In spite of it being only 19º today we ventured out for a drive in the countryside towards Shepherdstown, West Virginia. It’s a pretty drive on any given day but most days you want to get out and check things out. Not today really. It was sort of nice to stay in the heated car. But we got out anyway.
Helen at the frozen rivers edge.Olivia cozy in a thick jacket on the C&O Canal path.I think we’ll stay out of the water today.
We had brunch at The Mellow Moods Cafe in town. I’d never been there before. They had a egg and cheese sandwich on sour dough bread that was pretty darned good! And a black iced tea to go along with it. The girls had some chips and guacamole and we were off to the next place.
The girls went in to “The Good Shop” to see what kind of things they couldn’t do without in there. We came out of the mostly unscathed. There are a few shops in Shepherdstown that are fun to visit, have some pretty cool stuff in them but I rarely buy things except for food. One of my favorite restaurants there is Betty’s. I think it’s appropriate they don’t have a web site and still get 4 stars. I like eating there. The service is good and people are always nice to me. Typical “home” cooking.
Helen and Olivia doing digital stuff.HelenChatting at lunch
We came back home via the Shenandoah River bank on the West Virginia side of things. It’s a pretty drive and there are some cool places to get out and visit but no one was really into that because of the cold.
The air temperature is headed down to single digits tonight so we’ll be close by the fire together. Two of these guys are off on airplanes tomorrow to be in other parts of the United States. It’s a bummer to see them leave but so glad we got this time together as a family.
Yesterday I was up early and out he door for a meeting in DC. When I bounced out of the garage I looked up and saw this:
Sunrise October 17, 2017
That part of a sunrise is appealing. The getting up part … not so much.
Click on the picture and look a the moon. I posted a similar picture I took with my iPhone but you could not make out the moon after the dumb down the image so it fits in their ecosystem.
This weekend was about goofing off. Goofing off as much as possible. It all started like this:
… sunrise September 17, 2017
Officially I had to do some volunteer work for my radio club but that was over before 10am Saturday which left the rest of the day to do something I’ve had in my calendar for a while now: The Flying Circus.
We didn’t stay long but we made a day of getting there and back like we tend to do now and again. Typical trip down I-81 where you have to be crazy to be with crazy. But it was OK with both of us in the car together to stay distracted. Although I think my driving drives Gloria crazy. She has to listen to me postulate about statistics of queuing and crowding; the mathematical advantage of being in a small car in a big car world. 210 horse power helps but not as much as being small.
The venue for the RC event is atop a hill south of Covington, VA where people are flying all kinds of different aircraft from fixed wing to drones and even some cars and the like. But it’s mostly about flying something. It’s put on by Jeremiah at Stone Blue Airlines. Jeremiah owns the place there in Lynchburg two hours away from Covington. He’s helped me outfit some of my RC gear here that I fly. It’s cool that he’s made a living out of his passion. It’s really hard to tell when he is working and when he is playing. Which is I think the point to life.
After looking through my FPV goggles at other people flying we took back off for home in hopes of getting back at a decent hour. We lumbered along the back way home up SR220 through some really pretty West Virginia and Virginia back roads. After a dinner at the Fireside Cafe it was slabbing it back home as fast as we could once the sun went down and both of us grew tired.
Gloria had a big morning on Sunday and presentation in the afternoon so we needed to get her back and rested. She had a good, productive presentation on how to make Kombucha. She makes really good Kombucha!
Not me. I took the day (Sunday) mostly off. Besides a 5 mile run at sundown I really didn’t do much but goof off with electronics, some photography, RC flying of various types, radio. Some people have said that my goofing off looks a lot like work. I resemble those remarks.
Oh, radio. I chatted with a “DXpedition” station from the Czech Republic operating in Mauritania using call sign 5T5OK. I was parked on a 14 mhz frequency when I noticed the activity on the spectrum scope. Turns out these guys were testing their station and I was able to snag them in a “pile up” on the first call once I figured out how they were set up on the split frequency. We really didn’t chat long and they went on to making more contacts. It’s about 4,200 miles from here to there. I’m always amazed that I can just “key up” and talk to a totally different country on the planet. Makes the world seem really small. I was on and off the radios all day today which was particularly fun.
