Discuss Any Subject Here

[Ed Rooney]

 

. . . except contracts. 

 

The weather for example. We had a lovely sunny summer day here in Liverpool. 21 C. Ahhhhh.

[David eastley]

great idea Ed   I had a lovely afternoon at my allotment just pottering about and chatting to my fellow allotmenteers. No camera and no alamy  now going to have a beer in my garden. Cheers everyone

[meanderingemu]

Ottawa weather went from +30 with humidity yesterday to a crisp lovely 11 degrees when i went out for morning walk.  amongst the birds I saw was great blue heron, my first red-eye vireo of the year, plenty of Baltimore orioles, some wood ducks....  calm and peaceful.... 

[meanderingemu]

24 minutes ago, Sally R said:

Good idea Ed! It is easy to get contract fatigue. I had a lovely walk by the ocean. Watched the surfers having a great time. A lovely couple asked me to take a photo (with their phone) of them on their first day out of the house with their beautiful, tiny 8 day old baby. Actually not taking my camera out with me on walks at the moment and just really enjoying my surroundings without thinking about photography.

 

 

i most say going out without a camera can be enjoyable.  sometimes i get too focused on trying to capture something interesting, and forget to enjoy the moment.  

 

 

just had a chat with my neighbour to practice my extremely basic español.....  

[Thyrsis]

We climbed to the summit of Snowdon today! Got the train part way up then walked to the top and all the way back down again. Just had a nice hot bath and going out to eat in an actual restaurant! 

[Mr Standfast]

Car had an mot (bad)!

 

Car passed mot (good)!

 

Edited May 27, 2021 by Mr Standfast
Spelling

[Avpics]

We have aircraft at our airport again, with two Ryanair 737s landing today ready for services commencing tomorrow. (Good). 

First departure is at zero six thirty hours. (Bad).

[Bryan]

This morning we spent a few hours with a group of Sustrans volunteers removing invasive Himalayan balsam from along the coast to coast C2C cycle route. This is the first time that a reasonable gathering of Sustrans volunteers has been possible since Covid, although social distancing is still in place.

 

 

Then on to the allotment to plant out some sweetcorn and cabbages in glorious sunshine, not to mention the conversations with fellow gardeners. 

Edited May 28, 2021 by Bryan

[Ed Rooney]

 

I am right now watching a ML baseball game from Miami live on YouTube. And it's free!

[Cecile Marion]

Beautiful weather in NYC today. I took the subway down to the seaport area where my daughter used to live and spent a couple hours just wandering around. 

[Jill Morgan]

34 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

I am right now watching a ML baseball game from Miami live on YouTube. And it's free!

 

I am going to relax in about an hour and watch a Blue Jays-Yankees double header. Wine and Doritos time.

 

Jill

[Matthew]

It's been several years since I posted, so why not?

 

Hazy and a bit warm today in Mexico City, around 79ºF (26ºC). Spent a relaxing morning in the small but pleasant Parque Ecológico Loreto y Peña Pobre in Alcaldia Tlalpan. No rain in the forecast until Monday, with highs in the low 80's, so a morning walk in the Bosque de Tlalpan is likely on order for the weekend.

 

Cheers....

[hsessions]

3 hours ago, meanderingemu said:

Ottawa weather went from +30 with humidity yesterday to a crisp lovely 11 degrees when i went out for morning walk.  amongst the birds I saw was great blue heron, my first red-eye vireo of the year, plenty of Baltimore orioles, some wood ducks....  calm and peaceful.... 

Weather is wonderful here in the GTA, cool, air is fresh skies are clear.  In about an hour it will be time to feed what is now an obsession, though I doubt I will find anything as exotic as you have been lucky enough to.  Will return exhausted and swear as I have done for about two weeks  -  tomorrow, no way, just taking it easy, no outings with any camera.

 

Helen

[Allan Bell]

 

Took the car in for a major service this morning including cam belt change with new water pump. Which is recommended every 14 years. The water pump I mean. Walked 1 1/2 miles into Lincoln. Spent 3 hours walking around taking photos. Had Lunch. More time walking around taking photos and doing a bit of shopping. No word from garage that car was ready or what time it might be ready so went to bus station and waited 40 minutes in the coffee bar for the next bus. Caught bus which took me back to my village past the garage were my car was being serviced. Well I thought with it being a major service it would not be ready till next day. Left bus to walk rest of way to home. Halfway home phone rang to say car was ready. Went back to bus stop and caught next bus back to garage. It happened to be the same bus and driver. He looked a little confused. Left bus and walked short way to garage. Paid and collected car. Drove back home. Went indoors and fell asleep. Just woke up to post this. Good night.🥱

 

Allan

 

[meanderingemu]

1 hour ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

I am right now watching a ML baseball game from Miami live on YouTube. And it's free!

