Turkey Tuesday

Well, I suppose, more like Monday.  Back at the old cabin for three and a half days.  I finally, Finally got the window of opportunity to take star shots, and of course I didn't record it.  I had dew issues, and it came down to wiping the lens off with my shirt, but I got some spectacular shots on one or two minute exposures with my Sigma 17mm.  I also went of a bit of a solo adventure to the far side of a local lake in hopes of catching a sun rise, but the weather did not cooperate.  It was a good scouting mission however, and the following day my parents and I explored some back woods trails and discovered an oasis of stunning hidden cliffs and a massive two tier beaver pond.  I most likely won't be up in this area again until December, but I'd like to revisit some of these locations with snowshoes, I expect the hard work will be well rewarded.

North Evergreen Photo #3

Another video.  I did end up recording a lot more, however I also managed to screw up quite a bit as well, so this is the result!  There's a certain level of embarrassment involved in talking to a video camera in the middle of nowhere, especially when people show up.  Even if they know whats up I may never get over that.  But practice makes perfect I suppose.  I tried to get more star shots, but I just wasn't there at the optimal time..  The shots I did get were relitively crisp, or at least not streaky as they should have been from a two minute exposure.  I don't think you need to get the polar scope exactly aligned in order for it to help with your photos.  Now I just need the stars to align so I can get to my parents on a new moon that isn't going to be full of condensation.

On the Road Again

I have one week off now.  Fall has definitely started, as I took this picture at Furnace Falls on my way north the time was around 7:00 AM and the temperature was only 4C.  This time of year, trees start to change, yet there's just a little bit of summer left, minus all or most of the biting insects so it is perfect for exploring uninhibited.   Labor Day weekend is not the best of time to do photography anywhere popular so I will be working on small projects to do with my trailer and going to some obscure places I've been meaning to check out.  Unfortunately work on the actual full build of the trailer will need to wait as adding up the cost of materials has put me over the $800 mark, which is just too much for me to throw down right now, after getting two root canals last month.  I will hopefully have enough material for another video, so watch this space if you're interested.

The Trailer Project

So, we're here again.  after being moved, thoroughly rained on, licensed, and wired - this is where the base stands.  This weekend is a long weekend for me, and I took an additional day off as well.  Unfortunately, I'm on call, so the work I had intended to do on this trailer which was insulating the bottom and putting undercoating on that insulation to protect it from water and road intrusion is most likely not going to happen.  A side project, may happen, which is building a portable stand for my solar panels and testing my electrical system 'dry'.  it should be sunny up north this weekend so I'm hoping to at least get that done.

North Evergreen "Monthly" #2

Well, not quite monthly, but it is what it is.  From here on out I think I will be dropping the 'monthly' tag and trying to put together smaller episodes that are a little more coherent.  I expect the next one may concentrate on my trailer building efforts.

Restructuring

I've been on hiatus for a while.  Adjusting to my new existence.  I've finally gotten Episode 2 done, and I really think I need to work on re-evaluating the format. Episode 2 is 45 minutes long (ish) which is I think far too long, and not too interesting.  I'm still going to publish it once I get back to Toronto, but, I think smaller installments might be best.  This time around I've basically lumped in two months worth of activities. I don't really plan out each episode either, I just record what I can and try to smash it together afterwards. I need to come up with a format that is comfortable, easy to do, and quick to finish so you might see me waffling around with various bits before I finally settle, all part of the learning process I guess.  This is Canada Day long weekend, and I've been exploring around my parent's new place.  There's plenty of interesting places to explore, but getting to know these places from a photographic perspective will need to happen before I can feel comfortable doing any sort of video past what I've already done.  I also need to explore a bit closer to home, since the 3-4 hour drive both ways isn't something I can undertake as lightly as the 1-1.5 hour drive to my previous 'base-camp' in Lindsay.  I have several side projects ongoing right now as well, such as getting my quad-copter working again, and finishing the trailer.  These things keep my mind focused away from the site, and video production.  I also have to get some fairly expensive dental work done which is going to limit my funds a bit for the time being.  All in all, I think this is still an ongoing project and will be refined, as previously stated on a grand scale.  I learn best by 'doing' but tend to think things through quite a bit before acting as well, and these two methods don't usually sit well with each other, balance will be acheived eventually, either by perserverance or direct force.

