connector close to the back panel of the TV, parallel with it, so the cable isn't perpendicular to the TV if it's mounted to a wall. This makes it hard to get a grip on the connector, and it was a struggle to get it connected.

After all that, we got 7 digital channels from one non-affiliate station. Great if you like reruns of MASH, The Rifleman, old movies, reality courtroom and other crap.

I figured I'd try the other antenna and see if it fared any better.

Now, how do I rescan for channels?

Damned if I know. When I connected the first antenna, the TV prompted me to scan for channels. When I removed the first antenna and installed the second, it just used the channels it had already programmed into memory.

I tried looking in "settings" or whatever approximates that in this dog's breakfast of a Samsung smart TV UI. I couldn't find a way to rescan anywhere. Tried YouTube. Supposed to look for a "Broadcast" setting. Can't find one. Is there Help built into this thing? Nope. Of course it doesn't come with a manual.

I guess they want everyone to run streaming apps on their platform to gather user data. Make it hard to use an antenna. I refused to create a Samsung account. It's just a dumb monitor, as much as that is possible, for the AppleTV and a DVD player.

This civilization is done. This is why old people are cranky.

✍️ Reply by email

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:57 Tuesday, 10 September 2024

Clear sky last night and I was able to get this despite not knowing a damn thing about what I'm doing. I need to watch some more videos.

One thing I recall about New York but seldom experienced until now, is the low humidity. My skin dries out so fast up here. I don't know if it's because I'm adapted to Florida and it hasn't acclimated itself to the dryer air, or if everyone goes around feeling this way. Chapstick and lotion. It's amazing how slick your hands become when they're that dry. No "stiction" when you're handling small, plastic parts.

Making progress on getting the place set up. Seller's sister and brother-in-law came by with their kids yesterday evening. They're our nextdoor neighbors to the north. She brought brownies and we had a nice chat and got acquainted with each other. They're very nice and made us feel welcome.

Toilet runs, so I opened the tank. Oy! Should've done that at the inspection. Well water is very hard, and scale builds. I'll need to replace the guts soon, but for now a flapper valve should solve the issue. I'll turn the water off before we leave. It's not so much about the "waste," as the periodically running water builds scale on the parts. I don't know if having the water off will cause problems with the gasket between the tank and the bowl, but it seems like it shouldn't. Maybe ChatGPT will know.

Electrician's coming by today to look at wiring for an induction range. I'm going to ask him to put a motion sensor switch in the utility closet. I always forget to turn off the light, and it'd be nice for it to come on automatically.

✍️ Reply by email

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 07:09 Monday, 9 September 2024

Got a bunch of stuff yesterday, including the SD-card adapter. This was shot Friday night after the movers had gone.

Yesterday, it rained or was cloudy until about noon, when it cleared up nicely. Our trip to Home Depot never materialized, we stopped after Target. Shopping is exhausting. We got a new TV for the living room, the seller left a 32" one mounted on the wall in the bedroom. The one in the living room is for the Apple TV HomeKit hub, a DVD player and a large collection of DVDs that mostly sit in a cabinet back in Florida.

We keep discovering little things we're missing, like a colander and mixing bowls, but it's livable as is.

I slept better last night, but not perfectly. I was wide awake at 0200, so I eventually figured I'd step outside and see if I could photograph the stars. I hadn't configured the camera before I went to bed, and trying to do it in the dark was an exercise in frustration. But I could see a lot of stars, and the Milky Way.

I also heard coyotes howling, and that's a spooky sound. When I came back in, I wasn't sleepy so I did some googling about coyotes. Here's a New York Department of Environmental Conservation page on coyotes.

Okay, have some weirdness with Tinderbox and creating links under Sequoia. Multiple crashes. Crash reports sent. Clicking the Create Link button in the dialog creates the link, (I then saved the file, or I wouldn't have had this one.) but it doesn't dismiss the dialog. It seemed to work in this file, under this version of Sequoia previously. I'm going to post this and reboot the computer.

Life goes on.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 08:56 Sunday, 8 September 2024

Not going to get to Home Depot going this way.

Caitie came by yesterday for dinner and a movie. We watched the movie first, because she had to leave early. Mitzi tried a new recipe for egg plant parmesan and I liked it! Normally I find egg plant wet and squishy and unappetizing.

When we said goodbye, there was this relatively spectacular cloudscape going on. Long hugs and so on, I wasn't able to get the drone prepped for launch until the show was nearly over. The remnants are posted above.

I thought I'd be more clever and had the bird ready for launch this morning, but it was a nothing event. I experimented with video and learned that there's a lot more I have to figure out.