 

did you see this play, funniest thing i've seen in years

 

https://www.mlb.com/video/tyler-anderson-in-play-no-out-to-javier-baez-rnodaw

 

 

[meanderingemu]

13 minutes ago, hsessions said:

Weather is wonderful here in the GTA, cool, air is fresh skies are clear.  In about an hour it will be time to feed what is now an obsession, though I doubt I will find anything as exotic as you have been lucky enough to.  Will return exhausted and swear as I have done for about two weeks  -  tomorrow, no way, just taking it easy, no outings with any camera.

 

Helen

 

 

have fun and enjoy.  

[meanderingemu]

20 minutes ago, hsessions said:

Weather is wonderful here in the GTA, cool, air is fresh skies are clear.  In about an hour it will be time to feed what is now an obsession, though I doubt I will find anything as exotic as you have been lucky enough to.  Will return exhausted and swear as I have done for about two weeks  -  tomorrow, no way, just taking it easy, no outings with any camera.

 

Helen

 

 

love the expression on your Yellow warbler (2FWDWKJ).  warblers have been a true revelation for me this year, but i am not there on the photo side beyond for ID purpose.  stalked a chestnut sided warbler for 20 minutes yesterday with no success...  

 

(note you don't have the latin name (Setophaga petechia) on that one..)  

[hsessions]

26 minutes ago, meanderingemu said:

 

 

love the expression on your Yellow warbler (2FWDWKJ).  warblers have been a true revelation for me this year, but i am not there on the photo side beyond for ID purpose.  stalked a chestnut sided warbler for 20 minutes yesterday with no success...  

 

(note you don't have the latin name (Setophaga petechia) on that one..)  

Thanks for that one.  Corrected.  I have been so tired I know many typos and such in captions and keywords will review when I am more focused.  I like your Vireos especially one of your recent uploads 2FWFE7M.  I too missed an opportunity with a Fly Catcher an Acadian I think no expert though, stood a long, long time by that tree and circled it looked up from every angle but no luck.  Perhaps next year. 

 

Helen

[Bill Brooks]

I also had the car serviced this morning. The car had an unexpected recall, so not to waste 3 hours waiting, I went for a long walk. I became a flâneur.

 

Clean sharp light from a bright sun in a completely blue sky. Perfect walking temperature of 16 degrees celsius. Wandered aimless outside, among big box chain stores. Stores with their new perfectively sunlit, spanking new, signs and logos. Stopped and watched some interesting construction on the new Light Rail Transit line. Even saw a new demo railcar for the line.

 

It was a real stock photo, get my numbers up day. My SonyX100 was clipped to my belt, but it stayed there. No stock images taken or contemplated. 

 

Sat on a bench and daydreamed about my artist hero J. M. W. Turner. Maybe I will stand on his giant shoulders, and try to develop a new abstract style, but only for my own wall.

 

FREEDOM

[Bill Kuta]

Good weather today around DC. 

 

We like the big river birch near our deck--provides shade mid-afternoon and later. Unfortunately, in the spring it also provides seemingly billions of seeds. So for the second time, I shop-vacced the seeds off the deck. I don't use a leaf blower because I know that for the ones I gather, I won't be pulling little tree-lets out of the gardens in a couple of weeks. There'll be plenty to pull from seeds that didn't go on the deck.

 

My wife and I did a 15-mile bike ride yesterday. The days of 40-50-100 mile rides are done for these two septuagenarians.

 

Getting ready for a family Memorial Day do here.

Edited May 28, 2021 by Bill Kuta

[Betty LaRue]

I had lunch with my daughter and did a bit of shopping. We had one hard downpour of rain, but was in a shop and it was done when we came out. Then we went to dinner together, but I was still full from lunch and brought most of it home. I bought 4 little shepherds poles for 60% off. I’m always looking for something to use as plant stakes, so they were a bargain at $2 each.

I have one little tomato, the size of a golf ball on one of my three plants. My milkweed, planted last year is about to bloom. I read they were perennials, but here they are. I lost one of the five to the bitter, deep February 10 day freeze.

 

I think I’ll make an appointment with my neurosurgeon to discuss back surgery. I’m pretty healthy otherwise. My first round of physical therapy helped my back a lot. The second round, a year later, gave me no relief.

If I make that decision, which is not decided, I may wait until September or October to do it.

Which of you women made the decision to quit coloring your hair forevermore during the pandemic?

I did. I’m liberated! 

[Bryan]

Interesting to read what people are doing, seems like there has been good weather for most. 

 

Our family has escaped the worst of Covid - fingers crossed - but we've been watching too many of these home make over programmes and I've had my arm twisted to build a small extension to the house, eating into the garden. Assuming it goes ahead, it will be a glorified conservatory with low brick walls, lots of glass and a tiled roof.