I’m working on an adjustable square wave generator circuit with a 555 timer chip. I’m not terribly good with electronics so this is half learning and half doing. I want to create a string of LEDs that use a transistor to switch between on and off at a rate that I can control with the timer chip. The circuit is gonna look something like this:
555 timer circuit
I got my bench power supply back from the shop so I can start building stuff again. Or breaking stuff, depending on how badly I mis-calculate things like voltage, current and the like. My method is less “Ohms Law” and more “Poke-n-Prod” until the blue smoke comes out. When I see blue smoke it’s generally back to the drawing board. It’s a good way to learn but leads to a lot of dead parts.
I’m sure I could buy the circuit from China for a buck but what’s the fun in that? I have this idea on making an LED string look like it’s pumping electricity like water through a tube. I want to vary the alternating lights at a rate and amplitude I can control. Yea, boring.
Mongrel and I got to walk together some today. When we weren’t moving he was chasing his tail. I can’t tell if he is goofing off like cats can do or if he’s frustrated that he can’t control it. One thing’s for sure is that he is very transparent because of that tail which exposes his current mood. The little biting flies were bugging the crap out of us both too.
We were also still a lot today. It’s interesting to watch Mongrel. He generally sits facing opposite of me. If I were to lay down he sits on top of me. Must be some weird instinct thing going on there. Seems to watch out after me when we are together. Anything out of the ordinary while he is on watch will render a “growl”. Could be a dog ½ mile away or a person riding a horse. He just lets me know it’s out there.
Watching everything that is moving.
When all that is done and we are back in the quiet, cool of the house where his guard comes down he starts to slow down after some dinner. Quietly protesting that he doesn’t want to be inside he climbs in his box next to my desk. He starts off looking at me. Then falls asleep.
“In the safety of my box”
Soon he is on his back with his feet in the air. This cat can sleep like none other I’ve ever met. And will sleep like that all night long.
I hope you’ve had a day that was fun like ours. And that you are back in your safe place where ever that may be.
I’m done goofing off. Work tomorrow. Headed to my box.
I woke with no specific plan and no place I really wanted to go.
After reading a bit I got up, showered and headed out the door after feeding the cats and eating a light breakfast. Mongrel was all over me to go for a walk so off we went. Like our other walks we stopped at the same trees, inspected everything we’ve inspected before just to be sure and walked essentially the same path as we always do. There’s always something new to see and interesting lights to capture.
Me and my shadow.
Mongrel is content just to be with me. But we’ve got to figure out how to travel in a car together if I am to satisfy his need to be around humans all the time. He’s not a fan of the car.
I ended up in Shepherdstown, WV where I visited with Timothy a little as he played guitar on the steps of the old McMurran Hall. His message is the same; be patient, read the bible, be kind to others, do as Jesus would do.
Timothy with two books: bible and music selections.
I like his guitar sound. But we mostly talked.
On the way home I hung close to the Potomac river and the tiny roads next to the C&O Canal. I stopped at places I normally just drive past to take a few pictures.
I tend to like the landscape photos but this one shows more of the sky and clouds. This part of the Potomac is dammed up south of here near Harpers Ferry that allows people to use normal boats here. There were several pontoons and others mixed with a kayak or two.
The C&O canal extends as far east as Georgetown, District of Columbia all the way up to Cumberland, Maryland. It may go further up towards Ohio but I’m not sure. It’s a long way. You could spend several days on a bike on this if you wanted. It’s said to be slightly declining as you go east. However, when I get on it it is uphill in both directions. I can’t figure that out.
What day would be complete without several ascents into the trees?
Mongrel very focused during his tree acrobatics
Gloria came home tonight from her trip with her mom and sisters. We got to walk together before the sun went down. It was fun to hear about her travel to Cleveland, the restaurants, boat, people and other stories. She let me try to take some portraits of her.