I sent the mini 2 up to New York, one less thing to schlep when we go up there. But now I think I want to play around with video a bit, and it'll be nice to have it up there. I'll bring some cameras along with me this week to leave up there as well. Lenses are a different question, but I have a few I can leave up there and it's easier to carry lenses alone than body and lenses.

Called to get internet set up in New York and learned they require at least two weeks notice; so we're going to look at Verizon 5G home internet on a month-to-month basis until we can get fiber turned on. 500mbps symmetrical for $60/mo, all-inclusive. Pretty good deal, I think. Just wish I'd thought to call earlier. We need, well, we'd prefer to have internet access now so I can set up HomeKit and have some idea what's going on in the place while we're away. Plus I'll have the Ambient weather station set up, and I want to see what the weather's like. I could use NWS data, but I think it's cool to have my own.

✍️ Reply by email

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 07:50 Tuesday, 3 September 2024

When I ran the script to post yesterday's photo, I thought something had failed. The post wasn't appearing in Tinderbox.

I keep the current month's archive open in its own tab, so all I see are this month's posts. I hadn't realized we'd turned the calendar and it was September already.

A couple of clicks in the tab bar, and there were two of yesterday's photo posts. Deleted one and carried on. It's nice to see all that automation happening seamlessly and without complaint.

I stepped outside this morning to check on my efforts at weed control on the back patio. (They're failing.) Spotted this guy and decided I needed to try and get a photo before a bird ate it. I thought it was dead at the time.

I grabbed the OM-1 and put the 60mm/f2.8 macro lens on it. I've tried using in-camera focus stacking with the TG-6 before, but I've never been satisfied with the results. It's not the camera's fault, it's the operator's. I've seen great images from the TG-6. But I figured I'd try with the OM-1 this time and see how it does.

I picked some settings out of the ether for number of shots and focus interval and let fly. Some more results are up on Flickr. It's not great macro photography, but it's just such a creepy, cool-ass bug that I had to share.

It wasn't dead, either. Flew off when I tried to get a profile shot from the other side. Kind of startled me.

Walked with the sticks this morning, after a lethargic weekend. 16'43" pace, 492 calories, 135 bpm average HR. Now I'm tired.

To upload images to Flickr, I export them from Photos to a folder on the desktop that the Flickr Uploader app watches. It automatically uploads them and 24 hours later, Hazel comes along and moves the images to the trash. Automations' grand.

Anyway, upload was pretty pokey this morning, but it won't be like that for much longer. We have IQ Fiber coming to the house when we get back from New York, and it'll be "Bye-bye, xfinity!" We'll lose access to local broadcast television, but there are some streaming services that offer it, which would still be saving us money compared to the cable company. I hate Comcast. It's not even a case of "love to hate," I just hate them, hate hating them, and wish I never had to think about them.

Kinda like how I feel about Trump.

Anyway, moving on.

Since all of my Makita tools are sitting up in Elmira, waiting for us to get to Burdett, I had to buy some replacements for here at home. This week is a sales tax holiday for tools, courtesy of the Florida legislature. I don't know what it might score on the equity scale, I tend to think it favors the upper-middle class more than low-income folks, because we can afford the more expensive purchases that yield the largest savings. But savings are savings.

So I went to Home Depot yesterday and splurged. The rules are that you can't spend more than $300 on any tool, or in any single purchase of power tools. I get a 10% veteran's discount with Home Depot and Florida sales tax is around 7% here. Using my NFCU cashback Visa (2% on any purchase at the moment), I could save 19% on a purchase. Pretty good deal.

It meant three trips to the parking lot and back to the store, but I got the drill/driver combo set with the 4 amp-hour batteries, which listed at $294. (A lot of my batteries are in New York too, naturally.) Then back to the store for the circular saw, finally another trip for the jigsaw. By the third trip in, the self-checkout manager was giving me a bit of the stink-eye, but the other people helping thought I was pretty clever. Of course, I did too.

When I got home, I wanted to see if they'd honor the sales tax holiday on the web site. It turns out, they will. Bought another Dremel cordless screwdriver. I got one for New York and I was pretty impressed with it. Like anything, there are people reporting they quit working after a month, but maybe I'll get lucky.

I saved a bunch of money, but I spent a lot too. So you can probably file this under "going broke saving money" too.

