I guess
I've been busy. Apparently too busy to write any new blog posts for a
few days. I suppose I could fire myself for being a slacker, but I am an
understanding boss.
I played
and sang at the usual venues, here in Redding this week. The live
recordings turned out well, and the music on them sounded pretty good
too.
Next weekend
I will be in Richmond as part of the LMP Trio at the Richmond Museum of
History. I hope to get some good recordings and a lot of pictures of
that event, so I can post some here, and on the LMP Trio website.
I could say
I was busy taking pictures, and that would be true. And that I've been
spending some time turning some of those pictures into pieces of art. That would be true
also.
I did have
the time, and opportunity to meet the person running for District 1. I was
planning on voting for him anyhow but I had a chance to meet and hear him talk
on the steps of the Shasta County Courthouse.
He reminds
me of other politicians that I've met, respected, and liked over the
years, who are knowledgeable, fully qualified, and have answered the
call to represent their constituents.
Jim Reed
His message
is positive and solution oriented. He recognizes that Social Security
and Medicare belong to the people of this country and not to those
corporations and captains of industry who want to privatize these
services so they can make more profits.
Waterfall reflected in county building windows
He explained solutions to the debt problem that won’t add any additional burden on the middle class, seniors, veterans, poor, or disabled. His experience as a tax attorney gives weight to his proposals for balancing the budget.
I hope you have candidates like him to vote for in your districts.
There was
a lot of ‘lens candy’ on, and around the courthouse steps. I had plenty
of artistic tableau's to take pictures of, and I took full advantage of
the opportunity.
So there you have it; my visit to the press conference and the beautiful flowers that grew around the courthouse.
Speaking of
beautiful flowers, and who wasn't? I have here a slideshow featuring
some beautiful flowers that I photographed in the waning sunlight on last
Tuesday’s, beautiful, Redding afternoon around the Treehouse.
There have been
several updates and upgrades over the last few days. Over all, that is
good. New features are now available, my Apple products/devices are even
more interconnected, and some of my software/apps are chock full of new
capabilities and functions.
Some of
these upgrades are pushing my 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor beyond
its comfort zone, and it takes extra time for it to handle the increased
data load. This, when combined with the recent update to iPhoto was
more than it could handle last night when I was editing some pictures of
the moon. They simply went away, along with the previous import.
Lucky for me,
I had pulled a few of those lost images onto the desktop earlier,
before the vanishing act. I move the images during the first viewing if I
see especially interesting pictures that I want to play with in some of
my editing and production software. I am glad I did.
As for
all those shots I took of the moon last night, well...tonights moon was
a good one for pictures, too. Everything is satisfactory.
Tomorrow,
provided I get up early, I plan to go to Jim Reed’s press conference on
the steps of the county courthouse. He is one of the people I am voting
for, so it is a great opportunity to hear what he has to say for
himself. Maybe I will get to ask a question or two.
Some days
I might try to move ahead of my cog in the wheel of destiny, but a long
line and a slow checker, or some other delaying factor will make sure I
arrive at the right place at the right time, no matter how hard I try
to change the pace.
This evening,
it was my feeling that there was going to be a picturesque sunset
moment when the clouds in the west would light up in living color for a
brief and beautiful display of nature’s splendor.
I began
my photo adventure at the Treehouse by testing my cameras from the
second floor landings of A and B buildings about an hour before the
actual sunset. The results were not particularly impressive, so I made
plans to go to the store to pick up something for dinner and to see how
things might look just off Masonic, at a spot above the homeless camp there.
The western sky
was just starting to get a little pink as I parked to pop
into the dollar store to pick up some ibuprofen. Activity in the
store was not going according to my plan, but being philosophical in
spirit, I accepted that I was probably where I should be at that time, (
“Wherever you go, there you are”, and other 60’s hippie, zen-like
slogans crossed my mind. )
Eventually
a second checker opened a register and beckoned me to lane 4. I was
relieved of a couple of dollars plus tax, and out the door with two
containers of ibuprofen.
As I stepped
out of the store, the sky was beginning to light the clouds with a red
glow that seemed to come from within some of them. I considered getting
the camera out and taking pictures right there, but the fast food joints
and lights on poles didn’t belong in my vision of natures enchanting
magnificence.
The photo
spot that I had in mind was just across the way, so I got in the Buick
and headed out of the parking lot to get on Masonic and, wouldn’t you
know, there was a big blue city bus blocking the way as it slowly turned
around in the cul de sac.
