[Rupert]

Very sorry to hear of the loss Tuco. We do get attached, and it hurts to lose an old friend.

Last week I had a day of misery when I "lost" my X20. I take it everywhere I go, just in case there is the possibility I might get my first great shot!
Anyhow, I was at my desk and saw a fine sunrise coming through the trees....reached on the counter next to my desk, and the X20 was missing. I looked high and low, and it was nowhere. Been very busy lately, and shift around between 4 different vehicles, depending on what I am doing. I had checked them all, but when I got in my Jeep the next day, and went to put some folders in the back floorboard...there it was in its little case! Felt like I just won the lottery! I swore to be more careful, but in this hectic world, it is often difficult to keep your mind on track.

Regards!

[Rupert]

. I stalled it a couple times and grinded the gears a bit,

A little gear grinding won't hurt, it can make shifting faster after the teeth wear down, but it's like tightening the bolts on a toilet bowl, how much? On the toilet it's easy....1/2 turn before it breaks. Not so easy to determine on the gears!

Regards!

[tuco]

A little gear grinding won't hurt ...

The old saying... if you can't find 'em, grind them.

In high school I had a part time job at a auto shop that specialized in British sports cars. They would have me take apart stuff more than put them together (things like gearboxes) .

Some of the older car's gearboxes did not have a synchronizing ring for 1st gear - something to help match the rotation speed of the gears when shifting so you don't grind them. Those gears were not a pretty sight because, of course, people would grind them when down-shifting. It's not a smooth wear-in when those gears clash but rather chipped and pitted ends of the gears.

[Rupert]

Riding the clutch is also a bad habit.....I have to watch myself, as I tend to always have my foot ready to shift.

Regards!

[tuco]

Well, I took my Beer Friday shot last night when I was BBQing up some burgers. But Flickr has been down all night and today way past their "scheduled maintenance".

[tuco]

Finally Flickr is back online. Beer Friday! I was making burgers and picked up this unusual looking beer. Kind of just run-of-the-mill beer.

XP1, Super Tak 28/3.5

This equatorial sundial is an embarrassment. First, it's a decorative dial meaning no attempt at any precision you can get was made with crude, arc welded hour marks. Second, it is NOT even oriented correctly. It appears someone used a compass to align it and made a mistake taking into account the magnetic declination. One easy way to align a sundial is to wait for a sunny day, calculate the time the Sun transits its meridian and set the dial to read noon at that time.

I also took a 30 minute exposure with my Pentax 6x7 when it got dark to show the spin of the stars and that it is not pointing at the celestial pole. But the moon was out with lots of city lights so I don't think it will turn out so well.

XP1, 18-55mm

[abieleck]

Finally Flickr is back online. Beer Friday! I was making burgers and picked up this unusual looking beer. Kind of just run-of-the-mill beer.

Beer Friday!!!! Maybe ho-hum beer but the bottle wins points for originality in photography. I love grilling, but I didn't grill out as much as I usually do this summer, looks like it's a weekly thing with your crew. I better take advantage this fall before the rain starts.

Here's mine for the week. Not a Fuji, but it is beer related

It appears someone used a compass to align it and made a mistake taking into account the magnetic declination.

Ha, rookie mistake Even if it is an incorrectly aligned sun dial, it would make a cool foreground object for a long exposure....hope that 6x7 shot turns out.

[abieleck]

Riding the clutch is also a bad habit.....I have to watch myself, as I tend to always have my foot ready to shift.

Regards!

Yeah I was doing that too, I just wanted to be prepared. By the end of the trip I was much better, shifting out of gear on some of the long descents and stop lights. I can see how driving a manual would help to save gas and your brakes.

[tuco]

...
Ha, rookie mistake Even if it is an incorrectly aligned sun dial, it would make a cool foreground object for a long exposure....hope that 6x7 shot turns out.

The swirly bokeh is interesting. What lens?

Well, I think they had the sundial oriented correctly at one point and somewhere along the line someone went wrong. If they just used the magnetic north, it would point to the East of North. But this is pointing West of North about 16 degrees which happens to be the magnetic declination for this area. I used my Sun Surveyor app on my phone to measure its dicrecton.

[Rupert]

At least I did remember, which is worth something? I found another one of those "high gravity" beers, this one on sale for .89 cents. Heck, that's cheaper than a Diet Coke, which is what I usually drink.

It says you will be bold....smooth..and powerful. More proof that there is no longer any truth in advertising!
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It may stay around in the cooler for a long time, like that last one. At least until I get another headache, which could be months...or longer. Or....it might disappear tonight, you never know what might happen with a Category 5 Hurricane?

Maybe next week I will do better, I like your pick Tuco. The bottle is great no matter what the beer tastes like!
The summer is almost gone, and my grill has been used once. It has been a very hectic summer here. Fortunately, we can grill around here on at least a few days of every month of the year. Cornish hens on the rotisserie are one of my favorites......maybe I will get around to that soon.

Regards!

[Rupert]

My favorite "Chocolate Girl" when she was three....we ate lunch together every day for ages...and had more chocolate than you can imagine!
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Those big blue eyes melted my heart and opened my wallet for anything she desired, which was usually chocolate!
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Times flies...Thurs we had a little birthday dinner for her and her brother, she was 7 and he was 8.
Still my favorite "Chocolate Girl"!
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Chocolate cake! A winner every time!
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Fun night, even if my shooting was not the best, it was a great little party!

Regards!

Note: You have to be careful, chocolate can be an ugly addiction.....
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[Rupert]

Playing with the Digital Zoom on the X20....I know "real photographers" would never resort to DZ use, but heck, why not if it gets you in close and suits your personal needs?

There are lots of raccoons around here, and they are nocturnal animals, so if you see one in daylight he is usually rabid or has distemper. This little one is plenty healthy, he has figured out that I put out feed for the squirrels every morning, so he lingers around after the rest of his family has headed back to their den for daytime sleeping. It leaves all the sunflower seeds for his consumption!

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Regards!

One more I kinda liked....
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[Rupert]

I am going to ask Adam to create an Obituary Page so I can check to see if you guys are in it????? Surely you have shot something in the last few days? I'm tired of looking at my own raccoons, give me something new!

Regards!

[GDRoth]

Do you feel like you are talking to yourself? All those raccoons look alike..............you sure there's not just 1

I'm taking my X-E1 out tonight.............it's been awhile..............

[tuco]

Sorry, Rupert. I've been shooting film and my DSLR lately. But it looks like I better hit a up a pub pretty quick with the XP1 to get my Beer Friday picture.