Hope you enjoy your Labor Day holiday. Thanks for dropping by.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 10:02 Monday, 2 September 2024

Has a CBS Sunday Morning kind of vibe.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 08:15 Sunday, 1 September 2024

Haven't posted a pic in a while, and hadn't flown in a while either. Went out to collect the paper (Support local journalism!) and the sky looked interesting with the clouds. Figured I'd put the mini 3 up and see what I could see.

Unspectacular, but pretty. The swamp is much wetter now. Nice to see, mosquitos notwithstanding.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 07:38 Saturday, 31 August 2024

I think I'll put up an album at Flickr after I finish posting this.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:59 Thursday, 29 August 2024

I'm sore. No walk this morning. Yesterday was mostly spent getting the stuff going to New York into the trailer. We hired a couple of guys for the big stuff and they were great. They do this all the time, and they were able to get everything packed in "high and tight," since we pay for the amount of space we're using by the foot.

I don't know that everything will survive, but I'm too tired to care. I think it'll be okay, the guys really seemed to know what they were doing.

I stuck an AirTag in my toolbox, even though the company gives you a link to track the trailer. "Trust but verify?"

Of course, this morning Mitzi noticed on the "fine print" that they only deliver on paved roads. I told her that I didn't think that was a problem, the roads are all paved to the house, though the driveway is gravel. It's also pretty long and starts between a lot of vegetation on either side. Hopefully the driver will be able to back into the driveway! Too late to worry about it now.

The Apple //c arrived yesterday. It's in better shape than I anticipated. Some plastic yellowing, but not as much as it seemed in the photos. The right arrow key does not work, as described. I put some DeOxit into the switch, but it didn't seem to fix it. I've ordered a couple of replacements, but I'll play with it again today and see if letting it sit overnight made any difference with the DeOxit.

I opened it up and it was very clean inside, no crumps, dead bugs, etc. And judging by the amount of torque it took to remove the screws, I don't think it's ever been opened before. I could check, but I think the seller was an estate sale vendor, albeit one who knows their way around checking the condition of old computers! I can easily believe this was someone's //c that sat unused in a box for 30 years or more. For the most part, I've been remarkably lucky with Apple II hardware I've purchased on ebay. I only had one really bad IIgs, where the battery had leaked and did a great deal of damage.

I was excited to plug it in and play with it, but discovered my composite video cable is only four feet long! (It's the one currently plugged into the TV, that connects to the HPIL video interface.) I was able to connect it to the computer and check out the video and run the self-test (all good), but there was no way to comfortably situate myself to actually play with it.

And, as these things go, I used to have dozens of those simple RCA cables of varying lengths. Could I find one last night? Do you have to ask?

I had to get a new filter for the BlueAir purifier, so I ordered one and added a 10 foot RCA cable to the order. It'll get here tomorrow.

The Floppy Emu arrived the other day and I put all that together. I've got a ROM modification coming that allows to you upload various ROM files and selecting one to boot into, along with a utility that allows you turn an application into a ROM file, no disk required. Looking forward to playing with that. The USB-C power connector/adapter is here and I'll test that today and see how long I can run the //c from a power bank, no outlet required!

Got up late this morning, but early enough to get a picture of the waning gibbous moon. I don't know about any of my readers, but it never gets old for me. Hope it's so for you too.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 08:45 Friday, 23 August 2024

It was cool enough this morning (76°F) to have the dew point below the temperature in the house. Very close (74.6°F), but below 75°F. And since I apparently didn't make a "maximum effort" with the sticks this morning, I had the energy and presence of mind to grab the camera and shoot the moon.

We watched First Man the other day, and it was outstanding. I'd never seen it before, though it's been out for a long time now. Among all the chaos of modernity, "the agony and the ecstasy," Apollo 11 remains, to me anyway, a transcendent achievement.

I heard an Eastern Screech-Owl this morning. To my recollection, it's the first time I've ever heard one. It was very close by, and it was very unnerving. I wasn't sure it was a screech-owl, but it was the only thing I could think of that it might be. So I searched for those and listened to the calls. Apparently it's the sound they make defending a nest. Hopefully everything is all right.

Did the sticks, after two days of decent efforts without them. Not as good as last Friday. 16'51" pace, vs. 16'19" on Friday. Average HR was 135bpm vs. 142bpm. No time in Zone 5. I felt like I was pushing, but maybe not. I was also thinking a lot, and the sticks seem to require some focus or concentration.

Still, a better workout than without them.

Anyway, good seeing in this humid air. Jupiter and Mars are going their separate ways. Only saw one other person and two cars. Only one mosquito bite too.

I'll take it.

✍️ Reply by email

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:12 Wednesday, 21 August 2024

Got a late start this morning. Shot this with my iPhone, because I thought it looked cool and "the best camera is the one you have with you."