Weary traveler back home – I love her smile.
I’m trying to teach myself how to augment some of my photography with a flash. Flash photography is something I just haven’t spent much time doing over the years. You wouldn’t think you’d need a flash on a sunny day like today … but it helps when the sun is in the sky like this.
And if I could fit just one more thing into the day it would always have something to do with an RC plane or drone. Mongrel joins me in these 20-30 minutes flying sessions. As I bring the plane in slow for landing he will chase after it like it’s a rabbit. It’s pretty funny to watch.
Mongrel ready for “final approach” and landing chase – the plane sounds like an owl when it flies (very quiet). – Photo credit: Gloria Westerman
I started with no plan and ended up with a full day. It’s dark now. I’ll finish this blog and go down and do radio for an hour or two before I finally give in for he day. I did as many of the things I like to do as I could. I was with as many people that I love that I could. Tomorrow’s a “work day” but I hope it is as interesting as today.
We’ve made it home from our long journey west. All said it was over 4,500 miles which took us along this path:
Route map for our vacation
I recommend taking the road less traveled as often as you can. Life slows down a ton. The food is better, the people seem more relaxed and pleasant, the pace is way slower and there is so much to see off the beaten path. It takes longer but it’s worth it.
There are no more photographs to share from the trip. It’ll take me a while to organize what I have already. After doing this for many years I finally have a system down that I don’t have to think much about to keep it all together.
Gloria’s poison ivy is about gone, the computer problems are fixed, the first cut of 2 weeks of grass is over. I’m easing back into normal.
Gloria has to work some so we pack up the car and head on out after a quick trip to McDonalds for some tea. I can neither confirm nor deny I might have procured some “hot cakes” as well.
We arrived and paid our obligatory $5 to get into the “research center” to see what it is all about. There was some interesting stuff inside but it was also pretty hokey. If we had a piece of an spacecraft, an eyeball in a petri dish or something it might be more believable. There sure are a lot of people who think something happen near Roswell though.
We didn’t spend much time there. When we were done we went back the way we came into town to eat at a local Thai restaurant there named the “Lemon Grass”. I have to say it was pretty good! Like a ton of asian restaurants the inside is nothing to write about but the food and service was excellent.
Out of Roswell we took one last “long way” around Capitan Mountain to see what is back there. It turns out that it’s mostly nothing. I managed to get the drone out and make a short flight video there.
As you can see, it’s pretty much out in the middle of nowhere. We spent a lot of time in “nowhere” on this trip. It was fun.
North of Capitan mountain, New MexicoNorth of Capitan mountain, New Mexico
I don’t think I took any other photographs this day. At least I couldn’t find any. You wouldn’t think that finding photographs would be that big of a deal but I use 4 cameras and I never remember where I put things.
We went on to our home of the next few days in Ruidoso (actually, Alto), New Mexico and got settled in there. It is always great to see family again. The home is beautiful. The air is clear, clean and cool.
Tomorrow we share BBQ together as a family. It’s a huge family gathering as it turns out. It’ll be nice to see each of them.
Tucker Gott has been fun to follow the last few month. He doesn’t do anything crazy or break any laws. Lately I have seen a ton of paramotor activity around northern Virginia. Which has me wondering all kinds of thoughts about this activity!
At the end of the day yesterday we decided to go to Shepherdstown. We enjoy going the “back way” through the woods, near the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers and on into this quaint college town. Until recently we went mostly there on a motorcycle. Since it was so late in the day we decided to take my car.
Gloria at the “China Kitchen”
We went there to eat at a Thai place that was closed so our second choice wat the “China Kitchen”. It’s a dumpy little place that is a stand-by restaurant for us. Tonight the food was actually pretty good. But the decor has a lot to be desired. That’s OK, we have no problem with dumpy places as long as the service is good. We were served by an elderly gentleman that was quite attentive. We enjoy each other’s company so most of the “noise” around us blends in after a few moments.