Pre-Moving weekend

This weekend, I'm sure many a Canadian Photographer is out there taking amazing images, but I'm assisting my parents moving their life up north.  It is a beautiful place they are moving to, and it will serve me well also as a base camp on weekends that I can use to range around Algonquin park and other nearby areas.  The ruggedness of the Canadian shield is very present and will provide me many opportunities.  Alas, it is black fly season as you can see we've collected a few at this roadside stop where we paused to check our load and have a quick lunch.  

Once the move is complete, the first full week of June I will be spending some time there, assisting with the remainder of the move.  I will very much be getting Monthly episode 2 filmed there.  The Bonnechere caves are a possible destination, or perhaps I will find some waterfall or stream that strikes my fancy if it is too busy there.

Dreary Month

This Month, and most of last month has been a disappointment.  At my main job, I've had my responsibilities slowly taken away one by one over the last year.  That came to a head, and each day I sit at my desk having my creativity sucked out of me looking for just one thing to do.  I went to my manager, and I went to HR last week and I asked if I could be laid off.  They have no intention of doing that, so I'm being paid my full wage to sit there and essentially do nothing.  One might think that is the greatest thing in the world, but, we all have finite amounts of time on this grand blue sphere and not using that time is incredibly draining to me.  I'd much rather be out exploring Ontario, or even Canada.  So,  I will soon have to make a difficult decision,  to quit or to continue to 'work' hoping they hand me some new responsibilities soon.  To cap things off, the last few weeks of the month have been dreary, rainy, and in many northern communities floody.  The picture above was taken at the Minden wild water preserve.  During the summer, you can walk out on those rocks which are now quite underwater.  Minden itself, as I drove around, is quite under water, as is Kinmount.  The rain has settled for now, but as of today, it is snowing.  I've been collecting little bits of footage here and there, but I'm afraid there's not going to be a monthly shoot.  June, I have the first week off to help my parents move, but hopefully I'll have some real time to put together another video.

Range Extension in the works

My parents are soon moving out of their home in the City of the Kawartha Lakes.  This means that my 'base camp' for adventuring in that area is going away.  I had bought an old pop-up camper trailer frame last year which I spent many hours removing rust, and unneeded or broken parts from.  I redid the bearings, replaced one of the tires and got it generally up to par with something that is usable.  I was planning to make this into a mini camper that I could tow whenever I went out for a long expedition, somewhere I could have shelter and limited power to allow me to edit and backup my photos.  I was storing this at my parent's house, since I live in an apartment and that wouldn't work out very well in Toronto besides.  Now that they are moving, I had to push plans forward.  Over the Easter weekend, I bought the basic materials to get the floor on and get it legal for the road.  This coming weekend I need to test the lights and then see about getting it to a staging point while their house sells.  It will eventually be moved to their new place, over four hours north of Toronto.  It has been a major learning experience, but I am fairly happy with the results considering it was built without a plan and nothing more than a basic image in my head.  Figuring everything out happened on the fly, which is a skill I seem to have come by naturally.  This weekend coming up, I have to work on Sunday morning but hopefully I'll be able to get something for North Evergreen Monthly and compile that before May 1st.

First Thunderstorm - Omemee Area 2017

I was tooling around looking for photos, just finished a hike with my mom in Fleetwood creek conservation area.  This is the edge of spring, so anything can and will happen with the weather.  Just a few days ago there was blizzard here, and today it was 21°c.   As we were coming back, we saw dark clouds looming on the horizon, and the temperature started to drop sharply, accompanied by high winds.  We decided to head up the road past the windmills, and saw the darkness looming.  It reminded me of every storm chaser's video I'd ever seen, the wind was sucking towards the storm at such a high velocity I felt like if I made wrong move I would be lifted into the air.  We watched the horizon for clouds reaching down, but unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) nothing ever happened.   It did rain though, and boy did it rain,  it was like a fire hose was spraying down out of the sky.  Guess I can skip the car wash on the way home though!