 

Like Bill and his Mrs, we are no longer able to complete longer bike rides or climb the higher fells, but it is important to remain active. We're driving, but taking our folding bikes to our younger  son's place today and, assuming I don't get roped into helping with the garden, will get out for a spin. Looking forward to seeing the latest grandbairn and there's talk of a barbecue on Sunday, moist Manchester weather permitting.

[EzHighway]

      It was 92 degrees in Central Florida today with plenty of sun and blue skies, I Took a ride on my Motorcycle to the UPS store to deliver a small package that had a weight of 3.75 lbs. 

 

 I sold my only camera today, it was a Nikon D810 Camera body.  I sold it on Ebay today and shipped it out by way of UPS at 3:00 pm. The new owner from South Carolina will have it Tuesday June 1, 2021 after he signs the UPS drivers electronic pad.

 

Now I've put my last and only Lens on Ebay, I spent the last 30 minutes getting it ready for packaging so when it sells I'll be good to go.

Tomorrow I'll cancel my Photoshop membership as it's coming up for renewal and I do not want my Credit card charged, a savings of $120.00

 

I now have more room in my cargo carrier on my motorcycle for carrying my lunchbox, sun screen, swim suit and towel when riding my motorcycle to De Leon Springs State Park Florida.  One of my favorite watering holes.  Now that I'm camera free it's so much easier and less to worry about.

 

No more looking for dust spots in the sky, figuring what keywords to use or sitting in front of my iMac for hours on end.

 

I guess I'll go get a bowl of ice cream now and watch the evening news.

 

So glad to hear that everybody had a nice day, I enjoyed reading your adventures and look forward to your Friday adventures.

 

Stay safe and keep up the good work.

 

 

 

 

 

[Colblimp]

2 hours ago, EzHighway said:

      It was 92 degrees in Central Florida today with plenty of sun and blue skies, I Took a ride on my Motorcycle to the UPS store to deliver a small package that had a weight of 3.75 lbs. 

 

 I sold my only camera today, it was a Nikon D810 Camera body.  I sold it on Ebay today and shipped it out by way of UPS at 3:00 pm. The new owner from South Carolina will have it Tuesday June 1, 2021 after he signs the UPS drivers electronic pad.

 

Now I've put my last and only Lens on Ebay, I spent the last 30 minutes getting it ready for packaging so when it sells I'll be good to go.

Tomorrow I'll cancel my Photoshop membership as it's coming up for renewal and I do not want my Credit card charged, a savings of $120.00

 

I now have more room in my cargo carrier on my motorcycle for carrying my lunchbox, sun screen, swim suit and towel when riding my motorcycle to De Leon Springs State Park Florida.  One of my favorite watering holes.  Now that I'm camera free it's so much easier and less to worry about.

 

No more looking for dust spots in the sky, figuring what keywords to use or sitting in front of my iMac for hours on end.

 

I guess I'll go get a bowl of ice cream now and watch the evening news.

 

So glad to hear that everybody had a nice day, I enjoyed reading your adventures and look forward to your Friday adventures.

 

Stay safe and keep up the good work.

 

 

 

 

 

Why giving up photography?

[MizBrown]

 

2 hours ago, EzHighway said:

I sold my only camera today, it was a Nikon D810 Camera body.  I sold it on Ebay today and shipped it out by way of UPS at 3:00 pm. The new owner from South Carolina will have it Tuesday June 1, 2021 after he signs the UPS drivers electronic pad.

 

Now I've put my last and only Lens on Ebay, I spent the last 30 minutes getting it ready for packaging so when it sells I'll be good to go.

Tomorrow I'll cancel my Photoshop membership as it's coming up for renewal and I do not want my Credit card charged, a savings of $120.00

 

Every time I've done this, I've ended up buying more camera stuff -- this time with an inheritance from my father's estate.  I came close to buying an RB67 from a Nicaraguan photographer.  Whether or not I can make money from photography, it's been important to me.  I just got lighter gear, Godox instead of a Norman power pack.   I priced a Panasonic GF 1 before leaving the US, but got a point and shoot Canon instead, then got a used GF1, and started buying lenses again. 

 

I feel frustrated with how things worked out with my sales on Alamy.   I actually do like taking quirky still lifes and photos of weird things as much or more than most people shots, and that's worked for me more than anything else did: fish, rifles, bagpipes, jewelry, and my handcrafted purse on a handcrafted table.   I absolutely hate promoting tourism in NIcaragua, so that obvious niche doesn't work for me.  In four and a half years here, I've never sold a street scene of Nicaragua, or anything having to do with tourism. 

 

I know someone in North Carolina who shoots an RB67.   I can't get film and chemistry here now that Kodak closed its stores in Nicaragua, but if I were somewhere that I could get film and chemistry, I might take my vacation from stock with a Minolta Autocord or a Yashicamat.   Two solution Diafine is easy to use.