Camera and Coffee

Vince Lupo said:
Good rainy Saturday morning here in the wilds of eastern Ontario. A cup of No-Name brand coffee in the old Murchie’s mug (sorry I only have a few mugs - I’ve been officially limited by my loving wife), along with a delicious toasted hot-cross bun shmeared with some tasty Canadian peanut butter (the pride of Sussex, New Brunswick). Topping it off - so to speak - is one of my Hasselblad 1000fs with the CFV II 50C digital back, the late Arnold Crane’s chimney finder and a 250mm f/5.6 Zeiss Sonnar lens. I don’t use this lens all that often but I noticed a rather large gathering of turkey vultures congregating in a tree at the bottom of the driveway (hmm maybe they know something I don’t know?). Donned my hat, coat and rubber boots, mounted the 250 to the Hasselblad and headed on down in the light rain to check out the scene. I counted 16 of them and managed to get a couple of photos before they all flew off.

They’re likely my favourite bird and I think if I were to come back as anything I’d think a turkey culture would be a good choice. You have lots of friends, not really much in the way of predators and you leave the killing to someone else.
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I'm completely in agreement about the vultures! I get leery, sideways looks from people when I become ecstatic about the appearance of The First Buzzard of Spring (March 29 this year). Everyone wants to talk about the First Robin, but they winter over; I love robins, but what's the big deal if they're here all year? ;)
You'll be glad to hear that the big flock that roosts in the center of town in Cerrillos, NM is larger than ever this year, maybe pushing thirty individuals. It's a treat to watch the tourists glancing nervously upward as they all circle low over the main street before roosting for the evening.
Wiser societies than ours, those that have a more profound appreciation of the cycle of life and death, have long held the vulture sacred. I do as well.
 
Retro-Grouch said:
I'm completely in agreement about the vultures! I get leery, sideways looks from people when I become ecstatic about the appearance of The First Buzzard of Spring (March 29 this year). Everyone wants to talk about the First Robin, but they winter over; I love robins, but what's the big deal if they're here all year? ;)
You'll be glad to hear that the big flock that roosts in the center of town in Cerrillos, NM is larger than ever this year, maybe pushing thirty individuals. It's a treat to watch the tourists glancing nervously upward as they all circle low over the main street before roosting for the evening.
Wiser societies than ours, those that have a more profound appreciation of the cycle of life and death, have long held the vulture sacred. I do as well.
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Oh are you in Cerrillos?
 
Vince Lupo said:
Reason I ask is I have a number of friends in Madrid.
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Yes, there are a number of familiar faces in "Mapping the West". For example, Shelley, at whose B&B you've stayed, is a member of a band called "Roadhouse Karma" that often plays at my favorite watering hole in Cerrillos. I mentioned to her once that she was known to me through your photos on RFF; she seemed both astonished and flattered by that!
However, there is some sort of low-level, long-standing enmity between the two towns, though they're only three miles apart. Something to do with Cerrillos being a quiet town of old Hispanic families, and Madrid being the drug- and alcohol-fueled party spot revived from its ghost town status by crazed hippies. All nonsense, of course, and there are all sorts in both towns, as I'm sure you experienced. As a resident of neither, I don't feel compelled to take sides, but I do prefer the quieter atmosphere of Cerrillos. My partying days are long past.
 
I’ve been a long time lurker here since 2010/2011. After such time, life happened and I just stopped browsing through and almost quit photography entirely. But now that I’ve picked up from where I left off, searched Google for “Camera and Coffee Rangefinder forums”, and was immediately led back to these forums. I just felt a wave of nostalgia and surprise that this place is still very much alive.

So here I am, hello to all of you, and I hope you wouldn’t mind the presence of an iced latte.

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rokkorboy said:
I’ve been a long time lurker here since 2010/2011. After such time, life happened and I just stopped browsing through and almost quit photography entirely. But now that I’ve picked up from where I left off, searched Google for “Camera and Coffee Rangefinder forums”, and was immediately led back to these forums. I just felt a wave of nostalgia and surprise that this place is still very much alive.

So here I am, hello to all of you, and I hope you wouldn’t mind the presence of an iced latte.

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Welcome back to RFF, and photography! And we don't care what you drink, just keep shooting...
 
rokkorboy said:
I’ve been a long time lurker here since 2010/2011. After such time, life happened and I just stopped browsing through and almost quit photography entirely. But now that I’ve picked up from where I left off, searched Google for “Camera and Coffee Rangefinder forums”, and was immediately led back to these forums. I just felt a wave of nostalgia and surprise that this place is still very much alive.

So here I am, hello to all of you, and I hope you wouldn’t mind the presence of an iced latte.

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Welcome back 😊
 
rokkorboy said:
I’ve been a long time lurker here since 2010/2011. After such time, life happened and I just stopped browsing through and almost quit photography entirely. But now that I’ve picked up from where I left off, searched Google for “Camera and Coffee Rangefinder forums”, and was immediately led back to these forums. I just felt a wave of nostalgia and surprise that this place is still very much alive.

So here I am, hello to all of you, and I hope you wouldn’t mind the presence of an iced latte.

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Welcome to RFF, rokkorboy! I like the Hi-Matic.

I'm a bit of a Minolta/Rokkor fanboy, myself, with Minolta Autocords, SR-Ts (including a favorite black SR-T 102), and a couple of X-570s + winders). I came back to the US from Portugal in 1981 and had no money. My dad gave me his Minolta XG-9. I started building my kit in 1984 when I bought a new SR-T 201, an X-570, an Autowinder G, and some lenses. Then Minolta introduced auto-focus in 1985, but I decided not to go that route.

- Murray
 
Thank you all, for the warm welcome! :)

CMur12 said:
Welcome to RFF, rokkorboy! I like the Hi-Matic.

I'm a bit of a Minolta/Rokkor fanboy, myself, with Minolta Autocords, SR-Ts (including a favorite black SR-T 102), and a couple of X-570s + winders). I came back to the US from Portugal in 1981 and had no money. My dad gave me his Minolta XG-9. I started building my kit in 1984 when I bought a new SR-T 201, an X-570, an Autowinder G, and some lenses. Then Minolta introduced auto-focus in 1985, but I decided not to go that route.

- Murray
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Thanks, Murray. You have a really solid Minolta line-up! I haven't yet dived into Minolta's auto-focus systems either. I've always loved how their lenses from the 1960's/70's rendered my images.
 
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