The house is a bit of a mess as we gather stuff to take to New York. The moving truck (It's a trailer, actually.) is supposed to be dropped off tomorrow and picked up Friday. I'm planning to pack a few cameras and lenses and my DJI mini 2 drone. I'm also packing a few radios. One modern one and a few vintage shortwave radios, and a GE Superadio.

I've got two old iPod Hifi speakers, so one of those will be going up, along with an AirPort Express 2 for AirPlay. I bought an Apple TV 4K from the veterans' store, there were no refurbs in stock. I considered getting a pair of white HomePods (black wasn't in stock as refurbs), but they're still pricey even as refurbs from the veterans' store. Next summer when we're up there for a few months or more may be a better time for that.

I bought three Rigid toolboxes from Home Depot, again with the veteran's discount. They stack together and have a wheeled dolly to move them around. I packed most of my cordless tools, along with the usual assortment of hand tools, nearly all of which are duplicates already. I had a couple of Craftsman dog-bone socket wrenches. I don't know how good they are, but they'll do for now, since I didn't have two socket sets.

I think it's likely that I'll actually get more use from the power tools up there, where I have an unfinished garage (though the interior is finished in unpainted OSB) where I can play around with making a workbench and such.

There's a sales tax holiday in Florida for tools the first week in September, so I'll at least replace the drill and driver, which are the two tools I use most often.

Anyway, by the time we're done up there next month, we should be able to just fall in on the place without packing a lot of stuff. And Mitzi's daughter and son-in-law in DC will be able to go up and use the place and be comfortable, if they want to.

In other news, I saw this piece in the Post this morning, and now I've pre-ordered a Swytch e-bike kit for my 2021 Priority Classic Plus. To kind of ensure compatibility, they invite you to take a photo of your bike and upload it for review. The response indicated that it was compatible, and they have had successful conversions with the Priority Classic Plus (2021).

There are two reasons why I don't like riding my bike, wind and heat. Since Florida is flat, I figure the modest pedal-assist from the 250W hub motor will make it much more pleasant to ride into the wind, or when it's stupid hot out. Evaporative cooling is much more effective with a relative wind and you're not exerting yourself so much.

I didn't opt for the throttle switch, but I've just put a deposit down. They'll notify me when I have to pay the balance, sometime in October, and I'll be able to make any changes at that point. I did opt for the little display, which allows you to vary the amount of assistance, and the middle-capacity battery for some decent range, in case I get ambitious. Not super-inexpensive, but less expensive than a new e-bike.

✍️ Reply by email

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 14:25 Tuesday, 20 August 2024

This morning's history lesson from Heather Cox Richardson.

Left to right: Laura Cornelius Kellogg, Harriet Tubman, Martha Coffin Wright and Sojourner Truth, in Seneca Falls, NY.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:46 Monday, 19 August 2024

Coming back from some errands this afternoon, we saw the St Johns County Fire and Rescue ambulance leaving our street. Mitzi wondered who it came for. It prompted this bit of inspiration...

"Therefore, send not to know for whom the bus rolls. It rolls for thee."

G'night moon.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 21:48 Sunday, 18 August 2024

Skipped the walk this morning and took the kayak down to the river. Coming off high tide, so we had plenty of water. The Tolomato is pretty much a tidal river, current depends on the tide. Temperature and humidity were much improved over yesterday.

Beautiful morning. I took the little Olympus Tough TG-6 with me, because I didn't know how much water would get in the kayak. Turns out it's not a lot, but I'll probably still have to do something to keep a bigger camera dry.

We paddled north a little bit, and into some grasses. Didn't want to go too far into them, because I was afraid they'd turn into a maze and we'd have trouble finding our way back out. Boat handled pretty well. I don't have a lot of experience to compare it with, but it felt no different than any other kayak I'd been in. Mitzi liked it.

We decided to head back after about 20 minutes paddling around. We weren't necessarily planning on getting out, but we wanted to be nearer to where we put in. We were pretty close to the shore and the grass, and I'd just pointed out some foam on the bank near the launch point when I heard a loud splash to my right and turned in time to see a large hump of water heading for the kayak.

It moved incredibly fast and went right under the kayak and lifted us as it did so. My first thought was a gator, but it didn't turn around. It surprised the hell out of us, and we decided that was just about enough excitement for our first time.

After we'd landed, we met an older gent named Tom who was unfolding an Oru kayak, getting ready to get on the water. I described what had happened and he said we'd startled a manatee, which made a lot of sense. The sound I heard was the slap of the tail. I didn't know they could move that fast, and Tom assured me they could.