Folklore says there are ghosts in this little town. When we went back to our car there was a woman in period clothing talking about the history of the town. I couldn’t hear what she was saying in front of this church but there was an interested crowd in tow.
Shepherdstown was very busy during the civil war. There was a hospital there that tended to the wounded soldiers and others who were fallouts of that conflict. The folklore says the spirits of so many lost during that time are still trying to find their way. I think most of them ended up in the coffee shop we go to from time to time.
We took the road less traveled back home. It was very dark and I got lost a time or two because we took the road backward from what we normally do. As we were coming back through Harpers Ferry I got to see a train slowly traverse the tracks, through a tunnel on it’s way to DC with coal. Normally I’d have video of that. But I forgot to push the record button. 🙂
There is lots to do around Shepherdstown if you are ever in the area. Every time I go back I see something new. There are lots of little shops and tons of history to see there.
Over the past several years I’ve worked to get closer to my camera and taking meaningful photographs that tell a story. So much of what I do doesn’t involve other people although that’s generally where the story is.
I love taking pictures of the landscape. It’s a one sided story as I tell how things look from where I’m standing. The landscape doesn’t talk back or ask all kinds of questions about what I’m doing with my camera and getting all up in my grill because I want to take a photo. I’m learning that’s fairly normal when you ask others to take a picture.
The internet is a cool place where you can get all kinds of perspectives from others who either enjoy what you do as well or you are trying to pique an interest in what they do.
Today is Sunday. On any given Sunday I head out with my camera(s) to go see what I can find. Often I’m on my motorcycle or in my car and stop in places I enjoy and take pictures of the landscape. Rarely, and I mean very rarely, it involves other people outside of my friends or family. Today I decided that would change.
So I asked a total stranger if I could take his picture and took them at length with his permission. Here’s that story.
When I first saw him I was on the other side of the street while he was playing a flute which is something you don’t see every day. I only had my small camera in my hand but I thought if I’m going to do this I need to get my professional camera since I had it with me. Why I don’t carry it more is another long story.
By the time I got my camera someone has come up to him and started a long conversation. I didn’t want to intrude and, frankly, wanted some camera time alone with him. Then another guitar player came up, another total stranger, and started playing with him.
I asked him if he was from around here where he told me that no one was actually from Shepherdstown, West Virginia. He said he was there to minister to the young people that there is a life outside the blue glare of the various computer screens in their hands.
With his bible by his side I told him it may be easier to covert the children to be faithful than to pry the phone from their hand. We both laughed. I think we both knew it was true and that he had a long hard row ahead of him. You couldn’t tell it.
I shared lunch with strangers in a small restaurant in town. The restaurant serves the kinds of food you’d expect to have in a small, West Virginia town. To me the food is in the category of “comfort”. Iced tea, potatoes, green beans and hamburger steak smothered in brown gravy.
The owner’s daughter passed away recently. I do not know the details but I could tell everyone was upset over this current event.
Someone from DC came in to have a big meal and didn’t bring cash. All of the locals know this is not the restaurant you can do that. They let her write a check much to everyone’s amazement.
I’m always interested when I see someone write an actual check. Who carries a check book these days? Apparently people from DC do.
I’m also amazed at the kindness of people. All I had to do was ask. In order to publish anything related to an image of another person today I’d need their permission. He gave that to me.
It was that easy to do something new. In my 40+ years of photography I’ve never asked anyone if I could take their picture. Today I did.
To my family: xErlhaxA9wfcGx6VOI9ymZv2LKxJzdPcoZbJrU/aaFJj2OYIaW0C5w7J
Today I worked a bit with Gloria in the garden where I found this very large and spicy radish. She tells me I’m the only person she knows that likes radishes. She never met my grandmother!
I remember spending summers with my grandmother where part of that day was in various parts of the garden. Sometimes it was strawberries. Sometimes watermelon. Sometime cantaloupe.
Then I’d go about my day with my .22 rifle and a box of shells on my own for the day.
Things have changed since then and I miss those days.