I finally
pulled in on the dirt road where I knew I could get clear shots that
would include Shasta Bally. I got the Lumix and stepped outside just as
the clouds in the western sky were set ablaze.
I took
as many composition shots as I could during the few minutes the sky was
lit with color and character, then headed over to Raley’s to pick up
some veggie lasagna. The cogs and gears that fit my existence on the
cosmic wheel of life, are once again aligned with my state of being.
All is well with the world at this juncture of time and Phil’s Place.
This week
has been mild, with temperatures just tickling the underside of the 100
degree mark. The skies remain relatively clear and the breezes are
welcome refreshment when one steps into the shade.
I enjoy these fine days, here in Redding. The nights have been pleasantly cool.
Temperatures
have been dropping into the mid 50s out there in the night. Because of
the orientation of my apartment to the northerly breezes, this translates to mid
70s inside with the windows open.
Monday Music
Monday Music at
the Treehouse is a wonderful uplifting time for everyone who comes to
the dining room from 4 to 5 pm on Monday afternoons. I look forward to
playing and singing with the great bunch of neighbors who share familiar
melodies and the words that made the unforgettable songs that fill our lives.
So far,
we also fill up on the tasty desserts that Jackie and Darlene bring and
serve up afterward. Last monday it was a banana cream delight with ice
cream on top.
Thursday Music
Last night, Sarah Pappenheim played a few tunes with John, Billy, and myself.
I want to
thank the people who are nice enough to take a few pictures that I can
play with when I get home. Margaret has been taking pictures at the
Monday Music fest, and Rocky has snapped a few pix while I play at the
Shasta Blues Society, Thursday Jams.
The flowers perform daily, and I get to take their pictures, myself.
Particularly with all the fresh organic fruit that is available.
Most of the smoke
from the wildfires has dissipated and we were greeted today with a
clear blue sky. The blue made nice backgrounds when taking photographs
of the flowers.
Everybody had a nice smile on today, including Carlos, and his mail truck.
This zinnia,
or as I call it, “pineapple looking thing”, was real happy to have
some blue sky and direct sunlight today. I found this, among others, in a
happy garden box behind B building.
The Band At Lulu’s
Billy on bass,
and Mike on drums, have been helping John and I fill out the band for
the last few weeks. We're beginning to make knowledgeable adjustments
and the sound is turning out alright. We even have worked out some
arrangements of the original tunes that sound pretty good.
Sometimes
I'm amazed at the mind’s ability to store data. Like the data I have
stored to be able to recall all the information necessary to sing and
play the hundreds of songs that I have learned, heard, or written
through the years.
Life is amazing, fascinating, and filled with an abundance of delightful experiences.
I am grateful that we have all been given this precious present of possibilities.
I could see Lassen this evening, and so could the camera.
This cat thought I was such a nuisance. Didn’t I understand it was trying to stalk and catch that bird out there on the grass?
The F and the T, side by side
These are images from my two favorite cameras side-by-side for comparative purposes. I am showing them, (pretty much), straight from the camera without any post production.
I took
the pictures from the same distance, and with the same settings. The
FZ5 pictures are on the left, and the TZ3 pictures are on the right.
Both cameras
have a 10x optical zoom lens, but the TZ3 has a wide angle lens so the
reach is not as far. The lens on the TZ3 is smaller in diameter as well,
but it’s sensor has more mega-pixels, so details are sharper and it can
be cropped without obvious deterioration.
Here is
an example where I cropped the cereal picture from the TZ3 so it would
match the size ratio of the FZ5. It still holds it’s sharpness. I also
lightened it a bit to match.
The TZ3 image,
(on the right), has a flatter perspective and lacks the obvious depth
of field of the FZ5, but the colors are richer in tone and luminosity.
Now back to the unadulterated, straight from the camera results...
Once again, the FZ gets closer, but the TZ has stronger color density.
The reds and blues of these appear the same, but the greens are different.
That concludes
today’s comparison. I find that both cameras serve me well, and have
become a natural part of my creative composition experience. They are
both Panasonic Lumix cameras and fit my idea of how digital images can work.
There is
a visual quality, and tactile sense that these cameras give to me, that
I don’t feel when using some of the other brands. I am very fortunate
that these cameras managed to find me.
This is
one of those rare times that one can see MT Lassen from the Treehouse,
lately. It is nice when the smoke and haze clears enough to view this
magnificent mountain. Some of the wildfires continue to stubbornly
resist the efforts of our valiant fire fighting crews, but in another
week or so, most of the fires should be extinguished.