Learned a little bit about inflating the boat. I think I'll get one of those gardener's knee pads and throw that in the bag. Bending at the waste to use the electric pump was hard on my back. The electric pump won't put out enough pressure to get the two cells of the hull to the proper inflation, so I finished using the foot pump.

I realized I'd read the little transparent ruler inflation gauge incorrectly when I test inflated it in the garage; and rather than over-inflating it, I'd under-inflated it. Today it was correctly inflated, and it's pretty rigid.

The seats are very comfortable, though I think I may have put the forward seat too far back. My legs were pretty tight. If I go by myself, it'll be fine.

We'll keep an eye on the tide next week and try it again. Weekends are too busy on the river, too much traffic going too fast. So far, I think it's a winner. I'm thinking about buying another one and leaving it up in New York so we can go out on a lake. We'll see.

✍️ Reply by email

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 08:52 Friday, 16 August 2024

<img src=“https://nice-marmot.net/Archives/2024/Images/IMG_9370.JPG" alt=“Photo of a lamppost with a street sign reading “GEORGE BAILEY LN” taken in Seneca Falls, NY”> ✍️ Reply by email

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 15:48 Saturday, 10 August 2024

The one redeeming view we get from our bougie upscale suburban monotonous landscape is when the setting sun illuminates the trees in the preserve behind the house. It's arresting, but it seldom makes for a good photo. After trying anyway, I stuck my head out the front door to see if there were any clouds that might be interesting. No. But the light on the wall got my attention.

Cropped from 4:3 to 3:2, otherwise SOOC from the little Pentax MX1 (to be confused with the M1X).

It's a bit weird, we've been kind of struggling a bit to find a comfortable interior temperature. I usually find 77°F the sweet spot for me, but Mitzi finds it too warm. Since we've been back from New York, there have been times when it's too warm for me, too. So we've been kind of hovering around 75°-76°, which was just about at the dew point yesterday. Got some slight fogging on the lens when I went out back, cleared by the time I got around front. Seldom, almost never a problem when the house is at 77°.

When I came in from getting the mail yesterday, the house felt absolutely frigid at 76°. Go figure.

The pod idea for moving stuff to the other house, which we haven't figured out what, exactly, to call yet, is making even more sense. We have two folding extension ladders from combining two households. Seldom use even one, so we'll pack one of them up to go north.

There's going to be a lot of additional expense in getting the place set up for (occasional) occupancy, but it will get some of the extraneous stuff that we otherwise can't bring ourselves to part with out of the house. I find myself eating off of new flatware because our old flatware has been packaged up to go north and Mitzi's using a used bargain set she got off some online marketplace.

The inflatable kayak did arrive on Friday. I set it up in the garage Friday evening. The only negative experience was placing the little keepers over each of the valve connections. They recommend you warm them up with a hair dryer or soak them in hot water for 15 seconds to make them more elastic. I didn't have a hair dryer or a bowl of warm water in the garage, so I pressed on without doing so. My thumbs ached so much Friday night, I ended up taking some Tylenol in the middle of the night. Still sore this morning.

But, I inflated the thing and let it sit overnight and it seemed to hold air just fine. Tropical storm, likely to become hurricane, Debby is going to make the weather crap for the next few days, so a "maiden voyage," isn't on the immediate horizon.

We also put together the cabinet I mentioned last Friday. Went pretty smoothly with one exception, as seems almost inevitable with these sorts of endeavors. The bottom panel had two pre-drilled holes that either went at the front of the cabinet, or at the back. Fifty-fifty chance of getting that right, eh?

One hundred per cent chance if I'd read ahead in the assembly instructions! But no, I was in a hurry, so I got to take the thing apart again to turn it around. "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast."

That's going in the laundry room on Monday as a laundry sink. I hope these guys know what they're doing, because it looks a bit awkward in there. The drain hose from the new washer just barely reaches the drain pipe, so it would seem to make more sense to put the sink on the side without the water fittings, but there's a dryer vent that may preclude that.

As it stands now, if the sink goes where originally planned, we're going to be looking at some sloppy hoses, which I guess we should have foreseen anyway. We'll see how it goes. Mitzi is excited about having a sink, so maybe it doesn't matter how it looks, even though she ended up going with the more expensive cabinet and sink.

The problems of the privileged.

✍️ Reply by email

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 07:24 Sunday, 4 August 2024

I think I spelled that right.

Walked this morning with the sticks. Unremarkable performance. Maybe I'm tired.

Best part was a thin sliver of a red crescent moon rising above the trees. I'd have taken a photo if I'd felt more motivated.

So this nondescript bit of nothing, which I shot while getting gas in Maryland on July 21, will fill in. It's as "meh" as I feel.

A good day yesterday for a lot of folks. I think Joe Biden showed why it still matters to have statesmen in the White House. But nobody likes to read about politics, so that's enough about that I guess.

Mitzi's been going through the house packing up stuff to take to the place up in New York, even though we haven't closed yet. She's thinking about using a pod, though I think they're too large. Can certainly carry more than the car, and may be cheaper than boxing stuff up and shipping it. Maybe I'll add some books and radios.

She's getting pretty excited, though we still have some travel coming up.

One thing that was nice about New York was that you could be outside in the afternoon. It might be hot in the sun, but it was pleasant in the shade. Here, forget it. You go out to get the mail and back in. It's just miserable. Some people tolerate it better than others I guess. We have a couple of neighbors who are smokers, who apparently don't like to smoke in the house. They're outside in their screened porch a lot.

It's just as well it's hot and we're staying indoors. If it was nice, we'd be outside and, depending on which way the breeze was blowing, smelling their cigarettes. It's weird, I used to be accustomed to the smell of cigarettes many years ago. I didn't smoke, but a lot of the people around me did. Now, you don't encounter it as much and it feels intrusive and offensive.

I don't think the inflatable kayak will be here today or tomorrow. I didn't get a shipping notice until Wednesday. We'll see. It's not urgent by any means.

✍️ Reply by email

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:42 Friday, 2 August 2024

Jack laments the comments of Kirk Tuck regarding the state of photography today. Maybe "state" is the wrong word. Maybe the word I'm looking for is "value," since "gold standard," refers to monetary value.

I used to read Kirk, back when I had some anxiety about shooting micro four thirds. Kirk would make me feel better, shooting with a little E-PL1, or maybe it was a 2, getting great shots. But he'd often go off on tangents criticizing the apparel of people out and about with cameras. Guy has a real hard-on for people wearing shorts with cargo pockets.

Kirk's a great photographer, but he's a bit of snob and I got tired of those little asides that would just seem to pop in unexpectedly from time to time. Haven't read him in years. The post Jack links to is a good example.

500 word intro consisting of nothing but bitching with "inside baseball" references and obscure cultural allusions.

Not entertaining.

Exhausting.

And the thing is just saturated with old guy angst stank. (Turns up here all the time.)

Should there be a "standard" for "value" in art, especially personal art? I don't think so. But if so, don't standards change over time?

I still love photography, but I'm less passionate about it. Though that's probably the wrong word too, since "passion" is usually connoted with a willingness or requirement to suffer. I'm kind of with the Buddhists on the whole suffering thing, seeking liberation.

But then, I'm not a photographer, I'm just a guy who likes taking pictures. Maybe some people like them. I hope so, but I enjoyed taking them, and that was kind of the point. Isn't it the same with film and prints? For those who enjoy that particular medium. The journey is the reward?

I wouldn't worry too much about what Kirk has to say about anything.

This too shall pass.

As shall we.

(Was that angst?)

✍️ Reply by email

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:59 Thursday, 1 August 2024

I tried getting some shots from the Auto Train a week ago. It's hard because you have essentially no time to think about composition. (Plus you get reflections from the window.) I thought this one was interesting.

Did the sticks again this morning, with a form that perhaps was closer to "Nordic walking." Wasn't a stellar effort in terms of pace, but it was 493 calories. I might have done better in terms of pace and calories, not using the sticks and pumping my arms. But it did elevate my heart rate more than not using the sticks, and I can feel the effort in my triceps.

Found an old headband I used to use running when I had long hair. Kept the sweat out of my eyes, which was a relief.

I was gifted a book by a gent named Simon who's corresponded with me before. He's from the UK and he linked to a couple of YouTube videos that make the point that "technology is not the problem," with regard to social media. And the context there is that it's human nature that is the root cause of the problematic experiences we have on social media.

And I think that's correct.

The book is How to Disagree. It may only be an audio book. I'll give it a listen.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:56 Tuesday, 30 July 2024

God bless Joe Biden.

Hit the pavement at 0520 this morning. Yesterday and today, I've kind of imagined I was walking with trekking poles, like "Nordic walking," just to see what that felt like.

My morning walks have evolved a bit as I've tried to get more caloric and cardiovascular benefits. I started out with the camera, which was great for getting early morning shots of birds and sunrises, but kind of limited the amount of speed or exertion I could achieve.

So I ditched the camera, which allowed me to pick up the pace. I let my arms swing at my side, but kept them kind of naturally straight. When it was cool out, I could get a good pace going and more caloric "burn," and a little heart rate elevation. But as it got warmer and more humid, that pace declined a bit. It was most evident on the walk by the location I found myself at when my watch announced "Exercise ring closed."

At my best pace, I would find myself past the clubhouse entrance, while a more typical pace would find me behind the clubhouse somewhere, and a slow pace might find me completing the exercise ring just after making the turn onto the path behind the clubhouse.

Well, "imaginary" Nordic walking had me raising my hands and bending my elbows, where my arm swing resembles more of a "pumping" action than a "swinging" one. While I haven't replicated my best pace on cool days, yesterday and today had me coming around the corner of the clubhouse, approaching the entrance when the exercise ring closed.

My pace suffered a bit this morning, because I paused to take this shot with my phone, but it was still faster than yesterday's. It was 77°F this morning, and 94% humidity. My shirt was drenched when I finished, and it felt like I'd probably have been better off wearing running shorts. I normally wear a ball cap, but I took it off and stuck it in my belt behind my back because it was pretty damn warm and I wanted my head to cool.

Tomorrow I'll try it with the poles. I go early so I encounter fewer people (and flies). If this feels good, I'll try and add a backpack with a little bit of weight. (If nothing else, it'll empty my pockets, which I occasionally strike with my hands.)

While I was fairly pleased with how we did hiking the gorges in New York this summer, I think I can do better and I want to be able to do it for as long as I can. I recall walking up the stairs at my condo not much more than a decade ago, when I was still running half-marathons, and I was carrying a 40 pound bag of dog food. I had lost about that much weight running, and it made me realize how much extra effort it takes to carry that much weight around. Granted, it's distributed differently, but it's a lot. Knowing we're going to be going back to the hills around the Finger Lakes more regularly and for longer periods of time is something to look forward to, and an added incentive to get fit.

We'll see how it goes.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 08:24 Thursday, 25 July 2024

We're all checked in. Boarding isn't until 3:30, but figured I'd kill some time here in the marmot.

I'm kind of impressed by the number of people here, and we got here right when they started admitting cars. It's a Monday, not near a federal holiday, mid-summer and still a lot of people, and their cars, take this expensive trip down to Florida.

Not a lot of kids and families. Probably skewed toward the older age demographic, as one might expect.

As an aside, my Quartiles streak continues, I think it's up to 72 days making Expert. I've never gotten all the words, but I usually get it down to something between two and six. It's the first thing I do in the morning, when I wake up and don't necessarily want to get right out of bed. I stay with it until I finish it, which doesn't take very long. It's not a hard game, but it does reward persistence.

I've got a bunch of pictures I still need to upload. Not exactly looking forward to that. Plus culling the hundreds I've already added to Photos. I could work on that today. We'll see.

Anyway, last time I did this was in 2019 and I didn't bring a laptop. I was using my new to me 10.5" iPad Pro with the attached keyboard cover, which doesn't run Tinderbox. I've got the iPad mini with me on this trip for Kindle and Books.

Anyway, that's it for now.

"All aboard!"

✍️ Reply by email

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 12:53 Monday, 22 July 2024

The antiquing was limited to one enormous location that was a bit overwhelming. There are few bargains to be had these days, when anyone can do a quick search on eBay or elsewhere to see if something has some value to someone. There were a couple of old AM radios that were in very good shape that probably were good deals, but I didn't want to carry them home.

The highlight yesterday was the tour of the former Seneca Army Depot. As often as we've been here, I'd never really looked into it, other than hearing about "white deer tours." We signed up for the bus tour and it turned out we were the only ones. Good for us, but kind of a shame because it's a fascinating tour.

Mitzi came for the deer, I came for the history.

We saw a lot of deer, most of them brown. They're accustomed to the bus and not super shy. I should have mounted the 40-150mm/f2.8, instead of the 12-100mm/f4. I needed more reach and more aperture. But, again, I wasn't really that interested in the deer.

Briefly, the decommissioned facility consists of 10,000 acres of fenced property. The white deer aren't albinos, they just carry a recessive gene that doesn't produce brown hair, so they're ordinary white tailed deer and the other deer don't know the difference. Since they're fenced in, hunted in limited numbers and well fed, they pretty much thrive in there.

The depot itself was constructed in preparation for WW II. The federal government essentially kicked around 150 families off their land, with only a few weeks' notice to clear out. Five hundred concrete ammunition "igloos" were constructed in a relatively short time. The manpower necessary to complete the project created problems of its own with inadequate housing and sanitation.

The bus tour was scheduled for 90 minutes, but our guide took us around for over two hours. We were able to get out and enter one of the igloos, which was fun just for the acoustics. There's also a beaver dam on the property, and an eagles' nest that seems to have recently been abandoned after being occupied/used for almost two decades.

There is a lot of history in this region, and I've enjoyed getting to learn about some of it. If you're ever in the Finger Lakes, this is a worthwhile tour.

Don't quite know what we're up to today. Packing at some point, but we'll probably get out and see something. I know Mitzi wants to buy some wine.

After some clouds and rain earlier in the week, the last two days have been wonderful. Sunny, relatively cool with low humidity. I'm going to miss this place next week when we're back in the swamp.

Literally.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 07:31 Saturday, 20 July 2024

Decent sunset last night. Supposed to be sunny all day today. We toured the Smith Opera House in Geneva yesterday morning. The guide was a drama professor from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and she was very good. The exterior facade is as the theater was constructed in 1894, the interior is as it was remodeled in the 1920s. It's a treasure, and we really enjoyed the tour.

Been watching a juvenile bald eagle fly by several times this morning. I should be out there with a camera.

Today we're going to spend some time this morning over at Seneca Falls, then we have an afternoon boat tour, just as an excuse to get some time on the water. Tomorrow we're doing an evening tour of a former ammunition facility, which has some interesting history and wildlife.

We've had some good luck with rentals up here in the past. I can't say I've been as pleased on this trip. The previous house was comfortable, although it offered little in the way of a view. This cottage has a decent, not spectacular, view of the lake, which is its most appealing feature.

I pulled the filters out of the mini-split and they hadn't been cleaned in some time, so I washed those and reinstalled them. Place smells a little less funky. It does have a bigger TV than the previous place, and we've been able to watch Netflix before going to bed, which isn't very comfortable either. Both have had better internet service than previous places we've stayed at here that had better amenities and spectacular views.

These places all have a little guest book where people write about their experiences, and they're all laudatory to an almost absurd degree. Likewise, the online reviews omit all the annoyances, like a tiny bathroom, funky smells and a three-quarter mile dirt road to get there. I guess they want to get good reviews as renters.

Places have gotten more expensive each year, and the experience hasn't been as good. We looked at the place we rented a few years ago and it's way out of our price range now.

It's a shame, because I really love it up here. I can't imagine how I'd be feeling if I'd have been in Florida during this summer of insanity. I've been making more of an effort to be less online. I've been reading books when we're in the house. The Operation Paperclip book is fascinating, and it prompted me to read portions of another ebook I have on the Nuremberg interviews.

In any event, although I do love the region, I'll be happy to be in our own space once again next week. Get back into a regular exercise routine and a more sensible diet.

We're still committed to coming up here each summer, but we're starting to explore other options for accommodations. We may have ten years of relatively decent mobility left, if we're careful and lucky. The Finger Lakes affords a wide range of attractions, history, wildlife, local food, water, beautiful scenery. It's no mystery why it's getting more expensive.

Perhaps a different approach is appropriate.

✍️ Reply by email

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:26 Thursday, 18 July 2024

Did a little sight-seeing and grocery shopping yesterday morning. Came back to the cottage and put everything up and had lunch.

Went out to visit the Finger Lakes Visitor Center in Geneva, which we'd never been to before. Pretty nice facility, I think it's new since we were last in Geneva, which may have been three years ago, or four.

They have a lot of regional products, a snack bar, the usual tourist literature, a wine tasting bar that may sell beer. (I saw folks sitting outside on the patio with what I assume were beers.) We walked along the pedestrian path along the shoreline, found a bench and sat and looked at the lake for a while. Saw an osprey dive and catch a large fish. I had the Stylus 1s with me, 300mm effective focal length. I saw the osprey get set for its dive, but wasn't quick enough to get the camera turned on and lens extended. 300mm wasn't long enough anyway, but got some distant shots of an osprey with a large fish in its talons.

Shot this on the way back to the car when the severe weather warnings started going off. We made our way back to the car and headed home. When we got back into the house, the heavens opened up. Pretty intense downpour for a while. The car certainly needed it, it's covered with dust and dirt.

Spent the rest of the afternoon reading the book about Operation Paperclip. Judge Cannon and J.D. Vance intruded. Watched Netflix and went to bed.

The summer of madness continues.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:30 Tuesday, 16 July 2024